Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Audience with the Emperor
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A comfortable, luxurious VIP lounge.
However, facing the emperor made it feel like I'd been hauled into a courtroom.
"So you're the one appearing at today's hearing."
Emperor Baudouin VIII rose to his feet.
The man who had inherited the blood of a Grand Master and an Archmage exuded a heroic intensity that had pushed aside countless royals.
Even during his time as Imperial Prime Minister, when I'd seen him often, I'd never sensed this kind of killing intent.
'Anyone would think he's interrogating a spy who's been caught.'
"And you must be the vice warden? Your face looks familiar."
"Clea Rockhart, formerly of the Imperial Secretariat."
"Ah, the girl who gave my nephew a thorough beating."
"Yes. It's been a while, Your Majesty."
And to top it off, even my vice warden had been rude to royalty.
In a way, this was the worst possible situation.
"No harm done. My nephew was at fault back then anyway. I've already heard about your innocence from Camillia."
"I am grateful for Your Majesty's boundless mercy."
Oh, so the Princess had spoken well of us after all.
Maybe the atmosphere of this audience would brighten up a bit?
But the real problem wasn't Clea—it was me.
He was glaring at me like I was a snake that had slithered into his daughter's room.
"I wanted to see your face before the hearing. You're the only man Camillia has ever spoken highly of."
"The Princess flatters me."
"How did a warden from some remote prison end up in such a prominent position?"
"I truly have no idea. I merely obeyed orders and attended the hearing. This humble subject knows nothing whatsoever about the incident."
Clea seemed a little surprised by my changed demeanor, so different from usual.
Unlike my typical sly, roguish vibe, today I was strictly adhering to etiquette.
It was like the air of a high noble who'd spent years in the imperial palace.
She must have been astonished that I could pull off this side of myself.
"Is that really true? But the public opinion of you isn't something I can easily trust."
"If you've heard any troubling rumors, I'll answer honestly. Though, being as deficient as I am, I'm not even sure what the world thinks of me."
The emperor wasn't satisfied, even with my steady voice.
Anyone would stay composed until their dirty secrets were exposed.
"This is your academy record. For some reason, six full years of it have been completely erased."
He slammed down the empty file like a checkmate move.
Clea, who knew exactly what that implied, swallowed hard.
Her own record of beating a royal had been erased too.
Having one's past wiped clean usually meant traces of misdeeds.
And mine? An entire six years of school life gone.
To outsiders, my youth looked extremely suspicious.
"Since you're the first retainer my daughter has brought to me, I had no choice but to investigate. You don't hold it against me, do you?"
The emperor assumed I'd panic like the other young lords whose scandals he'd uncovered.
But soon, he had no choice but to furrow his thick brows.
My expression upon mention of my academy days...
Unlike my initial sleazy impression, it remained perfectly calm.
"Of course. It was a past I'd rather hide, but if Your Majesty asks, I must tell all."
Everyone stared intently at my lips in the tense silence.
But moments later, they were all left speechless.
"The reason it was deleted? My friends who bullied me demanded the dean erase it."
"...?"
Captain Greta, listening from the side, questioned it on their behalf.
It clashed too sharply with the infamous reputation of the Minster family she'd investigated.
"Victim, not perpetrator?"
"Yes. I may look like this now, but back then, I was quite cute."
The Capital Defense Knights Commander slowly turned to the emperor.
He was momentarily flustered too, but as the ruler of an empire, he quickly regained his solemn demeanor.
"I can contact the dean right now. Is what you say true?"
The emperor had a direct communication crystal that linked to heads of all major institutions.
I already knew he could make contact immediately.
"Yes, please verify it at once."
As I replied with unwavering boldness, he raised his hand.
Captain Greta fetched the pre-prepared communication crystal from the lounge at his signal.
"This is your last chance. Come clean now."
"I have no shame whatsoever. My only worry is whether my flawed character might cause harm to Her Highness the Princess."
Even in this moment, worrying only about the Princess.
To check if it was oily flattery or genuine, the emperor infused mana into the crystal.
The dean's tense voice came through the emperor's direct line.
The supreme commander of the empire only used the crystal for critical matters.
"Might I ask what this is regarding...?"
At the cautious dean's question, the emperor spoke.
"There was a graduate named Derek Minster."
"Ah, yes. I know of him."
"Really? With over a thousand graduates each year, you remember his name. What's the reason?"
"……."
The dean flinched at the emperor's sharp question.
But Baudouin, with the cunning of a fox and the might of a lion, pressed on relentlessly.
"There must be some reason, right? I looked into him myself, and there were no records at all."
"...That is."
As the dean hesitated, the shadow in the emperor's eyes grew darker.
On the verge of seizing the snake's tail at last.
Come on, spill it.
The dirty secrets of the Minster family that requested the deletion!
The moment the truth emerged,
the lounge fell deathly silent.
"It was actually a request from the parents. Their children had been bullying student Derek particularly harshly."
It was the complete opposite of the emperor's assumption.
"......"
Everyone stared blankly at Baudouin VIII.
Captain Greta, Vice Warden Clea, and even I.
"......"
Cold sweat beaded on the emperor's forehead.
The hero who had faced any adversity head-on without flinching.
His assumption utterly wrong, he wore the same flustered expression as his daughter when her Confession Magic had failed.
But his ordeal was only just beginning.
"Even Derek's own brothers bullied him. They used their youngest brother to make themselves look like star students."
"One professor evaluated that even amid that harsh bullying, Derek never gave up."
"His grades weren't stellar, but graduating the academy unscathed was commendable in itself."
"......"
"Your Majesty...? Are you listening? Please, show mercy..."
The heroic emperor, petrified like a myth's giant snake struck by stone magic.
The black-haired knight commander stared at the frozen man with her cat-like eyes.
"Your Majesty, this is a bit..."
"Shouldn't he be praised for overcoming such adversity instead?"
Like a fox climbing atop a lion statue, Clea joined in.
"Frankly, it wouldn't be strange if he'd fled to another country dreaming of revenge against the empire."
"If it were me, I'd have burned the academy to the ground on my way out."
Clea dared to voice her opinion to the emperor.
As if agreeing with his subordinates, he let out a loud cough.
"Why did you allow this to happen? I'll summon you separately and reprimand you severely for this."
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I will await your judgment in reflection."
The emperor gripped the crystal tightly.
Hard enough to crack its surface.
He took a deep breath, then returned to his composed demeanor as head of state.
"I apologize, Derek Minster."
Baudouin VIII bowed his pride and offered a sincere apology.
The captain and vice warden were shocked by the emperor's apology, but I showed no reaction.
I'd known his noble character well from the previous timeline.
I simply maintained my composure with an inner smile.
"It's fine, Your Majesty."
I rose for the man who had set aside his pride.
To bow even lower, I dropped to one knee and lowered my head.
"It was a situation fully warranting suspicion. This all stems from my lack of social skills in my youth—I couldn't make any friends."
"Nonsense. Who says such things?"
The emperor urged me up from my knee and hurriedly supported me.
"Everyone is frail in their youth. The problem is those who knew that yet exploited and bullied you instead of helping."
"Your Majesty's profound mercy leaves this subject at a loss."
As I rose following his noble hand, I covered my mouth with one hand and spoke in a voice of感動.
But my eyes gleamed with the slyness of a crafty rascal.
The vice warden slowly shook her head and clicked her tongue at the sight.
My expression, being supported, resembled that of a scheming consort basking in the emperor's favor.
By the time Captain Greta looked, I'd reverted to the tragic young noble.
"I'll have a full investigation into those who bullied you and clear your name."
"No need. They've already come to me and apologized. We're on good terms now, actually."
"Is that true? Grudges from childhood often last until old age at eighty. How could you forgive them so easily?"
"Because I'm serving Her Highness the Princess now. Having received her grace, I'd forgive even enemies if it could help her."
Clea's lips parted slightly in exasperation.
She knew I wasn't building power purely for the Princess, especially not while slithering like a snake into the emperor's support.
"This is just the beginning. In this hearing, I'll prove my innocence and crush the Holy See's arrogance—they seek influence beyond religion."
Hiding my expression, I casually dropped the topic the current imperial court feared most.
In the seasoned voice of a fifty-something prime minister.
"Your resolve is admirable, but don't push yourself too hard. I'll worry more for your safety than the greater cause."
The emperor straightened his robes, shedding his suspicion of a disloyal subject.
Returning to his usual benevolent expression, he spoke.
"I'll attend this hearing with the utmost reverence myself. If the Holy See oversteps, I'll rein them in."
I paid my proper respects and rose.
Signaling my withdrawal, I headed for the hearing.
To avoid an odd picture, I left the lounge first with my vice warden.
Greta, appreciating the consideration, watched our backs with satisfaction alongside the emperor.
"I wonder if our worries were unfounded."
"Repeating the same mistake as his daughter. I wonder when he'll properly fulfill his role as a father."
The emperor looked bitterly down at the life record of one man on the table.
At its blank pages.
"This seemingly disloyal blank record was precisely why Camillia thought well of him."
"It couldn't be helped, Your Majesty. Anyone seeing this would suspect first."
Baudouin VIII shook his head with a wry smile.
"Overcoming such preconceptions is the duty of a head of state, Captain."
The emperor gazed fondly at his daughter's first true ally, finally revealed.
But...
Something odd was stuck to the receding warden's back.
A blue strand of hair on his black uniform.
Undoubtedly from the beautiful vice warden standing beside him.
And it wasn't just blue.
Pink, white, and even black—hardly visible.
All long hairs from women.
How could a man's uniform bear such diverse traces?
Finding it peculiar, the emperor maintained a solemn face as he exited the lounge.
A vast space that could hold hundreds.
Into the hearing chamber, where hidden daggers were aimed from every mouth.
The Holy See's camp unusually featured both great archbishops in attendance.
Calix Angard in particular was determined to replace the warden with one of his own.
In the spectator seats sat the two female students who'd disembarked from the carriage first.
And in the witness stand...
Princess Camillia Andalusia waited.
She, too, intended to drag the warden from his post.
And seat him in a golden chair of comfort by her side.
"The hearing will now commence."
Hundreds of nobles who commanded the continent turned to the defendant's stand.
There, I stood alone.
No one else could match the sweat pouring from their palms in such a moment.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, their hearts would shrink.
Yet my mind and body were more steadfast than ever.
The fate I carried wasn't some trivial personal life.
I had to survive as warden to avert destruction.
Once destruction was averted, I'd set off on a solitary journey.
Free from entanglement with anyone.
"The defendant is present."