Chapter 124 - Usurper, and the Descendant of the Usurper (2)

He was a man for whom the word 'Emperor' suited perfectly.

When I first saw him, his gaze was arrogant and his expression resolute, making his disposition seem excessively strong.

But when I looked again, his gaze was gentle and his expression benevolent, making his disposition seem endlessly mild.

Depending on how you looked at him, he seemed like a deeply learned scholar, or perhaps a brave general.

He looked as if he had been created by gathering all the virtues of a monarch into one place.

It was astonishing that one human could possess such a diverse array of faces.

But I had already seen a human like him before.

A long time ago, so long that I couldn't even properly remember,

back in the days when I was still a sword,

the progenitor of House Bourgogne, whom I met while held in the hands of the Sword Marquis.

The Emperor bore a surprising resemblance to the Marquis of Foresight.

In appearance, atmosphere, and even presence.

The nobles hadn't been able to breathe properly since the Emperor appeared.

The powerful dukes and the highly renowned marquises were all the same.

Even with their backs straight, they did not dare look directly up at the platform.

There were so many people in the banquet hall, yet not a single one wasn't overwhelmed by the Emperor.

For me, it was an incomprehensible situation.

Because that wasn't an oppression squeezed out through power, but a natural submission to a human who had reached a lofty height.

In an era where Transcendence couldn't even be hoped for,

an era where even the great feats inherited from ancestors couldn't be fully wielded.

Even the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky, who had inherited a relatively intact lineage, didn't dare to look down on the world.

Only the Emperor alone had reached that high place, looking down upon the world.

Countless questions flashed through my mind.

I couldn't find the answers through my authorities.

That meant the rank and power of the Emperor's soul were by no means beneath mine.

All that was left was to observe with my own two eyes and find the reason.

Fortunately, there was plenty of time.

The New Year event had only just begun, and it would take a long while before the delegation of a weak country would stand before the Emperor.

That was definitely the case, or so I thought.

My expectations were completely wrong.

"I hear the delegation from Leonberk has arrived."

The dukes of the Empire hadn't even finished their greetings, yet the Emperor suddenly mentioned our delegation.

"Where are they."

That wasn't a question.

Because the Emperor's gaze was already fixed on us.

No, more accurately, on me.

An overwhelming sense of oppression crushed down on me.

It felt as if the entire world was pressing down on me.

'Kneel. And bow down, worship.'

It felt as though someone was endlessly forcing submission upon me.

I pondered amidst that terrible pressure.

If I wanted to resist, there was no reason I couldn't.

The Emperor's status was certainly rarely high in this era, but that didn't mean it was overwhelming enough to make me kneel with just his gaze alone.

If I made up my mind to endure it, I was confident I could withstand it even if the Emperor poured out all of his true power.

But I didn't do that.

The power of a Sword Master, the power of the karma and status I had built up—I used absolutely none of it.

Because there was no need to reveal everything I had to my opponent this early on.

I simply stood with my bare body and endured before the Emperor's pressure.

The reaction was immediate.

My vision spun around and around.

My legs trembled weakly.

Ringing echoed in my ears.

"Ugh."

A groan slipped out on its own.

Even if I didn't know for sure, I must have looked quite unsightly to the others right now.

That was exactly what I wanted.

Hoping that the nobles of the Empire would see me as an insignificant man trembling in fear at the Emperor's majesty. And hoping that the Emperor, too, would consider me as such.

"Stand before the platform."

Pretending to submit to the Emperor's words, I stood before the platform.

The trial was only just beginning.

Even after making me and the delegation stand before the platform, the Emperor remained silent for a long time.

He merely observed and observed us with indifferent eyes.

Before him, I hid and endured so that not even a single drop of energy would leak out, so that not even a small fragment of my emotions would be revealed.

How much time had passed like that?

Right about when the imperial nobles and the delegations from various countries began to question the Emperor's bizarre behavior, the pressure crushing me down vanished like a lie.

I plopped down hard on my rear.

As if I had collapsed because the tension had been released.

It was something I couldn't have done if I had been forced to act it out, but fortunately, my body was heavily exhausted from taking the Emperor's aura head-on with just my bare body.

Thanks to that, my movement was incredibly natural.

Swoosh.

The Emperor waved his hand.

It was a gesture telling us to step back.

The knights of the delegation supported me.

I staggered to my feet and left the banquet hall.

That was the beginning.

The New Year's banquet, which lasted for fifteen days.

The delegation and I had to attend the banquet every single day.

It wasn't because we wanted to.

It was because the Emperor's messenger personally came and requested that we attend the banquet without missing a single day.

Naturally, it was the Emperor's will.

Without skipping a single day, the Emperor made me and the delegation stand before the platform and watched us.

He didn't say a single word. He merely watched.

Then, he would shoo us away by waving his hand.

There wasn't even a chance to deliver the tribute that Siorin had painstakingly brought all the way from the Kingdom.

We were called around like mutts just like that.

The nobles of the Empire spouted all kinds of gossip about this.

Some nobles said it was a punishment because he found it despicable that the delegation's knights had defeated the Imperial Knights, while others said it was a punishment for not knowing our place and abusing the identification plaque of a high-ranking imperial noble.

"His Majesty has undoubtedly taken a liking to you, little brother."

A certain idiot even babbled that it was something to be congratulated for, having bought the Emperor's interest.

Whether they did or not, I focused on what I had to do.

While I was out in the banquet hall, I continuously observed the figures of the Empire.

Whether they had ability or not, whether they were loyal or blinded by self-interest. And regardless of who they followed, I didn't discriminate.

I indiscriminately checked the status windows of the imperial nobles and created a roster of the Empire's nobility.

I handed over the information compiled in that way to old Nicolo, and old Nicolo categorized them based on that information.

Who would be helpful to the Kingdom,

which bastards would be a threat to the Kingdom.

Who would stand on the side of the Third Imperial Prince, whom we would put forward as a puppet.

But what I put more effort into than anything else was observing the bloodlines of House Bourgogne.

The five imperial princes.

The only dog-like son of a tiger father was the Third Imperial Prince.

Except for him, there wasn't a single easy target among the imperial princes.

Even the Fifth Imperial Prince, whom I had judged to be just as far from the right of succession as the Third Imperial Prince, had already awakened his own abilities and was building up his power.

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed it would be difficult for the disaster of the Empire to let his ruinous talents bloom.

But Nicolo and Jean Katrin's thoughts differed from mine.

They said that because the other imperial princes were so outstanding that superiority couldn't be determined, there would be a chance even for the stupid Third Imperial Prince.

That none of the imperial princes would pay any attention to the Third Imperial Prince.

That as long as a faction was created for him, it would be enough to ignite the strife between the imperial princes.

The problem was how the scoundrel-like Third Imperial Prince would build a faction, but that was a problem for the pen-pushers to handle.

I was already overwhelmed just dealing with the Emperor.

I had even risked embarrassment and shown him a sight of me plopping down on my rear, yet far from letting his guard down, the Emperor pressured me even more strongly as time went on. It was now to the point where I couldn't endure it if I didn't resist.

But I held out until the very end.

The banquet had now entered its twelfth day.

In the meantime, guests had visited the 15th Palace several times.

They were the Second Imperial Prince and the Fifth Imperial Prince.

They each asked us to support them instead of the Third Imperial Prince. Of course, what they desired wasn't the support of a weak country, but the support of Marquis Montpellier.

And I gladly granted their requests.

In the process, I had to sell the name of Montpellier, which I had already sold out to the Third Imperial Prince, two more times, but I didn't mind.

Since the one who would have to handle the aftermath was that bastard Montpellier anyway, not me.

Another two days passed.

The fifteen-day banquet was also suddenly approaching its final day.

If I just endured today, this sickening clown show would also come to an end.

I headed to the banquet hall feeling somewhat relieved.

Seeing me and the delegation, the nobles of the Empire harbored sneers.

Among them, there were those who scoffed that we were returning after being properly humiliated while acting up to gain some petty fame, and there were those who mocked us as the epitome of penny-wise and pound-foolish for diminishing our own country's prestige just by defeating a few knights.

I snorted.

There was no country's prestige left to diminish anyway.

It was already a Kingdom battered to pieces by the Empire, so what was such a minor humiliation.

Besides, I had already more than accomplished my purpose for coming to the Empire.

I had seen and experienced the Empire with my own eyes, and I was able to catch at least a glimpse of the Emperor's true nature.

Just this much was enough of a gain, yet I had even succeeded in establishing a relationship with the Third Imperial Prince. On top of that, meeting the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky was a bonus. Regardless of what they babbled about, I had secured everything I needed to secure from the Empire, so I had nothing to lose.

All that was left now was to end this sickening clown show today and leisurely leave the Empire's territory.

But not everything in the world flows exactly as planned.

Right now was exactly such a case.

"I hope that you all return safely to the Kingdom."

Everything was the same as usual, except that the Emperor, who hadn't spoken a single word until now, had somehow been moved to offer a farewell greeting with a deliberately benevolent face.

But at that moment, I felt an unknown sense of foreboding.

So as soon as we left the banquet hall, I instructed Siorin.

"Pack only the bare minimum of luggage, and we're leaving the imperial capital."

"Your Highness. What do you mean so sudden..."

"I have a bad feeling."

Instead of explaining the reason, I urged him to hurry once more.

Perhaps sensing my unusual demeanor, Siorin also prepared to leave the imperial capital without further complaint.

And as soon as the preparations were finished, I led the delegation and left the imperial palace.

I replaced my farewell with the descendant of the Marquis of the Azure Sky by merely exchanging glances from a distance.

"Your Highness. What in the world is going on."

Setting out on the road in the middle of the night, the knights belatedly asked me for the reason.

"The Emperor is plotting something."

"What in the world..."

"I don't know exactly either. But I guarantee it won't be very beneficial for our journey home."

We abandoned the carriages and hastily escaped the imperial capital, even putting old Nicolo on a horse.

We traveled the road relying on the moonlight in the dark night for a long time.

From far behind, the sound of horse hooves began to be heard.

And not long after, heavily armed knights revealed themselves.

White armor shining clearly even in the darkness, and helmets modeled after the shape of a hawk.

"Your Highness! It's the knights of the White Hawk Knights!"

They were the Empire's knighthood that had suffered a crushing defeat against the Iron Lions.

"Where are you going in such a hurry!"

A knight of the White Hawk Knights, who had bypassed the road and blocked our path, spoke in a sharp voice.

"If you are also knights, do not refuse our challenge!"

The moment I heard those words, I realized.

The fact that this was only the beginning.

The justification put forth by the White Hawk Knights was revenge for their past defeat.

But that wasn't the only thing they desired,

and the knights who would block our path from now on wouldn't be just them either.

All the knightly orders that had been defeated by the Kingdom's knights over the past half year would soon rush at us.

There could be no protests. They too had a justification.

Just as we had challenged them,

they also had the right to challenge us.

Even if what they desired was not simple vengeance, but the lives of the knights.

"Your Highness! What should we do!"

At Erhim Kilinger's words, I answered firmly.

"We break through!"