Emperor (1): The Emperor's Test
After killing the First Enemy Archmage, I quietly waited for Iris to wake up. It wasn't long before she stirred.
"Uh...?"
At first, she blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the situation. Then she whipped her head around, scanning her surroundings.
"Wha...? H-how did this happen?"
She still seemed unsure if she was even alive. I gave her a short answer.
"I saved you."
"How...?"
"Well... I'm an archmage, aren't I?"
Her eyes widened at my response. She studied me, as if verifying if I was telling the truth, and then her mouth fell open.
"What the hell happened? The enemy?"
"Killed her. That's why we're sitting here like this."
"...I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Who knows... Does this feel like a dream to you?"
Iris stared at me blankly before shaking her head.
"No..."
"Then no need to overthink it, right? We survived. Again."
"W-wait a sec... You remember it, don't you?"
Her voice trembled with bewilderment. The corners of her eyes and her lips quivered. Knowing exactly what she meant, I couldn't help but grin.
"Like I'd forget? You confessed your love so pathetically."
"F-forget it!"
Iris grabbed my collar. Her face flushed red, the color spreading all the way down her neck.
"Nah. Can't forget."
"Why not!"
"Why? The usual prickly beauty confesses her love to me? How could I forget that?"
"I-if I say forget it, then forget it, you idiot!"
"Sorry, but I'm too smart to forget even if I wanted to. Oh, I should cherish this memory forever. Wonder what the comrades would say if they heard that prickly girl told me she loved me."
"Argh! Forget it! I said forget it! Don't remember!"
Iris shook me by the collar, but of course, I had no intention of forgetting. How could I erase a memory worth holding onto until my dying breath?
"Dream on."
"Aaaah!"
Iris let out a scream of despair, but I didn't even flinch.
Time passed once more. Having leaped from 6th Tier straight to 8th Tier and become an archmage in one go, I received a summons from the Emperor. I'd killed one of the enemy's most crucial assets—an archmage—and reached the pinnacle of magic myself.
In truth, becoming an 8th Tierarchmage didn't feel all that profound. If anything, the sensation of battling that archmage back at 6th Tier felt even sharper than anything I'd experienced at 8th Tier.
It probably was sharper, in reality.
Magic is the world's will manifesting one's intent into reality. The higher the tier, the deeper the connection to the world itself, allowing an archmage to wield magic like an extension of their own limbs. Why? Because they stand closest to the laws of the world—the pinnacle of what a mage can achieve.
But what I'd experienced went beyond mere closeness; I'd fused with the world's will entirely. If swordmasters have their realm of unity with the blade, this was akin to unity with magic itself.
9th Tier... maybe.
Conventionally, there are ten tiers. Iris had told me only a handful in history had reached 9th Tier, and 10th Tier existed only in records—no one knew if anyone had truly attained it.
So what I'd gone through might have been 9th Tier, or even 10th Tier. But 10th Tier was too lofty, so probably closest to 9th Tier.
Still, one question lingered unsolved.
I don't get why it happened.
No matter how intense one's will, a 6th Tier mage couldn't pull off such a miracle on a whim. I'd brushed it off in the heat of the moment, but looking back, it was impossible.
Some kind of isekai protagonist perk? Something even I don't know about?
Whatever it was, it was a good thing. In the end, I'd become the youngest archmage ever—just half a year after starting magic.
Given the circumstances, my summons from the Emperor was only natural. Leaving the battlefield behind, I arrived at the grand Imperial Palace and followed a man who introduced himself as the Prime Minister.
Feels kinda gloomy.
The palace, gilded in gold, somehow looked drab. Probably from the prolonged war.
With that idle thought, we reached a massive door. The Prime Minister opened it, revealing an interior of unimaginable scale. And at its far end, a woman seated on the jade throne.
Her long hair gleamed with pale white, and her eyes held the deep navy of ocean depths. The moment I saw her, a subtle unease and strange sensation washed over me.
She's strong.
I instantly recognized the power she—the Emperor—possessed. Word was, she wielded the sword, not magic. That made her a swordmaster, equivalent to an archmage.
"You've come."
Her voice rang out, infused with mana, echoing massively. I hesitated for a moment.
Uh... how do I greet her here?
Sure, I'd rolled in the dirt of the battlefield, but with my modern mindset and knowledge, I had no clue how to bow to the emperor of a medieval empire. Should I just shut up and stand still? Nah, that felt wrong, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"I greet Your Imperial Majesty...?"
I awkwardly bent at the waist, and a chuckle escaped her.
"Enough. An archmage shouldn't bow so readily. I'm not so petty as to demand excessive courtesy from one who's reached the pinnacle of magic."
"Then I'll be at ease."
I straightened up quickly. She smiled as if finding my reaction amusing.
"I've heard your tale. Barely half a year since you began magic, yes?"
"Yes."
"And in that half year, you reached 6th Tier. Just weeks ago, no less. Then you slew an archmage and ascended to 8th Tier. You can't imagine my astonishment."
"Thank y—"
"So, what are you?"
"Pardon?"
Her sudden question threw me off. I stared at her in confusion. The smile had vanished from her lips, replaced by a frosty glare.
"I am one who seeks the Empire's prosperity. I slew those who gnawed at it with my own hands, killed my inhuman siblings to claim this throne. Naturally, it is my duty to eradicate all threats to the Empire."
She met my gaze.
"A man with no talent for the sword. Yet you sought out the battlefield mage Iris, begged to learn magic, and in half a year grew from 1st Tier to 6th Tier. After battling the enemy's archmage, you leaped to 8th Tier."
"..."
"No ruler would swallow that tale whole."
Her eyes narrowed.
"As one who protects the Empire, it's joyous news on the surface. But I do not trust sudden fortune, especially from an unknown."
"..."
"The Empire is everything to me. I bore the sin of slaying my siblings to prevent my father's legacy from crumbling. Do you think I'd overlook something of unknown origin?"
The Emperor rose from the throne and drew the sword hanging beside it.
"What are you? A spy from another land? A vermin come to devour the Empire? Or something scheming for its own gain?"
"If I answer, will you believe me outright?"
"No."
"Then we're done here."
"A fight, then. Good. I have confidence in battle—come at me."
"What nonsense is this?"
I plopped down on the spot.
"Just kill me. Cleanest option."
"Hm?"
Confusion flickered across the Emperor's face for the first time.
"I busted my ass on the battlefield, killed an archmage, and now you're eyeing me like a suspect? Can't deal with this anymore."
I got her suspicion, but from my side, it was utterly ridiculous. I'd struggled just to survive, scraped together every bit of power I could. And now this? Telling her to kill me and sitting still, she finally hesitated.
She can't kill me.
Whatever her reasons, my actions thus far held no deceit. I'd aided the Empire greatly, even slaying an archmage. Plus, I had a solid connection: Iris. No one with half a brain on the battlefield didn't know our relationship was special, unspoken as it was. The Emperor surely knew too. Fighting me now was inefficient.
Her words carried sincerity, but cornering me on baseless suspicion wasn't wise in this situation. It was practically a test, and by not resisting, I'd thrown her off.
That dumbstruck look is just like Iris's.
I shrugged and addressed her directly.
"Cut the pointless test. Get to the point."
Only then did she catch on, letting out a hollow laugh.
"...You saw through it."
"I get your devotion to the Empire. But picking a fight with an archmage on that pretext right now? Stupid move. My comrade told me the current Emperor is wise—not one to act rashly."
"You've got a candid comrade."
"Yeah, pretty much."
The Emperor sheathed her sword and resumed her seat. The tension around her eased.
"The Empire's situation isn't ideal. We hold the advantage, but our foes aren't just external—the internal rats make it tricky. I'd like your help."
"Internal enemies? Or external?"
She flashed a twisted smile.
"I'd like you to deal with the internal rats."