VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 6

Author’s notes: Sorry for the delay.

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VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 6

“Princess, His Majesty, the Emperor, has summoned you.”

It was surprising news. It had only been two days since they’d arrived at the capital.

Emperor Sylvius was a busy man, and considering the current predicament the nation was facing, she didn’t expect they would be granted an audience this soon.

“We have three hours,” said the head maid. “Please get ready, Your Highness.”

Princess Luna nodded. “The preparations for Sir Reginald?”

“The other maids are already taking care of the esteemed guest as we speak,” said Selina. “They’ll make sure he looks presentable before meeting His Majesty. The etiquette instructor has already briefed the ambassador. Please be at ease.”

Princess Luna did not know much about the customs of the Lukasians, by for an imperial subject, one must undergo thorough preparation before meeting the sovereign.

There were several rules, but most of them boiled down to these: one must be impeccably dressed, one must surrender all weapons before entering the imperial palace, and one must show utmost courtesy when meeting the royals.

These were stringent rules, and there had been several occasions before wherein people were cut down right where they stood for not adhering to them.

The Emperor was the Sun and the Moon of the nation. His words were the law, and with a single command, hundreds of thousands of soldiers would heed his call.

The Devourer of Lands.

A whimsical madman who controlled a fifth of the entire continent’s land.

After the necessary preparations, Princess Luna and Reginald Vont left the estate and arrived at the imperial palace.

Princess Luna had been here several times before, but it was only after she visited the Kingdom of Lukas did she understand how massive the imperial palace was.

The right wing of the imperial palace alone was twice larger than the king’s castle, where King Lark resided. Moreover, there was also the left wing, the central palace, the sun palace, the moon palace, the royal mausoleum, the imperial pantheon, the imperial knights order, and the fourth tower of mages.

The sheer size of this place bespoke the wealth and power of the Empire.

After disembarking from the carriage, Princess Luna observed the lukasian ambassador. She expected the ambassador to be fidgety and anxious, but to her surprise, he did not seem uneasy at all.

Princess Luna did not know where his confidence came from, but Reginald was unexpectedly calm, as though he did not fear the upcoming meeting with the Emperor.

Princess Luna read the words that had formed on top of the ambassador’s head.

[I see. The right wing is connected to the headquarters of the Imperial Knights Order.]

[And the left wing is connected to the Fourth Tower of Mages.]

[Based on the flags, the central palace is protected by the Royal Guards.]

[It’s overkill.]

[Combined with the imperial soldiers protecting the capital, the imperial palace is basically an impregnable fortress. The Emperor is practically untouchable with all these powerful forces protecting him.]

For a few seconds, Princess Luna bewilderedly gazed at Reginald. She didn’t know how the ambassador managed to put all of the information together in such a short period of time, but all of them were correct.

It was a bit dumbfounding that instead of trembling from trepidation, the ambassador was analyzing the structure of the imperial palace instead. The ambassador’s composure was comparable to that of the Chief Royal Advisor.

His calm demeanor and his ability to calmly assess his surroundings were probably among the reasons why King Lark entrusted him with this mission.

“Let’s go, Sir Reginald,” said Princess Luna.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After entering the imperial palace, a chamberlain escorted them to a sitting room. Jacob Fraser was already inside, silently sitting on the couch as he waited for the Princess and Reginald to arrive. He stood up the moment the group entered.

“Ah, Lord Fraser,” said Princess Luna.

Jacob Fraser politely nodded his head. “Princess.” He turned to Reginald and added, “Sir Ambassador.”

Reginald greeted back. “It’s been a while, Lord Magician.”

After that short exchange, the chamberlain cleared his throat. With unfriendly eyes, he scanned Reginald from head to foot. He didn’t bother hiding his contempt and disgust for the foreign dignitary.

The chamberlain cleared his throat, raised his chin, and said, “As per the Emperor’s command, only Princess Luna and Lord Fraser shall be allowed inside the throne room.”

Princess Luna glared at him. “What do you mean?”

Despite being subjected to the Princess’ gaze, there was no change in the chamberlain’s expression. “It is as you’ve heard. I’m only following His Majesty’s will, Your Highness. Again, only you and Lord Fraser shall be permitted inside.”

“What kind of—!”

“—Please do not question the will of His Majesty, Princess Luna,” said the chamberlain sharply. “The Ambassador from the Kingdom of Lukas shall stay here in the sitting room. Whether or not he’ll be able to meet the Emperor will be up to His Majesty. The ambassador should consider it an honor that he has stepped foot inside the imperial palace in the first place.”

How arrogant.

It was outright disrespect on the part of the Empire. They called Princess Luna and the ambassador here, only to announce that he hadn’t been granted permission to meet with Emperor.

Princess Luna gritted her teeth as she apologetically gazed at Reginald. Had she known this would happen, she wouldn’t have brought him here with her.

Even if Reginald Vont was a commoner, and even if he was a mere head of a merchant guild, currently, he was acting as the ambassador to the Kingdom of Lukas. And Princess Luna believed he should be treated respectfully as such.

This subtle persecution was tantamount to spitting on King Lark in the face.

Princess Luna wanted to protest, but she knew she did not have much political power in this place. Even the chamberlain seemed to know this, and this was the reason he could act so smugly as he delivered the Emperor’s decree.

The chamberlain treated Jacob Fraser with reverence, Princess Luna with appropriate respect, and Reginald with undisguised contempt.

How disgusting.

Princess Luna softly said, “I’m sorry, Sir Reginald. I didn’t know….”

Before Reginald could even utter a reply, the chamberlain cut through the conversation. “Lord Fraser, Princess, the Emperor is waiting. Please follow me.”

Princess Luna frowned.

In the end, she resignedly said, “Lead the way.”

After leaving the sitting room, the group passed through a series of hallways, eventually arriving at the throne room located at the ground floor of the central palace.

The door to the throne room, made of steel and gold, was five meters wide and seven meters high. Four royal guards, clad in full plate armor, stood beside it. The royal guards stood ramrod straight, halberds in hand.

“I’ve brought Lord Fraser and Princess Luna,” said the chamberlain to the royal guards. “Relay the word.”

“Understood!”

The royal guards relayed word of the Princess’ arrival. After some time, the group received permission to enter the throne room.

“The Emperor has granted his permission,” said the royal guards. “Princess Luna, Lord Fraser, please enter.”

The royal guards pushed the massive door open, revealing the throne room of the imperial palace. A massive luminous artifact hovered above, and a wide red carpet was spread from the entrance, leading all the way to the throne where the Emperor sat.

Several prominent figures were inside the throne room, along with the Emperor.

First was the maternal uncle of Princess Kiera, the Sword Saint of the Empire and commander of the Imperial Knights, Isaac ‘The Emperor’s Sword’ Segarus. The second was the Chief Royal Advisor, and the third was General Lazarus. With a glimpse, Princess Luna also saw a military officer, who appeared to be from the Second Prince’s army, judging by his uniform, standing next to the general.

With their heads bowed, Princess Luna and Jacob Fraser walked forward. Upon reaching an appropriate distance, the two knelt before the crown.

“We greet the Sun and Moon of the Empire, His Majesty, Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis!”

“We greet the Sun and Moon of the Empire, His Majesty, Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis!”

The two greeted the Emperor in unison.

Several seconds of silence fell. Princess Luna could feel the Emperor’s gaze on her.

In a deep voice spoke, the Emperor spoke, “Raise your heads.”

Princess Luna and Jacob Fraser raised their heads. Upon seeing the Emperor, Princess Luna was flustered.

Large bags were seen underneath the Emperor’s eyes, as though he hadn’t slept for several nights. The creases on his face seemed more numerous than before, and his skin was pale and dry.

The Emperor seemed to have aged several years in the short period of time Princess Luna hadn’t seen him.

Although the Empire tried not to show it, the mere fact that the Emperor looked this haggard went to show the grave predicament they were currently in.

“What’s wrong, Luna?” said Emperor Sylvius. “Is something wrong with my face?”

Princess Luna hastily shook her head. “Not at all, Your Majesty!”

“Is that so?” said Emperor Sylvius. “How about you, Fraser? Is something wrong with my face?”

Jacob Fraser said without hesitation, “Your look terrible, Your Majesty.”

A smile slowly formed on the Emperor’s face. He nodded approvingly. “That’s right. This is why I like you, Fraser. You’re not afraid of me, unlike the other royal court magicians. How… amusing. You’re really starting to resemble Haldor as time passes by.”

“I’d rather not be compared to the Fourth Tower Master, Your Majesty,” said Jacob in a displeased voice.

“Of course,” smirked the Emperor. “Who’d like to become like Haldor? That bald, sinister-looking old man.”

Surprisingly, the Emperor was more talkative than before.

“I’ve already heard from my men what happened in the Kingdom of Lukas,” said the Emperor. “But I still wish to hear the recount from your own mouths. Report.”

The imperial soldiers who accompanied Princess Luna to the Kingdom of Lukas must have already told the Emperor everything. The Emperor had also already received the vials and the mandrake roots given to them by King Lark.

Therefore, this audience was simply meant to verify and corroborate their findings.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Princess Luna swallowed the lump in her throat.

After steeling herself, she started recounting everything that transpired in the Kingdom of Lukas: From their journey from Andora Port to Kalavinka Port, their journey to the Kelvin Duchy and the fate of the slaves in the Kingdom of Lukas, all the way to their arrival at the kingdom’s capital.

Princess Luna told the Emperor of the Red Dragon and the dwarves’ arrival, the mountain of corpses on the carts that were meant to be gifts for King Lark, and even the subservient attitude of the Red Dragon. She also recounted how the Morton Twins disguised themselves as imperial soldiers, infiltrated the Alchemy Tower and nearly killed Lady Ropianna, one of the royal court magicians of the kingdom. She also told the Emperor regarding the battle between Elias Farsight, the patrol, and the Morton Twins that ensued afterward.

In the end, King Lark showed up, and the Lord Knight, which accompanied him, easily subdued the Morton Twins.

Near the end of her story, Princess Luna recounted how King Lark benevolently offered military aid to their nation, after seeing signs of the portal opening, and how he readily gave them the cure for the parasitization.

According to King Lark, he did not wish for the downfall of the Empire. And to prove his sincerity, he even sent half a thousand Blackstone Knights as reinforcements for their country.

Throughout Princess Luna’s recount, the Emperor remained silent. He frowned every now and then, and he sometimes even smiled in amusement.

Other people would probably find it hard to interpret the Emperor’s reactions, but Princess Luna knew exactly what was on her father’s mind. The blotches of ink that continuously formed words on top of the Emperor’s head gave his thoughts away.

And contrary to his calm appearance, the Emperor was fuming inside.

[Fucking trash.]

[Those damn twins! Not only did they fail to kill King Lark, they also allowed themselves to be captured by the enemy!]

[King Lark probably already knows by now that I sent the twins to kill either him or Luna.]

[But he still sent the cure for the parasitization, and even went as far as send half a thousand knights as reinforcement?]

[Damn fool.]

[It’s disgusting, but no matter. If the Lord Knight is powerful enough to easily subdue the Morton Twins, it should be useful.]

[Those Blackstone Knights. I’ll use them well.]

[Let’s use them as meat shields as we recapture Volkheim]

While listening to Princess Luna’s story, the Emperor was already devising a plan to use the Blackstone Knights to reclaim Volkheim City. Of course, he planned to do it in the most reckless way possible. It was apparent that he planned on making sure the Blackstone Knights would be annihilated by the demons.

[Still…. I can’t rest easy until I see it with my own eyes.]

[Fortunately, Sword Saint Isaac Segarus and the army stationed in the Everfrost border have returned.]

[I’ll use the Sword Saint to measure the power of those Blackstone Knights.]

[Or should I gauge their strength by making Isaac fight against Symon instead?]

Based on Princess Luna’s story, Captain Symon was the former leader of the royal knights of the Kingdom of Lukas. A man who held a similar rank to Sword Saint Isaac.

Well, Captain Symon was the royal knight leader of a small, insignificant nation. Emperor Sylvius doubted if he was even a match for Sword Saint Isaac at all.

Sword Saint Isaac had long surpassed the realm of mere humans. Not only was he well-versed in military tactics, he was also powerful enough to be included in the continental rankings of the Council of Scholars.

The ninth strongest man in the entire continent.

The so-called ‘Sword of the Emperor’.

Although weaker than Master Harris of the First Tower of Mages, he was a tactical weapon capable of annihilating armies on his own.

The mere knight captain of a kingdom wouldn’t be a match for him at all.

“Fraser, I’m curious,” said Emperor Sylvius. “What do you think? Who will win in a fight between Isaac and Captain Symon?”

It was a tricky question, but Jacob Fraser didn’t think too much about it and gave his honest thoughts. “Sword Saint Isaac will win without a doubt, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Sylvius believed so, too. He added another question, “How about against the Lord Knight?”

Jacob Fraser paused, looked at Isaac Segarus in the eyes, then turned his gaze to the Emperor.

“The Lord Knight will win, Your Majesty.”

That answer took everyone by surprise. Jacob Fraser sounded so certain about it that veins started forming on the forehead of Sword Saint Isaac.

That damn imperial court magician.

How did he dare compare him to that so-called Lord Knight?

Emperor Sylvius smiled in amusement. “Luna.”

“Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna.

“The man called Reginald Vont is here in the imperial palace?” said the Emperor. He already knew this, but asked regardless.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna. “The ambassador is currently waiting in the sitting room in the annex of the central palace. As for Captain Symon, he opted to stay outside the capital to oversee the Blackstone Knights.”

“Hmmm….” Emperor Sylvius stroked his beard. “I wish to speak with Reginald. Bring him to me.”

“I shall summon him immediately, Your Majesty,” said General Lazarus.

After disseminating the orders, the royal guards immediately escorted Reginald Vont to the throne room.

Reginald thoroughly followed the etiquette taught to him by the etiquette instructor. Without making eye contact, he approached the throne and knelt at an appropriate distance.

“I greet the Sun and Moon of the Empire, His Majesty, Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis!”

“Raise your head. Let’s cut the useless trivialities.”

Emperor Sylvius went straight to the point. He didn’t even bother thanking Reginald for the cure for the parasitization, and for sending half a thousand Blackstone Knights as reinforcement for their country.

“Ambassador, Vice Master Fraser here seems to believe that your Lord Knight is stronger than Sword Saint Isaac.”

Reginald’s eyes widened. He bewilderedly gazed at Fraser. The magician was a man of few words, and Reginald didn’t expect Fraser to take their side in this matter.

“Since you’ve sent your knights as reinforcements for our Great Empire, isn’t it only natural that we first test how strong they are? Otherwise, it’ll only be detrimental to utilize them in battle, should they turn out weaker than our soldiers.”

The Emperor said in a domineering voice. “So, how about this? Let’s see who’s stronger between the Lord Knight and Sword Saint Isaac. Consider this an honor. If the Blackstone Knights turned out to be useful, we shall use them in battle, as King Lark wished.”