novelraw Chapter 54 : The Emperor and the Elf (2)
Chapter 54 : The Emperor and the Elf (2)
Chapter 54: The Emperor and the Elf (2)
Leon put the Emperor’s request on hold. It was a matter of confronting a god—something that required careful consideration.
The Emperor, too, understood that. Thus, she respected Leon’s decision.
Five days passed.
Leon stayed in the palace during that time. His companions did as well—it was the Emperor’s order.
The Emperor had told them to remain in the palace until the Elf delegation arrived. It was practically a command. Who in their right mind would dare defy the Emperor’s words?
Leon, who normally despised unreasonable orders, complied quietly this time.
‘I’ve already defied the Emperor’s authority several times. Under normal circumstances, I should’ve been executed long ago.’
Yet, his head still rested on his shoulders—thanks to the Emperor’s mercy.
‘If that’s the case, the least I can do is respect her boundaries.’
Still, he couldn’t just sit idly by. Leon trained in swordsmanship at the training grounds.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
With every swing of his blade, he felt eyes on him—the gazes of the Imperial soldiers.
They stared with blatant disgust and hostility. The Empire loathed the warriors of the North. To them, Leon was little more than a savage.
Had he not held the status of “guest of the Emperor,” a commotion would’ve broken out long ago.
‘Nothing better to do, huh?’
Leon wondered.
‘Why are they just standing there glaring at me?’
It was midday, the perfect hour for training. They could be strengthening their bodies or honing their swordsmanship. Either would leave them no time to stare at him.
Leon couldn’t comprehend why they were just idling about.
As he wiped the sweat from his forehead, a few maids entered his sight. They, too, were staring at him blankly, eyes glazed over as if dazed by the heat.
Leon tilted his head.
“……!!”
“W-We’ve been caught…!!”
As their eyes met, the maids jumped up and fled, faces flushed red. They truly looked as if the heat had gotten to them.
‘It’s not even that hot today….’
How strange.
Another five days passed.
A third of a month had gone by, yet still no news of the Elf delegation’s arrival.
‘They’re later than expected.’
Leon thought to himself.
High Elves were the equivalent of royalty among Elves. For one to be outside their homeland—without even a single guard—was unthinkable.
They should have hurried here at once. Why were they so delayed?
‘Could something have happened along the way?’
The first thought that came to his mind was Ira.
Ira, who had recently been humiliated in the Empire—who knew what he might do if he caught wind of the delegation?
In the worst case, he might even massacre them all.
‘He’s the one who faced off against a hundred soldiers, each nearly at knight level. If the Elf delegation runs into him, they won’t stand a chance.’
Ira was one of the Demon King’s Seven Apostles—a man whose actions were impossible to predict.
Such a thing was entirely possible.
Just then—
“Hey, you.”
A soldier gestured at Leon, pointing with his finger. Perhaps his parents had never taught him manners.
Leon frowned slightly.
“What is it?”
“It’s already been ten days since you’ve occupied the training grounds. Don’t you think it’s time to stop?”
“Stop what?”
“You really gonna act like you don’t know?”
The soldier’s face twisted in irritation.
“Because of you, no one else can use the training grounds. We’ve tried hinting at it, but you didn’t get it. So I came to tell you directly.”
“No one can use it? Because of me?”
Leon glanced around the training field. It was large enough for a thousand soldiers to train simultaneously.
He wasn’t even using the entire space—so what nonsense was this man spouting?
Leon asked calmly,
“Can’t you see how spacious it is? You could easily train elsewhere instead of near me. Why are you saying this to me?”
“Because we can’t show Imperial swordsmanship to a barbarian, of course.”
Leon’s eyes narrowed coldly.
‘So that’s what this is about.’
Masters of the sword often trained alone. Watching their movements could allow others to devise countermeasures against their sword techniques.
The more one saw, the more familiar it became—and even the greatest swordsmen were no exception.
Moreover, true masters had unique traits in their swordsmanship. The more those traits were analyzed, the clearer their weaknesses became.
‘In other words, they don’t want their techniques leaking to foreigners.’
Leon tilted his head slightly.
“All that… for swordsmanship of that level?”
“What did you just say?” the soldier barked. “Even if you are the Emperor’s guest, this is an insult. To spy on another’s training is a crime punishable by death. We won’t stain Her Majesty’s palace with barbarian blood. Now, come quietly.”
“Oh…?”
A cold smile crept across Leon’s lips.
“You’re right. Stealing another’s enlightenment is indeed disgraceful.”
“So, you do understand some manners.”
“But that only applies if the other person is stronger than me.”
At that moment—
Wuuuuuuung—!!
A resonant hum burst from Leon’s sword. It was the Sword Resonance, a sound only skilled swordsmen of at least quasi-knight level could produce.
“I don’t see anyone here stronger than me. Not that it matters—I wouldn’t bother copying such pitiful swordsmanship anyway. My blade is sharper… and faster.”
Everyone present could feel it—this Northern warrior was provoking them.
And everyone, in turn, was enraged. How dare this barbarian belittle the swordsmanship they had honed all their lives!
“If you think I’m wrong,” Leon said, raising his sword toward the soldiers, its gleaming edge catching the sunlight,
“Then prove it. I’ll accept your challenge anytime.”
A subtle disturbance rippled through the air outside.
The Emperor, Irena, turned her head. From her window, she could sense the fierce energy rising from the training grounds below.
It belonged to the Northern warrior—Leon.
‘I knew they’d clash eventually… but they held out longer than I expected.’
She cleared her throat quietly.
It was then.
The person sitting across from Irena cleared his throat, as if to discreetly remind her of something.
Irena clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘Old folk and their impatience…’
Still, it was true that her attention had wandered.
She smiled and said,
“My apologies. I was simply thinking about someone who’s caught my eye lately.”
“That’s quite all right. However, I’d prefer if we could focus on the discussion for now.”
The man’s tone was far too casual for someone addressing an Emperor. Yet, no one rebuked him for it.
That was because the man’s race was Elf.
The long, pointed ears, and the faint scent of greenery that emanated from his body—there was no mistaking it. The man before her was unmistakably an Elf.
Had Leon been here, he would have found the scene puzzling.
There were Elves who roamed freely even within the Empire, but none of them were allowed into the Imperial Palace.
Even in peaceful times, humans were deeply suspicious by nature. The possibility of spies could never be overlooked.
For that reason, an Elf needed explicit permission to enter the palace. So, for one to be here—one didn’t need to be a fool to guess his identity.
“As the representative of the delegation, allow me to first offer our gratitude to the Sun of the Empire. Aurel has searched tirelessly for the missing members of our royal line over the years. Thanks to Your Majesty’s aid, we were able to find those great figures once again.”
The Elf spoke reverently.
Just as Imperial citizens despised Northern warriors, Elves looked down on humans. It was natural—Elves were superior by birth.
Their physical prowess, their attunement to mana—all of it surpassed that of humankind. Looking down upon humans came as second nature to them.
They were a proud and arrogant race. But today, they were different.
For once, the Elves spoke to the Emperor with utmost respect—something even Irena had never experienced before.
These were beings who had always exuded arrogance. The sight was so surreal, she almost wondered if she was dreaming.
‘Life does have its strange twists.’
Irena chuckled softly to herself and said,
“We are allies, are we not? When one faces hardship, the other lends aid. That’s how it should be.”
“No, Your Majesty’s generosity is far too great to be repaid with words alone. Aurel shall ensure that a worthy recompense is made.”
The Elf bowed his head deeply before continuing,
“Moreover, you have informed us about the creature called ‘Ira’. It had already set its sights on our royal family. We cannot know when or where it might strike again. If not for Your Majesty’s advice to move in secrecy, our delegation would have suffered a terrible fate.”
So that was why there had been no news of the Elf delegation’s arrival. Ira was an intelligent, humanoid Demon Beast.
He could have taken the opportunity to abduct the High Elf once again. For Elves, who lacked detailed information, the Emperor’s warning had been a priceless gift.
“If there is anything Your Majesty desires, please speak it. Aurel does not turn its back on grace. We shall prepare something that will surely satisfy you.”
At this point, Irena felt quite pleased. She had paid a steep price to drive Ira away, and now, to be treated with such reverence in a diplomatic setting—it was enough to lift her mood.
‘Though, what I’m about to ask for won’t be an easy request…’
Irena slowly opened her mouth.
“Hand over the Prison Forest Ground. To be precise, I wish to take the life within it.”
“…….”
The Elf’s eyes clenched shut, as if he had anticipated this all along.
In an instant, his face grew haggard—like a man who had aged decades in mere seconds.
“Your Majesty’s request… was one our king had already foreseen.”
“Oh? Then, what is his answer? I’m rather curious.”
The smile never left Irena’s face. Her expression stood in stark contrast to the Elf’s.
The Elf’s lips trembled. His face had turned pale—as though he might faint at any moment.
Finally, he spoke.
“His Majesty said… that such matters should be discussed after meeting with the royal family members.”
“……”
Irena’s brow twitched.
“Nothing beyond that?”
“……”
“How amusing.”
Her lips twisted slightly, and a cold, cutting smile spread across her face. Her once-clear eyes darkened into a deep, endless shadow.
“So, he thought to threaten me using those young ones?”
“T-That’s not…”
“Why can’t you answer? Go on—say it. Say that the Emperor of the Empire will simply take the life of the World Tree and be done with it. That she’ll use the royal family in the palace as leverage to demand something more.”
“……”
The Elf couldn’t respond. He merely shut his eyes tightly.
On this subject, no Elf could speak. Naturally so—because the World Tree was the enemy of the Empire. And as the children of that being, the Elves were likewise the Empire’s foes.
Even the proudest of Elves fell silent on this matter. For they all knew—
If the Empire chose to invade Aurel right this instant, it would hardly be surprising.
“……Very well, then. It can’t be helped.”
The Emperor murmured quietly.
The Elf’s eyes widened. Even for one such as himself, the Emperor’s demand was unbearably insulting. She had every reason to lash out in fury—yet her composure was terrifyingly unshaken.
“Then I shall say this much. Tell your king—when the royal bloodline sets foot on Aurel’s soil once more…”
For a brief instant, Irena’s eyes glimmered with chilling madness.
“He should give an answer that meets my expectations.”
“……”
The atmosphere froze over with lethal tension. The Elf could only nod silently.