< 153. Audience (5) >
#153
“I swear.”
The voice sounded strangely loud. The single word of oath echoed throughout the throne room. After a moment of silence, the Emperor removed the sword from Ronan’s shoulder.
“…Raise your head.”
Ronan did so. The emperor was looking down at himself with a solemn expression. His own face, reflected in his pitch-black eyes, also had a solemn expression.
“You are now the sword of the Empire and its new dawn. As we hold power in our hands, we must always be on our guard not to be deceived by evil. “Because shadows only appear next to light.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Now, stand up and take the sword.”
Ronan got up. The leading emperor held out the sword of Balon. He accepted the sword with both hands, trying to be as graceful as possible.
‘It’s light. ‘I can’t use it in real life.’
It was my first feeling of the dawn of an empire. Apart from being happy, she had almost no sense of reality. It was a problem that would be resolved over time, but I felt like I needed more time to get used to it.
With that, the award ceremony ended. The solemnity that had pervaded the air was slowly cooling down. The Emperor, who was quietly looking at Ronan, chuckled.
“You’re so hard. Now that the ceremony is over, let’s continue as usual.”
“I will work hard.”
“I’m glad you said that. “A secret agent can’t carry that sword, so wear it.”
The emperor rummaged through his inner pocket and took out a round metal plate. Its color was red like the setting sun, and its size was as large as a woman’s palm.
The thickness was similar to three gold coins stacked on top of each other. On both sides was an engraving of a falcon with wings spread wide. Ronan tilted her head.
“what is that?”
It was an unfamiliar item. It had a different shape from the badges used by inspectors and military police. The Emperor handed Ronan a plaque.
“Dawn plaque. “It’s a very old item.”
The emperor explained that the enemy he had to deal with was different, but the secret agent called Dawn itself had existed since the distant past. The Dawning Plaque he is holding right now was also made during the bloody era. Ronan, who accepted the card, shrugged his eyebrows.
“It’s so light.”
It was hard to believe that I was holding it. I thought it would be similar if I cut La Mancha into the same size. The emperor nodded triumphantly.
“That’s because it’s made of blood mithril.”
“aha.”
Ronan nodded as if he understood. That could have been possible with Blood Mithril. In fact, it was a completely different metal from mithril, but it was given that name simply because it was that hard and rare.
‘I never thought I’d see the real thing like this.’
It was hard and light, so it was considered a dream metal, but it was a really difficult item to find. According to rumors, the reason was that only the royal family of Balon could obtain and handle Blood Mithril, but the truth was unknown. A meaningful smile appeared on the emperor’s lips.
“It’s perfect for using as a source of financial support when you don’t have money. No matter how much you don’t get, you’ll be able to get enough so that the three generations don’t have to lift a finger.”
“Can I really sell it?”
“of course. Only if you commit a serious crime in the Empire and go into exile in another country. “If you get caught, you’ll rot in a dungeon for the rest of your life.”
Ronan laughed without even realizing it. Now I see that he is a man with quite a sense of humor. Ronan bowed silently and took her Dawning Card into her arms.
“thank you. “I will use it well.”
“If possible, bring it up only at critical moments. “It’s something that could cause defenseless officers to faint if they see it.”
Ronan nodded. Seeing him say such things in a serious voice, it seemed like he was an ignorant punitive soldier and didn’t know about it, but it seemed like it was something all regular soldiers knew about. The emperor’s face became serious again.
“Then, is it okay if I give you the first mission?”
“That bastard… no, anything related to Nebula Clazier.”
Ronan nodded heavily. It felt like she could do anything now. Although there was an academy schedule, it was enough to just treat it as a club activity. If anything, Varen or the imperial family will solve it. The emperor’s expression became solemn.
“Jim would like you to attend the Sword Festival tomorrow.”
“okay. “It’s a sword festival… huh?”
Ronan raised his eyes. This was another unexpected order. the emperor asked.
“hmm? “Why but?”
“Uh…no. “Keep talking.”
“Of course. As you know, Nebula Clazier’s evil deeds are generally carried out in places where they can cause harm to many people. The Festival of Swords, where swordsmen from all over the continent gather, is a strong candidate. “I would like you to inspect this place.”
“So you will be participating as part of the imperial family?”
“Hmm? What does that mean? “Affiliation?”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows. He looked like he couldn’t understand anything Ronan was saying.
“Isn’t there a set number of people who can participate in each organization?”
“…The number of people who can attend the ceremony is limited, but anyone can go to Farzan. “Has the rules changed without Jim’s knowledge?”
“ah?”
Ronan stiffened. There was little chance that the emperor, who was still young and prosperous, would be mistaken. For a moment, Nabi Rose’s smiling face passed before my eyes.
‘That woman tricked me…!’
Realization was instantaneous. I thought something was strange. If the ultimate goal of the ritual was to find a holy sword that exists somewhere in the sacred place, it was much more efficient to gather the participants and then filter them out rather than limiting participants by receiving recommendations.
Butterfly Rose had originally planned to take both of them. Schlieffen Didn’t that kid know? Damn, this is why women with big breasts have to be careful. Ronan’s expression distorted in various ways. The emperor spoke in a voice filled with confusion.
“I think a test of your level will pass the level of consciousness without difficulty, but if you don’t feel like it…”
“···no. I want to do it a lot. So, you’re saying that all we have to do is go to the Festival of Swords and kill all those who look suspicious?”
“That’s right.”
“Please leave it to me. “I was already planning on going tomorrow.”
Still, I wasn’t particularly angry. Ronan calmed his mind as he looked at his thick wrist. Whatever the intention of Butterfly Rose, it was true that it achieved rapid growth in just one month.
However, there was something to do before the mission began in earnest. It was important. Ronan looked directly at the Emperor and opened his mouth.
“But, Your Majesty, I have one question.”
“hmm? what?”
“Don’t you think I’m suspicious?”
For a moment, the emperor’s eyes distorted. Ronan responded to his expression with a straight face.
Know. In many ways, it would have been easier not to say anything. Actually, I wish I had said this before dawn, but it was something that needed to be addressed even if it was too late. I couldn’t feel uncomfortable about a job that would last for several years, no matter how short it was.
‘If you look at their actions so far, it’s worth being cautious.’
At least that would have been the case if he were the emperor. It is safe to say that Ronan was the eye of the typhoon. Wherever he goes, he tangles with Nebula Clazier and commits various incidents. And that too since I was a young child.
Of course, the results were all good, so he could be seen as an excellent talent. Still, if you think about it a little, there was no one more suspicious than him. The emperor, who was dumbfounded for a moment, spoke.
“Your thoughts are deep. “It’s not a good quality for a sword, but it’s a good quality for Dawn.”
Ronan didn’t answer. An awkward silence fell. The emperor suddenly turned his head and looked at the throne.
“…If you sit on that chair, you will see things that you normally can’t see.”
“yes?”
“A representative example is the inner self of a person. As an emperor, when you deal with all kinds of people, you get to know that person just by having a short conversation with him, and you naturally get to know what kind of person he is. “It’s amazing.”
Ronan also turned his head to follow him. The chair, which had an oddly long backrest, had become bare and bare where the buttocks touched. It was a position granted only to those who ruled the empire.
The Emperor must have been sitting there greeting countless people even before Ronan was born. People who came with their own good intentions, bad intentions, and purposes. When I thought about it, it was a reasonable argument. The emperor opened his mouth.
“You hate Nebula Clazier. More than anyone else. “Was Jim wrong?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Her reasoning was irrefutable. He shook his head slightly.
“no.”
“Your fire has no time to burn anything but Nebula Clazier. Just waiting for the day to burn them. “I won’t lie to you that I wanted to take advantage of that blindness.”
The Emperor began to look Ronan up and down. Perhaps because he had heard what was going on inside, it felt as if the gaze was penetrating through his body.
“But if you ask me if I hired you for that reason, that is not the case. “As I said before, you need to realize that you are a great person.”
“that···.”
“Whatever your intentions, you do good. We defeated evil and saved innocent people. This is a known fact, and that is enough. “Your background or the reason you hate Nebula Clazier so much are not that important.”
Every syllable the emperor uttered was filled with power. He felt overwhelmed despite the difference in height, which was almost as long as his head.
Is this the majesty of a monarch? The Emperor, who had lowered his gaze to Ronan’s chin, looked into Ronan’s eyes again and opened his mouth.
“Jim is the emperor of Balon. “His eyes are not damaged to the point where he cannot distinguish between light and shadow yet.”
With those last words, the conversation ended. Ronan nodded slowly. He asked a pointless question and his answer was so clear that it made me feel pathetic. The emperor smiled again and patted Ronan on the shoulder.
“Okay, now that we’re done talking, let’s move on.”
“Where?”
“Shouldn’t we congratulate the heroes who brought spring, even if simply? “You, the main character, weren’t planning on leaving, right?”
The emperor also added that this banquet could be the last banquet of the year. Suddenly, I remembered talking about what drinks and snacks would be served at the imperial palace during my time as a punitive soldier.
The Cheadle was giggling and saying that he would probably make gold instead of poop, so it was a good opportunity to check. Ronan grinned.
“Good.”
They left the throne room and headed to the banquet hall. The sound of people murmuring could be heard from the other side of the long hallway. I could hear the faint sound of glasses clinking, so it seemed like they were enjoying themselves.
