IQBSA 19

Chapter 19

“We were loitering around the front entrance, so I mistook you for suspicious individuals. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s fine. That can happen when you’re working hard.”

“Thank you for understanding. Would you like to enter the Imperial Palace?”

A pass was required to pass through the gate. I took out the summoning order stamped with the imperial seal and showed it.

After confirming it, the man signaled, and the other soldiers who had been blocking the gate opened the way.

The Imperial Palace was enormous in scale and radiated an overwhelming pressure that made me tense. But thanks to the Tower Master, who seemed familiar with the place and calmly found our way, we arrived at the conference hall without any trouble.

—

* * *

—

The conference hall was already packed with people. The long vertical table was nearly full, except for a few seats at the front.

“Let’s go in.”

Roakin took the rightmost front seat, and I stood directly behind him. Everyone found their places, and a solemn atmosphere began to settle over the hall—just then.

*Bang—*

A rough sound of the door opening rang out, and a group of knights marched into the conference hall in formation.

The sun emblem engraved on their steel armor and the long, flowing red capes—it was the symbol of the Golden Knights.

Soon, the knight at the lead—apparently their commander—removed his helmet, and high-tied red ponytail hair flowed down over his shoulders.

Despite being shorter and smaller in build than the other knights around her, the woman exuded an immense presence that let me recognize her at once.

The Crown Prince’s right arm. The commander of the Golden Knights, **Charis Rel**.

‘……She didn’t have a very good impression of Serpine.’

Traditionally, knights and mages were sworn enemies, and the same held true for Charis Rel and Roakin.

Charis would pounce at the slightest flaw in Roakin and berate him fiercely, and the one who had to receive all that was none other than me!

—

*’It seems the Tower Master has suddenly become a coward?’*

*’Would you ask the Tower Master if he’s lost his mind?’*

*’If there’s no answer by tomorrow, just tell him we’ll march into the Magic Tower.’*

—

And so on…….

Charis, true to her knightly background, had a sharp tongue and frequently spewed dangerous remarks. Caught between the two, Serpine had no idea how much sweat she’d shed trying to mediate their opinions.

‘*The saying “the shrimp’s back breaks in a whale fight” fit perfectly.*’

Though this was my first time meeting her in person, contrary to my imagined image, Charis exuded an unapproachable charisma and dignity.

Charis strode in without hesitation and took the seat of honor—where the Crown Prince, the head of the subjugation force, should have sat.

The bold move, as if declaring she was the Crown Prince’s proxy, caused a stir among the attendees. But Charis paid the attention no mind and spoke.

“Then shall we begin?”

At that moment, a sharp voice cut in from somewhere.

“W-Where is His Highness?”

“Can you not tell by seeing me sitting here, Duke Ryuk?”

When Charis answered in a gruff, annoyed tone, Duke Ryuk pointed at her and trembled.

“S-Such barbarity!”

As the duke just opened and closed his mouth without continuing, another person interjected with a question.

“What illness is this that there’s still no improvement? Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince is holding back to avoid his duties in the subjugation force?”

At that, Charis—her expression turning far fiercer than before—slammed the table and said:

“Watch your tongue! Are you saying His Highness is lying to you all? I can tolerate many things, but I will not tolerate insults to His Highness.”

“……Ahem.”

Apparently realizing he’d gone too far, the questioner let out an awkward cough.

“I didn’t gather you all here to debate His Highness’s illness. What matters to us is how we’re going to navigate this situation—with His Highness absent right before the next subjugation mission.”

Charis let out a long, deep breath as if suppressing her anger, then continued.

“The original departure was scheduled for the day after the Foundation Festival, but that’s impossible given the current state. However, the damage in that region is so severe that we can’t just stand by. Therefore, I propose to tentatively postpone the departure by one week.”

No sooner had she finished than jeers erupted from all sides.

“Who do you think you are to boss us around?”

“Exactly! We are people who follow imperial orders—why should we obey the words of a mere knight?”

The Arkina Empire was structured as a federation of dozens of large and small vassal states.

The vassal states, as a sign of submission to the Empire, were required to dispatch a certain number of troops to the monster subjugation force.

The reason the vassals had followed orders without complaint until now was that the Emperor had set an example first.

The head of the subjugation force had always been the Crown Prince of the Empire, and with the Crown Prince—the Emperor’s own son—willingly stepping forward, the others couldn’t very well hold back.

But with the Crown Prince absent like this, morale would naturally drop.

Moreover, Crown Prince Rirenzo Aldrate was the Empire’s greatest Sword Master. It was predictable that the weakened forces would face difficulties in the next mission.

Yet even amid the fierce opposition, Charis didn’t bat an eye as she led the meeting.

“His Highness Rirenzo personally told me that in an emergency, he would delegate command of the subjugation force to me. This has also been approved by His Majesty the Emperor. As long as I am acting on His Highness’s authority, any disobedience will be considered defiance of the imperial command.”

Eventually, as Charis passionately laid out the revised schedule and tactics, even the subjugation force personnel who had been asserting their pride began to at least pretend to listen.

Meanwhile, the Tower Master was propping his chin askew and constantly flicking his fingers.

‘……Is he even really listening?’

But I wasn’t much different either. Even when I tried to pay attention, the tactical content was hard to follow, so I couldn’t focus at all.

My mind was elsewhere.

‘*Where could Ramona be by now.*’

It was the day before the Foundation Festival—she really should be appearing soon. I planned to go find the heroine as soon as the meeting ended.

“Yes, then I’ll take that as no objections……”

Just as the tedious meeting seemed to be finally wrapping up, Roakin suddenly raised his hand.

Charis tried to steadfastly continue her closing remarks as if she hadn’t seen, but when everyone was staring only at Roakin, she responded with obvious reluctance.

“Yes, Tower Master. Do you have something to say?”

“I’m sitting this one out.”

Charis made no effort to hide her crumpling expression as she spoke.

“Why?”

“I’m not feeling well.”

“You’ll have more than enough time to recover in a week.”

“I’ll probably still not be feeling well then too.”

“What kind of dog nonsense is that, Tower Master?”

Charis gritted her teeth and shot venomous words from her eyes. Judging by her murderous glare, the words that came out of her mouth were definitely the sanitized version.

“Let’s end the meeting here. And you, Tower Master—stay behind for a moment.”

As Charis abruptly stood up and signaled the meeting’s end, the people who had been anxiously watching the situation unfold began to trickle out of the conference hall one by one.

—

* * *

—

“Are you really not feeling well somewhere?”

Taking advantage of the commotion, I leaned close to Roakin’s ear and whispered quietly. Perhaps the distance was too close—Roakin flinched slightly, then turned his gaze back forward and said:

“No.”

“Then why aren’t you going?”

“I need to stay with you until we catch the culprit. Where would I go?”

It seemed it was because of our deal.

‘……Not that it matters anyway, since it’s after the Foundation Festival.’

But upon reflection, that wasn’t entirely true.

Even if the Empress Dowager’s misdeeds were exposed on the day of the Foundation Festival, it wouldn’t be possible to completely oust her overnight. She might do anything in her final desperate struggle, so special caution would be needed for several days after the festival.

“You two there! What kind of conspiracy are you whispering about so secretly?”

Charis, apparently annoyed by the covert exchange between me and Roakin, twitched her eyebrows.

“I wondered why a delegation showed up out of nowhere—are you even bringing an operative along?”

Charis glared fiercely at Roakin as if about to challenge him to a duel right then, then turned her head and looked at me with a probing gaze.

Then, after a moment, as if realizing something, she clapped her hands together with a *smack*.

“Oh! You’re……!”

The hostility quickly vanished, replaced by curious eyes.

“You’re Serpine!”

We had built a certain intimacy through communication orbs over time, but meeting in person was different, and an awkward air flowed between us. It felt like meeting an online friend in real life.

“……Ah, yes. That’s right. I’m Serpine Mirabel, the Tower Master’s secretary.”

Charis strode over, grabbed my hand, and shook it vigorously in a handshake.

I was inwardly surprised—Charis’s hands were covered in hard calluses in so many places that it was hard to believe they belonged to a woman.

“Nice to meet you, Serpine. I trust that unlike your clearly-not-normal superior, you’re a reasonable person and we’ll communicate well this time too? Now, don’t just stand there—have a seat.”

Charis pulled out the chair beside her, dusted it off, and invited me to sit.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

I accepted Charis’s escort somewhat reluctantly and took my seat. Immediately, a maid brought tea for the three of us.

As I took a sip, a fragrant aroma lingered faintly at my lips. Even the tea leaves in the Imperial Palace seemed to be of a different quality.

I’d only taken a few sips here and there, but the tea quickly ran dry. Roakin glanced at my empty teacup and asked:

“Do you like the tea?”

“……The fragrance is nice?”

At my awkward answer, Roakin pushed his own teacup toward me. When I looked at him quizzically, he added as if making an excuse:

“It’s not to my taste.”

“Then I won’t refuse.”

I gladly took the tea and drank it.

Taste aside, I was terribly thirsty. No matter how resolute my mindset, thinking that I was in the same place as the Empress Dowager had made me tense.

“…….”

Charis looked back and forth between Roakin and me with a sour expression, as if she’d seen something unsightly, then opened her mouth.

“That aside, why exactly are you refusing to participate this time?”