Chapter 10
Twitch. Havel’s brows furrowed. With a face that showed some confusion, he looked at the emperor and spoke.
“I heard the king of the Blyos Kingdom recently changed due to a coup. Do they have the resources to send an envoy?”
“They do. Our Empire generously assisted them with supplies during this coup.”
The Blyos Kingdom. Even I, who has little interest in worldly affairs, had heard of that country often.
Beyond the Nophri Mountains to the west of the Empire was a country nestled around the mountains, and that was the Blyos Kingdom.
Though a small kingdom, the Blyos Kingdom couldn’t be considered weak due to the vast mineral resources in the mountains. It was a nation with strong military power and weapons that had repelled all foreign invasions targeting the minerals throughout a history as old as the Empire’s.
It had also maintained friendly relations with the Empire through long-standing trade.
However, the Blyos Kingdom had been very noisy for the past year.
This was because the fifth princess, Lysteria, who was rarely noticed in the imperial family, staged a coup, killed her father, the king, and seized the throne.
I didn’t know the full details, but due to the coup and success of the inconspicuous princess, and the birth of the kingdom’s first queen, the Blyos Kingdom had been quite chaotic until recently.
But to hear that the Empire supplied them with goods? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.
It wasn’t just me who was hearing this for the first time. A flicker of surprise crossed Sir Chent’s face. As for Havel, well, his expression was so unreadable, it was impossible to tell if he knew or not.
The Emperor raised his teacup, took a sip of tea, and continued.
“In any case, the important point is that this time, Princess Daisy, the queen’s younger sister, and Duke Arnold, who received a ducal title for assisting in the coup, are coming to our Empire as envoys. It’s to express gratitude for our help and to ensure smooth trade in the future, something along those lines.”
As the Emperor shrugged and smiled, Havel looked visibly displeased.
“So, why did you call us?”
“So impatient. Why don’t you have some tea first… Yes, yes, I get it. Don’t look at me like that. Whenever you look at me like that, for some reason, even though we share the same blood, you scare me. Don’t you all find the Grand Duke scary too? I’ve never once heard a good rumor about Havel in high society…”
“Your Majesty.”
He had committed the grave sin of daring to interrupt the Emperor’s words, yet no one dared to say anything to Havel.
Even the Emperor himself, after glancing at Havel, let out a cough.
“Ahem, I got a bit sidetracked. The reason I called you is that your role in welcoming this envoy is significant.”
“What exactly do you mean by our role?”
As Sir Chent cautiously asked the Emperor, the Emperor smiled friendly and glanced between me and Sir Chent.
“Our Empire is truly blessed. We have three spirit summoners, beings thought to have disappeared from the continent. So, I was hoping you would personally show the envoy at the welcoming party how great the Empire’s blessings are.”
Ah, so he wants us to put on a spirit show.
This wasn’t the first time such a request had been made. Whenever there was a major imperial event, putting on a magnificent display of nature’s wonders using spirit users and spirits was a kind of annual tradition.
Even though it was an annual event, it didn’t feel good. Spirit users and spirits were emotionally connected, and spirits didn’t like being seen by anyone other than their contractors.
They didn’t like being seen by even one person, so having to reveal themselves and perform their abilities like some trained animals in front of countless people couldn’t possibly make them happy. Naturally, their contractors would also feel down.
Last year, I had to perform at the Empire’s founding anniversary. My spirit, Iggy, felt so humiliated. He didn’t even want to leave the house for a week afterward.
Sigh… And I have to do it again.
Just like me, Sir Chent’s face hardened slightly then relaxed. I also lowered my head to hide my displeased expression.
Just then, as only the Emperor’s cheerful laughter echoed, Havel’s voice rang above my head.
“Wasn’t the Empire’s greatest blessing the powerful military?”
“Huh?”
I lifted my head, wondering what he meant, and saw Havel looking at the Emperor with resolute eyes.
“Didn’t you say that the Empire’s greatest pride and blessing was me? That I am the Empire’s only magic swordsman and the strongest swordsman on the continent? Am I not, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor seemed truly flustered by Havel’s words, his lips twitching.
“No, no, that’s… Why are you bringing that up now? Here?”
“The Empire’s blessing is me, so I’m saying this because you said you’d show others to the envoy.”
If my ears aren’t deceiving me… Is he saying he doesn’t want to lose the show in front of the envoy right now…?
I looked at Sir Chent with disbelieving eyes. He, too, seemed to not understand the situation, looking at Havel with a dumbfounded expression.
Even the Emperor had his mouth agape, while only Havel seriously stared at the Emperor.
For a moment, the Emperor, who had his mouth open as if speechless, looked at me and Sir Chent, then at Havel.
“Are you saying you want me to put you up there instead of them? Did I hear that correctly?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Since the Empire’s blessing is me, I will stand before the envoy. With the Empire’s First Knight Order, I will display the most memorable knight’s swordsmanship on the continent.”
At Havel’s solemn voice, the Emperor’s face drained of color.
I, too, looked at Havel with a face as incomprehensible as the Emperor’s.
So dumbfounded, I turned my head towards Sir Chent, and he was silently mouthing the words I couldn’t utter.
His Highness, he has lost his mind.
The Emperor was speechless for a while, then let out a sigh and said.
“Good grief… Alright, then let’s do that. You, Havel, will be in charge of the small performance at the welcoming banquet for the envoy.”
Really? My eyes widened as I looked at the Emperor. The Emperor looked dumbfounded, but perhaps lacking the confidence to argue with the very serious Havel, he shook his head.
“I think I’m getting a headache”
The Emperor muttered softly, pressing his temple with his index finger, then shifted his gaze to Sir Chent.
“I’m tired, Count Chent, you may leave now. Oh, Lady Ventus, you stay. I have something important to discuss with you.”
I, who was about to rise with Sir Chent, sat back on the sofa. As Sir Chent left the office, the Emperor took his hand off his temple and looked at me.
“Lady, you are a high-ranking fire spirit summoner, aren’t you?”
“Yes? Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have a favor to ask of you. More precisely, it’s a request from Duke Crowde of the Blyos Kingdom.”
Duke Crowde? Who is he? I’ve never even heard the name. What could he possibly want from me? At my questioning gaze, the Emperor cleared his throat and continued.
“I don’t know all the details, but according to them, Duke Crowde’s mother was a fire spirit summoner. His mother died in a sudden accident, and her remaining belongings are sealed with spirit magic. I’m not very familiar with spirit magic… Anyway, they said they need the help of a spirit summoner of the same element to unseal it. Is that right?”
Sealed with spirit magic… That was possible. Unlike ordinary locking spells, it was a terrifying sealing art that would cause the person to burst into flames if one tried to forcibly open it.
But can a spirit user of the same element unseal it? I had never heard of such a thing.
“Sealing with spirit magic is possible, but I’m not entirely sure if another spirit user can unseal it. I can offer my help, but please understand that it might not work.”
“Yes, well, they’ll understand that. When Duke Crowde arrives, meet with him privately and talk. And Havel.”
The Emperor, seemingly finished with me, cast his gaze to Havel. As I followed his gaze, I met Havel’s eyes and was startled, lowering my gaze.
Why is he staring like that?
Havel, who had been staring at me with an inscrutable, expressionless face, lowered his gaze slightly and withdrew his eyes from me. Havel turned his body slightly towards the Emperor.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you remember Princess Daisy?”
The question had nothing to do with me. Princess Daisy was also a name I was hearing for the first time. But for some reason, the moment the Emperor’s question came out, Havel’s gaze lingered on me briefly.
“I don’t remember.”
“You don’t? There’s no way you wouldn’t, is there? She was your fiancée at one point.”
Fiancée? My pupils widened for a moment at the word, which seemed utterly unfitting for Havel.
The Grand Duke had a fiancée? This is the first I’m hearing of it… No, no matter how detached I am from high society, I would have heard news of the Grand Duke’s fiancée.
I’d heard countless rumors that the Grand Duke didn’t associate with women, but the existence of a fiancée was truly news to me.
As I stared with surprised eyes, Havel’s eyes met mine for a very brief moment.
“I. Do. Not. Re. Mem. Ber.”
Spitting out each word like venom, he resembled a growling beast.The raw emotion in his voice and his cold face brought dismay to the Emperor’s face.
Why is he so angry…?
It wasn’t just the Emperor who was confused. I, too, felt inwardly bewildered because I couldn’t understand why he was angry.
The Emperor, looking at Havel with a bewildered gaze, shook his head and let out a deep sigh, leaning back into the sofa.
“Yes, perhaps you wouldn’t remember. Come to think of it, it was more like an engagement discussion than an actual engagement. Hmm… Still, Havel, even if you don’t remember, that princess seems to remember you. So, when the envoy arrives this time, I’d like you to entertain Princess Daisy. Show her around the capital.”
“I’m busy.”
A sharp refusal echoed in the office, and silence fell.
