Today, the Emperor’s attire looked particularly majestic.
The clean navy uniform, reminiscent of an autumn night sky, highlighted the bright blonde hair, a symbol of the Royal Family, while the white shirt gently wrapped around the long neck and the slightly loosened collar intriguingly enhanced the color even more.
The long, red cloak, along with pure gold buttons added a refined yet understated elegance to the firm upper body that was well-maintained without any flab. And the pristine white trousers hugged the long, sturdy legs closely.
Today’s attire scored a perfect 1000 out of 100!
…They wanted to flatter him with such praise, but even for the aides of the Emperor, who are usually quite thick-skinned, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything.
The reason why the usually indifferent Emperor, who finds excessive dressing up troublesome, chose to wear such formal attire was certainly noteworthy.
The Emperor, holding a sword and exuding a piercing murderous aura while smiling brightly, resembled the Asura straight from hell.
Fortunately, the Emperor had not yet removed the cloth that covered his sword’s blade, which was a relief.
The issue, however, was that even if the Emperor held the sword in that state, swinging it would likely crack the inner walls of the office, which were surrounded by triple layers of protective wards.
Not yet!
There is still a chance to make amends!
Once again, it was the Minister of State Affairs, Count Yuton, who spoke first, bearing everyone’s expectations.
“Ha. Ha. Your Majesty. It was heard that your visit to the Great Temple hadn’t gone well today.”
As the Emperor rolled up his sleeves without changing his expression, the other aides began to babble incoherently.
“Oh, really. This is strange. Perhaps the High Priest has become senile….”
“It seems they’ve forgotten how honorable it is for Your Majesty to officially visit the temple.”
“The High Priest has definitely become senile because of his age.”
As the Emperor’s murderous intent grew stronger, Count Mirhi, the External Cooperation Officer, began to spout more nonsense as if he had lost his mind.
“How dare they, the temple! Have they forgotten who our Majesty is! Huh? The orchestrator of mass slaughter! No, what was it again?”
Unable to watch it any longer, the blonde knight Lian approached the Count and gave him a sharp slap on the back.
“Come to your senses, you rascal.”
One wrong move and you’ll pay for those words.
Lian swallowed his words, smiled slightly and raised his right arm to channel a bit of his mana, summoning a refreshing breeze.
“Your Majesty. If the killing intent increases, some of them may actually die. Well, it’s not a bother for us swordsmen, but you must not forget that the civil servants haven’t accumulated any holy power.”
Lian, who usually never spoke seriously, surprisingly managed to say something sensible as he blocked the Emperor’s mana, causing the corners of the Emperor’s mouth to lift slightly.
“You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”
“….”
When the Emperor’s mana, which controls ‘water’ among the five great eternal holy powers, and Lian, who has the holy power to control ‘wind’, clashed briefly, the civil servants’ faces turned pale.
“Your Majesty. Please control yourself!”
The young Emperor stared at the blonde ‘guard knight’ who had stepped forward to protect his comrades with an incomprehensible gaze, then reached out and collected the mana that were emanating from him.
As he turned away, several of the civil officials, who had seemed fine just moments ago, were now sprawled on the floor, drenched in cold sweat.
“Tsk.”
The Emperor sheathed his sword back in its scabbard and returned to his seat, and at the same time, Lian summoned up a breeze to circulate the air in the office.
Finally, being able to breathe, the civil officials looked at each other’s faces and patted each other on the shoulder.
“….”
After giving them a moment to catch their breath, the Emperor spoke up.
“Now, let’s hear what you have to say. You have arrived here with some solutions, haven’t you?”
When the aides hesitated, the Emperor spoke in a flat voice.
“If you had just come to bother me….”
“!”
“!!”
“No, Your Majesty!”
“What are you doing, Lord Feron! Please speak up!”
“Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. Lord Feron is a bit dazed right now…”
As the Emperor shifted his gaze, the plump-faced Minister of Justice, Feron, with an unusually pale complexion, was only seen opening and closing his mouth.
“Shall I splash some water on him?”
When the Emperor raised his index finger, a blue rune began to form on the tip of his finger.
Feron suddenly shot up from the ground.
“No, Your Majesty. I’m perfectly fine.”
“….”
Count Mirhi muttered from behind.
“If we get hit with that, we’ll die, Your Majesty. Truly a merciless death…”
Count Yuton once again opened his mouth first, unable to watch them stall any longer. In such a tight situation, it wasn’t necessary to treat someone as the general secretary or the head of the vassals, someone should take the lead.
“Your Majesty. Even if we search through various principles of laws and customary laws, the temple’s argument regarding the annulment of marriage is indeed correct.”
The Emperor’s eyes sank.
“So?”
“Therefore, that… Your Majesty, typically, such matters are not handled directly; it may be better to take a more indirect approach, so to speak. That would be more convenient.”
“Convenient?”
“Right now, it’s not a favourable situation for the Royal Family to clash with the Genesis Temple. The foundation ceremony is approaching, and as Your Majesty is aware, there are also issues with the royal marriage. Therefore…”
As Count Yuton gave his timid colleague a moment to breathe, he trailed off and glanced back. Just then, Lord Feron, having regained his senses, lightly slapped his own cheek and responded.
“Yes. We have found a solution. In other words, Your Majesty and that Lady would have a ‘divorce’.”
“Divorce?”
The young Emperor slightly tilted his chin as if he was puzzled.
“How is it possible to have a divorce if there was no marriage? And besides, has there ever been a case of divorce in the Royal Family?”
Feron, having regained his composure completely, answered.
“In our ministry…. we thoroughly examined not only the Imperial Annals but also the secret records of the Alpher Empire, the predecessor of the Perza Empire, and the Lashin Empire before that. There were several documented cases of royal divorces, with the most relevant example being from 130 years ago, when an Emperor of the Alpher Empire divorced.”
“Hmm….”
“Of course, the marriage record won’t be erased, but the divorce record will still be documented. Even if we borrow some civil law procedures, it will take time to carry them out! But, for now, this is the best method.”
The Emperor furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, lost in thought.
“Well, it seems a bit odd to follow the precedent of the Alpher Empire. Wasn’t it a country that perished due to superstitious customs?”
“Your Majesty, it is acceptable to borrow what is beneficial from the norms of the previous dynasty.”
“Divorce isn’t beneficial.”
Count Yuton clasped his hands together and advised in a serious tone.
“Your Majesty. Since the temple is uncooperative, this method is the best. Please consider it.”
“….”
Everyone waited for the Emperor’s approval.
However, since the Emperor, known for his swift decisiveness, hesitated on this matter, Count Yuton spoke up again.
“Your Majesty. What could be the fretting matter? Is there anything else that bothers you?”
“Wouldn’t that Lady, daughter of Viscount Mezerine, also be left with a divorce record?”
“Well….”
When Yuton turned his gaze, Minister of Justice Feron answered.
“Your Majesty. Nothing can be done about this matter. In this case, she would be treated as a divorced Empress, nonetheless, and the Viscount’s family will receive huge compensation that includes a high status and wealth beyond their imagination. Since her name will remain in the Imperial Annals, she will officially be referred to as ‘The Former Empress’.”
“….”
The Emperor rubbed his handsome chin with a thoughtful look and opened his mouth.
“It feels wrong to do this to a young lady. It weighs on my conscience. What would be the best alternative?”
“Your Majesty….”
“Another method.”
As Ian looked around at his aides with a determined expression, Count Yuton opened his mouth with his eyes tightly shut.
“…There is only one way left. The Royal Judgement.”
“You call that a solution? Seriously?”
Knight Lian, who had been sitting on the floor rubbing his arms, couldn’t stand it any longer and interrupted.
“No! If you dislike this method and find that method unacceptable, then just call the lady and marry her. After all, it’s fate!”
The Emperor’s surprised vassals rushed to stop Lian.
“Oh my. Lord Lian! Please stop saying things like that….”
“No matter what, how can you resort to that? That is truly the last, last, last solution….”
Ignoring the civil officials, who were pale and trying to intervene, the blonde knight jumped to his feet and even started gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke.
“Isn’t that how it should be? Honestly, this isn’t our fault, and it seems rather unjust of you, Your Majesty. Regardless, we’ve stayed up all night to find a solution, and instead of getting praise… You’re not a seven-year-old anymore!”
As Lian wandered around the office, blurting out whatever came to mind, he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck.
“You really haven’t been hit in a while.”
A dark ominous energy rose behind the Emperor.
Huh?
“Right. There was a family decree to hit you every three days, but I forgot. As my body became comfortable, my mind grew senile. I apologize for the delay.”
“No. This is….”
When the young Emperor extended his right hand, the sword leaning against the throne flew to him on its own. Unwrapping the cloth around the blade, he spoke calmly.
“Lian Bartier de Perza. Let’s see your skills for the first time in a while. Come out to the training ground.”
A bright blue rune could be seen spinning behind the Emperor as he walked away with his sword in his hand.
Huh? What is this?
The blonde knight stretched out his trembling arm toward the back of the departing Emperor.
“B, Big Brother?”
The Emperor, who had already left offered no answer, and a heavy silence filled the empty place.
When Lian looked around with a desperate look in his eyes, several of the aides shook their heads with pitiful expressions, and some even avoided his gaze. Wow, they say there is no one in the world you can trust. You all are too much, really.
「Blonde Rune Knight Lian Bartier…
He was respected by all for his cheerful and gentle personality, but he went into the deep slumber for committing the sin of advising a tyrant.
He was the ruler of the vast Bartier and Serie Mountains in the northeast of the Empire, and the younger brother of Emperor Perza IV… 」
Don’t read the farewell speech already!
Who was that just now!
Lian walked along, trailing behind his brother who was walking far ahead, with an expression that seemed confused whether to cry or laugh.
