The Emperor's Welcoming Party
The carriage felt lighter than ever. After spending a full week training the elves at the villa and shaking off the fatigue accumulated during the journey, I could ride without the usual exhaustion that used to leave my body sore.
The moment the letter from the Emperor arrived with his decree summoning me to the palace, we left the very next day at dawn.
To avoid drawing attention, the eighty-eight elves remained behind at the villa. But Kale refused to stay and clung to us until the end, forcing him to ride in the same carriage.
Even Alex stepped in to plead on Kale's behalf...
'People really are wiser than elves.'
Kale, who had challenged me and glared at Alex, ultimately took a blow and fell asleep. Even in his dreams, he muttered something about elves, clearly cursing me.
"Your Highness, are you not tired?"
"I'm fine. I rested well at the villa and the journey is much easier."
It was something I should have said to Alex, who had spent the week tending to me...
Instead, Alex went out of his way even in the carriage, propping up a pillow so I could stretch my legs and lie down, showering me with every kindness.
Whether it was because I was a demon lord or because the Emperor ordered it, I did not know. But receiving such care from the crown prince of an empire and the future emperor left me more than uncomfortable.
If the maids had done it, I could have received it comfortably. Asking an emperor to do it left me completely at a loss.
"Your Highness, the Empire has decided not to investigate the demon lord. You need not worry."
"The Empire?"
"Yes. His Majesty already took care of everything. The Empire will not hold the hero's party accountable for expelling you."
During the week I spent at the villa, what exactly had Emperor Roberto done that caused him to abandon the investigation he had been pursuing with bounty hunters mere days ago?
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but with Alex beside me, I could not inquire about the details.
The next day, as we approached the imperial capital where the palace stood, an honor guard from the palace had taken over the escort.
Unlike the knights who served under Alex, they wore ceremonial uniforms that looked elegant. On the surface, they appeared splendid. But on the battlefield, the cumbersome attire offered no tactical advantage whatsoever.
Only when we entered the capital did I understand why they had worn such clothes.
"Waaaaah!!"
The moment our carriage entered, flower petals rained from the sky and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Only then did we realize the knights who had come to escort us were not a convoy but a ceremonial honor guard.
"Your Highness, what is all this?"
"I'm not sure. Father never mentioned it..."
Even the crown prince, Alex, seemed bewildered by the welcome.
The carriage received endless cheers as it made its way to the palace. The moment we stepped down, Alex led us straight to the Emperor's study.
Knock knock.
The knight guarding the door announced our arrival. The Emperor's voice came through, and the door swung open.
"Long time no see, Lowell."
A man in his fifties who looked as though he was approaching old age stood up from his seat and came forward.
"How long has it been since we last saw each other... I nearly pulled out my neck from waiting for you, Lowell."
The Emperor's cheerful greeting brought back memories of the young Roberto from years ago. Then, his face had been filled with nothing but smiles as he introduced little Alex to me and boasted about everything.
Now...
Was this a terrifying face?
Or a majestic one fit for an emperor?
Time's ruthless blow had erased every trace of the old smile from his expression.
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
I glanced around the room and placed my right hand over my heart in a respectful bow.
The Emperor, who did not understand my gesture, looked around and dismissed all the nobles, knights, and maids inside.
"Ah... forgive me. I was so happy I forgot there were other people in the room."
"No, it's fine."
Once everyone left and only the three of us remained, I answered as I always had.
The Emperor returned, took my hand, and spoke.
"You haven't changed at all... not a single thing in all these long years..."
As friends since childhood, Alex and I were the same age, yet he stared at my unchanged elven face for a long time in silence.
"You are an elf... there's no helping that... but because one side is young, we can still meet like this. What if both of us had aged? We probably wouldn't have seen each other for the rest of our lives?"
"Hahaha! Exactly! Right! That makes sense."
The Emperor's dignified and fearsome expression cracked into laughter at my single line, and the sight of him made Alex stand there stunned, glancing between me and the Emperor.
If someone else had seen a man and woman joking together like father and daughter, it would have looked like a neighborhood aunt and uncle chatting. Even for Alex, it was strange.
"Lowell, your beauty remains unchanged whether then or now."
"Huh?"
"If I had been ten years younger, I could have asked you out on a date... but now I'm an old man, so others would call it shameless."
"A date? We didn't even do that when we were kids."
I recalled the time the Emperor had fled an assassination and come to the elven kingdom. I told him the story, but he looked confused as if he did not remember.
"Did I do that?"
"Do you remember the tree-climbing competition?"
"Tree-climbing?"
"If I win the tree-climbing competition... what was it again..."
Giving him a few hints, the Emperor's face slowly twisted until he remembered.
"Ah... please don't bring that up..."
"..."
The Emperor sat back down, head in hands, buried under waves of embarrassment.
Alex immediately asked me, curious about the story.
"Your Highness, what exactly did Father say...?"
"Well... he said if I won the tree-climbing, I should make you my wife."
"!"
No matter how much I tried to hold back my laughter, I could not contain it.
"Th-that... so what happened?"
"I chased you recklessly, claiming I would defeat you, and fell from the world tree. I lay there for a whole month."
"Ha! Hahaha!"
At its core, having humans compete with elves in tree-climbing was absurd.
Elves live their entire lives surrounded by forests and trees. Trying to win a tree-climbing match against them was pure folly.
I had won back then through sheer effort, but even now it seemed incredibly reckless.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Unable to watch us laugh any longer, the Emperor cleared his throat to stop us.
"Yes, let's stop talking about the old days and get to the current situation."
He took several documents from his desk and handed some to me.
The reports were written in formal style, and the names at the top were familiar. I immediately understood their origin.
Adelia and Selina...
"The hero's party escaped from the Kubera Dungeon."
The Emperor's words that the hero's party had safely returned...
Only a few days ago, they were reported missing after reckless dungeon exploration. Hearing they had escaped safely felt bittersweet yet strangely relieving.
Was it because of the last remaining companion...
Their final floor in the dungeon was only the third. Exploring it for over a month seemed far too easy.
Considering the hero's skill level, they should have at least reached the twentieth floor...
"From the reports, it seems unlikely they escaped on their own."
According to the Emperor's words and the content of the documents, only Selina had walked out on her own two legs.
The Saintess Adelia, who was injured, and the hero found unconscious. The fact that Selina alone carried them both seemed impossible.
If Selina had been a melee fighter relying on physical strength, it might have been believable. But a female mage carrying two people alone was simply absurd.
"Lowell, what do you think? Do you believe they could have done it?"
"No. Absolutely not. Selina couldn't even carry her own luggage. How could she have carried the hero and Adelia?"
It seemed the Emperor had been hoping for my confirmation.
After all, as a former member of the hero's party and someone who knew them better than anyone else in this empire right now...
I began reading the documents from the top, curious about what exactly they had been doing in the Kubera Dungeon.
The first floor of the Kubera Dungeon was passed without issue. From the second floor onward, the reports described the hero's party requesting a retreat, then being trapped in a corner refuge on the third floor for several days.
The reason Adelia became injured.
Why Selina's mana regeneration failed.
Why the hero's party could not secure a way out.
All the problems that had surfaced after the party expelled me were laid out plainly in the reports.