< 151. Audience (3) >
#151
“Everyone, please come in.”
said the woman. It was a quiet, yet powerful voice. The people who were frozen in the fight between the two beasts took their steps one by one.
“That’s right. Sword Saint.”
Varen opened his mouth, staring straight at Jaifa. Varen’s face, standing like a castle wall, still showed no sign of retreating. Zyfar clicked her tongue once and looked down at her Ronan.
“···See you later.”
“I know roughly what you’re thinking, but it’s definitely a misunderstanding.”
Jaifa didn’t answer. He whipped his tail wildly and turned around. Water was still dripping from the hem of Jaifa’s pants as he headed to the throne room. Ronan laughed as if he was shocked.
‘Are you going to look like that?’
The clothes I wore when I went to meet a friend in the neighborhood seemed to be more neat than that. Varen was still standing in the same confrontational position.
It was the moment when Jaipa disappeared inside the door. A sigh that seemed as if his lungs would be ripped out came out of Varen’s mouth.
“Whoa… I thought I was going to die…!”
“What, were you scared?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Those eyes are so… haha, I almost fainted.”
Varen’s hands were shaking as if he had narrowly saved his life. He had a similar reaction to when he read the club activity report. Ronan laughed.
“For someone to say something like that, they faced it very confidently.”
“That’s right… it’s an educator’s duty to protect students. “You can’t not do what you have to do.”
“It was great. thank you.”
Ronan patted him on the back. He was a lion better than a human in many ways. Varen calmed his emotions with deep breathing and continued.
“What on earth was the conflict with the Swordsman? I’ve heard that he has a very harsh temper, but that’s not a reaction he would normally have when he’s angry. ”
“I didn’t do anything. really.”
Ronan said calmly. There wasn’t enough time to explain the inside story. Varen sighed doubtfully, but then nodded his head in agreement.
“If you are, then so be it. “I hope the misunderstanding is resolved.”
Soon, Ronan and Varen were the only ones left in the drawing room. The woman in charge of guidance opened her mouth again.
“Please enter quickly.”
“Ah, yes. sorry.”
Varen adjusted his clothes. Ronan also straightened his crooked tie. Two people entered the door. A long and wide hallway appeared.
A red carpet was laid out like a street. The people who entered first were walking in front of me. Colorful picture frames were lined up at regular intervals on both walls of the hallway.
Each frame contained a meticulously detailed portrait. Ages and genders were diverse, but they all had similarities in appearance. Things like a sharp nose or eyes as black as black pearls.
Most of the faces I remembered seeing in history class at Phileon. Ronan shrugged.
“It looks like they are previous emperors.”
“yes. They are the rulers of the thousand-year empire. “It is admirable that the blood line has never been broken for nearly a thousand years.”
Ronan nodded. It was a fact I already knew, but thinking about it again, it was an amazing thing. The current emperor was Balon 44 years old. When divided considering the duration of the empire and the reign of the emperor, it was by no means a large number.
“It is thanks to the fact that a few people have lived exceptionally long lives. The most well-known bloodthirsty alone lived for close to 200 years…”
While walking down the hallway, Varen briefly explained about past emperors. It was a series of eventful histories. There was one who was assassinated three days after his accession to the throne, and there was another who was like a bloodthirsty emperor who ruled for nearly a hundred years.
The portraits were arranged so that the closer they got to the throne room, the more people from the past appeared. The hallway ended with the face of the first emperor with a solemn expression.
A gate that looked exactly like the one they came through was erected in front of them. When gold soldiers in black uniforms opened the door, a space as large as an arena opened up before their eyes. Ronan tilted his head.
“Eh?”
The people who came in first were lined up with their backs to the door. They were quietly bowing their heads with their hands clasped together. Like intentionally trying not to see something.
“What are you doing when you’re not going in?”
Ronan asked, but no one answered. Varen suddenly took a breath and froze in place.
Eventually, he also bowed his head. Why are you pestering me? It was the moment when Ronan’s vision was opened as he bypassed the crowd. It didn’t take long to understand them.
“Zaifa?”
Jaifa was kneeling on one knee in the center of the throne room. A red mist covered his body. All the hair on his body stood up, and a low, pain-filled groan escaped his mouth.
“Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”
A man with a sharp look was standing in front of Jaipa with his back turned. She looked like she was just entering middle age, but about half of her hair was already graying, as if she had gone through a lot of hardship.
He was wearing a crimson uniform symbolizing the Balon Empire. It was carefully decorated and looked like the most expensive clothing Ronan had ever seen.
Suddenly, Ronan’s eyes landed on the throne. The seat where the ruler of the empire should have been sitting was empty. Ronan twisted his lips. It wasn’t that difficult to guess the man’s identity.
‘Emperor.’
Balon 44 was standing in front of him. It was my first time seeing the real thing. The sternly raised eyes bore a striking resemblance to the 7th emperor, the Blood Emperor. An indescribable strangeness was fluttering within the pitch-black eyes.
Next to the emperor, a woman stood with her back straight. Her thick lips and a body larger than most men were impressive. Her shoulders, flexed with her muscles, were wide enough to rival Ronan’s.
Judging by the fact that his armor was all black, he belonged to the Golden Army, the emperor’s personal guard. She was aiming her jaifa with a sharp javelin. Her red mist was flowing from the tip of her spear. The emperor, who was quietly looking down at her, opened her mouth.
“Commander Geumgun. “Raise the output.”
“yes.”
The woman nodded. Her mist covering Jaifa became even thicker. Wow. A small sound of something breaking came from inside his mouth.
“Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”
It looked like the teeth were clenched too hard. A few drops of blood fell down the snout. The emperor continued his words without changing his expression.
“Zaifa. I didn’t want to disparage you just because I was a burden. “The reason I called you to the imperial palace today in the first place was to praise you for your accomplishments.”
“Do you know about what happened this morning?”
“of course. “It was a terrible tragedy.”
It seemed like a story about an incident where the Dawn Unit was massacred. Jaifa’s body began to shake as if it would explode at any moment and blow the entire area away. An angry voice came out between closed fangs.
“Then why are you wasting your time on something like this?”
“It’s not something like this, Jaifa. It’s about keeping order and morality. That’s why I suddenly called you today. Because it seemed like I was going to be very busy from now on. And it’s not that I don’t understand your sorrow, but…”
Suddenly, the emperor took a step forward. He started stroking Jaifa’s head.
“That’s no reason to be rude to Jim. How dare you step into the throne room with feet covered in blood and mud…”
“Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”
“Remember that we are not equal. Jaifa.”
It was a gentle gesture, like touching a pet cat. Drops of blood fell from Zaifa’s mouth again. This time it didn’t seem to be because of the pain. The emperor placed his hand on Zaifa’s head and opened his mouth.
“Go away. “I will make up for today’s rudeness with the help you have made throughout the winter.”
“······All right.”
“A new order will be issued soon, so please wait.”
The emperor took his hand away. As soon as Commander Geum lowered his sword, his red mist disappeared.
Jaifa slowly stood up. He had a fierceness rising above his shoulders that was incomparable to when he confronted Varen.
However, the emperor’s face still showed no sign of agitation. Jaifa bowed to him without saying a word and left the throne room. Ronan and others were watching the scene, unable to breathe.
‘What the f*ck did I see?’
Ronan laughed. That Zyfa couldn’t do anything. Even though he had made a blood pact with the emperor, he had no idea that the relationship between superiors and subordinates would be that clear. The emperor, who had been clicking his tongue as he looked at Zaifa’s footprints, turned his head.
“I’m sorry. “It didn’t look good for the winter heroes.”
The emperor smiled an embarrassed smile. The atmosphere was completely different from before when Jaipa was maintaining discipline.
“Please keep what you saw today a secret. Even if it’s just for the sake of Jim and the Sword Saint.”
“Would it be possible?”
The first to respond was Varen. He showed his respect by kneeling on one knee with his hands clasped together. A bright smile appeared on the emperor’s face.
“It’s been a while, Lord Varen. “I’ve heard about your accomplishments.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“Raise your head. “I have to be polite first…”
The emperor who said so gestured to Commander Geum. She left her throne room and soon returned with dozens of gold soldiers and servants.
The servants quickly cleaned the throne room that Zaifa had soiled. The golden army, moving in unison, lined up on the left and right sides of the carpet connected to the throne, forming a wall.
The hectic atmosphere suddenly became reverent. People lined up side by side facing the throne. There were nine people in total, but the carpet was so wide that there was no shortage of space.
The emperor walked slowly and sat down on the throne. A solemn voice echoed through the throne room.
“Nice to meet you. “The current emperor of the empire, Balon is 44 years old.”
****
The formal greetings ended quickly. The emperor began praising the merits of those gathered one by one. he said, looking down at the man with his handsome mustache.
“Yes, Lord Nodlen. You made a great contribution to the extermination of snow beasts that appear throughout the islands by mobilizing private troops. “I appoint you Count Nails.”
“Okay, thank you. your majesty···!”
“I hope that you will continue to fulfill your responsibilities as a noble.”
Ronan laughed when he heard that he was an earl. As a result, seven out of nine people were promoted to rank or became nobles even though they were commoners.
‘After all, he’s the emperor, so he’s got a lot of courage.’
He was different in every way from the people I had met so far. An act that seemed insignificant was having an impact on the entire empire. The emperor turned his gaze to Varen and opened his mouth.
“Varen Panasir. You made potions and medicines from herbs you personally cultivated and distributed them free of charge to suffering citizens. In fact, I think he is the biggest hero of this situation, along with Lord Ronan.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“It’s a value that is becoming rarer by the day. Wouldn’t you like to become a noble this time? “You deserve it.”
“I am devastated, but I still enjoy teaching students. “We plan to return to teaching authority as soon as medicinal herb cultivation is stabilized.”
Varen said. It was a polite refusal. The emperor shrugged his eyebrows as if regretful.
“Hmm… Then, I will provide you with the land and manpower to grow medicinal herbs. “Take over 30% of Bryn Hills Plain as your private land.”
“Well, that’s…!”
“I will not receive a rebuttal. “Let’s take care of it with skill.”
Since the emperor had said so much, there was no way to refuse. Varen, who had been speechless, bowed his head.
Ronan had to suppress the urge to jump up and cheer. Bryn Hills was one of the ten most fertile lands in the imperial territory.
It was a place where you could reap a bumper crop just by sowing seeds, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine how prosperous Varen’s herbal medicine business would be in such a place. The emperor’s gaze moved again and landed on Ronan.
“Yes… you are the main character of the rumor. Lord Ronan, is that right?”
“yes.”
Ronan nodded. I felt that the atmosphere around me was starting to become turbulent. Even in Commander Geum’s eyes, which were as hard as wood and stone, interest was seen sparkling.
“I heard you broke the ice that no one else could break. In fact, you were the one who exterminated the Witch of Winter. “I heard from Lorhorn that she would be younger than expected, but I had no idea she would be this young.”
“Can I take that as a compliment?”
“Of course… Hello, Commander Geumgun.”
Suddenly, the emperor turned to look at Commander Geum. She bowed solemnly.
“Please order.”
“Lead the public officials to the banquet hall. Make sure there is no one in the throne room except me and Lord Ronan.”
“All right.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Suddenly she had no idea what this meant. Varen also looked at him with puzzled eyes. Commander Geum walked with great strides and spoke to the people.
“Then, please follow me.”
“Now, wait… what is this…”
“Please refrain from talking.”
People flowed out like the ebb and flow. Only Ronan and the Emperor were truly left in the throne room. thud. The sound of the door closing echoed in the empty space.
‘I didn’t expect this.’
Ronan twisted his lips. Ronan’s mind was filled with worries about whether or not to accept if the Emperor offered him to become a nobleman. It was nice to have the privileges of being a noble, but it could also hinder your future actions, and nobility also came with obligations.
After thinking really, really deeply, I finally came to a conclusion, but it all ended up being a piece of shit. After confirming that no one was around, the emperor stood up.
“I have a suggestion for you.”
“A suggestion?”
“okay. “I want you to be the dawn of the empire.”
