Chapter 14
Chapter 14
“Imperial Palace Treasury?”
At Leios’s words, the Emperor’s eyebrows twitched.
The Imperial Palace Treasury was, quite literally, the Emperor’s own storehouse.
Rare artifacts and treasures collected by successive emperors, as well as precious tributes offered each year from various nations and regions, were piled there like mountains.
“That too is excessive.”
The Emperor fell into brief contemplation.
Retracting words he had already spoken did not suit his nature. Thus, he added several conditions.
“Very well, I shall permit you to enter the treasury. From within, excluding the treasures passed down to the imperial family, I will grant you the opportunity to choose three items.”
“······!”
It was a shocking statement.
There must have been dozens of legendary weapons and armaments slumbering within the treasury alone. To offer the chance to choose three of them—
Yet the Emperor had something he believed in.
‘Treasures choose their master. If you are worthy of them, you will obtain what you desire. If not, you will only walk out carrying a few lumps of gold.’
“However, as I said earlier, opening the treasury does feel excessive. So it would be good for me to demand something of you as well, to keep the balance.”
“······.”
At the Emperor’s words about demanding something from him, Leios’s expression grew tense.
Even if it were said that all the treasures of the world lay within his grasp, the Emperor possessed wealth to that extent. Could he truly satisfy such a man’s desire?
But the Emperor’s next words completely defied everyone’s expectations.
“When the day comes that I desire it, we shall cross swords.”
“A sparring match, you say?”
For the condition to enter the Imperial Palace Treasury to be nothing more than a sparring match—Leios asked back in disbelief, but the Emperor merely nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”
Without hesitation, Leios knelt before the Emperor. If this was how things turned out, he had obtained compensation under far better conditions than Prince Darius.
In truth, as Darius looked down at Leios bowing his head, jealousy that could not be concealed filled his eyes.
“And······.”
Lastly, the Emperor turned his gaze to August, who still stood stiffly frozen.
“Defeat is important. It allows one to realize what within oneself is flawed. Those in high positions, in particular, rarely have the opportunity to experience defeat. Use this loss as nourishment, and devote yourself all the more diligently to your training going forward.”
“…I shall humbly receive and obey your words.”
There was no reward, and no rebuke.
At nothing more than words telling him to do better in the future, August bit his lip and knelt before the Emperor.
The Emperor nodded as he looked upon his sons. Then he raised his voice loudly toward those gathered.
“Originally, I do not indulge in excessive drinking. However, today I have had my fill of spectacle, and as it is the day commemorating the founding of the Empire, it shall be acceptable. You there, bring out the fine liquors sleeping in the treasury!”
At the Emperor’s declaration, bold to the point of exuberance, the nobles present burst into cheers.
At his command, the fine liquors that had lain dormant made their appearance in the banquet hall.
When the fragrant aroma of alcohol filled the air and the banquet grew lively, the Founding Day festival truly began.
The Founding Day festival lasted for three days.
On the first day, once the sparring match ended, I tried to return to the palace immediately.
Though I had undergone a week of training, I had fought so fiercely with skill no better than a beginner’s that the shock and fatigue piled up in both body and mind were immense.
Thus, the moment the sparring ended, I had intended to return to the palace.
In order to carry out the schedule that would continue after today, I needed to go back and recover my body.
However, when the banquet resumed, I ended up being held back by the onslaught of nobles surging in like a tide.
At first, I was flustered by the excessive attention.
I accepted greetings pouring in from all directions and listened to stories I had no interest in. Then, when someone else came, I was seized again and spent more time that way.
It was understandable.
The other princes were already tightly bound together around various nobles. With such solid factions in place, there was no room for them to wedge themselves in.
In contrast, I still had no ties with any noble. There was the Leipzig family of my fiancée, Petra, but an engagement was a relationship that could be broken off at any time.
Thus, they desperately launched frontal assaults to forge a connection with me. Some nobles even brought their daughters with them and went so far as to introduce them.
No matter what, seven years old was too much.
The child, whose baby fat had not yet fully faded and who had a chubby face, looked up at me with an innocent expression.
The noble glanced at me meaningfully, openly revealing his ulterior motives as he said that he would only be able to close his eyes in peace once his daughter found a good match.
I wanted to plant my fist squarely in the face of that mad bastard who was trying to sell off his own daughter, but at the sight of the child looking up at me with sparkling eyes, I barely restrained my hand.
Aside from such incidents, the banquet was quite enjoyable.
The alcohol was fragrant, and there was nothing among the food worth passing up.
The events prepared by the royal palace naturally delighted the mouth, ears, and eyes alike.
The other princes who had tormented me earlier seemed to be engaged in power struggles.
The camaraderie they had shown before was gone, and they merely kept a bit of distance from one another while mingling with their respective factions.
And today, when the festival had finally come to an end.
“…Ah, I’m dying.”
I had no idea how much I had drunk.
My head throbbed, and my mouth was so parched that there was not a hint of moisture, unable to block the stench of alcohol rising from my throat.
As I endured the nausea welling up and was about to lift my body, a cautious knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
“…Have you been coughing.”
Parsidad entered cautiously, carrying something in her hands.
“Hoo······.”
“I shall open the window.”
When I shook my head amid my wavering vision, she set what she was carrying down on the table and opened the window to ventilate the room.
The refreshing winter air flowed into the room and awakened my senses. With the haze lifting a little, I was finally able to look at her properly.
“What did you bring?”
“Thinking that your hangover might be severe, I prepared it in advance.”
She held out to me something placed on a silver tray.
What was contained in the small cup was none other than a single sip of clear water.
“This is a medicine called Fairy’s Tears. It has the effect of clearing the mind.”
In other words, it was an instant cure for a hangover.
I promptly picked it up and gulped it down.
A pleasant coolness quenched my thirst, and my burning stomach was covered over with a mild sweetness.
‘It tastes like soda.’
Fairy’s Tears tasted like synthetic flavoring.
Just as my hangover was easing thanks to the soda-flavored Fairy’s Tears, I realized that her behavior was somewhat different from usual.
“Parsid.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Did something happen last night, by any chance?”
“…N, no.”
“No? Then hurry up and tell me.”
She avoided answering, fumbling with her words several times.
When I looked at her with a stern gaze, suspecting that perhaps some drunken noble had made a pass at her during the festival, she finally confessed the secret.
“Th, that is······.”
What she said with an embarrassed expression was—
“…Me?”
“…Yes. I humbly apologize for saying this, but last night, Your Highness wandered through the palace in a naked state while intoxicated.”
“······.”
At her words, I could only stare blankly with my mouth hanging open.
In the story, Leios was a character overflowing with charisma.
Although his life in the imperial palace was filled with all kinds of humiliation, once he became free, he was a man who could be called superhuman.
Flawless handling of affairs was his trademark, and he never once showed a disheveled appearance from beginning to end.
And I had just destroyed that characterization with my own hands.
“Th, thankfully it was late at night, so there were few people around, and aside from me, there was no one else. As you ordered, Your Highness, everyone except the knight guarding the door was on leave. Before long, you went to bed, so I was barely able to get things under control.”
‘Ah, I want to die of embarrassment.’
If someone were to leak this story outside, the image I had built up during this National Foundation Day would shatter in an instant.
“I, it’s all right. I’m sure I was the only one who saw it! This Parsidad will not tell this matter to anyone!”
When I let out a long sigh with a weary face, she clenched her small fist tightly and spoke to me with a resolute expression.
…Really, thank you so much it almost made me cry.
Once the noisy National Foundation Day ended, things returned to the same everyday routine as usual.
I had already been swinging my sword for several hours, thinking I might as well train. Having worked up a sweat until my whole body was drenched, I left the training grounds in a refreshed mood.
Honestly, it felt more like playing sports than practicing swordsmanship. Before possessing Leios, back when I was an editor, I used to enjoy things like soccer or tennis on weekends.
The regrettable thing was that Tyrfing was completely silent.
Since the sparring match on National Foundation Day, she had not responded to my calls.
She had said before that recovery would take time, but I hadn’t expected her to be silent for days on end.
“Then.”
When I came out after finishing my training, the timing felt awkward. The sun was starting to set, but it wasn’t quite evening yet, and I didn’t feel like continuing training either.
“Is it about time to go?”
The reward bestowed by the Emperor had become good gossip among the nobles during National Foundation Day.
Carius, who received the Düsseldorf territory with a mithril mine.
Darius, who asked for personal time with the Emperor.
And beyond that, I too, who would be entering the imperial palace vault, drew enormous attention.
To the point that heated debates even broke out in the banquet hall over what I would take out with me.
Perhaps because alcohol was involved, nobles regardless of rank listed off the treasures inside the vault based on whatever knowledge they possessed.
For me, who only vaguely remembered what treasures were sleeping inside the vault, their heated discussion was a very good opportunity.
When I showed interest, the nobles, fired up by drink, babbled on while even spraying spit, and thanks to that, I was able to roughly narrow down a list.
The nobles who had gathered at the imperial palace for the National Foundation Festival each returned to their respective places, and this once-noisy place now quietly regained its everyday appearance.
In other words, there were fewer eyes watching.
They say you should strike while the iron is hot, so without hesitation, I headed for the imperial palace vault.
Not knowing the way, I asked attendants and knights for directions, but unlike before, none avoided my gaze or trailed off mid-sentence.
“Your Highness, as His Majesty said, you may take three items, excluding imperial treasures.”
When I arrived at the vault, strict security greeted me. Then a knight who introduced himself as the manager of the place bowed politely and spoke.
“I can’t take out more than that, right?”
“I will stop you at the cost of my life.”
I had meant it as a joke, but the knight’s expression was serious.
He squared his shoulders with eyes burning as if he truly would throw away his life. It was awkward for no reason.
“Understood.”
At my reply, the knight nodded, then deactivated the magical and mechanical devices and carefully opened the door.
Now then, what should I choose to earn a reputation for choosing well?
The imperial palace vault was similar in size to my own palace. One might scoff and say, what could be so big about a mere vault, but this was a place that had been passed down for several hundred years. Having this kind of scale was not such an implausible story.
“There is a stone tablet ahead that depicts the structure of the vault. Since the items stored differ by section, I recommend referring to it.”
“Thank you.”
Saying he would return in an hour, the knight gave a small bow and exited outside.
As he said, I first stood in front of the stone tablet explaining the vault’s structure and examined it closely.
The classifications were broadly divided into three.
Weapons, armor, and artifacts.
“Shall I go to the armory first.”
I had Tyrfing, a legendary demonic sword, but wielding it was still a distant prospect.
Moreover, due to the curse of the Veil, its true power was sealed, making it difficult to use until I left the imperial palace.
So I needed a sword of a suitable level that I could use until I grew stronger.
“A magic sword would be nice. Something that shoots lightning or fire.”
I headed toward the armory first. When I opened the door engraved with a pattern of crossed twin swords, a vast space appeared, and countless blades arrayed within greeted me.