◈28. Why Are You Trying to Read My Letter?
As far as I remember, the boots I’m wearing now were also an item with the keyword ‘Stainless and Divine’.
And it was also an item I received as a reward from a previous favorability event.
At that point I realized.
‘Ah, so these are items that can only be obtained through the favorability event. I was wondering how to find the rest of the set items.’
The boots were a reward I previously received when I raised multiple favorability of multiple people at once.
The gloves I just received were received by raising Thomas’s favorability level to the maximum.
If the pattern held, the last piece of the set would likely require another favorability event.
Either by raising or maybe even lowering someone’s favorability.
‘Full set items always come with powerful bonuses, right?’
Considering that, this was a huge win.
All thanks to Thomas.
Was my apology really that overwhelming?
Perhaps because his expectations for the original Nikellus were so low, he seemed to be greatly touched by the small act of kindness and apology.
Though, to be fair, the gold pouch I had given him wasn’t exactly ‘small’ generosity.
Still, seeing him sniffle, I patted his shoulder.
“Anyway, take a break until you calm down. Think about what you’ll do with the money.”
“Sniff, sob, y-yes……. Sob……”
“Oh, and thanks for never spitting in my tea. I know it must have been tempting.”
“Huh?! N-No! Um, I-I would never—!”
“I know, I know.”
The system did confirm he had thought about it but never actually did it.
“I was just joking.” —I said with a reassuring smile.
And Thomas finally calmed down and awkwardly smiled along with me.
Though his smile was a mess from tear tracks and snot just moments ago.
As I watched Thomas shuffle away to rest, I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Yeah. Not living like Nikellus was the right call.’
When I first entered this world, I honestly had some concerns.
I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to just live like the original Nikellus, just continuing as a lazy, power-abusing bastard?
But then, I realized that my karma points were in the negative, so I started to slowly change my attitude to avoid turning into a demon…
‘If I had stayed the same, Thomas wouldn’t have changed like this. He would have kept forcing himself to work while thinking about spitting in my teacup.’
After all, people should live kindly.
Even if it’s not necessarily because of karma points.
And for that moral and upright life, I now had to solve another task.
‘Shall I read it now?’
The emperor’s letter, which I picked up and touched gently, was smooth.
It was made of high-quality stationery with a soft texture.
Moreover, the wax seal that sealed it shimmered as if mixed with flecks of gold.
Is this the dignity of the imperial family…?
The sheer luxury is felt even though it is just an envelope.
I marveled at it as I tore open the envelope.
‘Alright, where does the actual content start…?’
The first few pages were filled with unnecessary greetings.
Stuff about the changing seasons, the glory of the empire, and other empty niceties.
After skipping about two pages, I finally reached the main point.
┼─ ─┼
…Thus, within my heart lies a cold and heavy anguish, unbefitting this warm season.
(Omitted for brevity)
…Until now, I have resigned myself to fate, accepting it as my destiny.
However, upon meeting you, I found myself daring to hope.
I do not believe our meeting was mere coincidence.
I believe it was the gods’ mercy, guiding this humble servant to cross paths with you.
Therefore, in accordance with that will, I promise you this.
Should you resolve the hardship that plagues me—
(Omitted for brevity)
…I swear upon the name of the Imperial family that I will repay you fittingly.
It will be a reward that will not leave you disappointed.
┼─ ─┼
One particular word in the emperor’s letter caught my eye.
Reward.
I couldn’t take my eyes off those words for a while.
Then, after I read the rest of the letter, I realized…
There wasn’t much else to it.
Most of the remaining pages were just filled with empty pleasantries about looking forward to meeting again.
Meaning, in the end, this was the core message.
‘Solve his problem, and I get rewarded.’
Moreover, it was written that the emperor wanted to visit here in three days to discuss the ‘problem’.
What could this problem be?
Whatever was troubling him must be serious enough for him to personally seek help.
‘Whatever it is, a reward from the emperor himself must be something incredible…… Money would be fine, but if it’s an L-grade item secretly stored by the Imperial family, that would be even better…….’
Speaking of which…
There was one L-grade item secretly kept by the Imperial family that came to mind.
If he really intended to give that to me…….
‘I need to hurry.’
I immediately picked up my pen and began writing my reply.
I tried to make it sound welcoming but not overly eager, carefully choosing my words striking just the right balance.
Just as I was writing, ‘If Your Majesty wishes to visit, I would be most honored…’
That’s when I heard Thomas shouting.
“No! Absolutely not! You can’t just barge in like this!”
…Hadn’t I just told him to rest?
I was puzzled, but that wasn’t the issue.
I noticed something strange happened.
‘What is that?’
I frowned at the strange phenomenon I had just witnessed.
Frost?
A layer of white frost was creeping in beneath the door.
Even though it wasn’t winter.
‘Cold energy……? It didn’t feel like an activated skill.… More like—uncontrollable power leaking due to heightened emotions?’
When awakened individuals lose control of their emotions, they sometimes unknowingly leak their power.
And the power flowing out at that time created such a strange phenomenon.
Awakened people who control forest energy, like Luciana, can make grass grow around them, and Awakened people who control ice energy can make the air freeze unnaturally.
So, if I’ve seen it correctly, the current situation can be summarized in one line.
‘An ice-type awakened is coming. And they’re really angry.’
And there was only one ice-type awakened I knew.
To be exact, he wasn’t a complete ice-type awakener, but he had the ability to control spirits, and…
In any case, it seemed like that guy was causing trouble for Thomas outside the door.
I stood up.
I was about to step outside—
CRASH!
“I will not move! If you insist on forcing your way in, you’ll have to defeat—AHHHH!”
Thomas’ scream was heard.
I turned toward the door just in time to see—
Someone pushed Thomas aside and stormed into the office.
That someone was, as expected, the guy that I knew.
“Bliss.”
As I called his name, I glanced outside.
‘Where are the guards……? If they were in their right minds, they wouldn’t have left their posts… Did Bliss’s mental skill affect them?’
「The Whisper of the Fallen King」
A skill that let him influence others with phantom voices.
I suspected he had used that skill to send the guards somewhere else.
Using his skills on the Pope’s guards, and even pushed back his aide, Thomas, with brute force……
This wasn’t something to just pass over.
Yet, despite all that—
Bliss approached me with an expression as blank as ever, as if he wasn’t aware of this.
And then―
“The letter.”
I blinked.
“…What?”
“Did you just receive a letter? From the Emperor.”
As soon as I heard those words, my gaze unconsciously turned toward the emperor’s letter.
It was still sprawled out on my desk, right where I had left it after reading.
Bliss, who followed the same direction my gaze was directed, also discovered the letter.
The moment he reached out and grabbed it, I moved first and snatched it away.
“No, that won’t do. This is a letter His Majesty sent to me. It’s not something I can just show to anyone without permission.”
“…….”
“I don’t know how you found out I received a letter, but it’s better to let it go. This… isn’t something for you to meddle in.”
After saying that, I quickly began to speculate.
‘How did he find out that I received a letter? Did he plant a spy or something… or did he cast a mental skill on one of the messengers? But why…? I don’t even understand why he came to me with such a sudden rage for something like this.’
Anyway, one thing was certain that he didn’t have good intentions.
He didn’t even answer my question, just stared at the letter in my hand.
Then, slowly, his lips parted.
“Hand it over.”
“Hmm… First off, watch your tone!! Second—why should I just give it to you? Give me a reason.”
“I need to confirm what your intentions are for approaching Ernen.”
“Intention…”
I almost laughed.
The way he said it, it sounded like I was scheming something sinister by getting close to the emperor.
I didn’t bother hiding the bitter laugh that escaped my lips.
“When you say it like that makes me even less inclined to show it to you.”
And in response, Bliss’s voice dropped an octave lower.
“……Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
He wasn’t threatening me, not directly.
It was more like… a warning.
But that didn’t make it any less infuriating.
“The regret won’t be mine—”
I was about to shoot back, “The regret will be yours, not mine,” when—
“You have no right to be here!!”
A furious voice cut through the tension.
“No matter how high your rank as the Priest, you still have to follow proper protocol to meet His Holiness! You can’t just barge in like this!!”
Thomas shouted as he stormed in between us, voice trembling with anger.
Seeing the ominous glint in Bliss’s eyes, an uneasy feeling suddenly washed over me.
“Thomas, stop—!”
Despite my warning, Toma, filled with a sense of duty to stop Bliss, stubbornly approached him.
And so—
I had no choice but to move, stepping over the desk in front of me.
I intended to physically block the two. But—
THWACK!
Bliss shoved him first.
Hard.
Thomas wasn’t weak.
But Bliss was an S-class Awakener.
With the strength of an S-rank, far beyond that of an ordinary person, Thomas’ slender body was sent flying and landed on a nearby tea table.
“THOMAS!!”
He was the one who had cried tears of gratitude after receiving my apology.
The one who had wept, saying that he never thought a moment like this would come…
For a moment, Thomas’ body trembled briefly as if he was having a seizure.
Then—
His body went still.
Without another thought, I took out my mace.
“YOU SON OF A—”
I shouted and swung my mace at Bliss.
But the bastard seemed to have expected it, dodging the weapon I swung with minimal movement.
His movements were precise—smooth, controlled.
It seemed his basic physical abilities were a step above mine, so I immediately activated two buff skills.
And with my enhanced attack power, I struck again—
CLANG!
This time, he couldn’t dodge and raised his weapon to block it.
In the midst of this brief standoff, I asked without holding back.
“What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy!?”
Bliss didn’t flinch.
“I warned you. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
I gritted my teeth.
“……Has this bastard’s brain frozen from using too many skills?”
In the midst of this, he subtly tilted his weapon.
Using minimal movement, he redirected my force to the side.
And then—
His other hand reached toward my pocket—
The one containing the emperor’s letter.
“Where do you think you’re reaching?!”
I twisted my body to avoid his hand as I spoke.
At the same time, I shoved the letter, which I had hastily stuffed into my pocket, even deeper.
Deep enough that even if he reached for it again, he wouldn’t be able to pull it out easily.
The bastard raised his eyes with a murderous look, as if he was ready to kill me to take that letter.
I, too, gripped my mace tightly, determined not to let him take it no matter what.
‘……I don’t know what his scheme is, but I’m absolutely not handing the letter over to this bastard.’
Still, I had to be careful.
The weapon he was using… a double-edged blade shaped like a guillotine’s blade—
It was a two-handed weapon.
He could either overlap his two blades to block my attacks, or use just one blade to deflect them.
And if he did that?
His other hand would be completely free enough to reach for the letter again.
If it had been a magically enhanced weapon, I could’ve just shattered it using my mace’s special ability.
But of course, it wasn’t.
It was a Divine Attribute weapon.
A weapon that looked as ominous as a guillotine but was actually imbued with divine energy.
“Rubin! Ugh…, COME OVER HERE! NOW!!”
CLANG!
While clashing weapons with him again, I called for Rubin.
Soon, Rubin appeared in response to my summons.
“Nike, you called… Wh-what’s going on here?!”
“NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!”
I barked out orders as fast as I could:
“Take the guy on the table somewhere safe—somewhere crowded! Then find Luciana and tell her to bring at least five knights! HURRY UP!“
If Rubin fought with me, I could probably subdue Bliss faster.
But right now, ensuring Thomas’ safety was the priority.
Given Bliss’s slightly unhinged state, there was a chance he might do something even crazier.
For example, he might attack Thomas while he was unconscious or take him hostage.
I wasn’t about to take that chance.
“Got it!! I’ll hurry!! Just hang on, Nike!!”
Fortunately, Rubin understood my urgency and transformed into his larger guardian form to carry Thomas away.
SWISH
The moment Rubin left Bliss’s blade grazed past my chest.
Fortunately, only the hem of the clothes was cut a little, but if it had been a little deeper, it would have been an attack that would have drawn blood.
Whether he was really crazy or not, what he said next was absurd.
“I’m not in the mood to mess around. Hand over the letter.”
‘Mess around?’
This bastard thought I was just messing around.
From his choice of words, it seemed he believed I was holding onto the letter for no real reason—just out of boredom, pride, or to assert myself.
Grind.
My teeth clenched on their own.
‘……Does he still think of me as some immature brat?’
