Dropping down to one knee, Leo looked towards Julien with a wicked smile on his face as he knew that the words coming out of his mouth next were bound to put Julien in a tough spot.
"My liege, neither do I want riches, nor do I wish for land…. What I wish for is something else, something only you can grant, but at the same time something that might be a little difficult for you to grant ...." Leo said, talking in riddles as he knew that he had the attention of the entire Grand Arena on himself at the moment.
"Something that only the Emperor can grant but something that is difficult for him to grant? What could that be?"
"Huh? What does The Boss want… Why is he talking in riddles… I can't wait to find out what it is, but his words are confusing me"
"Doesn't want land? That boy is a fool. With 100 acres of land you can farm enough wheat to feed an entire housing colony or a small village.
You can be set for life you fool"
"100? You're stupid, it's the Emperor granting the request…. You can easily ask for 1000 acres of land"
"1000? Pfft…. You can ask for an entire county, you idiots. Have you forgotten about Count Fay? That guy won the grand tournament 6 years ago and asked for a noble title and land. He's not a noble born"
Leo's words caused quite the stir amongst the commoners, as they debated amongst themselves as to what Leo wanted, as his words only increased their anticipation to find out what he wanted.
"Something that only I can grant but something that's difficult for me to grant? Do you want my throne or something…. Hahahaha'' Julien joked, as his witty humor caused the entire crowd to burst into laughter.
However, somewhere behind that wall of humor, Julien eyed Leo with suspicion as he did not like the way Leo framed the request, because now, if the request was something possible but indeed difficult for him to grant, he would look bad in the eyes of the masses for denying a champion his wish.
"Speak freely, child, even if it's something difficult, Julien D Evanus's honor won't let him go back on his words.
You're speaking with the Emperor of the Unity Empire…. No need for you to be so measured.
Ask me freely what you want" Julien said as he tried to project the image of being a strong and magnanimous Emperor.
His trick worked as his words immediately turned every single citizen present within the crowd to a Julien fanboy, as while the Emperor himself was not a warrior and not a hero, he was a thoroughbred politician capable of manipulating the masses, as even though he wasn't their hero, for him most citizens would readily give up their lives.
However, while he inflated his sense of self worth in front of the masses, he had also completely fallen in Leo's trap now as after making such a bold declaration there was no way that Julien could not grant Leo his request, whatever it may be.
"My liege, I'm a very filial son…. While I don't have a father, there is one man who is like a father to me.
While not a biological father, he's my teacher.
And as the saying goes, a teacher for a day…. A father for life. I consider him no less than my father…" Leo said, as he spoke with genuine emotion that touched the hearts of the masses.
"Unfortunately, my teacher committed a grave crime two decades ago and has been a wanted criminal in the Empire since, forcing him to hide in seclusion and never roam the streets of StrongHaven freely" Leo said as he painted Ben as a pitiful master who could not roam the streets of StrongHaven freely for the fear of being arrested, even though that was not the reality at all.
"My wish is simple…. Please grant my teacher an Emperor's pardon absolving him of all his past crimes.
He's a changed man now and wants to live his life as a free citizen. So it's my request to you that you please grant me this one request" Leo said, as his words caused a massive stir amongst the masses.
For the first time ever, a winner of the grand tournament was asking for a reward that would not directly benefit themselves but rather on behalf of someone else.
Put in the same shoes as Leo, there was not one other individual watching on from the crowd who would have made the same decision of their own volition as at that moment Leo's image in the minds of the masses reached a new peak.
" The cold and calculative Boss is actually such a sweetheart?" A young woman said, as she cried tears of joy.
"Pardon his teacher! How bad could the man who raised such a sweetheart be!"
"What a great teacher to raise a talent like The Boss! He deserves to be free again"
*Pardon him!*
*Pardon him!*
*Pardon him!*
Chants of 'Pardon Him' began reverberating throughout the stadium as Julien let a soft smile spread on his face as he raised his hands to demand silence.
Initially he had been worried that The Boss was going to ask for something impossible like making him a Duke of a Duchy or something, however, it seemed like he was only asking for a pardon.
A worthless document that he could sign with his eyes closed, as Julien shook his head and sighed.
"Justice should never be evaded…. Justice should always be absolute.
This is indeed a difficult request, because I don't know the nature of the crime that your teacher committed, which is why granting him a pardon might be a miscarriage of justice for someone that he wronged.
However, since I am justice in this Empire and my own honor is on the line for granting you this request. I shall grant a full pardon to your master. What is his name?
From today, that man is going to live like a free bird" Julien said, as his words caused the crowd to break into massive celebratory cheers, unaware, that the identity of Leo's master was none other than Ben Faulkner.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for all the reviews I recieved yesterday. Thankyou for all the support you guys showed when I needed it. ///