A room in the royal palace. The ones assembled at the place I'd been summoned to were the guards I'd grown familiar with. What a hectic turnaround—yesterday to today.
I'd heard that many of Zebludia's royal guards were nobles. Of everyone present, I was probably the least well-born.
Franz stiffened the moment he saw me, then spoke as though utterly exasperated.
"You actually showed up. Take a seat. ...Klye Andrich... don't tell me you always dress like that?"
From the instant I received the summons, I'd been in the mood of a prisoner awaiting execution. Relying on "Comfortable Vacation" was inevitable.
Ggh—... the Emperor is here. I barely swallowed the words I'd been about to say. That would be far too insolent.
The room I'd been summoned to was sturdy and austere, as if embodying Zebludia itself. There were few lavish decorations, but the atmosphere naturally made you straighten your back. Seated firmly at the far end was undoubtedly the most important person in this country—the Emperor.
For all I knew, it might just be my ignorance, but normally the Emperor wouldn't appear for a routine summons. During a guard detail it might be unavoidable, but an audience with His Majesty was supposed to be reserved for special occasions like the "Gathering of White Swords"—in other words, I shouldn't be here.
Is the Emperor... bored?
Lost in thoughts bordering on the height of disrespect—a welcome escape from reality—I was brought back by Franz clearing his throat.
"Well, fine. The reason I've summoned you this time is—"
There, His Majesty spoke.
"That's enough, Franz. This isn't a formal audience. There's no need to stand on ceremony. I'll speak to him directly."
His gaze shifted from Franz to me.
I'd been thinking it for a while, but isn't His Majesty a bit too... Frank? He keeps popping up everywhere. Is the Emperor... bored?
Now then, why had I been summoned? Had Citry's little escapade been discovered? It must have been. If I prostrated myself, would they forgive me? Probably not?
Upon checking, it turned out Citry had—of all things—not actually trained the princess at all.
All she'd done was run a blood test; she apparently hadn't had the energy for anything beyond that. She'd apparently been intensely curious about the royal bloodline.
"I squeezed out everything I could," was Citry's account. Well, naturally it would be difficult to make the princess the strongest in just a few days of training, but I'd have at least liked her to show the attitude of training her.
Her inability to put the brakes on when her curiosity was stimulated—that was one of her bad habits.
Now what was I going to do... I'd been racking my brains for excuses, but there was no excuse to be made.
Feeling like a fish on the chopping block, I listened as His Majesty spoke in a solemn tone.
"Your work on the recent guard detail was truly commendable. There were various headache-inducing problems, but... there was no assassin as skilled as 'Still Water.' We can say the immediate crisis has passed."
Hm...? ...Wait? This isn't what I expected at all. You don't thank the person you're about to execute first. That's impossible, right?
I blinked and looked between His Majesty and Franz.
"Furthermore, your work on Murina's training was also commendable."
!!
I spoke in a hurry.
"You're far too kind, Your Majesty. Since time was so short, I wasn't able to accomplish very much."
I really had drained her blood and I felt terrible about it. My companion truly had done something inexcusable. But there were other guards on duty, right? The fact that they hadn't stopped her wasn't entirely my fault?
I quietly glanced around, but Princess Murina was nowhere to be seen in the room. Perhaps noticing my gesture, His Majesty nodded with a knowing air.
"Murina has been receiving instruction in swordsmanship. Up until now, she rarely took the initiative to request anything for herself—but it seems something about her thinking has changed."
"She had a terrifyingly intense look about her... If anything, it was worrying, Your Majesty."
Franz said, his expression one of bewilderment.
Well, of course your thinking would change after having your blood drawn day after day. I hadn't witnessed the special training myself, but—while there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her physically, something had clearly been off in other respects.
"As for the details of the training, neither Murina nor those around her have been willing to speak much about it—but it sounds like it was quite grueling."
I carefully composed my expression into one of solemnity so my face wouldn't twitch, given that His Majesty had no idea his daughter's blood had been drained repeatedly.
"An ordinary person wouldn't have been able to endure it. It was a testament to Her Highness's own strength."
"Hahaha... She said she never wants to go through it again."
Incredible, Citry. You're the only one in the world who gets thanked for draining someone's blood!
"Once should be sufficient. The princess has already changed... She will soon be able to fend off whatever disasters befall her with her own hands."
I seized the opportunity to heap praise on the princess in an attempt to sweep everything else under the rug.
His Majesty nodded magnanimously at my heartfelt words.
"I'll accept that praise at face value, Thousand Transformations. Now then—I believe we haven't yet given you a reward for the training."
!?! Incredible, Citry. You're the only one in the world who gets a reward for draining someone's blood!
Stunned speechless by this unexpected development, His Majesty spoke. His expression remained severe, but perhaps this was just... how he naturally looked.
"I shall grant you an additional bounty. Name your wish."
"That's... not necessary, Your Majesty. The special training for Princess Murina was something I volunteered for—I've already been sufficiently compensated."
I'd already been sufficiently compensated—by blood, no less!
Even someone as brazen as me couldn't accept a reward for training I hadn't actually done. No—if anything, accepting it would become a problem if my fumble was ever exposed.
If I absolutely had to name something, it would be: "Tears of Truth, please."
"It's not just the training. In the talks, your actions regarding the repulsion of foxes—including Still Water—and the reforestation in Toizant worked decisively in our favor. Considering the airship also crashed... a single carpet hardly seems adequate."
Incredible, me. Everything I did backfired spectacularly, yet I was getting this stellar evaluation. This was nauseating!
I absolutely had to decline... Rewards were proportional to responsibility. The reforestation had been nothing more than a stroke of luck—something that could go wrong at any moment.
"I did it all on my own initiative. If you insist on giving a reward, it should go to Franz, who has long devoted himself to Princess Murina's service."
"!? Stop that, Thousand Transformations. His Majesty has said he will give you a reward. Refusing would also be an insult."
I really didn't understand the noble world. If I absolutely had to name something, it would be: "Tears of Truth, please."
"But I have no need for wealth. Nor for status or honor."
I recalled what Ark had once told me—that in House Rodan, a peerage was raised as a reward every time something happened—and added that just to be safe.
I was mostly satisfied with my current station. Retirement would make it perfect, but that wasn't something the Emperor's influence could arrange.
I said, in a final hard-boiled flourish: "Those things rot the soul."
"Just as Gradius said—a humble man. Some might even call it rudeness disguised as politeness... Well, then. If you need neither wealth, status, nor honor, this does put me in a bind. Power is about all that's left, but at Level 8, you already have that."
Power, huh... If it were offered, I wouldn't mind receiving it, but honestly, even acquiring some slightly more powerful equipment wouldn't make me any stronger. And when things truly went south, I had Luke and the others, so I didn't need it.
"Tears of Truth" or a plain carpet, please.
At that point, Franz, who had been wearing a peculiar expression while considering things, spoke up.
"If you need neither wealth nor honor, then... Your Majesty, why not grant him that ticket?"
That ticket...?
At Franz's words, His Majesty's eyes widened, and he let out a small groan.
"Ah, the Martial Emperor Festival... I do still have one left, but it feels a bit light as a reward..."
This was an unexpected turn of conversation. But it might work out.
The Martial Emperor Festival was one of the world's premier martial tournaments. As the name suggested, renowned warriors from all over gathered to compete for the title of world's strongest—the Martial Emperor.
That alone sounded grandiose, but it wasn't limited to swordsmen—mages participated too. In any case, it was a flashy, wildly popular event. Among the participants were famous swordsmen, mages, and treasure hunters, and deaths were not uncommon.
The winner received a cash prize and unfathomable glory, and the ranks of past champions were filled with legendary heroes.
But those spectator tickets were coveted not only by nobles but equally by treasure hunters—the type who absolutely loved the word "strongest"—and they had become platinum-tier tickets that were impossible to obtain without powerful connections.
I'd semi-retired from being a treasure hunter, but watching exciting fights from a safe vantage point was something I loved. If I remembered correctly, Luke had wanted to go see it too.
As a reward, it seemed appropriate. No matter how platinum the ticket was, it had nothing to do with status or honor, and the price was reasonable enough. Even if my blunder was discovered later, something like this would be forgivable... probably.
"That's... wonderful. The Martial Emperor Festival... I've been interested in it for some time. If it's possible, I would be honored to receive that ticket—"
His Majesty furrowed his brow. It might wound his pride as the Emperor of a great nation to offer something so cheap, but he had asked me to name my wish, so I'd appreciate his understanding.
Besides, my interest wasn't a lie. My certified Level was fairly high, but at that tournament, participants with even higher certifications were a dime a dozen. The opportunity to witness powerful hunters going all out was truly rare. Seeing strong fighters in action firsthand would surely lead to further growth for the Mourning Specter as well.
Perhaps realizing I wouldn't change my mind, His Majesty relented.
"...Very well. It doesn't quite match the merit, but if that's your wish, I won't deny you. Go and compete in martial glory to your heart's content."