READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 102
“Honestly, I can be sure of one thing.”
The high-ups in the Empire are probably looking at me with disdain.
First off, my identity as a manifestor is a huge problem.
No matter how I sent the knights away, the Empire’s honor must have taken a serious hit.
The knights lost to a mere individual; the emperor became a joke by saying contradictory things.
On top of that, I even used threats to convince them, so there’s no way they would see me positively.
Honestly, I expected the identification tag. Even in my delusional mind, I thought that would be reluctantly accepted.
But an invitation to the palace? That was entirely unexpected.
Thanks to this, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
‘Can it be that these guys aren’t just gonna pull a fast one on me after calling me here?’
Unlike this forest where I can move freely, the palace is their home turf.
They probably have hundreds of knights, and several high-ranking ones on top of that.
If they all band together, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
I doubted that someone as high up as the emperor would pull something so petty, but… I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.
As if sensing my thoughts, the envoy in front of me spoke again.
“If you’re suspecting a trap, don’t worry. The emperor genuinely wants to meet you.”
It seems they anticipated my wariness.
But just that one line isn’t enough to ease my concerns.
I frowned.
‘But I can’t refuse either…’
It was indeed a sore point that I had issued a hunt order, but still, the king of a nation was inviting me for a handshake. I couldn’t easily dismiss it.
After all, a wrong move might trigger a backlash.
‘Ah.’
As I pondered for a while, a good plan suddenly came to mind.
I asked the envoy, “Can I bring one more person besides myself?”
“Who… are you thinking of bringing any otherworlder?”
I nodded.
It was a sort of safety measure.
If they were looking to stab me in the back, I’d have an otherworlder with me to witness it and post it online.
If I did that, surely they wouldn’t dare to act recklessly out of sheer face-saving.
“Hmm…”
The envoy seemed to contemplate my suggestion.
He didn’t look particularly displeased; though unexpected, he seemed to understand my caution.
After a while of thought, the envoy finally spoke.
“As long as you don’t stream anything inside the palace… it should be possible.”
“Of course.”
At that, I smiled widely and nodded.
As long as you guys don’t act foolishly, it shouldn’t be an issue.
*
And so a week passed.
I was on my way to the palace as per the envoy’s request.
Fortunately, the distance between the forest I was in and the capital where the palace was located wasn’t very far, so I could set off without much preparation.
After all, they had even prepared a carriage for me.
“You can get on here.”
As I stepped out of the forest, I saw the coachman and knight waiting near the plains.
It wasn’t particularly dazzling, nor was it adorned with extravagant decorations to be called something sent from the Empire.
Then again, I’m not a noble, so it would be unreasonable to expect such a carriage.
But even so, the carriage looked extremely clean and sturdy.
It seemed they prioritized quality over appearance.
After getting into the carriage, I let out a small sigh.
I felt like I might be an important figure, or maybe I was just a criminal being escorted.
“Huh… I’m feeling kind of nervous. Speaking of which, have you ever been inside the palace?”
“No. I only know a few knights. I’ve hardly ever set foot inside the capital.”
The companion I brought along was Shin Hanbyeol.
I felt a bit sorry for Chaerin and Haneul, but there was no one more suitable for matters related to knights than her.
Since she knew a few knights, she was fairly well-informed about knight-related matters.
Since I was heading into a dangerous situation, I figured it was right to choose someone with connections to them.
So, as we headed towards the palace, I asked her various questions.
Who to watch out for among the people in the palace, what their characters and abilities were like, recent movements of the knights, and so on.
“Why are you so curious about all this? …Wait a sec, I’m organizing my thoughts.”
She answered my questions calmly despite her fidgeting.
After a while of chatting, I soon found myself at the palace entrance.
With a thud, I opened the carriage door and stepped down, and the knights exchanged glances before silently clearing the way.
It seemed they had already been informed.
As we entered the palace, a grand interior welcomed us.
A long corridor stretched endlessly, the walls and floors meticulously cleaned, and adornments placed here and there.
As expected of a space where the Empire’s elite reside, it was vast and luxurious.
Hanbyeol beside me let out a gasp without realizing it.
“Wow…”
But I couldn’t relax and admire it. This space could easily turn into a death trap for me.
The glances I felt from all around were incredibly burdensome. Whenever a mage or butler passed by, their eyes shot towards me.
“That guy is probably the… right?”
“Tch, coming into such a precious place in such shabby clothes? Definitely hasn’t learned manners.”
“Hmph, but at least he doesn’t look bad on the outside, right?”
“…What?”
“Ah, nothing.”
Of course, the looks weren’t exactly friendly. I nodded inwardly.
‘As expected.’
It seemed that the common nobles weren’t viewing me kindly.
Well, they probably heard the news, so it made sense they wouldn’t look favorably on the one who defeated the knights.
That reaction was completely predictable.
What I was really curious about wasn’t them, but the emperor’s reaction.
After walking for a bit, I finally reached the audience chamber.
With a rumble—
As the massive door opened, I saw countless ministers lined up and a woman sitting in the central chair.
Though many gazes turned towards me, mine was solely focused on the middle-aged woman in the center.
With golden hair and wrinkles dotting her face, she exuded an impressive aura.
The emperor, Eldora von Elizabeth. Unfortunately, not a young smiling beauty.
Honestly, it wouldn’t do for a ruler of a nation to be a young beauty, as that would lack the necessary gravitas.
For now, I knelt and offered a brief bow. Hanbyeol next to me did the same.
“…I greet Your Majesty.”
I was originally the type to speak casually to anyone, but I couldn’t do that to the supreme authority of the state.
If I did, I might find myself being hunted down again just for being rude.
The honorifics coming from my mouth felt quite strange.
“Oh! You’ve come! Finally, you’re here!”
As I completed my formalities, the emperor approached me with a somewhat silly expression.
The courtiers seemed surprised by her actions, their faces turning anxious as they began to hurry and stop her.
“You shouldn’t get too close to the seed of a demon, Your Majesty!”
“This could end badly! Please, be careful!”
Regardless of their protests, she came right up to me, with just a single knight accompanying her from behind.
She then promptly lifted me up and requested a handshake.
“Nice to meet you. I’d say you don’t need an introduction, right? Oh, I heard things, but you look even better than I expected!”
It was a surprisingly warm welcome. Or maybe it was just a facade of kindness.
Though I had never studied politics, I instinctively felt it.
Each of her gestures was a political move.
She deliberately approached me despite the objections of her ministers. Even though it was just a handshake, we had physical contact.
Put bluntly… I could literally kill her if I wanted to, even in this vulnerable state.
And I’m sure the emperor knew that very well.
“I have many thoughts about you. Should I be angry about the fallen honor after you took down the knights, or should I get annoyed at the backlash arising everywhere, or should I just feel relieved that you let all the knights go?”
She continued,
“Oh, I’m indeed very grateful that you let the knights go safely. Thanks to you, I won’t be buried in paperwork for now. That’s also why I gave you the identification tag. Of course, I faced a huge backlash for that! Hahaha!”
“………..”
“But seeing you here, you really don’t look evil. Quite docile too. It’s good I didn’t hold onto my pride and keep the hunt order.”
“I’m glad you see me in a good light…”
Suddenly, she grabbed my shoulder casually, as if to say we’d get along well moving forward.
She lacked the regal air typical of an emperor, yet that was also a bold move for someone in her position.
Then she shouted to her ministers.
“Look at that! Didn’t I tell you everything would be fine? And yet, what’s with all the chatter? I thought a rebellion might break out from within!”
“M-Ma’am!”
“You’re going too far!”
At her words, the faces of the ministers who were looking at me with disdain suddenly froze stiff.
Regardless, the emperor just laughed heartily.
After a moment, she then said it with a cold glare.
“Just kidding… it’s a joke.”
Watching that, I thought.
Indeed, being a ruler of a nation is not something just anyone can do.
And perhaps, I could worry a little less about getting backstabbed.