Chapter 48 (1/2)

Translator: Wyvern

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 48

The word “escape” bothered me a lot. It was as if something bad was going to happen. The emperor probably felt the same way as I did.

Doubt and displeasure simultaneously bloomed on his face. “Why should I? What am I supposed to escape from?”

“I knew you had a lot of enemies, but somehow, you had to make another one. Isn’t it famous that the Burg Empire’s internal affairs are a mess? Oh don’t look at me like that, you know it’s true.”

“So?”

“I heard one of them is attacking this place today.”

What the hell was that about?

The emperor and I met eye to eye. There were plenty of expected enemies, but would such a brazen attack ever happen? This was the heart of the Burg Empire. A space for noble children and a hall of learning for the most outstanding scholars.

There was an implicit agreement that no matter how volatile the state of a country was, even when it had come to the point of war breaking out, it was an unwritten rule that temples and academies should never be touched.

But assuming that the threat is true, that would mean that someone in the country was trying to attack the academy’s banquet hall. For what? Who in the world would benefit from doing such a thing?

“Do you want me to believe that?”

“I don’t care if you believe it or not, but I want her sent somewhere else.”

The emperor’s expression became strange. He sneered, and moved to kick the man,

The man who was lying on his stomach groaned and managed to raise his upper body. “You’re wasting your time. At this rate, I’m begging you to kill me.”

The emperor never took matters of murder into his own hands. But a similar degree of pain, if not death, he might give a taste. What the hell was that guy fighting for and why was he so bold?

At the moment when the dagger spun around in the emperor’s hand, I suddenly saw earrings flash in the man’s ear. A small, teardrop-shaped earring made of white jade veined with blue. I remembered from before when a guest came over that Liberty told me that, in general, jade was hard to get by and that even a small amount would be worth a lot of money.

The fact that the man had kept all the other characteristic items and clothing hidden but kept on his person such earrings might have meant that he didn’t know that they were expensive.

A man of considerable standing and money. And a magical power that couldn’t be dealt with one-on-one unless it was the emperor himself.

I tried to remember the few people I knew about that had powers to rival the emperor’s. I had heard rumors of Kuhn, the prince of the Teppoda Empire, a nation that bordered Goldina.

There should have been no way that a prince from another country would be wandering around like this. But considering the fact that the emperor’s direct magic unit missed this caster, it made him quite a powerful wizard.

The emperor seemed to be annoyed that the man seemed to be unintimidated and spoke informally to him, but from my point of view, I couldn’t think of many people who would be so gutsy. Additionally, the person’s appearance was also similar to those from Goldina.

It was probably because of this kernel of doubt that I raised my hand and stepped in. The emperor’s hand snapped in the air.

“Wait a minute!”

“What is it?”

“That guy didn’t seem to mean me any harm from the start. I think you’d better listen to the story.”

The emperor grinned. “There are many ways to listen to a story.”

“That’s true, but… in case you hurt him, it could be an international dispute…”

“Hm?”

“I think that person is Khun, Prince of Teppoda.”

If he were half as experienced as the emperor, the man would probably hide his expression, especially in this situation. However, he was clearly agitated at the moment.

“I didn’t mean to hide it, but…”

‘It’s really you. What the hell are you doing walking around other countries alone?’

Annoyed, the emperor grabbed Khun by the collar and raised him. “Why did the fishy little prince of the Empire of Teppoda crawl in here?”

“I would have told you. I have business with her.”

“What the hell…?”

Khun meekly straightened his posture as if he had no intention of escaping. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

I turned my attention to the emperor.

“You, I mean…”

“It’s Celestia.”

“How did you know who I am?”

“Is that important right now? Just tell me what you have to do. And what the hell are you trying to avoid?”

Khun looked out the window as if to gauge where the sun was and then turned his head back. After I found out who he was, I noticed that his nails and hair were trimmed so neatly that I wondered why I had never noticed.

“Well, I couldn’t just do nothing. Your empress dowager is out of her mind.”

“Empress Dowager…?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to explain the details later? They’re going to attack you right now.”

“What?”

They will attack you here and then blame it on insurgents. Aren’t there quite a few small countries that have merged recently?”

“That kind of thing….”

If they attacked the area and turn it into the work of insurgents, the relationship between the emperor and the people of the annexed states would deteriorate dramatically. Perhaps there would be a great deal of discord.

It was so ridiculous and astonishing that I couldn’t speak properly.