Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Event (4)
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Episode 111
Event (4)
I requested an audience with the Emperor.
Of course, I first showed the virtue of declining a couple of times.
Thus, I had the honor of playing push-and-pull with the supreme ruler of the Empire.
And now.
I was facing the Emperor with my party.
“…”
No, wait a minute…
This isn’t what I wanted.
I had hoped for a more private discussion, even if it wasn’t just the two of us.
But here we were, with a dozen people already gathered.
Aside from a few, most were imperial officials in charge of protocol.
I belatedly realized how things were unfolding.
The Emperor’s intention was to deal with tomorrow’s event first.
The process of publicly proclaiming the birth of the Heroes…
It was an important procedure that happened only once every ten years.
When a Hero appeared, the people would rejoice, which in turn stabilized public sentiment.
How could the Empire pass up such an opportunity?
They would dress us up meticulously and present us before everyone.
It seemed he had arranged this meeting to achieve maximum efficiency.
As for my request, he would schedule a separate time later.
It wasn’t an urgent matter, so there was no need to be impatient.
Fine. I understand.
But still, did he have to go this far?
“It would look best if Your Majesty places a hand on the Hero’s shoulder.”
“Hmm…”
“…”
“And if you offer a slight smile in that state, it would be perfect.”
“That’s not easy…”
“…”
“Hero, you must act as though you are brimming with manly vigor. That drained expression you have now is… a bit much.”
“…”
The imperial protocol officials were in charge of the Empire’s important ceremonies.
They were elderly officials, and every one of them looked stern and fussy.
People like that were usually rigid in their thinking.
They were the type to uphold etiquette even with a knife to their throats.
The way they were ordering the Emperor around said it all.
Though the Emperor, too, looked weary, as if he was sick of it all.
But the protocol officials pushed their agenda forward, as if they would never concede.
If even the Emperor was helpless, what could I do?
Even the princess, who had mastered etiquette to its extreme, was in the same boat.
One hour, two hours…
The horror felt like an eternity.
The only saving grace was that it ended sooner than I expected.
“This should suffice.”
Huh? I thought they’d keep us here until late at night.
The head of the protocol officials looked at us and spoke politely.
“Both Heroes possess a high level of dignity. One can feel that you are in a different class.”
So, there wasn’t much to correct.
He said it would have been fine even if they hadn’t done anything.
Hey, saying it like that makes it feel like we suffered for nothing.
Though we had earned the approval of men who lived and died by dignity, I wasn’t particularly pleased.
“Then… we shall take our leave.”
After paying their respects to the Emperor, they all withdrew at once.
Only then could I breathe freely again, as if a weight had been lifted.
The rest of the party also looked like they had come back from the dead, their complexions returning.
Huh? They didn’t even torment you guys much.
Whatever you went through, it was a drop in the bucket compared to what the princess and I endured.
Anyway.
With the protocol officials gone, the surroundings felt quite empty.
It seemed this was the end of today’s schedule.
I decided to postpone my discussion of important matters with the Emperor.
Considering how busy tomorrow would be, we needed to get some rest.
Everyone seemed to want to return to the detached palace.
Our little cutie, in particular, was nagging me with her eyes, signaling it was time to eat.
Right, let’s get out of here quickly.
Unless he had something to say, there was no need to linger by the Emperor’s side.
“Your Majesty, then we shall…”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“…”
I had nothing to say, but it seemed the Emperor did.
It was a command from the august ruler of the Empire.
The best I could do was hope it would end quickly.
Before speaking, he glanced around at us.
Ceria respectfully lowered her gaze as etiquette dictated.
Luciel was nonchalant as usual, while Ilensia put on a faint smile.
Her trait of being weak to those in power.
Her intention to win the Emperor’s favor was transparent.
The chances were slim, but what did she hope to gain by getting on the Emperor’s good side?
What on earth was the elven girl’s objective?
I grew curious about what went on in her head.
The noble and pure elf—it seemed that identity had all but vanished.
Soon, the Emperor’s gaze fell upon Aruru.
A slight change appeared on his supremely dignified face.
“…”
The maddening cuteness of the fox beastkin.
He seemed to be falling for it, even forgetting to breathe.
“—??”
The girl tilted her head.
She twitched her fox ears repeatedly as if she didn’t understand.
My dear cutie.
You’re just pretending, aren’t you?
You know you’re cute, don’t you?
There’s no way she doesn’t know.
Everyone around her has always doted on her.
Her feigning innocence must be a slyness unique to fox beastkin.
It was almost instinctual.
Well, it was just a fox acting like a fox, so it didn’t seem fake.
It just made me want to hug her tightly.
The Emperor, being human after all, couldn’t escape that feeling.
A moment later.
I finally saw it.
A fatherly smile forming on the Emperor’s lips.
It was incredibly faint, but it was impossible to deceive my eyes.
I’d bet he didn’t even look like that when the Imperial Princess was born.
Truthfully, I was in no position to judge.
In the distant future, even if Ceria gave birth to a daughter who looked just like her, I felt I would still find our little cutie more adorable.
I’m sorry, my daughter…
I’m sorry for being such a worthless dad!
But.
You’ll probably grow more attached to the fox beastkin than to your old man anyway.
By then, I’ll have captured… no, arranged for Aruru’s friends and siblings to live with our family.
Multiple cute fox beastkin.
My daughter will grow up happily amidst soft, white balls of fur.
That’s good enough, right?
Could there be a better environment in the world?
I pride myself on having done my duty as a father.
I probably won’t ever hear her say, ‘I hate you, Daddy!’
In the first place, my children were bound to be good-natured.
They would be interacting with pets from a young age, so they would naturally develop a proper disposition.
As I finished my thoughts, the Emperor gently closed his eyes.
He was exercising self-control to escape the fox beastkin’s allure.
To think he could overcome the instinct to pet her endlessly.
Indeed, it seems not just anyone can become an emperor.
Just then, our little cutie suddenly spoke up.
“You know, I may look like this, but I’m pretty strong!”
She clenched her cute little fists.
It seemed she had misunderstood the Emperor’s reaction.
Being cute was synonymous with looking weak…
The Emperor opened his eyes again, a benevolent expression on his face.
He had a fond attitude, like a grandfather watching his granddaughter’s antics.
“I know. I hear you are the most talented Spirit Master in history.”
“—!!”
At those words, not only she but the other girls were also quite surprised.
They seemed to be thinking they hadn’t expected the busy Emperor to know even that.
Actually, if you thought about it, it would be strange if he didn’t know.
Was there anything the Emperor who ruled half the continent didn’t know?
In the first place, the profiles of the Hero’s party were hardly a secret.
Grasping the current situation at the academy was a trivial matter for him.
He probably knew about the princess, too.
As if to prove it, he turned his head and fixed his gaze on her.
“Hero Esterize. I personally hold your efforts and talents in high regard. I truly hope your lifelong wish will be fulfilled.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that…”
“Once all the ceremonies are over, we will be able to have a calm conversation. At that time, we should approach it as a summit between the leaders of our two nations.”
“—!!”
A summit meeting.
Esterize couldn’t hide her surprise at those words.
Indeed, the Emperor knew her identity precisely.
And that wasn’t all.
From the context, it seemed he was aware she was striving to rebuild her kingdom.
He might not know the fine details, but he was undoubtedly aware of her movements.
Anyway.
He was saying he would recognize the princess not as a Hero, but as the head of a group.
Of course, it wasn’t a complete recognition, but the nuance was that he would treat her with a certain degree of respect.
It was truly groundbreaking.
The position of the Emperor who ruled the Empire was lofty.
If he wished, he could force the king of another nation to kneel.
Yet, such a great man had stepped forward to show respect for the princess.
He must have considered the influence of a Hero, but the fact that it was groundbreaking remained unchanged.
His magnanimity was more than enough to move a young girl to tears.
As if deciding not to hide it any longer, Esterize showed her respects in a manner befitting a princess.
“…I will never forget Your Majesty’s grace. I pray and hope that the great Empire will be filled with glory for a thousand, ten thousand years.”
Her voice was tinged with moisture.
She immediately bowed her head slightly, seemingly trying to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears.
I completely understood how she felt.
It wouldn’t have been strange for everyone to ignore her, but the most esteemed person in the world had just shown understanding of her complex and pitiful situation.
From the princess’s perspective, she couldn’t be more grateful.
When the Castia Kingdom fell, the reactions of the neighboring countries must have been something like this:
-It’s not our problem, so it’s fine.
-We’d like to help, but our own situation isn’t great…
That was the better of it.
The problem was the kingdoms that did more than just stand by and watch.
-Serves them right. I knew this would happen.
-I should watch for an opportunity to swallow up that piece of land.
They say a neighboring country is your number one potential enemy.
Reality was harsh, so it was only natural.
In such a situation, what was a young girl to do?
Hiding her identity and quietly building her strength must have been her best option.
Now, thankfully, everything was working out well.
She had become a Hero, and she could now expect the Empire’s cooperation.
It would be nice if they provided massive support, but she had already achieved her minimum goal.
The Emperor had acknowledged the princess’s existence.
In other words, it meant the Empire would condone the rebuilding of the Castia Kingdom.
-We’re backing them.
-If you get caught trying any funny business… you know what’ll happen, right?
Whatever the Emperor’s intentions were.
There was a high chance that the neighboring countries would interpret it that way.
The Emperor had only shown a small kindness.
But to the princess, it was a greater gift than anything else.
Hope, gradually taking shape.
Seeing her struggle to suppress her excitement, it seemed she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
That aside…
The Emperor’s gaze had now fallen on me.
Hmm, what was he going to say this time?
I was in a position where I had nothing to lose, so I didn’t have any particular expectations.
I did covet the artifacts that could only be found here.
But he wasn’t going to just blurt out, ‘Fine, take it all!’ was he?
“I’d like to ask what you think of this event.”
Was he trying to sound me out?
It didn’t seem like an idle question, but I couldn’t be sure yet.
When in doubt, giving a model answer was probably for the best.
“I believe it is my duty as a Hero to participate.”
To be honest, it was a hassle.
But it was a new experience, so I figured it would be fine just this once.
As it turned out, that wasn’t the answer the Emperor was looking for.
“Soon, the entire world will know. The fact that you are Heroes… The Demon King’s Army will also hear the rumors.”
The Emperor mentioned the Demon King’s Army.
He was alluding to the danger that would befall us.
Because Heroes were beings who grew stronger at a frightening pace.
From the perspective of the Demon King’s Army, they had to be eliminated.
Indeed, a surprise battle event was actually scheduled.
If the main story followed its course.
Chapter Boss -> Mid-Boss -> Four Heavenly Kings -> Demon King
It would proceed through stages like that, but in between, we would face the threat of assassins.
Dark assassins optimized for assassination.
Well, they were only a little tricky, so there was no need to worry too much.
Anyway.
The Emperor seemed convinced that we would be in danger.
The reason he was proceeding with the event despite that was because the benefits of revealing the Hero’s party were immense.
“I understand your concerns. The Demon King’s Army will inevitably target us. We can certainly overcome that.”
“Are you truly fine with it?”
“The truth will be revealed eventually… Following the example of the Heroes of the past, we will face it head-on from this moment forward.”
“Hmm…”
He let out an awkward, dry cough.
A man of the Emperor’s stature looked apologetic.
It seemed to weigh on his conscience that he was using us, in a way.
Why was he making such a big deal out of it?
When you feel sorry, you just have to do something to make up for it.
Usually, in cases like this, material compensation is particularly effective, so what’s it going to be?
A moment later, the Emperor made a proposal.
I was startled, and not in a good way…
“If you wish, the Imperial Family will take responsibility for your safety.”
“—!!”
He was offering to mobilize the knight order to escort us.
I could tolerate anything else, but that was absolutely unacceptable.
Escort, my foot.
They’ll just steal my experience points