Chapter 50
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 50. Reward (2)
"Uh... That is to say...."
My mind went blank.
What kind of relationship.
Business partners?
Comrades-in-arms?
Whatever word I brought up, it felt like it would sound like an excuse in front of those murderous eyes.
It was when I was just opening and closing my mouth like a goldfish, sweating cold sweat.
*—Bang!*
The heavy door of the office opened roughly.
The sounds of servants trying to stop her were heard from the hallway, but it was useless.
The person who came running in gasping for breath was none other than Cassia.
Her face was flushed red as if it would burst.
Perhaps she heard the Emperor's shout from outside the door.
She stood blocking my front and shouted towards the Emperor.
"Y... Your Majesty! What are you saying right now!"
At Cassia's shout, the Emperor's eyebrow twitched minutely.
His gaze moved from me to Cassia.
A low mutter leaked through the Emperor's lips.
"...Your Majesty?"
His pupils shook very briefly.
Normally, it was a title he heard every day.
But right now, that word sounded exceptionally grating to the Emperor's ears.
When crossing the threshold of death inside the rift.
The Emperor remembered the other title she called out while hugging his blood-covered self and wailing.
*Father.*
That desperate and affectionate voice from then was still ringing in his ears, but to put up that stiff wall again as soon as he came back alive.
A strange sense of disappointment and discomfort pricked a corner of his chest.
But there was no way Cassia would know the Emperor's complicated feelings.
With her face still red, she was busy explaining while babbling.
"Th... Si-woo and I have no relationship! Just... we are just comrades-in-arms! A relationship where we entrusted our backs crossing the line of death together... Yes! Just that much!"
She was desperate.
"Besides, Si-woo is a benefactor who saved the Empire! You must not act disrespectfully! A... And what happened at the smithy that night... that was just me falling over...!"
The more she spoke, the more it felt like falling into a quagmire.
The Emperor silently looked at his daughter.
Cassia's explanation didn't enter his ears.
The sight unfolding before his eyes just felt unfamiliar.
The Imperial Princess, who was usually cool-headed and dignified, is so flustered, blushing, and defending herself over one man.
It was an appearance he couldn't have even imagined before.
'You have... changed a lot.'
The Emperor's gaze headed to me again.
That bloody killing intent from earlier was nowhere to be found, and only a complicated and subtle gaze remained.
He scanned me once, then exhaled a deep sigh.
"Phew...."
The Emperor took his hand off the wooden box he was pressing down on.
And smoothly pushed it in front of me.
"Take it. It is the promised reward."
At the sudden change in attitude, Cassia and I widened our eyes simultaneously.
Cassia covered her mouth looking at the wooden box.
"Your Majesty...! Th... This can't be...?!"
Her reaction was unusual.
She was astonished like a person who saw something they shouldn't have seen.
The Emperor nodded calmly.
"Yes. It is what you are guessing. It is something passed down through generations since the First Emperor."
The First Emperor?
My ears perked up at that word.
The legendary figure who built this Empire.
And according to Cassia's words, is it an item left by that hero who unified the continent with the help of Climbers?
I swallowed dry saliva.
They said the 19th Floor clear reward was suspended due to an error and would be added up.
If so, it was highly likely that what was inside this box was not a simple treasure.
Can I expect something good?
My heart pounded.
Since it's something the Emperor is giving, it at least wouldn't be a dud.
I reached out to the wooden box with trembling hands.
I carefully lifted the lid the Emperor had pressed down on just a moment ago.
*—Creak.*
Along with the sound of the hinges turning, the scent of old wood and a heavy energy flowed out.
What was inside was neither a glamorous gem nor a powerful weapon.
Just a single book with a worn leather cover, bearing the traces of time intact, was placed there.
"A book...?"
Harboring doubt, I picked up the book.
Outwardly, it was an ordinary-looking book.
But the moment it touched my hand, I felt a thrill wrapping my entire body.
A system window popped up before my eyes.
*—Ding!*
[Providing the accumulated rewards.]
[Class Change Book of the Primeval Swordsman]
Grade: Legendary
A secret manual left by the First Emperor who founded the Empire. He was one who awakened the extreme of the sword. This class change book contains the secret techniques for wielding the swordsmanship he dedicated his life to completing. Only those who are qualified can open this book.
"......!"
I held my breath.
"......Legendary."
I swallowed dry saliva looking at the old book contained in the wooden box.
It was the first time an item I didn't craft myself was a Legendary grade.
Because I only made things so far, I had forgotten the fact that serendipities I didn't know about were hidden in this world and the Tower.
A class change book, huh....
I carefully stroked the book cover.
Information I saw on the Tower Gallery flashed through my mind.
They said if you use a class change book, your existing class disappears and your level is reset.
If so, the moment I use this, does the class called [Primeval Maker] disappear and I become a Level 1 Swordsman?
Of course, since it's a secret manual left by the First Emperor, it would boast tremendous performance, but is it worth giving up my current class?
No, an even more fundamental question arose.
"Your Majesty, I have one thing to ask."
I asked without taking my eyes off the book.
"If there was such an amazing item, why didn't you use it earlier? If the Princess or Your Majesty had learned this, you could have overcome the Empire's crisis much more easily."
When the Red Rift opened and the Empire was in danger of destruction, if they had used this class change book, it wouldn't have come to this extent.
Yet they were letting this book rot deep inside the warehouse.
The Emperor smiled bitterly as if he read my mind.
"It is not unreasonable that you wonder."
The Emperor turned his gaze to the window behind his back.
"Leaving this secret manual, the First Emperor left a will. That only those who are qualified will be able to open this book."
"Qualifications being...."
"In my younger days, I too tried to open this book to make the Empire stronger. It was the same for the previous Emperors. However...."
The Emperor shook his head.
"No one could open the book. It was tightly closed like a rock and would not open. Our vessels were too small to contain the First Emperor's will."
A self-deprecating lament was mixed in the Emperor's voice.
"To us, it was just a pie in the picture, but I believe it will be different for you. With the martial power and miracles you showed, you will surely be qualified enough."
The Emperor looked at me with sincere eyes.
"I truly hope you will use this power well. That would be the way to find the master of this book."
Cassia next to him also nodded and chimed in.
"Right. Compared to the things you have done for the Empire, even this much reward is lacking."
At their earnest recommendation, I put the class change book into my inventory for now.
It wasn't too late to agonize over whether to use it or not later.
As the atmosphere settled, Cassia called the Emperor as if she remembered something.
"Ah, Your Majesty. I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"In exchange for resolving the Empire's famine, I promised to give Si-woo one treasure of his choice from the Secret Vault."
At Cassia's words, the Emperor blankly looked at his daughter for a moment.
The sight of his daughter, who led the Empire, made bold decisions, and even negotiated with a foreigner while he was absent, seemed both unfamiliar and praiseworthy.
The Emperor silently turned his body and rummaged through the office desk drawer.
A rattling sound was heard, and soon a heavy-looking golden key came out held in the Emperor's hand.
Instead of giving it to me, the Emperor placed it in Cassia's hand.
"Your Majesty...?"
Flustered, Cassia looked up at her father.
The Emperor smiled benevolently and patted Cassia's shoulder.
"Cassia, you are the next Emperor now."
"......!"
At the weight of those words, Cassia's eyes shook greatly.
I too was surprised and looked at the Emperor.
Even so, this suddenly?
"Of course, you must hold a coronation ceremony and go through formal procedures, but my mind is already set. From now on, I entrust the management of this key and the future of the Empire to you."
The Emperor had an unburdened expression.
With his remaining left hand, he wrapped his right sleeve which had become completely empty.
"After losing one arm, there are things I finally see. I think it is time for me to step down now."
Extreme fatigue was imbued in his voice.
More than physical pain, mental wear and tear seemed to have reached its limit.
Watching that sight, I carefully opened my mouth.
"Your Majesty, if it is because of your arm... I think I can help. Like a prosthetic arm, or a potion that can regenerate the body..."
My proposal wasn't empty words.
Using Orichalcum and the Remnant of the Golem, making a prosthetic arm that moves like a real arm wasn't an impossible task either.
But the Emperor shook his head horizontally.
"Thank you, but I will decline."
He looked down at his empty sleeve and smiled bitterly.
"I want to leave this arm as my mistake and my medal. And... to be honest, I want to rest a bit now."
His eyes were as peaceful as an already retired old man.
It wasn't polite to hold onto him anymore.
Cassia bit her lip as if choked up with emotion, but soon gripped the key tightly with a determined look in her eyes.
"......Understood. I will follow Your Majesty's will."
She bowed her waist deeply and greeted the Emperor, no, her father.
The Emperor looked at such a daughter proudly and waved his hand.
"Go. We must not keep the guest waiting too long."
We came out of the Emperor's office.
Until the moment the door closed, the Emperor was looking out the window, lost in contemplation.
Coming out to the hallway, Cassia blankly looked down at the key for a moment, then soon raised her head and looked at me.
Her eyes had become much deeper and more solid than a moment ago.
"Let's go. I must keep the promise."
She took the lead.
We passed the long hallway and headed to 'Aurelius's Secret Vault' located underground, in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace.
The Empire's treasure vault said to have been gathered since the time of the First Emperor.
My heart began to beat with anticipation of what on earth would be sleeping there, and what kind of materials would be waiting for me this time.
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