Ah, I really did not want an audience with the Emperor.
But that bell was never wrong. I stubbed out the cigar and quickly took my place beside the Grand Duke.
He was straightening his attire, though his furrowed brow did not ease.
The only man who could speak bluntly to the Emperor.
The doors finally opened.
The figure entered slowly, accompanied by two children, knights, a magician, priests, and attendants.
I had seen the Emperor nine months ago, and he looked no different now.
Of course—he, too, now held eternal life.
A being who seemed born with a scepter already in hand.
Kysis’s appearance was almost identical to his.
Only, the Emperor had eyes as blue as the sky.
“Duke Jacques. Are you busy?”
Beside me, where I stood saluting according to knightly etiquette, the Grand Duke smiled crookedly.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
“I came to speak about the diamond mines in the north...”
The Emperor’s perpetually bored blue eyes turned toward me.
“So, I see you were in the middle of something.”
I did not avert my gaze.
The Emperor was not a tyrant. Kyle still hated him—hated him and despaired at being unable to take revenge—but even he had said the Emperor was no tyrant.
To those outside the Empire, he was merciless; to his own people, he was hailed as a wise ruler.
Many worshipped him.
I, however, disliked him—not because of Kyle, but because that perpetual boredom in his eyes even as he inflicted violence was chilling.
He was never excited, never enraged.
“I think I’ve seen your face before... you’ve caught his eye, haven’t you?”
“He’s not bad to have around.”
“In what sense?”
...What?
I was startled, but the Grand Duke was not.
He snickered and stroked his beard.
“It’s rather entertaining to watch the little chick struggle. He’s also quite capable as a guard.”
“Is that so?”
The Emperor clasped his hands behind his back and looked at his knight.
Sir Kathleen, currently considered closest to becoming a Swordmaster, smiled pleasantly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Sir Kysis often praises him as well.”
I felt my eyes widen.
“He said with a bit more experience, he would reach Swordmaster without difficulty. I, too, have an eye on him.”
“Splendid.”
The Emperor’s tone carried no trace of sincerity.
Then again, it never did.
“Which division?”
“The western division, Your Majesty.”
“Then he’ll soon walk the path of the sword.”
Throughout their exchange, I remained silent.
I had not been granted permission to speak, so that was the proper attitude.
At least, as a knight, I was allowed not to bow my head entirely—had I not been knighted, just meeting his gaze would have earned me prison.
This was a country that turned any object touched by the Emperor into a holy relic.
One word from him could separate my head from my body.
“Don’t just stand there stiffly. Take any seat you wish.”
Of course, Duke Jacques could speak to the Emperor like that.
“Or will you stand there all day?”
“Why did you cut down the Sacred Tree?”
The Emperor asked me in a voice that sounded half-asleep.
Me.
I slowly closed and opened my eyes.
“I was told that forging a sword from the Sacred Tree could slay beings protected by magic or divine power, Your Majesty. So I cut it.”
“Was that being human?”
His blue eyes, filled with ennui, fixed on me.
I did not avert my gaze.
“Yes.”
The Grand Duke snorted a laugh.
Sir Kathleen’s polite smile didn’t falter. The Emperor’s eldest son and daughter each regarded me differently—
the First Prince with disapproval, the First Princess with eyes gleaming as if measuring my worth.
The eccentric Archmage narrowed his eyes at me.
The priest who had once heard me sing and said, “Not exceptional, but pleasantly average,” looked at me with pity.
Only the Emperor’s face remained unchanged.
“What formation did you take to reach the World Tree?”
“I went alone.”
“To receive eternal life.”
...Excuse me?
“Duke, you’ve heard about the mine discovery, I trust.”
“And now you finally decide to sit down?”
...Was that the end of the conversation?
The sudden shift in topic left me struggling to catch up, but as the entourage poured into the room with glances urging me to leave, I regained my composure.
What a dazzling lineup. If not for the Grand Duke’s favor, I would never have seen these faces in my lifetime.
I wished they would forget my name and existence entirely.
A small wish, immediately crushed.
“Sir Hildebert.”
The ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Emperor’s voice.
I barely hid my surprise as I turned sharply.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is a knight’s pay sufficient?”
...Why this question now?
I had no idea how to respond and simply stayed quiet.
The Emperor continued, still watching me.
“Speak honestly. You will not be punished regardless of your answer.”
“...Honestly, I have no particular complaints.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. This month I even bought a limited edition I had my eye on. If I save for a few months, I can afford such things—it’s quite fair, really.”
“Limited edition?”
The Emperor leaned lazily into his chair.
I hesitated, then opened my mouth.
I had planned to keep it secret until I gave it as a gift,
but since the recipient was right here and His Majesty asked directly, what else could I do? One cannot lie to the ruler of the Empire.
With an awkward smile, I answered,
“I bought a cigar for 300 lira—a limited run said to contain a branch of the World Tree—for the Duke’s sixtieth birthday.”
Everyone in the room froze.
Dozens of eyes turned toward me. I blinked back at them.
Why are they all looking at me like that?
Did I say something wrong?
Ah.
Don’t tell me—
is it illegal if a cigar contains a branch of the World Tree?
If that’s true, I’m dead.
I should’ve just said I bought shoes or something instead of blurting it out like an idiot.
I’m doomed.
Just as I thought that, the silence shattered loudly—
because Duke Jacques threw his head back and burst out laughing.
“Khahahahaha!”
Why are you laughing?
“Khahahah! Hahaha! Hahahaha! Ahhh... yes, kid. A 300-lira cigar is expensive, isn’t it?”
“...Why are you laughing, Your Grace?”
“Khahahahaha!”
“Have you never bought a cigar before?”
The First Princess smiled sweetly at me.
I pressed my lips together in a flat line and nodded.
It’s not like I could ever afford one normally.
Her smile deepened at my sulky face.
“So you don’t know the price of cigars at all, do you?”
“...No, Your Highness.”
“How adorable.”
Why.
“Well, 300 lira isn’t a small amount.”
“For a knight’s pay, it’s quite high.”
“...I—whatever it was, I must have said something foolish. My apologies.”
“If you were going to recommend a cigar, you could’ve at least given him a good one, Duke.”
The First Prince looked exasperated as he examined the cigar I had smoked.
“Giving him such a common one—no wonder he thought 300-lira cigars make for a grand birthday gift.”
“Why, isn’t it endearing? Khahahaha!”
“The average price of cigars in the capital is ridiculously high, though, isn’t it?”
Even the magician was smiling at me now, barely suppressing laughter.
“But the heart behind a gift is what matters most, isn’t that so, Duke? When this young knight brings it for your sixtieth, accept it gladly.”
“Of course.”
The old man met my eyes and grinned.
“I’ll make it an heirloom—keep it in a glass case in my reception room.”
Bastards.
I’m a commoner, you know...
I stood there for quite some time as their laughter subsided, scowling down at the ornate carpet without hiding my irritation.
And in the process, I learned a completely useless fact—
that the average price of cigars among nobles was 500 lira,
and that none of them actually bought the ones sold in the capital.
And I also learned what the Emperor’s smile looked like.
It was a day full of information I never wanted to know.
Damn nobles.
***
Count Renyr despises me.
He didn’t hate Kyle, but he hates me.
Because he believes Rei ended up in the western division because of me—
that he got hurt all over, dragged into hardship by following his friend.
Even though Rei shouted himself hoarse denying it, the Count never listened.
Not that I care much about being disliked.
“Hilde!”
At Kyle’s urgent voice, I lifted my head.
“Are you hurt? Did it graze you?”
“No.”
I brushed back my rain-soaked hair and grinned.
Spitting out the grit that had gotten in my mouth, I reached out and grabbed Kyle’s extended hand.
“Thanks to you, I’m alive. Appreciate it.”
Rei’s face came into view too—pale as paper, even paler than Kyle’s.
No wonder, since the fight had taken place right in the Count’s territory, swarmed by monsters.
I hoped he wouldn’t blame himself. Hunting such vile beasts was the knights’ job, after all.
That guy just tended to drive himself too hard whenever it involved his family.
Holding onto their arms, I climbed out of the pit.
The estate lay in ruins. The giant monster before us lay dead, its fluids seeping into the muddy ground.
“We can’t just keep killing the ones that come in—it won’t end like this.”
I muttered, staring at yet another corpse.
The rain made the stench of blood heavier.
“They said it’s coming from the old castle to the northwest, right?”
“...That’s what I heard. We’ll have to check again. I’ll go back and ask the court magician...”
“But hey, did you see that?”
Next to the anxious Rei, Kyle waved with a proud grin.
“My crossbow shot that thing’s claw clean off! If that hadn’t hit, you’d have been in trouble, Hilde. That was at least fifty paces away—perfect shot.”
“Not fifty.”
I brushed back my dripping hair and muttered absently.
Kyle immediately snapped.
“What do you mean, not fifty?”
He got up and marched off into the rain.
“Then count for yourself!”
His stride seemed shorter than usual.
Rubbing my sore arm, I stared at the rain-soaked ground.
The battle was over. The monsters that had poured in were all taken care of by us, who’d just happened to visit Rei’s domain.
They said such outbreaks had been happening often lately—strange omens increasing everywhere.
I stood there for a long while, lost in the fading echo of the fight.
If it had been lesser soldiers instead of us, the damage would’ve been severe.
“Rei!”
The urgent call snapped me back.
I turned to see the Count running toward us, faster even than the knights following behind.
Mud splattered all over his fine clothes.
Rei shot to his feet.
“Are you unharmed? You’re not injured, are you?”
“Go back inside.”
Rei’s tone was stiff.
“Why did you come out here?”
I’d heard the Count and Countess lived crushed under guilt.
He couldn’t forgive them entirely, but maybe... a little?
I watched the two argue. Even I, an outsider, could see the Count’s affection was genuine.
Though that affection was matched only by how much he hated me.
I smiled awkwardly and turned to Kyle.
“Let’s go.”
“Sir Hildebert!”
I flinched.
That was the first time the Count had ever called me by name.
He’d never once said “Sir Hildebert.”
Always “you,” or “commoner,” or “rookie knight,” or “that unlucky knight”... anything but my name.
So I forgot how to respond for a second.
“Come inside.”
“...Pardon?”
“Come into the manor! You’ll catch cold standing in the rain like that!”
“Uh...”
What’s gotten into him?
“Sir Kyle, you too! Don’t just sit there in the mud!”
Kyle looked equally baffled.
Rei’s face flushed red—embarrassed by his father, clearly.
He never could stop overreacting to family matters.
For Rei’s sake, I decided to just go.
I jerked my chin at Kyle.
He nodded, thinking the same, and followed.
We walked toward the heavy stone manor, through the rain and around the melting corpses of monsters.
And as we went, I found myself wondering why these vicious creatures were appearing more and more often.
Wet hair clung coldly to my cheeks.
***
“The old castle,” said the Count the next morning, “you will go there with Sir Kysis.”
