Chapter 46
"Father! Traugott has come to ask you a favor! Please!"
"You insolent fool! Do not barge in during a meeting! And stop shouting!"
"Eek!!?? I'm sorry!!"
"Sigh..."
Trau burst through the double doors of the throne room with a bang and a flourish, calling out to Father in a loud voice, only to be sent back outside after being scolded in an equally loud voice almost immediately.
It must have scared him badly. Trau said, still slightly out of breath.
"Huff, huff... I gave him a proper piece of my mind, I did..."
"Well, if that's what you want, I suppose it's fine..."
As expected, this man had no literary talent.
How could he possibly describe what had just happened as giving someone a piece of his mind? He was obviously the one who had been chewed out.
Even Fiene was wearing a wry smile.
Honestly... He was the Empress's son, and he wasn't stupid. If he weren't like this, he could have joined the battle for the throne.
Still exasperated, I quietly opened the doors to the throne room.
The guards were naturally there, but no one tried to stop me. There wasn't a citizen of the Imperial Capital who wouldn't recognize me at a glance.
"I beg your pardon, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Hmph... An unusual visitor."
"Silver requests an audience with Your Imperial Majesty."
"What do you mean, an audience? If you came through the castle gate, a report should have reached me first, shouldn't it?"
"Since it was an emergency, I took the liberty of entering in a manner that bent protocol somewhat."
"The castle is the heart of the Empire. Unauthorized entry is grounds for immediate execution, you know? This is more than a breach of etiquette. Are you here to get yourself killed? Or are you trying to show that you could assassinate me at any time?"
"There's no need for intimidation. If you were a foolish ruler, I would not have entered this way. Since you are wise, I know you will not act against me, and you should know that assassination would be impossible here. So, although my entrance was discourteous, I took the liberty of entering without following the proper procedure. I apologize for that."
The upper levels of Imperial Sword Castle—in other words, the Emperor's living quarters—were protected by powerful barriers, so teleportation magic could not be used there.
Imperial Guards were also stationed around the area at all times. Anyone considering an assassination would have to be out of his mind.
Even if I seriously intended to assassinate him, I might not be able to reach him. Imperial Sword Castle was full of mechanisms I didn't even know about. It surely had escape routes designed to thwart assassins. If I let him escape even once, I would be the one hunted to the ends of the earth.
There was no way I would do something that foolish.
"If you still cannot forgive me, please consider us even because of the help I gave you last time."
"Hmm. Very well, then. Is this about the matter in the south?"
"Yes. Apparently, information has leaked from the Adventurer's Guild—for some reason. The Guild seems worried that you people might do something unnecessary."
When I stressed the words 'for some reason,' Father snorted.
So he had figured it out. Erik, Gordon, and Zandra were standing before Father right now. One of those three must have extracted the information.
"That's a harsh way to put it. Is it really so wrong for us to try to save the south?"
"I have no objection to that. I don't know what the Guild thinks, but if you handle the situation correctly, many people will be saved. What I fear is that you will handle it incorrectly."
"As expected of an SS-Rank Adventurer. How arrogant. Are you the one who decides whether the Empire is right or wrong?"
"Results, not I, decide what is right and wrong. I am saying that the result of the wrong course is as clear as day."
For a moment, Father and I locked eyes.
It was insolent in the extreme, but an SS-Rank Adventurer was allowed that much. The Empire was protected from the threats of countless monsters simply because I was here. Even if something like what had happened in the south occurred in the Empire, my presence would keep the Empire from falling into chaos.
That was why a certain amount of disrespect could be overlooked. Besides, Father wasn't the sort of person to punish someone merely for being disrespectful.
"Then tell me. What is right, and what is wrong?"
"Explaining that isn't my job. I've already used every connection at my disposal. That is the job of the two people behind me."
Saying that, I took a step back from Father.
Trau and Fiene stepped forward in my place.
Father's face softened when he saw Fiene.
"You look well, Fiene."
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Please forgive me for requesting an audience like this."
"Nonsense. You may come see me anytime."
He had the face of a father meeting his beloved daughter.
That said, Fiene wasn't so childish as to take him literally and come to see him whenever she wished, nor did I intend to use those words to gain an advantage in the struggle for the throne.
That was because, no matter how much Father doted on Fiene, he was still an Emperor who could pass judgment if she committed a crime. He would not make a decision in our favor merely because he adored her.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"F-Father. I..."
"It's Your Imperial Majesty, Trau."
"Ah, Your Imperial Majesty. To speak frankly, I would like you to send me as your representative—to the south."
Fiene had started with a greeting and was trying to proceed methodically, but this oblivious fourth son had suddenly blurted out his request.
Maybe he had decided there was no point in trying any delicate maneuvering with Father. Or at least, that was what I wanted to believe.
"Save your sleep-talk for bedtime, pig."
"I don't approve of you butting in like this."
"Get in my way, and I'll crush you."
The three who had been silent until then immediately launched verbal attacks at Trau.
Though he flinched faintly after being suddenly showered with abuse, Trau countered with another completely tone-deaf remark.
"Y-your tone and glare are as severe as ever, Ms. Zandra... Is that why you can't get married?"
"I'll mince you and feed you to the livestock."
"Eek!!??"
How could they say things like that in front of Father? Both of them.
With the tension somewhat deflated, Fiene cleared her throat and drew everyone's attention to herself.
And then.
"May I speak?"
"You may."
"Thank you. I was the one who persuaded Prince Traugott. I did so because sending an army south would not benefit the Empire."
"I see. Fiene is discussing military affairs now?"
"I know this is merely a woman's shallow wisdom, but please hear me out. Even if the Empire sent an army to the south under the banner of providing aid, it would take many days to arrive. If the Sea Dragon were defeated in the meantime, our efforts would be wasted. Even if the army arrived, its opponent would be a Sea Dragon, and there would be a risk that even a fleet would be annihilated. Since ancient times, armies have never been deployed to slay dragons. That is because quality, not quantity, is important when it comes to defeating a dragon. Therefore, I believe it would benefit the Empire to dispatch Prince Traugott as its representative and grant Erna-sama in the south permission to use the Holy Sword."
Fiene spoke fluently, but these were not ideas she had come up with herself. She thought along similar lines, but she wasn't the sort to explain them this logically.
Before we came here, we had agreed that Fiene would explain things to the Emperor. Linfia had worked out the explanation in advance and passed it on to Fiene.
"Hmm, hmm. I see. You have a point. But, Fiene, why does the representative have to be Trau?"
"The other three are too high-ranking. The representative's role this time is to transport the Holy Sword. If one of the other three were entrusted with it, it would tarnish their standing. I'm sorry, but Prince Traugott poses no such risk."
"Ms. Fiene, you are rather cutting... But you're cute, so I forgive you. Cuteness is justice, after all."
"Trau, be quiet for a moment..."
Pressing a hand to his forehead as if warding off a headache, Father warned Trau off. Well, of course he had a headache coming on. I had one too.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I have a question for the Azure Gull Princess."
"You have permission."
"Azure Gull Princess, by your reasoning, would it not be the same if I led an army and served as the representative? Why are you so adamant about not dispatching troops? Do you think the Holy Sword wielder and the Imperial army would lose together?"
"No, Prince Gordon. Victory would certainly be ours. However, it would take time. Fortunately, Silver-sama is here. Silver-sama can use teleportation magic to take the representative and a few escorts to the south. Right now, speed matters more than numbers. Besides, with the Empire's strongest Holy Sword wielder and its strongest adventurer, there would be no need for an army. Of course, the Empire's fame would resound across the continent, and the Empire would suffer no losses."
Perfect.
Gordon seemed to be racking his brain for a rebuttal, but in this situation, the three of them had no chance of winning.
If the goal was to argue for what benefited the Empire, there was no better course of action.
The Empire would suffer no losses and gain only fame. And as Fiene had said, if one of them accepted the role of transporting the Holy Sword as the representative, he would merely serve as a foil, tarnishing the prestige and pride of all three.
However.
"That's sophistry. The Empire will earn renown only if we save the south ourselves. I refuse to cooperate with the Adventurer's Guild. In that case, the Adventurer's Guild can handle it alone."
"Hmm. Erik, what do you think?"
"I agree with Fiene. This is the course most beneficial to the Empire. Zandra's proposal would not only worsen our relationship with the Adventurer's Guild, but also give rise to rumors that the Empire—and by extension, His Imperial Majesty—is narrow-minded."
As expected of Erik.
He had assessed the situation, quickly picked the winning side, and hadn't forgotten to take a shot at Zandra.
Zandra glared sharply at Erik, but he paid her no heed.
Amid all this, Gordon stared straight at Father.
"Your Imperial Majesty. I would like you to leave everything to me. I will use this opportunity to take control of the south."
There was no attempt to hide his meaning.
Gordon was saying that saving the south was merely a pretext, and that he intended to invade it while he had the chance.
Father responded with a wry smile.
"You're an honest one. However, we don't need the south right now. If you want it, take it when you become Emperor. This matter is settled in favor of Fiene's proposal. There is little to gain from taking the south now, and dispatching an army to defeat the Sea Dragon would not benefit us either."
"But, Father!"
"It's Your Imperial Majesty, Zandra."
"Tch! Your Imperial Majesty! We don't need to play into the Adventurer's Guild's hands!"
"We suffered for slighting the Adventurer's Guild last time. This time, I'll do Silver the courtesy of cooperating with the Adventurer's Guild. They went out of their way to ask. It would be easier with Erna there, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, doing it alone would be difficult."
"Then it's decided. Trau, come forward."
Saying that, Father removed the ring from his finger.
It was a magical ring passed down from Emperor to Emperor. It had no effect while worn, but it allowed the wearer to entrust someone else with part of the Emperor's authority. In other words, it was an item used when appointing an imperial representative.
"I hereby appoint Traugott Rakes Adler as my representative. Go to the south and deliver the sword to the Hero."
"Understood."
Surely he wouldn't say anything strange here.
I had been a little nervous, so I let out a relieved breath.
Just then, a messenger entered the throne room.
"Report! A Sea Dragon has appeared in the Albatross Principality! The Adventurer's Guild is looking for Silver-dono!"
"So it has come..."
"I will assign one Imperial Guard unit to escort you. But, Silver, I'm counting on you to look after my son."
"Rest assured. I'll return him without so much as a scratch."
"It would have been nice if the escort were a beautiful girl."
"There are Imperial Guardswomen in the south who match your preferences, so you'll have to settle for one of them."
"Women who are absurdly strong aren't my type."
Erna would be furious if she heard that.
Thinking that, I headed for the Imperial Capital branch with Trau and the others.