The Black Sky Pirate Laughs Beneath the Moon. The Crimson Mage Howls at the Stars (21)

＊ Emperor of the Lef Magic Empire ＊

It had been a long time since the Emperor of the Lef Magic Empire had met Anastasia, who had been presented to him as a gift by the High Elf royal family. Moreover, if Anastasia herself had requested this meeting, it was a first.

The room where the two of them could meet alone, without intermediaries, was the Emperor's private chamber. Now elderly, the Emperor had taken up collecting foreign works of art as a hobby. Paintings covered the walls—so many that they could not all fit—and ceramics lined the shelves.

In this country of machines and magic, the Lef Magic Empire, those works of art were considered “the least necessary things.”

"...I thought this was about Rurusha, but I never expected you to bring something like this."

On the table lay a shoulder bag issued to the Labyrinth Strategy Department. Its strap had melted, but its contents were unharmed.

Anastasia had brought this bag straight to the Emperor.

'So this will free Rurusha, won't it?'

The Emperor placed a finger on the memo held out to him—the nail on his wrinkled finger was split.

"I had thought you had no desires. That you would simply watch this Magic Empire rise and fall up close, then live out your long, long life as a High Elf. But... so you had a desire of your own after all."...