The Emperor's Birthday Banquet (4)
I stood before the emperor himself as the representative of the delegation.
"I am Yulian von Reinhardt of Essemont. I apologize to Your Majesty for the rudeness I showed last winter."
"Hmph. So you're aware of your impudence."
I bowed politely to the emperor. He had the look of a kindly neighborhood uncle, but he seemed to harbor quite a grudge against me.
I could sense Mason Viscount tensing up beside me, but I remained utterly calm.
If things go according to plan, he won't even remember that rudeness of mine after today.
The emperor accepted my apology half-heartedly, his displeasure plain on his face.
Arrayed beside him were the holy priests of the Central Order. Grious Cardinal and his high-ranking underlings.
The current emperor was nothing but a puppet. Which meant they were the ones truly pulling the strings in the imperial capital.
I didn't like them one bit, but they could wait until after the autumn nest raid.
Compared to Duke Pedro, they were small fry. Real powers in the empire or not, they posed no threat to me whatsoever.
They're just corrupt priests who sweet-talked their way into toasting the emperor and devouring him whole.
If anything, the execution squad from the Virea Mercenary Group that had infiltrated the capital's underworld felt more like proper villains.
I paused my musings for a moment and gestured to the delegation members.
"Then, we shall present Essemont's tribute to Your Majesty."
In response to my words, Grious Cardinal spoke up.
"Oh? A gift from the Lion Duke of the north. It surely can't compare to Duke Pedro's offering from moments ago, can it, Your Majesty?"
"Hmph. Indeed. I wonder what tribute it is..."
His words were laced with clear intent. If Essemont's tribute turned out to be lackluster as well, the emperor's dignity would suffer in front of all these nobles.
But for Grious Cardinal, that would be ideal. He had been subtly working behind the scenes to tarnish the emperor's reputation like this.
The cardinal eyed me and the delegation with smug leisure.
He must have figured that since a young punk like me was leading the delegation, the gift from Margrave Wilhelm wouldn't amount to much.
Of course, I have no intention of letting that happen.
This emperor might be worthless, but House Asterik—the imperial family—was my fiancée Lilia's house. I couldn't let its name be sullied, not even for her sake.
The ice crystal stone statue, draped in cloth. I pulled the covering away.
"This is a statue crafted for Your Majesty."
The moment the statue was revealed, a murmur rippled through the banquet hall.
"Ooh, what a beautiful statue!"
"And it doesn't look like it's made from ordinary material. That blue hue... what could it be?"
"Isn't that color definitely ice crystal stone?"
"No way. For a crystal that large...? And more than that, can ice crystal stone even be sculpted like this?"
All eyes focused on the temporary throne in the banquet hall, Grious Cardinal and his faction around it, and the surrounding attendees.
And more than anyone, the emperor—soon to be the statue's owner—was utterly stunned.
"That transparent yet blue hue! Could that statue truly be carved from ice crystal stone?!"
Grious Cardinal answered in his stead.
"It would seem so, Your Majesty. But it's strange. Ice crystal stone crystals aren't like ordinary precious metals; they can't grow that large. And to sculpt such a sensitive mineral so intricately..."
The emperor's gaze turned to me, demanding an explanation.
I spoke politely once more.
"It is undoubtedly ice crystal stone. Ice crystal stone is a precious mineral we in Essemont take pride in. To commemorate Your Majesty's birthday, my great-uncle, Margrave Wilhelm, prepared this especially."
"Ooh, I see. So Margrave Wilhelm sent it. What a fine gift. Still..."
The emperor descended from the temporary throne. He wanted to inspect it himself. He touched the ice crystal stone statue.
"This chill and brilliant hue. It's definitely ice crystal stone. Wait—this statue! Could it be?"
"Yes. To praise Your Majesty's greatness, I personally sculpted your visage into this ice crystal stone crystal. I poured my all into it to atone for my past rudeness. I hope it pleases Your Majesty."
There was no room for doubt, of course. I had tailored it perfectly to the emperor's personality as I knew it, right down to his tastes.
The emperor of the Holy Empire, Iderst by name, was already entranced by the statue, speechless. He was hooked.
But then he caught the implication in my words and looked puzzled.
"Hold on. You mean you carved this statue yourself, Viscount?"
Sharing his sentiment, Grious Cardinal approached and addressed me.
"Just a moment. What do you mean by that, Viscount Yulian? Are you saying you personally created this ice crystal stone statue?"
His snakelike eyes narrowed as he glared at me.
I met his gaze head-on and declared confidently.
"Yes, Your Eminence. I toiled day and night to craft it personally for His Majesty."
The attendees let out gasps at my words.
The sylph relayed their hushed whispers to my ear.
"If that's true, it's astonishing. To bring such a beautiful statue that he made himself... Viscount Yulian is Margrave Wilhelm's heir, and Lilia's fiancé to boot—a man of exceedingly noble status, isn't he?"
"Indeed. For someone like that to not commission an artist but pour his own effort into it... His loyalty to His Majesty must be extraordinary."
Exactly as they said. For a high noble to create a tribute personally, without hiring a proxy, spoke volumes about the sincerity involved.
"And look at that ice crystal stone statue. It perfectly captures the majestic emperor of the Holy Empire. So grand and beautiful."
"Who knew the viscount had such artistic talent? And House Reinhardt is a martial house, no less."
Everyone here was a noble with an eye for art. They could dismiss a shoddy piece as trash without hesitation.
Even so, there's no flaw they could pick at in this statue.
I'd commissioned Eirin to sketch the emperor's face in handsome form. To mask his rather bland features.
I'd also emphasized the splendor of the ceremonial uniform only the emperor could wear.
"Look at the jeweled sword the statue holds. It embodies the dignity of House Asterik perfectly."
Especially the hawk and jeweled sword symbolizing the imperial house. I'd struggled at the fifth stage of detail to get it right. Even these nobles recognized the artistry at a glance.
Thus, the ice crystal stone—beautiful in its own right—was elevated further by the artistry. The nobles stared, mesmerized, unable to tear their eyes away.
The sylph relayed Chloe's smug voice too, but it wasn't important now.
The emperor himself went without saying.
He might have heard rumors of me posing as an artist, but he never imagined I'd present such a masterpiece right before him.
In a voice thick with emotion, the emperor said,
"Ooh... So Viscount Yulian did this. Yes. To offer such a tribute—and to craft it with your own hands for me. That's certainly praiseworthy. Forgiving your past impudence wouldn't be difficult at all."
Just as that one noble had said earlier. The emperor seemed even more moved by the fact that I, heir to the grand duke, had made it myself.
"It would be the greatest honor if Your Majesty accepts."
"Of course, of course. A young man can make mistakes. You're my sister's fiancé, after all. With such sincere atonement, I must accept. For Margrave Wilhelm's sake, too."
At the emperor's words, the cardinal's faction froze. Excluding House Aiterne, the string of paltry tributes had been chipping away at the emperor's dignity.
Especially after everyone witnessed Duke Pedro's pathetic offering.
Meanwhile, Grious Cardinal's momentum had been surging. But I'd doused it cold.
A treasure of this value is more than enough to restore the emperor's dignity before all these banquet guests.
And it proclaimed unchanging ties between House Reinhardt Margrave and the imperial house—a tribute laden with high political messaging.
As expected, Grious Cardinal's complexion soured. One of his close aides, sensing the cardinal's discomfort, stepped forward before the statue.
As if to halt this favorable turn for the emperor and me, he spoke.
"A magnificent statue. The piercing chill confirms it's ice crystal stone. But something's off. If I may say a word without offense, Your Majesty?"
The emperor frowned but nodded, as the man was a high priest of the Central Order and a close aide to Grious Cardinal.
"Archbishop Murriol. What's so strange?"
He bowed his head slightly. True to a power broker's underling, his posture was arrogant even before the emperor as he pointed at the statue.
"This is undoubtedly a work of art, a statue honoring Emperor His Majesty—immensely valuable. My colleague Archbishop Mateo here, a holy priest of the Arts Order, has confirmed it."
"Indeed. Too advanced for a mere Pantheon student, but Pantheon gathers the empire's finest talents, doesn't it? I recall Lilia mentioning Viscount Yulian studies in the Arts Order. So it's not strange."
"Which is precisely why Viscount Yulian's claim doesn't hold water. I serve the Alchemy Order, following the will of Goddess Istia. Thus, I know a fair bit about materials like ice crystal stone."
All eyes turned to this Archbishop Murriol. He continued with deliberate flair.
"Viscount Yulian did claim before Your Majesty that he made this statue himself. However, ice crystal stone differs from ordinary materials and minerals. To preserve its inherent properties like this requires not mere sculpting, but alchemy."
In other words, impossible even with Arts Order training.
"If Archbishop Murriol of Goddess Istia says so... Hmph. But didn't Viscount Yulian say he made it himself?"
"The young often claim all credit for themselves. Perhaps he oversaw the outline, but claiming he crafted it personally strains credulity."
The banquet hall's atmosphere grew tense. Attendees whispered cautiously at Archbishop Murriol's words.
"At the last imperial ball, the viscount was rude to His Majesty. Maybe, as Archbishop Murriol says, he's inflating his role to make amends."
"That makes more sense. The level is too high for him to have done it alone."
Overhearing them, Archbishop Murriol and Grious Cardinal's faction smirked faintly. I knew why.
If my words are lies, the emperor suffers humiliation.
As the mood shifted, the emperor's expression darkened.
"Hmph. Is that so? But for Viscount Yulian to lie before me... I hesitate to doubt him. Still... hmph."
Even this ordinary emperor was swayed by the atmosphere. Archbishop Murriol pressed his advantage firmly.
"I wish to believe otherwise, Your Majesty. But a young viscount—no matter how artistic—born of a martial house, wielding such advanced alchemy? Isn't that right, Viscount Yulian?"
Convinced he'd cornered me, Murriol flashed a sly grin and continued swiftly.
"Lying before our great and holy emperor is a grave sin. If it's truly no lie, the viscount must prove it himself. Swearing on Lord Jedin's name, even."
For a high noble of the Holy Empire, swearing on Jedin's name meant bearing immense responsibility if false—potentially one's life.
But he was overlooking something.
I knew an attack like this was coming.
I declared boldly,
"I swear on Lord Jedin and my mother, Saintess Agnes. I personally crafted that statue."
Instead, Archbishop Murriol's face twisted in absurdity. He hadn't expected such a bold move.
He'd probably thought I'd back down meekly. Flustered, Murriol stammered,
"Swearing on Jedin—and Saintess Agnes... Then it cannot be false. But how will you prove it?"
The emperor's gaze urged me to respond as well.
Of course, I could demonstrate alchemy here. But I'd prepared long ago. Someone to declare my utter victory more dramatically.
"One moment, Archbishop Murriol. Allow me to speak on his behalf."
As expected, one attendee stepped forward.
In a gathering of nobles and high imperial officials,
Someone bold enough to step before the emperor was no ordinary figure. Even the emperor recognized him at once.
"Elmaier? You, of all people?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Elmaier Professor of Pantheon's Alchemy Order. A renowned scholar and exceptional alchemist.
And as a high noble and distant imperial kin, he addressed the emperor.