Chapter 6 : Imperial Palace (2)
Chapter 6 : Imperial Palace (2)
Emperor Ishmark Von Levrok.
A man famous for his youthful appearance, which belied his mid-forties, and his easygoing personality.
There was only one reason why he could laugh heartily even though Deltain was acting so grumpy.
It was because it was Deltain who had placed him on the throne.
"You're late."
"I arrived right on time."
"That's why I'm saying you're late. You've kept the Emperor waiting, haven't you?"
Ishmark said with a wide grin. The dancers had already left.
"As a noble of the Empire, that's a deduction."
"So what are you going to do about it?"
Deltain sat askew and grabbed a fork. He stabbed the salad placed in front of him and ate it as he spoke.
"Cut the crap and tell me. Why did you call me?"
"You already know the reason."
"Not the formal reason. If it were just that, you wouldn't have called me."
"I really like how quick-witted you are."
"Don't say such creepy things."
Deltain's expression was not very good. It wasn't for any other reason. Even though he was pretending to be so hearty, Ishmark was a devious man with a hundred snakes in his belly.
In other words, talking to him was exhausting.
Ishmark's smile deepened.
"I heard you've been focused on your love life lately, so I was curious and called you in."
"...That's a baseless rumor."
"Are you going to get married?"
"I said it's a rumor."
"So you don't intend to."
Ishmark nodded as if satisfied.
"That's a relief. Honestly, it was a bit troublesome. If Duke Levadein's power grows any more than this, wouldn't there be unnecessary bad talk?"
A remark that expressed his honest feelings, uncharacteristic of him.
Deltain raised a question.
"Isn't the Duke of the Imperial Faction?"
"The Aristocratic Faction is trying to recruit him. I know he won't fall for it, but as his authority grows, won't the Aristocratic Faction's courtship become more aggressive? I don't want my people to fall into trouble."
"Bullshit."
Deltain let out a dry laugh. It was because he knew well that he was a cold person even to his own subordinates. Ishmark was a ruthless meritocrat. And an egoist.
He was a man who would chop off the head of his own child if they caused him harm.
"Is that all you wanted to ask? Then can I leave?"
"I still have business left."
Ishmark picked up his knife. The way he sliced the steak with his fork and knife, back straight, was perfectly within etiquette, from his breathing and angle to the rhythm and sound.
"You, do you have any thoughts of marriage?"
"What are you talking about?"
"My daughters. They are quite beautiful, taking after me. They might not be as good as the 'first love of all,' but couldn't that be made up for with numbers?"
"...."
"How about it? Five princesses, isn't that a tempting offer?"
Deltain sighed. It wasn't the first time he'd received such an offer.
"I told you, I'm a non-marriage person."
"Because there isn't a woman who wouldn't put a dent in your perfection?"
"Why ask when you know?"
"Terrible narcissism."
Ishmark picked up a piece of steak, ate it, and made a satisfied face. Then he said.
"But, for someone who says that, it seems you've made quite a bit of progress."
"What?"
"Your virginity. Didn't you lose it?"
Deltain flinched. His gaze turned to his forearm.
Perhaps his sleeve had rolled up while he was eating, and the trace of the Thorn Bush Tattoo was peeking out.
Deltain realized his mistake then.
'...Devious bastard.'
There was something he had forgotten because it had been too long since they last met. Ishmark was a control freak who felt extreme anxiety about things he didn't know, and he was a man who managed everything, even the placement of plates at the dining table, to resolve that.
Deltain's gaze turned to the salad. It was positioned exactly at a distance where he had to stretch his arm out to reach it.
"I guess you had sexual desires too. I thought that virginity would never be lost for the rest of your life."
At Ishmark's words, Deltain's demeanor became quite sharp.
"...Is being the Emperor enough of a reason to pry into my personal life? I didn't know."
"I'm just worrying about a friend."
Ishmark was still relaxed.
"If you fall for women, your reason becomes clouded."
"I don't think that's something you should be saying."
"It's something I can say because it's me. I always drain my fluids in preparation for sexual desire clouding my reason."
"Just go die. Hand the position over to the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince is a good boy. He will surely be a wise ruler. But he is young."
"What, at twenty-three, he's all grown up."
"He's too oblivious."
He continued speaking as if he wouldn't lose a single word. Deltain felt no small amount of displeasure at that.
The mana slowly rising from his body was a form that explicitly revealed such emotions.
"...Don't cross the line. Rethink who it is that put you in that seat."
"Isn't it thanks to you? I've never forgotten it for a moment. If it weren't for you, I would have had to fight a bloody war with my brothers over the throne."
Ishmark's words were truly unvarnished truth.
Three years ago, when the main story was in full swing, in the final chapter, the Emperor of the Empire was possessed by the Demon King and committed suicide.
Deltain had already dealt with the Demon King, but since the throne was empty, it was obvious that another war for the throne would break out, and in that crisis, the solution Deltain chose was the enthronement of a new Emperor.
The support of the hero Deltain Hebron.
That was clearly one of the most important factors for sitting on the throne at the time, and the reason Deltain chose Ishmark out of all the royals was that he was the only one among them who prioritized ability over lineage.
"I am always grateful. So please understand. I am so afraid of the situation where you become blinded by love and distance yourself from me. I want you to be by my side forever."
"You're giving me goosebumps, so just shut up."
"Don't worry. It's not in a sexual sense. No matter how much I like you, I have a repulsion to rolling around with a man."
Ishmark chuckled.
"So, how was the 'first love of all'? I've only seen that child once, seven years ago."
"She has no manners. Just like you."
"Hoh, to think such a person exists. This is another interesting story."
"I'm insulting you, you idiot."
"If it's an insult from you, I can listen to it with a happy heart."
Deltain frowned deeply and stopped talking. It was because he already felt exhausted.
While Ishmark continued his meal alone, Deltain remembered something he had forgotten in the silence.
"...Ah, right."
"Hm?"
"There was something I was going to ask you. I just remembered."
"What is it?"
"Among your daughters, is there anyone close to the Duke's daughter?"
The woman who injected strange knowledge into Agnes. He had to find that woman.
Ishmark pondered with a 'Hmm' and then shrugged.
"Well, I haven't really paid much attention to who my daughters are close with, so I don't know. I'm a laissez-faire parent."
"It's not laissez-faire, it's 'letting them run wild'."
Deltain just accepted it. Ishmark had 47 children, 18 of whom were daughters.
It was natural that it would be hard for him to know who his daughters were close with.
Of course, he would definitely pay attention to relationships that could change state affairs, but the relationship between the two that he heard from Agnes wasn't like that.
"If you don't know, forget it."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of help."
"I didn't even expect it."
"Are you leaving?"
It was a remark made while watching Deltain rise from his seat.
To that, Deltain replied indifferently.
"Yeah, I should be going."
"Go safely. I'll take care of the magic-related matters appropriately."
"Do as you like."
"Ah."
"What now."
Ishmark grabbed Deltain, who was about to leave, as if he had just remembered something.
Of course, Deltain didn't fall for the act. Now that his tension had returned. He knew that what Ishmark had to say when grabbing him at this timing would be quite troublesome.
Since humans are bound to give hasty answers in the impatience of the moment they are about to leave, Ishmark must be seizing that timing.
"By any chance, do you have any intention of attending the banquet?"
The prediction was spot on.
"I'm not going."
"I would like it if you came."
"Why again."
"The Saint Hall was breached this time, wasn't it? There are people emerging from some corners who are harboring anxiety."
"Bullshit, I handled it right that day. There was no damage either."
"Strictly speaking, it's not that there was no damage. Some merchants in the commercial district are suffering from aftereffects."
"That shouldn't be my fault."
"Please understand. Aren't foolish people always in need of someone to blame?"
"...I don't move for free."
"I heard you're looking for something these days. I'll help you at the Imperial level."
A glint appeared in Deltain's eyes.
'This is quite....'
It was a tempting offer. Currently, Cuckoo is in charge of finding information about DLC materials, but if it's Imperial investigators, they can handle parts that their hands can't reach.
The deliberation was not long. What Ishmark wanted was attendance at the banquet. There would be no need to show anything more than that, so he just had to keep his seat and then slip out.
"Send me the schedule."
"Thank you."
"I'm really leaving."
Deltain strode out of the dining room.
Thud.
The dining room door closed.
Only then did Ishmark relax his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.
'...As expected, he's difficult.'
Cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.
Even for Ishmark, who is said to have a hundred snakes in his belly, a superhuman who crushes schemes themselves with force was an extremely difficult opponent.
*
Deltain walked through the Imperial Palace.
There was no one guiding him, but he never got lost.
It was because the Imperial Palace was a place he frequented like his own home when the main story was in full swing.
Since it had been quite a while since he visited the Imperial Palace, Deltain didn't go back right away.
'I feel like there's at least one hidden piece I haven't found yet.'
It was none other than a hidden piece search.
The Imperial Palace was a place with as many hidden pieces as its history or wealth.
The representative hidden pieces had already been scraped off, but even so, it was like that.
Since the DLC had started, there was an expectation that at least one new hidden piece might have appeared.
In front of the Imperial Rose Garden.
Deltain, who had been walking leisurely until he arrived there, stopped his body at a familiar silhouette.
'Duke Levadein?'
Duke Levadein, Agnes's father, was there.
He was in the middle of a conversation with a girl who looked quite young.
Deltain tilted his head.
'Princess?'
One of Ishmark's daughters, an unfamiliar face, but such a conviction couldn't help but arise.
It was because her hair was white, exactly like Ishmark's.
She was a woman with a refined impression.
An untainted innocence was imbued in her, to the point where it was clear she had been raised like a flower in a greenhouse.
When the Princess giggled, Duke Levadein laughed heartily.
While Deltain's questions were deepening at the sight, Duke Levadein discovered Deltain.
"Ah, Count."
Deltain bowed his head briefly.
Then Duke Levadein introduced the Princess to him as if it were perfect timing.
"This is the 7th Princess. She is a kind-hearted person who visits the mansion every time to spend time with my daughter."
Crack.
Deltain's expression stiffened.
"Her?"
The words he blurted out without realizing it couldn't be helped.
It was understandable, because the 7th Princess had too refined and innocent a face for a woman who had taught Agnes such lewd things.
Meanwhile, the 7th Princess smiled slightly.
"I always hear stories about you from Agnes. I am the 7th Princess, Elina Von Levrok."
Deltain fell into cognitive dissonance.