The Grand Council
Currently, the imperial annex was functioning as a sort of lodging and reception hall.
It usually felt that way, but with so many people gathering ahead of the Grand Council, the atmosphere was even more pronounced.
Accommodations for nobles traveling from afar and banquet halls for them to socialize had been opened.
Since they rarely traveled alone and usually brought various servants, quarters for their attendants had also been prepared.
At first, I wondered if the imperial family of this fantasy world was exceptionally considerate of servants, but I later found out that even the attendants were all nobles.
Well, of course they wouldn't prepare lodgings for commoners.
After walking for a bit while returning the greetings of various people, I finally left the annex and entered the main palace.
Only a select few were permitted entry into the main palace where the Emperor resided.
Thanks to that, unlike the bustling annex, it was just as it always was.
Which is to say, quiet.
I walked slowly, savoring the silence.
"Greetings, Lord Eisenhardt."
As I acknowledged the greetings of the imperial guard knights on duty, a familiar face caught my eye.
It seemed he was on duty today as well.
The moment our eyes met, he bowed his head immediately.
"Greetings, Lord Eisenhardt."
Moritz naturally fell into step beside me as he greeted me.
I knew his last name now.
Moritz von Sachsen.
Moritz von Sachsen, to be precise.
He was the third son of Duke Sachsen, one of the Five Pillars of the Empire, making him a knight of much higher status than I had initially thought.
It was almost embarrassing that I had just blurted out his name before, especially since my own title was only a Count.
Count Eisenhardt.
Most people called me "Lord" instead of "Count," but that was the reality of it.
Well, what's done is done.
"Let's go, Moritz."
"Yes, sir!"
Let's just pretend we're close starting today.
Seeing as he's basically under the Emperor's direct command too, it's good to be on friendly terms.
However, there was no opportunity for further conversation.
As we drew closer to the council chamber, the number of nobles increased, making it difficult to speak.
Because that is what the Sword Saint, Eisenhardt, would have done.
Not saying a single word unless asked.
That was Eisenhardt's primary method of communication, and the way I had to behave from now on.
Since he was a man of few words who only repeated similar phrases, there weren't many expressions to memorize anyway.
The council chamber was the same place where I had previously audience with the Emperor.
I adjusted my posture before the grand doors.
A sudden stomping of feet brought silence to the hall.
Everyone adjusted their posture as if accustomed to it and looked toward the doors.
Soon, the voice of the Grand Chamberlain echoed.
"Count Eisenhardt."
This was a protocol of listing the titles and honors of the entering individual, a privilege granted only to a select few of the highest nobility.
The order of announcement was based on the weight of the titles, with the lesser ones placed first.
Thus, among the titles that described him, "Count" was the least significant.
"Commander of the Imperial Knights, Guardian of the Empire, Sword of the Emperor, and..."
At that moment, the massive doors swung open, and an old man stepped inside.
"Subduer of the Calamity."
The next step would normally be the announcement of his full name alongside his title.
"The Sword Saint, Sir Eisenhardt, is entering."
However, by the Emperor's decree, his name was omitted.
To go even further, he was addressed as "Sir" instead of "Count"—a complete breach of standard etiquette—yet no one dared to object.
"..."
For the Qi Sensing, which had been contained by the specially crafted Golden Hall, slipped through the open doors and targeted the nobles.
Most of the nobles gathered here were individuals who had awakened mana.
Because of this, they could vividly feel a blade pressed against their necks.
Finally, Eisenhardt's foot stepped onto the golden floor.
The sword was entering.
A single man's presence filled the Golden Hall.
It was a momentum several times more intense than before, as if his previous display had merely been a preview.
Standing atop a blade, surrounded by the suffocating Qi Sensing that filled every corner, the nobles realized.
The Sword Saint had returned.
Having finally overcome his Heart Demon, and in a state sharper than ever before.
Shivering was the least of it; some even collapsed to their knees.
Watching this spectacle, Luniere suppressed a laugh.
At this moment, the Grand Council had half-lost its meaning.
After all, the nobles' greatest concern was the Sword Saint's condition.
The old man, entering with an expressionless face, did not spare a glance for anyone as he walked to take his place closest to the dais.
"...Incredible."
The man who managed to squeeze out those words was Ernst von Hartenfels.
One of the five Dukes, and one of the only two superhumans in the empire.
Frankly, in the eyes of Duke Hartenfels, Eisenhardt still looked exactly as he had before.
Empty, and precarious.
It was not the kind of impression one should have when looking at the strongest man on the continent.
But after feeling a Qi Sensing that made even himself tingle, he had no choice but to interpret it differently.
"He has truly reached the absolute peak."
They say one returns to simplicity at the apex.
It was indeed true.
He immediately discarded and revised several of his plans.
Most notably, the matter regarding the re-evaluation of the northern relief efforts.
He had thought about bringing it up, but decided to drop it.
There was no reason to act recklessly when the Emperor's sword was so sharp.
Thinking that many fools were about to be weeded out, he turned his gaze forward.
It felt as though he would be cut if he stared any longer.
Meanwhile, other nobles interpreted it slightly differently.
They thought his condition was truly terrible.
Seeing his Qi Sensing scattered so indiscriminately, they assumed he was completely unable to control it.
In truth, this was the correct answer, but the truth isn't always what prevails.
This was a matter to be verified later.
At that moment, orchestral music resounded.
All lights were extinguished, save for the one illuminating the throne upon the dais.
The Grand Chamberlain's elevated voice echoed through the hall.
"We greet His Imperial Majesty, the rightful ruler of the eternally glorious Aurium Empire!!!"
A knight's salute from subordinate to superior.
As if by prearranged agreement, the nobles shouted in unison.
"We greet His Imperial Majesty, the rightful ruler of the eternally glorious Aurium Empire."
No lengthy modifiers were needed.
The words "Emperor of the Aurium Empire" were more than enough.
At the same time, he revealed himself on the dais.
Appearing with brilliant golden eyes and hair, he sat upon the throne with a somewhat relaxed demeanor.
The nobles immediately sensed that this council would not be easy.
For the Emperor, who usually spoke of efficiency with every inhale and rationality with every exhale, to show such leisure.
Even a cursory glance suggested that things would not pass quietly.
Glances were exchanged in an instant.
The Emperor observed the silent communication before declaring:
"Let us begin."
Oh, crap. I'm in trouble.
What do I do?
My unleashed Qi Sensing showed no signs of returning.
I desperately tried to rein it in.
Go back to normal, please...!
I knew it now.
Qi Sensing deployed at full power caused significant distress to those nearby.
Luniere had advised me to try and control it, but it just wasn't working!
Honestly, maybe I was nervous.
I felt the same as usual, but for some reason, my Qi Sensing refused to listen.
Information flooded in from all directions through my senses.
First of all, the area behind me was completely devastated.
Every single one of them was trembling, crushed under my presence.
At least the people standing in the same row as me, right in front of the dais, were holding up okay...
"Your Majesty, forgive my intrusion."
At that moment, something spread out from the middle-aged man standing right next to me.
It was... a similar kind of sensory domain, but with a completely different feel.
If I was a sword, he was a shield.
Thanks to him, the expressions of the nobles who were suffering from my rampaging Qi Sensing eased considerably.
"My apologies. I understand how you feel, but we must conduct the council, must we not?"
I remembered this man.
One of the only two superhumans currently existing in the empire.
Considering that I was the other one, he was practically the only other superhuman: Ernst von Hartenfels.
Unlike me, he was the Spear Saint, who had reached the pinnacle of the spear.
Perhaps because he was a Duke, he naturally spoke informally.
I hesitated for a moment, then simply nodded.
Luniere had told me to just nod if I was ever confused about what to say.
"Thank you for understanding."
Seeing him thank me, it seemed I had handled it well.
After that, I just stood there, zoning out.
The Grand Council was, quite literally, just a meeting.
It was obvious, but I had expected something grander.
Instead, it was boringly ordinary.
It was a place where nobles from all over reported on the state of their territories and any unusual occurrences in nearby regions, proposing various agendas.
Various reports, big and small, were delivered, and reasonable agendas were raised.
The Emperor only had to listen and make decisions—a very efficient setup... but.
"The Duke is correct. We shall dispatch additional mages to the north."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
It was all a distant world to me.
Having nothing to do, I used my Qi Sensing to examine the Golden Hall.
When I first heard the name, I thought it was poorly named.
It felt too empty and dark to be called the "Golden Hall."
But now I understood.
The light from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the golden engravings decorating the room, and crucially, the floor.
The entire floor was made of gold.
Because of that, it brilliantly reflected the light of the chandeliers.
I realized why they kept the lighting dim.
If it were any brighter, the glare would be exhausting.
Yet the nobles didn't seem to think so, as praises for the hall echoed from all sides.
Their reactions were so fresh, one might think they were visiting for the first time.
Seeing this kind of hypocrisy, they were definitely the nobles I expected...
As I passed the time half-listening to the meeting, a seemingly important agenda was brought up.
"The appearance rate of monsters in the eastern outskirts has increased significantly. It has reached a point where the current forces in the east cannot defend against them."
The east... that was where the great plains were.
It was the direction from which the Calamity of the Stampede, vanquished by the first Emperor, had come, and I heard the lingering effects of that calamity still remained.
It was a region teeming with various adapted monsters, causing periodic waves of attacks.
"On behalf of the lords of the east, I request the dispatch of the Capital Defense Knights."
The Capital Defense Knights?
They were the knights guarding the capital, Latium, and could practically be considered the Emperor's direct subordinates.
Excluding the Imperial Knights, they were the elite of the elite, the strongest in the empire, but they did very little work relative to their martial prowess.
After all, their job was to guard the capital, and there was no way enemies would ever penetrate this far.
So it seemed reasonable to dispatch them at a time like this to put them to practical use, but...
"Denied. The Capital Defense Knights were established solely to protect the heart of the empire. I cannot grant your request."
I had heard that the relationship between the nobles and the Emperor was strained, and it certainly looked that way.
The Emperor spoke with an almost embarrassing level of firmness.
But the opposing side was not easily deterred either.
"But if we leave things as they are, the various territories of the east will suffer. While the larger territories might be able to defend themselves, the smaller territories and pioneer villages will undoubtedly suffer irreversible damage."
At his words, I recalled the descriptions of the monsters I had read in books.
Wolves and golden eagles grown three times their normal size, wild goats that ran fast enough to leave afterimages, and vipers with maxed-out venom...
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't the kind of disaster that ordinary soldiers or citizens could stop.
Yet the Emperor's resolve was firm.
"I said, denied. Their duty is always the defense of the capital. Dispatching them is improper. Furthermore, while the Capital Defense Knights are elite, their numbers are few, making them ill-suited for defending the vast eastern region."
So we just leave it?
"Are you suggesting we simply leave it be, then?"
Whoa, he went straight for the throat.
He was quite blunt, rough as a wild beast.