998. Welcome
For some reason, Rem felt that this guy was somehow detestable. He wasn’t quite trash like the nobles he had beheaded while coming and going, but I guess you could say he was just unlucky.
It also seems like it’s looking down at something.
With that feeling, his hand stealthily reaches for the axe. Was it because the guy he encountered when he first came out onto the continent was a very famous nobleman and a bastard in that area?
Even now, whenever Rem saw a nobleman flaunting his authority, his hand would itch.
If I behead a powerful noble as soon as I arrive in the Empire, is it war immediately?
First off, the real task would be beheading them and escaping the system.
Rem let a brief thought slip away as he released his grip. Contrary to appearances, he knew how to read the time and situation. This was a quality Kreis held in high regard.
Encrid naturally calculated a path to cut through the two knights and target Donapa. It was not a deliberate move, but a light attempt that merely showed a hint of intent caused the two knights to shift their positions. The woman blocked the front, and the man stepped his right foot to the side.
Both were positioned to block the path. Regardless of the reaction, Sinar remained silently watching the female knight.
“Hey.”
“That’s excessive.”
The two knights spoke as if protesting.
“Ah, aren’t you the ones being excessive for sending an assassin?”
That thought crossed my mind. Encred stared at the two of them for a moment and then spoke abruptly.
“Don’t kill him.”
It was not directed at those two.
At Encred’s words, Saxen replied from behind the noble Donaparan, holding a short sword to his shoulder.
“yes.”
It was a situation where no one noticed when they had been caught from behind. The heads of the two knights snapped back in unison. It was a movement fast enough to leave a long, trailing afterimage where their eyes had been.
At the same time, Saxony felt eyes watching him, focusing on the noble Donapa. From inside the inner fortress, a fairy emerged with silent steps.
“I told you not to step forward alone, so why did you do that?”
The fairy asked as if arguing.
“If they kill me out of the blue, they would be that thoughtless, and that would be exactly what I want.”
Donaparan replied.
His attitude was so nonchalant toward the blade on his shoulder that it made one wonder if he was provoking them to kill him.
You’re acting like I want to punch you.
Combining all those feelings, Rem spoke. Balmung nodded unconsciously, then stopped. Lord Donapa’s gaze brushed past Balmung’s face.
“mistake.”
Balmung muttered. “I was influenced by hanging out with these lunatics. It’s not my fault. Besides, this problem arose because they kept acting like this despite what we had agreed upon in the first place.”
It is not my fault.
Balmung finished rationalizing and brushed off Donapa’s gaze.
Did you come out to stop it until the very end?
Seriana asked. There was more weariness than displeasure in her words. Donapa sensed it, but did not stop speaking.
“I still agree. Dangerous individuals must not be allowed into the Emperor’s court.”
Well, opinions were all different. He was simply a stubborn person who genuinely believed it.
Krang quickly grasped the situation.
An emperor does not force his opinions on them.
It is obvious at a glance. The Empire is a single entity that worships the Emperor like a god. However…
Allowing them to act contrary to the Emperor’s will?
Isn’t that a contradiction?
Regardless of the circumstances, the man before him, Lord Donapa, did not welcome his arrival. He sent an assassin and incited Count Coty to actively dissuade and block him.
To be precise, rather than actually trying to stop it.
Should I call it an expression of opinion?
To begin with, it wasn’t even at a level to stop the Mad Knights’ military power, and if some within the Empire sided with Seriana…
Even if you tried to stop it, you couldn’t.
That was the entire reason the Butterfly Troupe and the knights under Count Coty suddenly attacked in the first place. There was no grand conspiracy or complicated situation involved.
It was simply a nobleman throwing a tantrum because he didn’t like the situation itself.
“We have no power to stop it, so we can only watch.”
Donapa said.
It was what my mother had hoped for.
Seriana did not avoid his gaze.
It is my job to protect Him.
In a way, he is a person fulfilling a noble duty, and in another way.
He seems like a stubborn old man.
Krang saw through the wrinkles around Donapa’s eyes that he was not young.
“If you’re not going to block me, get out of the way.”
Krang harbored no ill feelings just because an assassin was targeting him. On the contrary, it wasn’t that he was pleased about it, but for now, he simply wanted to continue on his way.
So, what exactly was the Empire’s stance? Were they enemies? Or were they temporary allies? He had heard many stories about how Imperial knights had distinguished themselves in the battle against the Demon Realm.
So what about now?
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous, but I wasn’t anxious. I just thought like Kreis.
If it doesn’t work, I’ll go back and do things the way I used to.
If I have to fight the Empire? I fight. If I cannot avoid it, I simply fight my way through.
There is no giving up. Just as my friend demonstrated in his life, Krang has come this far by adhering to such an attitude.
He grew up on the streets and rose to the throne. His life, too, was neither easy nor ordinary.
“As expected, he is a dangerous man.”
Lord Donapa said.
“If you die, will war break out immediately?”
Krang asked. The determination evident in his seemingly nonchalant question was firm. It was not an attempt to intimidate the other person for no reason, but a question asked with genuine sincerity.
Please bear with it.
Seriana replied. She then shook her head not toward Marquis Donapa, but toward the fairy standing behind him.
It meant that he should not interfere and make things more complicated.
If the sisters’ resolve is so firm.
The fairy muttered. The word “sister” referred to Seriana. No one had asked how their relationship made them sisters.
There was no way two people of different species could be blood-related sisters.
Marquis Donapa, along with a few others who shared his cause, opposed inviting the King of the Continent, but the damage was already done.
Just then, the fairy suddenly appeared; her pupils rolled back, revealing only the whites, and she spoke.
“It is a message from His Majesty. I understand the intention, but he commands that the way be opened. If it had been blocked, that would have been fate; but if it could not be stopped, that too is fate.”
It sounded like chasing after clouds, but it was roughly understandable. After all, it aligned with the maxim about the prophet’s paradox.
After all, the world keeps turning one way or another, and if you look back and call everything fate, doesn’t that make it all fate?
It meant that one should not dwell on the past but embrace the coming today.
Since they couldn’t stop it here anyway, it was a message to stop interfering and follow the natural order of things.
Donapa had been acting as if he would never step aside, but as soon as he heard the Emperor’s message, he took a step.
“May I move aside if you aren’t going to cut me?”
Furthermore, regardless of the attitude he had shown so far, he asked Saxon politely. When Enkrid nodded, Saxon withdrew his hand.
I guess I like rough things.
The female knight spoke. Encreed tried to recall her name, which he had heard with one ear and let go, but gave up and replied.
“Do you know the name of our knight order?”
No matter where you are, if you speak like this, you get through to it. Encred said it because he knew that, too.
What Edin Molsen said when the King from Evergard visited long ago left a deep impression on me. The answer came from the male knight’s mouth.
“maniac.”
The fairy’s eyes, which had rolled back in a flash, returned to their normal state. She blinked a few times and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
Esther stared at her intently. She was certain a spell had been cast just moments ago, yet even with her unique senses, it was difficult to discern.
To be precise, it seemed like a spell that was not a standard incantation but one that only worked in a designated place or on a specific person.
Limited Order?
It has been a long time since I’ve seen something like this written. Esther became interested and surveyed her surroundings.
Upon closer inspection, a faint magical energy permeated everything nearby. This was not just a simple castle.
“caution.”
As I spoke with such feelings, Encred turned his head, met my eyes, and replied.
“Alright.”
“Don’t worry. I will protect you.”
Sinar chimed in from the side, and Encred just nodded.
“Hey, isn’t it nice to have so many people to protect you?”
Rem said. Whatever the case, all of them were the kind of people who would wreak havoc and fight anywhere, whether in the Empire or elsewhere, if necessary. Including Encred himself.
Have some.
Lord Donapa now volunteered to be the guide rather than trying to stop him.
I will go with you.
Seriana spoke as she led the way. Now, no one stood in their way. Krang took a step forward, filled with both doubt and curiosity regarding the man known as the Emperor.
In fact, given that even Esther had become interested, there was not a single person here who wasn’t curious about the Emperor.
Only Temares, the dragonkin who walked alone and knew only him, simply let his body flow with the current. His duty was to stand by one person’s side and spend his life with him; therefore, he merely moved in accordance with his duty.
As soon as he entered, Krang caught a strange smell, and simultaneously, the unique interior of the castle caught his eye.
Anyone would be busy observing something of an unfamiliar form, and Krang was no exception.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows on both sides, and the number of windows seemed excessive for a typical castle. Also, upon closer inspection, the floors and walls were not perfectly straight but slightly twisted. However, it wasn’t to the point of making it difficult to walk. Furthermore,
while the walls and floors appeared plastered from the outside, they did not feel like stone. The interior was damp, and the space consisted of walls and floors made of the same material.
How did you build this castle?
Even the continent had a long and developed history in construction technology, so it was hard to even imagine.
As a smell—specifically a scent sensitive to fairies—spread, Sinar reacted.
“Jeong-gi.”
She sensed the vital energy filling the place through the scent. It was a rich fragrance hard to find anywhere else.
Everyone, including Krang, smelled the scent of grass and flowers. Although no flowers were blooming anywhere, a fragrance wafted from within the castle. Since
this was no ordinary situation, Saxony’s vigilance soared. The others felt the same way.
The Royal Guards stayed so close to their King that it was difficult for Krang to walk.
Since he could not say anything to those fulfilling their duty, he had no choice but to endure it and keep walking.
“They call it the Emperor’s Blessing, but we’re used to it. It smells good, doesn’t it?”
Balmung spoke to them, and Seriana took the lead as if nothing were wrong.
Let’s go.
There was no grand formality, nor were there any guards. Even the occasional attendants or ladies-in-waiting did not dare to approach this way.
There was simply no one around, so no one was blocking the way; there were no magnificent works of art hanging on the walls or multiple knights standing watch.
Two knights, including Lord Donapa, and a fairy presumed to be knight-class remained behind. Were they the final gateways guarding this place?
Otherwise, there is no need to protect it.
It was Krang’s thought. It was a simple way of thinking, but such simplicity was how it revealed clear facts.
Long rows of windows, falling sunlight—it felt like walking in the middle of a well-maintained garden.
Or perhaps it was like walking along a path in the back of a mansion built near the forest for its pleasant scent.
A sense of tranquility settled in. Tension released, and his mind became at ease. Was this a spell, if you will?
Whatever it was, his mind wasn’t particularly shaken, but he felt twice as at ease as before.
It’s strange.
Aside from the remark Temares casually spat out, no one opened their mouths. It wasn’t that they were forbidden from speaking, but they simply wanted to enjoy the moment.
As they strolled through the castle, they breathed in sun-kissed air imbued with peace and tranquility, rather than hard stone and cold air. As
the scent of grass and flowers penetrated deep into their lungs and spread throughout their bodies, an inexplicable vitality surged within them.
Along with this, the fatigue from the journey, which had lingered unnoticed despite the carriage rides and various conveniences provided, was swept away. They
walked and walked until they opened a seemingly ordinary door and stepped inside. They thought they might find a reception room, but they were not.
The first thing that caught their eye was a staircase. It was a towering staircase stretching straight up, towering like a giant tree that had survived since ancient times. Krang tilted his head to look up.
“Welcome, King of the Continent.”
There, the Empire, the master of the land and the master of the rule of law, a truly upright philosopher, an emperor who exists not as an idea but as a reality, spoke.
