Chapter 158

As the Master that the Duke Theodore family prided itself on was laid low in a matter of a few clashes, his limbs twisted out of shape, the atmosphere inside the Audience Chamber—or more accurately, the color of the gazes directed at me—shifted dramatically.

“…A Grand Master.”

“He is the real deal.”

“My word. To think I would witness another Grand Master in this court besides His Grace, Duke Orléans.”

Well, that made sense. Even if I had sworn upon the names of the gods, and even if the Emperor had guaranteed it, there was a stark difference between hearing about it and witnessing it with one’s own eyes.

Shortly after, the gazes pouring over me shifted from awe to suspicion, redirecting themselves toward the Duke this time.

“…Tsk.”

Sublimating the weight of those stares into raw irritation, the Duke summoned two Court Knights to send that Lucian-or-whatevers guy to a priest, and then he gritted his teeth.

“I acknowledge it. You possess incredible skill. However, just because you defeated a single Master does not mean you have attained the realm of a Grand Master.”

Upon hearing those words, the Emperor suddenly hurled the scepter he held in his hand.

Whoosh! Thud! Clatter!!

Everyone held their breath as the beautiful scepter rolled across the marble floor, emitting a clear, ringing sound. It was more than enough to show just how furious the Emperor was.

The gazes of the Emperor and the Duke crossed, practically throwing sparks.

“…Duke. Are you picking a fight with me right now?”

“Of course not, Your Majesty. How could this subject harbor such a sacrilegious thought?”

“Then why!!!”

Despite the Emperor’s roaring admonition, the Duke boldly strode up the dais toward the throne and knelt directly before the Emperor.

Just as the caught-off-guard Emperor was about to unleash his belated wrath at the insolence, the Duke whispered in a low tone that only the Emperor could hear.

“Your Majesty. Although I stand opposed to you on many fronts… that does not mean our interests do not align at all.”

At those words, the Emperor growled back, keeping his voice just as low.

“What are you trying to say, Theodore?”

“Duke Orléans.”

“…Why bring up the Grand Master all of a sudden?”

“Do not pretend to be ignorant, Your Majesty. You are just as wary of Duke Orléans as I am, are you not?”

“…Even if that were true, what does it have to do with the current situation?”

“To be perfectly frank… I actually despise him. Just picturing his face gives me indigestion for the rest of the day.”

“…….”

“In that sense… aren’t you curious? Whether this Sihin or Gildong fellow truly possesses the strength to contend with Duke Orléans?”

The Emperor glared at Duke Theodore for a moment before gesturing to a court mage.

“…Sound.”

A soundproofing barrier expanded, initiating a conversation between the two that completely excluded even the Crown Prince.

“…Despise Duke Orléans? I was under the impression that the relationship between you and the Grand Master wasn’t all that bad, Theodore.”

“It is merely a desperate struggle to survive. When a sword is held to your throat, it is only natural to cater to the sword’s owner, is it not? Even if that owner has no immediate intention of harming you.”

“…Keep talking, Theodore.”

The Duke calmly brushed off the Emperor’s burning gaze and spoke again.

“The Grand Master’s domain and mine are barely 300 kilometers apart. This means he can ravage my territory whenever he pleases.”

“No matter how many Masters I have under my command or how many knight orders I hold, what meaning does any of that have in the face of his absolute martial power?”

“…….”

“And if I may be so bold, Your Majesty likely shares the exact same sentiment. You do not have the confidence to stop him either, should he decide to violate the Imperial Palace.”

At that, the Emperor laughed savagely.

“Do you think the Grand Master is a vulgar commoner like you?”

“Of course not. I am well aware that he is a noble seeker of the martial path, unlike a petty man like me who chases profit.”

“…….”

“However, do not forget. One can communicate and strike bargains with a vulgar commoner driven by profit, but a seeker who desires nothing outside his chosen path is no different from a madman. It is impossible to converse or negotiate with a lunatic.”

“…….”

“To Your Majesty, if I am an entity to be loathed, then he is an entity to be feared. If I am a political rival who can be calculated, then he is a disaster that could strike at any moment without warning.”

“Surely you do not believe that just because things have been fine so far, they will remain fine forever? Why else would a madman be called a madman?”

“…….”

“Is it not because Your Majesty secretly harbors these thoughts that you collect archmages and Masters, using wealth and honor to keep them bound to your side?”

“…….”

“Why stop here? Why not test him further?”

“…….”

“If you grasp Sir Gildong’s true strength more accurately, you will be able to gauge whether he will merely serve as a card to suppress the Autonomists led by me, or if he can become a blade aimed directly at Duke Orléans.”

“Then, accordingly, you can clearly decide how to treat him. Just knowing that would be a massive gain, would it not?”

Unlike his appearance, which resembled a typical blunt warrior, Duke Theodore was spouting one shrewd remark after another, and the Emperor silently stared at him.

“And? How do you propose to test him? By summoning more Masters from your pocket?”

“That is an option, but… there is a much better way.”

“Oh?”

“To determine whether he is truly a Grand Master, the best method is to leave the assessment to a real Grand Master.”

“Wait. Could it be…?”

“Yes. We simply need to call Duke Orléans himself to test him. There won’t even be a need to make a formal request. Just tipping him off that another Grand Master is present at the Imperial Palace will make his eyes flip, and he will come running.”

The Emperor’s brow furrowed.

“Setting me aside… what do you stand to gain from this?”

The Duke let out a bitter chuckle.

“It is not a bad proposition for me either. Frankly, no matter how strong Sir Gildong might be, I believe he will ultimately end up kneeling before Duke Orléans. If that happens, we can downplay his achievements by claiming he isn’t quite at the level of a Grand Master… and at the very least, it will prevent the nobles of the Autonomists from wagging their tails and defecting to Your Majesty.”

“Hmm….”

“And on the off chance… even if Sir Gildong puts up a good fight against the Grand Master, I still don’t think it’s the worst outcome. Though the influence of the Autonomists might weaken slightly for a time… we will at least be able to remove the blade that the Grand Master is pressing against our throats. Unlike the detached Grand Master, Sir Gildong seems to have a fair bit of interest in worldly affairs… so if we promise him astral gold, wouldn’t he fight the Grand Master for us if push comes to shove?”

“…….”

“…….”

Caressing his beard, the Emperor fell into a brief silence before curling the corners of his lips into a smirk.

“I see, so that was your angle. You bastard, you plan to draw the Grand Master to your side.”

“……!”

“Whenever Duke Orléans was in the palace, he would habitually say that a fight to the death where he could unleash his full capability was what he desired most now that he could see no higher peak to climb.”

“In other words, if a rival exists, rather than joining hands with them in harmony, he would prefer a violent clash… and since Sir Gildong has listed his name with the Imperialists, the Grand Master will clash with the Imperialists just for the chance to fight him? If you’re lucky, he might even join the Autonomists?”

At those words, the Duke snapped his eyes up.

“…I am amazed. As expected of Your Majesty. It seems my shallow scheme is nothing but a trivial trick in the face of your insight.”

“You bastard… how can you smile so joyfully when your hidden thoughts have just been laid bare?”

“That is because I have already achieved my purpose.”

“…What did you say?”

“In truth, before I even requested this private audience with Your Majesty, I had already directly delivered the news to the Grand Master. I informed him that another Grand Master had arrived at the Imperial Castle and would soon depart, so if he wished to clash, he had better hurry.”

“……!!”

“Because of that, a spy I planted in the Grand Master’s castle will likely be exposed and eliminated… but well, that is a small price to pay.”

“You, could it be—?”

“Yes. My objective from the very beginning was simply to buy time so this gathering could not break up.”

And at that exact moment, the sound of things shattering in rapid succession echoed from outside. Soon, the door of the Audience Chamber was blown clean off with a resounding Crash!, and a beastkin strode inside with massive steps.

“Your Majesty! I have rushed here upon hearing the news that someone who could become my close friend is present!”

At that sight, Duke Theodore curled the corner of his lips.

“He has arrived. Considering the distance from the Grand Master’s domain to here… he is terrifyingly fast. The cost of the teleportation scroll must have been quite substantial.”

“You absolute scoundrel….”

“Now, the matters of this place have left both my hands and yours. Why not join me as a spectator, Your Majesty, and enjoy watching how this concludes?”

The Emperor gnashed his teeth, glaring at the Duke as if he wanted to devour him alive.

“…Dammit. I was completely played. I will not forget this, Theodore.”

Listening to the conversation taking place inside the soundproofing barrier, I let out a low exclamation.

“Hooh….”

In truth, no matter how extraordinary I was, it should have been impossible to hear sounds from inside a barrier. If they had been speaking in Korean, I might have at least guessed the contents by focusing on their lip movements or jaw muscles… but they were speaking the language of the Baran Empire. Relying entirely on a translation package rather than having formally learned the imperial tongue, performing such a feat should have been out of the question.

—You bastard… how can you smile so joyfully when your hidden thoughts have just been laid bare?

—That is because I have already achieved my purpose.

Yet, the reason I could hear their conversation as if standing right beside them was because the moment I focused on their lip movements, the translation package detected the otherwise inaudible exchange and translated it directly into my ears.

Wait, the translation package had a feature like this? Does it not just work on sounds reaching my ears, but actually detect and translate all conversations in the direction my five senses are focused? Was it always like this? Or did it get upgraded without my knowledge?

‘Who cares. As long as it’s a total cakewalk for me, it’s fine.’

Anyway, as I was thoroughly enjoying their battle of words rather than blades—

—In truth, before I even requested this private audience with Your Majesty, I had already directly delivered the news to the Grand Master.

—Yes. My objective from the very beginning was simply to buy time so this gathering could not break up.

The Duke dropped a bombshell.

Huh? Wait. He already called that Orléans guy over?

And, true to form, less than five seconds passed before someone came stomping over, kicked the doors open, and rushed into the Audience Chamber.

“Your Majesty! I have rushed here upon hearing the news that someone who could become my close friend is present!”

He had curled horns growing from his head, a massive frame that rivaled any dragonkin, and a single longsword dangling loosely from his back. He had a black beard and an appearance hovering somewhere between middle-aged and elderly.

Considering that long-lived species spend most of their lifespans looking like they are in their twenties or thirties… this meant he had nearly exhausted his natural lifespan as a beastkin. Of course, given his immense realm of strength, he would have lived far longer than an ordinary beastkin, placing him somewhere between 300 and 400 years old.

‘A ram beastkin. Is that man Duke Orléans?’

Right at that moment, his eyes scanned the surroundings before he violently closed the distance like a bolt of lightning, thrusting his hand toward me.

“Handshake!”

“Uh, mm? S-Sure….”

Caught off guard by his bloodshot eyes, which showed just how excited he was, I reflexively shook his hand. He scrutinized me from head to toe, flashing a smile so bright it verged on madness.

“Perfect balance. Not a single hint of disruption in your core. Do you wield a sword? You seem highly well-versed in hand-to-hand brawling as well… Good! Superb! Let us fight!!”

Releasing my hand, he leaped backward and smoothly drew his 1.5-meter longsword with a sharp Clink.

Immediately after, an silver aura of overwhelming density—the likes of which I had never seen among mortals—poured from the longsword before compacting tightly, materializing into a solid silver metal.

My eyes widened as I stared at the blade, which had extended to nearly five meters in length thanks to that materialized aura.

“Aura materialization…?”

“You recognize it! Come! Draw your sword at once! Let us fight, my friend!!”

Hey, old man. Why are you trying to flash-fry beans on a lightning bolt? And since when did I become your friend?

Fortunately, it seemed I wasn’t the only sane person present, as there were people who stepped forward to restrain him.

Three men and women who had rushed into the Audience Chamber a step late practically threw themselves at his feet.

“Master!”

“Please compose yourself, Master!”

“M-Master! You are in front of His Majesty! At the very least, you must offer your greetings!”

Only then did he seem to snap out of it, letting out a soft exclamation.

“The Emperor, the Emperor… Ah, right. I forgot.”

“Forgot, Master…? How can you forget the presence of His Majesty inside the Imperial Castle…?”

“Then, while I offer my greetings to His Majesty, the three of you take turns facing that friend first. He will need to warm up his body anyway.”

“Pardon?”

“I said go fight. Hurry up.”

“B-But….”

“My disciple. Do you want to get beaten by me, or do you want to go fight him?”

“Uh… yes. I will fight.”

“Excellent! And… Your Majesty! It has been a year since I last saw you! No, was it two years!?”

“…It has been three years and four months, Duke Orléans.”

“Hahahah! What does it matter if it has been three or four years! This subject is incredibly delighted to see that you appear so healthy!”

“I-Is that so.”

“Now, since I have offered my greetings, I have done everything required of me… I shall get to my own business—”

“…I have just started feeling rather unhealthy, though.”

While Duke Orléans was exchanging a conversation with the Emperor that hovered somewhere between formal greetings and a comedy routine, his three disciples looked toward me with troubled expressions.

The one at the front—a massive ram beastkin male standing nearly 2.3 meters tall—cautiously raised his halberd and let out a bitter chuckle.

“Um… it seems we have to fight you. When Master gets like that, absolutely no one can stop him….”

After being dazed for a moment by the rapidly unfolding absurdity of the situation… I ultimately burst into a hollow laugh. Then, I decided to take this amusing(?) situation positively.

“Sure. Let’s do that. All three of you at once? Or one on one?”

The ram beastkin swept his gaze up and down my frame, gauging something, before nodding his head.

“For now, I shall try facing you alone. Please draw your sword.”