Ch.139Chapter 139. Corrupt Leaders

“I have confirmed the attendance of the head of the Flandor family and adventurer Hyoseong Woo.”

After showing our invitations to the guards protecting the castle, Cheska and I stepped inside through the entrance they opened for us.

We were immediately greeted by a red carpet and the magnificent interior of the castle.

The marble floor reflected the gold covering the walls, and massive chandeliers hung abundantly from the ceiling.

I’d thought this before, but this truly is a magnificent place.

Though now that I knew it was all built with tax money, it didn’t look quite so impressive anymore.

“You seem surprisingly calm. Usually, people who enter this place for the first time all express their amazement.”

Was my reaction bothering her?

As Cheska walked ahead of me through the imperial palace corridor, I snorted dismissively and answered.

“There’s nothing strange about it. I’ve been here before, that’s all.”

In truth, when I was first summoned, I had been overwhelmed while looking around this imperial palace.

No matter how much more advanced the civilization I came from was, I’d only seen rooms with gold-plated walls and jewels embedded everywhere in TV dramas.

Well, that amazement didn’t last long since I was thrown out as soon as they confirmed my unique ability.

“Dragging me in and throwing me out as they please—truly a country impossible to grow attached to.”

“…You seem to have quite a lot of complaints about the Empire.”

“Yeah, as a noble, you probably wouldn’t understand.”

The hardest work they do is just looking at documents in an office… No, even that is often delegated to secretaries by those who couldn’t care less about their duties, and this empire is crawling with such people.

How could such people understand the hardships of laborers who live day to day, or the fear of adventurers who risk their lives in dangerous places?

“That’s right. I couldn’t claim to understand your hardships, even as empty words.”

Cheska took even my sarcasm in stride.

Despite being a noble who might reasonably take offense at my attitude, far from scolding me, she had long since turned her attention away from me.

“But setting aside your assessment of me, I hope you won’t view the Orion Empire too negatively.”

We arrived at a corridor where the walls were lined with numerous portraits.

Men and women in elaborate attire were displayed in rows, with their names, status, and the years they lived roughly inscribed below.

This must be a place recording the historical imperial family members who had guided this empire.

I noticed Cheska’s eyes trembling ever so slightly as she gazed at these figures.

“No matter how much the current empire seems to be heading down the wrong path, it was once a more prosperous and greater nation than any other, which is why it could become the Hope of Humanity today.”

It was the first time I felt emotion in her voice, which had maintained a consistently blunt tone.

It didn’t take long to realize that emotion was complicated feelings.

“…You do know that this ‘hope’ is maintained by sucking the marrow from many people’s bones, right?”

What was the source of that emotion?

What was this emotionless, unimposing young noble thinking as she looked at the historical leaders of this corrupt country?

“I’m well aware.”

To my questioning mockery, the young head of the noble family finally turned away from the portraits and continued walking.

“I also know that no matter how great a country was in the past, such glory cannot last forever.”

Though I couldn’t know her exact thoughts.

She made it clear that she recognized the empire’s problems even more clearly than I did.

****

Yes, even though this empire maintains itself by sucking the marrow from those who pursue hope, it functions because it’s the only entity in this world considered a hope.

Dangers lurk everywhere outside the empire, and humans are far too weak to survive in such magical wilderness.

No matter how corrupt the leadership is, or how mass-produced and disappointing the so-called saviors are.

Clinging to their coattails to extend one’s life is the only choice available to humanity in this world.

-Murmuring voices.

The imperial leadership that lives by sucking the lifeblood of such people is gathered in abundance in this banquet hall where I now stand.

Though not everyone, most of the key figures must be here.

Today’s banquet is a regular social gathering held by the imperial family, and socializing is extremely important for nobles.

“I heard you recently developed a new mine. How is the progress going?”

“Not too good. Perhaps we chose the wrong location, as the profits have been disappointing…”

And noble socializing involves not just building friendships, but also exchanging political know-how or making agreements to help each other.

Looking at these surface reasons alone, regularly gathering leaders at the imperial palace for discussions could be considered necessary for proper governance.

The problem, as I see it, is that only the intention seems good.

“Well, now that it’s known that rare minerals occasionally turn up, we should dig deeper. A large number of laborers to grind through will be arriving soon, so I’ll just be patient and wait until then.”

Laborers to grind through.

As I looked around the banquet hall, I reflexively turned toward this conversation, seeing nobles in old-fashioned attire talking.

“Speaking of which, I heard a large number of refugees flocked to your territory recently?”

“They’re from a nomadic tribe whose original region was completely occupied by magical beasts, so they came to my area seeking shelter. Of course, that alone isn’t enough, so I’m planning to petition His Majesty to send the newly summoned Foreign Laborers my way.”

“Foreign workers from other worlds are certainly diligent. Their abilities are utterly useless, but they have this compulsion to work hard at whatever job they’re given since they have nowhere else to go.”

“Not all of them are like that, but they generally earn their keep. I’d like to make them lifetime slaves as soon as they’re summoned, but… it’s unfortunate that changing the law that way is impossible.”

“Haha, don’t look at it so negatively. You know how livestock go crazy if their pens are too cramped, but if you give them just a little breathing room, they think ‘this is freedom’ and stay docile.”

“Indeed, we need to keep the leash loose for easier management. With rebels being so active these days, we’d suffer losses too if we provoked an uprising.”

Treating citizens like livestock, and claiming they gave citizenship to Foreign Laborers—who they’d rather make lifetime slaves—just to suppress rebellion…

I had expected such attitudes to some extent, but coming to the banquet hall and hearing it directly made my disgust grow exponentially.

“Those damn rebels. We need to exterminate them all someday.”

“By the way, that jewel on your hand looks quite extraordinary. Which craftsman did you commission for it?”

“Ah, this? It’s quite valuable, but I can introduce you to him…”

The rest was a continuous stream of conversations steeped in luxury and indulgence.

Words that put politics and humanity’s well-being on the back burner were painful just to hear.

Thinking I shouldn’t torture myself by listening to things I couldn’t change anyway, I was about to turn my attention elsewhere when Cheska, now standing at the center of the banquet hall, began looking up at me.

“So, what are your plans now?”

“Plans?”

“Since you’ve been invited to the banquet, you should find an appropriate time to make your presence known. Surely you don’t intend to just eat and leave?”

That’s not my intention.

In my case, I didn’t come here to enjoy the banquet, but to use it as an opportunity to announce my existence and confirm my official treatment.

From my perspective, expecting them to handle everything, the idea of wading through this filthy place myself was even unpleasant.

“If you’re looking for a patron, you should start preparing now.”

Perhaps my standing still seemed dubious to her?

Soon Cheska pushed up her glasses and spoke as if warning me.

“If you do nothing and just stand still, you might make regrettable choices without realizing it, swept away by the situation.”

So she’s saying I should at least familiarize myself with faces and prepare mentally because I might get swept up in the situation soon?

Certainly, as she warned before coming here, if I casually dismiss this situation, I might risk heading in the exact opposite direction of my intentions.

But knowing that, how could I easily muster the courage?

Rather, with tension pulled taut at present, everyone here seems like nothing more than pretty garbage.

“That’s too much to ask. At least by myself…”

So I was hoping he would introduce me to suitable people.

“Hey, kid over there~! Come over here for a moment.”

Just as I was about to make that request, a voice began to sound from the middle of the banquet hall.

I could immediately tell it was directed at us.

The path cleared automatically for the person shouting in the crowded banquet hall, and at the center was a fat man staring in our direction.

“Can’t you hear me!? I’m talking to you, the blond kid with glasses!”

His face was flushed and his tongue quite slurred.

Anyone could see he was drunk.

But none of the nobles around him pointed out his behavior.

Despite it clearly being behavior unbecoming of a noble, some were even looking at his actions with expectant eyes.

“…Hyoseong, please stay where you are.”

Amid the unpleasant feeling emanating from him, Cheska, who had become the target, unhesitatingly left my side and headed toward where he was.

Her movement was unhesitating, and the way she placed her hand on her chest before the noble even seemed respectful.

“Cheska of Flandor greets the Lord of Elmart.”

The Lord of Elmart.

Even among otherworlders like myself, he was famous enough that most would have heard his name once or twice.

While the capital of the empire is on the island where the imperial palace is located, it’s his Elmart territory that’s responsible for connecting the various territories.

In other words, as the one responsible for most of the goods distributed in the empire, he was the second most powerful figure in the empire after the imperial family.

“Ah, yes. Flan-something… so it is you.”

As if to prove this, ignoring everyone’s attention, he took a swig from the bottle in his hand and began scratching his head.

“My memory’s a bit fuzzy, but were you that abandoned imperial descendant or something?”

Cheska’s body flinched.

That statement was information too significant to overlook, causing ripples not just for me but for the nobles around us.

An abandoned imperial descendant? Cheska is of imperial lineage?

No, there’s a separate Flandor family… perhaps it means she’s an illegitimate child?

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

In response to the Lord of Elmart’s question, Cheska merely pushed up her glasses and stood straight, listening to his words.

“I am simply Cheska Flandor, head of the Flandor family. It would be presumptuous to claim imperial lineage.”

“Hehehe! No need to pretend~ Everyone knows you were adopted out to a frontier territory because of your base bloodline~”

But despite Cheska’s denial, the Lord of Elmart just cackled and took another careless swig from his bottle.

And then—splash!

He spat the alcohol in his mouth right into Cheska’s face.

“…If you’ve fallen so out of favor, you should quietly live in your frontier territory. Why crawl all the way here making people uncomfortable?”

Then he turned the bottle upside down and began pouring its contents over Cheska’s head.

As alcohol flowed down from her delicate face to her coat and body,

One by one, snickering laughter began to echo among the nobles watching.

“…It seems I’ve caused a misunderstanding.”

A performance venue for mockery directed at a single person.

A single person unfolded in this place.

“I came here not to participate in the banquet, but because I have something to report to the imperial family as a lord.”

Nevertheless, Cheska maintained a respectful attitude without concern, but the Lord of Elmart continued his mockery without any self-awareness.

“Khuhu, right. If you’ve inherited base blood, you should know your place. Of course, if you try to have an audience with the imperial family while soaked in alcohol, you might get beaten~!”

“Ahahahaha~!”

No sooner had that taunt driven home the point that she wouldn’t even achieve her purpose than laughter erupted.

It was I, the observer, rather than the person involved, who felt emotions boiling from this.

I realized that the person I had merely considered unpleasant was actually decent compared to the nobles present, and why Cheska had warned me.

And the thought occurred to me that the people I would have to deal with in the future might be more disgusting than demons or the undead.

“And who are you, staring at me like that?”

My emotions must have shown on my face, as the Lord of Elmart, now noticing my gaze, spoke in a harsh voice.

The hiccupping sound that accompanied it showed none of the courtesy or discipline of a noble like Cheska.

Since there was no one higher than him in this place, no one would rebuke his behavior.

“Looking at your clothes, you seem like some commoner youngster… Who are you, a mercenary hired by this guy?”

“…I apologize for the late introduction.”

But with this letter I’ve just taken out.

If he learns that it was the ‘imperial side’ that invited me to this palace, his thinking might change a little.

“My name is Hyoseong Woo, an adventurer invited to this banquet by the imperial family.”

Even if I can’t deliver a decisive blow, at least.

I might be able to provide an opportunity to escape this situation with that pitiful young man.

“Hyoseo…? Ah, so you’re the one who was at the Dragon’s Tomb recently…”

As I confidently showed him the letter stamped with the imperial seal, he seemed to recognize me and began to speak as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“You’re that cheating bastard who killed all the heroes there and monopolized the achievement, right?”

A statement I never imagined before coming here.

Casually making a disgusting remark that exceeded my expectations.