Empty (1)

The Emperor appointed Stefano Berea, who was only a baron, as the new chancellor.

As a result, Reichardt had visits from the high nobles from dawn onward.

Normally, the high nobles snarled at one another, split between the social circles inside the imperial capital Baden and those outside it.

Within the Baden social circle and the one outside Baden, they were further divided by yet other standards and constantly fought for influence.

Those very high nobles now joined as one and came to inform the Grand Duke of Tessen of the crisis facing the great nobility.

The high nobles poured out their opinions to Reichardt, as if they were about to breathe fire.

They wanted Reichardt to become the leader of the high nobles.

“I have heard your words well, my lords.”

At their boring complaints, Reichardt replied with words that were just as boring.

The high nobles, who usually threw looks full of blame at one another, clung together like brothers today.

They urged Reichardt to stand together with them as well.

Unable to withstand the fervent pestering of the high nobles, Reichardt left the grand ducal residence early.

However, once he entered the palace, he went straight to his own office.

The high nobles secretly hoped that the Grand Duke of Tessen would prepare something and present an opinion to the Emperor.

Reichardt knew what they wanted, but he simply did his own work.

Scritch, scritch.

Reichardt watched the Emperor writing as he ate pitted cherries.

The cherries whose pits had been removed went well with the bitter tea.

“…….”

Every time the quill in the Emperor’s hand moved, a rough scratching sound rang out.

As the high nobles had wished, Reichardt had come to the Emperor’s office.

It had not been Reichardt’s will or intention.

The Emperor had summoned Reichardt.

Reichardt drained the slightly cooled, bitter tea in one gulp.

He quickly finished off the two remaining cherries as well.

Just as he was about to take his leave after finishing his business, the Emperor stared straight at him.

‘Alicia, I want to see you.’

Thinking of something that, if others heard it, would make them point at him as a “doting fool” who could not stop talking about his beloved, Reichardt deliberately looked away and pretended indifference.

“Reichardt.”

The Emperor waited, then finally called to him.

“Do you have an order for me, Your Majesty?”

Reichardt only thought of hurrying back to his own office, finishing the remaining work, and then going to the grand ducal residence.

“When would be a good time for the royal marriage?”

The Emperor set down his quill as he spoke.

He seemed displeased that Reichardt had not brought it up first.

The Emperor gave Reichardt a subtle glare for making him raise the topic of the royal marriage himself.

“Who is this royal marriage for?”

Reichardt furrowed his brows.

He soon returned to his usual indifferent expression, but a faint trace of displeasure remained.

“Who else? I mean your wedding, Grand Duke of Tessen.”

The Emperor spoke in a tone that asked what he was playing at.

“Has not Lord Tessen always told Your Majesty? Lord Tessen will not marry.”

Reichardt was always provided with a single armchair with a backrest in the Emperor’s office.

He sat in it half-reclining, as if lounging, while he talked with the Emperor.

On days when the Emperor had refreshments prepared, Reichardt took an especially lazy posture.

Contrary to his irreverent attitude, the words he spoke were perfectly formal.

“Stop being stubborn, Reichardt.”

“With all due respect, Lord Tessen would say this to Your Majesty: at present, the one being stubborn is Your Majesty. The Empire is in an uproar inside and out over the appointment of the chancellor.”

Reichardt found it strange that the Emperor had summoned him.

The Emperor was busy at the moment.

Yesterday, because of the Emperor’s unconventional appointment of the chancellor, Baden had been turned upside down.

Every noble who held any post in the Empire tried to gather at the capital to vent their indignation.

Reichardt was part of the Emperor’s support base, but had little to do with the chancellor.

The chancellor led the cabinet together with the Emperor.

Reichardt had no interest at all in domestic administration.

He knew as much as he needed, but as long as imperial authority was not shaken, he had no intention of getting involved.

He simply wanted to go home.

“The chancellor is not something the Grand Duke needs to concern himself with.”

“Yes, this humble subject thinks so as well. I shall take my leave.”

Reichardt rose to his feet with an expression that seemed to ask why he had been summoned in the first place.

“Reichardt, marriage…”

“I will not marry.”

Before the Emperor could finish speaking, Reichardt stubbornly cut him off.

“How long are you going to keep this up?!”

The Emperor raised his voice and shouted.

Reichardt realized that the Emperor really had summoned him because of the royal marriage.

He sat back down again.

“Have you met the Viscountess of Loire, who is in the Great Temple, Your Majesty?”

“Reichardt.”

“Even should Your Majesty issue an imperial decree, Lord Tessen will not marry. So please do not tell me to marry. I am more than happy enough just with the thought of having nieces and nephews.”

Reichardt spoke in a quiet voice.

“Do you think I would give the Grand Duke an heir?”

“You must. Only then will the rest of your nieces and nephews be able to live in peace, will they not? Just as my own brothers and sisters do now.”

Reichardt spoke in a lowered voice, a faint smile on his face.

“…….”

The Emperor’s face twisted into a complicated expression.

He looked as though he had not expected Reichardt to say such things.

Reichardt was not pleased that he had said something that would make his family wear such expressions.

He did not feel good.

He did not want to talk with the Emperor about matters of succession.

He did not want to talk about heirs with any of his family—whether brothers or sisters.

It troubled him to see his family feel sorrow and guilt over his situation.

He did not want to rebuke his guilt-ridden brothers by telling them not to act so hypocritically.

But seeing them both pity him and look relieved, he could not bring himself to say anything kind either.

“I will withdraw.”

Reichardt rose to his feet.

As he was about to turn away, he stopped moving.

“Do you have an engagement, Your Majesty?”

“No.”

Hurried footsteps approached the office.

“Someone is coming.”

One set belonged to the chief attendant, and the other was from a stranger.

The unfamiliar steps felt heavy, as if their owner were exhausted and worn out.

“Your Majesty, a messenger has come from the Great Temple.”

The chief attendant’s voice rang out from beyond the door.

“Let him in.”

Reichardt spoke without even waiting for the Emperor’s permission.

The office door swung open in a rush.

The messenger lowered his body and quickly offered his salute.

“Your Majesty. Your Grace, the Grand Duke. Th-the, the Great Temple has collapsed…”

The messenger’s head was bandaged where it had been split open.

Blood had seeped through the poorly wrapped bandages in places, and dried bloodstains clung to his cheeks here and there.

His armor was a mess of dirt.

The Emperor rose from his seat and stepped out in front of the desk.

“What do you mean, the Great Temple has collapsed?”

“The ground around the Dolore Ruins caved in, opening an entrance leading underground. From there, m-monsters began to…!”

To someone who did not know the situation, the messenger’s report sounded like the beginning of a great calamity.

The Emperor turned his head to the side with a look that suggested he had guessed something.

Reichardt spoke calmly.

“Do you remember what the monster looked like?”

“Y-yes, Your Grace. It was very large and black. Its body was not covered in fur but had skin like black rock.”

With a confused face, the messenger reported what he knew.

“Did the scribes of the Great Temple escape? The Great Temple should have an escape route prepared for emergencies.”

“Those ranked First-Class Scribe and above got out. However, the elders could not escape because they stayed behind to protect the records.”

The messenger spoke through his tears.

The messenger of the Great Temple was both a knight and one of the Temple’s scribes.

To him, the elders were teachers, seniors, and prophets.

Because of its special status, the Great Temple possessed only the bare minimum of armed force.

The twenty members of the Knightly Order of Priests were the entirety of the Great Temple’s military power.

To become a member of the Knightly Order of Priests, one had to qualify as a scribe of the Great Temple.

Compared to other knightly orders, the requirements were unspeakably strict.

The Knightly Order of Priests constantly voiced their anxiety about their ever-insufficient numbers.

“Old men and their stubbornness.”

Reichardt grumbled, his face expressionless.

“…….”

The weeping messenger flinched and his shoulders jerked.

The elders of the Great Temple were praised as prophets even beyond the borders of the Empire.

They were known to possess profound learning and pure souls.

Within the Great Temple as well, the elders held a position of respect.

“Where are the elders now?”

“W-we suspect they are in the underground archive.”

“They would not have died so easily, so they must be there.”

Normally, the messenger would have raised his voice and demanded that proper respect be shown to the Great Temple.

Even if the other party was the Grand Duke of Tessen, it was rude to speak slightingly of the elders, who were the very symbol of the Great Temple.

But he could not say a word.

The Grand Duke of Tessen who was listening to the report was utterly unrestrained.

He acted as if he were the very one who would go and resolve the problem, and he looked confident that he could.

Perhaps monsters were familiar to the Grand Duke, since he ruled Tessen, that land called the land of death.

“What is the range of the monsters’ activity?”

Reichardt spoke in an even tone.

“…S-sir? How did you… We have determined that they move only within the grounds of the Great Temple.”

The messenger looked up at Reichardt with a flustered expression, as the Grand Duke coolly confirmed the necessary details.

His reaction was so familiar that it was frightening.

“The messenger will accompany me.”

After thinking for a moment, Reichardt tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

“Yes, sir!”

The messenger answered with all his strength.

In truth, he did not fully understand the situation.

However, he could tell that the Grand Duke of Tessen intended to help.

That alone was enough.

Reichardt turned back toward the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, please permit a portion of the troops stationed in Tessen, as well as the Blackstone Cavalry, to enter the Empire’s heartlands.”

“I permit it.”

The Emperor immediately accepted Reichardt’s request.

“Please issue an imperial decree and have this dealt with as quickly as possible. I ask that the remaining follow-up measures be handled as well.”

Reichardt boldly demanded an imperial decree.

It almost looked as if he were giving the Emperor an order.

“And what are you going to…”

The Emperor sounded as if he were about to pick a fight with Reichardt, who had just given him orders.

“I am going to request reinforcements.”

Reichardt replied before the Emperor could finish speaking.

There was not much time.

He gathered up the messenger and headed for the office door.

“Reinforcements? There are reinforcements? Where?”

The Emperor spoke as he walked after Reichardt.

The reinforcements that would save the Great Temple would be troops arriving from Tessen.

“In Haime.”

Reichardt answered the Emperor briefly.

He then gave the wounded messenger new instructions and ordered him to go to the grand ducal residence to report the situation again.

“What reinforcements are there? Why would reinforcements be there?”

The Emperor also left the office, following Reichardt.

“I do not know.”

Reichardt spoke in a firm voice and quickly strode away.

“…If you do not know, how do you know there are reinforcements there?”

The Emperor muttered to himself loudly enough for all to hear.

He stood in an empty corridor, with only the chief attendant present.

“…….”

The chief attendant did not respond to the Emperor’s grumbling.

He lowered his head with dignified grace and held his breath like an elegant ornament.

“He has been terribly insolent lately.”

The Emperor jabbed a finger at the empty corridor.

There was no trace of imperial dignity in his grumbling voice.

The breath he snorted out through his nose carried clear displeasure.

“I will issue a command.”

After a brief silence, a voice full of majesty rang out.

“Give the order, Your Majesty.”

The chief attendant walked lightly to the Emperor’s side and spoke with proper courtesy.

He behaved as though this were the first time he had heard the Emperor’s voice today.

“I shall obey the command.”

Having heard the entire imperial decree, the chief attendant respectfully withdrew.

Katrina’s hideout in Haime was small and modest.

Judith had arranged the place for her.

Katrina liked it there.

She had been enjoying the flavor of a simple life for the first time in a long while.

However, the days of her modest life in hiding were about to end.

It seemed that it would likely be only until today.

As she had contacted her the night before, Alicia came to see Katrina early in the morning.

Katrina personally brewed tea and treated her guest.

Her face, as she blew on the hot tea and sipped it, looked gentle and delicate.

Katrina was not deceived by that face as she drank the tea.

Alicia Rain was not some naive lady ignorant of the ways of the world.

Alicia set down her teacup and spoke.

“Katrina, I will exile you from the Empire.”

In a warm and soft voice, she delivered a merciless order.

“I will obey.”

Katrina had already steeled herself.

She was more surprised that she had been sentenced to exile rather than ordered to take her own life.

It was a lenient punishment she had never dared to hope for.

Katrina was moved by Alicia’s generous judgment.

Yet she could not completely set aside her doubt that there might be some kind of trap.

However, even if she learned there was a trap, she anticipated that she would be the one to suffer it.