#188
Imperial Palace (2)
The 5th Princess Palace, located on one side of the Imperial Palace area.
If you came home after a long time, it was natural to greet your parents, and if you visited someone else’s house, it was natural to greet the landlord.
But if the opponent was the emperor of an empire, even a simple greeting would not suffice.
In that sense, a luncheon that required complicated procedures and strict etiquette could only be a burdensome and frustrating occasion for those who were not accustomed to it.
“Hmm, I really hate places like that. I just want to have a comfortable meal. Do I really have to go there?”
And within the warrior party, the masculine, savage warrior Harley was exactly that kind of case.
“Hmm···.”
“Definitely a bit···.”
Even Isiah, who had been with him for quite some time, and Riley, who had only been with him for a short while, nodded seriously.
Because the image of him eating Griffin meat was still vivid in my mind.
His personality, his speech, and even his fashion were so unconventional that he was completely unsuited to formal settings.
“···Actually, it wouldn’t be a problem if only the saint went as the representative. I hate to say this, but the three of us, excluding the saint, feel like we’re just a sidekick.”
Isiah, who had been exchanging glances with Riley for a moment, shrugged her shoulders slightly and continued speaking as if it was no big deal.
“After all, the circumstances of the irreplaceable saint and I are different. But it’s not like I can completely ignore him, so I feel like I’m treating him with respect to save face.”
Also, unlike the other two who were at least noble, Harley was a complete savage and lacked what one might call ‘class’.
If it weren’t for the background of being a member of the suicide squad, I probably wouldn’t have been able to enter the palace at all.
“Ah—then I’ll leave too.”
As if he had been waiting for her words, Geos, who had been silent, intervened.
Although he was also a noble of the Kingdom of Lesk, he was secretly ostracized because he was of commoner origin, so he was not used to this kind of situation.
Because he was so indifferent to politics, he didn’t even meet his own king very often.
Of course, Hesperon, who had just happened to come along, was not in that category in the first place.
“Then can we eat comfortably? To be honest, I was curious about the palace chef’s skills, so this is good! Hahahaha!”
“Yes, I will tell my palace’s personal chef. You can eat as you wish.”
In the end, it was decided that only Heinrich, Riley, and Isiah would attend the luncheon with the Emperor.
And while they were away preparing, Harley and Hesperon naturally approached Geos and had a friendly conversation.
“Well— shall we go and see? I wonder what the meat eaten in the royal palace tastes like?”
“Oh! This is my first time eating fancy food in this world, so I’m really looking forward to it. Of course, I’ve been able to use my skills to get a taste of everything.”
“Come to think of it, didn’t your brother say he came from another world?”
“Yes. But you can speak comfortably, brother! Just call me Heron. Oh, can I call you brother?”
“Hahahaha—! You’re such a cool guy, huh? Then let’s do that, Heron!”
“Wow~ I feel so secure having such a great brother!”
Two people chatting happily, giving and receiving from each other.
In reality, it was no different from a farce where they were just talking about older brother and younger brother, but on the outside, they looked completely normal and didn’t seem out of place.
“Ah, Geos-sama, please feel free to call me Heron. Wow~ I’m glad I got to meet some nice people as soon as I got out. Hahaha!”
“···Understood, Mr. Heron.”
And of course, the reason they look like this is entirely because of Geos Kalkin, who is sitting right next to them.
‘First, I need to get closer to him and Hesperon.’
There was something he had carefully said to Heinrich before he moved here from the Duchy of Rohan.
He said that among his acquaintances, there was someone who revealed himself to be from another world, so he might be able to get some information from him.
‘From what I’ve heard, it seems like he’s been in this world for at least 20 years. If that’s true… he’s a settler who gave up on returning.’
Settler.
This is a term for those who have given up on collecting karma points and returning, and have settled down in another world completely.
It was a path occasionally chosen by those who had little attachment to Earth but had become more attached to this place.
Of course, he had only heard of them indirectly.
In some ways, this could be considered a good opportunity to meet the parties directly and obtain information.
‘As an Earthling who just came to another world. In that sense, it would be best if my close friend Geos personally introduced me to Hesperon.’
Of course, if it were Heinrich, it wouldn’t be that difficult to confront him, but wouldn’t the range of questions one could ask as an Earth-born Awakened One, and the range of questions one could ask as a saint of another world, be on a different level?
“Come on, let’s stop this and go eat some meat together! My belly skin is going to stick to my back, man!”
“Hahaha! Brother, it hasn’t even been two hours since you took out the meat for a snack. Oh, and Geos-sama, please come quickly!”
Regardless of time or place, eating together is the best way to foster friendship.
Harley, a rough and savage man, and Hesperon, a clueless and naive young man, walked confidently into the restaurant.
In the meantime, Geos followed along with a trembling expression.
***
The current emperor of the empire, Gario Carte Azerion.
Now nearing sixty, he was a man with faded blond hair and intense green eyes, more like a warrior than a scholar.
“Thank you for your hard work on your long journey. I knew you worked hard to protect the world, but I have the shame to greet you only now. And now you even saved Princess Riley.”
“No. The Emperor is busy, isn’t it? In this time of turmoil, it is of utmost importance to keep the great empire from shaking.”
Of course, a luncheon attended by the Emperor of the Azerion Empire, the greatest power in Outerica, and the saint of the main sect could not have been just a meal.
It’s a little less stressful now that Heinrich is the leader of the suicide squad rather than the head of the religious order. If not for that, it would have been difficult to even think about eating because of the suffocating tension.
‘Ugh— Should I have just skipped out? I participated because I thought I could be of some help to Riley… But how am I supposed to eat in this atmosphere!’
Of course, the current situation was not a very good environment for eating.
Issae, who was sighing inwardly, glanced around and just fiddled with the dishes.
I really didn’t feel like eating anything right now, but I couldn’t just sit there blankly while everyone else was eating normally.
“Countess Isiah Pristine.”
At that moment, her body froze.
Although I hadn’t done anything wrong, I was momentarily flustered by the sudden call from the emperor when I was feeling very nervous.
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But that time was only a moment.
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor. Please give your order.”
Although she was an ordinary girl on Earth, she was now a great magician who had gone beyond the extreme and knocked on the wall of transcendence.
The tension that had existed until then was simply due to her ego as a ‘high school girl, Lee Se-ah’, but when the situation actually arose, she was able to calm down and observe the situation from a step back.
“The situation has been moving so quickly that I am only now able to bring it up. Thanks to your intervention, our empire has been able to stand up. Once the situation is somewhat sorted out, you will soon receive good news. So please continue to take care of me.”
It was said that he was active as a companion of the saint and joined the warrior party.
It was a decision I had no choice but to take to save Riley, but I didn’t have to refuse the congratulatory and rewarding offer.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty. I was simply doing what had to be done.”
The Emperor nodded slightly at her humble words, then turned his gaze back to Riley.
His expression, which had been solemn throughout, wavered for a moment when he looked at her, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke to her calmly as if nothing had happened.
“I’m glad you’re back now, Princess Riley. You’ve worked hard.”
“···Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“But there’s one thing I’d like to ask….”
The conversation felt stiff for a father and daughter who had not seen each other for a long time.
They talked naturally as if they were familiar with each other, as if it wasn’t simply a public setting.
The question the emperor asked was one that would have naturally puzzled anyone.
The question was exactly how she was able to escape ‘alone’.
‘It’s certainly not a problem that can be easily overcome. It’s a case that’s difficult to accept.’
Heinrich nodded inwardly and slowly moved the knife to cut the steak.
If it weren’t for the saint who saved the princess this time, she wouldn’t have found her place so easily.
In fact, even now, she cannot come forward openly because of the saint’s reputation, and her political enemies are spreading all kinds of false rumors.
From claims that she is a fake who transformed into the princess, to concerns that she is planning to unleash the deadly curse hidden in her body on the leaders, to the certainty that Riley has already been brainwashed into becoming the Immortal King’s puppet.
All of these were speculations based on the assumption that Hans had released her on purpose.
“I was able to escape thanks entirely to the ability of the other person who was trapped with me. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of escaping. I was just lucky to be right next to him.”
Then she began to tell the story in a calm voice.
The crown prince, who had lost contact with her since being imprisoned, a man with special abilities who appeared in the meantime, subsequent magical training, and the sudden appearance of hope.
Of course, I intentionally omitted the friction I had with the crown prince at the end.
There was no need to go so far as to mention that part and leave room for conflict.
“Hmm—.”
Then, as the story ended with the crisis that occurred right after they escaped from the immortal castle and the saint who suddenly appeared and saved them, the emperor closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.
Just in case, listening to her, it seemed like there was no chance that the crown prince could escape in the same way.
It didn’t seem like it could be used in reverse either.
Princess Riley’s escape was a complex mix of factors, intertwined with coincidences and luck.
A very small possibility that is generally impossible and can even be felt as artificial.
But once it actually happened, it was something that couldn’t be denied.
Coincidence becomes inevitability, and probabilities that seem too small to be possible become reality.
···We usually call it ‘fate’.
Swish—
The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze back to Heinrich.
“···Now that I think about it, the 2nd Continental Summit is just around the corner.”
“Yes, there are only a few weeks left.”
Unlike the first meeting, he was very busy with the work of the warrior party, but he was still receiving news from the church.
There is also a rumor that the saint is being torn apart again because of that.
“We will send Princess Riley, the 5th Princess, as the representative of the delegation of our Azerion Empire.”
The emperor continued speaking in a calm tone.
In a situation where Crown Prince Simon and Princess Riley were kidnapped, the 2nd Prince and the 6th Prince were in the middle of a fierce fight and were aiming for the spot…
Now that she was back, it was all meaningless.
‘at las···!’
Riley and Isiah clenched their fists at the same time.
Although he was merely a representative of a delegation, these were the words spoken directly by the Emperor in the presence of the saints of the Jushin Sect.
It goes without saying that there is a meaning beyond the simple meaning of the sentence.
The moment Riley’s war, which had been in a temporary truce, resumed, it began to devastate the rival camps.
