The Alchemist Arrives at the Imperial Hall
The Imperial Hall was magnificent.
It was decked out in decorations to welcome the Hero party that had returned after subjugating the Demon King.
Dozens of ministers had gathered in the hall. Every face was radiant with the thought of latching onto the Hero’s achievements.
The Prime Minister looked at the Hero with a flushed expression.
“The Empire has been blessed by the gods! A true Hero has been born under His Majesty the Emperor’s reign. Let us dedicate all of this glory to His Majesty!”
He laid the groundwork toward the Emperor first.
“As you all know, it was I who recommended Hero William to His Majesty. I foresaw this outcome from the very beginning.”
“Wasn’t it Lord Juin Marcus who chose William?”
Someone raised an objection, but he paid it no mind.
“If I had not found William first, there would have been no choice to make. And that is not all. I myself traveled to the Tasar Kingdom and requested Princess Bella’s participation. Now that the subjugation of the Demon King’s Castle has succeeded, every moment of that toil rises gloriously in my memory.”
The Prime Minister turned his body toward the Emperor.
“I petition Your Majesty. Bestow titles upon Hero William and his party. Grant William the rank of Margrave and bestow upon him a border territory so that he may forever guard against the threat of the Demon Continent.”
The Empire’s first Margrave was proposed. Everyone nodded in agreement.
A border territory would place him far from the Imperial Capital. It was an appropriate reward that both checked the newly risen power of William and properly honored his achievements.
“Bestow upon Mage Liris the position of Imperial Mage, and make her the head of the Magic Academy with the Magic Towers entrusted to her. That would be fitting.”
The High Priest’s brow tightened. The Prime Minister was going too far.
The Empire’s Magic Towers were jointly administered by the Ministry of Magic and the Order of Priests, half and half. Handing all of them over to the Magic Academy was an absurd proposal. If such a thing actually came to pass, the authority of the Order and the Saintesses would plummet to the ground.
The High Priest stepped forward before the Emperor.
“The Demon Continent is a land that does not permit humans even easy breath. We must not forget the merit of Helena, who joined the subjugation force through the sacrifice of our Order and Saintesses. Without Saintess Helena, the Hero party would have collapsed unable to breathe before they even crossed into the Demon Continent.”
The Prime Minister glared at the High Priest.
“Is devotion not a Saintess’s duty? I fear that speaking of rewards from the noble High Priest’s own mouth may tarnish your reputation.”
“Not a reward, but a duty. Managing the Magic Towers ought to be the role of our Order. Saintess Helena’s achievements have proven that fact.”
This bastard of a Prime Minister… has he struck a secret pact with the Imperial Mage?
The High Priest frowned as he faced the Prime Minister.
“This is the day the Empire’s long-cherished wish has been fulfilled. The Demon King’s Castle has been subjugated! This is not the place for the Prime Minister to discuss rewards. The right of reward is His Majesty the Emperor’s sole privilege, and we are merely to follow.”
“Has the senile old man gone mad…? How dare you cut me off—”
The words that slipped from the Prime Minister’s mouth reached every ear.
The Emperor surveyed the hall, watching for the moment to intervene. The argument between the Prime Minister and the High Priest was not even the real problem. Everyone was looking at the Hero party while calculating their own interests.
Even the envoy sent from the Tasar Kingdom could be seen exchanging glances with Bella, waiting for their turn.
I thought this was a place of celebration.
A feast of greed is unfolding instead.
The Emperor felt his lips go dry as he looked at Hero William.
Let us hear the protagonist speak. Then everyone will accept it.
“The Imperial House honors the Hero’s great deed. You have blocked the threat of the demonkin and swept away the clouds of the war that was to come. That achievement will be recorded forever in the history of the Empire. Therefore I ask: what do you desire as compensation for the subjugation of the Demon King’s Castle?”
William, who had been narrowing his eyes as he looked over the ministers, stepped forward. The corners of his mouth were lifted in a thoroughly arrogant expression.
“It was not something I did hoping for a reward.”
William glanced back at his party companions. Mage Liris, Saintess Helena, and Barbarian Princess Bella were all looking at him.
I’ll give all the Magic Towers to Liris for now.
I’ll pass something decent to Helena as well.
What do I give Bella? I haven’t decided yet.
“If you insist on asking, then I shall answer.”
William drew the Holy Sword with a soft rasp. The ministers recoiled in shock.
In the Imperial Hall, only the escort knights were permitted to draw weapons. No one was allowed to take up arms before the Emperor. There was no way the Hero did not know that.
As the Prime Minister opened his mouth and approached, William leveled the Holy Sword at his forehead.
“None of you move. From this moment, this is my time with the Emperor.”
My time with the Emperor?
He put himself before the Emperor?
Leaving the flustered ministers behind, William climbed the stairs. The escort knights drew their swords and blocked his path.
“Hero, sheathe your blade and withdraw.”
The Captain of the Imperial Knights glared at William with fierce eyes.
William pulled out the bundle he had tied at his waist. With a heavy thud, the bundle hit the floor, came undone, and the Demon King’s head rolled out with a dull clatter.
William planted his foot on the Demon King’s head and looked at the knight captain.
“You dare give me orders? The first Emperor also built the Empire by taking the Demon King’s head. The only thing that can stand in my way is the Emperor’s command alone.”
“The laws of the Imperial House are precisely His Majesty the Emperor’s command. Hero, obey the laws and discipline of the Imperial House. Sheathe your blade at once and withdraw!”
“Is that so? Then I shall issue a new command. The knight captain is dismissed. Surrender your sword this instant and leave the palace.”
“What do you mean—”
“The Empire shall welcome a new Emperor! From this moment, I, William, shall rule the Empire and unfold a brilliant future!”
The hall fell silent in an instant. There were even those who could not immediately grasp what had just happened.
A groan escaped the Prime Minister’s lips.
“Treason…?”
William dragged the Holy Sword as he approached him. The heavy scrape of metal against marble filled the hall with noise.
A sharp clang rang out as the Holy Sword struck the marble floor and rebounded.
Then it sliced cleanly through the Prime Minister’s neck.
The Prime Minister’s head rolled across the floor until it bumped into the Demon King’s head and stopped.
William slowly climbed the stairs. The Emperor shrank back as he looked at him.
“William, what in the world are you doing?”
“To you I shall specially grant the title of Hand of the Emperor. Become my advisor and counsel me in governance. I do not know if you have anything else to ask.”
William seized the Emperor by the scruff of the neck and hauled him from the throne.
“You should stand beside me and witness the birth of a new Imperial House, should you not? As befits the new Emperor’s Hand.”
Strength left the Emperor’s legs and he collapsed where he was.
William sat upon the throne and looked down over the hall.
“I shall bestow the rewards for the subjugation of the Demon King’s Castle. Ministers, carry out the orders.”
The Minister of Finance was the first to bow his waist.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
A silent warning swept through the hall.
Make a mistake and you die.
Be quick-witted if you want to live.
“L-Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
Voices joined one after another.
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live Emperor William!”
The ministers’ heads bowed toward William like a wave.
William smiled in satisfaction as he looked at his party companions.
“Meritorious subjects, ascend the dais.”
Liris and Helena glanced at each other as they climbed the stairs. Bella followed behind them with a grave expression.
Liris spoke quietly.
“He’s handling things properly up to this point, at least?”
Helena nodded as well.
“His head is empty, but he always had nerve to spare.”
“Manage the Order well. It would be a problem if things get noisy over the Magic Towers.”
“You keep your promise. We agreed that in exchange for handing over the Magic Towers, we would build Divine Towers. The Ministry of Magic will not be pleased.”
William rose with a heavy thud of the Holy Sword against the floor.
“I shall entrust every Magic Tower of the Empire to Archmage Liris. The Order of Priests and the Saintesses are to remove their hands from the Magic Towers and devote themselves to their original duty of serving the gods.”
Archmage Liris?
Is the head of the Ministry of Magic changing as well?
The hall stirred.
The High Priest opened his mouth in a trembling voice.
“Then what becomes of the Holy Academy?”
Half of the Magic Towers had been under the Order’s management until now. And they were to surrender all of them?
“Old man, it’s about time you retired, isn’t it? From now on, the High Priest position goes to Helena.”
Along with the Archmage, the High Priest has been dismissed too?
The High Priest looked at William in shock.
“A Saintess cannot assume the office of High Priest!”
“Is that so?”
William looked at Helena, and she let out a long sigh.
“High Priest. Can you not read the situation even when it is right before your eyes? The world has changed. Step down gracefully.”
“Helena!”
“I am dissolving the Order of Priests. The foundation will be run by the Saintesses, so take note of that. Priests will now be reassigned to the position of assisting the Order of Saintesses.”
“You mean to close the Holy Academy!”
“The Academy will remain as it is. Instead of Magic Towers, however, it will operate the newly constructed Divine Towers.”
“Divine Towers?”
“From this moment, I hereby announce the Adult Ceremony of the Order of Saintesses to every citizen of the Empire. Every child must complete the Adult Ceremony of the Order of Saintesses to be recognized as an adult and receive citizenship. In other words, Imperial citizenship will be distributed through the certification of the Order of Saintesses.”
“What utter nonsense is that? There is no such content in the divine law!”
“There is now.”
Helena’s red tongue flicked across her lips.
“Starting today.”
The Saintess had written a new sentence into the law. Everyone trembled as they watched the scene.
It was a wretched spectacle. The Hero’s treason, the Mage’s corruption, and the Saintess’s apostasy were unfolding simultaneously right before their eyes. And every gaze—
“Lord Juin Marcus has arrived!”
—turned toward the entrance of the hall.