“Several days later, there will be a friendly competition.”
“A friendly competition?”
“A gathering where the imperial family meets to exchange greetings and has their respective knights compete against each other… It’s essentially a show of strength.”
Bellion said he absolutely needed to win there. He had to demonstrate his resolve to the other members of the imperial family.
“Of course, from this point on, I can’t let anyone find out that I want to become the emperor.”
“Well, if they did, the other royals wouldn’t leave me alone.”
It was important to act like he had no interest in the line of succession. To give off the impression that while he didn’t have immediate plans to become emperor, he still wanted to enjoy some of the perks that came with being close to the throne!
The most crucial part of pulling off this difficult task was Kail.
“If you display overwhelming strength while making it clear that only I can command you, that should do the trick.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Around this point, Kail stopped trying to fully understand the details and just started nodding along. Sensing Kail’s thoughts, Bellion chuckled softly as he looked at him.
The most important part of this plan was none other than Kail himself. The reason was simple.
‘If Kail loses, then everything is for nothing.’
All of this was planned under one specific assumption: that Kail Meyer was a Master.
What if he wasn’t a Master? What if this plan failed? Then, the dream of becoming emperor would remain just that—a dream.
“Kail.”
“Yeah?”
“…I have one thing to ask.”
Bellion cautiously asked:
Are you really a Master?
Kail didn’t answer.
He simply smirked.
Seeing that smile, Bellion felt his unease wash away completely.
* * *
“W-Wow…”
Arthur gawked with her mouth wide open as she looked around. If anyone saw her like this, they’d probably think she was some country bumpkin who had just arrived in the big city.
And indeed, that was exactly what she was. Kail lightly tapped her arm and said,
“If you act too much like that, people will look down on you.”
“Oh, uh… but, am I really allowed to be here?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
Kail had come to the Imperial Palace with Arthur. They were invited because they were fellow students at the Academy like Bellion Diaros.
Of course, that was just the surface-level reason. In reality, it was to showcase Bellion’s value to the other members of the royal family.
‘Since we’re friends, I’ll help him out. Kid’s got guts.’
Thinking that, Kail looked around, taking in the sights of the palace. The architecture was impressive, but it also functioned as a natural fortress.
‘Hmm, looks like it’ll be hard to find my way around.’
The layout seemed intentionally designed to confuse visitors by repeating similar patterns. Even someone like Kail, who didn’t know the layout beforehand, would likely get lost.
What if someone of a similar level blocked his path and soldiers surrounded him for an ambush? It was the perfect setup for getting toyed with and killed.
He instinctively understood that this was the intention behind the design.
“Kail!”
“Oh, Leon.”
At that moment, Bellion appeared from afar. Perhaps because he casually shortened the prince’s name, sharp glares from the maids passing by flew towards him.
But he didn’t care. A Master could speak informally even to the Emperor and still be excused. Who cared about some maids giving him dirty looks? Even if he drew his sword once or twice, he’d be forgiven.
Brushing off the maids’ stares with ease, Kail joked around, which only made their glares intensify. Arthur, however, was the one who seemed bothered by their stares.
“Th-Thank you so much for inviting us! Prince Bellion!”
“Hahaha, don’t be so nervous.”
“H-How dare I…”
“That’s right. You can speak informally. No one will say anything.”
Kail snickered as he watched Arthur struggle to speak properly out of nervousness. Arthur shot him a look as if questioning his sanity, but Kail urged her to use informal speech too.
Even Bellion himself said it was fine to use informal speech, but for Arthur, whose mind was deeply ingrained with feudal values, speaking informally to royalty was as difficult as risking her life.
Inside the Academy, everyone was equal thanks to the Emperor’s decree, but this wasn’t the Academy, was it? Rather, Kail was the one who seemed out of his mind for using informal speech.
“Aww, this is boring.”
Kail said that as he looked at Bellion. Bellion, looking as if everything was ready, led them further inside.
Today was the day of the royal family’s social gathering. Though called a “friendly gathering,” it was more of a place to show how much stronger everyone had become.
Not hiding their strength? Members of the royal family weren’t ones to hide their power. There was no drama of hiding strength until the last moment to seize the throne or anything like that.
From the start, hiding strength could be seen as having ulterior motives. For example, not aiming for the position of Crown Prince, but directly targeting the Emperor’s seat…
“Here we are. Kail, you can speak informally to me, but with others…”
“Do you think I’m that clueless?”
“…Alright, got it.”
Bellion gave Kail a worried look before stepping inside. There, four members of the royal family were waiting for him.
“You’re late.”
First Prince Rihito Diaros glared at Bellion, Kail, and Arthur as they entered. Bellion laughed awkwardly and took his seat.
Naturally, Kail sat down next to him.
“…?”
“?”
Kail tilted his head back at First Prince Rihito, who was tilting his head in confusion. What, was there a problem?
Rihito let out a dry laugh, shaking his head, and turned to look at the others.
“It seems everyone’s here. Let’s begin.”
As soon as the First Prince finished speaking, the royals exchanged greetings with each other. It seemed it had been quite a while since they had gathered like this.
After exchanging pleasantries, they soon began discussing international affairs and problems facing the Empire. And it wasn’t just idle chatter—they seemed to be actively working on solving these issues.
Kail, listening to the yawn-inducing conversation, thought to himself that sitting down was a good call. If he had been standing at the back like the others, there was no way he could’ve held back his yawns.
In the middle of all this talk, footsteps echoed from afar.
“His Majesty, the great Emperor of the Empire, enters.”
At those words, the royals who had been deep in conversation immediately stood up. Of course, Kail, realizing he couldn’t stay seated at a time like this, also stood up and bowed.
A moment later, the Emperor entered. Feeling the immense aura emanating from him, Kail inwardly whistled in admiration.
‘Oh, not bad…’
It didn’t seem like the aura was cultivated through personal training, but it was nothing to scoff at. So even though he was nearing death, he was still the Emperor—how many luxurious things must he have consumed to exude such an aura?
‘If there’s so much of it, why doesn’t he share some with me?’
If he could control the aura the Emperor was emitting, the Emperor would never lose to any ordinary Expert.
Impressed by how formidable the Emperor was despite his lack of time for training, Kail stared intently at him when suddenly, the Emperor noticed Kail sitting in a seat reserved for royals and tilted his head curiously.
“And you are?”
“Kail Meyer, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, you’re…”
Recognizing Kail’s name, the Emperor nodded, excusing his rudeness for sitting among the royals.
The ones truly shocked by this were the other royals. Their usually stern Emperor showing such leniency?
It was hard not to think there was something special about Kail. As the royals began to speculate about Kail’s identity, the First Prince resumed the discussion.
“So, regarding the appearance of the Black Mages…”
“There’s a need for reinforcements in the eastern part of the Empire…”
“The amount of seafood caught has decreased─”
Various topics continued, and finally—the moment Kail had been waiting for arrived.
“Well, that’s enough talk for now. Is there anyone here who wants to take charge of a policy and handle it themselves?”
All the royals except the Second Princess raised their hands.
When opinions were divided like this, there was only one solution.
“Our first Emperor founded this great empire with a single sword. As his descendants, we should follow suit.”
However, it was unthinkable for noble royals to wield swords and spill blood themselves. Instead, they could appoint proxies to fight on their behalf.
Whoever won the fight would take on the problem they desired.
Taking on difficult problems and resolving them would earn the Emperor’s favor, so those eyeing the position of Crown Prince always chose the toughest challenges.
“Commander Glaymore. May I entrust you with this?”
“Of course.”
At the First Prince’s words, the commander of the Imperial Knights stepped forward. The appearance of one of the few Aura Masters caused the other royals to gradually withdraw their hands.
The only ones who didn’t were the First Princess and Bellion.
‘Kail, I’m counting on you.’
Feeling Bellion’s gaze, Kail smirked and stood up.
The Master, Glaymore, locked eyes with him.
Kail met his gaze. The two Masters’ eyes clashed in midair, and sensing something, the Knight Commander panicked.
“You… surely you aren’t…”
“Bellion, who is he?”
“He’s my friend. Kail Meyer, a first-year student at the Academy.”
“Hmm… a student?”
However, the First Prince, who had no martial arts background, didn’t seem particularly concerned that Kail was just a mere student.
Before the Knight Commander, who had sensed Kail’s level, could say anything else to the First Prince, Kail quickly interjected.
“As a student at the Academy, I’m grateful for this valuable experience, Commander.”
“Uh, um…”
“Then, shall we go?”
