27. Emperor
27. Emperor
"Ah, why am I shaking so damn much?"
"Why the hell are you shaking?"
"...I can shake if I want to."
"We will be seeing Her Majesty the Emperor soon. Be quiet."
"Yup."
It was the usual pointless banter with Siwoo, but perhaps because of the location, our bullshit chatter ended in a flash.
This is where the Emperor of the empire resides, whose dignity cannot even be put into words. The Imperial Palace.
Three days ago, on the way back from school, just as we were bickering as usual and entering the dormitory to go to our respective rooms, a woman wrapped entirely in extremely thin fabric handed me a letter.
At first, I thought she was some crazy exhibitionist, but the moment I received the letter, I could feel it from the purity of the mana. Ah, this is an imperial decree.
A natural, vibrant mana that seemed to surpass the veteran instructors of the notoriously time-honored Seowol Academy. If she was an owner of mana of that purity, leaking her mana like that must have definitely been intentional.
Her intention wasn't hard to figure out. Shut up and check the letter alone in your room. She probably intended to invite only me to the Imperial Palace, but honestly, from my standpoint, there was no particular reason to move according to her script.
'Oh, what the hell, Her Majesty the Emperor wants to see me? Take a look.'
'No, of course you'd spout bullshit, but... Whoa, jackpot.'
'.......'
In the end, because of my trolling, things got all tangled up somehow, and after spewing all sorts of nonsense, two humble commoners ended up strutting down the hallways of the Imperial Palace, which I was originally supposed to visit all by myself.
Her expression, looking unnecessarily distorted behind the veil covering her face, was a bit amusing. Well. If she had a problem with it, she should've just told me to read it alone.
Of course, I didn't reveal the letter to Siwoo purely out of spite. Constantly whining that having too much sleep is my problem has made me somewhat numb to it, but frankly speaking, not being able to control my sleep cycle with my own will is an absurdly fatal weakness.
If I went in alone, faced the Emperor, and suddenly fell asleep unable to overcome my drowsiness while talking, I'd be handing over a massive weakness on a silver platter to the supreme authority of the empire without gaining any benefit. It would be even worse if they did weird things to my body while I was asleep.
That's the exact reason I brought that bastard Siwoo along to the Imperial Palace. Just in case—in case I couldn't hold back my sleep during a sparring match with the Emperor and suddenly dozed off, he'd take responsibility and wake me up. No matter how much we bicker, he's the most reliable bastard in the end. Besides, no one else knows about this weakness except Siwoo. The rest of the cadets just think I sleep through class because I already know all the material.
......If I had just properly hidden my strength and gone around, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened. Would the Yuriel of the original novel have had a meeting with the Emperor around this time too? I'm just curious.
As I looked at Siwoo with an annoyed expression and let out a deep sigh, he was moving his steps while trembling with an unusual, tense face.
"Ah, this bastard looking so damn nervous is fucking hilarious."
"......Isn't that obvious? Commoners like us get to see Her Majesty the Emperor."
"You moron, Her Majesty the Emperor is also—"
"Quiet."
"Yup."
The guard's chilling gaze turned toward Siwoo and me. I was about to say, The Emperor is a human too, you know. But seeing his icy eyes, as if he'd slice us up with a sword if I said one more word, made me think it was a good thing my words got cut off.
"From here on out, Yuriel, only you can enter."
"Hey, we've come all this way..."
"No objections permitted."
Fucking hell. Why did I even bring Siwoo then? Of course, it's already a miracle that they accommodated my stubbornness up to this point, but I guess this is as far as it goes. Can't be helped.
"......Yuriel."
Siwoo looked at me with anxious eyes. It felt a bit like admiring the eyes of a puppy drenched thoroughly in the rain, so a laugh slipped out before I knew it.
"Hey, I'm the bastard called a talent that appears once in a thousand years of Elysia's history. You're worrying over nothing. I'll be right back."
"......I'll trust you."
Tch, the bastard. Worrying away. Well, just in case, I laid out all sorts of contingency plans, and since I slept pretty much the entire day today and made various preparations, I probably won't fall asleep under any normal circumstances.
And besides, if we go toe-to-toe in a real fight, I win. That Emperor bastard in the original novel—was she anything special?
Now that I think about it, she is kind of a big deal. The Emperor of the empire—she is the only female character in [Academy Effort One-Tool Gladiator] who does not hold romantic feelings for the protagonist, Siwoo, despite him setting flags with every single woman he meets.
All of her principles of action are focused on achieving the glory of the empire. Unlike the early heroines who spout their own unique beliefs and act like they'd give up their livers and gallbladders just a few chapters after meeting the protagonist, the Emperor thinks only of how to make the protagonist work for the empire until the very end of the work.
And honestly, I could never understand why the heroines fall so head over heels as if to dedicate everything of theirs to the protagonist after knowing him for just a little bit. Frankly speaking, it feels like the author just wrote the story treating them as 'Protagonist's Cock-Sleeve 1' and 'Protagonist's Cock-Sleeve 2'.
If I had possessed a heroine, I wouldn't have lived like that. I'd probably ride on the back of a noble family and open up that clothing store I dreamed of in my past life. What kind of life is being a protagonist's cock-sleeve anyway?
Anyway, from the perspective of a reader viewing the work, her refusal to bend her beliefs—unlike the trophies wearing the masks of heroines—looked pretty cool, but now that it's a reality, it's quite troublesome.
To the Emperor, Yuriel must undoubtedly be a dangerous figure capable of overturning the chessboard of an empire that has barely stabilized, and through this face-to-face meeting, she will weigh whether I am a benefit or a loss to the empire.
If she judges that I can be of benefit to the empire, she will fully embrace me, but otherwise, if she judges that I'll be a loss or an unpredictable loose cannon, she will ruthlessly eliminate me.
......Well, who cares. Confidence is what matters most in these situations. Confidence.
If I were a person with nothing to lose, I would've blown up the Imperial Palace right away and enjoyed a natural life like a hermit senior, but unfortunately, I have one thing to protect right now.
The bastard next to me. I'm talking about you, you little shit.
In the original, you seemed so cold, devoid of blood or tears; I hope that you faintly come to know emotions, learn to believe in yourself, and someday trust a companion by your side rather than me, effortlessly entrusting your back to them.
I want to see the ending of this story with you—you who know how to smile brightly when happy, and have the courage to shed tears when sorrowful......
Ah, fucking hell. So damn cringe-worthy. I got drunk on the atmosphere of the Imperial Palace and threw a tantrum for a moment.
Well, looking at the way he's been acting lately, he does way too much crazy shit to be considered an emotionless robot.
For some odd reason, unlike in the original where he was a pure sword-only one-trick, he seems to be trying to broaden his spectrum as much as possible and has even been looking into mental-type magic; his changes are fascinating to witness anew.
Oh, I don't know. It's about time to open the doors of the Imperial Palace. If I waste any more time, the guard will undoubtedly throw another fit with a solemn expression.
I let out a smirk at my own insensitive body that still didn't seem to feel nervous even in a situation like this, and pushed open the indescribably massive doors of the Imperial Palace.
"It was an honor to meet Her Majesty the Emperor. Then I'll take my leave."
The girl in front of her bowed her head. At a glance, it seemed formal, but at her excessively calm eyes and utmost serene demeanor, the Emperor's brow twitched slightly.
"That thing you just said. Can you make sure you won't regret it?"
A question like, Can you take responsibility? A question that anyone else would have hesitated over for at least a fraction of a second,
"Of course."
The girl in front of her stated without a single shred of hesitation.
"Understood. Then be on your way."
"Understood."
Greeting the Emperor with eyes that looked just as serene as when they first met gaze, yet simultaneously filled with a clear and firm resolve, the girl soon turned her body around.
"......."
Along with that, resting her chin on her hand without realizing it, the Emperor stared at the spot where the girl had stood for several minutes in that exact posture, even after the girl left the Imperial Palace and all sorts of news regarding the empire came in from the ash-gray crows.
"......Curious."
I've never seen eyes like that before.
The composure to maintain the exact same attitude as usual when an unprecedented sense of coercion and pressure washes over a genius; the brilliant insight to see right through the hidden meaning of an offer that seemed as if it would be extremely sweet if bitten into; the self-belief that she will never regret the statement she made before the apex of the empire.......
At a glance, they seemed similar to the Emperor's own eyes, but there was definitely something different about them.
Trust in a companion.
The conviction that when a mental hallucination magic instantly breaches her barrier and her most precious companion betrays her, she can dismiss it as a hallucination without a single shred of doubt. Because such a thing did not exist within the Emperor.
"......Did she say she was twenty-three?"
The Emperor wondered what on earth could have made her—younger than anyone she had ever locked eyes with until now—display such an attitude.
Moreover, she doubted. A solitary question to herself—wondering if there was just one thing lacking in her own self, which she had always felt was perfect—lingered heavily in her mind for a long time.
The difference between a wise ruler and a holy ruler.
To her, that is still something within reach yet out of grasp, something she still cannot understand, but whether her meeting with the girl will become the piece to fill the emptiness she has carried for a long time—that is something the current Emperor cannot yet know.
She is merely intrigued.
It must surely be the sprout of discord that must be eliminated for the future of the empire, yet why does the thought that she must be kept alive dominate her mind? Just simple curiosity about that.
After a period of anguish that was short yet long, where day turned to night and night turned to day, the Emperor made a decision.
To watch over the girl.
She didn't know what kind of wind this choice would stir up in the future of the empire, but somehow a feeling that it would at least become a wind of change for her strongly embraced her,
so she simply decided to watch.
Perhaps, her future that would be more brilliant than anything else.
"Hoo-ok..., heh-eh..., heu-eek......!"
"Ha, our supreme Emperor should really see this. Right? Yuriel."
"Hoo-ok..., heu-uuu......."
"Calling a bitch who gets all horny and rubs her pussy just by bringing a cock near her nose a genius."
"Heu-uu..., hoo-ok...?"
"That doesn't mean you can come on your own whim, though."
When I pulled my rigidly erect and heavily swollen cock away from Yuriel's nose, she twitched her nose like a sow deprived of its feed and sniffed keu-keun-georyeotda as if trying to catch the scent of the cock.
"Starting today, we're going into climax management. You can only come when I tell you to. You know what I mean, right?"
"Ugh...?! Hoo-ok......, heu-uu......."
"Good girl. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Well done."
Seeing Yuriel—who, as soon as I brought the cock close to her nose, sniffed keu-keun-georyeomyeo with her trembling nose, prostrated herself like a frog on the bed floor, and tried to rub her pussy by shaking her hips with all her might—unintentionally made me laugh at the thought that this very bitch had been boldly exchanging words with the ruler of the empire without a hint of tension until just a moment ago.
"What kind of genius are you, called a talent that appears once in a thousand years of Elysia's history? You're just a female beast who gets horny and sniffs and shakes her waist the moment a cock is brought near. Ain't that right?"
"Hoo-ok..., heu-uuu......."
"Hey, onahole. You only come when I say 'Go ahead and come'. Now, go ahead and come."
"Hee-eek?!♥"
When I shoved the cock right into Yuriel's nose as if crushing it while maintaining a barely-touching distance, Yuriel shook her hips even more desperately like a female beast that goes into heat and spurts out love juice just by smelling a male, and came. Ah, is this no longer a metaphor, but a fact?
"Heu, heu-uuu......."
"Whew, I guess being turned on by the scent is pretty much complete now. But man, trembling with your legs crouched like that looks seriously pathetic. Hup."
"Ha-ut?!"
When I slapped her twitching buttocks, the remaining pre-cum squirted out in drops. Letting out a sneer, I gently lifted Yuriel's eyelids, and she was drooling with her pupils rolled up in ecstasy.
"Lately, I'm having a hard time because of you, Yuriel. Having to walk around wearing a fruit perfume that doesn't even suit me."
Starting about a week ago, because Yuriel felt a sense of incongruity and sniffed keu-keun-georyeomyeo just from close physical contact even when awake, I've recently started wearing a fruit perfume that doesn't even fit me. It's just a pity that I have to pay attention to even such minor details until I can at least tap gently into her mental world and control her without hesitation.
"I don't know why you sniffed keu-keun-georyeomyeo and shoved your nose toward my side when you told me to get lost, pretending not to be flustered back then, saying I smelled like sweat. Ah, come to think of it, your expression didn't change even then. Acting all haughty. Acting like you're the only one in the world. Well, I love even those aspects of you, you know. You know how I feel, right?"
"Heu-uu..., heu...Uup!?"
"Hey, suck it."
I shoved my erect cock into Yuriel's small mouth. Yuriel's appearance—struggling as if suffocating yet continually sniffing keu-keun-georyeoneun with her nose as if she still wanted to catch the scent—was quite comical.
"You should've just lived with me in the village when I told you to. You had to enter the academy for nothing and end up looking like this. Right?"
"Uup, uu-up...!"
"Still, the fortunate thing is that you're a loner with zero sociability, Yuriel. If you had brought home some guy claiming he was a friend and showed him off... Ugh, I don't even want to imagine it."
"Uup? Uu-uup!??"
"Ah, sorry. I got pissed off without realizing it while imagining it."
Yuriel's body is fascinating. Since she's asleep, if a cock blocks her throat, her survival instinct should make her bite down on it at least once, but seeing how she drools water from all sorts of holes while sucking the cock so well, her body must have undoubtedly been born with the talent of an onahole from birth. It's certain when you look at Yuriel's disgraceful spectacle: crouching and prostrating herself while twitching her nose unconsciously just to catch a few more seconds of the cock's scent, rubbing her pussy against the soaked bed.
"The work of maintaining and repairing your mental barrier is almost complete now. Ah, of course, in the form of me controlling it."
"Heu-bub, heu-eub...!"
"I'm also installing some fascinating things in your dormitory behind your back. Well, there's really not much time left, right?"
"Huu-uu, heu-uuub...."
Yuriel is mine. From our first meeting ten years ago, to that winter night when I realized that this sticky yet anxious emotion was romantic affection, and up to that day three years ago when I thought that I would definitely make her mine. Not for a single second have I ever not kept her in my heart.
In fact, I had felt to some extent that she was a genius from the moment we met. That's why I always, constantly guarded against her leaving this village.
"I didn't expect her to leave the village in the worst possible form of entering the academy, though."
"Huu-uup! Heu-bub...!"
"Well, since it's come to this, what can I do? I have to make you mine even if I have to use methods like this."
"Uub, uu-uup...?"
"I love you, Yuriel. Let's get married someday."
"Uup, uu-uuup!??!"
Along with a surging feeling of ejaculation, a massive amount of semen poured down into her throat. Even in a situation where her esophagus was drenched in semen, Yuriel, like a true onahole, buried her nose into the cock like a frog in mating season and vigorously shook her hips.
"Now, Yuriel, when I count to one, two, three, you'll come too. One, two..."
"Hu-up, hu-uuup, hu-uuuu......."
"Three."
"Hoo-oo-ok!?♥"
Because of the sticky bodily fluids dripping continuously from top and bottom, Yuriel's bed was soon drenched to the point where not a single dry spot remained.
"Ah, I want to get married."
Always, the wedding ceremony with her makes my heart flutter.
On a sunny day in June.
Birds sing to celebrate our wedding, and flowers display their respective colorful and beautiful appearances.
Guests filling the wedding hall, and the officiant wishing for our blessing with a heartwarming expression.
And Yuriel—wearing a pure white wedding dress, tightly clutching a fitting pink bouquet, blushing at me—.
Ah, I wanna fuck her so bad.