By Zephyria “By the way, I have a lot to ask you.””
“Please, ask me anything.”
At the Emperor’s words, Hugo quickly turned his gaze away from the servant. There was considerable strength in the hand holding the wine glass.
“I didn’t expect the Council, not the royal guard, to step forward.”
“Are you referring to the Eldermilli Peninsula subjugation?”
He briefly inferred the hidden meaning behind those words. Taken literally, it was praise for the Council for accomplishing what the other two institutions had failed to do.
“Hmm, yes. The peninsula.”
However, looking deeper, it could be a warning about acting rashly without being ordered. Of course, it wasn’t something to judge based on just one sentence, especially with no expression to read.
“Serving and dedicating ourselves to Your Majesty and the Empire is the Council’s mission and joy. I can only apologize for not delivering the victory news sooner.”
Hugo gave as formal an answer as possible. A consistent formal attitude can make a person appear transparent in its own way. He wanted the Emperor, who was said to see through everything, to see him as a transparent human being with no secrets.
At that moment, the blond servant who had been standing nearby stopped pouring wine and bowed to Hugo. Then, he returned to his master without delay. His light footsteps were completely out of sync with the desolate atmosphere of the inner chamber.
The familiar figure, once again hidden behind the curtain, took a seat next to the dignified Monarch as if it were his rightful place. The Emperor reached out and stroked the figure’s shoulder as if to crush it. It was unclear why it had to be the left shoulder.
The Imperial Family, who had always loved the sun, regarded gold as a sacred symbol. Even in this inner chamber, gold was incorporated everywhere, from the pillars to the small ornaments. So, it wouldn’t be strange if a few more gold glimmers appeared in such a place.
Hugo tried to push away the presence that was rising in a corner of his mind. He lowered his gaze slightly to keep the figure in front of him out of sight.
As an uncomfortable silence filled with thoughts continued, the Emperor asked directly.
“What did you see on the peninsula?”
Hugo felt a sense of foreboding. He lowered his hand from the table, raised his chin appropriately, and answered calmly with a sharp look in his eyes.
“I discovered various demon beasts with resistance to the volcanic terrain, and Deformed species born from genetic modification.”
“Hmm….”
“The discovery of diverse vegetation, animals, and minerals is also expected to greatly impact the Empire’s academic circles. Furthermore, I don’t know if you’ve received the investigation records submitted by the Council, but—”
“Hic—”
A shrill voice interrupted Hugo’s words.
As he shifted his gaze and fell silent, the Emperor’s silhouette also turned to look at the figure who had made the noise beside him. Soon, the silhouette strongly gripped the figure’s forearm, tilted his face towards him, and then retreated as the shadows overlapped. Hugo’s eyelids moved reflexively at the sight. He couldn’t tell exactly what had happened because he could only see the shadows.
It was unclear whether he had gestured to be quiet, comforted him, or warned him.
It was an act that could have caused a scandal, but the voice that followed was not so kind.
“Don’t interrupt the Duke. Unless you want to lose your voice too.”
The single sentence lightly thrown by the Emperor was enough to freeze the entire inner chamber. Unlike the bright scenery, the chilling atmosphere of Aurasian was instantly tinged with a pale light.
The figure hesitated, then stood up from his seat, and another figure waiting behind him sat down next to the Emperor.
It must have been one of the several boys tangled in the curtain earlier. This time, he seemed a little bigger, so he might have been a young man. He had thought that he cherished the servant who had stepped down, but the way he was easily replaced made it seem like he was looking at parts.
The one presumed to be a young man had hair that chased after gold, though not as much as the boy. The figure poured wine into a golden cup with calm movements and stood guard next to the Emperor like a doll without moving. However, the movement of his left arm seemed a little uncomfortable.
But with the gaze of the Monarch, who had turned back this way, Hugo averted his eyes from the figure and calmly continued his report. He was also somewhat concerned that they might lose their voices if he stopped speaking.
“…The greatest achievement of this subjugation is the elimination of the core, which can be said to be the source of the Deformed species. That being had lived for over a thousand years and was an ancient demon that transcended the common sense of time.”
The silhouette beyond the curtain began to stroke the young man’s left shoulder again. Hugo, who had paused for a beat, pursed his lips and then parted them.
“The ruins distributed throughout the peninsula are powerful Sealing Magic that binds the core. According to the investigator’s records, the Sealing Magic had been weakening even before the Council’s advance, as volcanic activity on the peninsula had recently become more active. Furthermore, the frequent appearance of demon beasts near the peninsula over the past few months was also related to this.”
Hugo stared as straight ahead as possible, yet cast his gaze into the distance. At the same time, he briefly listed the facts he had seen and heard on the peninsula. However, he did not utter that the one who had implemented the Sealing Magic was the first Emperor, the last King of Laina whom the core so hated and feared.
In this Laina Rogia, the traces of the first Emperor, from a political point of view, would not be good to reveal. To the bloodline of the collateral line who had waged war for hundreds of years to create a legitimate Imperial Family, the existence of the Sun King could be an insurmountable weakness and a pretext to start another war.
History sometimes brought peace and stability only when it was buried. Like the tombstones found on the peninsula, as well as the various ancient documents sleeping in Agrizendro’s mansion.
Hugo knew better than anyone that his great Emperor, whom he served, was intelligent and knowledgeable about the ways of the world, but his nature was by no means close to that of a wise Monarch. Because of this, Hugo did not announce some facts at the earlier Council briefing, citing the reason for further review. He needed the Emperor’s permission.
The Emperor, who had been listening to the Duke’s report, leaned his chin on his hand and leaned back. It meant that it was not the content he wanted to hear.
He stroked the head of the servant next to him and asked again.
“I asked what you saw.”
Hugo’s words, which were about to continue, stopped. His gaze naturally reached the head that chased after gold, where the hand had reached.
As he stared blankly in that direction, the gold colors he had seen so far flashed through his mind.
The Sealing Magic Circle of the 118th Seal, the Holy Spear that had eliminated the core, the gold ribbon that bound the petitions.
The hero of this fallen country, who emitted a more brilliant gold than anyone else.
He didn’t know why those things suddenly came to mind one after another, but Hugo instinctively realized that the Emperor wanted a different answer. There was only one reason why he had issued a summons and called him into the inner chamber. The Emperor was not trying to use this meal as an excuse to hear about the story of the subjugation.
It was a kind of warning. If you don’t want to lose your voice either, obediently keep quiet.
Around that time, Hugo stopped trying to beat around the bush.
“I didn’t see anything.”
Only then did the silhouette beyond the curtain smile faintly. He certainly couldn’t see his expression, but he could feel it clearly in his voice.
“That’s why I like you so much.”
“It’s an honor.”
“I should give a great reward to the meritorious contributors of the subjugation soon.”
As the Emperor snapped his fingers, two servants in white brought paper and a simple table to be used for the Imperial decree. The table was placed to the right of the Emperor’s silhouette. In the silent space, the sound of the pen tip scratching was heard softly.
The letters created by those fingertips would change history once again at this moment.
Covering up the truth was frustrating, but Hugo was relieved that the summons ended with burying the records of the first Emperor. It was fortunate. There were no questions about the loss of territory, Paren’s entry into the territory, the conflict with the Imperial royal guard, or Leonardo Blaine.
If he were to hear Leonardo Blaine’s name from that mouth in this place today, he would not be able to separate the boys tangled between the curtains of the inner chamber from him.
Ironically, Hugo wanted Leonardo to regain his honor, but at the same time, he wanted him to be completely out of the Emperor’s sight. So that the Emperor would no longer look for him.
Then, the Emperor, who was signing the Imperial decree, asked with his gaze fixed.
“Oh, is my cat doing well?”