Chapter 292 (1/2)

Chapter 292: Chapter 292

“You’re asking me what kind of a person His Majesty is?”

Inside a small reception room within the imperial palace.

Su-hyeun was sitting on the opposite side of Binladen. Before he could be introduced to the emperor, they had to wait for a little while.

“He’s an amazing person, of course.”

“Is it alright for a man of such a stature to meet someone like me?”

“What do you find unusual about that? His Majesty the emperor only wishes to meet talented and skilled individuals, that’s all.”

For sure, someone on Su-hyeun’s level would be seen as an incredible talent in this world.

Although Su-hyeun didn’t know where Binladen would be placed in this world’s hierarchy in terms of strength, he nevertheless was a commander of a knight order belonging to the imperial palace, which implied that he was stronger than average knights.

So, Binladen didn’t even need to question Su-hyeun’s skills when Su-hyeun was capable of subduing him in the blink of an eye.

“That’s why I think it’s a problem. Normally, you wouldn’t openly invite someone with an unknown background inside the imperial palace, am I wrong? For instance, what if I wanted to harm His Majesty, or…”

“Did you just say that for laughs?” Binladen chuckled in dismay at Su-hyeun’s words. “His Majesty? You will do what?”

“…”

“Now that I think about it, you may not be aware of it due to your memory loss, completely forgetting about what kind of a person His Majesty is.”

“Well, that…”

Of course, Su-hyeun had no clue. He had just arrived in this world, and the only comprehensive conversation he had so far was with Binladen.

He asked about what kind of a person the emperor was simply because he heard that the same man was responsible for unifying the continent for the first time in its history.

“His Majesty is the strongest individual in the entire continent.”

“I knew it,” Su-hyeun thought.

Binladen’s reply affirmed Su-hyeun’s initial guess that the massive presence he sensed earlier belonged to the emperor.

The emperor who successfully unified the continent for the first time in its long history was an absolute being who ruled over the continent for over a hundred years without letting go of his throne once.

That was the current emperor, Wick Bradley, in a nutshell.

“His Majesty was born a slave, a position even lower than that of a commoner, but he still became an aristocrat and then, eventually, a king by relying only on his own strength. I heard that His Majesty has lived for several hundred years already, but he personally has said that he can live past 1,000.”

After the initial introduction, Binladen continued on with a really long-winded tale of Emperor Bradley’s exploits. Rather than a character introduction, it verged on exaltation at this point.

However, Su-hyeun did pay close attention since these stories were of the emperor’s actual accomplishments. Some of the things, “abilities,” he heard just now definitely fell into the category of the “Sage Arts” Su-hyeun was familiar with.

“Splitting the ocean apart with just a single sword strike probably means cutting through the Gyeol,” he thought.

Even those outlandish-sounding accomplishments would not be impossible to pull off if he had mastered the Sage Arts to some degree.

For instance, Su-hyeun could also split water in half, albeit only for a brief moment, by also cutting through the Gyeol.

“So isn’t it obvious now? No one in this world can harm His Majesty. And that’s why not only you don’t see any personal guardian knights around him, but His Majesty also doesn’t care about letting suspicious people inside the imperial palace.”

“I see. I get it now.”

Actually, Su-hyeun got it from the very beginning.

It would not make much sense for a stupefyingly powerful emperor to fear for his own safety and be reluctant to let people inside the imperial palace, after all.

It was just that Su-hyeun felt deeply curious about just what kind of a person he was.

“From what I can see, Mister Binladen doesn’t seem to know where the emperor learned the Sage Arts from,” Su-hyeun inwardly considered.

Apparently, the emperor was the progenitor of the Sage Arts called “aura control” in this world. Along with his arrival, other knights learned the Sage Arts, and in turn, humanity had become stronger than ever before.

“In that case, just where did the emperor learn the Sage Arts from?”

One question simply birthed another one that continued to brush past his mind.

And so, while he was chatting to Binladen about this and that…

“He’s here,” he thought.

Su-hyeun shifted his gaze toward the reception room’s entrance.

And right at that moment…

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

“W—what? He’s here?”

Binladen was taken aback by the announcement coming from outside the door and hurriedly shot up from his seat.

He had been thinking that the emperor would obviously call for them once the message got to him, yet for some reason, the emperor himself had personally come to visit the reception room instead.

Creak—

Once the door began opening up, Su-hyeun imitated Binladen and also stood up from his spot.

It didn’t matter which country it was, no subject would welcome their kings and queens while sitting down. Although Su-hyeun wasn’t a denizen of this world, only he himself knew that.

“So, he’s the emperor,” Su-hyeun silently observed.

Ba-dump—

Su-hyeun’s heart powerfully pounded away.

What greeted his sight was a young face that seemed to be of a similar age to Su-hyeun, with a head full of short-cropped blonde hair standing upright. Just from his outer appearance alone, you would never believe that the emperor had lived for hundreds of years by now.

However, Su-hyeun could still read the passage of time from the emperor’s expression and the light gleaming within those eyes.

“…First brother? No, wait. He’s not on the same level, but…”

His hands discreetly clenched into fists by his sides.

“As I thought, he’s a monster.”

The emperor.

Seeing this man drove the fact home a little harder: that Su-hyeun was stuck inside the world of the trial found on the 100th floor.

Emperor Wick Bradley strode inside the reception room and then alternated his gaze between Su-hyeun and Binladen. The latter hurriedly went down on one knee and bowed his head to act according to the established decorum.

“Your loyal subject Binladen is honored by your presence, Your Majesty.”

“We’re not even inside the audience chamber so no need to be such a stickler for formalities. Be at ease, gentlemen. At ease.”

Bradley motioned for Binladen to stand up and settled down on the seat of honor.

His gaze then shifted over to Su-hyeun and remained there. “So, it’s this man? The wandering swordsman who managed to subdue you in 10 moves?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Due to his memory loss, he doesn’t know who taught him swordsmanship nor where he’s from. Hence, I thought of bringing him here.”

“You’ve done well. I welcome any talented individuals.”

“Thank you for your favorable evaluation. But Your Majesty, you didn’t have to personally grace us with your—”

“My curiosity got the better of me,” Bradley replied, smirking. “I’ve never seen a man like this before, you see. As a matter of fact, it’s like staring at my past self.”

“The past version of Your Majesty…?”

“Binladen, please leave us for now. Why don’t we have a chat at another time?”

Binladen got up after receiving Bradley’s order. Although he seemed affable and easy-going on the outside, the emperor had an extreme dislike for repeating himself.

Thud—

Binladen closed shut the rather heavy door behind him and left, leaving Su-hyeun and Bradley alone in the reception room.

Su-hyeun didn’t have anything particular to say, so he kept his mouth shut and waited for the emperor to speak first.

“Say, you’ve lost your memories?”

“Yes.”