Let's Write a Contract First
Whirrrr...
The blue light wrapping around my body faded away.
As I slowly opened my eyes,
"Your humble servants greet the heir to the great Emperor!"
I saw elves kneeling on the ground, bowing their heads low.
"..."
What is this now?
The atmosphere definitely wasn't like this when I left.
I glanced at Nairin. She lowered her voice and whispered to me.
"Every elf in the Empire knows now."
"Knows what?"
"That you have become His Imperial Majesty's rightful heir."
Well, of course he would have announced it. But how could their attitude change this drastically? It was almost as if they had been brainwashed.
"Many things happened while you were away," Nairin said, noticing my confusion.
"When a few nobles rebelled upon learning that a human had been named the heir, His Imperial Majesty..."
"Killed them."
"...Yes."
I didn't need to hear the details to guess what had happened. The Elf Emperor was ruthless and powerful. The rebellious noble families had likely been erased without a trace.
And because of that, no one dared to voice any complaints about the Emperor's 'human heir.'
Well, it makes things easier for me...
I scanned the bowing elves. The court mages who had cast the dimensional magic, the Emperor's knights, and even the servants—all of them had their heads pressed against the floor.
"You may rise."
Only after my permission was granted did the elves finally stand. In their eyes, instead of disregard and contempt, there was only fear.
For now, that fear was directed at the Emperor, not me, but still—it felt pretty good.
To think those xenophobic bastards, who used to look at humans as if they were worse than dog shit on the street, had been disciplined to this extent. Power really is a beautiful thing.
"Welcome back, Your Highness," the old elf at the front said, bowing to me. "We hope the journey did not strain your physical body..."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked with a smirk.
"Do you think a human body wouldn't be able to handle it?"
"N-No, of course not...!"
"Is His Imperial Majesty foolish enough to adopt someone so weak?"
"Absolutely not! Please forgive this old man's ignorance!"
The old elf immediately threw himself back onto the floor, trembling violently.
I looked down at him and spoke in a cold voice. "Remember this clearly. Before I am a human, I am the son of His Imperial Majesty."
"O-Of course! Without a doubt!"
"All of you here would do well to keep that in mind."
"Yes! We shall keep it in mind!" the crowd of elves chorused in unison.
Haha. Just as Nairin said, the Emperor had given them a thorough attitude adjustment. Satisfying.
"Let's go, Nairin."
"Yes, my lord!"
The servants tried to follow, but I waved them off. The elves of the Empire were all the Emperor's eyes and ears. There was no need to keep any of them close except for Nairin. Besides, Nairin handled whatever tasks I gave her perfectly anyway.
"This way, please."
My quarters were located in one of the palaces on the side of the imperial grounds. It was quite out of the way, but I preferred the quietness.
"You may rest comfortably until dinner," Nairin said.
"Sure."
I leaned back on an incredibly luxurious sofa. Nairin immediately brought me a drink—a juice that tasted like mango.
I gulped it down, quenching my thirst.
Tinkle, tinkle...
A clear bell chimed.
"I will go check," Nairin said, rising from her seat.
She went outside, spoke to someone, and returned with four or five elves.
"We greet the Imperial Prince."
The elves bowed deeply. Two of them were trembling so much they couldn't even meet my eyes.
"What is this?" I asked Nairin.
"They are tailors sent by His Imperial Majesty."
"What? Tailors?"
"Yes. The Emperor ordered them to prepare new attire for you in celebration of the festival..."
"Unbelievable," I muttered.
The tailors flinched. They probably couldn't believe a human dared to speak of the Emperor in such a casual, disrespectful manner.
"He dotes on you so much, Taepyeong-nim, that he could not let this pass," Nairin replied, completely unfazed.
"Indeed, Your Highness," the elf who seemed to be the head tailor chimed in. "His Imperial Majesty personally provided silk spun by pearl spiders and threads of solar gold, taking special care to oversee the attire of his youngest son."
"Is that so..."
What a pain.
I slowly got up from the sofa.
"If 'Father' wants it, I suppose I have no choice."
"His Imperial Majesty will be pleased."
With the help of Nairin and the tailors, I had my measurements taken.
"We shall have it finished before sunset."
There was still some time before sunset. During that time, Nairin asked how I had been, so I told her about what had happened back on Earth.
I told her about clearing the Demonic Outbreak on Tsushima Island, the incident with Park Kangsu, and France's Cannibalism Project.
Out of everything, what angered Nairin the most was France's Cannibalism Project.
"If you give the word, I will go and wipe France off the map right now."
"Forget it. They're on the verge of ruin even without your help."
"But...!"
Nairin huffed, her face flushed with lingering anger. Man, her loyalty really was something else.
"You need to stay here and help me."
It was true that the elves were groveling, but that didn't mean I could trust them. That was a completely different matter.
"You're the only one I can trust here."
"...Taepyeong-nim!"
Moved to tears, Nairin immediately dropped to her knees.
"I was foolish! To think I forgot that protecting you is my absolute highest priority...!"
"Alright, I get it, so stand up."
Why does she have to kneel for every little thing?
"During your stay here, I, Nairin, swear on my life to protect—!"
While Nairin was in the middle of her tearful oath,
Tinkle, tinkle...
The bell rang. It seemed the tailors had returned.
"Go open the door."
"Yes, sir!"
Answering with a voice twice as loud as usual, Nairin went to greet the tailors.
"Your Highness, the attire is complete."
The clothes the tailors presented were ridiculously lavish. They practically screamed wealth.
It was made of a luxurious, glossy black fabric. A red gem was set right in the center of the chest, flanked by two tigers embroidered in gold thread that seemed to pounce toward the gem.
"What's this?"
"It is a Dragon's Eye Stone bestowed by His Imperial Majesty. It is a gem crafted from a dragon's eye, and it heightens the wearer's six senses."
Oh. Sounds pretty good.
I put on the clothes with the tailors' assistance.
It actually looks decent.
Before putting it on, I thought it might be too flashy, but it wasn't bad once I had it on. And just as they said about heightening the six senses, everything around me felt much sharper and more vivid.
However...
This part is a bit much.
Everything else was fine, but a piece of fabric hanging down like a skirt bothered me. What was I, a peacock?
Riiip!
Without hesitation, I tore it off.
"Y-Your Highness?!" the tailors gasped in horror.
"It was in the way."
"B-But...!"
"This is good enough, so you can leave."
"L-Like this, His Imperial Majesty will surely execute us all...!"
"Would he really kill you over something like this?"
I mean, logically speaking.
Tsk, tsk. I clicked my tongue and walked past the trembling tailors.
"Your attire is a mess. Summon the tailors at once."
I was wrong. The Emperor was a man who knew nothing of 'logic' or 'common sense.'
"How dare they insult my most precious son with this? I shall have them torn limb from limb and exterminate their entire clan—"
"Father."
The Emperor, who had been speaking with a chilling expression, instantly beamed and looked at me. "Yes, my son?"
"I did that."
"Hmm?"
"The clothes. I tore it off."
"What do you mean..."
"It was too cumbersome."
"..."
The Emperor stared at me in silence for a moment, then immediately did a complete 180.
"I see!"
"Now that I look closely, it is indeed highly practical. Making the garment lighter certainly makes you look much more agile."
"Right?"
"How wise. I must order my own robes to be altered in the same manner."
The Emperor smiled warmly. The man was completely out of his mind.
Well, not that I cared.
"I heard you had a reason for summoning me."
I got straight to the point. Even if the person in front of me was the Emperor, beating around the bush wasn't my style. It wasn't like I was here to play politics. Why bother? Getting straight to business was easier for both of us.
"Are you not my son?"
"..."
"Naturally, you must participate in this grand festival."
I let out a smirk.
"All of you, dismiss," the Emperor ordered, sending out the rest of the elves.
Once we were left alone...
"I assume you have heard about the festival?" the Emperor asked, getting straight to the point as well.
"Nairin explained it to me."
"And about the tournament?"
"Yes."
"Have you also heard about the 'monster' that appeared there?"
I nodded, looking slightly bored.
"Then..."
"..."
"Do you know that the 'monster' is the daughter of the Dark Elf Queen?"
The daughter of the Dark Elf Queen?
Now that was news to me.
"Indeed, you wouldn't have heard of this," the Emperor said, a cold smile playing on his lips as if the very thought of her made him shudder with disgust. "Do you know of the Dark Elf Queen?"
I shook my head. I had only encountered a dark elf once before. I didn't even know they had a queen.
"She is a truly dreadful existence."
Well, dark elves were still elves, so of course she would be dreadful.
"A disgusting traitor who offered everything to the Goddess of Night." The Emperor's eyes blazed with fury. "And now, that traitor's daughter seeks to defile our sacred festival."
The Emperor suddenly sprang up from his seat and grabbed my hands tightly with both of his.
Wow. Anyone watching would think he was my actual father.
"You are the only one who can protect the glory of the Empire."
I suppose so, considering all the other heirs had already backed out.
"My son."
"..."
"Please, bring glory to the Elf Empire."
The Emperor's voice was filled with desperate emotion.
"Sure, Father," I replied with a smile, nodding my head.
"But first, shall we write up a contract?"
Even between family members, you have to keep these things clear and official.