Audience with the Emperor
A few days later, permission came through for an audience with the emperor. It had been ages since I'd entered the imperial palace in my true form. And this was the first time doing so in a human body.
I'd received a brief lesson on imperial etiquette, but no one knew the Ether Empire's protocols better than I did. Brushing past the baffled etiquette officer, I finally came face-to-face with the emperor.
"Your Imperial Majesty."
My relationship with the emperor was an awkward one. Though I was a noble of the empire, my role as a saint—untouchable even by him—came with power that posed a grave threat to the imperial house.
"So, this is my first time seeing you in person, Viscount Akasha? You live up to the rumors—quite the handsome specimen."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. This is indeed our first meeting."
The emperor scrutinized me from head to toe. Our eyes met.
"Are you the viscount of Ether, or a saint?"
He came out swinging right away. Pick a side, he was saying. But why should I?
"Both."
"I see. Then, are you on my side?"
The emperor was blunt as ever. I'd known he had this streak, but today it felt especially pronounced.
"If possible, I'd prefer to remain neutral. If I lean toward one side, the empire could descend into chaos. But let me be clear: I am not your enemy, Your Majesty."
The emperor placed a hand on his chin, lost in thought for a long moment after hearing my response.
"Even if you joined my side, the empire wouldn't fall into chaos."
He had a point. The Ether Empire had maintained strong imperial authority since the days of Ether, ensuring stability. The nobles had only recently begun to raise their heads.
"With a wise ruler like Your Majesty on the throne, yes. But without one? It breeds tyrants. That's why balance is crucial."
I knew the current crown prince's character and talents all too well. He wasn't cut out to be a good emperor. The emperor probably knew it too.
The emperor fell silent again, deep in contemplation.
"Truth be told, I don't mind if my son doesn't succeed me."
"Your Majesty!!"
His shocking declaration left the attending knights and ministers aghast. The emperor waved them off to silence them before speaking again.
"What do you think of my daughters?"
Here we go again. Was he suggesting I marry a princess and become a grand duke, ruling as regent?
"My apologies, but I've heard nothing about the princesses."
Of course, I'd seen them through my clones. The youngest was around my age. None of them stood out with exceptional talent. It was the pinnacle of the continent's strongest empire—a position anyone might covet. But not me. I'd only been directly managing my own Akasha Territory for a short while. Hand me the empire? Absurd.
The emperor was more persistent than I'd expected. He broached the idea of betrothal to a princess several more times, but I deflected each one by invoking the church's protection.
"A pity. I had hoped you'd stand by my side."
"My wandering nature won't let me stay in one place."
As a soul, and even now, I'd roamed endlessly.
"Even if you're not my man, don't forget you're a son of Ether."
"That much, I can promise."
It was half a nation of my own making, after all. This was where I'd lived my previous life. I felt more affection for it than any other country. As long as I was around, the Ether Empire wouldn't crumble without a fight. I was its guardian spirit, after all.
With the audience concluded, the emperor smoothed things over, and the awarding of titles to my vassals proceeded without a hitch. In the meantime, Wider worked his magic, securing a fine mansion in the capital on contract. No more worries about lodging whenever we visited the capital.
I figured buying suitable properties in key imperial strongholds as safe houses wasn't a bad idea, so I tasked Wider with it.
Business in the capital was done. But I couldn't head straight back to Akasha Territory. One of my clones, scouring the continent for signs of Nanago Pi, had spotted a suspicious target.
"This time, we're heading to Tonpa Port in the south."
I announced our next destination to my retainers and Joseph Timuria. No one said a word. They'd reached the point of just rolling with it.
"Wider, you're free to return."
He was more useful anchored in the territory than tagging along. The others weren't strictly necessary either, but Jayke and Joseph wouldn't stay behind even if I ordered them to.
Leaving Wider out, the rest of us departed the capital for the empire's southern reaches.
While the group traveled, I kept watch on the suspected Nanago Pi. Eltis Masquerade had said they required a lot of food. Sooner or later, it'd make a move. But over the near-month journey, the suspect showed nothing out of the ordinary.
Finally, we arrived at Tonpa Port in the empire's south. It was a port, but not on the sea. Lake Crapia—vast as a small kingdom and dubbed the Crapia Sea—was its waters.
Proper harbors dotted only the spots where the eastern and western continents faced each other along the shore. Humanity hadn't conquered the ocean yet. The deep-sea beasts were beyond human ken. I'd explored the seas as a soul, observing those colossal monsters, and figured mankind survived only because they never came ashore.
Humanity's domain was a mere sliver of the coastal shallows—and even that demanded risking life and limb. That's why fish from the empire's southern Lake Crapia ports fetched premium prices.
We took the best inn in Tonpa Port and feasted on fresh lake fish and shellfish. It was my first time tasting such pristine seafood cuisine, and I was thoroughly satisfied.
Meanwhile, I kept observing the suspect. It was utterly mundane. Over the past month—and even now—doubts crept in that it might not be Nanago Pi after all. Still, I'd watch a bit longer.
The group, meanwhile, enjoyed a true vacation. We took boats out on the lake and tried fishing for the first time. Argin Tempest and Jayke Halendrahal had a knack for it, hauling in arm-thick catches one after another. I cheated with a clone to scout the lake and snag the biggest one.
We grilled our catches lakeside, marveled at the sunset over the water. The holy knights and priests relaxed for the first time in ages.
Then, the target finally stirred. I was about to teleport alone when Jayke and the others—uncannily perceptive—stood up. I decided to bring them along.
"Whatever I do from here on, trust and follow me."
"Yes, my lord."
Just in case of surprises, I laid down the law. Then I unleashed mana for full speed, kicking off the ground.
It'd been a while since I'd pushed my body this hard. With a bit more training, I could reach Master level, but constant clone-making left no room for intense workouts, so I'd been putting it off. I was already a near-Master warrior. With three Master-level knights trailing me, our sonic rush stirred chaos in the once-quiet Tonpa Port.
We arrived at full tilt: a nondescript two-story house on the town's outskirts. I smashed through the bolted door without hesitation, leaped to the second floor, and kicked open a bedroom door.
"Freeze."
A grotesque beast poised to devour an old man halted at the sight of me. The culprit appeared to be a little girl of five or six. Or so she'd seemed—granddaughter to the near-victim.
Until her head split open, revealing a maw of hundreds of razor teeth.
The girl's eyes shook wildly. Then tears gushed forth.
"I-I'm sorry. Please spare me."
Eltis had once let a Nanago Pi go for showing this very act. As vampires turned humans into kin, he might not have minded the similarity. But I did. And so did my crew.
"Shut your trap, monster!"
Before I could act, Joseph charged, hoisted the girl by one arm, and slammed her mercilessly to the floor. He reached for his sword—his inquisitor's blood boiling after so long.
"Don't kill her."
I stopped him cold. We needed her alive for Kutula.
A faint noise came from the next room. Normally, you'd ignore it, but I just dispatched a clone. Inside, a small bird the girl kept was prying open its cage to escape. Could a normal bird do that? No.
I punched through the wooden wall into the next room, flung open the cage, and snatched the ascending bird mid-air. It let out a plaintive chirp, to no avail.
My clone hadn't noticed either, but this bird was no ordinary fowl. The girl had an insect-sized soul in a human body—just like the tales Eltis told. That's what I'd been tracking: beings with abnormally tiny souls. I'd found the girl.
And now, the bird too.
Wait—was Nanago Pi more than one?
Gripping the bird, I returned to the girl—still pinned under Joseph. She stared at it and spoke.
"So it's over, huh, Nana?"
Astonishingly, the bird replied.
"Don't lose hope yet, Gopi. This has happened before, remember?"
The legendary monster Nanago Pi—roaming the human world for millennia—was two from the start.
"What the hell are they saying?"
Argin, who'd been staring blankly, finally asked.
"You heard them. These are the Nanago Pi."
"Whaaat?"
The shock wasn't just his. Joseph holding the girl and Jayke shared it. No one imagined the stuff of legends looking like this. Not even me, until now.
Still, for ancient beasts, they were weak and hid in lowly guises—a relief. If they'd masqueraded as royalty or archmages, it'd have been a headache.
"We're taking them and leaving."
The unconscious old man wouldn't comprehend this even if he woke. No need to shatter his illusions about his cherished granddaughter being a monster.
"Don't look outside, and stay put."
A crowd had gathered from our commotion. I handed the bird to Jayke and stepped out briefly.
"Everyone, look here!"
I drew their eyes and flashed a brief, brilliant light from my fingertips. I'd never thought to use it this way, but secretly practicing control over memory erasure by intensity had been a pain.
Leaving the dazed crowd, I teleported the whole group back to the inn.
The Nanago Pi stayed surprisingly docile. We bundled them tight to prevent escape and left Tonpa Port, stashing them away.
Meanwhile, I recalled all my clones. Hauling the group and them to the Ktolari Viscountcy was impractical. I began laying soul-clones as stepping stones toward it.
Shifting toward the viscountcy's vicinity, the bridge completed. I halted the march and gave warning.
"I'll handle these and be back."
Jayke and Argin took it in stride. Joseph looked like he had words, but held his tongue.
I wasn't sure if I had mana for a straight shot to the viscountcy, but pit stops would do. Gripping the Nanago Pi, I began teleporting.
All clones computed spatial jumps. Scenery blurred past in rapid succession.
Mana ran tight, but I landed in Count Ktolari's office.
Crash!
I felt a twinge seeing him drop his teacup in shock, but greeted him brightly.
Next time, I'd bring a nice tea set.
"Long time no see, Count Ktolari."