Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Proposal
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Their gazes were fixed so blatantly on me that I instinctively glanced around.
If anyone happened to see this right now, there was no way they could miss the fact that Kaikilia was staring right at me.
Fortunately, though, everyone else aside from me had already dropped to one knee and bowed their heads toward the throne. It seemed unlikely that anyone had noticed us.
Kaikilia's golden eyes curved into a graceful crescent moon. Just like always, it was a gaze that sent chills down the spine.
Those eyes brimmed with affection and interest directed at me. I forced myself to brush it off and moved behind Erika, dropping to one knee and bowing my head toward the throne.
"Raise your heads."
The command came less than a second after I had lowered mine. I lifted it. It was an unmistakably deliberate order meant to keep me from bowing to her.
From the woman who harbored an obsessive interest in one man, Kaikilia had returned to being the sharp, imperious emperor of the Aiterum Empire. She rested her chin on one hand and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Do you know why I summoned you all?"
"We have no idea! Forgive us! Your Majesty!"
The Golden Twilight Knights' commander bellowed the rote response that was always exchanged whenever they stood before Kaikilia.
"We do not know either. Forgive us, Your Majesty."
Aurora answered calmly as well. It was a perfunctory question, met with a perfunctory apology. No one here believed they could provide the right answer to it.
Even the one who had asked it wore an expression that said she knew as much. With her elbow on the throne's armrest and her chin propped on the back of her hand, Kaikilia gazed indifferently at Aurora.
Aurora's body flinched under the scrutiny.
"You've been up to some awfully cute antics lately, haven't you, Aurora?"
"......"
Aurora bowed her head deeply without a word.
"When did I tell you to avert your gaze?"
A chilling warning snapped back immediately. Her head jerked back up.
"Tell me with your own mouth what you've been doing."
"......I have been attempting to reinstate the Silver Dawn Knights."
"I know full well. Good job."
Aurora's body shuddered visibly enough for me to see from behind. The same went for the four commanders in front of me and the former Silver Dawn Knights positioned at the very back of the Golden Twilight Knights.
Silence stretched on. With Kaikilia not opening her mouth, who would dare speak? No one in this room was foolish enough to try something so stupid.
"......"
As the silence in the central hall dragged on, Aurora's trembling grew more pronounced in proportion.
Silence was a word far removed from anything positive. Especially after the emperor had just questioned her in that accusatory tone.
"Delta."
Kaikilia finally spoke after keeping quiet for a while. I replied promptly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What are your thoughts?"
"......Pardon?"
"Do you think I should restore the Silver Dawn Knights' status?"
For a moment, I wondered what the hell this woman was up to. Why ask me? Kaikilia wasn't the type to consult others when making decisions.
I hesitated briefly before steeling myself. Whatever was going on, this was a chance to revive the Silver Dawn Knights. I could figure out her reasons later.
"Yes."
The commanders' bodies shifted slightly. They were on edge. Their fates hinged on what answer the emperor gave here.
Kaikilia stared at me intently with her chin still propped, then turned to Aurora with a smirk.
"I've spared you the effort, so thank Delta. Aurora."
"......"
Aurora's shoulders slumped slightly at the words. The tension had drained from her completely. She'd probably been fretting just moments ago over whether she'd offended the emperor.
"I accept the opinion. The Silver Dawn Knights are hereby reinstated."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The commanders bowed their heads with faintly trembling voices. Kaikilia brushed off their thanks indifferently and flicked her left hand.
The women kneeling at the very back of the Golden Twilight Knights—dressed in white sleeveless tops and black dolphin pants—rose together and approached me.
They formed neat rows on either side of me, centering me, and dropped to one knee toward the throne. Their heads bowed. Now they could once again be called the Silver Dawn Knights.
"My words are not yet finished."
The atmosphere, which had started to grow a bit chaotic, settled instantly. Her golden pupils turned back to me. A foreboding premonition flashed through my mind.
"Delta."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
My ominous hunch hadn't missed the mark. Sure enough, Kaikilia called my name again. What now? I wondered.
But the words that followed exceeded my expectations by far.
"I grant you half of the Golden Twilight Knights. From now on, you are no longer a new recruit of the Silver Dawn Knights—you will be the commander of a newly formed knight order."
"Your Majesty! What do you—!"
The golden-armored figure cried out in shock, practically shrieking as they raised their head. The impact was so great that they froze in place without so much as twitching.
It was understandable. Not only had the Silver Dawn Knights, which they had painstakingly torn apart, reformed, but now the Golden Twilight Knights were about to be split in two as payback.
"......"
I stared up at Kaikilia in stunned bewilderment. Grant me half of the Golden Twilight Knights?
'......Is this fallout from the story getting twisted?'
It was foolish to expect the original story or events to play out unchanged at this point, but this definitely hadn't happened. A player becoming a knight order commander from another order? Maybe.
But what the hell was I supposed to do in that position?
Early-game bosses might be manageable with them, but mid-game bosses would wipe out even a full squad of regular knights in one go.
No matter how much the nerf mode had boosted them, bosses had spec increases several times—or dozens of times—higher than regular mobs. It couldn't bridge the fundamental gap between field enemies and bosses.
They could handle average foes like themselves without issue, but in that case, it was far easier and simpler to just bring along the commanders.
'No real difference.'
If I kept doing what I'd been doing—calling for help against truly dangerous foes, handling the rest myself, and leveling up moderately—nothing would change even if I became a commander.
"Are you raising your voice against my decision right now?"
Kaikilia's voice dripped with menace as she glared. Sensing the dire shift in mood, the golden armor hurriedly bowed their head.
"N-no, Your Majesty! How dare I!"
Once the commander was flat on the floor, Kaikilia's expression returned to normal. Her voice grew even colder.
"You must have heard the rumors circulating the palace. Speak them. Now."
Under her razor-sharp tone, they froze for a moment before stammering out a response.
"It's said that during the dragon's attack, someone confronted and repelled it...... That's the rumor. And that the one who repelled the dragon was...... the, new knight recrui—"
"Commander. Have you truly not come to your senses yet?"
"......The, commander. That's the rumor, Your Majesty."
The moment they tried calling me a new recruit, she pounced to correct them. It seemed she had no intention of backing down. My vision swam slightly.
"Indeed. That knight alone confronted the dragon and forced it to retreat."
Her long, slender fingers tapped the throne's armrest. A suspicion formed. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.
"That rumor is true. I saw it with my own two eyes."
Shocked gazes turned toward me one after another.
It was a rumor that had spread throughout the palace, so they couldn't have missed it. And now the emperor herself had confirmed its truth amid the confusion. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction.
'Wait, no—she saw it clearly?'
Didn't she pass out after hearing the roar and only come to later?
I had no idea when Kaikilia had woken up, so it was hard to outright dismiss her words.
'Where do I even start explaining?'
That bastard had tried reading my memories, misinterpreted them on its own, and then left. To Kaikilia, it must have looked like I'd confronted and repelled the dragon.
Unraveling the misunderstanding felt utterly impossible. Whether it could even be unraveled was questionable.
"H-however, Your Majesty—"
They were stuttering, apparently so shocked they were trying to object.
"You did the exact same thing. What was wrong with it? Do you wish for even that half to be torn to shreds without mercy?"
"......No, Your Majesty."
It was, of course, a futile effort. The golden helm drooped low. From their perspective, it was like a bolt from the blue, but I felt no pity.
As Kaikilia had just pointed out, it was karmic retribution for their own actions.
At least half their knights remained—less damage than the Silver Dawn Knights had suffered. And they hadn't been exiled to the empire's border with some corrupt lord.
"Come closer, Delta."
Ignoring the Golden Twilight Knights' utterly defeated commander, Kaikilia called me.
I approached obediently right up to her, kneeling a bit closer from the start this time, learning from last time. The corner of Kaikilia's mouth lifted slightly.
"I have a proposal for you."
A proposal. The word carried an ill omen. It was just a proposal in name—essentially a command from her. Kaikilia was more than capable of that.
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
I couldn't show my unease, so I raised my head and met her eyes. Kaikilia leaned forward. Through the opening in her uniform, her upper chest and cleavage were fully exposed.
Her thumb and index finger gripped my chin. My face tilted upward slightly, and the distance closed until it felt like she might kiss me. Sweet breath brushed my lips.
"I offer you the position of my direct knight. Do you have no desire to lead your knight order and become mine?"