RATBA 43

Chapter 43

Nathan and I entered the palace, excited to report our success—but that excitement didn’t last long.

The atmosphere in the palace was strangely heavy, as if something terrible had happened in our absence.

‘What’s going on? The mood here is off…’

A servant rushed up to us, visibly agitated.

“Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! You must go to His Majesty’s audience chamber at once!”

“Right now? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know the details, but it’s urgent! His Majesty ordered me to bring you the moment you arrived!”

“Understood. We’ll go immediately.”

With a growing sense of unease, we hurried to the audience chamber.

Inside, we found not just the Emperor, but also the empire’s ministers, royal knights, and even Regis gathered together—an extremely rare sight.

After offering formal greetings, Nathan calmly asked,

“We came as soon as we heard of the emergency. What’s the situation?”

Regis and the ministers immediately shot us disapproving looks, as if questioning where we had been during such a critical time.

Since we hadn’t publicly announced our mission to find the spirit, they had no idea what we’d been doing.

The Emperor let out a deep sigh before speaking.

“It’s the Principality. The Principality of Espial has launched a surprise invasion.”

“……?!”

The young Grand Duke currently ruling the Principality had lost his father in a past war with the Empire.

Now, he had finally begun his revenge.

War itself wasn’t surprising—it had always been a matter of when, not if—but the timing was unfortunate.

“We were able to respond immediately, thanks to our preparations. However, the border lord sent an unfavorable report. Holding them back is proving more difficult than expected.”

“Meaning…?”

“Correct. We need to send reinforcements.”

In the past, the Empire had two strong young warriors—the Emperor and my father, his loyal vassal.

But time had weakened them, and now it was their grown children’s turn to step forward.

Regis confidently strode ahead.

“Since my brother is still unaware of the situation, I’ll go. As a member of the royal family, I’ll fight honorably and bring victory.”

Though he spoke with confidence, Nathan didn’t seem convinced.

“You? Arthur, you should learn how to properly hold a sword first.”

“Stop insulting me!”

Regis snapped back, visibly offended at being belittled in front of everyone.

While I understood his frustration, his refusal to acknowledge his own limitations was pitiful.

‘Nathan isn’t wrong…’

No matter how much Regis denied it, the truth was plain—he lacked the skill.

Could someone who consistently skipped the Imperial swordsmanship tournaments really survive a battlefield?

The answer was obvious.

But Regis had no intention of backing down.

He dramatically dropped to one knee before the Emperor.

“Father! Please believe in me! I will return with the enemy general’s severed head and the flag of victory!”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor remained silent—for an uncomfortably long time.

‘He must not trust Regis either. He’s hesitating. More importantly, when do we report about the spirit?’

I had been waiting for the right moment to bring it up, but this tense silence was unbearable.

Fidgeting, I finally stepped forward.

“Forgive my interruption, but there’s urgent news that may affect the outcome of this war. I wouldn’t speak out of turn if it weren’t critical—”

“Claudia! This isn’t the time for your interference!”

Regis cut me off instantly, as if he’d been waiting for me to slip up.

And his attack didn’t end there.

“Sigh… It’s clear the Duke’s household failed in educating you. They didn’t even teach you when to keep quiet.”

He had insulted my father—right in front of everyone.

Heat rushed to my face.

“…Did you just insult my father?”

“A man who failed to raise his daughter properly deserves criticism. Even a Duke is no exception.”

Insulting my parents? That was unforgivable.

I was about to demand an apology when the Emperor suddenly roared.

“Enough! What are you two doing at a time like this?!”

We both fell silent.

His scolding continued.

“Claudia! If you have something to say, wait your turn! And Regis! Apologize immediately for insulting the Duke!”

I bowed my head, while Regis gritted his teeth and muttered an apology—so quietly it was barely audible.

“Tch. Sorry. But you should also avoid embarrassing your father in the future.”

“……”

It was a half-hearted apology, but at least the Emperor’s intervention shut Regis up for now.

Seizing the opportunity, I spoke up again.

“I lost my temper when my father was mentioned. My apologies, Your Majesty. But I didn’t step forward lightly—this news could truly turn the tide of war.”

“Hmm…?”

“I’m certain the new power we’ve acquired will help in this crisis. That’s why I dared to interrupt.”

Regis scoffed under his breath.

‘If you really want to help, staying quiet would be better.’

I ignored him.

Once they saw the spirit’s power, such petty remarks would vanish.

“A new power?”

“Yes. This.”

I held up the ring, but everyone just stared blankly.

Of course—they had no idea how much power was contained in this small object.

As I took a moment to focus, Regis couldn’t resist another jab.

“Surely you’re not trying to show off a ring at a time like this?”

Ignoring him, I concentrated.

I could feel Elliot’s borrowed power stirring through the ring.

‘Good, it’s working.’

First, I gathered moisture from the air, forming a small water droplet.

In an enclosed space like this, creating anything larger was difficult.

I slowly expanded the droplet.

‘I should stop here. Any more and it might get dangerous.’

Once the sphere reached about a meter in diameter, I stopped.

Drawing more water risked draining the palace’s water supply.

‘Why is it so quiet? Did they find it underwhelming?’

Lost in focus, I hadn’t noticed the chilling silence that had fallen.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes.

Everyone was staring at me.

Flustered, I tried to explain.

“Indoors, this is the limit, but near a large water source like the sea or a lake, the scale would be much more impressive—”

“Claudia!”

“……?!”

Before I could finish, the Emperor bellowed my name—louder than before.

Not only that, he stood from his throne and strode toward me.

For the Emperor to personally step down was unprecedented.

I was utterly bewildered.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“Was that… the power of a spirit just now?!”

I hadn’t even mentioned the spirit yet, but he had recognized it instantly.

Nodding, I confirmed.

“Yes. I’ve brought back the power of a water spirit to aid the empire. We traveled to a distant, dangerous island to—”

“No! This power is dangerous! Stop at once!”

Only then did I realize the emotion in his eyes—fear.

He was afraid of me wielding the spirit’s power.

“Have you forgotten why Nathan is cursed? Do you truly not remember the origin of the royal family’s curse?!”

“That’s…”

“It was a spirit! The curse upon the imperial family came from a spirit!”

It felt like a blow to the back of the head.

To me, the spirit’s power had seemed nothing but useful.

But to the Emperor, it was a terrifying, ominous force.

‘Right… Nathan was so calm about helping me find the spirit that I completely forgot. How could I overlook how ill-omened spirits are to the royal family?’

In hindsight, the Emperor’s reaction was normal.

If anything, Nathan had been too fearless in assisting me.

‘This is bad. If this backfires, Nathan could suffer for it too!’

That was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

Frantic, I scrambled for an explanation.

“I’m well aware of the origin of the imperial curse. But please rest assured—the water spirit will harm no one unless I command it.”

“How can you be certain?”

“Because I am its contractor. The spirit has formally pledged itself to me.”

Whispers broke out among the crowd.

I pressed on, making my point clearer.

“The water spirit chose to form this contract of its own will. It aids me voluntarily.”

The imperial family’s curse had come from defying a spirit’s will.

My relationship with Elliot was entirely different.

A spirit who willingly helped me would never curse me.

‘I need to reassure His Majesty.’

Leaning close to the ring, I whispered.

“Elliot, you’re listening, right? Please come out and confirm my words.”

For a moment, there was no response.

Then, a clear voice echoed in my ear.

<I don’t particularly enjoy appearing before humans… sigh… But if it’s my contractor’s request, I suppose I have no choice.>