Chapter 198 - Audience with the Emperor
The airship, pulverized in mid-air by the Skeleton Colossus's bone hand, fell like a teor shower.
It beca fragnts that were unrecognizable as an airship and collided with the ground. In terms of distance, it was a neutral zone closer to the east.
“Hah! I smashed it to pieces!”
“You've worked hard.”
“What do you an, worked hard!”
No. The Fourth Son had worked very hard just now. Just looking at the beads of sweat on his forehead proved it.
If the Skeleton Giant was a hybrid made by finely chopping and connecting Skeleton Soldiers, the Skeleton Colossus was a hybrid made by chopping up a giant.
As such, it required an amount of magical power incomparable to that of a giant.
However, even with that amount of magical power, creating the body of the colossus to move was a great ordeal.
“With all due respect, how much of the colossus have you created so far?”
“Hmm~. I can see your intention, but since it's the Youngest Son, I'll tell you.”
The Fourth Son wiped his sweat with one hand and gently caressed his hip with the other.
That was the answer.
“You must have stayed up nights creating it. Thank you for telling .”
“It's nothing! Compared to you, Youngest Son, I'm getting stronger quite comfortably~.”
“The main body would have been touched if he heard that.”
“Really? Really?”
“Probably.”
Although the clone thought it was unlikely while speaking, he let it slide since he seed happy.
“We will now return.”
“Let's do that~. Well, well, it seems that our family's first victory was achieved by and the Youngest Son, doesn't it? Hahaha!”
“I did nothing, so it can be recorded as the Fourth Son's victory.”
“Hey~. Don't be like that. Is my face getting red?”
The Fourth Son chuckled and grabbed the Clone Son's shoulder.
The return after a victory always had a cool breeze, and the weather, no matter what, seed beautiful.
The sky, where Wisdom's airship and the griffin had disappeared, beca clear again.
However, the land of the neutral zone, stained with fragnts, was not so.
Golem fragnts scattered among the airship fragnts. The lights were not yet extinguished, and the fragnts were vibrating faintly.
***
The mothership had to return to the imperial capital faster than its original patrol schedule.
Forced by the Millesdusk blood relative who called himself an envoy, it turned its bow and landed at the airship landing platform.
The black ship, which had been dragged by the mothership's airships, also landed at the landing platform.
After that, it was put away in the hangar as if it were sothing that shouldn't be seen, but this was a humane treatnt.
“General Raymond will be moving separately, so you will all go with .”
The man in the peacock feather hat, David, stood politely in front of the envoys, just as he had when guiding them to their rooms.
“It is a humble arrangent to accommodate the envoys, but I apologize that this is the only carriage we could prepare on short notice.”
David had brought two carriages.
The Youngest Son got into the front carriage, and the rest, excluding David, naturally got into the one behind.
Clatter— Clatter—
The carriage wheels rolled, and they moved, surrounded by soldiers on both sides.
It would be the first ti for everyone in the imperial capital, but due to the soldiers and the curtains on the windows, there was nothing to see.
Even though they were an envoy, their current appearance was that of a group of criminals being escorted, just without handcuffs.
From the landing platform, they got directly into the carriage, and the curtains were drawn so that they could not see anything outside.
In the following carriage, Kairos asked innocently.
“Are you sure nothing is wrong?”
The Forest Witch smiled faintly from under the brim of her hat. Josephine smiled bitterly as she turned her eyes to the unseen outside.
The blinking crimson eyes behind the sunglasses looked back and forth at the smiling people, excluding himself.
The one who answered was the Head Maid, who had been closing her eyes since earlier, not smiling.
“In a situation involving war, when going as an envoy, it is generally easier to see things as going well as long as you are not tied up.”
“I see. I learned sothing else. By the way, why have you been closing your eyes since earlier?”
“Head Maid. If you're tired, you can get so sleep. We'll stay awake.”
“I'm fine. I'm just morizing the way from the landing platform until now.”
“Ah, aah…. I'm sorry for interrupting.”
“It's fine.”
After her reply, the Head Maid closed her mouth again and remained still as if dead.
It was a little creepy to think that a map was being completed in real-ti in her head right now.
The travel ti was about 30 minutes. The two carriages arrived side by side sowhere and stopped their hooves.
“We have arrived.”
Only after David opened the carriage doors in turn did the second scenery after the landing platform appear.
“This place, one of the entrances to the imperial palace, has been prepared so that only one of the three generals, General Raymond, can enter.”
A storm pattern that seed to be a family symbol was engraved on the main gate, and above it, a rose pattern, the symbol of the Imperial Family, was engraved.
“From now on, the envoys can only enter the imperial palace through this gate.”
“When can we have an audience with His Majesty?”
“General Raymond has entered the palace to find that out, and I will be attending to you until then. Please co inside for now.”
The envoys entered through the main gate.
The ivory-colored castle walls seen from outside the main gate made the word 'majestic' co to mind.
Furthermore, for so reason. I felt it as soon as I got off, but this area was covered in a thick fog.
The Forest Witch instantly sensed that this fog was not normal.
“It's a trap-type barrier. The mont an unpermitted opponent touches the fog, it can be known imdiately, and if desired, an attack can be launched.”
David, who was walking ahead, turned around with a slightly surprised expression.
“To recognize this imdiately. You are truly extraordinary people. In General Raymond's domain, such fog spreads as wide as a cloud.”
It seed the storm pattern seen on the main gate was not just for show.
The envoys walked aimlessly like a fishing boat in a storm. Even then, the Head Maid followed with her eyes closed.
Soon, a mansion as tall as a lighthouse and as wide as a harbor showed its faint outline.
“The fog that must have been uncomfortable will no longer be visible from now on.”
As they crossed the fence and the iron gate that could be called the boundary of the mansion, the fog also disappeared.
“If you have any questions, you can ask now. I will help you as much as I can within my knowledge.”
Those words were enough to stimulate the two curious mbers of the envoy.
“Does the fog we saw earlier reach the sky?”
“It does not reach the clouds.”
“How does the fog work? Is there a separate magitech engine?”
“I cannot give you the details, but it is not magitech, but a special power of the general's family.”
While the two mouths ceaselessly tornted David, the relatively quiet three naturally stuck together.
The Forest Witch said nothing special among the three, and the Head Maid stood behind the Youngest Son and whispered.
“I have finished grasping the entire way from the landing platform. We can get out whenever you want, so just give the word.”
“Thank you for your hard work, but I have no intention of running away.”
“In war, a retreat is not expressed as running away.”
“It would be better if there was no need to retreat.”
The Head Maid just nodded. Because her thoughts would not change with a few words here.
“I plan to contact the on-site agents while the Youngest Son is having an audience with the emperor.”
“You'll have a harder ti than .”
“How could that be? If the task that the Youngest Son has to do in the future were mine, I would have swallowed poison myself.”
“Because you could die without pain?”
“Because of the burden that would be better to die from.”
She finished her words and returned to her original position.
By that ti, the attendant had also escaped from the two after arriving at the mansion.
“While you are staying in the imperial palace as an envoy, you will be staying at General Raymond's residence. We ask for your understanding as this is to ensure your safety.”
The envoys were again guided to their respective rooms and asked to stay inside.
Just as on the mothership, they had blocked off any situation where they could gather their mouths and heads as much as possible.
The Youngest Son, who was left alone again, lay on the bed. Only the room had changed; it was the sa whether in the sky or here.
[Is this your plan? To lie down all day long?]
The Magic Sword clicked its tongue at his listless appearance. But to the listener, it was an unfair remark.
“My plan is already in progress. General Raymond is taking care of it.”
[That human? He looks like he's completely blocked off in the front and back like horse dung.]
“You're not wrong. But that stubbornness will save . That's why I kept circling above the airspace until he ca out himself.”
[...Don't tell you.]
The Magic Sword, who had followed the Youngest Son for a long ti, realized his ploy.
Raymond and the emperor had not yet noticed, and the Youngest Son just raised the corners of his mouth slightly while lying on the bed.
“Raymond is the closest to neutral among the three generals. His stubborn personality applies to the Imperial Family as well. That's good news for strangers like us.”
For the envoy to return, the emperor's refusal was needed instead of a soldier's.
The reason Raymond had listened to the unreasonable demands made in the empire's airspace was because of his stubbornness.
“Raymond's stubbornness will be persuading the emperor. That he has to et .”
Since it was the words of one of the three generals, they could not be easily ignored or postponed.
So, in the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea, an attendant would co through the door they first entered.
Knock, knock—
“Youngest Son. It's attendant David.”
And then he would say.
“His Majesty has granted you an audience.”
***
Although I ca as an envoy, I was alone for the audience with the emperor.
Since I set foot on the empire's land, there were fewer situations where I was not isolated, so I was used to it now.
I was also used to the carriage with all its windows blocked.
The attendant David was the sa, and the imperial palace I quietly entered following his guidance was also the sa.
“The imperial palace is originally divided into bustling places and quiet places. This part is used when hosting esteed guests like the Youngest Son.”
He spouted lies without batting an eyelash. His expression didn't change, and his heart's agitation was minimal.
It ant that this was not a lie he had told once or twice, but a lie he often told.
“There is a space like this in Millesdusk as well. The purpose is a bit different, as it is a space for moving things that should not be discovered by outsiders.”
“Hmm.... I see.”
The space David was guiding to was the imperial palace, but it was empty with no people.
There were no guards, and no one passing by. So the soldier standing over there was also clearly visible.
“I have brought the Youngest Son. I have also guided the envoys to their respective rooms.”
“Well done. David.”
The attendant who had finished his work smiled and stepped aside. So the Youngest Son who was following behind naturally smiled.
“Thank you. General Raymond.”
“...What are you referring to?”
“Isn't it thanks to the general that His Majesty granted the audience sooner?”
“You should be grateful for His Majesty's generosity, not mine. In addition, I have sothing to tell you. The things that you must absolutely comply with in front of His Majesty—”
“I know the miscellaneous etiquette. Not looking him in the eye, not speaking first, and so on. So you can skip that.”
“Please also hand over all your weapons to David.”
The Youngest Son only took off a silver bracelet from his wrist.
“What kind of weapon would a sorcerer have? This is all.”
Raymond narrowed his eyes but soon turned around.
“Your Majesty. The Fifth Son of Millesdusk has co to visit as an envoy.”
The general, who ca from a family that symbolized the storm, had a voice that thundered.
Kuuuuuuuung—
The main gate, on which a rose bush was intricately carved, was pushed open to the left and right.
The emperor's audience chamber was extrely spacious, as befitting an emperor, but it was empty like the places I had passed through so far.
The space was filled with only one thing. The presence of a single person, the emperor.
A human above humans. Such a human above humans.
A person who was naturally a few ranks above the Millesdusk blood relatives was standing alone.
He was not standing on any platform, nor was he sitting on the throne, but his authority did not disappear.
With a red velvet cape on his shoulders and his hands behind his back, he revealed his aged and sunken eyes.
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