Episode 188 The Imperial Palace (2)
The Fifth Princess's Palace, located in a corner of the imperial palace.
It was only natural to greet your parents after returning home or the homeowner after visiting their house.
But if the other party was the Emperor of the Empire, even that wouldn't end with just a simple greeting.
In that sense, a luncheon with its complicated procedures and demanding etiquette was inevitably a troublesome and stifling event for those who weren't used to it.
"Ugh, I hate those kinds of events. I just want to eat comfortably. Do I really have to go?"
And in the hero party, Harley, the manly barbarian warrior, was exactly that case.
"Hmm…"
"Definitely…"
Not only Isea, who had spent a considerable amount of time with him, but even Riley, who had only been with him for a short time, nodded seriously.
The image of him tearing apart griffin meat was still vividly etched in their minds.
His usual personality, speech, and even his fashion were so unconventional that he simply didn't fit in formal settings.
"…Actually, it'll be fine even if only the Saint goes as the representative. It's not something I should say, but the three of us feel a bit like sidekicks."
Isea lightly shrugged and spoke nonchalantly after briefly exchanging glances with Riley.
"After all, our situations are different from the Saint's, who's irreplaceable. But they're treating us with respect, considering his reputation."
And Harley, who was completely unaffiliated, unlike the other two who were at least nobles, lacked so-called 'class'.
He probably wouldn't have even been able to enter the imperial palace if it hadn't been for his position as a member of the expedition.
"Ah— Then I'll also excuse myself."
Geos chimed in, as if he had been waiting for her to say that.
He was also a noble of the Lesque Kingdom, but he wasn't used to such events because he had been subtly ostracized for being a commoner.
And he hadn't even met his own king that often because he was indifferent to politics.
Of course, Hesperon, who was just tagging along, wasn't even considered in the first place.
"So we can eat comfortably? Honestly, I'm curious about the imperial palace chefs' skills, so this is great! Hahaha!"
"Yes, I'll inform my personal chef. You'll be able to eat whatever you want."
In the end, it was decided that only Heinrich, Riley, and Isea would attend the luncheon with the Emperor.
And as they left to prepare, Harley and Hesperon naturally approached Geos and started talking casually.
"Now then, shall we go? I wonder what the meat tastes like in the imperial palace?"
"Oh! It's my first time eating fine dining in this world, so I'm really excited. Of course, I've been eating various things with my ability, but still."
"Come to think of it, you said you came from another world?"
"That's right. But you can speak comfortably, brother! Just call me Heron. Ah, can I call you brother?"
"Hahaha—! You're a straightforward guy, huh? Then let's do that, Heron!"
"Wow~ To think I have such an awesome brother, I feel so safe!"
The two of them were chatting excitedly, exchanging compliments.
It was actually a one-man show of brotherhood, considering the reality, but on the surface, it looked perfectly normal.
"Ah, Sir Geos, you can also call him Heron comfortably. Wow~ It's a good thing I met such great people as soon as I came out. Hahaha!"
"…Alright, Heron."
And naturally, the reason they were acting like this was because of Geos Calkin, who was standing right next to them.
'I need to get him and Hesperon closer.'
Geos had cautiously brought something up to Heinrich before they moved here from the Rohan Duchy.
That there was someone he knew who had claimed to be an otherworlder, and that he might be able to obtain some information from him.
'From what he said, it seems like he's been in this world for at least twenty years. If that's true… then he's a settler who gave up on returning.'
Settler.
It referred to those who gave up on accumulating Karma points and returning to Earth, those who completely settled in another world…
It was a path sometimes chosen by those who didn't have much attachment to Earth and had grown more attached to this place.
Naturally, he had only indirectly heard about them.
In a way, this was a good opportunity to meet one in person and obtain information.
'As an Earthling who just came to another world. In that sense, it's best for Geos, who's a close acquaintance, to introduce Hesperon directly.'
Of course, it wouldn't be difficult for Heinrich to meet him, but the range of questions he could ask as an awakened one from Earth was on a different level from what he could ask as a Saint of this world.
"Now then, let's stop doing this and go eat some meat! I'm starving!"
"Hahaha! Brother, it hasn't even been two hours since you had meat as a snack. Ah, come on, Sir Geos!"
East or West, a meal together was the best way to build camaraderie.
Harley, the rough and wild barbarian, and Hesperon, the tactless and innocent young man, confidently headed towards the dining hall.
With Geos, who was following them with a dubious expression, sandwiched between them.
____________________
Gario Carte Azeria, the current Emperor of the Empire.
He was a man nearing sixty, with faded blond hair and intense green eyes, giving off a more warrior-like impression than that of a scholar.
"You must be tired from your long journey. I've heard about your hard work in protecting the world, but I'm ashamed that I'm only greeting you now. And you even rescued Princess Riley this time."
"Not at all. Everyone knows how busy Your Majesty is. It's also a very important task to keep this vast empire stable in this turmoil."
Naturally, a luncheon with the Emperor of the Azeria Empire, the largest force in Auterica, and the Saint of the Main God Church wouldn't just be about eating.
It was more relaxed because Heinrich was here as the leader of the expedition, not as a representative of the Church, but if it hadn't been for that, the suffocating tension would have made it difficult to even think about eating.
'Ugh— Should I have just excused myself? I came because I thought I could be of help to Riley, but… how can I eat in this atmosphere?!'
Of course, the current situation wasn't a good environment for eating either.
Isea inwardly lamented and subtly gauged the mood, picking at her food.
She wasn't in the mood to eat, but she couldn't just sit there blankly while everyone else was eating.
"Viscount Isea Pristine."
At that moment, her body stiffened.
She was momentarily flustered by the Emperor's sudden call, even though she hadn't done anything wrong, as she was already tense.
But it only lasted for a split second.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Command me."
She might have been an ordinary girl on Earth, but she was now an Archmage who had surpassed mastery and was knocking on the door of transcendence.
Her nervousness was just because of her 'high school student Isea' ego, and as soon as the situation arose, her mind calmed down, and she was able to objectively observe the situation from a step back.
"Things have been hectic, so I'm only mentioning it now. The Empire was able to save face thanks to your efforts. You'll receive good news soon after the situation calms down. So I'll be counting on you in the future."
He was talking about her joining the hero party as the Saint's comrade and actively working.
It was something she had done out of necessity to save Riley, but there was no need to refuse a reward.
"I'm honored, Your Majesty. I was just doing what I had to do."
The Emperor nodded slightly at her humble words and then turned his gaze to Riley.
His stern expression momentarily wavered as he looked at her, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke to her calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"It's good that you're back, Princess Riley. You must have been through a lot."
"…Thank you, Your Majesty."
"But there's something I want to ask…"
The conversation was stiff for a father and daughter who were meeting after a long time.
It didn't seem like it was just because it was a formal occasion, as they were talking naturally, as if they were used to it.
The question the Emperor asked was naturally one that anyone would be curious about.
It was how she was able to escape 'alone'.
'It's definitely an issue that can't be easily glossed over. It's a difficult case to understand.'
Heinrich nodded inwardly and slowly sliced his steak with a knife.
If it hadn't been the Saint who rescued the princess this time, it wouldn't have been easy for her to regain her position.
Actually, her political rivals were spreading all sorts of rumors, even though they couldn't openly act because of the Saint's influence.
That she was a fake who transformed into the princess, that she was planning to unleash a deadly curse hidden in her body in the middle of the leadership, that she had already been brainwashed and become the Immortal King's pawn.
They were all based on the assumption that Hans had deliberately released her.
"I was able to escape solely thanks to the abilities of another person who was imprisoned with me. I wouldn't have even dreamed of escaping without him. I was just lucky to be next to him."
She calmly started to explain the situation.
The Crown Prince, who lost contact with her after being imprisoned, the man with special abilities who appeared, the magic lessons that followed, and the sudden hope.
Of course, she deliberately omitted the conflict she had with the Crown Prince.
There was no need to mention it and create unnecessary trouble.
"Hmm—"
The Emperor closed his eyes tightly after she finished, letting out a heavy sigh.
He had hoped otherwise, but judging by her words, there was practically no possibility of the Crown Prince escaping the same way.
And he didn't think there was a way to exploit that.
Princess Riley's escape was a combination of various factors, filled with coincidence and luck.
It was a slim possibility that shouldn't have happened.
But since it had actually happened, he couldn't just deny it.
When coincidence became inevitability, and a probability so small that it shouldn't have been possible manifested in reality…
…We usually called it 'fate'.
Swoosh—
The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze towards Heinrich.
"…Come to think of it, the second Continental Summit is soon."
"That's right. It's less than two weeks away."
He was busy these days because of the hero party, but he was still receiving news from the Church.
He had even heard that the Saintess was being overworked because of it.
"I'll be sending Fifth Princess Riley as the representative of the Azeria Empire's envoy."
The Emperor continued in a calm tone.
The second and sixth princes had been vying for the position, with Crown Prince Simon and Princess Riley kidnapped, but…
Now that she was back, it was all meaningless.
'Finally…!'
Riley and Isea clenched their fists simultaneously.
It was just a position as an envoy, but it was something the Emperor himself had said in the presence of the Saint of the Main God Church.
It naturally had a greater meaning than just the words themselves.
The moment Riley's war, which had been in a temporary ceasefire, resumed— it started to destroy her competitors' camps.