chapter_0231

232 – Where is the Fake Emperor?

232 – Where is the Fake Emperor?

I thought about how the Empress would react when I brought Monica along.

The Dragon was a being with such immense power that it could even check the strong imperial authority.

Just having a Dragon would change many things.

Since I had brought such a Dragon, I thought it wouldn’t be easy to get through this.

I expected significant backlash, so I thought I should mention that Monica couldn’t transform into a Dragon right now.

I believed that would be the minimum requirement for the Emperor to allow her to be employed.

After hearing that she couldn’t transform, the Empress slightly eased her anger and dismissed everyone, telling only me to remain in the grand hall.

‘It seems like it was resolved well, but…’

“Why are you still standing there quietly?”

I hadn’t anticipated being alone with the Empress in the grand hall.

She looked down at me from her throne and said, “Do you wish for me to send that Dragon back to the Ice Mountain Range?”

I shook my head at the Empress’s call.

“That’s not it.”

“Then why are you doing nothing?”

“Well, you see…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

I had a prior engagement with the Hero party, and I needed to conserve my energy to satisfy them all.

No matter how great the Hero party was, the Emperor was a higher authority in the Empire.

Everything in the Empire was in the Emperor’s grasp.

“I’m worried if it’s really okay to do this here.”

I scrambled to come up with an excuse.

The Empress laughed at my words.

“Do not worry. No one will dare to enter. Even my shadow cannot peek in here right now. So…”

The Empress crossed her legs while sitting on the throne and said, “Hurry and satisfy me.”

“…”

It was nearly impossible to escape the current situation with excuses.

“I already know from reports that it is possible even without a Magic Circle. You performed remarkably well in this expedition, didn’t you?”

“Ahem.”

The Empress spoke while looking at my lower body.

I had no words.

I was already caught in a trap from which I could not escape.

“You said you would employ the Dragon, so you must provide a proper reward for that, right? The CEO must tie up loose ends.”

“That’s true.”

“Come up.”

She beckoned with her finger.

“Is that really okay?”

I had heard that ascending the stairs was considered a grave sin unless one was a significant noble.

That’s why I had used that in the illusion before.

“You climbed up without hesitation in the illusion, but today you seem quite shy.”

“Well…”

“It’s a joke. I just wanted to make a jest.”

The Emperor’s jokes never sounded like jokes to me.

I swallowed a sigh and climbed the stairs.

One step.

“Come on. I didn’t call you just to climb one step.”

Two steps.

“Shouldn’t you come further?”

Three steps, and then four steps.

Even after I climbed the five steps that the knights who had made achievements could ascend, the Empress waved her finger.

“You are a Hero party that has defeated a Dragon. Have more confidence.”

“Understood.”

I took one more step up.

“That’s still not enough. It’s too little to commend your achievements.”

Another step.

When I reached the tenth step, the Empress smiled.

“Looking good.”

There were two steps left until I stood at the same level as her.

As I approached those two steps, the Empress said to me, “So far, only three people have climbed this high during my reign: Yuris, Nikki, and Eileen.”

All of them were members of the Hero party.

They had brought peace to the Empire by defeating the Demon King.

“They had climbed one step higher than you. Eleven steps. Just within reach if I extend my hand.”

“…”

The Empress spoke in a gentle voice.

“Do you know what each of these steps signifies?”

She looked at the long staircase and opened her mouth.

“The Emperor’s twelve values for governing the citizens of the Empire. The honor of knights, the faithfulness of priests, the wisdom of mages, the brilliance of scholars, the diligence of farmers, and the agility of merchants, among others. They say it signifies twelve values. But now, all that meaning has vanished. Who would remember such meanings? Now it’s just…”

The Empress’s gaze turned to me standing on the stairs.

“It’s merely the difference in status between you and me.”

Her golden eyes shone brightly.

Those unwavering eyes seemed to represent the Emperor’s steadfast will.

“The previous Emperor used it in the same way. Forgetting all original meanings. Making the act of climbing a single step a tremendous honor and ruling over his subjects.”

That was true.

The typical nobles of the Emperor’s faction regarded climbing these stairs as an infinite honor.

“Come up.”

At the Empress’s gesture, I took one more step.

To the position where only the Hero, the Goddess of Victory, and the Saint had stood.

The Empress reached out to me.

Her soft fingers brushed against my cheek.

“When I first heard rumors about you, I thought you were quite a peculiar man. You’re not extraordinarily handsome, yet I couldn’t understand why so many people were so infatuated with you.”

“…”

“But after experiencing you, I realized that charm cannot simply be expressed by good looks.”

The Empress’s fingers began to move down from my cheek.

They glided down my neck and loosened the top of my shirt.

As my neatly arranged clothes came undone, my neckline and collarbone were revealed.

Sweat from my nervousness glistened in the valley of my chest, and the Emperor’s gaze stopped there.

“It’s truly a pity that you are not a noble. If you were, I would have invited you to my castle every day.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Do you know why I told you to climb these stairs?”

“…I don’t know.”

“To show you how much I think of you. To let you know that you are not just an ordinary shop owner, but my loyal subject, a protector of the Empire, standing on the same level as Yuris, the Hero, and the Saint.”

She rose from the throne.

I lowered my head.

“Do not bow. Keep looking at me.”

As she stood up, she removed the cloak draped over her body.

However, the dress that clung tightly to her body revealed even more of her figure.

The beautiful curves of her body.

The royal family was said to possess the most perfect lineage, and they were known for their beautiful appearances.

Her physique was no exception.

Her body, which could enchant reason, caught my eye.

Every time she walked toward me, her thighs danced, and her breasts swayed up and down.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It is beautiful.”

“It’s a cliché compliment, but it sounds nice to hear.”

The Empress, faintly smiling, took another step closer.

She was so close that she could easily step down the stairs.

Although the stairs were one step lower due to the height difference between us, our gazes were aligned.

Standing so close that our breaths could mingle, the Empress gazed at me and asked, “Have you thought about how you will ‘cook’ this beautiful body?”

“That is…”

To be told to tease the Emperor.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“After all, you will be cooking in the illusion, right? You were quite shameless back then, yet now you seem very shy.”

“Your Majesty, isn’t there a difference between illusion and reality?”

At my words, the Empress’s expression slightly hardened.

Did I step on a landmine?

“You keep saying boring things.”

“I’m sorry. But…”

At that moment, the Empress’s finger touched my lips.

“Enough. Do not speak anymore. It ruins the mood. I had forgotten my position. No matter how much you are, reality’s issues cannot be avoided.”

The Empress took a step down.

“Then I shall speak directly.”

The Empress spoke while standing at the same level as me.

“Quickly show me the illusion. I want to see your illusion.”

“Understood.”

I couldn’t refuse. However.

“Then how about doing it somewhere else instead of here?”

It was difficult to do it in such an open place.

“Understood.”

I arrived at the Emperor’s office.

“If it’s here, no one will interrupt. So feel free to do as you wish.”

The Empress spread her arms as she spoke.

Her face was flushed, as if she was eager to begin.

“Understood. Then please briefly tell me what kind of illusion you would like to see.”

“Hmmm, can’t you figure it out like last time?”

“Yes. That’s only possible when there’s a Magic Circle installed in the shop. It was possible because it was programmed independently.”

“I see.”

The Empress, seeming a bit disappointed, sat down in the office chair and said, “I have always lived ruling over others, dominating above others. It hasn’t always been enjoyable. It was boring and sometimes tedious. So I was surprised. By the illusion you showed me. It must have felt more significant because I had never experienced anything like it before.”

“…”

How embarrassing.

Hearing the Emperor’s impressions of the adult content I showed was more embarrassing than I had expected.

“It’s something only possible in an illusion. It has no effect on reality.”

“You want to experience it once more.”

“Yes. I would like it to be a bit more explicit. It’s an embarrassing thing to say, but it truly felt good.”

“Understood.”

I took the order.

The Emperor had clearly expressed what she desired, what kind of desires would satisfy her so that she would allow the recruitment of Monica.

I had to execute it as it was.

“Then I will start right away.”

At my words, the Empress’s eyes widened.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

I set up a disposable portable Magic Circle in her office.

Although it was an expensive installation Magic Circle, it wasn’t a burden for me now.

In the past, I would have trembled at the thought of using even one.

The Magic Circle covered the entire office.

Gulp.

As the Empress swallowed, I cast the spell.

“I’ll see you in the illusion.”

“…Okay.”

The Empress’s voice seemed slightly stiff, as if she was a bit nervous.

Thus, the illusion began.

The Empress opened her eyes, which had been closed.

The surroundings had completely transformed.

The space that had clearly been the office just moments ago had changed into a damp Underground Prison.

An Underground Prison.

What kind of situation would unfold?

The Empress steadied her racing heart, anticipating the illusion that Max would show her.

And at that moment.

“Where is the fake Emperor?”

A man entered.