WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 170: Chew, Chew

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It might have been a premature thought, but were not all the suspicions surrounding the Emperor merely circumstantial?

The Emperor was suspicious because, despite practicing no cultivation technique, he maintained a youthfulness unbelievable for a man of seventy.

The necklace used to awaken Lavian had reacted upon coming into contact with Alero and Ludmia, and the lines of light connected to their chests led into the audience chamber. Ludmia was also frail enough that she could not leave the Imperial Palace.

That was all the basis for their suspicions. In truth, was it not only natural that the Emperor, master of the Empire and the continent's most powerful man, would cling to youth? His youth went far beyond mere beauty care or self-management, but it was the Moon Church's holy arts that gave him that youth.

There was no guarantee that the Emperor even knew exactly what those holy arts entailed. The extreme claim that the Emperor had to be killed simply because he seemed suspicious had come from Muheok, the Family Head of Izelion.

That was why Julius had chosen to investigate cautiously rather than immediately point a sword at the imperial family.

'Assuming there is another mastermind, the Emperor is likely their puppet.'

At a glance, the Emperor before him did not seem capable of targeting even Alastor's matriarch. The old man's mind, obsessed with youth, appeared to contain nothing but his own power and displays of the Empire's might.

'That is why he would be wary of Alastor, but...'

Attacking Lavian would do nothing for the Empire's glory. Alastor might be a family beyond the imperial family's control, but merely maintaining friendly relations with the Sword Saint's family was tremendous propaganda for the entire continent.

Would an Emperor as vulgar as that one have any reason to become enemies with Alastor at the cost of threatening his own authority and the Empire? Had Julius not said so himself before? The current Emperor was not mad enough to do something of that scale.

'Maybe he is not even a puppet. Perhaps someone simply wants to drive a wedge between the Emperor and Alastor, creating division within the Empire.'

Kyle found himself leaning toward Julius's view. As he thought that, the Emperor's voice rang out.

"Kyle Alastor."

The voice came just as his mind was tangled with thoughts of the Emperor. Kyle hid his tension and raised his head. Had the Emperor somehow heard his thoughts? Muheok had said he cursed the Emperor's mother here and nothing happened. Could the holy arts have grown stronger since then?

"About your engagement to the Sword Church Master."

The Emperor leaned back against the throne. Fortunately, it seemed he had not heard Kyle's thoughts. The subject that followed, however, was nearly as unwelcome as having his thoughts exposed.

"Since I announced that joyful occasion to the continent, I have given it much thought. The Sword Church Master is undoubtedly the continent's finest swordsman and a living legend. Your bond with her is a bridge connecting the Empire and the Sword Church, and I sincerely bless it."

"I am deeply grateful."

Kyle answered that much for now. Blessing, my ass. That engagement article had been the Emperor's propaganda from the beginning. As Kyle thought that, the Emperor continued.

"However."

The Emperor's fingers tapped against the throne's armrest.

"After much consideration, I found myself with one regret."

"A regret?"

"The Sword Church Master is, after all, an elf."

What was he trying to say? Kyle composed his expression and waited.

"I hear that humans and elves can have children, but that it is exceedingly rare. I also hear that it is rarer still for such half-bloods to bear children of their own."

The Emperor gave a light laugh and added,

"Still, that is better than a mule. Do you know about mules? They are beasts born between horses and donkeys. Such hybrids cannot reproduce, so they cannot have children."

'What the hell is that lunatic talking about?'

Perhaps he considered it a joke, but it was the sort of joke only a man seated upon a lofty throne could make, with no consideration for those listening.

"You may say they can rarely have children, but rare is still rare. It would be even more difficult for those children to have children themselves. That would create a serious problem regarding heirs."

"..."

"Descendant of Light. Your bloodline does not belong to you alone. It is the bloodline of the Sword Saint and the future of the Empire. If that noble blood cannot continue, would that not be a loss not only for your family, but for the Empire as well?"

Still kneeling, Kyle forced himself not to let his expression harden. There was a strange current beneath the Emperor's words. He pretended to speak of regret while steering the conversation somewhere else.

"Therefore, I would like to make a proposal."

The Emperor leaned forward.

"For the sake of heirs, how about forming a bond with a human as well as an elf?"

"...Pardon?"

"I do not mean for you to break your engagement to the Sword Church Master. That bond is precious in its own way. But is it not customary for great noble families to form several ties for the sake of heirs? Your blood must continue. Certainly within this Empire."

Kyle closed his mouth.

Within this Empire. Those words contained all of the Emperor's true intentions. Both Alastor and the Sword Church were enormous powers beyond the Empire's interference. If Kyle married the Sword Church Master and they even had children, the two powers would become completely bound together.

"Then, Your Majesty, do you have a particular match in mind?"

Julius asked in Kyle's place. His voice was calm, but Kyle felt Julius's presence sink ever so slightly. The Emperor either did not notice or simply awaited the question, for a broad smile spread over his face.

"I do. A very fine match. Kyle Alastor, what do you think of my daughter, Ludmia?"

The audience chamber fell silent. The Imperial Guard knights standing in formation did not even stir, but the texture of that silence changed. The eyes of Vandemion, the Imperial Guard Captain, trembled faintly. Judging by his reaction, the proposal had existed only in the Emperor's mind until now.

Princess Ludmia. The name of the princess who could not even leave the Imperial Palace had been placed in the audience chamber as a marriage proposal.

"My daughter is fifteen this year, one year younger than you. She is kind-hearted, well educated, and beautiful as well."

Heat began to enter the Emperor's voice.

"Think of it, Descendant of Light. The bloodline of the Sword Saint and Valhart's imperial lineage becoming one. The sword of the continent's greatest martial family and the nobility of the continent's greatest Empire contained within one bloodline. From the moment that child is born, they will stand at the continent's peak."

"..."

"A child of Alastor and the Empire. What a brilliant tale that would be. It would be an epic that bards could sing of for a hundred years and still not exhaust. If such a bond is formed and a child is born, the Empire and Alastor will become wholly one. The Empire of a thousand years will prosper for another thousand, no, for all eternity!"

Kyle swallowed a rising sigh. The Emperor was speaking of propaganda again. In his eyes, neither Kyle nor even his own daughter Ludmia existed. There was only the Empire's prosperity, and the chance to lay its foundation in his own reign through his own daughter.

The calculation beneath it was also painfully obvious. He wanted to bind Alastor to the imperial family through marriage. To plant a seed he could control in a family he could not.

'If he truly means it, the Emperor may be an idiot, but he is not someone who desires chaos on the continent.'

The Emperor's words and behavior always followed the same pattern. He thought only of the Empire's prosperity and wanted to display it before the continent.

"Please forgive my bluntness..."

Julius's brow twitched.

"But is Princess Ludmia not frail?"

"She was born that way, but her condition is improving."

The Emperor spoke as if it were nothing.

"The Moon Church's clergy and the continent's finest healers are constantly caring for her. I am not saying you must form this bond immediately. If Ludmia's illness is cured one day, you can form the bond then. All that is needed is a promise."

The Emperor continued, his voice carrying the excitement of someone who had already reached a conclusion.

"You have not married the Sword Church Master immediately either. There is merely a promised future. It can be the same with Ludmia. Make only a promise here and now. Promise that you will form a bond once the princess's illness is cured. One word is enough."

Only a promise.

Still kneeling, Kyle narrowed his eyes. The Emperor made it sound light, but there was no way he did not know the weight of those words. A promise became a shackle. Just as Kyle's engagement to Helenas rested upon the condition of him winning, a promise to Ludmia would rest upon the condition of her recovering.

'It is exactly the same as Lucia.'

Kyle swallowed a hollow laugh. Even if it were only an agreement, accepting it would place him in a relationship with the imperial family as well.

Put simply, Kyle held no romantic feelings for Ludmia at all. They had met only once, and all he felt for her was pity. He could leave some room for Helenas or Lucia because he had deep connections with them, but there was no reason to do so with Ludmia.

The problem was that Kyle could not easily voice this rejection himself. The one making the proposal was the Emperor. Kyle could force himself to meet Crown Prince Alero on equal footing, but he could not do the same with the Emperor.

In truth, Kyle did not need to. He was not the only one present.

"Your Majesty."

Julius opened his mouth.

"Ah, Julius. I know, I know."

But the Emperor raised a hand and stopped Julius before he could finish. Then, wearing a deliberately generous smile, he looked down at Kyle.

"I know your grandson has feelings for the Sword Church Master. I also know how precious that promise is. But how could a true man, especially a hero who will make his name known throughout the continent, set his sights on only one woman?"

The Emperor laughed heartily.

"Since ancient times, have they not said that heroes are fond of women? In my eyes, your grandson is undoubtedly a man born to be a hero. So what fault would there be if he kept two women at his side? Or three?"

Kyle was speechless. Before he could even think the man was rude, he was struck by how utterly consistent he was. Rather than worrying about his sick daughter, the Emperor clung stubbornly to this marriage proposal. In the Emperor's mind, Ludmia was a card for his authority and the Empire's prosperity before she was his daughter.

'Good grief.'

Across both his past life and this one, Kyle had never met a powerful man whose intentions were so transparent. At least a sinister scheme would have made him wary. If all of this was an act, the Emperor would be frighteningly dangerous, but the smile on his face and the things he said did not feel like an act.

"Your Majesty."

Julius spoke again. Though he stood straight, there was unmistakable irritation in his voice. It was no longer subtle enough for only Kyle to sense. Everyone in the audience chamber could feel it.

"Please understand that I do not say this because I fail to know the princess's worth."

Julius did not stop at his tone. He pressed a finger firmly against his furrowed brow as he stared at the Emperor. The Emperor's smile stiffened.

"Alastor does not trade its blood relatives."

The atmosphere in the audience chamber froze at those words. Vandemion, the Imperial Guard Captain, frowned as he stared at Julius, but he did not speak to stop him. To some extent, he respected Julius's position and words as well.

"Trade? Julius, that is not what I meant."

The Emperor stammered. Clear anxiety had appeared on the face of the man who had been laughing so heartily moments ago. As expected, he found Alastor difficult to deal with. More precisely, he found Julius, Alastor's Family Head and the Empire's Grand Duke, difficult to deal with.

"I know that was not Your Majesty's intention. However, I am too foolish to comprehend Your Majesty's grand will, so that is how I understood it."

"I said it was not..."

The Emperor cautiously added, but Julius did not retreat.

"Therefore, Your Majesty, let us consider what was said today as something that never happened."

"As something that never happened?"

"If we say we did not hear it, that would mean we could hear it again one day. But if we say it never happened, then it will never happen again. Let us do that."

The Emperor's fingers stopped atop the armrest. Before he could think further and say anything else, Julius continued.

"Therefore, Your Majesty, what was discussed here today must not become known to the world in any form."

"..."

"Last time, Your Majesty announced the matter of my grandson and the Sword Church Master to the continent in accordance with Your Majesty's grand will. But if this matter were to become public by any chance, it would become a story that a marriage proposal with the princess was rejected. That would damage the imperial family's dignity, and I will never stand by and allow such a story to spread."

His words were respectful. The justification of protecting the imperial family's dignity was also perfect. Yet what they contained was a warning that if the Emperor tried pulling another stunt like publishing it in the newspaper, Alastor would overturn everything.

"Ahem..."

The Emperor cleared his throat. Embarrassment flickered across the face that had been laughing about heroic lust moments earlier. He glanced cautiously at Julius before speaking.

"I understand what you mean, Julius. My words got ahead of me. What was discussed today... let us consider it as something that has not happened for now."

"For now?"

"One cannot know how people's feelings may change, can one? Regardless of what you and I may wish. If Ludmia and your grandson wish to form a bond, how could we consider it something that never happened?"

The Emperor looked at Kyle with fervent eyes as he spoke. Could that expression and gaze really be an act? Was that possible? If so, Germea Valhart should not be an Emperor. He should be an actor.

"Today, I was merely too hasty. I was thinking of the Empire's future, you see."

The Emperor added with an awkward smile. At those words, Julius slowly lowered his head as well.

"I understand Your Majesty's deep intentions."

None of his earlier sharpness remained. Julius truly knew how to draw a sword and sheath it again smoothly. Watching him, Kyle thought to himself.

'He retreats when pressed, and he watches people's reactions too...'

The Emperor might harbor wariness toward Alastor, but he did not seem to have any desire to openly become its enemy and create disorder. If he did, the Empire he wished to make so glorious would split apart, and Germea Valhart's name would never remain in history as that of a wise ruler.

After the audience with the Emperor ended, Kyle and Julius withdrew from the Throne Room. They could have left the Imperial Palace immediately, but Kyle glanced at Julius and spoke.

"Before we return to Gladiheim, I would like to visit Princess Ludmia."

"Kyle. Do you truly wish to form a bond with Princess Ludmia?"

Julius asked with an incredulous expression, and Kyle immediately waved his hands.

"No, that is not what I mean. Since I am here after so long, should I not greet her? I also told her before that I would visit from time to time."

"So that is why His Majesty said such things. You led Princess Ludmia on first, you womanizer."

"No, no, it is not womanizing!"

No matter what, he could not say within the Imperial Palace that it was because he pitied the princess. Kyle still had to be careful with his choice of words here.

"I simply want to keep her company for a little while. It will not take long..."

"All right. I will come with you."

"Are you planning to sit in with us?"

"She will feel uncomfortable if I am beside her, so I will come with you and remain in another room."

He was worried that someone in the Imperial Palace might trouble Kyle.

* * *

"Sir Kyle!"

Ludmia, whom Kyle saw again after several months, still looked frail. Her face was pale and her body small, just as before. The Emperor said her condition was improving, but she did not appear any better on the surface.

"It has been a long time, Your Highness."

Kyle spoke with proper courtesy. Epor, Ludmia's guard knight, had been taken away by Julius, who suggested they have tea together.

Alastor and Vandemion had interacted for a long time as two of the Three Great Martial Families, but to Epor, Vandemion's youngest grandson, Julius was a great man and a very, very intimidating one.

Epor was naturally terrified, but they could not refuse when the Grand Duke personally invited them for tea. Thus, only Kyle and Ludmia remained in the room.

"I have heard much about you, Sir Kyle. I hear you traveled outside Gladiheim for several months?"

Ludmia clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. Born in this vast Imperial Palace and never having gone outside even once, the princess looked as though she were seeing the protagonist of a fairy tale. In truth, Ludmia eagerly anticipated hearing stories of Kyle's adventures.

"Tell me, Sir Kyle. What adventures did you have outside? Why did you go to Avens? It must have been because of a request from the Crows, right?"

"I cannot speak in detail about the request. It is not because I do not want to, but because of the contract. Still, I can tell you about the Sword Church."

Ludmia's eyes sparkled even more. Where should he begin? Kyle thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

"Do you know about the Sword Church's Apostles?"

There were seven Apostles, so he could keep talking for quite some time even if he told her about only one at a time. It was unfortunate for Epor, who had been dragged away by Julius.

'They want me to get engaged to a little kid like this.'

Kyle looked at Ludmia, who was only tall enough to reach around his stomach, and mentally chewed out the Emperor.

Chew, chew.

* * *

"What do you think of the Emperor?"

"He does not seem like someone plotting a dark conspiracy."

"You saw him clearly."

After returning to Vigrid, the grandfather and grandson spoke inside the carriage heading to Gladiheim.

"Germea Valhart. From the perspective of the Empire's people, he is a wise ruler. He has great vanity and a strong desire to show off, but he does not exploit the people of the Empire. Rather, because he wants history to record him as a wise ruler, he devotes himself to governing."

Julius continued while looking out the window.

"He cares about the Empire's people's reverence for the imperial family, and he wants prosperity for both the Empire and the imperial family. Sometimes he is so blatant about it that it is unpleasant, but it is something one can understand. That is why I do not believe the Emperor orchestrated the attack on Lavian."

"What about him draining the vitality of his children?"

"Since he has everything, he likely does not welcome old age. That is why he clings to youth, but... I wonder. Would someone who maintains his youth by draining his daughter's vitality try to trade his sickly daughter, who would not be surprising if she died at any time, in a marriage proposal?"

Julius tilted his head and glanced at Kyle.

"If he truly wanted to mix the imperial family's blood with Alastor's, Princess Ludmia would need to live a long time and bear your children. Sending off a daughter who might die soon would only become a blemish on the imperial family. Public opinion, both among the Empire's people and in other nations, would not be favorable either."

"What if he wants that sympathy?"

"The imperial family should be revered, not pitied. The Emperor is the sort of man who would consider pity from those below him a humiliation."

"Hmm. Then perhaps he does not even know that he is draining his daughter's vitality."

"Princess Ludmia has been frail since birth, so he may think that is simply how she is. But the suspicions about the Emperor do not concern only his children. The roots of the Spirit Tree managed by Izelion. They say its decay is also connected to the Imperial Palace, so visit Izelion and confirm it before crossing into the East."

"Yes."

Kyle nodded. Izelion's main house was near the Wisdom Mountain Range, where the Wall of Severance stood, so he needed to stop there anyway.

"I will leave within a few days."

He had not been home long, but he would soon have to leave again.

Footnotes:

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