Chapter 348

The capital, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, greeted us with its usual noisy chaos.

“Sir Median, the Winter Slayer, has returned!”

“May Elpinel bless the Empire’s savior! Long live the Radiant Knight! Long live Sir Median!”

…Actually, it seems even noisier than before.

The entire capital was buzzing with awe and praise.

Well, considering even the Imperial Army was half-destroyed, I was pretty much the only one who brought back a glorious victory, so it’s only natural.

Leonor and the Rose Cross Knight Order, excluding the coachman, headed to the Rose Crown under Rain’s command, while Damien and Milia also parted ways, saying they needed to go to the Academy.

The Academy… I should probably go there too. My lodging is there, after all.

Come to think of it, has Rana returned? I didn’t get a chance to tell her that the room had changed. Though I’m sure the Academy staff must have informed her.

“Then, I’ll take my leave now. May the sun’s grace shine brightly on your path, Sir Median.”

“Yeah, you’ve worked hard.”

Not long after, Florence also bowed politely and left in the carriage. She said she was going to report everything to Lacey.

I waved her off with a light smile.

Thinking about it, it was a short meeting, but I received a lot of help in many ways.

She even fixed Damien, who was slightly broken from intense training, and completely healed the wounds I got from that Ryu-rik guy.

Anyway, with this, the only ones heading to the Imperial Palace were me and Leonor, who was acting as my escort.

Including the coachman, that makes three.

—-

“Sir Count Median! You’ve arrived!”

The knight guarding the palace entrance immediately saluted me with a gasp as soon as he saw me.

…He seems even more polite than when Ludwig entered. Judging by the trembling in his eyes, maybe he’s a knight who witnessed me in battle?

“See? I told you, miss. Respect comes from awe.”

Leonor nodded with a satisfied smile.

Judging by her face, she seems even happier about my rising status than I am.

Having already let go of her own authority, maybe she’s finding satisfaction in elevating her lord’s prestige instead?

Guided by the knight, we headed to the annex.

The main palace, which had collapsed, wouldn’t be restored in just a month or two, so even though Leopold had become the Emperor, he was still conducting his duties from his own annex.

I’ve got the professor’s residence, the northern mansion, and now the capital’s mansion I’m about to receive—my houses are practically multiplying. Meanwhile, Leopold has lost the one house he had.

He’ll probably build a new one later, though.

After waiting for a while in the annex’s reception room, I was finally guided to Leopold’s office.

“Sir Median, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

The Royal Guard standing in front of the office greeted me with a bright smile.

Yugh Persval, the knight who really loved rye bread…? It took me a while to remember since it’s been so long.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. You’ve been doing well too, huh? Seems like you’ve risen in rank.”

Even after Leopold became Emperor, he’s still serving as a guard. Is that okay? The Emperor’s guard isn’t even a master-level Royal Guard. That’s kind of worrying.

“With most of the senior knights having passed away, I ended up taking on this position beyond my capabilities. Now that I’m here, I must strive not to disappoint His Majesty, who has placed his trust in me.”

He’s got the right mindset. He used to be so arrogant when I first met him.

This is all thanks to my physical therapy.

“Since I can’t guarantee that I alone can perfectly protect His Majesty, the knights sent by Duke Bien are also responsible for His Majesty’s security.”

“Duke Bien?”

I heard he suffered significant losses during the civil war.

“Yes. During the day, I assist His Majesty, but when he leaves the palace or in the evenings, the master-level knights sent by the Duke take over His Majesty’s protection.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Even though there aren’t many master-level forces left, he’s pushing himself.

Maybe he’s trying to expand his influence in the Imperial family.

Well, since Leopold, whom he’s fully supported, has ascended to the throne, it’s only natural that he’d want to reap the rewards of his investment.

As long as he doesn’t cross the line, it’s not really a problem. It’s not something I need to worry about.

With that, I ended my conversation with Persval.

After Persval lightly knocked on the office door to announce my arrival, Leopold’s permission to enter came shortly after.

Though his voice sounded unusually weak.

—-

“Welcome. It’s been so long since we last met.”

…Good heavens. What he’s lost isn’t just the palace.

His tone had completely shifted from formal to informal since officially ascending the throne, but I barely noticed.

I was too busy holding back tears at the sight of Leopold’s haggard appearance.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty Leopold. It seems you haven’t been… well.”

I couldn’t even bring myself to ask if he’d been doing well.

Why?

Because Leopold’s hair…!

[I had a feeling this would happen someday… but it happened faster than I imagined. Poor thing.]

Even Hersela couldn’t help but sympathize.

Leopold’s forehead had widened by about two fingers compared to before. Upwards.

Compared to his receding hairline, his bloodshot eyes and dark circles so deep they looked black were nothing.

Being Emperor must be incredibly stressful.

I’d feel the same way. Becoming Emperor at such a time.

The Empire’s power has drastically declined after the civil war and the great invasion, while other countries are either at war or preparing for it, and the increasing number of monsters is becoming harder to handle.

I bet he feels like quitting as Emperor.

Though if he did, the chaos would be unimaginable.

“…Thank you for your concern. It’s hard to say I’ve been well. I never expected to be so overwhelmed by work that I’d wish for Isabella to kill me instead…”

Leopold sighed and picked up a teacup from the table, gesturing to the sofa across from him.

Sitting here reminds me of the past.

After the capital was attacked by Milicia, I came here to meet Leopold after recovering for a while.

Thinking about it, it was only a few months ago, but it feels like a distant memory.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been running non-stop since then.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you’re not seriously injured. I heard the Beastman King was no ordinary foe.”

“He was strong. But I was stronger.”

A confident smile.

Though I struggled a lot even with Jin’s Sword, I won in the end, so it’s not wrong to say I’m stronger.

If it were anyone else, even a hero, it wouldn’t have been easy to deal with him.

The difference in basic abilities like stamina and strength was just too great.

Unless you had a hero’s tale specifically tailored for beastmen, you’d probably end up as his meal.

“That’s reassuring to hear.”

Leopold leaned back in his chair and let out a light laugh, seemingly relieved by my joke.

—-

After that, Leopold and I talked for a while.

It wasn’t light conversation.

Leopold had become far too busy for casual chit-chat.

Naturally, the topics revolved around the Empire’s internal affairs and international situations—things that made my head heavy just hearing about them.

The unusual military strength displayed by the elves and demi-humans, the lords near the western border trembling in fear and constantly requesting support.

The Panam guys have gone crazy, putting trade pressure on the Empire and making outrageous demands, things like that.

“What exactly did Panam demand to make you say that…?”

If Leopold outright called them insane, I can’t even begin to guess.

“They demanded a political marriage with a woman of Imperial bloodline or equivalent. Even considering that Panam’s prince is not even four years old… it’s clear they want her as a concubine, not a daughter-in-law. It’s an absurd demand.”

“That’s insane. How many unmarried women of Imperial bloodline or equivalent are there…?”

[You’re so dense.]

What’s she suddenly talking about?

“Hmm…? Did you not realize? There are only three such women in the Empire. Duke Pailoon’s daughter, Princess Freide. The Imperial Princess, Leonor. And you, Sir Median.”

…What?

So, the woman Panam’s king demanded…

In other words…

Seeing my expression change, Leopold nodded.

As if confirming the guess I just made.

“Do you understand now? They demanded either you or Leonor as a concubine.”

“Let’s annihilate them.”

Such a royal family doesn’t deserve to exist.

Forget the west or east, I feel like marching straight to Panam right now.

My sincere outburst made Leopold let out an awkward laugh.

He probably expected this reaction, but from his position, attacking Panam isn’t a request he can grant.

Yeah, I get it.

The Empire, which claims to be the protector of humanity, can’t preemptively attack a human nation without a just cause.

Doing so could easily spark a world war.