Chapter 76
“Three, two, one!”
- Pow pow pow!!
“May your New Year be filled with happiness!!”
“Waaah─!!!”
The New Year’s festival held in the capital.
By now, incandescent streetlamps had been installed even along the capital’s streets, brightly illuminating the roads.
It was Akion’s fourth year since awakening his memories of his previous life—three full years, to be precise.
Akion’s engineering products had now begun spreading throughout the Empire.
That Count Gossypium down in the south had apparently struck it big growing cotton by supplying his fields with water using turbine pumps,
while in the north there were magnificent walls and rectangular buildings painted dark brown, with heating throughout their interiors.
- Fidget, fidget.
Whether small or large… every innovation achieved in the Empire recently had Akion involved.
And not merely indirectly, either.
- Knead, knead.
In that respect, public opinion of the Emperor had risen vertically as well.
Akion, whom some had considered merely lucky, had in fact been a rough diamond,
and rumors had spread that the Emperor had even proclaimed two imperial decrees and was trying to make him his future son-in-law, so to speak.
Thanks to that, nobles who had unconditionally supported House Enersis from the start cheered and climbed aboard the Emperor’s faction,
while nobles who had waited to see which way the wind blew and missed their chance were beating their breasts in regret.
“Your Highness, you should be going to bed.”
Of course, it wasn’t all good for Akion.
Such as his reckless courage—sometimes he’d charge in without even remembering the hierarchy.
Or how he seemed too absorbed in his own research, only to show himself to be extremely, extremely lazy at other times.
“Your Highness?”
He worked late nights constantly, wearing himself down.
Dark circles had even appeared under his eyes, making him look frail.
It had the unexpected effect of stimulating Flare’s desire to protect him, though. Anyway.
“Sorry, Bae.”
“Were you thinking about Young Master Akion?”
Flare let out a helpless yet happy sigh at her head maid, who always struck straight to the heart of the matter.
In some ways, she was more like a mother than Flare’s own birth mother,
and Flare reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment.
“I always ask you this, but how did you know?”
“You were stroking a doll in your hands that seemed to be modeled after Young Master Akion.”
Beatrice, the Seventh Princess’s head maid, pointed at Flare’s hand.
In it was the very doll that Flare had badgered a dollmaker into producing in just a few days….
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“To this maid’s eye, that doll seems less an expression of Young Master Akion than… somehow a fifty-fifty mixture of Your Highness and Young Master Akion.”
Shota Akion: Dragon Professor—Flare ver.
Of course, Beatrice, who had served Flare since she was little, recognized what it was at a glance!
“Bae!”
“Ho ho ho!”
Judging by Flare’s reddened face and the way her tail was swinging helplessly from side to side, it seemed that was indeed the correct answer.
‘I suppose I should tell her what His Majesty said.’
Beatrice had brought this up because the Emperor had asked his head maid to do something.
It would also serve to soothe the sulking Seventh Princess.
“Your Highness. This maid has a good idea.”
“Hmph. If it’s no good, I won’t forgive you.”
She had been found out and was sulking, yet the princess was clutching the red-horned Akion doll tightly.
At the same time, her ears, made pointed by the return to her ancestral traits, were perked toward the head maid.
Since she was listening so intently,
“How about enrolling at the Academy?”
“Huh?”
“Young Master Akion said he was creating a new department, after all.”
A fairly good idea occurred to Flare.
* * *
The New Year’s ceremony continued throughout the night.
They welcomed the new year by drinking and singing,
until those who got completely drunk or tired eventually collapsed asleep….
“Coming up shortly, there will be a New Year’s congratulatory address from His Majesty the Emperor.”
To accommodate the Empire’s citizens, the New Year’s ceremony on the first day of the year began at lunchtime.
Even so, this was a New Year’s event at the capital’s largest arena─the Colosseum, with the Emperor himself giving a speech, despite how rarely anyone got to see his face.
Unable to contain their anticipation, the Empire’s people had been filling the Colosseum’s seats since early morning.
“Come to think of it, it’s just a rumor, but I heard His Majesty the Emperor has grown younger.”
“Nonsense, how can a person grow younger! Did His Majesty become a Master or something?”
“Wasn’t he born with dragon blood?! And if he became a Master on top of that… couldn’t it be possible?”
Chewing over gossip of one sort or another, commoners and nobles alike waited for the Emperor to appear.
- Boom boom!!
“His Majesty the Emperor is entering─!!”
“He’s coming out!”
“Pay attention. There’ll surely be something we can use as conversation at the banquet later.”
Then, accompanied by the stomping of the Imperial Knights, the Emperor walked out from behind the stage.
- Clank, clank, clank.
“……Huh?”
The rejuvenated Emperor was wearing incredibly magnificent golden armor….
The Emperor had technically entered old age, but he was still fairly tall by nature.
By Akion’s previous-life standards, he must have been around 175 centimeters.
“Has His Majesty gotten a little—no, quite a bit bigger?”
“And that… Hooow, my goodness. That is one killer suit of full-body armor…!”
The Emperor had grown to well over 190 centimeters,
and emerged in golden armor so sleek and well-fitted that it made the men—especially those skilled with swords—stare wide-eyed with envy.
How much manpower had gone into that?
How much capital had been invested?
Which artisan had worked such delicate patterns into it?
It must be incredibly heavy, so how could the Emperor move so lightly in it?
Everyone who had handled a sword even a little had these thoughts.
Of course,
“Damn it, is His Majesty the Emperor planning to go to war or something…?!”
“Maybe he’s developed an obsession with centralization. Tch.”
Those who took this as a signal from the Emperor poured out their complaints.
Most of them were nobles who either couldn’t or hadn’t joined the Emperor’s faction.
- Click.
Of course, the current Emperor Theodore was a benevolent ruler generous enough even to tolerate the whining of such people.
“I ask you. Are you giving thanks to the Lord of Heaven for these peaceful days?”
He “was” a benevolent ruler.
In line with the complaints of some nobles, the reason the Emperor had appeared wearing this was, naturally, a declaration of war against the nobles who intended to set themselves against him.
“I ask you once more. People of the Khalid Empire. Are you at peace? Once, the North’s Volkov was brought to its knees by the hands of an ice spirit, and along the western coastline, foreign powers are constantly eyeing what belongs to us. What of monsters, demonfolk, demons, and black-magic users? They ceaselessly threaten your peace and safety.”
The imperial family had given the nobles considerable leeway for the Empire’s development under the previous-previous and previous emperors,
but some of these damned nobles couldn’t restrain themselves and had begun greedily gathering territory and power.
This reminded the Emperor of the rebellious ducal family that the former Tower Master had wiped out.
“Therefore, this armor is not mere flashy decoration, but my resolve in the face of the age of blood that will one day come. It is my determination to protect what is ours from the demonfolk beyond our borders, hostile nations, and things like the Black Star Cult, with its demons at its back!”
The Western Coalition, apart from Enersis, was one thing,
and so were the men who had a tight grip on the eastern iron and other mines.
As for the south… the Crown Prince had it firmly in hand, but petitions complaining about the Crown Prince’s interference landed on the Emperor’s desk every day.
To become a benevolent ruler, he would have to endure it, but even the current Emperor Theodore had his limits.
“My eyes are fixed solely on the welfare of the Empire’s people. My sword will be directed at everything that seeks to harm the people of the Empire. Even if that means outdated customs or entrenched privilege!”
- Shing!
Who was it that had indulged the nobles from the previous Emperor’s reign until he died?
It was Theodore’s own father, the previous Emperor. His cause of death had been poisoning.
According to the Imperial Security Bureau’s top-secret investigation, there were signs that numerous nobles had been involved.
He had kept swallowing it all down as a benevolent ruler… yet these bastards had continued to claw their way upward from the Empress Dowager’s reign to the present.
Ever since he had thrown his full support behind Enersis and Volkov this time, petitions and all manner of political machinations had poured in without pause.
“I shall cut them out without hesitation.”
“Gasp….”
Even that kind Emperor had finally lost all patience after his yellow cards reached a hundred.
Which meant it was time to pull out the red card.
Several noble factions that had been voicing their complaints felt the breath catch in their throats.
- Vroooom─! KRAAAASH!!!
“Gasp?! His Majesty the Emperor’s sword!!!”
“H-how can the aura become that enormous?!!!”
“That’s impossible unless he’s a Master!!!”
In reality, the Emperor was firing killing intent at the power players of the implicated families.
Killing intent belonging to a Master.
“Where my sword points is the Empire’s path, and my armor shall be your steadfast shield!”
Becoming a Master was no simple feat, yet two Masters had emerged over the past few years.
But wasn’t the first of them, Duke Volkov, also firmly on the Emperor’s side?
The opposing nobles felt a chill run down their spines.
“People of the Empire, rise and face the storm to come! I shall lead you! Glory to you, and glory to the Empire!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!!”
“Long live the Khalid Empire!!”
The first of those, Duke Volkov, raised his remaining arm and shouted for the Emperor’s glory.
Count Delford beside him did the same.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor─!!”
“Long live!!”
After the Empire’s people, filled to bursting with imperial fervor, had cheered, the Emperor flashed a smile and signaled the emcee.
But the emcee looked somewhat stiff.
As if he were saying….
‘Are you really going to do this?’
…that.
Because he knew what the next event was.
“I, too, feel uplifted by His Majesty the Emperor’s passionate speech. Thank you, Your Majesty. Now then, the next event is one His Majesty the Emperor has prepared in response to your passionate hearts.”
- Boom, rumble rumble rumble…!
The podium erected in the Colosseum was dismantled in an instant, leaving only three people there.
“Next, we will have a spar between His Majesty the Emperor and His Grace Duke Volkov.”
The emcee, the Emperor, and the duke.
“What?”
“Between Masters?”
At the realization that the supposedly rare sight of a spar between Masters would unfold before their very eyes,
“Ooooooh!!!”
“I-I’m seeing Masters spar for the first time in my life!!”
“Kreeegh…! Hans is going to regret skipping out, saying it was only an imperial speech! Heh heh!”
From the Empire’s people to those known for wielding swords, everyone began cheering.
*
- Crash!! Boom!!!
Thus, from the very front row of the Colosseum, the nobles silently watched the spar between the Masters.
- KRAAANG!!!
“Ho ho, how flashy!”
“I heard the penetrating power of the Spiral Spear was tremendous, but I suppose it’s nothing special? Heh heh!”
A few nobles who knew nothing about combat beyond ordering others to fight said things like that,
- Gulp….
But whether they were knights by training who wielded swords or spears, or mages… those veterans who had actually seen battle were too busy swallowing dryly.
“What kind of armor is that…?”
“How is that not getting pierced?!”
Because of the golden armor the Emperor was wearing.
- Bang bang bang!!
Volkov stabbed and swung his Spiral-style spear without pause.
Against an ordinary opponent, it would surely have punched holes all over the body, armor and all.
But the Emperor merely swept aside the dangerous attacks and let the rest hit him head-on.
“This… has to be a declaration of war. If the Imperial Knights or the Imperial Army wore armor like that…!”
“We could never, ever defeat them.”
Though they were sparring while holding back, the force contained in Volkov’s Spiral Style was enough to grind down a mid-level Expert.
And armor that simply swallowed all of that power?
The Emperor had put it on himself and shown it to everyone?
“It appears my defeat is inevitable… I surrender.”
“The winner is His Majesty the Emperor!!”
“Waaah!!!”
Even the Empire’s least discerning citizens became convinced of the meaning behind his word “shield” when they saw the countless marks left by the Spiral Spear behind the Emperor.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!!”
“Long live the Khalid Empire!!!”
He hadn’t merely stood there taking hits; he had remained standing firm without a single speck of damage.
They thought that if an Emperor like that became their shield, they would surely feel secure.
“Wow….”
And Akion had watched all of it from the very front row of the Colosseum, together with the nobles.
Aisirel beside him was likewise unable to contain her admiration.
“Why is that thing so tough? Sis, it definitely wasn’t like that before, was it?”
“No… My sword left a mark, remember.”
It certainly hadn’t been that durable when they tested it.
Aisirel’s Master aura had at least left a scratch in the armor.
But once the Emperor put it on… hadn’t its stats received some absurd boost?
As if the armor, having found its rightful owner, was finally releasing its full power!
“Tower Master, could it be─”
“I do not know either….”
“Oh dear….”
The fact that even the Tower Master didn’t know suggested that something beyond magic was at work.
“Well, isn’t that a good thing?”
“Is it…?”
“If you’re worried, let’s go see Father… Ahem, His Majesty, once the event is over. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see Young Master Akion.”
The previous incandescent streetlamps had been the same, and so had the turbine pumps.
Their sudden displays of performance far beyond expectations made the situation feel rather strange to Akion.
In any case, once all the events were over, he went to the VIP waiting room where the Emperor was waiting….
- Kwarararararang!!
“Hahahaha!! This is incredibly sturdy, Your Majesty!!!”
“Of course it is—Akion made this armor for me!! But is it because you’re getting old? I can’t feel a thing! Stab harder, harder─!!!”
“I shall obey the imperial command!! Hahahahaha!!!”
Two adults nearing sixty were playing around.
- Kwaaaaah!!
With the strength of Masters.
Thanks to that, the VIP waiting room had become a storm-tossed disaster area.
“Eek, eeeek.”
“S-save meee….”
The attendants accompanying them were trembling against the walls.
While Akion was at a loss over how on earth he was supposed to clean up this mess….
“Father!! What are you doing!!”
“Dad!!! You’re scaring the attendants!!!”
“W-wha?! Aisirel…?!”
“Gasp?! Flare!!”
Fortunately, Akion had people beside him capable of subduing them.
Akion watched the two women stride over to scold their respective fathers….
“Tower Master.”
“Mm.”
“If those two try to drag me away later, please make sure to save me.”
“Mmm, you mean from the foolish things men sometimes do?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Very well. Leave it to me.”
In those two old veterans, he could see the clergy who had been struck by divine punishment when they tried to prove the existence of the Lord of Heaven.
‘Will I even live out my natural lifespan?’
They say the number-one last words of men are, ‘It’s okay, I won’t die.’
Akion was beginning to fear the future a little.
*
“So, you see.”
After the Emperor and Duke Volkov had been thoroughly scolded by their daughters in front of the attendants,
the Emperor made a proposal while Akion, the Tower Master, Goldie, and the others were examining the armor.
“I wish to enroll my daughter in your department.”
“Pardon?”
This was not a parent-teacher consultation, but rather,
he intended to enroll the Seventh Princess Flare in the Magi-Engineering department being newly established at the Academy.
Akion had been testing the tensile properties of fabric and the changes in the armor’s rigidity when the Emperor’s sudden proposal left him frozen in shock.
“As you know, Flare has no room to challenge for the throne. For Flare’s safety alone, it would be right to entrust her to someone.”
“Your Majesty. However….”
“And considering your engagement… it would not be a bad idea for a bond to form between a student and a professor. Besides, Flare reached the fourth circle entirely through self-study. She is exceptionally intelligent.”
Flare was in fact in the most disadvantageous position when it came to succeeding to the throne.
She had awakened her dragon blood and was now closer to a dragon… but she herself had no intention whatsoever of challenging for imperial authority.
Akion knew that as well… but wasn’t this rather sudden?
“If possible, I would like her to obtain at least a master’s degree.”
“Though I am an insignificant man, I shall do my utmost to support Your Highness the Seventh Princess, His Majesty the Emperor’s precious daughter, all the way through a doctoral program.”
“Hmm? A doctorate… I like it! A member of the Imperial family ought to have a degree of at least that level!”
But if you’re giving me your daughter as a research slave, that changes things.
And her undergraduate parents are actively backing it?
“N-no, you can’t! Your Highness Flare! Run─ Mmph!!”
“Be quiet, Goldie. Is it not better to have more human resources?”
“We shall discuss the details with my daughter. Are you free tomorrow at lunchtime?”
“Hehehe, of course I am, Your Majesty!”
Akion began to salivate at the thought.