Ch.224Chapter 224: Encounter

As I continued walking out of the airship, my mind raced with thoughts about who might come to greet our delegation.

The Golden Moon Empire would already know exactly who was coming in this diplomatic mission.

I didn’t expect they would send someone of middling importance to welcome Princess Lukius, who held the second highest ceremonial rank after the Crown Prince who was handling state affairs in place of the bedridden Emperor.

At the very least, another member of the Golden Moon imperial family should come to greet us.

Or if that wasn’t possible, someone of ministerial rank would be appropriate to maintain proper protocol.

I was still pondering these matters, temporarily pushing aside Fafnir’s warning to be cautious of the suspicious energy in this land, when—

“Luka! My friend!”

My thoughts were shattered by an energetic voice that clearly expressed delight at seeing Princess Lukius, audible from quite a distance.

It was such a loud and resonant voice that I almost found myself asking aloud who was speaking.

As my initial surprise subsided, I realized the voice sounded familiar, like I’d heard it somewhere before.

In any case, since we could hear this booming voice before even seeing its owner…

Even though we were serving as ceremonial guards, we still had a duty to respond to unexpected situations.

So Shizu, Excel, and I reflexively moved to position ourselves in front of the delegation to establish a defensive posture, but—

“That won’t be necessary. This is my friend.”

Before we could fully act, Princess Lukius lightly raised her right hand to stop us, preventing us from carrying out our protective duties.

She didn’t just stop us—she used a True Word while doing so.

From the way she referred to the distant voice as her “friend,” it seemed she didn’t want us to unnecessarily intervene, which is why she used a True Word.

The three of us returned to our positions without protest in response to the princess’s True Word.

…Though I only pretended to comply while appearing to do so.

Shizu and Excel clearly felt the strong compulsion of the True Word, but they maintained their composure and kept their positions without complaint.

While True Words are meant to compel others’ actions without them even realizing they’re being compelled…

I could resist thanks to Fafnir’s thick mental barriers residing in the dragon sword I carried.

But seeing how Shizu and Excel—who three years ago couldn’t even recognize they were under the influence of the princess’s True Words, let alone resist them—could now perceive when the princess was using True Words…

It made me realize that innate talent truly cannot be ignored.

With their current abilities, those two could not only resist the princess’s True Words if they wanted to, but they had reached a level where they wouldn’t even be bound by the compulsion. They simply chose to comply because they judged there was no reason to disobey.

In the past, I would have immediately scowled with unwarranted inferiority upon witnessing their exceptional talents.

But these three years had given me the emotional maturity to accept it calmly without being disturbed.

After all, if one lacks ability, one should at least cultivate good character to earn respect.

[What are you talking about? Even without my mental barriers, you’ve reached a level where you wouldn’t be affected by casually used True Words, just like those two. Why are you going on about humility and cultivating character?]

Fafnir’s somewhat noisy voice echoed clearly in my mind.

Whether what he said was true or not…

As someone who had risen to a level comparable to geniuses through various fortuitous encounters and hard work despite lacking natural talent, I couldn’t deny the impressive abilities of Shizu and Excel, who had simply blossomed into their innate potential without any special circumstances.

When I glanced at Shizu and Excel maintaining their positions…

Unlike three years ago when they couldn’t even recognize they were under the influence of a True Word, their expressions now showed:

“…So this is a True Word.”

“I felt a tingling sensation, but I could have resisted if I wanted to… But there was no reason to act against Her Highness’s wishes.”

They clearly recognized the True Word but saw no reason to resist it, so they complied without protest.

Sigh, those bundles of talent. Even though I consider myself competent, seeing their abilities always reminds me I can never slack off in my training.

Anyway, judging from the princess’s attitude in stopping us, it seemed the owner of that voice would soon arrive, just as expected.

In the distance, I could see a man running toward us with two attendants, his hurried pace evident in every step.

I initially frowned at the thought that just one person coming to greet a diplomatic delegation seemed rather inadequate, but…

As he drew closer and I could observe him more clearly, my frown immediately disappeared.

His deep black hair, visible even from a distance.

His well-defined features, highlighted by eyes even darker than his hair.

And his towering height that stood out even more than these physical characteristics.

Just as I had recalled upon hearing his voice…

The person approaching us with evident delight was someone who remained vivid in my memories from before my regression.

‘A big shot has come.’

I had expected at least someone of ministerial rank would be appropriate for Princess Lukius, but someone even more important had arrived.

“Your Majesty.”

Matching the princess’s words as she bowed slightly without kneeling, all members of the delegation dropped to one knee to show proper respect to the arrival.

This included the three of us as guard knights and even Wibel, whose primary duty was to protect the princess.

Unlike the others, Wibel showed a strange hesitation when kneeling, but this was likely due to being surprised by the sudden appearance of such an important figure.

In any case, this was someone before whom one could not help but kneel.

How could anyone not kneel before the highest authority of the Golden Moon Empire, the ruler of the East who stood alongside the Sun Emperor of Solarium as the absolute sovereigns?

If Princess Lukius, as a fellow royal of similar rank with a close relationship, could show respect with just a slight bow…

The appropriate action for the rest of us, who were of lower status than her, was obvious.

But contrary to the formality required by the current situation…

‘Ironically, he’s someone who finds this kind of thing extremely uncomfortable.’

Based on what I knew about the figure before us from my experiences before regression, I was busy imagining how uncomfortable he must feel with this situation.

And true to my expectations, despite receiving the proper respect due to the sovereign who upholds the empire…

“Huh, see how treatment changes once you ascend the throne? I’m disappointed.”

The emperor’s words, expressing discomfort at receiving such respect, caused a strange unease among the kneeling delegation members.

Well, that was a natural reaction.

Those of us like myself, Shizu, and Excel, descendants of noble houses as old as the empire itself, could get away with showing a moderate level of respect even to direct imperial family members or their equals.

But for delegation members who, despite holding noble titles, were of lower rank, it was uncomfortable to be in a situation where they showed proper respect to someone deserving it, only to receive such a lukewarm response.

While greatly simplified now, in the past Solarium Empire protocol required even titled nobles to kneel before the emperor as a matter of course.

For delegation members accustomed to imperial etiquette where even raising one’s head without permission was considered a grave offense…

“I… no, I deliberately came with just two attendants to greet you like this, but Luka, don’t you think your response is too stiff?”

The Golden Moon Emperor’s behavior, so exaggerated it seemed almost comical, went beyond unfamiliarity to the point of inspiring fear in those accustomed to such protocols, so completely did it reject all notions of authority.

It was one thing for the emperor himself to come greet diplomatic guests as important as a delegation, but…

He was accompanied by only two attendants—thin youths who looked like they might struggle to properly hold even a stack of documents, let alone a sword—making them hardly worthy of being called guards.

Who wouldn’t be shocked seeing this for the first time?

Not only the delegation members, but even Excel and Shizu kneeling on either side of me were desperately trying to suppress their surprise.

However, fortunately or unfortunately…

The representative of our delegation facing this embodiment of anti-authoritarianism was Princess Lukius, herself known as the champion of informality within the imperial family.

This made me think she might actually be well-matched against this emperor with his outrageous behavior.

“Oh please, Wei Taiping. Wasn’t it just last year when you said we’d see how stiff I could be when you ascended the throne? And now you’re complaining about me being stiff?”

I couldn’t help but suppress a wry smile.

The conversation between the head of a diplomatic delegation and the ruler of the receiving nation at this crucial moment…

“Ah, now you finally call me by my name like a friend. Do I always need to complain first before you treat me like one?”

…was so casual and light that it would be impossible for anyone to maintain a straight face, considering their positions.

Even I, who knew exactly what kind of people these two were from my experiences before regression, was struggling to keep my expression from crumbling.

Before our journey began, I had hoped for an uneventful mission.

Contrary to my thoughts as a guard knight that we wouldn’t face much trouble despite Fafnir’s warning…

I became certain that the rest of the delegation accompanying Princess Lukius would suffer tremendously caught between these two eccentrics.

And so, on the fourth day of our journey and our first day arriving in the Golden Moon Empire, things began with these two nationally renowned eccentrics living up to their reputations, just as I remembered from my timeline.

[I’m genuinely concerned about the future of these two nations established by humans…]

Fafnir’s worried voice echoed in my mind as he witnessed the incredibly casual exchange between the two representatives.