The Imperial Call (1)

Ding.

...Oh!

I couldn't believe this had actually become a skill.

If I trained it well, it would be a technique capable of landing a solid blow even on the members of Rosemary.

"Young Master, no matter the circumstances, how could you use such a cowardly..."

"Come on, there's no such thing as cowardice in a real fight. Isn't it better to be cowardly than to end up dead?"

I replied, lowering the wooden sword from Isaac's neck. My shameless confidence left Isaac completely speechless. The spectators watching us were no different; they all stood there with their mouths agape, staring at me.

Did I look a bit too pathetic?

Well, it couldn't be helped. Right now, maximizing my combat effectiveness in the shortest time possible was far more important than upholding the honor of the Russell family.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to train this skill along with my swordsmanship from now on."

"...V-Very well, sir."

Isaac replied with a lukewarm expression, clearly finding the technique at odds with his chivalric code. The duel had ended in mere seconds. It was a bizarre situation where it felt awkward for anyone to either praise or scold me.

"...Y-You did well, my son."

"C-Congratulations."

"I will have the meal prepared immediately..."

Ignoring the lingering awkwardness, I walked back into the estate with them.

Three weeks had passed since that day.

My daily routine remained a relentless cycle of training.

Morning walks, swordsmanship practice with Isaac, and occasionally practicing my new skill during my personal training hours. Thanks to this, the changes in my stats were becoming increasingly noticeable.

Even to my own eyes, my growth rate wasn't bad. My average stats had increased by about five points in a single month. Of course, the rate of growth would slow down as my stats got higher, but this was a highly satisfying level of progress for now.

Though I'm still nowhere near those Rosemary bitches...

And it wasn't just Rosemary. I hadn't even seen a monster in person, let alone fought one. It was still a mystery whether my current strength would be enough when the Total Lunar Eclipse arrived.

Mercury.

—Did you call?

How much time is left until the next Total Lunar Eclipse?

—Approximately four months. To be precise, one hundred and twenty-eight days.

Hmm, I see.

Depending on how you looked at it, four months felt like a decent amount of time. If I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kept training diligently until then, I might actually stand a chance against the monsters—and the members of Rosemary.

Four months.

When that time came, I would meet the members of Rosemary again.

It wouldn't be at some damn fan signing event this time.

It would be the hour of my revenge.

The humiliation they inflicted on me, and their murder of me—I hadn't forgotten a single thing. Whether I had to use Yeolmulhansok or ambush them from behind, I was going to beat them to within an inch of their lives.

I'll make you regret it to your very bones, you murderers.

I hadn't forgotten for a single day since reincarnating here.

Revenge was always my top priority.

However, the day of our encounter arrived much sooner than expected.

"Come to think of it, Yeong-sik, you seem to have lost quite a bit of weight lately."

"Really?"

Inside the dining room of the Russell estate, Oliver, sitting across from me, spoke up.

I had noticed it myself, actually. My body felt less jiggly, and my clothes felt looser. It was a sensation I was experiencing for the first time in my life.

"Father, maybe you should start exercising with Yeong-sik too?"

"Bwahaha! I think I'll aim for that in my next life."

We were sharing this idle banter when—

Slam!

The dining room door burst open with a loud bang.

"Y-Young Master Yeong-sik! We have a crisis!"

Albert rushed in, his voice trembling with urgency. The fact that he barged in like this despite knowing we were in the middle of a meal meant something major had happened.

"What is it, Albert?" Liam asked, setting down his utensils.

"My Lord, please look at this!"

Albert unrolled a parchment scroll in his hands and handed it to Liam.

"A letter has just arrived from the Imperial Palace!"

"What...?"

Liam quickly snatched the scroll and began to read. Soon, his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-Yeong-sik, I think you need to see this."

"Me?"

I took the parchment from Liam and scanned its contents.

...What?

The only ones who knew about this were me, the members of Rosemary, and Mercury. Besides, an oracle meant a revelation from a god, didn't it?

Mercury! Look at this.

—What is it?

It says an oracle descended upon the Temple. Did you send this?

—Yes.

...Well, she admitted it surprisingly quickly.

Wait, you can communicate with them directly?

—Yes. However, there are strict limitations. I can only do it once every three months, and as you can see, the words are highly restricted.

Geez, you should have told me that sooner.

—You never asked.

...

I felt this every time, but her sheer shamelessness always left me speechless. It seemed Mercury could exert some indirect influence on this world through these oracles.

Out of curiosity, why didn't you help Earth then? There were plenty of crises there too.

—I gave up on them.

Pardon?

—Whenever I sent an oracle, they either treated me like a cult leader or just made up their own fake oracles.

...

Mercury grumbled, her voice thick with resentment. It sounded like she had accumulated a lot of grievances over the years.

"M-My son, the Imperial Palace must have made some sort of mistake, right?"

"Yes, brother. I agree. There must be some misunderstanding."

Liam and Oliver looked at me, practically begging for reassurance. Staring back at them, I fell into deep thought. Should I answer the Imperial summons, or should I play dumb and avoid it?

...I have to go.

That was my conclusion. There was only one reason.

The four heroes. This wasn't just about me; it included the members of Rosemary.

The Rosemary members might show up there.

I knew it wouldn't be easy to carry out my revenge inside the Imperial Palace. But at the very least, I could find out where they were and what they were up to. As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will find victory in a hundred battles. There was no harm in gathering information beforehand.

But how do I convince these two?

If I accepted the invitation, I would need to explain things to Liam and Oliver. I couldn't tell them the truth. If I accidentally revealed my true identity, I might lose everything I currently enjoyed here. So, how could I persuade them? My mind raced, and I quickly came up with a solution.

"There is something I need to show you both."

Instead of the truth, I decided to share something else.

"Beware of the Imperial Knights."

Upon seeing the note written by Chloe, Liam and Oliver could not hide their bewilderment. Judging by their expressions, this was the first time they had ever seen it. They hadn't even known about the letters she had left for me.

"T-This is definitely Chloe's handwriting."

"For Mother to say such a thing..."

"Father, Brother. When the goblins invaded the Russell Territory, what exactly happened? Could you tell me the details?"

At my question, Liam fell silent for a moment before nodding and speaking. Most of it was information I had already heard before.

The invading force back then consisted of about seventy goblins. The casualties had reached a staggering three hundred people. Because the territory had historically been far removed from monster invasions, the damage was devastating.

Upon learning of the goblin raid, the Imperial Palace immediately dispatched the knights, who arrived at the Russell estate the very next day.

"The Imperial Knights arrived in the territory slightly before Oliver and me," Liam said. "We first heard the news of Chloe's death from them."

"But we were told Mother passed away before the knights arrived..." Oliver muttered.

The note contradicted the facts they believed to be true. Considering the warning to beware of the Imperial Knights, Chloe might have died after encountering them. And perhaps, the one who killed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chloe was...

The chilling thought kept us all silent. After organizing my thoughts, I looked at the two men sitting across from me.

"I would like to go to the Imperial Palace."

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"Brother, think about this carefully. We can't let you put yourself in danger too."

Liam and Oliver tried to dissuade me in a panic, but my mind was already made up.

I had no intention of revealing my inner thoughts to them. It would be much easier to persuade them by speaking as the real Yeong-sik de Russell.

"I won't do anything dangerous to investigate. Besides, the 'hero' mentioned in the letter... it might actually refer to me."

"W-What?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Haven't you both noticed? The way I've changed since waking up from my coma."

"Well, that..."

"It certainly has been unusual, but..."

I didn't even need to mention my status window. Even without it, my rate of growth was visibly extraordinary.

"Perhaps I really was chosen as a hero, just as the oracle says. We don't have much time. I want to focus on my training for the next two days."

I wanted to raise my stats as much as possible before facing Rosemary. Although the two of them continued to protest, my resolve remained unshaken.

Two days passed after receiving the letter. While I was training with Isaac as usual, Albert came to find us.

"Young Master! The Imperial Knights have arrived at the main gate. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠My Lord and Master Oliver are already heading out to meet them."

"They're finally here. Understood."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and headed toward the main gate with Isaac.

A moment later.

Three outsiders stood at the main gate of the Russell estate. Two heavily armored men, and a red-haired woman who appeared to be their leader.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Grace, Vice-Commander of the Imperial Knights," she said. "We have come to escort Lord Yeong-sik de Russell as promised. Please accompany us to the Imperial Palace for a three-day visit."

She had slender limbs and smooth skin. She possessed a beauty that would turn heads anywhere, but to me, someone with zero interest in real-world women, she was just another human being. However, judging by the weight in her voice, she was not someone to be taken lightly.

Let's see what we're dealing with.

I opened her status window.

Fitting for a vice-commander, her stats were the most impressive I had seen so far. Liam stepped forward to greet her first.

"Greetings. I am Liam de Russell, Lord of the Russell Territory. And this boy is my son, whom you seek."

"I am Yeong-sik de Russell."

At the greeting from our chubby father-son duo, Grace bowed politely.

"It may be a predictable question, but could we know what the Imperial Palace wants with my son?" Liam asked.

"His Imperial Majesty will explain the details. However, I believe you will be questioned regarding various matters related to the Total Lunar Eclipse."

Liam silently looked at me, his face asking if I was truly going to be alright. I nodded back at him reassuringly.

"I will be back, Father."

"The Imperial Knights will guarantee Lord Yeong-sik's safety during his stay at the palace," Grace assured.

...No, that's actually the part I'm most worried about.

They probably had no idea that we suspected the Imperial Knights of foul play.

"Please take good care of my son. As for his escort, Isaac, the former Knight Commander of the Russell family, will accompany him."

"Very well."

Isaac, standing beside me, cleared his throat as if telling me to trust him. Although we had already agreed on this beforehand, I couldn't help but wonder if this was really the best idea.

As I prepared to follow the knights, Liam and Oliver approached me.

"My son, do not do anything reckless. Just stay safe and come back."

"Yes, Yeong-sik. You don't need to take it upon yourself to investigate the knights."

"Don't worry too much. I'll be back before you know it."

After bidding them farewell, Isaac and I followed the knights out of the main gate. Once we descended the hill where the estate was located, Grace turned to us.

"Please wait here for a moment. I will bring our transport."

"Understood."

A short moment later.

"Whoa! Master, what on earth is that?"

"I-I have never seen such a thing either, Young Master!"

Grrrr—

Standing before us was a massive eagle, easily exceeding three meters in height, glaring down at us.