124 – Imperial Family (4)
Entering into the system itself was not difficult. Of course, the checkpoint to enter the city was crowded with carriages and people.
First of all, aren’t these academy students who have received a call from the imperial family and are heading towards the system?
Of course, there was no need to use the passageway where ordinary citizens or peddlers came and went.
What I learned thanks to Eve, who diligently explained things to me.
It is said that in most large cities, there is a separate castle gate that is often used by high-ranking nobles.
Once again, I realized that this is a continent with a caste system.
Of course, as someone who was directly enjoying the advantages of the caste system, I was not particularly reluctant about it.
After all, comfort is the most important thing. Long live the caste system?
‘Anyway, it’s a really great castle, this too.’
When I got off the carriage after a not-so-long carriage ride, the first thing I could look up at was, of course, the castle. The imperial castle.
First of all, having to ‘look up’ at it was the same as the castle wall outside.
Of course, the only place my eyes can reach is the gate at the end of the bridge that crosses the moat.
The magnificent outer wall was visible from outside the city, and the inside could not yet be glimpsed.
‘I don’t know for sure, but it feels like I’m surrounded by some kind of magic.’
Now that I’ve come to terms with it, it’s been a while since I’ve been living in this world, so it seems like I’ve gained some insight into distinguishing between magic power and mana.
That’s how it seemed.
Should I call it a palace? Anyway, it is the space within this imperial castle rooted on a slightly sloping hill in the center of the city…….
It really seemed worthy of the grandiose adjective, ‘the safest place on the continent.’
Should we literally call it Cheolongsanseong Fortress?
I had a feeling, but at that level, even if I hit the lightning properly, it didn’t seem like it would break through easily.
According to Eve’s explanation, it seems that from the time the castle was built hundreds of years ago until now, more than ten great wizards have taken turns strengthening the outer walls and repairing the barrier.
In theory, even if the demon archduke descends directly on you, you can easily withstand it.
‘Instead, the city will be destroyed.’
Well, if such a demon were to appear in this city and not anywhere else, the empire would also be in the midst of collapsing.
I thought it was an assumption that I didn’t need to think about.
“…… “Welcome to my house, junior Dante.”
Anyway, we arrived at the island without incident, and entered the castle without incident.
Contrary to expectations, there was no lengthy welcome ceremony.
We’ll probably see something like that around the time the full-scale celebration ceremony begins, but that doesn’t mean we’re saying that the treatment isn’t good.
On the contrary, considering their status as students, the treatment was so polite and generous that it felt burdensome.
After all, it is an imperial castle. It was natural, but for me, who was not used to being treated like a nobleman, let alone other people, I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.
No, it’s nice to be treated well.
‘If you think about it, almost all of these people were nobles. It’s a bit new, though.’
When a thought suddenly occurred to me, I looked around and saw that, except for me, everyone else seemed not at all burdened by Hwangseong’s sincere hospitality.
Of the thirty-two people on Yeongsan Mountain, only a few, including myself, were pure commoners.
Not only Grisha, who came from a famous family, but even Beatrice, who wasn’t born into the nobility, was chatting with someone naturally in the world.
And the content of the conversation can be heard sporadically, and surprisingly, the identity of the other person appears to be the Minister of Religion of the Empire.
Even as I flinched slightly at her strangely realistic position, Beatrice continued to exchange words with her in her business-like manner.
‘I really feel the importance of status all over again. ‘This is a very uncomfortable space.’
I muttered this to myself and effortlessly sank into the luxurious chair that happened to be next to me.
It could be said that it was an effort to somehow blend into the atmosphere.
Anyway, to explain later, we were guided into a so-called reception room.
The interior we arrived at after passing through the maze-like corridors and passages of the imperial castle.
However, the living room I had imagined did not have this feeling. To put it bluntly, Tsumei’s dean’s office was just the right size.
What can I say about this? Wouldn’t it be safe to say that it is a handmade small banquet hall?
It goes without saying that there are sophisticated and gorgeous furniture and decorations. The interior itself was rectangular and stretched out, and although it must have been a space to rest for a while, strangely enough, it was very comfortable.
Other students are already spread out here and there, taking a break in different ways…….
‘This looks really pretty. ‘How on earth did you make the dragon-shaped cookies?’
The various foods and snacks that seem to have been put in our students’ mouths to keep them from getting bored are so wasteful that they are thrown away, so I glance at them several times for no reason.
I melted away my fatigue by neatly chewing and swallowing a cute cookie that resembled Tsumei(?).
The carriage ride wasn’t particularly hard, so I didn’t even feel particularly tired.
“Hmm.”
It was at that time that I suddenly heard a voice in my ear that seemed to release its voice.
“Junior, I’m back.”
Before I could even turn my head, I heard a name that naturally identified the owner of the voice.
Eve was there.
“You came sooner than I thought.”
“Of course, I said it wouldn’t take long.”
Stopping me as I was about to get up, Eve swooped over to my side and smoothly took the seat next to me.
About 30 minutes ago, that is, when we had just arrived at the imperial castle?
After Eve and Lucius confirmed that we had entered the drawing room, they left for a moment, not for anything else but to have an audience with the emperor.
It looks like he wasn’t held longer than expected.
Judging by the fact that his expression wasn’t particularly dark, it didn’t seem like his relationship with his father was that bad.
‘You never know.’
That was a question I couldn’t be certain about until I saw the emperor in person.
This is not just something to say. Because there really was a good reason.
‘Which one is it?’
In other words, the imperial family ultimately refers to the emperor’s family and clan. Of course, the leader had to be the emperor.
In addition, El Pale was the only empire on this continent, so in fact, the peak of all countries was also the emperor.
But, the problem arises right here.
Should we say it is a bit of a dark side of the imperial family?
Of course, since it is a power that is the main axis of the world view, if this imperial family has a lot to hide, it tends to be a lot.
The Academy is like that, the East is like that, and the Gucheon (九泉) and the northern snowy area are like that.
‘The emperor is the most likely.’
To put it simply, without going into circles, ‘someone’ in the imperial family is related to the devil of the heavens.
Along with the Dragon Emperor, it is a connection point with the Three Kings, who can safely be said to be the final bosses of the world.
In other words, the devil’s contractor.
Magic Man.
I thought to myself, looking at Eve, who was just smiling brightly, what could be so fun?
I wonder who became the imperial demon in this world.
What is certain is that in more than 80% of the episodes I have experienced so far, the emperor was the shadowy figure.
A hidden truth that may be obvious, but it also tastes like cliché.
There is no need to be wary of Eve, of course, as she can be said to be the main character, but the Emperor is different.
It can be said that the probability is undoubtedly high.
…… But.
“But senior.”
I had this thought in my mind a little bit, even if it was just a feeling. Possibly not the emperor.
In other words, about the possibility that ‘royal family members other than the emperor’ are the devil’s contractors.
Once again, there is no such thing as confirmation, but…
“Where is the student council president? I don’t think you came back together… ….”
Still, I brought this up in hopes of finding clues to the speculation, which had no basis whatsoever.
Dear Eve, about my brother.
*****
The second prince of the empire, and the student council president of the academy.
Lucius Romaneia el Pale.
At first, I was just surprised by the level of magic he had achieved, and since there were not many things to directly relate to, I didn’t pay much attention to him.
But isn’t [Imperial House] Now a situation where it has emerged as the main episode?
Naturally, I had no choice but to turn my attention.
In addition, considering the original story of Lucius, who did not appear at all after graduation.
‘If there’s an award, it’s the most award-winning.’
For me, he is someone I cannot help but put on the list of suspects.
If you’re an archmage, it’s definitely easier to make a contract with the devil…….
‘Hmm.’
In fact, it is impossible not to be suspicious. Is that a situation like that? Most of the circumstances pointed to Lucius as a person involved with the devil.
Yes, it was definitely like that.
Nevertheless, the reason for the strange feeling was really nothing special.
‘It doesn’t seem like something is right. ‘I’m not sure.’
To be honest, I don’t think Lucius is really a magic person.
It was just how I felt.
We haven’t really had a deep conversation, we just exchanged greetings a few times.
Still, I must say that I want to believe in the upright character of Lucius that I have seen.
‘…… I feel a little embarrassed saying this. ‘What do you want to believe in?’
I realized later that the thought that came to me in an instant was an embarrassing feeling.
I cleared my throat briefly and turned my head.
“Junior, junior.”
At that moment, Eve was also looking at me and gesturing out the window.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Then, as promised, shall we go? Island Tourism.”
“Yep.”
There was no reason to refuse, so I nodded right away.
Anyway, a promise is a promise.
However, it was a bit disappointing that we didn’t hear much about Lucius through Eve.
I’m not saying that Eve is hiding something.
Just thinking about what she told me, nothing particularly stood out.
Well, of course it is.
Lucius, who had gone to see the emperor with Eve, was said to be meeting others in the imperial castle, which was actually an obvious story.
Of course, what else is there for a prince to do when he comes to the imperial castle?
Other than that, there wasn’t much of a concern in the everyday stories related to Lucius.
It would be more appropriate to say that it is just a normal, natural, sibling relationship that is closer(?) Than you might think.
Anyway, that was all I could know right away.
I have no choice but to investigate the rest slowly.
‘I hope I can find out something during my stay in the imperial castle.’
Of course, the time spent in the imperial castle would not be as long as in Yeongsan, but it would still be good if I could find even a small clue during that period.
Once we find the demon within the imperial family, the rest will be much easier.
But that wasn’t the priority right now either.
At that point, I shook off my thoughts and went to Eve’s side.
“Shall we stop by the central square first? Junior, have you ever heard of the ‘thousand-branch fountain of the system’?”
She naturally grabbed my wrist in an uncharacteristically excited manner, but she soon led me away chattering to herself, making it seem like she was clearly planning on using this day for sightseeing.
I felt a little worried, but I wondered if something was wrong.
Eve said that the full-scale congratulatory ceremony and small banquet will begin tomorrow, so there will be no problem if you rest comfortably for today.
Anyway, with that thought in mind, I was about to head back to the imperial castle I had just entered.
“Hmm?”
Near the castle gate, a guy whose face I couldn’t see was standing there.
At that moment, she blinked her eyes as if she recognized me.
“What, are you going to leave too?”
I casually walked up to her side and started talking to her.
And in response to my question, Beatrice nodded her head hesitantly and parted her lips.
“First of all, I found the system after almost half a year. I also have to stop by the church headquarters. I also gave a few greetings to His Holiness the Pope and his subordinates…….”
“Aha.”
“And what about you?”
I nodded as if I understood, and this time Beatrice asked a question. You seemed to be asking what else you were going out for.
So I tried to answer by pointing to Eve next to me.
“…… “Oh, wait a minute.”
“Huh?”
For some reason, Beatrice held out her palm and blocked my answer.
And I would like to add.
“As expected, it’s okay. “I kind of know it, so there’s no need to say it.”
“…… ?”
He said. She wanted to know what she was asking, but he was so assertive that she decided to just shrug.
Beatrice just said something else.
“You know, Dante. “It’s nothing special, I’m just saying it.”
With an unusual hesitation, he strangely looked at me and Eve. Why is he like this?
“Later, when I finish my work at the church.”
“Uh, why?”
From noble mtl dot com
I nodded and asked back, and without knowing why, Beatrice seemed to feel some unreasonable pressure from him and flinched slightly and glanced at me.
“… So, with me too….”
He speaks, but his voice is quiet. Since he couldn’t hear well, he slightly tilted his head, and Beatrice lowered her head with a bright red complexion.
Why is he really like this?
“Well, me too, de, de, de…” ….”
De?
“…… Place!”
De!
“Let’s just play together. “I will introduce you to the church headquarters and temple.”
“Ah.”
Beatrice finally says what she was going to say.
Why did you hesitate so much to say this?
“Okay, then I’ll go first! “His Holiness will be waiting.”
Besides my new questions, Beatrice left without even hearing the answer.
Incredibly fast! But I haven’t answered yet.
‘Of course it doesn’t matter.’
It was an unfamiliar reaction for some reason, but I looked back at Eve with a smile and a sigh at the strangely fitting attitude.
I was thinking of suggesting that we go out now.
“…… Hmm.”
However.
I don’t know why, but Eve was also making an expression that I had never seen before.
If I were to explain it, should I say that it has narrowed eyes, a blurry gaze, narrowed eyebrows, and an overall interesting look?
I was taken aback by that expression that I couldn’t really put into words.
“Ah.”
Of course, as if that didn’t matter, Eve immediately turned to me and nodded her head.
She smiled like usual again.
“Then shall we go, junior?”
“Ah, yes.”
And as Eve goes ahead, I follow. Anyway, I was in a position to be guided.
“I didn’t know, but junior Beatrice is also really cute. “I didn’t expect to get that kind of reaction.”
“That kind of reaction?”
“Yes, you’re jealous, right? That one. “It was so cute.”
“??”
Jealousy? Who? Who? Richie me or Eve?
“…… Well, I’m just saying this. “I think I often hear that my junior doesn’t know how women feel.”
“Senior?”
I was suddenly cursed, but anyway, I followed Eve with a question mark in my mind.
First, tour the islands starting with what she said, ‘the thousand fountains of the islands.’
You sequentially tour the four districts divided around the Imperial Palace, famous tourist attractions throughout them, and enjoy gourmet tours in between.
Among them, the most memorable one would be the ‘Heart of the Evil Dragon Bahamut’ seen at the Imperial Museum.
In addition, there were quite a few objects and places directly related to the fall of the dragons, so I enjoyed it.
In short, did it feel like a pilgrimage to a holy place?
More than anything, it was surprising that the evil dragon’s dragon heart was kept in the hands of humans.
Because that was information I really didn’t know.
A simple but standard tourist route. It really felt like it suited Eve’s personality, and my overall rating was a perfect 10.
Of course, out of 10.
To put it simply, it was a very satisfying tour.
It would be a good idea to say thank you to Eve.
What is with all those mcdonalds adds!!! I’m starving here damnit 👹👹👹