Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Agony
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"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"
"Duke Kmel, I am well aware of the importance of your family's honor, but likewise, I too have a duty to maintain the prestige of the Imperial family and the value of its bloodline in order to sustain the Empire. Surely you... do not wish for the Empire to crumble?"
"Ugh......"
"I will transfer the 'excavation rights' for the ruins that appeared in the Haldeon region to you."
"I suppose I have no choice."
In the end, with the addition of a small token of sincerity(?), Duke Kmel reluctantly stepped back, pretending he couldn't refuse.
In truth, given the strength Beonald had already displayed in the arena, he could have simply withdrawn, having won fairly. But it was a matter of extracting as much as possible from the desperate Emperor.
'Even among allies, one must take what one can get.'
'That damn bastard!'
The Emperor swallowed his bitter resentment, but compared to having his entire life's work negated and the Empire's stability shaken, it was a very cheap price to pay.
With Duke Kmel's agreement, the Emperor gestured for a voice-amplifying magical tool to be brought to him, then abruptly stood and addressed the arena.
p>"Hear me! You two knights standing in the arena! I have witnessed your valor and splendid duel. That such heroes—not one, but two—were born in the same era is a blessing for our Empire! In these troubled times, surrounded by hostile nations, is it not a terrible waste to lose one of these talents to the other's sword? Is it not?"
"Ooooooh! You are right! You are right!"
"To the north, Bolea and Dyna! To the east, Garkan and Han! To the south, the barbarian tribes!"
"Of course it's a waste!"
"Yes! It would be a shame to lose the seeds of future Imperial heroes!"
Using the apt situation of 'troubled times' as bait, and with the rhetoric he employed to save the nearly-dead Beonald, the people began to cheer again.
One way or another, most people preferred a happy ending to a bad one, and it was true that heroes were needed in turbulent times.
As the atmosphere shifted instantly, the Emperor, reassured, continued his speech.
"Beonald Callermain, hear me. Princess Zelcy is not currently present here. She has temporarily taken refuge in a temple in another territory until the suspicious controversy and rumors subside. Therefore, I cannot grant your request today. So! Preserve that life of yours, and strive to achieve greater merits and glory, so you may earn the right to meet the Princess with dignity! I judge this duel a draw, with both sides having splendidly displayed their honor and skill! I shall hear no more of it."
"Waaaaaaaaaah!"
It was a lukewarm result, but perhaps better than a sad ending, and the people cheered the Emperor's verdict.
p>Beonald, having roughly anticipated this outcome, did not show much agitation. He politely bowed to the Emperor, then stood side-by-side with Lloyd, quietly agreeing to share the glory of victory and offering him some lip service.
"We got very lucky here. Neither of us had to die, and we both get to share honor and glory. Hahaha."
"...Don't tell me you foresaw it unfolding like this?"
"You've worked hard. Now, I shall go and receive treatment."
Now that everything was resolved and the performance was over, Beonald slowly descended from the stage.
It was only natural to maintain his weary and pained act until the very end, with the audience still watching.
As he left the arena, Kedron approached with an exasperated expression, carrying bandages and potion bottles.
"You really know how to make a spectator's heart race. You should have worn proper armor when I offered to lend you some."
"But isn't this the best possible outcome? The Kmel family has preserved its honor, so there's no reason for further grudges, and we, for our part, have placed a great burden on the Emperor. For the Valderian family, it's a gain, not a loss."
"Are you saying... you calculated all of that?"
"Haha, not all of it~, but I did anticipate the general flow and acted accordingly. Ugh! Ow! That stings!"
As he explained this and that, he also received treatment. The blood loss was significant, and the process of removing the embedded broken blade fragments, stones, and pieces of armor was particularly painful.
The knights from other families nearby and Kedron watched with pity and tried to help with his treatment, but Beonald stubbornly refused.
"Are you really sure you're alright?"
"It's... I'll handle it. I brought potions in advance, so you don't need to worry too much. Ah, ah, hot-hot-hot! Ssss!"
"If you want a priest, I can call one...?"
"Ah, no, it's fine. I... don't really like priests."
Having been to the afterlife and met the Goddess herself, he couldn't doubt the existence of divine power. But having had a poor relationship with priests all his life, he didn't want to get close to them now.
Of course, a time would come later when he'd need to cooperate with them to 'save the world' or whatever, but that time was not now.
'And those bastards are the type who, once you do one thing for them, just keep demanding more, more, more. Hoo~ I wonder if they're already trying that now.'
'Duke Neumel! Increase our offerings!'
'Duke Neumel! Lend us soldiers to catch heretics!'
'Duke Neumel! Exempt us from religious taxes!'
'Duke Neumel! Attend our services!'
'Duke Neumel! Stop that research that goes against Providence! Cease!'
'Duke Neumel! Cover up our corruption!'
......
......
......
*Grind!*
There wasn't a single good memory that came to mind—only annoying ones that made his teeth grind with anger every time he thought of them. They were such useless, leech-like bastards that he still had no desire to get close to them, even now.
That's why he had developed medical arts by combining them with alchemy himself.
'Sssuuup! Hooooo~ When I have time later, I should make an anesthetic or something.'
"You don't look very alright..."
"Ah... Well, it does hurt. I just need to wrap the bandages now. Hooooo~ Anyway, Senior, I have a request."
"You're always making requests."
"My apologies."
"No, it must be something you truly must do. I have no intention of interfering. You've brought good results so far. So, what needs to be done?"
"Please spread the rumor that I am in a very critical condition, hospitalized at the mansion. That should be reason enough for me to not appear for a while if you enforce a visitation ban. Making excuses about severe Aura depletion and the like shouldn't be a problem."
"That's not a difficult request. Understood. I'll do so."
Kedron nodded at Beonald's request. As soon as Beonald finished treating his wounds and wrapping the bandages, he immediately stood up.
Even if he had exaggerated the severity of the wounds, the duel had been a genuine, all-out battle, leaving fatigue in his body. Clenching his teeth, Beonald moved, heading out of the academy.
"Hya! Let's go!"
He mounted his horse and immediately headed south.
He didn't know what choice Princess Zelcy had made, but he needed to hurry, meet up with her, discuss a plan to hide her, and take measures.
If she had chosen the option of obediently marrying into the Vanilo Earldom, there would be no need to worry. But if she had asserted her own will and run away, joining Heidi and Selina, then things would become extraordinarily troublesome, making his presence absolutely necessary.
'...Please, let her have made a choice that hasn't lost her humanity.'
Beonald hoped, as much as possible, that she had chosen to run. He whipped his horse faster.
The jostling made his wounds ache, but this was a race against time, so he endured the pain and galloped on.
***
Several hours later, the Imperial Palace of the Kalium Empire.
*CRASH!*
Once all the academy events were over and he had returned, the Emperor of the Kalium Empire, unable to contain his rage, slammed his fist onto his desk.
A sharp pain shot through his hand, but his fury was blazing so intensely he paid it no mind.
This trivial pain was nothing compared to the humiliation he had suffered today.
"How dare he! That wretched creature dares to insult me! How dare he belittle me, the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty! Please calm yourself!"
"Is this... a matter for calm? That lowborn, mixed-blood noble from the countryside! He insulted me like this! And he nearly made me a historical sinner! That evil snake! Where is he now?"
"Currently... he is said to be recuperating at the Valderian family's estate. It seems the strain from using Aura to the point of draining his life force during the duel has taken its toll. His condition is reported to be critical enough to refuse visitors."
"...I see. Should we take this chance to eliminate him, then? We could say he died from the aftereffects, couldn't we?"
The Kalium Emperor, acting quite emotionally unlike his usual self. He was so infuriated at having to concede a step to a contemptible insect-like being, and even losing important excavation rights in the process.
Thus, acting very emotionally in an uncharacteristic way, he couldn't make a proper judgment and brought up the idea of killing him.
"Your Majesty, it is truly regrettable, but the guest quarters within the Valderian estate... are difficult even for our Assassination Bureau. The Valderian mansion houses several high-ranking knights, and now that he is to be treated as a distinguished guest, security will be even more stringent."
"Grrrrrr......!"
"Therefore, please calm yourself and wait for a future opportunity. You should rest well today, Your Majesty."
"Hoo... Very well. I seem to have gotten too excited. Nothing will change by acting like this. Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo... In the end, I was played by his schemes, but I did my best, so there's no problem."
The duel ended inconclusively. There was slight friction with the Kmel family, but he had protected both the Imperial family's honor and bloodline, and maintained his popularity among other nobles and commoners.
In terms of victory or defeat, he hadn't lost yet; one could even say he defended well.
It might sound like a mental victory, but it was also true. The Emperor quickly calmed down, downed a strong drink, and decided to go to sleep.
***
The next day.
p>Having slept soundly and awakened, the Emperor felt much more at ease and confirmed he had regained his usual composure.
As he had thought before sleeping, while being swayed by some half-baked noble was a blow to the pride of the Emperor of an Empire, he had managed to protect the Imperial family by making a rational choice with minimal sacrifice amidst those crises.
'What was done to me can be repaid. Yes, I'll pay it back with interest.'
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! A disaster has occurred, Your Majesty!"
"Hoho, what is it? Has another war broken out? Where is it this time?"
"Ah, no, it's not a war. It's... a messenger pigeon arrived from the Imperial Knights who went with Baron Vanilo... and it says... that... Princess Zelcy has run away."
"What did you say?"
Just when he had slept soundly and recovered his condition, the Emperor felt his blood pressure rise again, swept up in agitation.
Yesterday's events alone were psychologically taxing enough. What kind of sudden thunderbolt was this?
Zelcy, sent to the Vanilo Earldom, had run away? With six Imperial Knights assigned to her? It was unthinkable. Snatching the missive the attendant brought, he read it himself, but it was written exactly as stated.
"Zelcy... ran away... How on earth?"
Struck by the shocking fact, the Emperor felt his blood pressure rising as he checked the letter's contents again, but the facts did not change.