Chapter 132: Those Prepared for Death
As I was talking with Neil, the speed of the carriage gradually slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop.
“Have we arrived at today’s campsite?”
Just as I said this, the young eunuch Luke shouted from outside.
“It’s L-Luke, Your Majesty.”
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
After receiving my permission as the Emperor, Luke entered the carriage and bowed deeply to me.
“What is it?”
“It seems we have arrived at today’s campsite. The tent will be ready shortly, so please wait a little longer.”
“Very well.”
I nodded and glanced at Neil, thinking for a moment.
“Shall we go for an inspection?”
“Inspection? What for?”
“It’s for creating an alibi.”
“An alibi…?”
Neil’s expression grew even more perplexed as he listened to my explanation.
I smiled faintly and held up my ring in front of me.
I concentrated and summoned Apophis.
Apophis, who governs and commands all poisons.
During this campaign, I had been using Apophis at night, expelling any alcohol I consumed right after drinking, so I hadn’t gotten drunk no matter how much I drank.
Now, I would do the exact opposite.
“Ugh…”
“Y-Your Majesty…?”
Both Neil and Luke frowned at the same time.
Neil’s reaction was quite direct—he even pinched his nose despite being in front of the emperor.
“From your reaction, it seems you’ve detected it well.”
“Detected it? This overwhelming smell of alcohol… It’s as if you’ve been soaking in a barrel of it for an entire day!”
Neil said, and Luke nodded vigorously.
“It’s just a little magic.”
“Could it be… from the magic sword Livyathan?”
“It’s not Livyathan, but it’s something similar.”
I thought Livyathan might protest due to its pride, but I decided to simplify things. For an ordinary person, both Leviathan and Apophis don’t seem very different. They both exist far beyond what a human is.
“Does that mean you can manipulate it freely?”
“Umm.”
“Impressive… And from the looks of it, it only smells of alcohol.”
“You’re quite perceptive, that’s exactly the case.”
As expected, I thought about Neil and me.
Yes, I had commanded Apophis to exude the smell of alcohol, and that was all it did.
Normally, with a smell that potent, one would feel lightheaded, their thinking impaired, or slurring their words, but none of that was happening.
It was simply… a strong smell of alcohol.
I then stepped out of the carriage. Neil and Luke hurriedly followed behind.
Upon exiting the carriage, I saw the vast grassland, where the setup for the campsite was already about 80% complete.
It was a bit surprising that the carriage had just stopped, but it made sense since the emperor would not be at the front of the line. The advance party had set things up to a certain extent by the time my carriage—representing me, the Emperor—arrived.
Without saying anything, I began to walk.
Behind me, Neil beckoned and some soldiers followed along with him.
Luke did not follow.
He may have judged that since Neil was with a guard, he wouldn’t be needed.
In any case, I led Neil and the others to inspect the camp.
Most of the soldiers, upon seeing me, immediately stood up and saluted.
In peacetime, subjects would kneel to pay their respects to the emperor, but in the military, maintaining combat readiness takes precedence.
Thus, unless there is a compelling reason, standing salutes are acceptable.
So, their faces were clearly visible.
It seemed that about one in ten had a dissatisfied expression directed at me—the emperor. It was understandable.
After all, I engaged in debauchery until dawn every day, and whenever I showed up, I reeked of alcohol. It was only natural for the emperor to be viewed with disdain.
I was satisfied with that reaction. In addition to Alice, if I show this appearance, those around will recognize me as the useless emperor.
Now, it would be even better if there were some spies among the soldiers.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“Seize him!”
Suddenly, I heard an unsettling commotion coming from the direction I was headed.
Moments later, a middle-aged soldier broke through several soldiers trying to stop him and rushed in front of me, bowing down on the spot.
“Forgive me for my boldness! Your Majesty!”
“Stop that!”
“Come here!”
The soldiers who had tried to restrain him caught up and attempted to lift him by the shoulders and arms, trying to drag him away.
“That’s enough.”
I raised my hand to stop them.
“Huh?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
The soldiers I had stopped initially struggled to accept the situation, but upon realizing that the emperor was giving permission, they released him and returned to the ranks of other soldiers who were watching the situation unfold.
Left behind was the middle-aged soldier who, despite being pulled by the soldiers, remained as if rooted to the ground, bowing down without moving.
While still bowing, he lifted his face and stared intently at me.
“Who are you?”
“I am Andy Hayden, captain of the 100th regiment of the Third Army.”
“I see. What business does a captain have with me?”
“Forgive my boldness, Your Majesty. We must expel the witch that is destroying the Empire from the capital immediately.”
“Oh?”
“That witch brings nothing but harm to Your Majesty. Keeping her by your side may lead to your downfall.”
“So, you’re saying I am distracted by the allure of women?”
“—!!”
Captain Andy took a moment to catch his breath.
It was because I had questioned him in a slightly stronger tone.
However, he regained his composure almost immediately.
With a determined look on his face, Andy gritted his teeth and continued.
“There are countless former rulers who lost their way due to women and made poor decisions! If this continues—”
“I see, I get it.”
I nodded slightly. Andy’s expression brightened for a moment. It looked like he was relieved that I understood him.
“Neil.”
“Huh? Y-Yes!”
Neil seemed surprised that I had called on him, staring blankly for a moment before responding.
“Arrest this man.”
“Huh? W-What’s the charge?”
“Disrespect to the emperor.”
The surrounding soldiers buzzed with chatter. Neil stared at me for a moment, but eventually said,
“Understood.”
With that, he went to restrain Andy.
“Let me go! Wait! I still need to talk—”
“Shut him up; don’t let him say another word.”
“Y-Yes!”
Neil complied and delivered a strike to Andy’s abdomen.
Andy’s eyes widened, and he spat out a sickening sound before collapsing, unconscious.
“Take him away; the decision will be communicated later.”
“Yes!”
Neil said that and took Andy with him. I continued to survey the unrest among the soldiers.
It was unsurprising that a second admonisher did not appear.
☆
At night, a single carriage was racing in the opposite direction of the Emperor’s expeditionary army, heading toward the capital.
On the carriage were Andy, who was unconscious, and Neil, who was looking down at him.
Surrounding them were several aspiring knights of Neil’s duel squad acting as attendants.
Under the moonlight, as the carriage moved slowly in reverse, the vibrations awakened Andy.
“Where is this…?!”
“Oh, you’re awake.”
Andy abruptly sat up and looked around, still wearing a look of surprise.
“Don’t worry, you’re in a carriage returning to the capital.”
“To the capital…? Hey, my restraints…”
Andy noticed something was off with his body.
Something that should have been there was missing.
Andy had spoken directly to Emperor Noah. And he had incurred Noah’s wrath.
It wouldn’t have been strange for him to be sentenced to death on the spot, and at the very least, it would have been odd not to be in shackles.
Yet, there was absolutely nothing like that.
Andy was not restrained and was completely free.
“What’s going on?”
“Imperial Order.”
“—!”
When Neil straightened up and declared in a loud voice, Andy was momentarily taken aback and then bowed down in humility.
After confirming the protocol for conveying Imperial Order and the respect due to the emperor’s representative, Neil continued.
“Captain Andy is granted a special pardon for the offense of disrespecting His Majesty and is ordered to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice.”
“What?!”
Stunned, Andy raised his head to look at Neil.
“That’s all. What’s the matter, no thanks?”
“Uh? Th-thank you so much…”
“Good.”
“Um… what does this mean…?”
“It’s the Emperor’s consideration. The offense of disrespect is subject to Imperial law, not military law. You’re lucky; if it were military law, you would have faced immediate execution at that moment.”
“B-but… even for disrespect…”
“It’s what the Emperor says, but the essence of disrespect lies in the Emperor’s private law. If the Emperor smiles and forgives, that’s the end of it.”
“…”
Andy was about to argue but swallowed his words.
Military law usually imposes heavier penalties for the same offenses compared to regular imperial law.
This is because the Empire, being a “country of warriors,” imposes strict laws and severe punishments to control the military.
However, the offense of disrespect is primarily about reprimanding actions and words against the royal family and, by extension, the Emperor. It’s often misunderstood, but the chance of not being reprimanded is much higher in this case.
Nobles and royalty sometimes need to display “magnanimity.”
So, there are many instances where they decide not to reprimand generously.
Although Andy had been under that misunderstanding, he was puzzled as he thought, “That makes sense, but…”
“I understood the logic, but it’s the first time I’ve seen an Emperor use it this way. As for personal offenses of disrespect, if the emperor grants forgiveness, then it should be over… well, the logic is there, but still.”
Neil let out a small, amused chuckle.
Neil wore the expression of someone who had understood something entirely on his own, while Andy looked increasingly left out.
“Um…”
“Oh, it’s a message from HIs Majesty. I can’t repeat it verbatim, so some of it will be my interpretation.”
“Ye- Yes!”
“The emperor is currently pretending to be an inconsequential figure.”
“!!”
“I understand what you mean, but I can’t act on it right now.”
“…Huh, um…”
“However, someone who can directly admonish with the understanding of the potential cost of death, given that difference in status in that situation, is a rarity. When the need for an inconsequential figure vanishes, you’ll be valued greatly, so keep following the Emperor’s footsteps in the Ministry of Justice for a while— that’s what it means.”
“S-so…?”
“You interfered with the Emperor’s strategy, but the Emperor appreciated your sincerity. People are treasures, you know? Quite really an amazing person, indeed.”
“…”
Neil was impressed, while Andy was left increasingly astonished and speechless.
(Sponsored Chapter ~4/5) [Anyone wondering why there is sponsored chapter tag. Someone had donated for translation in the far past. I apologize to that person. And everyone else. I am ending this sponsored chapter finally]
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am a bit lazy these days.
Thanks for the treat.
Thanks for the treat. 🖖