The Emperor's reaction to hearing a different Transcendent's wish for the first time
The Emperor's reaction to hearing a different Transcendent's wish for the first time
"Oh? So the unit members already know that Saklasi is a Transcendent?"
The Emperor's brow furrowed at Sonya's remark, made in the presence of the unit members, "I'm curious about what a Water Transcendent can do."
"Being a Transcendent is a matter with significant repercussions, so I wanted to delay making it known to the public."
It was a concern that the allied kingdoms might get scared prematurely and stir up negative public opinion, saying, 'There are two Transcendents in the Empire alone!'
"I don't think there's any chance my unit members would divulge anything that could harm me."
"Now that you mention it, that's true."
"Yes, because they are people who desire to die with me, enough to follow me here."
The unit members looked at Sonya with bewildered expressions. It was as if their faces were saying, 'We're not quite at the point of wanting to die, though?'
Seeing those expressions, Sonya smiled and said,
"Your expressions seem a bit strange?"
The unit members hurriedly replied to the killing intent hidden in her smile.
"No! Captain-nim! We were just surprised at how you saw right through our hearts!"
They found Sonya even scarier because she wasn't using her usual tone of voice with the Emperor nearby.
"Have you heard nothing about Saklasi's [Wish]?"
"The fact that he's my nephew is also something I've already mentioned in front of the unit members. I think you can address him comfortably."
Hearing Sonya's words, the Emperor's gaze turned to the unit members. They thought, 'Today is absolute hell,' and answered.
"We will not divulge anything! Please rest assured! Your Majesty the Emperor!!"
At that desperate cry, Sonya wore a chilling smile again.
"My unit members, Mother isn't even doubting you, so I don't want to see you getting scared and blabbering prematurely."
At her words, the unit members trembled and bowed their heads.
"You are absolutely right! We are ashamed, Captain-nim!"
In reality, the Emperor wasn't doubting them; he had simply sent a look of trust, thinking, 'If they are Sonya's unit members, they must be trustworthy.'
However, it is only natural for ordinary unit members to be overwhelmed with tension just by having the gaze of the Empire's highest authority directed at them.
And the Emperor felt a strange sense of incongruity. It was because the expressions of the unit members who had been scolded by Sonya felt more like they were drenched in ecstasy rather than fear.
Although she is his daughter, the Emperor could not fathom why they followed her so fervently.
The Emperor was unaware that the Northern unit members were captivated by Sonya's dominant personality, which was charismatic despite her being the young seventeenth princess.
"Hmm.... That's true. I haven't been interested. I don't know what the Water Transcendent's [Wish] entails."
"You weren't even interested when I said you had a Transcendent nephew."
Sonya made a face as if to ask if she really needed to be interested.
"I don't know anything either, except for that very unique [Wish] called 'Mist Transformation'. I tried to ask Marina, who saw it in person, but she was so excited that... I didn't have the chance."
"Marina-eonni is always the excited type, so that makes sense."
"I heard that last time, he brought a tsunami and forced the 「Raigen」 Kingdom to submit, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of overwhelming power he'll show this time."
"Yes, Mother. I'm looking forward to it too."
Saklasi hung up the call and left immediately using 'Mist Transformation'.
Seeing the Mist Transformation, Serin thought, 'That's a truly broken [Wish],' and Shed was suddenly screaming,
"Kuaaaaaah!!!"
"What an absolute peak of ecstasy!!!! To think that my Lord would say he trusts and entrusts me with this!!!"
"I agree. Grand Duke Stan-jeonha also gave me instructions. I am just overwhelmed with gratitude!"
Manneric was joining in from the side, but seeing Manneric's glitch fixed now that Saklasi wasn't there, Serin thought, 'Power really is a scary thing.'
"By the way, Serin-gong, are you a candidate for the Lord's spouse?"
"Spou-? Spouse? W-what are you suddenly talking about!!!"
It was Shed who suddenly dropped such a bombshell on Serin, who had been watching the two from a step away.
"The Lord treated you very affectionately, so I was rude, Serin-gong. Especially since the Lord's eyes looked happy."
"It's not like that. Please don't misunderstand!"
"Understood."
Shed said that, but in his mental notepad, he wrote down, 'Serin Valenov. Woman cherished by the Lord. Leading candidate for the Lord's spouse. Top priority for protection.'
At the Emperor's request to come as quickly as possible using 'Mist Transformation', I immediately returned home.
Since I would be transported naked again, I wanted to leave the items that would fall off when moving via 'Mist Transformation' at my house.
Thus, I arrived at 「Aojibas」.
As it was the northernmost part of the Empire, which occupied all the land of one continent, a cold snowstorm was blowing, and the ground was piled high with snow.
Well, I can't feel the cold in the 'Mist Transformation' state, but it looked freezing just by looking at it.
I was wandering around the beach of 「Aojibas」 looking for someone. This was because the Emperor, who knew the circumstances of 'Mist Transformation', had said he would have someone wait with my clothes.
Ah, there they are.
I dispelled the 'Mist Transformation' only on my head and greeted them.
"Hello?"
"Hieeeek!!!"
A blunt, short, adorable tail. Round ears. A bear-beastkin in uniform screamed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"A-are you Grand Duke-jeonha?"
"Yes, I am Saklasi Stan."
"Loyalty! I am Bar, a unit member of the Imperial Northern forces! I, I didn't know you would come with just your head like this! I'm sorry for being startled! Your clothes are prepared here. Please, quickly find your body and put them on!"
The unit member spat out the words like a machine gun.
"Ah, right, I'm naked, so only my face is visible. Actually, last time I only dispelled it on my upper body and appeared suddenly, and someone called me a pervert... Ah, what am I saying."
I ended up rambling excuses without realizing it.
"Please speak informally! Grand Duke-jeonha!"
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
The unit member named Bar set up a screen with a tent, so I was able to put on my clothes inside and come out.
"T-then! I will guide you!"
While walking, the unit member named Bar asked various things. At the story that I had teleported all at once from 「Busanosk」 in the south to here using 'Mist Transformation', he exclaimed in admiration as if he couldn't believe it.
"To completely ignore the constraints of space, it truly is a transcendent [Wish]!"
"Maybe it's Seongwi-level? I don't know exactly either."
Since I seem to have been a Transcendent from the moment I first became an ability user, I wasn't very good at distinguishing the ranks.
"Are you saying that 'Mist Transformation' is a [Wish] that can be manifested without the resonance of a [Wish]?"
"The sword I'm wearing was given to me by Bar, wasn't it? Even though I didn't have a sword to use when resonance was needed, I still turned into mist, so it must be below Seongwi-level."
"T-that's right!"
It seems that when a [Wish] is manifested, it is conveyed to the people around, and that is called 'Resonance'. 'Mist Transformation' was a [Wish] that didn't need to do that.
This is because a [Wish] of a lower rank than one's own can be manifested without needing to use a sword as a medium for 'Resonance'.
Since I am a Transcendent, Seongwi and High-level [Wish]es could be manifested without 'Resonance'. Therefore, 'Mist Transformation' must not be a Transcendent-level [Wish].
"From the Water Seongwi onwards, it's a different dimension."
"I thought of a new Transcendent-level [Wish] this time. I plan to use this to cut the glacier where the Dragon Beastkin reside in half. I have to show overwhelming power."
"I'm looking forward to it! Grand Duke-jeonha!"
While talking, I arrived at the garrison where the Emperor and the Northern unit members were waiting.
It was a gray concrete building that looked close to a checkpoint.
There were two beastkin unit members standing at the entrance, and they gave a sharp salute.
"Loyalty! We greet Grand Duke-jeonha!"
Unless they had special tails or ears like Bar, who looked like a bear-beastkin, or the assistant manager, who was a rabbit-beastkin, I couldn't distinguish their species, so I didn't know what kind of beastkin they were.
"We will inform them inside."
When they knocked, a woman's voice was heard from inside saying, "You may enter."
"Your Majesty the Emperor! We have brought Grand Duke Stan-jeonha to the location!"
Entering through the opened door, the Emperor was sitting there, and next to him was a person who looked like a princess.
Seeing that there were no other women around, it seemed that she was the one who answered.
"Welcome. My grandson, Saklasi. I was waiting for you."
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Emperor."
As I tried to kneel on one knee, the Emperor hurriedly waved his hand to stop me. He said that since the unit members here already knew he was my nephew, there was no need to go through such formalities, and offered me a seat next to him.
"What kind of overwhelming power are you going to show? I'm very much looking forward to it."
To the Emperor who asked as soon as I sat down, I told him what I had thought of on the way.
"When holding a sword, a water ability user's hands eventually get wet, no matter how high their rank is. I got a hint from that. I wondered what it would be like to shoot a stream of water from the tips of my fingernails."
"From the tips of your fingernails? And?"
Instead of answering, I shot a stream of water from the tip of my index fingernail. The Emperor looked at it as if the sight were cute. Even to me, it was a very weak stream of water.
The nearby unit members and the princess I saw for the first time today were also watching as if they were looking at the young Grand Duke-jeonha's cute antics.
"I thought the story would be completely different if I imbued this stream of water with a Transcendent-level [Wish]. They say immense water pressure can cut through steel like tofu."
Drawing my sword, I said to a unit member near the window,
"Could you open the window?"
Because if I shot it like this, it would pierce a hole in the building. How strong would the water pressure be if a vast ocean were about to erupt from this small area, the tip of a fingernail?
[Oh Sea]
Biiii—!
A sharp, high-frequency sound pierced my eardrums. The weak stream of water flew out the window at tremendous speed, just as I had expected.
As expected! Is this what a water jet was? It seems to be at that level, right? Or does it surpass it?
"!!!!!!"
A moment of silence pressed down on the inside of the garrison.
"This is a Transcendent's [Wish]...."
"It gives me goosebumps."
The Northern unit members who were inside the garrison were murmuring and rubbing their forearms in this space, which was warmed by a stove.
The princess with the cold impression was also standing there with a dumbfounded face, her mouth hanging open.
The Emperor was the same.
Huh? You're a Transcendent too, so why are you making that face!?