The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

96 – The Emperor is Surprised and the Princess Screams in the Carriage.

To summarize the contents of the letter sent by the Emperor:

We need to set a date to bestow the dukedom, so come to the capital.

It was bothersome, but there was no other choice.

The dukedom is the highest rank among the nobility, and there are only a few in the entire empire.

It couldn’t be given lightly with a simple “Here, you be a duke.”

Well, since I’m going, I might as well report on the events in the north.

The subjugation of the cult and the sealed weapon, that is.

Come to think of it.

‘Does the Emperor know something about the weapon?’

You never know.

There might be secret information passed down through the royal family.

Of course, I don’t have high expectations.

It was then.

“Wow, there are quite a lot of documents piled up, aren’t there?”

Arian, who had entered the tower master’s office at some point, said while looking at the documents piled on the desk.

Franz tilted his head.

“Huh? Why didn’t you go?”

When she returned from the Duke of Freesia’s house, he had told her to go home and rest.

There was no need for her to come to work and suffer on such a day.

It was a consideration for the fatigue that might have accumulated from the trip.

Yet, she had come to the tower master’s office, which was puzzling.

Maybe she just liked working.

“I thought I should check since I came back. What’s that in your hand?”

“A letter from His Majesty.”

“Ah….”

Arian showed a complex and subtle expression.

She seemed displeased but tried not to show it.

When Franz met the emperor, he always came back burdened with a heap of troublesome tasks, which meant less time to spend with Arian. Naturally, Arian couldn’t be pleased about it.

But given who he was dealing with, she couldn’t show it outwardly.

“I’ll probably be away tomorrow, so keep that in mind. You can go home for today. Don’t bother thinking about work.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work today.”

“You worked hard too.”

With that conversation, Arian lightly bowed her head in greeting.

Soon after, she left the tower master’s office, and Franz, now alone, stretched his arms and yawned.

‘Let’s get some of this backlog done.’

If he was going to be away tomorrow, the workload would only pile up more.

It would be easier to handle some of it beforehand.

Though the documents were quite piled up, he used to face more than twice this amount daily, so this was manageable.

Scratch, scratch.

Only the sound of the pen moving echoed in the silence.

Franz worked late into the night, catching up on the backlog.

Time passed, and the next day arrived.

Franz woke up in his familiar room after a long time, got ready, and left the room.

Then he encountered Arian in the tower master’s office.

“Good morning, Tower Master.”

“You’re early?”

Arian greeted him with a smile, and Franz looked at her with curiosity.

Even though he had come out earlier than usual, she was already there.

“I woke up a bit early.”

Arian spoke calmly with a smile, but waking up early and coming to work early was harder than it seemed.

Haven’t you ever had those moments?

When you wake up naturally 30 minutes before your phone alarm goes off.

Usually, you’d get annoyed and try to sleep more, but Arian had resisted that urge and come to work.

‘She’s impressive, but could she be a workaholic?’

Coming to work early today, and even yesterday when she didn’t have to, was enough to raise suspicions.

It’s good that she’s diligent, but if she becomes addicted to work, it could be a problem.

Franz couldn’t help but worry about her.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Sure, I’m not particularly busy.”

As Franz nodded in response, Arian began to hum a tune and brew the tea.

The tea leaves used were not the ones gifted by Eustia, but the ones they had picked out together at the store.

Of course, Franz didn’t care about the tea leaves at all.

Soon, two steaming cups of tea were placed on the table.

Franz and Arian sat across from each other and began to drink their tea.

Slurp-.

Franz sipped his tea and thought.

‘Who would have thought a day like this would come.’

Not long ago, he didn’t even have the luxury to drink hot tea.

He was in the middle of normalizing the Magic Tower, and there were too many things to do in the process.

Hot tea was a luxury only those high up, those with plenty of time, could enjoy.

But now, how is it?

He’s enjoying a splendid cup of hot tea.

The elegant aroma of the tea leaves felt through his nose, and the sweet and bitter taste was exquisite.

Of course, his opinion that cold tea was just as delicious hadn’t changed.

It’s just that there was no one to understand that, so he kept it to himself.

Anyway, the mindset of the nobles was really outdated.

While Franz was enjoying his tea and lost in thought, Arian spoke.

“You kept your promise.”

Promise?

Did he make a promise with Arian…?

‘I have no idea.’

No matter how much he searched his mind, he couldn’t remember any promise.

It was a really awkward situation.

Especially since she seemed so happy about it.

If he said he didn’t know, she would surely be disappointed.

“Well, yes…?”

Franz gave a suitable answer for the time being.

Even though he didn’t know what the promise was, the fact that he kept it suggested that the situation wasn’t too bad.

If he didn’t mention what the promise was, there was a chance it would pass without further issue.

But Arian knew Franz better than he thought.

In fact, the problem was that Franz wasn’t good at lying.

“Did you forget what the promise was…?”

Gulp-.

Franz swallowed his saliva at the question that seemed to see right through his thoughts.

And then he spoke in a low voice.

“…Sorry.”

“I thought so. But it’s okay. It was just a passing promise anyway.”

“So what was the promise…?”

“Well? What could it be?”

Arian smiled mischievously like a playful child.

Franz smiled awkwardly in response.

He already felt sorry for her, so he couldn’t ask her to tell him more.

‘What on earth was it.’

Since she said it was a passing promise, it must not have been that important.

Well, if it had been an important promise, he wouldn’t have forgotten it in the first place.

While he was pondering, time passed and it was soon time to go out.

Of course, Franz still hadn’t found the answer.

“Arian, I’m off.”

“Yes, take care.”

Arian smiled as she saw him off.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

Franz felt relieved and headed to where the carriage was parked.

Among the carriages owned by the Magic Tower, there was one with an unusual appearance.

Needless to say, it was a carriage developed by Franz.

Franz climbed straight into the driver’s seat.

He planned to drive the carriage himself and boast about it to the emperor.

What kind of expression would the always dignified Emperor make?

I can’t wait to see.

Snap-.

As Franz snapped his fingers, a magic circle began to draw itself on the floor.

The magic used was teleportation.

Soon, the carriage he was riding in disappeared from that spot.

Why ride the carriage if you’re going to use teleportation?

Of course, to show off to the Emperor.

The place where Franz’s disappeared carriage reappeared was in front of the castle gate of the imperial palace.

The guards were thrown into confusion at the appearance of an object they had never seen before.

“What, what is that?”

“It looks like a carriage since it has wheels, but….”

“Isn’t it missing horses to be a carriage?”

“I’ll go check it out. You stay here just in case.”

One of the guards started approaching the carriage Franz was in.

His expression was half curiosity, half tension.

Just as he was about to look around the carriage.

Srrrk-.

The window rolled down.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Wh-what?!”

As the window suddenly disappeared and a person appeared, the guard screamed in surprise.

Franz felt a little sorry.

He hadn’t meant to startle him.

Once the guard had calmed down somewhat, Franz identified himself and passed through the castle gate.

‘Where could His Majesty be….’

It was only written to come find him, there was no specific appointment, so he couldn’t be sure the Emperor would be in the audience chamber.

But it was fine.

There was always a way.

Franz immediately used mana detection and was able to find the Emperor spending time with the princess in the garden.

I was already planning to show off the carriage, so it was fortunate that it was outside at the right time.

It would be a bit much to take the Emperor out just for that.

Franz immediately increased the speed of the carriage, and before long, they arrived near the garden.

The soldiers guarding the Emperor approached at the sight of the unfamiliar object, and the gazes of the servants tending the garden followed.

Naturally, the Emperor and the Princess were also looking at the carriage.

In the midst of everyone’s gaze, Franz got off the carriage very naturally.

There was no way the soldiers of the Imperial Guard wouldn’t recognize Franz’s face, so their vigilance naturally loosened.

Passing by them, Franz approached the Emperor and bowed his head in greeting.

“Franz Gilbert of the Magic Tower greets the Sun of the Empire.”

“Raise your head, it’s fine.”

Franz raised his head at the Emperor’s command.

“I heard you went to the North, but you look healthy, that’s a relief.”

“All thanks to the Sun’s protection, Your Majesty.”

“But more importantly, what is that…?”

The Emperor’s gaze did not leave Franz’s special carriage as he spoke.

Franz smiled at that.

After all, if you’re a man, you can’t help but be interested in cars.