The Imperial Call (3)
"Lady Ok-ja! What on earth do you think you're doing?!"
At that moment, Jeffrey threw himself in front of her, blocking her path.
"Ugh... Let go of me, Jeffrey! I'm going to kill that bastard today!"
"Calm down! What do you think you are doing in front of the Imperial Palace?!"
Ok-ja struggled to point her staff at me, while Jeffrey did everything in his power to hold her back. The two of them wrestled like that for a good while.
A moment later, Ok-ja and Jeffrey finally reached a lull, both panting for breath. Exhausted from her own tantrum, Ok-ja lowered her staff but continued to glare at me, huffing and puffing.
"Whew... *pant*... I am terribly sorry, Lord Yeong-sik. I, Jeffrey, apologize on her behalf."
"No, it was my mistake... I am truly sorry, Lady Ok-ja."
I made sure to emphasize that it was purely an accident. The bystanders didn't know the history between Ok-ja and me. To them, this scene probably just looked like Ok-ja throwing a temper tantrum because she couldn't control her anger.
Stupid idiot.
Of course, I had no intention of letting her off the hook with just this. But I wasn't foolish enough to start a brawl right in front of the Imperial Palace.
"You fat pig... Just you wait."
Ok-ja glared at me with trembling rage before snapping her head away. Well, whatever. Let her do what she wanted.
"...Are you two finished? Let us head inside now."
Grace, who had been watching the spectacle in silence, finally spoke up. At her words, we finally took in our surroundings.
Another massive wall enclosed the Imperial Palace. Situated at the very heart of the capital, the palace felt like a small city in its own right.
So this is the Imperial Palace? It was far larger than I had imagined. Just as I was about to follow Grace through the main gates—
"Yo, Grace!"
A voice called out to us from somewhere. A blonde man waved his hand cheerfully from above. Behind him stood dozens of heavily armored knights.
"...I have returned, Commander Eden."
"Right, good work! Are the people next to you the candidate heroes?"
The man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties and was called Eden, clapped Grace on the shoulder in greeting. Grace brushed his arm off as if she was used to it and answered his question.
"Yes. This is Lady Ok-ja, and this is Lord Yeong-sik."
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you. I am Eden, Commander of the Imperial Knights."
...!
This guy is the Commander?
Wearing a playful smile, he bowed slightly to Ok-ja and me. Just like Grace, a clover-patterned necklace gleamed around his neck.
"Greetings. I am Yeong-sik de Russell."
"I'm... Ok-ja of the Blackwood family."
"Oh? You are from the Russell family."
Upon hearing my introduction, Eden looked at me with an intrigued expression. Feeling ignored, Ok-ja flinched and glared at him.
"Ah, my apologies, Lady Ok-ja. It is just that I have a bit of history with the Russell family."
"...Excuse me? With our family?"
For a moment, I doubted my ears. The Commander of the Imperial Knights had a connection to the Russell family? I had never heard of such a thing.
"I briefly taught Oliver the sword at the Imperial Academy. He was a bright lad."
"Ah."
"You must be Oliver's younger brother. It is a pleasure to meet you."
His words reminded me of something Oliver had mentioned before. Oliver was the very first graduate of the Imperial Academy from the Russell family.
I had heard that the Academy students trained in facilities located inside the palace. And the instructors of the Academy were none other than the members of the Imperial Knights standing right before me. In other words, some of them had been Oliver's teachers.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Commander Eden."
"Haha, please give Oliver my regards when you see him. Now, Lord Yeong-sik, Lady Ok-ja, please follow me. His Imperial Majesty is waiting."
"Yes, sir."
"O-Okay..."
Ok-ja's voice trembled as she replied. She was probably shaking because she was about to meet the Emperor.
To be honest, it hadn't really sunk in for me either. Just this morning, I had been training with Isaac back in the Russell territory.
When I glanced at Isaac beside me, I saw that he, too, was stiff as a board from tension.
"Relax, Master."
"D-Don't worry. I will... I will guard you well, Young Master."
Sigh...
I shook my head and followed Eden.
A moment later.
We passed through a garden inside the palace grounds and arrived at a building made of gleaming golden marble.
Leaving Isaac and Jeffrey to wait outside, only Ok-ja and I followed the Imperial Knights inside.
Ornate decorations covered the walls and ceiling. We walked through a lavish lobby and headed down a second-floor hallway, stopping at the audience chamber at the very end. An attending servant knocked on the door.
"Your Majesty. Commander Eden, Lady Grace, and the candidate heroes have arrived."
"Enter."
The door opened to a dignified voice.
Gulp.
A large round table came into view.
The first thing that caught my eye was a middle-aged man with a heavy expression. The crown resting on his head and his attire made it immediately obvious that he was the supreme ruler of this nation.
And sitting at the table with him were two women. Their faces were all too familiar to me. The remaining members of Rosemary, Lee Cheri and Choi Seoyeon, watched us as we walked in.
...Those wretched bitches.
The members of Rosemary were finally gathered in one place. I had expected to meet them soon, but actually seeing their faces made my blood boil.
"Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty. We have brought two of the candidate heroes."
"Ah, good work."
The man addressed as "Your Majesty" replied to Eden. He had dark brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and sat with a straight posture, his eyes radiating absolute authority.
Whew... Let's hold back for now.
Meeting Rosemary was something I had already anticipated. My goal in coming to the palace was purely to gather information. Besides, this was hardly the place to start a fight.
Assessing the situation, I bowed to the Emperor sitting across from us.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Yeong-sik de Russell of the Baronial House of Russell."
"Ah! I-I am Ok-ja of the House of Count Blackwood."
As I bowed politely first, Ok-ja, who had been dazed, hastily followed suit and bowed her head.
"Welcome. I have heard about you from my daughter. Please, take a seat."
Hmm, so he's already heard about us.
How much did she tell him... Wait. Who did he say he heard it from?
I raised my head and looked at the other two sitting at the table. Unlike Choi Seoyeon, who sat a bit further away, Lee Cheri was somehow sitting right next to the Emperor.
No way...
As if reading my bewildered expression, Lee Cheri smirked at me.
An ornately decorated dress.
Red gemstone earrings dangling along her neckline.
And finally, skin and hair that were as flawlessly maintained as they had been during her idol days.
I hated to admit it, but just like on Earth, she possessed an elegant, striking beauty. Yes, if I had to describe it, she looked like...
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Cheri von Astria, the Second Princess of the Caser Empire."
What the actual fuck.
* * *
Once we sat down, we exchanged brief greetings. The Rosemary members were apparently so thrilled to see each other that they tightly held hands under the table to express their joy.
What a pathetic show.
Anyone watching would think they were long-lost family members reuniting. Every single thing about them was incredibly irritating.
The most infuriating one of all was, without a doubt, Lee Cheri. Of all things, she had to be a princess. I had been pleased enough with being born a noble, but wasn't this a bit too much? I would definitely have to have a word with Mercury later.
"Imperial Father, these are the heroes I told you about."
"Yes, Cheri. I shall take it from here."
The Emperor gently stroked Lee Cheri's hair. She nodded, playing the part of a well-behaved daughter.
"Thank you all for accepting my invitation. I am Williams III, Emperor of the Caser Empire. I have heard the explanation from my daughter Cheri. She tells me that while you were all in comas, you met in a temple and received a divine revelation?"
Ha, so that's how she spun it? Conveniently leaving out the part about reincarnation.
"If you do not mind, could you tell me what abilities you have been granted?"
...Wasn't this practically a threat? No one would have the guts to say no in this situation. In response to the Emperor's question, we all nodded in agreement.
"Imperial Father, as you know, my ability is 'Authority.' Taking after you, I am... rather strong."
"I am Ok-ja of the House of Count Blackwood. My ability is 'Special Ability,' and I am a Magician."
"I-I am Seoyeon, the youngest of the House of Count Saint. I am a Holy Knight granted 'Sanctity,' and I wield a bow."
Hearing their explanations, my mind went blank for a moment.
Why the hell are all their social statuses higher than mine?
Damn you, Mercury.
Now, only my turn remained. Everyone's eyes fell on me. I quickly racked my brain.
The powers I possessed were the Learning Talent and the ability to communicate with Mercury. Fortunately, the Rosemary members didn't know the exact nature of my abilities either.
"Greetings. I am Yeong-sik, the second son of the Baronial House of Russell. The talent I possess is 'Knowledge.' I can perceive, to some extent, the events occurring on the planet of Lercelon."
It was literally just "to some extent." Even if she was a goddess, it was basically like talking to an AI. If I could, I would have swapped this useless talent right then and there.
But the Emperor seemed to think differently. Upon hearing my words, his eyes widened.
"What? The power of Knowledge? In... in that case, do you happen to know when the next total lunar eclipse will occur?"
The Emperor asked in a startled voice. Wait, they didn't even know that? Apparently, this world wasn't very scientifically advanced.
Mercury, how long did you say is left until the next total lunar eclipse?
"There are 120 days remaining."
I calmly met the Emperor's gaze.
"Exactly 120 days remain."
"What! Such an astounding ability...!"
The Emperor gasped.
"Then let me ask one more thing. As heroes, what kind of assistance can you provide when the total lunar eclipse arrives?"
For some reason, all the questions seemed to be directed at me.
"All I know is that when the total lunar eclipse comes, Lady Mercury will summon us. And we will likely have to face the monsters directly."
"...Thank you. Truly, thank you. The information you have provided will be of great help to the Empire."
"You flatter me, Your Majesty."
"Yeong-sik de Russell—no, Hero of Knowledge. I ask for your continued cooperation with the Imperial Palace. Eden, Grace! From now on, make sure to heed the words of the Hero of Knowledge."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"As you command."
...This was turning out to be a lot more troublesome than I expected. Winning the favor of the Imperial Palace was well and good, but receiving too much attention was a burden.
After all, I couldn't fully trust the Imperial Knights just yet.
"Tsk."
A quiet click of the tongue sounded. Lee Cheri, sitting next to me, let out a small scoff, clearly displeased that I was receiving more attention than she had anticipated.
What a nasty temper. She hasn't changed a bit, even after becoming a princess.
Lee Cheri furrowed her brow just enough so that the Emperor wouldn't notice.
"Now that I have heard of your abilities, it is my turn to speak."
The Emperor clasped his hands on the table and looked straight at us. His cold gaze seemed to pierce right through us. At his sudden shift in attitude, we all held our breath, the room falling dead silent.
"I would like to make a proposal to you all."
The real reason he had summoned Rosemary and me.
The Emperor finally brought up his hidden agenda.