"From today onwards, that man is going to live like a free bird," Julien said, as those words sounded like the sweetest musical notes in Leo's ears.
The Emperor had absolutely no idea as to whom he had just promised to pardon, and Leo felt eager to watch his reaction when he received the shock.
While the commoners were unaware of the complex relationship between his master Ben Faulkner and the Emperor Julien D. Evanus, Julien himself was fully aware of what he had done to seize the throne and how Ben wasn't deserving of the infamy he had.
Hence, when Leo finally revealed the name of his master, the one who lost his breath immediately was none other than Julien himself.
"My master is Ben Faulkner, please pardon him for his past crimes, my Liege" Leo said, as immediately his words caused a massive uproar within the arena.
"WHATT????? THE BOSS'S MASTER IS THE LEGENDARY ASSASSIN BEN FAULKNER?"
"BEN FAULKNER? DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THE NAME OF THAT MAN?"
"The Boss has balls of steel…. He really asked the Emperor to pardon the man who murdered his own brother. Hahaha, that guy is nuts…"
"Ben Faulkner can't be pardoned… he's too heinous a criminal to be pardoned! This isn't fair-"
"Hey shut-up, that kid won the grand tournament, he can use his wish however he wants. The Emperor has already promised to pardon whoever his master was, surely the Emperor will never go back on his words"
The name of Leo's master caused everyone in the crowd to shiver from fear, as the image of Ben Faulkner amongst the masses was akin to that of the 'Boogeyman'.
Ever since one was young, their mothers would tell them to go to bed and sleep early or else the 'Boogeyman' Ben Faulkner would come and get them, and hence the name Ben Faulkner was an urban legend amongst the masses, with some even considering him to be the merchant of death.
Undoubtedly the biggest and most wanted criminal in the Empire, Ben Faulkner was someone that was accredited with dozens of high profile murders, including the most recent murder of the Royal Counselor which rocked the entire city of StrongHaven to its core.
If imperial pardons were something decided by popular vote, then Ben Faulkner was one criminal that was never being voted to be let go free by the masses as everyone feared him as if he were death himself.
For Leo to ask for an imperial pardon for Ben Faulkner did indeed put the Emperor in a tough spot as he couldn't refuse his request after already saying that he would grant it, however, he did not really wish to grant it either.
"Ben Faulkner…. How audacious" Julien said, his voice turning cold as immediately four Virex Corps members appeared beside Leo in a flash and pointed their swords towards him.
Upon a single gesture from Julien, they were prepared to execute Leo in front of the masses, however, doing so would prove to be counterproductive for his lovable Emperor image as such ruthlessness was better suited for a dictator.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Julien simply blinked his eyes open and close without uttering a single word, as he seriously contemplated about the viability of Leo's request and whether or not he could refuse it on a technicality.
*********
( Meanwhile Ben )
Ben was overwhelmed with the joy of Leo winning his fight to the point where he was not even paying attention to Julien's solo speech when he was talking about the state of the Empire.
Ben did not give a solitary fuck about what the state of the Empire was or what sort of troubles were brewing at the border as he was least concerned with the activity of demons.
He only returned his focus to what was going on in the arena when Leo returned to make his request, as even Ben was curious about what Leo would ask for.
"That boy does love a good set of daggers…. I hope he doesn't waste his wish on something as simple as a new set of daggers" Ben murmured softly, as he knew how simple natured Leo was and feared that he would ask for something stupid as his wish.
Since Leo had been brought to the royal castle at the start of the quarter-finals, Ben hadn't had a chance to sit down with him and ask what he intended to wish for if he won. Therefore, Leo's wish remained a surprise to Ben as well.
Ben only hoped that Leo did not ask for something dumb, however, otherwise he had no real expectations from Leo's wish as never in his wildest dreams did Ben imagine that Leo might use his wish to secure an imperial pardon for him.
Although Ben longed for the life of a free man, he had long made peace with his status as the most wanted fugitive of the Empire and didn't let it impede him in his day to day life.
Mostly he lived like a recluse and away from civilization, but even if he was within the capital, he still pretty much roamed like a free man as there wasn't a single royal guard that had the capability to arrest him or bring him to justice.
However, when Leo said that he wanted an imperial pardon for his master, a wave of indescribable sentiment rose in Ben's heart.
Ben didn't even desire an imperial pardon for himself. However, the fact that his disciple wanted to use his wish, earned from winning the grand tournament, to secure a pardon for him, brought tears to Ben's eyes. He was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to find words to express the depth of his gratitude and pride.
'That's my boy…. There's no doubt about it. That's most definitely my boy….*sob*' Ben thought as the intensity of emotions he felt made even a grown man like him cry.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target, good job everyone! ///