chapter_0097

96 – The Brave Lion and the Wise Fox

96 – The Brave Lion and the Wise Fox

Daniel wished he could stay in Bellanos for at least a few more days, if not months, but unfortunately, that dream was not to be.

The next day at noon, a private plane sent by the Imperial family arrived in Tentarbahem.

As expected, an order to return immediately was issued, forcing Daniel to board the private plane against his will.

With Hartmann escorting him, Daniel boarded the private plane, which immediately took off for the Imperial City.

The private plane, freely flying over the Imperial City, landed at an airport near the Imperial Palace.

Stepping off the plane, Daniel could see the Inner Court personnel standing against the backdrop of the sunset.

The head of the Inner Court, leading them, put Daniel in the Imperial family’s ceremonial vehicle with the words, “His Imperial Majesty is waiting.”

Frankly, Daniel wanted to rest, but he couldn’t refuse the Emperor’s command.

Traveling to the Imperial Palace by car, Daniel was led by the head of the Inner Court to a room called ‘Golden Rest.’

Daniel, who had no idea what kind of room it was, cautiously asked, and was told that it was ‘a room His Imperial Majesty visits when he wants to drink alone or contemplate.’

In short, he had been invited to the Emperor’s personal space.

For some reason, Daniel felt uneasy and remained tense as he moved, finally stopping when he reached the top floor of the Imperial Palace.

“His Imperial Majesty is beyond this door.”

The door pointed to by the head of the Inner Court was lavishly decorated with gold.

Only then did Daniel understand why the room was called Golden Rest.

“His Majesty dislikes it when questions are not answered immediately, so I advise you to respond as quickly as possible.”

Daniel, adjusting his attire, nodded at the head of the Inner Court’s advice.

Confirming that he was ready, the head of the Inner Court knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty! Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner has come to see you!”

Then, a voice from inside told them to enter.

The head of the Inner Court bowed once as a sign of respect and sent a look, and the Imperial Guard soldiers waiting on either side of the door moved.

They opened the door to the room, revealing the Emperor’s back as he looked out from the terrace.

Inside the room, large murals with gold decorations were in place, and the ceiling was a glass dome, allowing the moonlight from the sky to penetrate directly.

Expensive carpets were laid on the floor, and a glass liquor cabinet decorating one side of the room was lined with expensive whiskeys that were hard to see even once in a lifetime.

It was truly a paradise of luxury, making him feel instinctively intimidated.

Looking around for a moment, Daniel walked to the center of the room as naturally as possible and saluted Emperor Bertham.

“Your Imperial Majesty! Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff of the General Staff, reports the completion of his mission as a diplomatic envoy and his return…”

Daniel stopped speaking.

Bertham waved his hand as if to say that greetings were unnecessary.

As Daniel lowered his hand, which he had raised for the salute, Bertham said quietly.

“Come here. I have something to show you.”

Daniel nodded and approached Bertham.

As the distance closed, Bertham glanced at Daniel and raised his hand, pointing to the ground.

“Do you see them? My people.”

Daniel turned his gaze to where Bertham was pointing.

Then, countless people on the streets were waving their hands and shouting.

He couldn’t estimate the exact number, but there were at least ten thousand people.

As Daniel stood there dumbfounded, looking down at the cityscape, Bertham chuckled.

“They have all come out to the streets to celebrate your return. It’s quite the festive atmosphere. Half of them are celebrating your return under the pretext of enjoying the festival, though.”

“…I didn’t expect so many people to gather.”

“It’s the return of a war hero, so this is a small crowd. Seeing this reminds me of when I led the first war to victory and returned to the Imperial City. Everyone praised my achievements.”

Bertham’s eyes narrowed as he gazed intently at the crowd.

“Those people are now praising your achievements. So let me ask you. Are they my people, or are they your people?”

It was a calm question, but it was not an easy question for Daniel to answer.

It was the first time the Emperor had been so openly wary of him.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Daniel immediately knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty! The people praising me is, in a larger sense, the same as praising Your Imperial Majesty’s achievements! I am merely an Officer and only a person who follows the orders of the Empire. Furthermore, the Empire is Your Imperial Majesty, so how could they be my people?”

Bertham chuckled softly at Daniel’s excuse.

‘He has become accustomed to dealing with power. The trembling in his voice has decreased a lot.’

When they first met, Daniel was too busy trying to read the room, but now, Daniel was reading the room with composure.

Whether he was aware of it or not, it was proof that he had become accustomed to talking to powerful figures.

Bertham, who had been watching Daniel closely, nodded.

“If that’s what you say, then so be it. Get up. Let’s have a drink.”

As Bertham moved into the room, Daniel rose from his seat.

Bertham walked to the mahogany table in the center of the room, where two crystal glasses were placed along with a bottle of high-end whiskey.

As Daniel approached, Bertham sat down and picked up the whiskey bottle.

“Sit down.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Daniel bowed his head and sat down on the chair, and Bertham poured the whiskey.

The color of the whiskey coming out of the bottle was amber with a golden hue.

He was excited by the thought of it being top-quality whiskey, but that was only for a moment.

“Your Majesty?”

Daniel looked at Bertham in confusion.

It was because Bertham had poured the whiskey until the glass was full.

Whiskey is not normally drunk like this.

Especially with top-quality whiskey, it is normal to savor the taste and aroma, drinking it little by little.

Bertham also knew that, yet he had filled the glass with whiskey.

“Drink it first.”

“But…”

“I’ll drink too.”

Bertham filled his own glass with whiskey as well.

Seeing that, Daniel said in shock.

“Your Majesty! I heard that your condition has improved, but if you drink that much, something terrible might happen.”

However, Bertham simply laughed it off.

“I know my body best. I won’t die from drinking like this, and I won’t live from not drinking. So pick it up.”

Bertham, having filled his glass with alcohol, pushed the whiskey bottle aside.

Bertham raised his glass, and Daniel, unable to refuse, also raised his glass.

They briefly made eye contact and then emptied the whiskey in their glasses down their throats.

Bertham groaned as he digested the alcohol, but Daniel kept coughing.

It was an act that Bertham had often done in his youth, but for Daniel, drinking a full glass of whiskey at once was a first.

Bertham, watching Daniel cough as if he were about to die, soon burst into laughter.

“I heard you liked alcohol, but you’re not very good at it. Can’t you even drink that?”

“This is… Cough! It’s the first time… I’m sorry.”

Daniel, barely catching his breath, lifted his lowered waist and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Bertham, looking at Daniel meaningfully, quietly let out a voice.

“Looking at you strangely reminds me of a fairy tale.”

“…A fairy tale, you say?”

“Yes. Do you know the fairy tale of the brave lion and the wise fox?”

Of course, he knew it.

That fairy tale was a famous story that parents told their children in the Empire.

The content is simple.

A brave lion who succeeds in protecting the forest from humans gathers all the animals in the forest.

The lion says that there is an animal among them who has been in contact with humans and interrogates and eats them one by one.

The story is that only the fox survives and escapes.

Daniel, who had no parents, had also heard the story from the head of the monastery.

“If there is anyone who doesn’t know that fairy tale, they must be a spy.”

“Then we can talk. In your opinion, what trick did the fox use to escape without becoming the lion’s prey?”

There is a rather interesting part to this story, which is that the interpretation of how the fox used a trick to escape differs from family to family.

So, adults would each make up a story and tell the children what trick the fox had used.

‘Of course…’

Daniel knew that Bertham wasn’t really asking because he was curious.

‘…How long is he going to keep testing me?’

It was only natural to keep a war hero in check who had achieved too much.

Daniel also understood that the Emperor’s paranoia was growing in his later years.

However, understanding and accepting were two different things.

As the alcohol he had drunk in a hurry began to take effect, emotions began to take precedence over reason.

‘The Emperor can’t find fault with me for successfully concluding the treaty in Bellanos. So the current conversation is…’

It was just a simple nitpicking.

“Tell me. What trick do you think the fox used?”

The second question was coming with a sharper voice.

The head of the Inner Court’s words not to remain silent to questions made him anxious.

Daniel, caught up in his thoughts, eventually decided to tell the story he had heard from the head of the monastery as it was.

He thought that it would be safer to say what he had actually heard than to twist his thoughts.

“Your Majesty. May I answer with the words told to me by the head of the monastery who raised me?”

This was to emphasize that it was only what he had heard from the head of the monastery in his childhood.

If that was true, it was the same as Bertham not being able to scold Daniel no matter what he said.

Bertham, thinking that he was getting away with it very well, nodded.

“Tell me.”

“Yes. The head of the monastery first mentioned that the lion had met a rabbit before finding the fox. Your Majesty probably knows how the rabbit died.”

“Of course. The rabbit prepared a bribe because he didn’t want to be eaten by the lion. I believe he handed over a basket full of blackberries…”

“Unfortunately, the lion suffered from a severe blackberry allergy. The lion, thinking that he was being insulted, ate the rabbit in one bite on the spot.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

As Bertham responded as if he remembered, Daniel said.

“The head of the monastery said that the fox must have eaten a lot of blackberries the day before. He even said that he would have left blackberries all over his house.”

Bertham looked at Daniel meaningfully.

Daniel continued to speak.

“The next day, when the lion came to his house, the fox said this. Lion, Lion. Great Lion. You can swallow me in one bite. But you must keep one thing in mind. Because my body is flowing with blackberry blood, if you eat me…”

After a brief silence, Daniel looked at Bertham face to face.

“You must also be prepared for death.”