The Emperor's Reward

The interior minister called my name.

"Imperial Guard Armand Elios, step forward."

A massive crowd had packed the audience chamber. Most were imperial officials.

Whispers rippled through them as countless eyes fixed on me. The general reaction seemed to be one of bewilderment.

Among them stood Darkhan, the Captain of the Imperial Guard—the very man who had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ready to start ripping out my fingernails. His face was etched with profound bewilderment as he stared at me.

Of all the absurd places to find myself again, it had to be the audience chamber.

I was just as rattled. How had things gone so wrong? I'd only tried to kill the princess. Instead, the situation had twisted in the exact opposite direction.

The holy sword, brimming with aura, hadn't pierced her heart and ended her life. It had somehow alleviated the precursor symptoms of her awakening.

I hadn't even known such symptoms existed. Then again, none of this had been in the original story. The Worst Evil Magic Dragon had appeared as an abrupt endgame boss.

...I didn't actually help awaken the magic dragon, did I?

A wave of needless anxiety washed over me, but that wasn't important right now.

"Silence, everyone! His Imperial Majesty enters!"

A dignified old man wearing a resplendent crown emerged from behind the audience chamber. It was the emperor himself—the one who had personally appointed me as the princess's escort knight only that morning.

He was a living legend. The hero who had slain the Demon King single-handedly. The title of "living legend" was no exaggeration.

At his appearance, everyone bowed their heads and sealed their lips. I knelt as well, lowering myself respectfully.

"Armand Elios, raise your head."

The emperor spoke my name in a low voice. The words were nearly identical to those from my appointment ceremony.

But his expression was entirely different. The wrinkled corners of his eyes trembled violently, as if tears might spill at any moment.

"Your Majesty?"

"To think you have lifted the curse that tormented my daughter for so many years... You are my daughter's savior. No—you are mine."

Sincere gratitude shone in his eyes, so profound I hardly knew how to respond.

"Interior Minister, bring the medal."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor lifted a shield-shaped medal and continued.

"For healing my daughter Violetta—the future of the empire—I bestow upon Armand the Medal of National Merit and its accompanying reward."

The medal was pinned to my Imperial Guard uniform.

Any ordinary knight would have been moved to tears. For me, the man plotting to take the princess's life, it only left me dazed.

I had tried to assassinate her, not heal her—.

"This is too great an honor."

I swallowed my true feelings and bowed once more before the emperor.

At once, applause thundered through the chamber.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

I had been officially recognized by the emperor.

But not everyone had shown up to offer that recognition.

Where are the other members of the imperial family? I don't even see the princess.

The only royal present in the audience chamber was the emperor himself. Of course, those exalted personages had no obligation to appear for the sake of a mere knight like me. There were clearly internal matters of the imperial household that I wasn't privy to.

"Are you looking for Violetta?"

The emperor seemed to have read my gaze. Despite his aged body, his senses remained razor-sharp.

"Yes. I was concerned about Her Highness's condition."

"Hoho, still thinking only of your duty as her escort even now? You truly are a model knight."

"You flatter me. I was simply uneasy about leaving her side."

"There is no need for worry. Violetta is resting to recover her strength."

"That is a relief."

Damn it. So she really is fine?

This assassination attempt had been a complete failure. Still, surviving it at all was something. I'd even received a medal, of all things.

Should I be happy about this, or disappointed?

I was staring down at the medal, lost in complicated thoughts, when the emperor spoke again.

"In any case, set your worries aside for now and follow me. I will grant you your reward."

"My reward, Your Majesty?"

"Indeed."

The emperor patted my shoulder and began walking slowly, leading me behind the audience chamber toward his personal quarters.

In other words, this "reward" was—.

A private audience with the emperor.

This is so uncomfortable I might lose my mind.

For someone who had tried to kill his daughter, it was impossible to feel at ease.

A private audience with the emperor was an extraordinary reward.

Not just anyone could share a seat with him—even among the imperial family.

To earn the emperor's favor to this degree was no small feat.

Which meant a private audience wasn't simply a place for casual conversation. Through such meetings, some gained power while others walked away with staggering wealth.

That was why the word "reward" was no exaggeration.

This is the emperor's chamber.

As I followed him inside, a dazzling sight filled my vision. Hills of gold coins stretched in every direction, with treasures scattered carelessly across them. The entire room sparkled with such brilliance it was almost painful to look at.

For a moment, I felt as if I had stepped into the fabled lair of a dragon.

"How exactly did you save my daughter?"

The emperor sat upon a golden throne positioned in the center of the room and posed the question. The sight was undeniably noble and radiant, yet somehow laced with loneliness.

But that was beside the point. His gaze felt heavy. Those golden eyes held a strange excitement.

"I infused my sword with aura and burned away the energy that had been tormenting Her Highness."

He had likely already heard the full story from the princess. Keeping my tone even, I drew the holy sword from within my coat and showed it to him.

"Hmm. Where did you obtain that?"

The emperor's eyes wavered the instant he saw the cross-shaped holy sword. He clearly recognized it.

"It was discovered in an abandoned temple on my family's estate."

"I see. You were from the Elios family. It seems the sword has returned to a worthy hand after all."

"Pardon? Do you know what this artifact is?"

"I know it well. It was a sword I wielded briefly in my youth."

"...Is that true?"

"It was forged solely to slay demons and monsters. I eventually returned it because I could no longer wield it..."

The emperor gazed at the holy sword with misty eyes, his face momentarily lost in reminiscence.

"If I may ask, what did you mean by being unable to wield it?"

"It's nothing complicated. This old body of mine was the problem. More importantly, Armand—how did you know there was something wrong with Violetta's heart?"

The emperor swiftly changed the subject. He seemed to be hiding something, but I could hardly press an emperor for details.

It didn't matter anyway. My only goal was the princess's death.

"As you know, I am a priest's son. Perhaps because of that, I've been able to sense ominous and monstrous energies since I was young."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Of course, it was a hastily made-up lie. I couldn't very well confess my assassination plan. Still, I really was good at detecting the killing intent that monsters emitted.

"Then you sensed that same ominous energy from Violetta."

"Correct."

"And that is why you stabbed her in the heart?"

"Yes. It may have been a rash decision, but Her Highness's condition appeared extremely severe. I judged that my power would be sufficient to resolve it."

"By power, you mean holy power?"

"Yes. It seems to have merged with my aura, perhaps due to my father's influence."

The holy power within my aura and the解除 of the curse.

Drawing from what the princess had told me earlier, I was able to spin a convincing tale. It felt strange. If not for her, I wouldn't have been able to offer even this makeshift excuse so easily.

"Hmm. It isn't strange for holy power to flow through aura. Especially since you have claimed that sword as well..."

The emperor trailed off and nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. Or perhaps there was something he found difficult to say aloud.

Either way, it didn't matter.

"I apologize for acting on my own authority."

I knelt on one knee right there and begged forgiveness for my arbitrary actions. No matter the outcome, the fact that I had stabbed the princess remained unchanged.

"Rise. I summoned you here to give you a reward, not a punishment."

Yet the emperor was a wise ruler. His mercy made my guilt even heavier. To reward the man who had tried to kill his daughter—.

"I am unworthy."

"There is no need for guilt. If not for you, she would have suffered for many more days and nights. To cure a serious illness, one must sometimes cut into the flesh."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"That aside, I am curious how Violetta reacted to your aura infused with holy power."

The emperor's gaze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠returned to the holy sword. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

"She showed no signs of pain at all. On the contrary, she seemed refreshed."

"Is that the truth? Then in your view, what happened to that ominous energy?"

"I cannot say for certain whether it was completely eradicated, but she has clearly improved significantly."

"Hmm. I appreciate your honesty. Then let us end this private audience here..."

The emperor turned his gaze away, his stern expression softening into the benevolent face of a ruler.

"Tell me what you desire. I will grant you anything."

The master of an empire that held dominion over the continent was promising to fulfill a wish. This was no empty boast. If I asked for land, he would grant me a territory. If I sought wealth, he would allow me to take as much gold and treasure from this very room as I wished.

But my answer was already decided.

"That is unnecessary."

"...What?"

"Simply being allowed to remain at Her Highness's side is blessing enough. I must respectfully decline."

I could accept nothing. This was not false modesty. How could I take a reward when I was plotting to murder his daughter? It felt far too dirty.

Besides, once I dealt with the Worst Evil Magic Dragon, I would return to my original world. There was no point in accepting anything now. I had no intention of doing so in the first place.

"Hoho... To think I would be rejected during a private audience."

"Have I committed an offense?"

"Indeed. Sending you away empty-handed would damage my dignity as emperor."

"...Ah."

"So speak freely. Ask for anything."

The emperor kept trying to push the reward on me. In my heart, I wanted to demand the princess's life, but I held my tongue.

Instead—.

"Then please allow me to continue serving as Her Highness's escort knight without any change in my position. That is all I desire."

I requested a guarantee that I would remain in my post so I could assassinate her at any time. That was enough.

"What a rare loyal knight you are."

The emperor laughed heartily in admiration. Faced with such a terrible misunderstanding, I could offer no response at all.

"Then it cannot be helped. If you ever need anything in the future, come to me without hesitation."

"I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty."

With those words, I was finally able to withdraw.

As for the emperor, he watched my retreating back and murmured.

"A knight with such upright character and holy power as well..."

"He reminds me of myself in my youth. He may very well be able to master that sword."

His face was one of deep satisfaction.

A day had passed since my appointment as the princess's escort knight.

Looking back on yesterday, it was the very definition of absurdity. No—surviving a failed assassination attempt was a miracle in itself.

I stood guard in front of the princess's room during the morning shift, muttering to myself.

It could only be described as a miracle. Removing the curse engraved on her heart had been accidental, but the princess's unstable mind had played a major role.

No matter how the curse had been lifted, the fact that I had stabbed her heart remained. Yet she had brushed it aside without a second thought—.

She truly was insane. Perhaps it was the reaction one would expect from the Worst Evil Magic Dragon.

She's been asleep for a long time.

The morning shift was nearly over. But as her escort knight, I could not leave my post freely. She was still shut away in her room, sleeping.

The physicians ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had said it would take half a day for her to recover her condition after escaping the curse. Naturally, they did not know the true nature of her illness. I was not particularly curious, either.

My only interest was her death.

My actions improved her condition, huh...

I was worried I might have accidentally helped her skip the precursor symptoms of awakening. If so, instead of an assassination, I would only hasten the world's destruction.

If the holy power had completely purified the blood of the magic dragon, she should have suffered some backlash—at the very ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠least, a small amount of pain.

Instead, the princess only seemed to grow more energetic.

...Sigh.

My head was a mess. I felt like smoking a cigarette I had never even touched before.

That aside... perhaps her insanity hadn't been caused by the curse after all?

If that was the case, would I meet a sane princess today?

Standing guard alone for so long had filled my mind with useless thoughts. If I didn't mutter to myself like this, the boredom would drive me insane—.

"...Are you out there? Was your name Armand?"

The princess's voice drifted from inside the room. She seemed to have woken up at just the right moment.

"Ah, yes. Have you awakened, Your Highness?"

"Yes. Come in and help me, won't you?"

"Pardon? Help with what?"

"The door is open. Come inside."

The princess was as willful as ever from the moment she woke, but I was actually glad. I had been bored to the point of death.

Besides, today might give me another chance to gauge an opportunity to assassinate her.

"Excuse me."

I knocked politely and opened the door.

The moment it swung open—.

"Good morning."

The princess, her clothes half undone, greeted me with a bright smile.

"My lady? What is...?"

"Perfect timing. I woke up after sleeping so deeply, but my body feels so stiff..."

She suddenly pulled me into her arms.

Then, with a seductive chuckle, she whispered into my ear.

"...Won't you stab it into me again today like you did yesterday?"

She wasn't sane at all.

Today, the princess was still completely out of her mind.