For the Continent (2)

"Schluss... Heinkel."

"Yes. Please speak."

The waiting room beside the audience chamber. Once we were alone, Emilia scanned the room before tilting her head and whispering. Given the location, it seemed she couldn’t relax her formal tone even in private.

"Was that... serious just now?"

"No. It was half a joke. There’s no way Her Highness the Crown Princess would complete her coming-of-age ceremony and formally propose to me. I accepted because I knew full well it would never happen."

"No, not that."

"Then what?"

I turned to face her directly. Emilia had been staring holes into my profile only moments ago, but now that we were eye to eye she couldn’t meet my gaze and simply fidgeted.

This was suddenly frustrating. What was wrong with her again?

"That... what you said about..."

"What?"

"Not dating children..."

"Correct. I only date adults."

"Are you speaking of mental age?"

"Pfft... No. I mean actual age. They must be at least eighteen."

"......"

What was that? For a second I thought Emilia’s cheeks had puffed out slightly. Before I could check, she whipped her head away.

"Why are you asking?"

"It’s nothing. Forget it. Just forget it..."

Her voice carried a strangely irritated edge. Had I angered her somehow? I was just wondering whether I should apologize first when—

"Schluss Heinkel. His Majesty summons you."

"I hear and obey."

I bowed politely to the minister who had opened the door. After exchanging a quick glance with Emilia, I walked alone toward the audience chamber.

The audience chamber was dimly lit. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had met the emperor here in private. Our previous encounters had been during official events and the gatherings that followed.

This was our first true private audience. Though with retainers standing along the walls, it wasn’t exactly private.

"Schluss Heinkel, answering Your Majesty’s summons."

"Indeed. Answering my summons. You put quite the emphasis on that. Heh heh."

"......?"

I had assumed he was angry, but the laughter at the very beginning suggested his mood wasn’t that bad. Perhaps I could afford to relax a little. I lifted my bowed head and stood straight.

"I heard there was quite an incident during the Imperial Academy’s midterms. It happened because of you, yes?"

"I cannot deny it. The attack was aimed at me and my entourage. I apologize for the disturbance."

"No need. It wasn’t as if you caused it yourself. Are both you and your entourage unharmed?"

"Yes. We sustained no external injuries."

"That is fortunate indeed. Heh heh."

"......"

I looked into the emperor’s eyes. He was simply laughing with apparent delight. Until a moment ago I had felt nothing, but now those eyes sent a chill down my spine. It was nothing more than a groundless hunch, yet the thought that the emperor might have been the one who hired Jin flickered across my mind.

"There is one thing I wish to tell you."

"May I ask what it is, Your Majesty?"

"The Holy See has been watching you closely."

"......"

The Holy See. I could guess why. It was probably related to the resurrection incident. Although the matter had been silenced, the Holy See could not possibly refrain from coming to confirm it themselves.

"Then may I look forward to meeting His Holiness soon?"

"He would probably be happier if you visited him directly. In truth, he seems to be waiting. It appears he has been anticipating your contact."

"I was not aware. I will arrange an appointment as soon as possible."

"Heh heh heh. Good. Do so."

But why was he telling me this? It was unlikely the emperor was giving me information for the Holy See’s benefit. Was he observing my reaction to the news...? The more I pondered it, the deeper I felt myself sinking into a quagmire.

"I had intended to bestow a peerage upon you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Yet you refused it."

"That is correct, Your Majesty."

"I shall grant you the position of Court Mage. Accept it."

"......"

It was not an offer, nor a question of whether I would like it. It was a command to accept. There would be no right of refusal.

"I am truly honored, but I must decline."

"......"

I had to risk rudeness. I could not allow myself to be tied down by an official post like Court Mage at this point. I was not a researcher; I had no need for the enormous budget and experimental tools the palace would provide. I was already doing perfectly well as a commoner. In fact, remaining a commoner had drawn less aggro and even brought certain advantages. While I had been slightly tempted in the beginning, I now had absolutely no need for such a position. Any role that restricted my freedom would be a loss in my current situation. Unless he offered me a dukedom, perhaps...

"You refuse both peerage and the post of Court Mage. Do you intend to remain an ordinary subject of the Freya Empire Federation?"

"Yes, I do."

"......"

At some point the smile had vanished from the emperor’s face. He was not smiling at all now. His gaze even gave the impression that he was glaring at me.

It might have been a little early, but I needed to play one of my cards.

"If you have nothing more to say, you may leave."

"Actually, I do, Your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"There was a rebellion in the south, was there not?"

I deliberately avoided the word civil war. It would likely grate on the emperor’s ears. It would be better to frame it as warlords raising a revolt rather than the empire splitting apart.

"I will go and suppress that rebellion."

"......"

The corner of the emperor’s eye twitched. He clearly had not expected this. In truth, my going was far more about raising the fame of myself and the Holy Knights. If I ranked the goals lower, there was also the justification of strengthening the empire’s unity... but that hardly mattered. Even if the civil war dragged on, the empire would eventually win. What mattered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was making a show of it. It was important to demonstrate to the emperor that I was devoting myself to the empire like this. That was the primary goal; the secondary effect of increasing the value of myself and the Holy Knights had to be presented as merely incidental.

"You will suppress the rebellion? I understand you are still enrolled at the Imperial Academy."

"I intend to make use of the one-week break."

"One week? Hah. Schluss Heinkel, are you not taking war too lightly? Even a conflict to suppress mere rebels is not a place one visits with the mindset of a mere observer."

"I am aware, Your Majesty. I am grateful for your concern."

"There is no need for gratitude. You need not go. The suppression force can handle it."

"Did not that suppression force recently suffer a crushing defeat?"

"...!"

The emperor’s expression changed drastically. Now it was certain. He was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me. He started to rise in shock, then coughed and sank back into his seat.

"Cough... hack... What baseless nonsense..."

"Am I wrong?"

"...You are not wrong."

It had been quite a bold gamble. Since Pelline’s regular report had not yet arrived, there was no way I could have learned of the suppression force’s defeat. But there had been enough grounds for deduction. Pelline had been sending daily reports expressing concern over the rebel army’s growing strength. Above all, her regular reports always carried a time lag. Even with the fastest falcon courier, there was inevitably at least a twelve-hour delay. After examining Pelline’s predictions, I had concluded that the rebels would have made their move last night or early this morning. And from the emperor’s reaction, it seemed I had been correct.

"I will go. At the very least, I will cut off the Great Forest’s support to the rebels, and if possible, I will bring you Lorein’s head."

"Schluss Heinkel. Do you even understand what you are saying?"

"Would you prefer I capture her alive?"

"...Life or death does not matter."

The emperor answered with clear displeasure. It seemed he was not happy about permitting my departure. Though he had said life or death did not matter, he clearly held no expectations. He probably thought I would contribute to winning a few minor skirmishes at best.

"How many troops will you require?"

"Troops? I believe dispatching any more would be dangerous."

"What?"

"If you pull any more forces, they would have to come from the northern army guarding the kingdoms, would they not? I am truly sorry, but I require no troops."

"Then how exactly do you intend to suppress the rebellion? I am in no mood for wordplay with you."

"I will rally the remaining forces of the suppression army. That will be enough."

"Are you telling me to hand over command of the suppression force to you?"

"No. The overall commander should be someone suited to the role. Whoever that may be, I will simply follow his orders."

I planned to leave overall command to Pelline. If my prediction was correct, the Imperial Knights who had led the vanguard would have suffered catastrophic losses. The other units would likely have been nearly wiped out as well. But the Holy Knights would be different. The Holy Knights, who had predicted all of this and prepared accordingly, had kept their forces fully intact despite their small size. That should be more than enough qualification to lead the confused suppression army. Pelline also possessed sufficient ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leadership. Of course, some would object. They would ask how a mere private knight order could command an army gathered under imperial decree. In that case, I would simply need to spend some time on ‘gentle’ persuasion. In the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠end, everything would go according to my will.

"You must be out of your mind. So you’re saying that even knowing the suppression force lost seventy percent of its troops in battle, lost Fort 4 which served as its headquarters, and is now in full retreat, you will still rush there and turn the tide without any additional reinforcements?"

Ah... shit. I hadn’t realized the situation was that dire. Losing seventy percent of their forces and their headquarters meant they had been essentially annihilated. The Holy Knights should still be fine, right? If even the Holy Knights had been destroyed, the whole endeavor would be pointless.

"Yes. It is exactly as you say."

But I could not back down now. If it truly became too difficult, I could always use Roman’s wish. Summoning the Empire’s Third Legion against Lorein’s rebels might be a bit too flashy... Still, preventing such a need was best. It would be wiser to save Roman’s wish for a more desperate moment later.

"Very well. Schluss Heinkel, I grant you permission to depart. I shall bestow upon you the title of knight."

"Your Majesty, a peerage..."

"I know. It is only a temporary title. No territory or authority shall be granted. It will simply help you command the soldiers in the south. When you return alive, you will relinquish the title."

"Understood. I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty."

"That damned ‘grateful’ again... Present your sword."

"...?"

The emperor coughed once or twice, then extended his hand. Without hesitation I drew the sword from its sheath with my left hand. The two warriors flanking the emperor flinched, but he raised his arm to stop them. I approached the emperor with the sword, knelt on both knees, and offered it with both hands. The emperor rose with a groan and accepted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

"Ugh... It is heavy. Raise your head."

"Yes."

"As befits a temporary knight, I shall conduct a simple dubbing ceremony."

When I raised my head, the emperor was holding the sword with its tip pointed upward, gazing straight ahead. The fact that he could wield a longsword one-handed showed that although he was old, his strength remained formidable.

I activated my Internal Circuit, drawing Bappe from my right palm as I stood. By the time I faced the emperor squarely, Bappe had fully emerged. I clenched my fist, and a vivid blade-shaped flash of light formed in my right hand.

"Facing death and its terror with composure, raging against injustice, and protecting justice..."

I raised Bappe and held it directly before my left breast. It was close enough to sever the emperor’s neck at any moment. Yet I remained utterly still, simply holding the sword upright. The blue light radiating from the blade illuminated both the emperor’s face and my own.

"I swear before Lord Aegis, here and now, that I shall become Your Majesty’s sword."

The emperor silently tapped both my shoulders with the flat of the blade in turn. Then he extended the sword and touched it to Bappe. With a soft scrape, Bappe was pushed downward by the emperor’s blade.

"For the empire."

The emperor had spoken those quiet words. I corrected him.

"For the continent."