I’m a licensed teacher now.😊 Thanks to galaxytl, translator community and readers for your support.🙏 You helped me pass my exam with confidence. As a token of gratitude, I’ll give 5 chapters each for my novels today. Enjoy😍!
Leonhardt frowned.
‘Isaiah again?’
“Hehe. I’m glad to see you’re healthy.”
A grating high-pitched voice pierced his ears.
He barely concealed the discomfort on his face and opened his mouth.
“So? What do you want today?”
“Today, I have some very good news for you, Your Higness.”
“Good news?”
The splendidly dressed eunuch who was talking to Leonhardt covered his mouth with his hand and began to speak in a secretive tone.
“It seems that your audience with His Imperial Majesty will finally be arranged.”
“Is that true? When will it happen?”
He couldn’t help but widen his eyes as he had been trapped in the imperial palace of Hwa Empire for over a week.
The eunuch gestured excitedly with his hands and spread them wide.
“That’s right now! That’s why I came here personally. Teehee.”
“…!?”
Leonhardt was startled by the sudden news, but soon replied.
“Hmm… I’ll get ready and come out soon.”
“Then I’ll wait for you outside. I’ll also guide you there.”
He spat out a curse as he watched the eunuch retreat outside.
“Why did they send me such a creepy guy from the East?”
It had been almost ten days since he arrived at the imperial palace.
The only person he had met from the Hwan Empire was that spine-chilling man.
‘I don’t like his voice, but his eyes are even worse.’
The man sometimes scanned Leonhardt’s body, and he shivered every time.
The man’s eyes were not normal when he looked at Leonhardt.
It was hard to say, but if Leonhardt had to describe it, it was like this.
‘His eyes are like those of a collector who loves his collection. Anyway, it’s not normal.’
He finished preparing for the Audience with a shudder.
“Teehee, then let’s go to the Audience place.”
“Let’s go quickly.”
He wanted to get away from this weird guy as soon as possible, so Leonhardt urged him to walk faster.
“…”
But as he followed the eunuch through the vast imperial palace, he learned something new.
Bow.
“Greetings to Your Highness.”
“How are you doing?”
Surprisingly, this unpleasant man seemed to have no ordinary position in the empire.
They gave him a curious glance for his exotic appearance, but they bowed their heads respectfully to the eunuch as if they had seen the king of a country.
Seeing that, Leonhardt suddenly had a thought cross his mind.
‘Come to think of it, did I hear his name?’
As if he had read his mind, the eunuch turned his head.
“Oh, I haven’t told you my name yet.”
“…!?”
Leonhardt was taken aback by the sudden sound, but calmly responded.
“That’s right. Can I hear it?”
‘He’s guiding me and all, so he must be a high-ranking official in the Hwan Empire. I don’t know much about him, but he seems to like me, so it wouldn’t hurt to know his name.’
With that calculation in mind, the eunuch willingly told him his name.
“I am Yeosang, the person who manages His Imperial Majesty’s personal affairs. You can call me Your Excellency from now on.”
“I’ll do that.”
***
After walking for a while longer, Yeosang stopped at the central hall of the imperial palace.
“We’ve arrived. This is where the Audience will take place.”
The grand hall of the Hwan Empire was as magnificent as that of the Sharnos Empire.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty of the Eastern Embassy has arrived.”
“Let him in!”
The voice that was presumed to be that of the emperor was surprisingly young.
Leonhardt entered and bowed his head in astonishment.
‘I didn’t expect the emperor who rules the Eastern Continent to be such a young person.’“Greetings to Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Lift your head.”
As he lifted his head, Leonhardt was able to examine the emperor’s appearance closely.
He looked no older than thirty.
The only other notable thing was…
‘He looks terribly tired?’
He hid it with makeup and such, but anyone with keen eyes could tell that the young emperor in front of him was exhausted.
The second thing was Yeosang’s presence.
He walked up the grand hall and surprisingly stood next to the throne.
‘No matter how much he favors him, that’s too much. How dare a servant stand side by side with the emperor?’
He didn’t know much about the culture of the Eastern Continent, but at least in the Western Continent, it was unthinkable for a king and a vassal to receive a bow at the same height.
Leonhardt couldn’t help but be curious.
But his question was only for a moment, as the emperor opened his mouth.
“So you’re from the empire of the Western Continent? But what’s the matter all of a sudden?”
‘I want to ask you that!’
Leonhardt had no words to say, as he was dragged here against his will, but he muttered in a low voice.
“His Majesty of our empire wishes to resume trade with the East and maintain a friendly relationship with the Hwan Empire. Therefore…”
“Stop!”
Bang!
“…!?”
Leonhardt was startled as the young emperor suddenly slammed his armrest.
“Is there a problem with what I said…”
The emperor glared at Leonhardt with a furious expression.
“So that’s why you sent so many warships? Are you not waging war, but trade?”
“Warships?”
“Don’t play dumb until the end!”
He winked.
The emperor gestured to Yeosang, who smiled slyly and opened his mouth.
“Actually, about three days ago, there was a clash between a large force that appeared to be from the Western Continent and our empire’s warships.”
‘What?’
Leonhardt tried to open his mouth in disbelief.
What on earth was he talking about?
“There must have been some misunderstanding! I have nothing to do with this!”
“You have nothing to do with fighting in another country’s waters? You are shameless.”
The emperor shook his head and gestured.
“Take him away! I’ll interrogate him later.”
“No! What is this…”
Leonhardt was dragged away by the soldiers who rushed in, without even getting a chance to defend himself.
There was only one thing he could think of.
‘Is it that damn brother of mine again?’
***
“Hoo…”
After Leonhardt disappeared from the audience hall, the young emperor sighed as if the ground had collapsed.
He then turned his gaze to the side.
“Yeosang, I followed your instructions, but by doing so, it seems like we might be antagonizing a prince from the Western Continent’s empire. I’m concerned about the potential consequences. Is this really the right course of action?”
“Hehe, Your Majesty is so wise that it’s natural to worry.”
Yeosang bowed his head with a smile.
“But according to what I confirmed through my contacts, the clash was clearly provoked by the Western Continent side. If they had no ulterior motive, why would they do that?”
“Hmm…”
The emperor stroked his smooth chin without a beard and nodded.
“Then I’ll trust you. It’s suspicious enough that they brought their warships here.”
“You are indeed wise.”
“I want to rest for a while. You should go back too.”
Yeosang nodded and left the audience hall.
The emperor watched his back with a blank stare.
“…”
His face looked no older than thirty, but his expression looked ten years older.
***
Around that time, a meeting was also held in Luoyang, where the Alliance of Justice was located.
“Haha…”
Shin Ja-seong stroked his white beard and looked at the report submitted by the Alliance of Justice.“I don’t know how to take this report, this old man. Is there anyone who has any insight?”
“…”
There were only five people gathered in the meeting. But the small number meant that they were the core figures who led the Alliance of Justice.
First, a man with a bulky physique opened his mouth.
He had a fiery temper as much as his size.
“Does this make any sense? The Master of Martial Arts is a person from two hundred years ago. And he’s a foreigner at that?”
He was Pang Mu-jin, the head of Breaking North Family (Ha Buk Pang Ga).
He had enough background to be in this place as one of the five great families.
“I honestly don’t know how to judge either. But it’s hard to believe this story.”
Next, a middle-aged man cautiously voiced his opinion.
He was Seo Mun-soong, the head of West Gate Family (Seo Mun Se Ga).
Drrr.
One person suddenly pushed his chair and stood up, bowing his head to the others.
“First of all, I’m sorry for causing trouble to my master. He’s old, so I couldn’t stop him.”
The man with a shabby appearance was Chwi Seon-gae, the leader of Gae Bang.
He had to hold his head and groan when he heard from the report that his master, Gu Cheon-geol, had joined the foreigner’s side.
‘Ah! If only he had retired earlier, he would have lived comfortably without causing trouble.’
The three people who expressed their positions had one question.
‘The Master of All Martial Arts Lee Cheong-mun’s successor? Do they want us to believe that?’
In fact, there were quite a few headaches in the Alliance of Justice as well.
It was a flimsy story to ask them to believe this fact without even seeing Eurius.
‘But if there is a witness to that story, the situation is different!’
The eyes of the three people naturally fixed on the last man who remained in academic style.
“…”
He was Je Gal-do, the military officer of the Alliance of Justice and the head of Je Gal Se Ga.
He had a great background that he couldn’t complain openly, but he was in a difficult situation as he received silent pressure from the three people.
‘That’s why I secretly brought him and tried to report to my master first…’
Shin Ja-seong, who noticed the awkward atmosphere, opened his mouth.
“What do you think, military officer? I heard that Shin Chang Je Gal Daehyup was the first one to call him lord.”
“…Everything is as written in the report.”
Je Gal-do had no choice but to answer reluctantly to the master’s question.
“Huh!”
“Now even the military officer!”
“What is your intention?”
The remaining three people were tongue-tied by the unbelievable story. Je Gal-do quickly added.
“I can be sure of two things. First, he is not someone who will harm the Alliance of Justice. And second…”
“Second?”
Shin Ja-seong asked back and Je Gal-do answered firmly.
“I stake my family’s honor on it that everything in this report is true. It’s as I told you before, master.”
“Haha, I’ve heard your position well, military officer. But…”
Shin Ja-seong made an expression of embarrassment.
He had to coordinate opinions as a master even though Je Gal Se Ga’s claim would be a strong force.
Knowing that, Je Gal-do bowed his head again.
“I have no face for you, master. I’ll just leave.”
“Hmm… I’ll try to understand the position of Je Gal Se Ga.”
Shin Ja-seong looked at Je Gal-do with a full of apology.
It was because the atmosphere around him had practically forced him out.
This meeting was about Eurius, and it would be troublesome if there was a definite ally even if he was a military officer. Je Gal-do quickly left, noticing that.
“…”
The meeting room with five people became four people and was silent for a while.
“I don’t doubt Je Gal Se Ga, but the master who loves the military officer sent him away, which is surprising.”
The one who broke the silence was Chwi Seon-gae, the leader of Gae Bang. Je Gal-do was an indispensable person for Shin Ja-seong, the master. But even if their positions were different, he didn’t stop him from leaving?
The silence just before was not because they were lost in thought, but because Shin Ja-seong’s action was so shocking.
He sighed softly.
“Hoo… I still trust the military officer. But…”
“…!?”
Shin Ja-seong hesitated to speak and the curiosity of the remaining three people deepened. What on earth made the master of the Alliance of Justice worry?
Swoosh.
“Some time ago, this arrived to me.”
Shin Ja-seong put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a new document besides the report from the Alliance of Justice. Chwi Seon-gae gasped first when he saw the splendid document with gold leaf.
“Huh! Master! Don’t tell me that’s?”
“That’s right.”
Shin Ja-seong nodded with a heavy expression.
“It’s an imperial decree from the palace.”