episode_0113

Following the imperial servant, I entered the imperial palace to meet Hibana.

Previously, I entered through the ninja’s secret route, but this time I entered through the official main gate.

Is that why? The eyes of the sentries protecting the Empress were stinging.

“According to imperial law, possession of weapons is not allowed inside the imperial palace. Leave it to us.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t hand over these weapons because they are like part of my body.”

“If that’s the case, I can’t let you in.”

“Maybe this is a good thing.”

I glanced at the attendant who was in charge of the guide.

He also remained silent as to whether he wanted me to meet Hibana without carrying a weapon.

Seeing their deep loyalty, I wanted to grant their demands, but I couldn’t.

Because other swords had the right to know about what had happened so far.

“Then, although it’s unfortunate, I’ll give up and try to go back like this.”

“Now, please wait a moment!”

“What’s going on?”

“What if you want to go back like that?”

“You said the guards couldn’t let you through? Of course I have no choice but to go back.”

“If you hand over the sword, won’t it be over?”

“As I said before, these swords are like my own body, so I can’t even entrust them to anyone, let alone hand them over to someone else.”

Like the sentries, I expressed my opinion in a firm tone that I could not back down.

Then the attendant sighed deeply.

“Ha… ! It’s not like the sword will get worn out if you leave it in your care… … .”

He has to take me to Hibana, but he’s being stubborn, so he must feel like it’s quite a hassle.

I fully understand his feelings and hard work.

However, whether I could describe my precious relationship as ‘that kind of thing’ was a separate issue.

“The mouth is not meant to be like that.”

“Yes? Ooh, ooh!”

I grabbed the servant’s collar with one left hand and lifted him up.

He seemed to have trained quite well as a servant of the imperial family, but his skills were nowhere near my level.

I stopped him just before he was about to hit the ground.

The attendant’s pupils are dilated and the whites of his eyes come out.

He decided that the servant’s head, which was going down to the floor, would be crushed, so he cut off the ceremony.

Death was the most primal fear, so unless you have crossed the line of fire, it is common to react as you do now.

“We cannot tolerate any more tyranny in front of the imperial palace! Let him go now!”

“Otherwise, we will not hesitate to respond with force!”

“Arthur, if you draw your sword any further than that, you will cross a river of no return.”

Just before the sentries drew their swords, I let out a threat with deadly force.

Taking out a blade and pointing it at someone means that you will accept them as an enemy.

“If you have drawn your sword, cut the radish at least. It was a proverb used by people in your eastern countries, right? The moment you pull out your sword, it means you are risking your life to fight, so you had better think carefully before acting.”

The sentries put back their swords, which they had lightly drawn from their scabbards.

I was glad they weren’t idiots with a sense of justice.

Even the lowest sentries must not kill members of the imperial family.

The act of killing them, the people of Hibana, would be considered a challenge to the Empress’s authority.

And the Hibana I know would be very happy to take on this challenge and hand over his position to me.

Immediately after the appointment ceremony, there was a high possibility that she would declare that she would be my empress, not the empress, and that she would assist me.

Since we don’t yet know what Hibana’s plan is, we can’t act hastily.

“One person will take the fainted guy here, and the other person will convey my message to Hibana. If we don’t allow people to possess weapons, I will leave here like this.”

“… … I understand.”

The servant was left lying on the grassy ground, and only one sentry left to convey my message.

In fact, if two sentries who are supposed to protect the imperial family are absent, it will lead to a huge loss of power.

Their mission was to protect the Empress, not the servants, so they made a very wise decision.

“If you ask me if I’m smart, it’s not.”

No matter how hard you try your best at your role.

The fact that they treated me at the door when I came at the Empress’s summons will have a negative impact on them.

As expected, the face of the sentry who returned after hearing the imperial decree was thoughtful.

Meanwhile, a swordsman of considerable stature and a handsome white beard was walking next to him.

Even just by looking at the outside, the person with the aura of an expert can be felt either as Hibana’s direct guard samurai or as the leader of a unit.

“I’m really sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. His Majesty has given permission for you to come inside with weapons. From now on, I will guide you personally.”

“Okay.”

Follow the swordsman and head to where Hibana is.

The road from the entrance of the imperial palace to the throne room was quite elegant.

A garden consisting of a large yard and a large lake.

There were lots of flowers and trees, so it was nice to see them.

Even though they were all species of plants I had never seen before, they felt strangely cozy.

“As expected, you have the same perspective as your Majesty, as you are someone whom His Majesty pays close attention to.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I apologize in advance if my words were offensive.”

“Okay, what on earth did you mean when you said just now that you are like the empress?”

“Would you please look at the front instead of the garden?”

When I followed his words and looked straight ahead, a completely different scene from the garden unfolded.

A hallway decorated with various sparkling decorations, befitting an imperial palace.

It made me frown as it reflected the sunlight and became even brighter.

I don’t think it would be strange at all if I became blind if I stayed here for a long time.

“People from the great family do not hesitate to praise Your Majesty whenever they come to the Imperial Palace and walk through the corridors. I have heard many people say that he has an excellent aesthetic sense, that he knows art, and that he properly establishes the authority of the imperial family.”

“It seems that the nobles of the Western Continent and the Eastern countries are tired of superficial appearance.”

“Hahaha! I won’t deny it. Anyway, His Majesty often wanders around here. And every time, he looks at the open garden, not the hallway full of decorations.”

“Really?”

“Yes, with the same facial expression you showed.”

“Huh? My, what kind of expression was I making?”

“Haha! I’m sorry, but it was an expression that an old, insensitive person like me couldn’t imitate.”

“Grunt… … .”

When I got rid of the inflexible servant, the talkative swordsman grandfather got involved.

The fact that he treats you without fault is better than that of his servants, but he is so ironic that you want to punch him in the face.

“The gossip has gotten longer. Since we have arrived, I will leave now.”

“Shouldn’t we go in together?”

“His Majesty has requested that you be brought in alone.”

After finishing his tour, the swordsman ran away without even making a sound.

I wondered if he was a ninja, but his walking style was completely different from the ninjas I had met before.

Since he said that he learned a high level of footwork through pure skill, I can feel that there are many talented people in Eastern countries.

[It’s finally time to make a deal with that stupid sword!]

[Oh oh… ?]

As a side note, Stella and Grishlas were surprisingly compatible.

Stella has an aggressive mind and Grishuras has a four-dimensional mind.

The synergy between these two was such that even I was left speechless.

“Even though I almost got eaten from the first encounter, I managed to become friends.”

[You can’t move forward if you worry about the past.]

[huh… . We, the White Sweet Water Alliance.]

I was wondering how I managed to appease Grishlas, but it seems I used my energy.

How can a person who said that he should not worry about the past still care about what happened before?

Although it was strange, I couldn’t deny that it was fun to hang out with him.

“Slowly entering?”

[Okay, I’m ready!]

[me too… !]

With a sword in full swing, I opened the door to the throne room and entered.

Unlike when I visited before, it was a dark and quiet space.

Hibana was nowhere to be seen and I felt like I was wandering alone in the dark.

I thought something was wrong and tried to go back, but the door was long gone.

“Stella? Grishuras?”

I realized it too late, but even the sword that was attached to my body had disappeared before I knew it.

trap? Could this be the intervention of a force other than Hibana?

All sorts of doubts arose in my head, but I wasn’t sure.

Because I didn’t feel any malice or life.

I had no choice but to wait for change to occur in an empty space.

“Why on earth did you drag me into this place?”

It was frustrating not knowing the intention.

In the meantime, the long-awaited change came.

Five beads floated in front of me.

Inside each bead, a different scene was playing.

“What the hell is this… ?”

The first bead showed a hero with two swords fighting against someone with great evil intentions.

In the second bead, there was a pair of beautiful dragons flying freely in the sky.

The third bead had a bloody wolf protecting twin wolves from demonic beasts.

The fourth bead had a man leaving for the battlefield smiling and a woman crying as she saw him off.

The fifth bead had the image of a young boy left alone on a deserted island, looking at the sunset.

“Uh… ?”

Each bead reflects a different scene.

Even though I only saw it briefly, tears flowed from the corners of my eyes.

Even though I didn’t feel any emotions.

“There seems to be a foreign object in the eye. Me too… … .”

But who am I?