Ch.102101. The First Trial (4)

# 101. The First Trial (4)

As the Empress stepped out of the car, she gazed at the magnificent building that made even their luxurious vehicle seem shabby by comparison.

Looking at the golden structure that appeared to be made of real gold—though she wasn’t certain if it actually was—she remarked:

“The Academy… it’s been quite a while.”

“This place still looks as boring as ever.”

The Emperor was also an alumnus of the Imperial Academy, but having despised studying, he didn’t particularly have fond memories of the place.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had no good memories at all.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

“What does…?”

The Empress pointed toward the Academy’s entrance and said:

“It seems like just yesterday when you were wandering around there because you’d lost your student ID.”

“How long ago was that…”

“It’s only been 30 years, hasn’t it?”

Thirty years can be an eternity for some and merely a brief moment for others.

The two of them, belonging to different categories in this regard, were momentarily lost in reminiscing about the memories they shared.

So deeply absorbed were they that they failed to notice the two people they had come to see were already standing before them.

***

‘What are they thinking about so intently…?’

The Emperor was staring at the Academy entrance as if entranced, ignoring both me and her who had come to greet him.

Emperor Reinhardt, being our senior, must have many memories of this Academy.

That’s surely why he was gazing at the entrance with such intensity—it must be deeply connected to those memories.

However, we couldn’t remain like this indefinitely.

“Um… excuse me? Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Huh…? Ah… I didn’t realize you were already here.”

The Emperor seemed to notice our presence only after I called out to him, and the same appeared true for the Empress.

The Empress greeted me warmly.

“Hello? It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been fine. I’m relieved to see Your Majesty in good health as well.”

“I wasn’t badly injured thanks to Albert. I’m glad to see you’re doing well too.”

As the Empress said, during that incident, I was the only one who got hurt while the Empress escaped without any significant injuries.

“You seem to be in better condition today than yesterday.”

“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to sleep comfortably last night.”

“I didn’t do anything special… Anyway, let’s continue our conversation inside.”

This place certainly had too many eyes watching and ears listening.

It was definitely not an appropriate place for a private conversation.

So we entered the Academy.

The Emperor and Empress were escorted through the entrance by the administrators.

“The interior seems to have changed a bit.”

“Of course it has. It’s been so long.”

There appeared to be quite a difference between how the Academy looked now and how it had been 30 years ago when they attended.

‘Thirty years is enough time for mountains and rivers to change three times…’

It was inevitable that changes would occur over such a span of time.

After looking around at various Academy buildings, the Emperor asked me:

“Is the dueling arena still here?”

“Of course.”

His mention of the dueling arena felt like a declaration for me to prepare myself mentally.

“You know why I came here today, right? You seem to know, but just in case.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Yet you seem quite relaxed?”

‘Relaxed’ wasn’t the right word for my current state.

I wasn’t relaxed—I was simply confident in my abilities and looking forward to the challenge.

However, despite my confidence, I was anxious. Given who my opponent would be, I was uncertain whether I could display my full abilities.

“I’m not… relaxed. Rather, I’m quite nervous, I’d say? Though I suppose any student facing Your Imperial Majesty would appear relaxed by comparison.”

Hearing my words, the Empress smiled and said to the Emperor:

“That’s appropriate—neither too intimidated nor too overconfident. Quite different from you, isn’t it?”

“I’m not overconfident about myself.”

In the Emperor’s case, it wasn’t overconfidence but justified self-assurance born from skill.

The Empress interpreted his unwavering self-belief in any situation as “excessive confidence,” but that might not be accurate.

Of course, the Empress could be right.

‘The Empress probably knows better than I do…’

She might know something that I don’t.

“I simply make the correct judgments.”

Indeed, with the Emperor’s level of skill, charging headfirst into any situation would likely be the right decision.

“But… are we doing this right now?”

“Isn’t that why you warmed up before coming?”

“That’s true.”

Somehow, the Emperor knew I had already warmed up.

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Don’t be too surprised. I just made an educated guess.”

“Even so, that’s remarkable observation.”

“I’ll gladly accept such praise.”

While conversing with the Emperor, we had already arrived at the dueling arena.

I took a deep breath to calm my excitement and followed the Emperor inside.

Upon entering the empty arena, the Emperor sighed.

“Is it always like this?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The girl and I answered simultaneously, and the Emperor let out a deep sigh upon hearing our response.

During the survival competition to select party members, everyone had been training diligently, but as time passed, the number of dedicated students had dwindled.

Of course, those who were committed would train regardless of circumstances, but the truth was that such people were in the minority.

“Is it because times are too peaceful…?”

“That’s not the issue.”

The problem wasn’t that the Kainis Empire was peaceful—it wasn’t particularly peaceful to begin with.

The real issue was that the empire’s youth lacked awareness of the current situation.

They seemed to lack a sense of urgency even now when war had actually broken out.

Thinking, ‘Other strong people will protect us…’

“It’s people’s mindset that’s the problem.”

It could also be seen as ‘a problem arising from having too strong a national defense.’

While it was true that there were many strong individuals, that didn’t mean one could afford to slack off.

“The two alliances are nearly equal in power right now.”

Even the power of each side’s allied nations was roughly equivalent.

“Surely you don’t think I’m on the same level as that Demon Lord?”

“Of course not. However, I don’t think the difference is so great that we can dismiss the Imperial Executioners. And Babylon Kingdom has many strong individuals besides their Executioners.”

“That’s true. You should start acknowledging that.”

The Empress affirmed my statement, and the Emperor didn’t deny it either, suggesting he didn’t disagree.

After a moment of contemplation, the Emperor spoke:

“You’re right… That’s why you all are important. You need to break that balance of power.”

Given the circumstances, the Emperor was placing considerable expectations on our generation.

Especially on me and her.

“For demons, it takes considerable time for their youth to grow stronger…”

“But that’s not the case for us.”

“That’s why the growth and future actions of your generation are crucial.”

Humans grow faster than demons.

But they also die faster.

Among the empire’s powerful figures, unlike the Emperor, Ray, Light, and Amelia, there were quite a few elderly individuals.

If those people were to pass away with the passage of time, the balance of power would tilt toward the other side.

And the next generation would need to restore that balance.

‘If only we could restore it…’

But the Emperor wasn’t just hoping for that.

He wanted the balance to shift in our favor, beyond mere equilibrium.

Of course, that wasn’t impossible.

Our generation had more talented individuals compared to others.

However, that would only be possible if we had time to grow.

“And the actions of the current powerful figures are just as important.”

“Don’t worry about that. As long as I’m alive and well, things will be fine.”

“Hearing Your Majesty say that is reassuring.”

In my previous life, the Emperor passed away early, causing the balance of power to collapse, but this time, as he said, he would remain alive and well.

‘I won’t have to struggle like before…’

Those were certainly difficult times.

With the Emperor, the empire’s foremost figure, gone, we had to somehow fill that void ourselves.

In the end, we barely managed to fill the gap, but filling it was just the beginning, not the end.

As I was taking comfort in this fact, the Emperor began:

“More importantly… there’s something I’m curious about.”

Something he was curious about.

The Emperor must have many questions for me, just as I have for him.

‘Though they’re probably different kinds of curiosity… anyway.’

I said to the Emperor:

“I’ll answer anything I can.”

“No, this isn’t a question you can answer.”

“Pardon?”

Before I could grasp the meaning of his words, the Emperor declared:

“Take up your weapon and step onto the arena.”