WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 169: Two

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Desmond blinked at Kyle several times, then slowly nodded.

"You know, there's something I should apologize for."

"What is it?"

"Announcing the future that you and the Sword Church Master agreed not to announce."

Kyle hadn't expected Desmond to pretend otherwise, but Desmond admitted it more cleanly than Kyle had thought he would. He glanced down at the large dog with the fluffy fur Kyle had been petting and continued.

"That one's name is Bokshil."

"It suits the way he looks."

"If I may defend myself, I had no intention of announcing it. But I couldn't exactly keep it from His Majesty in my report. So I reported it, and he said that such joyous news should be known across the continent."

"Joyous news, my ass..."

"If Alastor is the eternal pillar of the Empire and an ally of the imperial family, then your engagement to the Sword Church Master is certainly good news for the Empire and the imperial family. One day, the Empire will have even the Sword Church and the Sword Church Master within its embrace. That is why it was promoted on the front page of the newspaper."

It had also served as a proclamation that there was no discord within the Empire, packaging Kyle and the Sword Church Master's journey, which other nations had watched closely, as nothing more than a romantic meeting between a man and a woman.

"Why didn't you stop it?"

"How could someone who lives on an imperial stipend defy His Majesty's will? There was nothing I could do. Still, Sir Kyle, don't worry. I have a conscience, and I understand the weight of a promise I have given."

Desmond stared at Kyle with an indifferent expression.

"That day, you saved my life. I promised not to announce your engagement to the Sword Church Master because I wished to repay that debt, but I failed to keep that promise against my will. What else can I do? I have no choice but to make a new promise."

"A promise? What kind?"

"If His Majesty ever orders me to kill you, I will save your life once."

The air inside the carriage froze.

The pet dogs, which had been panting happily, flinched and raised their heads. Under the animals' watchful gazes, the three men looked at one another.

Julius tilted his head slightly as he looked at Desmond. Kyle's lips twitched as he did the same. Desmond still wore the same indifferent expression. The feelings in the grandfather and grandson's eyes were far from friendly, yet he remained perfectly calm.

"How am I supposed to take that?"

Julius asked quietly. Desmond shrugged.

"It is only a hypothetical situation."

"If it is serious enough for you to mention, then it cannot be entirely impossible."

"Please do not misunderstand. His Majesty has never said anything about treating Alastor as an enemy or removing Sir Kyle. Still, one never knows what may happen in this world. A person's heart is like water at a thousand fathoms. Who can say where it will flow?"

"So one of the currents in His Majesty's heart is distrust toward Alastor."

"Doesn't everyone harbor distrust toward someone? I am sure it exists in my heart as well... perhaps even in yours, Grand Duke."

"That sounds like a rather dangerous conversation to have above the capital."

"Our previous conversation was dangerous enough. This is not the Imperial Palace, so you need not worry about anyone overhearing."

After saying that, Desmond glanced out the window.

"If someone did overhear and report it to His Majesty, both Alastor and I would be in quite a difficult position. We might be tied together beyond denial and charged with treason."

"Alastor has served the Empire for hundreds of years. It would be deeply disappointing if we were accused of treason over a conversation like this."

"I feel the same. In truth, I have accumulated quite a bit of disappointment already. Among the Empire's military men, only the Imperial Guard Captain is as loyal as I am, yet my stipend is not even half of his."

Desmond smiled as he made the joke.

"What you said about saving me."

Kyle spoke up.

"It sounds as though you are confident you can kill me."

"Of course I can."

Desmond answered without hesitation.

"For now. I do not know about later. You are young, and you are growing far too quickly."

"What if you cannot save me?"

"That sounds like it has two meanings, so I do not know which one you intend. I will answer both meanings that I heard. If there is a imperial order, I will refuse it of my own accord. Whether that order is right or wrong, you saved my life. It is only right that I save yours once as well."

His hand moved from Bokshil to another dog.

"If that causes my death, please look after my family. I may ask for at least that much, can't I?"

"Yes. I like dogs too."

"And if you grow stronger than I am, to the point where there is no need for me to save you and you should instead be concerned for my safety, then what choice do I have? At that point, I will ask one favor equal to 'two' of my lives."

Desmond slowly raised two fingers.

"One life you saved in Karent. One life you have not taken from me. What do you think?"

"What if I decide to kill the Grand General and do not want such a favor?"

"There is at least some connection between us. If a situation like that comes to pass, please show mercy. I do not want to die."

Desmond's expression remained calm from beginning to end, and his tone was utterly serious. Yet every word he spoke in that manner was somehow loose and shameless.

Still, Kyle did not feel that Desmond was lying. He truly meant that he would disobey a imperial order and save Kyle, whatever the reason, even if it cost him his life.

"All right."

Kyle slowly nodded. He was curious about Desmond's true intentions, but did not press him. As the Empire's Grand General, Desmond must have wrestled with many concerns before coming to this decision.

"We'll arrive soon."

Desmond muttered as he glanced out the window.

Thinking back on it, he had not even asked why Kyle and Julius were visiting the Imperial Palace.

* * *

'Could I touch the Emperor?'

As he followed Garen Vandemion, the son of the Imperial Guard Captain whom he had met before, toward the audience chamber, Kyle found himself thinking that.

He had already discussed it with Julius before setting out for the Imperial Palace. Kyle wore the necklace containing the Power of Direct Sight, so if he could touch the Emperor directly, he would be able to learn more about the threads connected to Ludmia and Alero.

But Kyle could not ask for contact like that. Asking to touch the Emperor's person was an extraordinary act of disrespect. Not even Alastor could commit such an offense.

[It might be different if you were a woman.]

Julius had said that with a mischievous smile at the end of their discussion. In any case, unless the Emperor approached first and granted permission, Kyle could not lay a hand on him.

"Julius Alastor, the Family Head of Alastor, the barrier of the Empire's north and the blade of Grandika, descendant of the Sword Saint's bloodline, scion of the Family of Light, Lord of Vigrid and Lord of Gladiheim, holder of Grandika's sole and unparalleled title of Grand Duke, Thunder Emperor Julius Alastor, is granted an audience!"

A booming voice rang out from beyond the tightly closed doors of the audience chamber.

"Kyle Alastor, the Empire's youngest-ever recipient of the Martial Star Medal, a contributor to peace between the Empire and the Sword Church, heir to the Thunder Emperor, commander of the Sword Wolf Knights, the young pillar who shall bear the Empire's future, and the new star rising in Grandika's sky, Black Sword Kyle Alastor, is granted an audience!"

"..."

Last time, they had simply been announced as Sir Julius and his party. Now a long string of titles preceded Kyle's name as well. Kyle held back the laugh threatening to rise in his throat. Those lengthy descriptions openly revealed how the Empire and the imperial family viewed him.

A contributor to peace between the Empire and the Sword Church. The imperial family already regarded the Sword Church as an ally of the Empire, and Kyle as a servant of the Empire. Then there was heir to the Thunder Emperor. Julius had not even chosen a successor yet, but they called Kyle that regardless.

The titles were praise, but they were also a way of placing him. The Empire's future, the Empire's pillar, Grandika's star. Every one of those titles sought to fasten Kyle inside the framework called the Empire.

The doors to the audience chamber opened.

A red carpet stretched all the way to the throne, and Imperial Guard knights stood in formation on either side. It was the same sight as last time. The same pressure from holy arts. Kyle lowered his head and walked while looking at Julius's heels.

Julius's steady strides came to a stop, and Kyle knelt on one knee behind him.

"Raise your heads."

Permission was granted. Kyle lifted his head and looked toward the throne. The Emperor, well past seventy, still had the young face of a man who had not even grown a beard. Wearing a smile, he looked down at Julius and Kyle.

His eyes held dignity and kindness, yet Kyle could hear the scales shifting within them. Since his journey with the Sword Church Master and the meeting in Karent, Kyle was no longer simply Alastor's young pureblood in the Emperor's eyes.

He was someone who might become the Sword Church Master's partner. He was worth promoting on the front page of the Imperial Newspaper, but he was also a card that might threaten the Empire's balance.

"Julius Alastor. I see you again sooner than I expected. I welcome this reunion, but seeing a pillar of the Empire come before me like this gives me a small concern."

"I have come to bring good news, Your Majesty."

Julius spoke, and the Emperor's smile faded slightly.

"Good news worthy of coming before me in person. What is it?"

"It is because there is something concerning Alastor's hereditary duty for which we require your permission."

"Hereditary duty..."

The Emperor's eyebrow moved slightly. The imperial family knew of Alastor's hereditary duty. No matter that they were descendants of the Sword Saint, the reason Alastor had retained the unique title of Grand Duke and received so many privileges, including the vast northern territory of Vigrid, even after hundreds of years had passed, was because the imperial family respected that duty.

"The Family of Light's hereditary duty is your destiny. There should be nothing for me to grant permission for...?"

"Recently, a means to greatly strengthen the Seal of the Sword Tower was conveyed to our family. To obtain it, we must send someone on a long journey."

"A long journey, you say?"

"To the East."

Julius answered calmly.

"...The East?"

The Emperor's fingers stopped on the throne's armrest. Unhidden bewilderment filled his eyes. The East. A land cut off three hundred years ago, beyond which no one could pass. The Empire regularly sent expeditions there, but most gave up midway through the Wall of Severance and returned, or never returned at all.

And they intended to go there and come back.

The Emperor remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Julius. The East is a severed land. No one has crossed the wall of the Wisdom Mountain Range to its end, and there is no path through the sky or the sea."

"That is usually true. But this time, those on the other side have said they will open a path for us."

"Those on the other side... You mean someone in the East? Who could it possibly be?"

Julius paused briefly before answering in a low, clear voice.

"Dragon Queen Velatus."

The Emperor's mouth fell open in disbelief. Vandemion, the Imperial Guard Captain standing beside him, also looked stunned. Dragon Queen Velatus. A figure from myth who, five hundred years ago, had stood with the Sword Saint against the Demon Tribe's army, built the Sword Tower for the world's safety, then departed for the East with the other dragons.

"Dragon Queen... Velatus. The being I know of?"

The Emperor asked haltingly, and Julius slowly nodded.

"Yes. That very being."

"The Dragon Queen... was alive?"

"Not only is she alive, she directly conveyed her intentions to our family. She said she would give us the power to strengthen the Seal of the Sword Tower. But she cannot leave the East, so she has asked Alastor to send people there."

"What exactly is this power?"

"We do not know that much either. We will have to receive it to find out. But since it is power that the Dragon Queen herself intends to give us, it will be of great help to the continent's safety."

After speaking that far, Julius looked at Kyle, who was kneeling beside him.

"I am in no position to leave the Sword Tower for long, and each of my children has their own duties. Therefore, I wish to entrust this special mission to my grandson here, the Sword Wolf Knights, and my daughter, Katarina Alastor."

"Goodness..."

The Emperor let out a startled breath.

Silence followed. Still kneeling, Kyle could feel the Emperor's scales moving. This audience was not a request for permission. As Julius had said before, Alastor did not need the Emperor's permission to go anywhere on the continent.

This was a respectful notice to the imperial family. At the same time, it was a test. How would the Emperor take this news? Would he bless it, restrain them, try to attach people to their party? Every reaction would be a mirror reflecting the Emperor's true feelings.

"Ha, haah, hahaha..."

The silence ended. The Emperor let out a halting laugh and nodded.

"An astonishing matter. Truly astonishing. The Dragon Queen of legend is alive, and she has extended a hand for the peace of the Empire. And it is the young star rising in the Empire's sky who will go to take that hand."

The Emperor rose from the throne. Looking down at the grandfather and grandson on the carpet, he spoke as though making a declaration.

"Grand Duke, I gladly receive this news."

Weight entered the Emperor's voice.

"The Seal of the Sword Tower is the Empire's barrier and the continent's safety. If you are setting out to obtain the power that will strengthen that Seal, is that not both Alastor's hereditary duty and the Empire's great cause? A cause that will secure the Empire's future peace and make its glory eternal."

The Emperor's gaze settled on Kyle.

"Kyle Alastor."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You contributed to peace between the Empire and the Sword Church in Karent, and now you seek to cross the severed East and bring back power for the continent's safety. It is a mission too heavy for one your age, but I believe you can accomplish it."

The Emperor raised both arms.

"In the name of the Empire of Grandika, I grant the Black Sword of Alastor leave to set forth. Return safely, and add another radiance to the Empire's glory."

"Your grace overwhelms me."

Kyle bowed his head as he answered. The Emperor's voice continued in his ears.

"I greatly look forward to the heroic tale you will write. As you set out on your journey to the East, ask if there is any assistance the Empire can provide."

"Your Majesty's permission alone is more than I deserve, but if I may make one request, please understand that this journey must remain extremely secret."

He meant that they should not openly promote it in the newspaper like last time. The Emperor asked with a puzzled expression.

"This is for the glory of the Empire and the safety of the continent. You descendants of the Family of Light are devoting yourselves to this great cause, so the whole continent should know and revere you for it."

"Your Majesty is correct, but where there is light, there is also darkness. Your Majesty is a wise ruler who truly cares for the continent's safety, but there may be someone who wishes for the continent to fall into unrest."

Julius answered in Kyle's place. The Emperor's eyes widened. He clenched his raised fist and brought it down as he spoke in anger.

"Who could be so vile as to dream of unrest across the continent?"

"I said there may be. We only wish to prevent any possible interference, so please understand."

"Hmm... I see. Very well. I will not announce your departure to the world. But when you return, everyone must know and revere the hardships the Empire and Alastor overcame for the continent, and that I granted and blessed this expedition."

So he would put out another newspaper if they returned safely?

Kyle looked up at the Emperor.

'It seems like the Emperor has nothing in his head except imperial propaganda and a hunger for power.'

It was an irreverent thought, but he was not exchanging sound transmissions. He was only thinking it to himself, so no one could overhear.

Footnotes:

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