Chapter 174
When Franz entered the office, the emperor was wrestling with paperwork.
He had once asked what on earth the Chancellor did…
“That man has already lost his hair.”
Since that day, he hadn’t even brought up the 'C' in Chancellor. If he was losing his hair, it meant he was already suffering enough.
While Franz was picturing the Chancellor’s shiny head, the emperor, having finished organizing his work, approached him.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting. Let us talk right away.”
“How can you apologize when you were working for the empire? It is only natural that I wait.”
“You truly are a loyal subject.”
“Haha…, you flatter me.”
Franz smiled awkwardly at the emperor’s praise. He hadn’t expected a compliment in return for a polite remark.
“Then let us sit.”
As Franz naturally tried to sit in the chair at the emperor’s words, he suddenly realized something.
The table was completely empty.
“Your Majesty, may I prepare the tea today?”
He absolutely refused to experience that hellish time a second time. No joke, it was to the point where he couldn’t tell if the tea was going into his mouth or his nose.
“Then I shall leave it to you.”
Fortunately, the emperor didn’t insist. It seemed that confidently taking the initiative had worked.
Franz immediately mobilized all his knowledge and began brewing the tea. He couldn’t afford to serve the emperor a terrible cup of tea.
Of course, the emperor would drink it and say it was fine, but there was a high chance he would step up to do it himself next time. So, it was truly a desperate struggle.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Franz placed the teacup down in front of the emperor.
Inside the teacup was the ultimate tea, its temperature and brewing time perfectly controlled through magic.
“Thank you. I will enjoy it.”
The emperor lifted the teacup.
Watching him, Franz swallowed hard in nervousness.
The emperor, who immediately took a sip of the tea, gently closed his eyes and then savored the taste.
“Oho, this is quite excellent.”
He soon opened his eyes and gave his impression. A faint smile spread across his lips.
“You flatter me. It is severely lacking compared to what Your Majesty served me.”
“Haha-, now that is flattery. Anyone who drinks this would likely feel that your tea is excellent.”
It was a huge relief. Now, he would never have to be served tea by the emperor again…
“Tasting such excellent tea makes me want to devote myself even more. Would you mind coming by to drink some tea with me, even if just occasionally?”
Was it not said that one only bends the knee to gather strength for a greater leap? The emperor of the empire truly never yielded.
“It would be my honor.”
In the end, Franz had to spout words he didn’t mean. There was no other option anyway.
If there was any consolation, it was that he could be free from that pressure for today.
Slurp-.
Franz sipped his tea, savoring his last moment of leisure. His face was smiling, but his insides were burning up.
“Then let us end the talk about tea here and move on to the main topic. You must have a good reason for coming to see me, right?”
“Yes, I would like to tell you about what happened in Ganiphus.”
“Alright, let’s hear it.”
Franz explained what had happened in Ganiphus.
It ranged from the fact that the password’s contents were a phrase written in an ancient book, to meeting and defeating one of the Seven Great Evils, and defeating leviathan, a calamity from the Mythical Era.
The emperor sipped his tea as if intrigued and listened attentively to Franz’s story.
“As a reward for defeating leviathan, I received a gift from the King of Ganiphus.”
“Hoh, from that man. It seems he wasn’t entirely shameless after all.”
His perception of him seemed to have improved a little. This should be enough to make up for receiving four treasures.
“I found this out while taking care of the cultist assassins, but it seems there is a shaman called the watcher.”
“The watcher… I will look into that separately. Thank you for letting me know.”
Franz’s story ended there. There were other things he had experienced in Ganiphus, but they weren’t important enough to bother telling.
Afterward, silence followed as Franz and the emperor sipped their tea at the same time.
Now that the report was over, maybe he should say he is heading back.
It was right when Franz was thinking that.
The emperor soundlessly set down his teacup and opened his mouth.
“Actually, I was planning to call you to the Imperial Palace after a little more time had passed.”
“May I ask what business it is regarding?”
Franz was pretending to be as calm as possible, but his insides were filled with anxiety. If the emperor called him to the Imperial Palace, there would be only one reason.
“I have found the location of the Seven Great Evils.”
Why did ominous predictions always hit the mark so accurately?
It was to the point where he wondered if he should set up a fortune-telling shop.
“Where is it?”
Franz braced himself and spoke.
It was something he had to do eventually anyway. Nothing much had changed.
“It is Roman.”
Roman was a nation of barbarians located in the northwest of the empire. The land was close to a wasteland, and unlike Ganiphus, there was absolutely nothing to see. If there was anything unique about it, it would be that it was the origin of shamanism.
It seemed this trip would be quite a boring time.
“Unfortunately, all we have found out is that the information is in Latin. If we find out anything more, I will let you know immediately.”
“That is enough. I will manage the rest somehow.”
“How reliable! I don’t know how fortunate I am to have someone like you.”
“You flatter me.”
Franz awkwardly laughed off his praise this time as well.
“Is this the last request regarding the Seven Great Evils?”
He had encountered a total of six of the Seven Great Evils so far. Among them, he had defeated four, and two were working at the Magic Tower, so the one in Roman could be considered the last.
Thinking about it that way, he didn’t particularly hate it. Rather, it felt like he should push himself a little harder since it was the last one.
Then, since the conversation seemed to be over, he could slowly head back…
It was when Franz was thinking that. The emperor opened his mouth again, almost as if it were a lie.
“Come to think of it, I heard the Hero was with you when you went to Ganiphus.”
How did the emperor know that?
Then again, they had passed through the border, so of course he would know.
“Yes, I asked for her help in case of any unforeseen situations.”
“Has there perhaps been any progress…? Like the blossoming of love between a man and a woman, I mean.”
The Goddess Luan and the World Tree had definitely said similar things before.
Of course, they had used slightly more explicit words, telling him to make a child, but when one looked at the conclusion alone, it wasn’t much different.
Why on earth was everyone acting like this…?
Franz tried to understand their feelings but immediately gave up. There was no need to force himself to understand the incomprehensible.
“What do you think of the Hero? She’s quite cute, and reliable, isn’t she? From what I hear, she seems to be quite good at cooking as well.”
“I think so too.”
“Right? She’s absolutely perfect wife material. I don’t know the details, but she must be somewhat popular with the men too.”
Was she popular with men…?
Come to think of it, she probably was popular. She had a good personality and a pretty appearance, and she cooked well.
It was just that she hadn’t had the chance to meet a man until now.
“Would you be fine if the Hero met another man?”
“…I apologize. I am not sure.”
If Yuna found a partner, he did intend to support her. She was a comrade he had risked his life fighting alongside, and a close friend he could confide his worries in.
Even so, the reason he couldn’t easily give an answer was that it still bothered him. He couldn’t imagine Yuna being with another man.
“Well, take your time to think about it. Even as the emperor, I cannot force emotions upon you.”
A faint smile spread across the emperor’s lips, and along with it, a sense of certainty dwelled in his eyes.
With that, Franz finished his conversation with the emperor and left the Imperial Palace.
Normally, he would have returned straight to the Magic Tower, but today of all days, he didn’t want to.
“About Yuna, huh…”
Franz stared blankly at the sky, chewing over the words he had just heard from the emperor.
The emperor definitely wanted to tell him to consider marrying Yuna.
If he married Yuna as he suggested, what on earth would happen to Arian, Yusti-ah, and Hera?
Would they really be able to remain in the same relationship as they are now?
“It would be easier to decipher ancient magic instead…”
In the end, Franz took a step forward without reaching a conclusion.
It seemed nothing in the world was easy.
Not long after that, Franz returned to the Magic Tower. He couldn’t put off his work just because he had worries.
However, the scene he faced as soon as he returned to the Magic Tower made such worries seem trivial.
“Saintess, the Magic Tower lord went to the Imperial Palace, I’m telling you. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“It’s fine. I will wait here.”
“Even if you say that…”
It seemed Yusti-ah was waiting for him.