Chapter 71: Slave (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Slave (2)
“So, he made such a demand, did he?”
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand as he listened to Garyeon’s report.
“Yes...”
Tap. Tap. The sound of his fingernails tapping against the armrest grated on Garyeon’s nerves. A chill ran down her spine. Though she was merely the messenger...
‘The message is far too absurd.’
Since ancient times, messengers bearing unreasonable demands often met undeserved deaths. It was the perfect way to signal broken negotiations—in other words, an intent for war.
The only difference was that, whatever her true motives were, Garyeon belonged to the Imperial Court.
Another certainty was that the survival of the Imperial Family was Garyeon’s highest priority. Truly. As she herself believed, the weight of the words ‘Imperial Family’ in her heart was far heavier than it was to the Emperor himself.
‘Everything I do is for the survival of the Imperial Family.’
She rationalized her actions.
And in truth, it was so.
She had weighed numerous possibilities.
‘Was siding with the Heavenly Sword really the best option?’
She had deliberated endlessly, fiercely questioning herself.
In the end, Garyeon reaffirmed her conclusion that her choice had been right. Not provoking the Heavenly Sword was the absolute best course of action for the Imperial Family.
‘...Though I never expected him to be this headstrong.’
Regret was useless now. As soon as she finished her call with Kang Geomma, Garyeon had headed straight to the Emperor’s cabin.
Her feet had felt like lead, but what choice did she have? She had to do what needed to be done...
“Mmm.”
The Emperor’s low hum lingered. Garyeon’s ash-gray blindfold grew damp and darkened in color, soaked by the sweat trickling down her forehead.
The air itself was warm from the fireplace’s heat. Yet despite that, Garyeon felt a chill. Her hands and feet were icy cold.
“Tell the Heavenly Sword,”
The Emperor’s voice finally broke the silence.
“That I shall grant his request.”
“...?”
Reflexively, Garyeon raised her head. Underneath her blindfold, her eyes widened as big as saucers.
At her reaction—which silently asked, ‘You’re accepting that demand?’—the Emperor continued casually, tossing firewood into the hearth.
“I promised to grant him one request.”
She knew.
‘I know that, but...’
Her past experience told her that the Emperor was a man who made demands, not one who accepted them.
‘Then... why this time?’
Was he afraid of the Heavenly Sword?
Absolutely not. How could he be?
‘He’d sooner lose his head to that Sashimi than submit.’
The Emperor was not a man to bow to anyone. That wasn't because of the halo of the Imperial Family, but rather his innate nature.
Garyeon worked her brain at top speed.
‘If I can't offer an opinion here...’
The Emperor would surely suspect her relationship with Kang Geomma. Garyeon was the Royal Steward. Her sole purpose of existence was to offer counsel to the Emperor.
Flatterers overflowed in the Imperial Palace.
Garyeon had to serve a different purpose from them.
She always had, and she always would.
But if she acted like a simple yes-woman on such a crucial matter...
‘Even if he doesn't suspect me, it's still a problem.’
It would be tantamount to admitting she wasn't doing her job.
Crackle, crackle.
Firewood crumbled in the hearth. It felt as though Garyeon’s brain cells were burning away along with it.
The Emperor had accepted Kang Geomma’s proposal far too plainly. Yes, excessively so.
‘Which means...’
Trimming away the clutter, the outline of her hypothesis became clear. Garyeon carefully chose her words before speaking.
“Annihilating the Royal Guard was not the Heavenly Sword’s will, but Your Majesty’s. Since he unwittingly became Your Majesty’s sword, the Heavenly Sword’s demand is merely compensation for that service...”
“If my children were even half as sharp as you, I would have no further wishes. Victoria is decent enough, but she lacks experience and is still green.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty. I will serve Her Highness Princess Victoria with all my heart.”
“Do you believe Victoria’s reign is not far off?”
“I did not mean... such a disrespectful thing.”
The Emperor smirked, staring into the bonfire.
“I didn't mean it that way either.”
“...”
“What is the most basic mechanism of politics?”
“Giving back as much as one receives.”
The backbone of political dynamics is trust. Returning as much as you receive. Maintaining that basic rule earns the trust of the people.
However, one must not merely keep it. One must also know how to cleverly exploit it.
“Could it be...”
Garyeon’s lips turned pale.
“Do you intend to bring the ‘Black Dogs’ into the open?”
The Emperor answered as he poked through the firewood with a poker.
“This incident made me realize for certain. The Royal Guard’s ego has grown bloated. Was it because Oscar fell in love with the Queen? That too, but it seems the entity the guards owe their allegiance to has changed.”
“W-What makes you think that?”
The Emperor turned his gaze toward Garyeon.
“If they were truly the army of the Imperial Family, they should have killed Oscar on the spot. But what actually happened? They carried him off on a stretcher and escorted him to the hospital.”
“Ah...”
“What choice do I have?”
The Emperor shrugged and focused back on the fireplace. Garyeon thought as she looked at him.
Inside this man’s head, the honor of the Imperial Family was something that didn't matter at all—no, it was practically a burden.
That was why.
‘There’s no other choice.’
The scale inside Garyeon’s heart, which had been vacillating busily, tilted completely.
“I obey the will of the Sun.”
Garyeon lifted her skirt in a curtsy and left the cabin.
* * *
A cozy bedroom filled with warm air.
A ringing phone shattered the morning quiet. Reaching out from under the blanket, I slapped my palm against the nightstand.
After fumbling around five times or so, I finally found my phone and dragged it under the covers. The one who interrupted my sweet sleep was Garyeon.
“Ah, yes... I see. Got it.”
I responded half-heartedly.
After ending the brief call, I set the smartphone back down. The next moment, a rustling sound came from right beside me.
“Sorry for waking you.”
“Nah. It’s time to get up anyway.”
Ryozo rubbed her eyes with her fists.
“Who was calling so early in the morning?”
Ryozo asked, sitting up.
With her other hand, she held the snow-white sheet pulled up to her collarbone. The morning sunlight sparkled along the nape of her neck.
“A call from the Imperial Court.”
“...From the Imperial Court...?”
“I contacted the Royal Steward last night. I told her I’m planning to establish a graduate school at the Academy, so I asked her to hand over some of the knowledge stored in the Infinite Archives.”
“And then?”
Ryozo leaned her face in close. The sheet slid softly down to her belly button.
“She said yes.”
“What?!”
A surprised look on Ryozo’s face was a rare sight.
Wanting to look at it a bit longer, I added:
“What do you think is the greatest cornucopia in the Human Realm?”
“...Funding? ...They said they’d provide funding too?”
“Yup.”
“Geomma, let’s be honest. Did you threaten the Emperor again?”
Again? I was slightly stung, but I pretended not to notice.
“I’m not that unreasonable. We talked adult to adult. Fortunately, it seems the Emperor isn’t totally dense, seeing as he accepted my demand.”
“...”
Ryozo fell silent for a moment.
If I were her, I would’ve been happy first. After all, the cause of her headache was resolved right when she woke up.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s suspicious.”
Ryozo never took an overly optimistic view of things.
Rather than being negative about everything, she was simply extremely objective.
“The most important thing in political dynamics is...”
“Payback.”
Ryozo blinked both eyes. Whenever things like this happened—whenever I read her thoughts—she would look at me as if I were a stranger.
“Returning as much as you receive.”
Though it was embarrassing to say so myself, despite my looks, I had spent a fair bit of time acting as a drinking assistant for politicians in my past life. If a school dog recites poetry after three years, then a dozen years living by the sword makes me no different from a three-term lawmaker.
Having once been Candidate No. 7 in the good old days, I spoke up.
“I was curious too. I’ve met the Emperor face-to-face, right? That guy is definitely not the type to just give in unconditionally. He’s the type to exploit others instead. So I was going to ask the caller about it, but she beat me to the punch.”
“What did she say?”
“She said the Emperor agreed to my demand so willingly because I purged the Royal Guard for him. It seems the Royal Guard was a thorn in his side.”
I had already filled Ryozo in on the prior details. Since witnesses like Choi Seol-ah and Shail were present, passing along the information had been smooth and hassle-free.
Listening to me, Ryozo went quiet for a moment. Then she soon muttered softly:
“If the Royal Guard is gone, he’ll need a force to replace them... The only alternative faction that comes to mind right now is that one.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Geomma, do you know about the Black Dogs?”
I slowly closed my eyes and opened them.
“I’ve heard of them. Opri-something.”
“It’s a derogatory term for Oprichnik.”
It was an organization that had never appeared in Miracle Blessing M. As expected, it was only after spending quite a long time in this world that I learned of its existence.
“If the Royal Guard was in the light, the Oprichnik are a private force in the shadows. Coming from the family I do, I’ve only vaguely heard of their existence, but nothing beyond that. However... you provided the Emperor with a justification to bring the Black Dogs into the open, Geomma. That’s why he accepted your demand so readily.”
From mere fragmented clues, Ryozo pieced together the situation with near-perfect deduction. Truly impressive.
“The Royal Guard is packed with scions of noble families. It’s a tradition passed down for generations. He couldn’t just sweep them away all at once, but taking advantage of this chance, he cleaned house without dirtying his own hands. So he has every reason to be grateful to you.”
“I had no idea he had such motives.”
“I wouldn’t have known either—if not for the caller who woke us up this morning. What a very helpful person she is.”
“...”
“What do you think?”
“Yeah...”
“Is that all?”
“Ryozo, don’t tell me...”
Chirp, chirp, chirp. Morning birds sang lively outside.
“Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Is she a woman?”
Ryozo smiled brightly and tilted her head slightly.
“I asked if she’s a woman.”
“Biologically?”
“Aha.”
Slide.
“It’s really not like that.”
“What isn’t?”
“It’s a purely business relationship.”
“Did I say otherwise?”
Trailing the blanket like a wedding dress, Ryozo walked toward the wardrobe. In the spot where her warmth vanished, a cold breeze brushed under my chest.
...Ting.
The bowstring vibrated crisply. Ryozo pulled and released the string of her S-rank Armament, Red Bow, White Arrow—which she had retrieved from the wardrobe—several times.
“Have I neglected it too long? It feels stiff.”
“You have me. You don’t ever need to use it.”
“You never know.”
A dangerous glint flashed in Ryozo’s eyes.
“‘Just in case’ your eyes happen to wander, nothing will happen to you. After all, I can’t stop you anyway.”
A cold and terrifying level of self-objectification.
“...”
“But the other person is a different story.”
I did my absolute best to hide my flinch.
Antarctic Base, Medea. Eraser-wiping the torrent of guilty thoughts rushing in, I played it smooth. I tossed out a casual, silly joke.
“That’ll never happen, but... just on the off chance it does, what happens?”
“Who knows?”
Ryozo said, pronouncing each syllable with deliberate clarity:
“I. Am. Re-al-ly. Cu-ri-ous. Too.”
—Slave. End.
* * *
A day that began with me smoothing over the morning’s fuss using my brilliant wits (adult circumstances).
Perhaps because the tiredness was written clearly all over my face, no one dared bother me. Truth be told, I had been sweating bullets.
“Sigh.”
Why did I have to do something so guilty in the first place?
I reflected on my past self. When Medea acted aggressively back then, could I have stopped her if I tried... maybe?
It was such a surprise attack that my brain went completely blank. So basically, it was force majeure. By the time I tried to do something, Medea had already vanished.
‘I need to watch my behavior.’
Ryozo was someone who stayed calm and composed under any circumstances. Even when dark clouds loomed over the Academy, or when faced with painful situations while running it, Ryozo rarely showed her emotions.
Yet that very girl had just given me a warning packed with emotion. She hadn’t spelled it out explicitly, which made it hit home even harder.
‘If push comes to shove...’
I shook my head violently.
‘Let’s keep myself in check.’
I spent the entire day reflecting on my sins.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting.
‘Already?’
I repeated the same thought around dusk.
“It has been a while, Heavenly Sword.”
Royal Steward Garyeon had arrived at Joaquin Academy. It had been a mere eight hours since I made my request.
She was waiting for me in the reception room with her back straight. Suitcases were lined up around her like a barricade.
Did she take a Subspace Warp or something? The Imperial Court shouldn’t have warp tech, though?
“Since it was an urgent matter, I took the Imperial private jet,” Garyeon spoke, tapping one of the piled-up suitcases. “This is the knowledge you requested, Heavenly Sword.”
“Already?”
“His Majesty dislikes procrastinating. Nor is this a matter to be delayed. For the record, I intended to return immediately after delivering these, but I was advised that night flights are dangerous, so I will stay nearby for one night. Please understand.”
“That’s not a problem, but...”
I gestured toward the suitcases with my eyes.
“The condition also included the exclusive rights to the knowledge. So I was planning to go see the Emperor myself once everything was ready.”
“You need not worry.”
“Coming from someone who knows better than anyone that not worrying about the Emperor is foolish, how can you say that?”
“...I was careless.”
“Well, whatever.”
I visually scanned the suitcases.
As the Emperor had promised, it was a vast amount. Maybe even more than promised.
‘This should be plenty for setting up the graduate school.’
A satisfied smile spread across my face. But it was too early to be completely content.
[The Blessing of the Sword God manifests.]
Garyeon flinched in panic at the sudden sword hum. Strange. Why do people start trembling whenever I pull out my Sashimi? I just don’t get it.
I narrowed my eyes halfway.
Etched onto my cornea was a red line.
The starting point of the Slashing Line was the pile of suitcases. Its destination: the origin of this knowledge.
“Pass this along to the Emperor.”
As I touched my Sashimi to it, the line snapped.
“Tell him I’ve claimed my promised exclusivity.”
“...!”
Garyeon clapped her hands over her ears.
She must have been communicating with the Emperor via Telepathic Transmission.
Which meant right now, it would be echoing directly in her ears.
Arghhhhhh!
Since he used me to suit his own interests, I was merely returning the favor.
Returning as much as I receive.
++++++++++++++++++++++
May the Blessing of God be with you.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Except, doubled.