Emperor (1)
Everyone in the arena held their breath and bowed.
Zeke also forced his creaking body to move and prostrated himself.
‘Why is he coming out from there…?’
The Emperor's sudden appearance was unexpected.
It was unusual enough for high-ranking nobles to attend a mere children's sparring match, but the big boss of the Empire had shown up.
This scene was not part of Zeke's calculations at all.
‘Hmm, but then, that means he's Ilios's father……. Is he going to try to save that guy?’
Zeke imagined a scene where he had painstakingly taken down a troublesome opponent, only for the parent to step in and shout that their child had done nothing wrong.
Zeke examined the Emperor with narrowed eyes.
Although his age had slightly dimmed his radiance, his golden hair and eyes, reminiscent of gold, attested to his noble lineage.
Deep-set eyes and a stubborn jawline.
Though not particularly large in stature, he possessed an aura of aloofness befitting the Emperor who ruled the Empire.
He glanced around and then stopped his gaze at Duke Yohaiden.
"Haha, Duke Yohaiden is doing something unusual this time. Gathering the nobles and heading to the academy."
"Ahem……. Your Majesty, that is……."
"I know. That your daughter entered the academy this year. You become a different person whenever your daughter is mentioned."
Duke Yohaiden blushed with shame.
"And the Captain of the Royal Knights."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Captain of the Royal Knights knelt on one knee and responded with a respectful posture.
"I couldn't help but be curious when I heard that you used one of your three vacation days a year to come here. So, was it worth coming here?"
"Yes! It was!"
"Haha. If you say so, then it must be. Tell me about it later. I'm looking forward to it."
"Yes! I understand!"
The Emperor burst into laughter.
Zeke's mind raced.
‘Ah, I see. So, he came in person to keep an eye on what the Duke is doing behind the scenes.’
Indeed, from the Emperor's perspective, it must have been unsettling that the Duke, whose family even the Emperor couldn't ignore, had gathered the nobles.
Furthermore, the Captain of the Royal Knights had even used his vacation days to come to the same place.
He couldn't just stay put in the palace.
‘That aside, I wonder what he's going to do.’
The Emperor, who had been nodding his head in agreement, finally turned his gaze towards…
The First Prince, Ilios Leonine.
His buttocks were soaked as he could no longer avoid Rosnante's urine due to the Emperor's appearance.
"First Prince, Ilios Leonine."
“……Yo, Your Majesty……."
"I'm truly disappointed by this incident. Using your power to commit corruption in an evaluation that should be fair……. And at the Ramiel Academy, no less."
“……Th, that is!"
"Don't tell me you think that the student sparring match you tainted is a trivial matter."
Ilios bit his lip, his head bowed.
"Our ancestors decreed that Ramiel Academy should be a place of equality. That means even members of the imperial family should learn to see the world and people from the perspective of commoners! How dare you use your power to make a daughter of a Count's family do such a dirty thing!?"
“…….”
"Ilios. You will take responsibility for this incident, apologize to all the students, and leave the academy."
“Yo, Your Majesty! I, I'll apologize to the students as much as you want! But……!”
Ilios looked at the Emperor with pleading eyes.
Ramiel Academy was a gathering place for the children of many high-ranking nobles.
It was a necessary step to build connections and plan for the future to become the Crown Prince.
Restoring his tarnished reputation due to this incident might be a difficult task, but…
At least if he remained in the academy, he was confident that he could rise again, unlike Rosnante.
He could handle anything but being expelled from the academy. Anything but that!
"Hmm……. No, I can't allow it. You must leave the academy."
The Emperor coldly shook his head despite Ilios's desperate plea.
At first glance, it might seem like the Emperor was being strict even with his own bloodline, but Zeke could see it clearly.
That Emperor was gauging the reactions of the nobles.
‘Like father, like son. He's a cunning snake.’
If there had been even the slightest support for the First Prince among the nobles present, the Emperor wouldn't have made the decision to expel Ilios.
However, with the Duke, Marquis, and even the Count expressing their anger towards him…
It was actually detrimental for the Emperor to keep Ilios in the academy.
However, the Emperor's scheming nature was beneficial for Zeke.
If the Emperor had been a doting father like Duke Yohaiden and shielded Ilios, things would have become much more troublesome.
As if to signal that the matter was settled, the Emperor shifted his gaze.
His eyes then landed on another son who was awkwardly prostrating himself.
The Second Prince, Rosnante Leonine.
"Rosnante Leonine."
"Yes! Your Majesty! Have! You been! Well!!!!"
Thud!
Rosnante slammed his head on the ground and offered a rough greeting.
Even the Emperor couldn't help but be flustered.
"Ye, yes……. I've been well. You're……. Still energetic and……. Hmm, healthy."
It was clear that he had forced out those words because he had nothing else to say, but it was enough to make Rosnante's heart flutter.
‘Th, the Emperor saw me!! He even! Praised me!?’
Rosnante had been treated as almost non-existent among the three princes.
Of course, the Emperor's duties were so busy and numerous that it was difficult for him to find time to care for his children individually, but…
Still, unlike the First and Third Princes, who had private audiences with the Emperor once or twice a year…
Rosnante was summoned only once every few years, so his emotions were amplified.
"Hmm, what have you learned at the academy?"
It was a light greeting, like a parent casually asking, "How are your studies going?", but Rosnante quickly racked his brain.
‘This is my chance. I need to make a deep impression on His Majesty. I can do it, Rosnante! But, what am I good at…?’
After a moment of silence, Rosnante lifted his head and exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
"I learned swordsmanship! Here! I realized my shortcomings and I'm striving! Striving hard! I've realized with my body why Your Majesty sent me to the academy!!"
"Hmm……. You lost alone today……. Rosnante."
"Soi……. Shh! Be quiet. Why is she being so blunt today? And even for that Rosnante, address him with the proper title!"
Soi and Iriel were prostrating side by side.
Iriel nudged Soi's side.
Soi was the one who had consumed the most bread that she had baked.
The Emperor nodded hesitantly.
"Uh, uhm, I see. Keep working hard."
"Yes! My best, effort, perseverance! I will uphold the Empire's honor even if it costs me my soul!"
"Ye, yes……."
The Emperor, feeling strangely pressured after adding a word, hurriedly ended the conversation.
And then, he finally turned to the person he wanted to talk to the most.
"You are Zeke Clayman, I presume."
- It's you, you bastard.
As Zeke grasped the Emperor's personality, he felt as if the Emperor's true intentions were whispering in his ear.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
- It's me, you bastard.
"Hmm, this incident was quite interesting."
- Did you really have to go this far?
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
- Yeah, keep an eye on your kid.
A faint wrinkle appeared on the Emperor's forehead.
He assessed Zeke.
Zeke Clayman.
This man had recently gained a unique notoriety, reaching even the Emperor's ears despite not being part of the academy.
He was connected to both Duke Yohaiden and Duke Eustia.
He was an instructor at the academy who had saved the daughters of both families and earned the title of benefactor.
‘And it's highly likely that this guy was the one who informed us about the Lost Hope.’
Duke Yohaiden had tried to keep his existence a secret, but…
A nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
While gathering information about the Lost Hope from various sources, the Emperor realized that something was missing.
Furthermore, it was too unnatural for Duke Yohaiden, who should have been busy in his territory, to suddenly gather the nobles and attend an academy event just to watch his daughter's match.
As he eliminated the surrounding individuals through the process of elimination, the person who emerged was Zeke Clayman.
Although the Emperor used the Duke's excuse as a pretext for his visit, the person he truly wanted to see was this man.
'Depending on what kind of person he is, I need to change my strategy. He's backed by two Dukedoms, so if he becomes an enemy, he'll be the biggest headache.'
Of course, he wasn't pleased that Ilios, a strong candidate for the Crown Prince, had been dragged down to this extent, but… that was a separate issue.
‘I need to check him out.’
"Well, I will handle Ilios's matter sternly. However, it's a shame. I arrived just a moment ago. So I missed the swordsmanship the students had prepared. Do you have anything else to show me?"
- Let's see how great your swordsmanship is.
"Yes. I have a sparring match scheduled with Instructor Dios."
"Oh! That's wonderful!"
Dios's face turned pale at those words.
"However, I have a request. Would it be alright if I spoke my mind?"
"Hmm……? A request? Go ahead."
"Yes, all of my students have trained diligently for today."
“……I see.”
"Among them, there is a girl who has trained alone for days and nights without sleep for her father who is attending today."
"Oh, who is that……?"
"It's the daughter of Duke Yohaiden, Selena Yohaiden. Would it be alright if I changed my scheduled sparring match with Instructor Dios Redwood to a guided sparring match with Selena Yohaiden?"
Duke Yohaiden's face brightened at Zeke's words.
‘Oh! Zeke Clayman! As expected, you had a plan!’
He rummaged through his pockets for the video recording device but was slapped on the shoulder by his wife.
However, the Emperor's face was slightly furrowed.
‘Hmm, I want to see this guy's skills……. But I can't ignore the doting father next to me.’
If the person requesting the change in schedule had been a child from another noble family, the Emperor could have refused without any problem.
However, Duke Yohaiden was someone even the Emperor found difficult to ignore.
Zeke spoke in a low voice, audible only to the Emperor who was lost in thought.
─ I will show you my skills later by sparring with the Captain of the Royal Knights. It wouldn't be beneficial for Your Majesty to reveal my swordsmanship in front of so many nobles.
‘This guy……!?’
The Emperor's eyes widened at the words that seemed to read his mind.
‘Is he that confident…….’
Indeed, if someone with excessive power were to be revealed and the nobles were to approach him, it would become a headache for the Emperor.
Furthermore, this guy was already connected to the Duke's family.
‘Ugh, I have no choice.’
"Sigh……. Alright, I can't refuse Duke Yohaiden's expectations. Let's do that. But……. Where is Duke Yohaiden's daughter? I should be able to recognize her if she still resembles her childhood appearance……."
The Emperor looked around at the prostrating students but couldn't find the characteristic silver hair.
"She's coming now."
Selena arrived at the training ground late, panting.
"Instructor! I'm here……! Huh……?"
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