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What the Emperor Truly Needs – Part 04

After Hikaru left, the imperial palace was in an uproar. Kagurai acted like nothing had happened, but leaving no trace was exceedingly difficult.

Hikaru had been cautious, but treading the lawn crushed the grass, and walking in the spotless corridors, even along the corner, left traces of footprints. And they had been discovered.

“Do not breathe a word about this to His Majesty,” the Man Gnome noble in charge of palace management ordered his subordinate. “You realize what the consequences would be, don’t you?”

“I-I understand.”

If there was an intruder, and one that had not been found, he would be held responsible.

“I know. Call the Intelligence Department.”

“The Intelligence Department, sir?”

“They’re also accountable for any intruders.”

“Y-You make a good point, sir. I will contact them at once. Ah, but the second Black Blade of the Empire is on a secret mission.”

“You mean Kutsuwa?” The Man Gnome noble scowled. “Who cares? The absence of their ace does not make them any less blameworthy. Call them, now.”

“Yes, sir.” The subordinate hurriedly left.

The Man Gnome noble couldn’t stop sweating on the thought of his blunder. An intruder had breached the innermost part of the imperial palace. Their motives were unknown, and they left only faint traces of their footsteps. They probably already left, but if they were still hiding somewhere inside, it would be a grave matter. So, he decided to order all the staff to search the palace, framing it as a training exercise.

The fewer people who knew about the intruder, the better. If it needed to be reported to the Emperor, he would rather leave that unpleasant task to the Intelligence Department.

“Why is this happening when I’m in charge?” the Man Gnome muttered as he walked through the uncharacteristically bustling palace.

---

The following morning, a sleepy Silver Face appeared before Luvain while he was hurriedly having breakfast. He requested some privacy, and they were left alone to talk.

“Sorry for coming so early. We can talk over breakfast.”

“What’s going on? Is Flower Face in danger again?”

Hikaru shook his head and took a seat across from Luvain. “I’ve figured out the Emperor’s intentions.”

“There’s no point in persuading all the nobles. He has some other purpose.”

“So you already knew.”

“I wasn’t entirely sure. I thought there might be some hidden motive behind the wise Emperor’s unreasonable order, but the lack of information made it impossible for me to speculate.”

Hikaru relayed the saying that the Emperor had shared with him. It sounded like something straight out of the Code of Hammurabi—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

“And that means?”

Luvain, a man who saw through everything, seemed unusually puzzled. Hikaru assumed he was considerably fatigued.

“You’re currently away from Agiapole. What will happen if you continue this impossible task?”

“I’ve made arrangements for the holy city to run smoothly even in my absence.”

“No. You’ve made precautions for when you’re dead.”

Realization dawned on Luvain’s face. “The Emperor intends to send me back alive. After keeping me here for a long period of time.”

“What do you think will await you on your return?”

“There’s a high likelihood that a new Pope will have been chosen. Guildford and his associates wouldn’t miss the opportunity my prolonged absence presents.”

Guildford and his men, who had been spared and shown mercy, were most likely hiding within Bios, in their homes, estates, or with influential sympathizers. What would they do if Luvain didn’t return to the capital promptly?

“They’ll probably spread rumors that I’ve died. Guildford has a good chance of being selected as the next Pope. My getting rid of the archpriests, his likely opponents, will work in his favor.”

“Not killing him has backfired.”

“And what comes after that?”

“Hmm?”

“What will Emperor Kagurai do? You probably have information I’m unaware of, right? Is he planning to destroy Bios while it’s in chaos?”

The fatigue must be really getting into him, Hikaru thought. Leaning back on his chair, Luvain was not his usual sharp shelf.

Hikaru had never heard what Luvain discussed with the nobles during the day. However, judging from the reactions of the accompanying Knights Templar and temple guards, he seemed to be constantly ridiculed. Nevertheless, Luvain endured it and continued with each meeting. Hikaru couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the man.

“I think Emperor Kagurai will do nothing.”

“Nothing…?”

“Surprised? The former Pope did the same thing, didn’t he?”

“Ah…” Finally, Luvain caught on. “Revenge.”

The former Pope had, through the archpriests, distributed poison within the imperial capital, ultimately affecting the Emperor himself. While suffering, Kagurai searched for a way to cure the disease, but found nothing. No leads emerged as the poison continued to spread within the capital.

Kagurai was now subjecting Luvain to a similar experience. Faced with a crisis he couldn’t solve on his own, Luvain would suffer as chaos erupted in the holy city of Agiapole.

“It’s certainly a harsher punishment than just taking my life.”

Killing him would be too merciful. As the death toll kept rising, Kagurai himself must have wished for help for his citizens, even if it meant giving up his own life.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

“Kagurai is actually being nice. He dropped me a hint, knowing I would tell you about it.”

“A hint… So you met the Emperor in person.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“It’s quite difficult not to.”

“Anyway… I think he gave a hint because Flower Face and I did help the citizens of the empire, and you are not the previous Pope.”

“But I’m not completely blameless either. I couldn’t stop the former Pope.”

Luvain spoke with more fervor than usual. Perhaps he was reaching his breaking point.

“But you did stop him eventually. I know that.”

“…”

“You chose to rebuild the Church, even if it cost you your life. There’s no time to stand still.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Luvain picked up his cup and took a sip of the now-cold tea. “It is just like you to give me a push from behind.”

“That sounds like an insult.”

“Now that you have your hint, what are you planning to do next? Are you going to put an end to my pointless visits to the nobility?”

“No, you should continue as you were. If you suddenly stopped, people would get suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“I don’t think Kagurai explained the real purpose behind the pointless task he gave you. There has to be something to these visits to the nobility.”

“…”

Luvain put his hand on his chin, lost in thought, then rang the bell on the table with a start. A Templar came in a hurry.

“Please fetch me the list of Imperial nobles right away! And bring all the minutes of our meetings.”

“U-Understood!” The knight scurried off.

“A list of nobles and minutes?”

“Yes.”

“What’s going on?” It was Hikaru’s turn to be puzzled.

“The nobles I’ve met can be divided into several groups at this point. The first group gets angry, which is understandable. The second group cooperates, the ones with strong ties to the Church. And the third group… they’re out for their own gain.”

“Their own gain… even during a national crisis?”

“Yes, it’s not something ordinary nobles would consider, but during times of crisis—no, especially in a crisis, there are those who see it as an opportunity to further their interests.”

The corridor was buzzing with activity. The knights and guards returned with a stack of documents.

“These people must be annoying for Emperor Kagurai too. If we could expose them and find evidence of their corruption, it would be much more useful than trying to convince all the nobles.”