Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 151

[ 151. Audience (3) ]

#151

“Everyone please enter.”

said the woman. It was a quiet, but powerful voice. The people who were frozen in the fight between the two beasts stepped out one by one.

“I see. Sword Saint.”

Varen stared straight at Zaifa and opened his mouth. Baren’s face, which stood like a castle wall, still showed no signs of backing down. Zaifa clicked his tongue once and looked down at Ronan.

“…see you later.”

“I have a rough idea of what you’re thinking, but that must be a misunderstanding.”

Zaifa did not answer. Wagging his tail wildly, he turned around. Water was still dripping from Zaifa’s trouser hem as he headed toward the throne room. Ronan let out a laugh as if he was stunned.

‘Are you going to look like that?’

It seemed that the attire when going to meet a friend in the neighborhood would be more neat than that. Baren was still standing in the same position he was confronting.

It was the moment Zaifa disappeared inside the door. A sigh escaped Varen’s mouth as if his lungs would be ripped out.

“Whoa… I thought I was going to die…!”

“What were you afraid of?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Those pupils are really…hehehe I almost fainted.”

Baren’s hands were trembling like a man who saved his life by a narrow car. It was a similar reaction to when I read the club activity report. Ronan smiled.

“For you to say that, you stand up very proudly.”

“Yes… it is the duty of an educator to protect students. You can’t do what you have to do, can you?”

“It was great. thank you.”

Ronan patted him on the back. In many ways, he was a better lion than a human. Calming his emotions with a deep breath, Varen continued.

“What kind of conflict was there with the swordsman? I heard that he is a very rough-tempered person, but that was a reaction that would not normally come out when he was angry. “

I didn’t do anything. really.”

Ronan said calmly. There was not enough time to explain the inside story. Baren drooled suspiciously, but then nodded and agreed.

“If you are, then so be it. I hope the misunderstanding is cleared up.”

Suddenly, only Ronan and Baren were left in the drawing room. The woman in charge of the guide opened her mouth again.

“Please enter quickly.”

“Ah yes. sorry.”

Baren adjusted his clothes. Ronan also straightened the crooked tie. The two entered the door. A long, wide hallway appeared.

A red carpet was spread like a boulevard. The people who entered first were walking in front of me. On both sides of the hallway, colorful picture frames were lined up at regular intervals.

Every frame had a precisely detailed portrait embedded in it. Ages and genders varied, but there were some similarities in appearance. Things like a sharp nose and black pearl-like eyes.

Most of them were memories of seeing them in history class at Phileon. Ronan shrugged.

“Looks like the previous emperors.”

“yes. They are the rulers of the Millennium Empire. It is admirable that the bloodline has not been severed even once for nearly a thousand years.”

Ronan nodded. It was a fact that I already knew, but thinking about it again, it was a great thing. The current emperor was Balon 44 years old. It was not a large number when divided considering the duration of the empire and the length of the emperor’s reign.

“It is thanks to the extraordinary longevity of some of them. Even the most well-known bloodshed has lived a life close to 200 years…”

Baren briefly explained the past emperors as he walked down the hallway. It was an eventful history. There were those who were assassinated on the third day after ascending the throne, and there were those who reigned for nearly a hundred years, like bloodshed.

The portraits were arranged so that the closer they got to the audience room, the more people from the past appeared. The hallway ended with the solemn expression on the face of the first emperor.

A gate identical to the one through which they had entered was erected in front of them. When the forbidden soldiers in black uniforms opened the door, a space as wide as the first arena spread out in front of them. Ronan tilted his head.

“Eh?”

The people who came in first were lined up in a row with their backs to the door. They were standing still with their hands together and their heads bowed. Like intentionally not wanting to see something.

“What are you doing not going in?”

Ronan asked, but no one answered. Baren, who suddenly inhaled his breath, froze in place.

Then he too bowed his head. Why are you sick? It was the moment when Ronan’s eyes widened after bypassing the people. It didn’t take long to understand them.

“Zaipa?”

In the center of the audience room, Zaifa was on one knee. A red mist covered his body. A low moan of pain mingled with pain escaped from his mouth.

“Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”

A man with a sharp impression stood in front of Jaipa with his hands behind his back. He looked like he was about to enter middle age, but half of his hair was already graying, as if he had suffered a lot.

He was wearing a crimson uniform symbolizing the Balon Empire. The meticulously decorated ones seemed the most expensive clothes Ronan had ever seen.

Suddenly, Ronan’s gaze reached the throne. The seat where the ruler of the empire should be sitting was empty. Ronan twitched his lips. It wasn’t too difficult to infer the man’s identity.

‘Emperor.’

Balon 44 stood before him. It was the first time seeing the real thing. The sternly raised eyes were surprisingly similar to those of the 7th Emperor, the Blood Emperor. An indescribable strangeness shimmered in the black eyes.

Beside the emperor stood a certain woman with her back straight. It was more impressive than his thick lips and long stature. His muscular shoulders were broad enough to rival Ronan’s.

Seeing that the armor was all black, he belonged to the golden army, the emperor’s bodyguard. She was aiming at Zaifa with a sharp javelin. A red mist was flowing from the tip of the spear. The emperor, who had been quietly looking down at Zaifa, opened his mouth.

“Golden Commander. Raise the output.”

“yes.”

The woman nodded. The fog that covered Zaifa grew thicker. aww The sound of something breaking came from the inside of his mouth.

“Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…!”

It was an overly strong bite. A few drops of blood dripped down the muzzle. The Emperor continued without changing his expression.

“Jayfa. I didn’t want to face you for being a burden. In the first place, the reason I called you to the imperial palace today was to congratulate you.”

“Do you know…what happened this morning?”

“of course. It was a terrible tragedy.”

It seemed like a story about the massacre of the Dawning Unit. Zaifa’s body began to shake as if it would explode at any moment and blow up the whole area. An angry voice leaked out from between the closed fangs.

“Then why…why are you wasting your time on something like this…!”

“It’s not like this, Jaipa. To keep order and morality. That’s why I called you all of a sudden today. Because it looks like I’ll be very busy in the future. And it’s not that I don’t understand your sorrow…”

Suddenly the emperor moved his steps. He started stroking Zaifa’s hair.

“That’s no reason to be mean to Jim. How dare you step on the throne room with blood and mud on your feet

…”

“Remember that we are not equal. Zaifa.”

It was a gentle gesture, like touching a pet cat. Again drops of blood fell from Zaifa’s mouth. This time it didn’t seem to be because of the pain. The emperor placed his hand on Zaifa’s head and opened his mouth.

“Go away. Today’s rudeness will be covered with the credit you have built all winter.”

“……All right.”

“I’ll give you a new order soon, so wait.”

The emperor removed his hand. The red mist disappeared as soon as the golden chief lowered his sword.

Zaifa slowly raised herself. An incomparable murderous feeling was rising over his shoulders compared to when he confronted Baren.

However, the emperor’s face still did not show even a hint of agitation. Zaifa, who had silently ignored him, left the audience room. People including Ronan were watching the scene without breathing.

‘What the fuck did I see.’

Ronan chuckled. The Jaifa did nothing. No matter how bloody the oath was made with the emperor, I didn’t know that the relationship would be that clear. The emperor, who clicked his tongue as he watched Zaifa’s footprints, turned his head.

“I’m sorry. You’ve done a lot worse for the Heroes of Winter.”

The emperor gave an embarrassing smile. The atmosphere was completely different from before, when he was disciplined in Zaifa.

“Please keep what you saw today a secret. Even if it’s to save face with Jim and the Sword Saint.”

“Is it possible?”

The first to answer was Baren. He showed his respect by kneeling on one knee with both hands together. A bright smile appeared on the emperor’s face.

“It’s been a while, Lord Baren. I have heard of your accomplishments.”

“It’s an overstatement.”

“Hold your head. First of all, we must be courteous…”

After saying that, the emperor gestured to the commander of the gold army. She left the audience room and soon returned with dozens of gold soldiers and attendants.

The attendants quickly cleaned the throne room that Jaifa had polluted. The gold soldiers, who moved in perfect order, lined up on the left and right of the carpet connected to the throne, creating a wall.

The atmosphere, which had been heating up in Jung-gu, quickly became pious. People lined up side by side, facing the throne. There were nine people in all, but the carpet was so wide that there was no shortage of space.

The emperor walked slowly and sat on the throne. A solemn voice echoed in the audience room.

“Nice to meet you. The current Emperor of the Empire is Balon 44 years old.”

****

The formal greeting was over in no time. The emperor began to praise the achievements of those gathered in turn. He looked down at the man with the handsome mustache and said.

“Yes Sir Nodelen. You mobilized your privates and made a great contribution to eradicating the Snow Beasts that haunted the islands. I am appointing you as Countess of Nails.”

“Thank you. your majesty…!”

“I hope you continue to fulfill your duties as a nobleman.”

Hearing that he was a count, Ronan laughed. With this, seven out of nine people were elevated in rank or became nobles even though they were commoners.

‘As expected, he’s an emperor, so he’s big.’

He was different in every way from the people he had met before. The seemingly insignificant action was affecting the entire empire. The emperor turned his gaze to Baren and opened his mouth.

“Varen Panassir. You made potions and medicines from herbs you cultivated and distributed them free of charge to the suffering citizens. In fact, along with Ronan, I think he is the greatest hero of this situation.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“It is a value that is becoming rarer by the day. Wouldn’t you like to become a nobleman this time? You deserve it.”

“I hate my last name… but I still like to teach students. As soon as herb cultivation stabilizes, we plan to return to the teaching sphere.”

said Baren. It was a polite refusal. The emperor shrugged his eyebrows in regret.

“Hmm…then I will provide you with the land and manpower to grow herbs. Make 30 percent of the Bryn Hills Plain your property.”

“That’s…!”

“I won’t take any objections. Let’s take good care of it.”

Since the emperor had said so much, there was no way to refuse. Baren, who was silent, lowered his head.

Ronan had to resist the urge to jump up and cheer. If it was Bryn Hills, it was a fertile land that could be counted on ten fingers in the Empire.

It was not too difficult to imagine just how much Baren’s herbal business would prosper in a place where just sowing seeds yielded a bountiful harvest. The emperor’s gaze moved again and reached Ronan.

“Yes…you are the main character of the rumor. Is that Ronan ball?”

“yes.”

Ronan nodded. I could feel the atmosphere around me starting to stir. Even the eyes of the golden garrison, which were as hard as wood and stone, could be seen sparkling with interest.

“I heard you broke the ice that no one could break. In fact, you were the one who defeated the Witch of Winter. I heard from Lorhorn that you’re younger than expected, but I didn’t expect you to be this young.”

“Can I take that as a compliment?”

“Yeah, of course…hey, gold garrison.”

Suddenly, the emperor looked back at the gold armor. She bowed solemnly.

“Please tell me.”

“Lead the public servants to the banquet hall. Make sure there is no one in the audience room except me and Ronan.”

“All right.”

Ronan’s eyes widened. All of a sudden I couldn’t figure out what this meant. Baren also looked at him with bewildered eyes. The gold commander, who strode forward, told the people.

“Then follow me.”

“Now wait…what is this…”

“Please refrain from talking.”

People slipped away like the ebb tide. Indeed, only Ronan and the Emperor were left in the audience room. thud. The sound of the door closing echoed through the empty space.

‘I didn’t expect this.’

Ronan twitched his lips. Ronan’s mind was filled with thoughts of whether or not to accept the emperor’s proposal to become a nobleman. It was nice to have the privilege of being an aristocrat, but it could be tied to your future actions, and nobility also came with obligations.

I was about to come to a conclusion after really, really deep thought, but everything turned into a pile of shit. After confirming that no one was around, the emperor stood up.

“I have a suggestion for you.”

“A suggestion?”

“Yes. I want you to become the dawn of the empire.”