27. Grand Marshal (1)
27. Grand Marshal (1)
The capital of the Astes Empire, Barnok.
Yuma's party got off the magic train.
Passing through the station platform, the moment Yuma arrived at the station's central plaza, he faced a brown-haired man approaching him.
The man bowed his head.
"I am called Viscount Bennet. Yuma-nim. I have come to escort you on the orders of Princess Brigitte-nim."
Yuma slowly nodded.
"Pleased to meet you."
"I apologize, but you must go to the Imperial Palace right this moment. His Highness the First Prince appears to have gathered the nobles with the intention of criticizing Yuma-nim. He seems to be scheming some kind of agitation in a direction unfavorable to Yuma-nim."
At Viscount Bennet's words, Cloné's eyes sharpened.
"Mm...nyaa."
Hestia was still standing there dozing off, drool at the corner of her mouth.
"Let's go."
Yuma said indifferently.
"I have prepared a carriage."
Yuma's party boarded the carriage and moved toward the imperial capital.
***
Prince Schubertche was in a very foul mood.
Clearly, compared to Princess Brigitte, there had been more nobles supporting him. But recently, his standing within the Noble Council had been shifting.
And the root cause of that matter was quite clear.
Yuma.
That existence, suddenly dropped from the sky, was not merely undermining his standing but outright trying to crush it.
Why was the rule that had been taken for granted—that the prince's side naturally gained priority in an emergency where the imperial throne was vacant—turning its back on him alone?
'I have to put some kind of restraint on him.'
On his status.
On his authority.
He had to ensure that no more honor would follow him.
That was why he had arranged this gathering now.
Even if that bastard went out to the Southern Front and achieved tremendous feats, he had to be demoted in position so he would no longer be a threat.
Therefore, he had gathered every noble who could be gathered in the capital's Imperial Conference Room.
First Prince Schubertche gazed at the nobles surrounding the round table.
The number of nobles gathered in the conference room was a total of eighteen. Titles ranged from viscount to marquis.
The very fact that he could gather eighteen nobles in the imperial capital on the same day proved that Schubertche's authority was still alive and breathing.
Schubertche let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
"Everyone is gathered."
The golden-haired prince looked at the nobles and opened his mouth. Schubertche put on a deliberately solemn expression. Because what he was about to say was of considerable importance.
"This gathering is for the purpose of laying blame. The situation in which an existence who is not even a noble, a mere commoner by the name of Yuma, struts about so brazenly in the Empire. As crown prince of this Astes Empire, I find it deeply displeasing."
After setting the mood to the fullest, Schubertche continued.
"That man has neutralized half of the Imperial Ten Seats, the military backbone of the Empire. Because of that situation, the manpower for the southern border defense is not being replenished right now. Shall we leave this unidentified man called Yuma in his current state? I believe we must not."
Several nobles nodded their heads deeply, siding with the prince's words. Of course, the majority of those nobles were originally the so-called 'Schubertche faction' nobles.
"That means, even if that man achieves great feats on the front lines, he must not be allowed to receive hero's treatment. Firm legal restrictions. A magical restriction must be placed on that man who might run wild at any moment, I believe."
It was right after First Prince Schubertche finished speaking.
Kkigigeek─!!
The door of the conference room was roughly thrown open.
"What insolent wretch enters without announcement!!"
The hardline 'Schubertche faction' noble Ardolt kicked off the ground and rose from his chair.
But soon after, he slumped back into his seat with a face drained of spirit.
"...Her Highness Princess Brigitte."
Without even giving a glance to Ardolt, Brigitte strode over to the golden-haired prince.
"You were having quite an interesting conversation. Brother."
Brigitte looked at Schubertche with her indigo-blue eyes.
Schubertche's brow furrowed sharply.
"Brigitte...."
Brigitte looked down at Prince Schubertche, who was sitting with his legs crossed in his chair.
"I believe I told you clearly last time as well. My agent. My sword broke your sword only to protect himself and me. It was your sword that launched the attack first."
The corner of Schubertche's mouth twisted.
"So, you're saying that cutting the Imperial Ten Seats, the military backbone of the Empire, in half was merely an unavoidable matter? Responsibility. I say he must bear the minimum responsibility. Loyalty to the nation. Let him swear that loyalty. Let him make a pledge staked on mana. So that he cannot commit treason against the Imperial Household."
A mana oath.
An oath staked on mana.
But the 'mana' required for a mana oath did not even exist for Yuma...!
Of course, no one present here knew that.
"Well."
Not even Brigitte, who had slightly furrowed her fine brow.
"It wouldn't matter if you could handle him, brother, but I'm afraid I cannot recommend you say such things in front of him."
Schubertche twisted the corner of his mouth.
"Still, he is but one of my subjects...."
Someone cut off Schubertche, who was about to extol the greatness of imperial bloodline.
"I also dare add my words to what Her Highness Princess Brigitte has said. Your Highness Prince Schubertche, the God of War Yuma. It would be best not to touch that man's temper."
Schubertche quickly turned his head to see who had dared to cut off the words of the imperial bloodline.
The red-haired man standing there was someone First Prince Schubertche knew well.
"Lord of the Red Magic Tower, Eldrie."
Despite being over forty, the 7th-circle Archmage Eldrie maintained the outward appearance of a young man.
He was someone who lived like a brother to the lord of the Sephton Viscounty, situated above the oil city of Akan.
A genius fire-attribute mage called an eccentric in many ways.
The reason he was called an eccentric was simple. Despite fire-attribute magic being his specialty, he was pathologically interested in magitech engineering.
For a fire-attribute mage, whose characteristic was the most powerful destructive force, to also have great interest in magitech engineering, the most delicate field within magical studies, was quite an unusual thing.
However, since he had already achieved no small number of meaningful research results, there was no one who called him an eccentric to his face. They only praised him as a rare genius.
The security sensor systems throughout the Imperial Palace buildings were all products of magitech engineering accomplished by the hands of the Red Magic Tower Lord Eldrie standing before them.
Schubertche eased his feelings of anger a little. It was to avoid making a mistake toward one of the few talented individuals within the Empire.
"Have you seen something with your own eyes? Lord Eldrie of the Magic Tower."
Schubertche knew it intuitively. That Brigitte, who had suddenly appeared, and Archmage Eldrie were about to bring up the matter of defeating the Black Dragon.
Because Schubertche also knew. Because he himself was the client who had received the report from Ymir, the disciple of the Mercenary King. However, he was still in a state of half-belief, half-doubt.
A human.
How could a human, a mortal, catch a dragon? Such a transcendent being.
Eldrie let out a gentle laugh.
"It is not something I saw directly with my own two eyes."
Eldrie took something out.
It was a magic device with an appearance that modern people would immediately associate with the name 'drone.'
"I haven't given it an official name yet, but hmm... shall I call it a magitech scout? It is a magitech engineering device that can glide at high altitudes and capture the landscape of the ground. It is a thing that devours an enormous amount of magic stones."
"Oooooh!!"
"Oooooo!! Such a magnificent invention...! If it infiltrates enemy lines for warfare, scouting the enemy formation would also be possible! Truly worthy of Lord Eldrie of the Magic Tower!"
"Yes, everyone. I will let you touch it after my current business is finished."
Ignoring the two nobles who were also his ardent fans, Eldrie placed the magitech scout before the First Prince.
And Eldrie, standing beside it, pressed several buttons in succession.
Then, a square window appeared above the magitech scout.
"I did not dare operate this magitech scout heading to the capital. So I only operated this object near Sephton where I reside. But something strange appeared in the sky."
A scene was playing inside the square window.
No one was surprised by the black-and-white footage itself. Magic imaging tools were already famous among the nobility.
The screen was black and white, and not even sound was heard, but everyone fell silent.
Horror spread across the eyes of all eighteen nobles gathered there.
Even in black and white, even without any sound, there was no one who did not know who the existence that appeared in that black screen was.
"...A dragon!!"
Black-and-white footage, with image quality marred by no small amount of noise that could never be called good. Yet there was no one who looked lightly upon that dragon, because even in this poor footage, that overwhelming pressure was felt.
Its fierce yet sublime eyes.
A dragon's maw that appeared grotesque yet beautiful.
The majesty of a black dragon that appeared to be approaching 100 meters, enough to make one's whole body numb.
Pitch-black scales so hard that the silver armor of knights could not even compare.
"Indeed, worthy of being called the most perfect existence in the world...."
At the words of Count Benosetian, owner of the magic train Heilro, the nobles unknowingly nodded their heads.
Even observing from afar, that overwhelming pressure was palpable.
There were only two people who were not astonished by the dragon's majesty. Eldrie, the owner of the magitech scout, and Princess Brigitte, to whom Eldrie had shown the footage in advance.
The screen was zoomed in to maximum.
Unlike the people far away, a single human was standing firmly with both feet on the ground, facing the Black Dragon.
"He doesn't collapse... Surely the dragon fear, along with immense pressure, would be crushing his body."
Those were the words of Viscount Camart, who had attained the level of a high-level Sword Expert. At those words, Michael, the Sword Master and personal escort knight standing beside Princess Brigitte, swallowed hard.
It was exactly as Count Camart said.
A terror and pressure impossible to describe with words would be pressing down on the body. Yet that man, that Yuma, was enduring it.
With both feet planted on the ground.
The screen zoomed back out. And then─
"Th, that is!"
"Dragon Breath!!"
Something condensing in the Black Dragon's mouth.
A ferocious, blazing heat that could be felt even in the black-and-white footage.
The noise distorting as if the screen was being torn seemed to be circumstantial evidence of that ferocity.
The screen was temporarily dyed white.
"Hiiiiik!"
And when it returned soon after, everyone saw the image of the ferocious Dragon Breath plummeting to the ground.
And also the image of the man standing on two feet on the ground, swinging his sword.
The jaws of those who were both nobles and swordsmen dropped wide open.
All the nobles' gazes gathered upon Michael, the swordsman of the highest level present here.
"...I, I cannot say for certain, but it appears he parried the Breath while─adding his own slash, and counterattacked along with the Breath that Black Dragon had fired. That is the only way I can explain it. Not only overcoming the Dragon Breath, but a sublime Sword Aura that seized it and pushed it back at the enemy...!!"
The next scene was even more terrifying.
The Black Dragon, directly hit by that Sword Aura, vanished without a trace. Leaving behind neither bone nor hide.
The footage ended like that.
The Lord of the Red Magic Tower, Eldrie, swept his gaze over the nobles and the First Prince.
"This man caught a dragon alone. Could you embrace such a man? Could you handle touching this man's temper, Your Highness the First Prince?"
While the eighteen nobles, seized by a shudder, sat in their respective chairs and continued to tremble.
Jeobeok─
The sound of footsteps rang out across the floor.
The nobles' gazes moved toward the direction of the footsteps.
Beyond the opened door, a man with dark-gray hair was slowly walking up.
Butler Roian, the Head Attendant of the 1st Princess Palace and Brigitte's attendant sitting in on this gathering, opened his mouth.
Because an introduction for that man was needed.
"The one who delivered the city of Akan from evil by defeating the former Ten Seat, Sword God Kronos, and the drug lord Bellek."
Jeobeok─
The man took another step.
"The one who delivered the County of Rubelt by defeating the Black Dragon."
Jeobeok─
The man set both feet into the conference room.
Languid blue eyes stared straight at the nobles and the two imperial family members.
"That is Yuma-nim."