Chapter 71 – The Treasure Vault

The morning I received the invitation from the Imperial Palace was incredibly hectic.

“Lady Ellie, on a day like today, you simply must wear makeup.”

Sarah, who came with the knights, nagged me relentlessly.

“W-what am I going to do…! I-I’m so… so nervous!! Hah, hah, hah! Whew… hah, hah… whew…”

Yurasia, pale with anxiety at the thought of meeting the Emperor at the Imperial Palace, clutched my arm tightly.

“My Ellie is the most beautiful girl in the world!! Hahaha!”

My father, having abandoned all his work to be by my side, couldn’t stop laughing and making an enormous fuss.

Swish-swish

The Commander of the Nameless, wearing her white mask and stark black uniform, pretended not to look at me while persistently stealing glances in my direction.

Of course… I didn’t dislike having these noisy people around me. It wasn’t that I disliked it…

What annoyed me was how they kept trying to force me into some ridiculous dress. And makeup? What nonsense was this about makeup?

Absolutely not.

Why would I wear makeup to impress the Imperial family? What good would that do me?

No, even if it weren’t for the Imperial family, I would never wear makeup in front of anyone.

And.

To be honest.

I’m beautiful even without makeup.

It’s not people just saying empty flattery. And I’m not losing my mind by saying this.

Even viewed objectively, my face is exceptionally beautiful.

With my hair tied up as usual and simply wearing my academy uniform, I’m sufficiently—no, excessively—beautiful.

So I don’t need makeup or fancy dresses.

Because I’m beautiful.

And so, I left the academy wearing my usual attire—my academy uniform.

The journey to the Imperial Palace was somewhat tedious, but not uncomfortable. In a way, it was actually convenient.

Since the news about the opening of the Treasure Vault and the Forbidden Archive hadn’t been made public, we needed to travel quietly without any grand welcome or procession.

My father seemed slightly disappointed by this, but I was actually relieved. There was nothing to gain by drawing attention to ourselves in the capital’s streets when demons could be lurking anywhere.

Yurasia also seemed comforted by this arrangement. She claimed she would certainly have fainted if all eyes had been on us.

The schedule for receiving our reward was simpler than I had anticipated.

We would meet the Emperor in the audience hall, and then, accompanied by a representative from both the Imperial family and House Eustetia, enter the Treasure Vault located beneath the Imperial Palace.

There was no time limit for choosing our weapons. We could touch and hold each weapon once, but naturally, swinging them was forbidden.

Next, again with representatives from both sides, I would enter the Forbidden Archive alone, without Yurasia.

I could remain in the Forbidden Archive for four hours, during which I could read any book inside. If I damaged any book or information, even as a member of House Eustetia, I would not escape punishment.

There were other conditions too, but they were obvious rules like “don’t kill passersby,” so I didn’t bother committing them to memory.

“Ugh… a sword would be best, right?”

“I would think so.”

Yurasia had been unable to decide what to take from the Treasure Vault since last night.

No one except the Emperor knew what items were in the vault, yet Yurasia was still agonizing over her choice.

“I heard there’s an incredible shield in there!”

“You use a two-handed sword. What would you do with a shield? Just choose a sword.”

“Ugh… but since swords are my main weapon, maybe I should pick a backup dagger or throwing knife instead?”

“Because it’s your main weapon, you should choose a sword. For a swordsman, a sword is an extra life. The better the sword, the longer your life.”

“But it feels so wasteful… it’s a treasure from the Imperial Palace…”

Yurasia mumbled gloomily, her fingers fidgeting at her empty waistline.

She was the same way when I gave her the black iron sword. She said it was too precious to use and left it untouched for three whole months.

Yet she took meticulous care of it. After every meal, she would dust it off, oil it, wipe the guard and decorations with a dry cloth, and clean the inside of the scabbard so thoroughly it made me cringe.

I watched this routine for three months.

Finally, unable to stand it anymore, I snapped and demanded she hand it over since I was going to break it anyway. Only then did Yurasia actually start using the sword.

It was going to be the same this time.

So I narrowed my eyes at Yurasia and gave her a silent warning.

“If you do that again like last time, I’ll break it.”

“…Gasp.”

“Treasure or not, I don’t care. You know how good I am at breaking weapons, right?”

“That’s so mean!”

“Mean? You know how long it takes to break in a sword. If you swing around a sword you’re not accustomed to and haven’t bonded with, you won’t accomplish anything.”

“Th-that’s true, but…”

“So, after you visit your family, we’ll go to the capital every weekend to practice with real swords. You’re in the 5th tier now, so you need to train accordingly.”

Yurasia pouted.

“…Okay.”

“Put your lip away.”

“…Okaaaaay.”

“Huh? Are you getting bold now?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t like you right now, my lady.”

Yurasia huffed and turned her head away.

“…What’s wrong with her?”

I looked at her, somewhat shocked. Ever since we left the labyrinth, or rather… since we coordinated our stories in my room yesterday, Yurasia’s expressions have become more varied.

Was it dissatisfaction with me? Or perhaps she wanted more from me? Childish behavior? Affection? Whatever it was, while the change was welcome, such a sudden transformation was surprising.

Still… I suppose it meant she had grown more comfortable around me.

While Yurasia continued to avoid my gaze…

Clunk

The carriage came to a stop.

Only then did she glance at me with a mischievous smile.

“You will have dinner with me after our weekend training sessions, right?”

And so, we arrived at the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor’s boring, boring, boring, and excruciatingly boring praises seemed endless.

It wasn’t so much praise as it was a speech where he said whatever he pleased. It was so tedious that even the perpetually cheerful Yurasia’s expression had stiffened.

Of course, that expression was so subtle that only those who had known her for a long time could detect it, so it didn’t cause any discord.

And the Emperor…

This was my first time seeing this Emperor.

Unlike Fabiana and Silina, he seemed somewhat… petty.

Of course, you can’t judge everything about a person based on their appearance, but you can form a general impression.

And judging by that, this Emperor,

Anschar de Hermann, seemed petty, rather pathetic, and somewhat gloomy—just a small-minded commoner with only the faintest hint of charisma.

Still, one thing was certain.

Compared to Emperor Malphramis from 400 years ago, this one seemed dozens of times more agreeable.

Well… I’d know better if I spoke with him, but I didn’t particularly want to do that. I just wanted to enter the Treasure Vault and the Forbidden Archive as soon as possible.

Perhaps understanding my thoughts, my father gave me a cute wink and stepped forward.

His stride was remarkably confident and dignified. His formal expression carried an overwhelming charisma that not even the Emperor possessed, and his back, as viewed from where I stood, seemed as imposing as a mountain.

…Was my father always like this?

“I trust Your Majesty has been well.”

His formal greeting and resonant voice captured the attention of everyone in the audience hall.

“Duke Turrius Eustetia. Thanks to your family, the Empire remains healthy and peaceful.”

“Your words honor me greatly.”

A composed smile.

The smile was entirely different from the awkward one he usually shows me, which made me gasp quietly in admiration.

“See? Isn’t our family head impressive?”

Kerian chuckled softly, patting me on the back.

“You can relax now. When the family head takes charge, most matters get resolved within five minutes.”

“…Really?”

He didn’t seem like he was going to stop talking anytime soon.

“Yeah. If you listen carefully, it’s nothing special, but somehow, he always manages to wrap things up. It’s always like that during official events. It’s like… he guides the conversation exactly where he wants it to go.”

Kerian’s playful tone sparked my curiosity.

Could my father really silence that petty Emperor so quickly?

So I listened attentively.

Just as Kerian said, my father didn’t bring up any special topics. Just simple greetings, updates on current affairs, peaches from the Eustetia duchy, and other local specialties—things you might hear neighbors chatting about.

Clearly ordinary topics, and yet…

“See? It happened just as I said.”

The conversation had ended.

The Emperor, having run out of things to discuss, stood up with a brighter expression than before.

“Given the hour, we should proceed with the rewards.”

With that, the Imperial Knights and the Eustetia Knights in the audience hall all began to move.

Clank, clank

The sound of armor resonated through the hall as the Emperor walked.

“Let us proceed.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

My father, walking just one step behind the Emperor, made eye contact with me. My father, who had been wearing the expression of a true family head, immediately switched back to his silly smile and winked at me.

I looked away from that smile for a moment… then silently gave him a thumbs-up.

His smile grew even brighter.

The Treasure Vault was located beneath the Imperial Palace.

The path leading down was incredibly complex.

Or rather, it seemed magically designed to prevent anyone from determining their location or direction.

Even while staying completely alert, I couldn’t tell where we were going. Yet the Emperor, unlike everyone else, continued walking with a carefree expression.

Was it responding only to the Imperial bloodline? Or perhaps solely to the Emperor’s presence?

After ten minutes of pondering these questions…

The stairs finally ended.

At the end of a long corridor stood an enormous door.

It wasn’t ornate or ostentatious, but rather a sturdy, rugged door. Yet the immense power emanating from behind it was enough to make my entire body tremble.

At the end of the corridor where everyone had stopped, the Emperor continued walking.

Tap, tap

Even as Emperor, it seemed he had trained for quite some time, as his composed footsteps echoed through the underground silence.

And when those footsteps halted…

Boom

A massive tremor, like the beating of a giant heart, resonated throughout.

The door to the Treasure Vault opened.