Leonhardt could not understand why he had to live like a prisoner.
‘No, what did I do wrong!’
If he thought about it, the only crime he committed was being born second and coveting the throne, right?
He was trapped in a small room.
He had no problem with living, but he could not hear any news from outside.
In a dark room without a window, Leonhardt sighed.
‘I wish that annoying eunuch would come, even if he has a bad attitude.’
How desperate was he to want to see someone he hated?
“Sigh…”
He let out another heavy sigh. But what could he do in this situation?
But at that moment.
Creak!
The door opened unexpectedly.
“Huh?”
Leonhardt got up quickly without caring about his dignity and looked at the entrance.
“Hehe, are you feeling well?”
‘They say a tiger comes when you talk about it, and he really came?’
The one who entered was the eunuch! Yeosang.
He still spoke with an irritating high-pitched voice and asked about Leonhardt’s well-being.
“Not very good. What about the misunderstanding about me? Has it been cleared up?”
“It’s a conflict between nations, so it might take some time. Please wait for now.”
Yeosang casually brushed off Leonhardt’s release.
‘Damn it…’
Leonhardt spat out a curse in his mind and answered sarcastically.
“Then did you really come to see how I’m doing? Are you trying to check when I’ll die?”
“Of course not. I came today with a tempting offer for you.”
Yeosang suddenly smiled meaningfully. Leonhardt felt suspicious at his expression.
“An offer for me?”
“Do you know that the crown prince of the Western Continent, your brother, has crossed over to this continent?”
“My brother?”
Leonhardt was surprised as he had never heard of it before.
‘No, even if he likes to wander around, that’s too much. The crown prince crossed the continent?’
Yeosang narrowed his eyes and said in a secretive voice.
“It’s about that crown prince.”
***
Meanwhile, the next day after a small accident(?) caused by training, Eurius left for Jangan.
“Your Majesty! Please be safe.”
The admiral of the first fleet, Cornel, initially opposed it vehemently.
There was already a clash between the fleets.
It was a reasonable judgment, but he had no choice but to shut up at Eurius’s words.
“Then what about Leonhardt, who lost contact? Do you want to leave him behind and go back?”
“That is…”
“You don’t have to worry about anything. Go back by ship with Galeus. I’ll give you further instructions later!”
The first fleet of the empire was a good force, but there was no need to use it right now.
‘There’s no reason to drag the army along when I’m going to ask for peace!’
The imperial servants were mostly worried, but the people of Righteous Alliance were relieved.
Namgoong Ilcheon took over for Shin ja-seong, who still hadn’t regained consciousness, and saw him off.
“Then please come back safely. I will declare the opening of the martial arts tournament as soon as you return.”
It didn’t take long to get to Jangan.
Righteous Alliance cared more about the upcoming battle with Magyo than the matter with Imperial Palace.
And they were quite reassured after seeing Eurius’s power.
“I was worried because our leader is still unconscious, but I don’t think we have to worry about the battle with Magyo since Eurius is here.”
“Yes! I hope nothing happens while he’s away.”
And time flew by quickly.
Eurius, who only brought a light escort, arrived at Jangan, the capital of Hwan Empire, in no time.
***
Imperial Palace.
“Your Majesty! The crown prince of the Western Continent has entered the capital.”
“Is that so?”
The young emperor, who looked tired today as well, was preparing to welcome Eurius.
“He seemed very arrogant in his letter. I hope he doesn’t add more wrinkles to my face.”The young emperor muttered softly.
He was not even thirty years old yet, but he had so many worries that he cared about wrinkles.
Thump thump.
And the one who contributed greatly to the creation of wrinkles came in.
It was the middle-aged eunuch who spoke with an annoying high-pitched voice.
“Hehe, Your Majesty! Are you really going to see him? In my opinion, he’s not worth talking to…”
“Well, you might be right.”
The young emperor agreed easily.
“Then…”
“But wouldn’t it be better to end it peacefully if possible? I have to see for myself and make a decision.”
“Hehe! If that’s what Your Majesty wishes, I will follow you.”
The emperor said so much that Yeosang had no choice but to accept it.
He was also confident that no matter what reaction he had, the outcome would never change.
‘Hehe… Even if Your Majesty likes him, I have many ways to deal with him!’
“Then let’s head to the palace soon. He must be waiting.”
The emperor hurried Yeosang, not knowing if he knew his intentions or not.
***
“The crown prince of the Western Continent has arrived.”
A loud voice echoed in the palace.
And!
‘He’s younger than I expected?’
‘He’s young!’
That was the first impression that Eurius and the young emperor felt about each other.
In fact, they were both young for managing such large empires.
[Ju Yug-yeom]
Job: Emperor
Strength: C Agility: C Intelligence: A+ Spirit: A Force Aptitude: C
Disposition: Mild, Firm
Current State: Curious
[Traits]
Politics(A)
Emperor’s Dignity C Rank-It increases your command and charisma as the emperor of the empire, with noble blood and experience.
‘His stats are average for an emperor. He doesn’t seem to have learned any martial arts at all.’
The young emperor of Hwan Empire had stats that were neither outstanding nor incompetent.
Eurius quickly made a judgment and greeted him.
“I am Eurius, the crown prince of Scharnos Empire. It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
“…!?”
Whisper whisper.
The emperor’s eyes sparkled, and there was a small murmur among the officials.
‘He seemed like a rude person from his letter, but he’s surprisingly courteous?’
The reason why Eurius’s reputation deteriorated was because of his letter about the Magyo subjugation.
He said he would take military action in someone else’s territory, and his tone was so rude that it showed how much he despised them.
‘Well, at least he seems to know the time and place.’
The emperor relaxed his guard a little.
He opened his mouth with a relieved expression.
“You must have had a hard time coming from a faraway empire.”
“I’m indebted to you for your kindness. But… where is my brother now?”
Eurius looked slightly anxious, like a worried older brother.
Of course, he was curious too.
‘Where the hell is Leonhardt? Is he really locked up somewhere?’
“Hmm, that is…”
The emperor also felt a bit awkward because he had taken him hostage.
He tried to open his mouth. But as soon as he showed his intention, a voice interrupted him.
“Hehe! He is not feeling well, so we are taking care of him with utmost sincerity.”
“Leonhardt?”
Eurius shifted his gaze slightly when he heard the irritating high-pitched voice.
‘Is that weird person who is neither a man nor a woman Yeosang? They say he’s the strongest in Imperial Palace, and he does look skilled.’
[Yeosang]
Job: Eunuch, Superhuman(Grandmaster)
Strength: S Agility: S+ Intelligence: A+ Spirit: A Force Aptitude: S Force: SS+
Disposition: Cunning, Power-hungryCurrent State: Doubtful, Anxious
[Traits]
Swordsmanship(SS)
Phoenix Flame Spirit Technique-A martial art that manipulates the energy of extreme cold. It receives a bonus to force and qi rank depending on proficiency.
According to Gung jeok-yeong, who he picked up as a subordinate in Black Tortoise recently, this eunuch was likely the culprit behind everything.
He could tell by the way he interrupted the emperor’s conversation without fear.
“…”
The emperor did not seem angry even though his official interfered with the envoy’s words. But Eurius could tell that he was secretly displeased.
Eurius smiled faintly and ignored Yeosang, looking at the emperor again.
“Then I guess I’ll have to postpone meeting my brother and relieving my worries. Thank you for your consideration.”
“…!?”
‘Wow…’
“Although trade has been cut off recently, the two imperial families have always had a close relationship. It’s only natural to do so.”
The emperor nodded and smiled much more satisfied than before.
‘I like this guy.’
Eurius did not answer Yeosang, who was making excuses, but instead replied to the emperor.
His meaning was clear: he did not consider a mere ‘envoy’ worthy of his conversation.
The emperor was pleased, but Yeosang, who was completely ignored, crumpled his face as it turned red and blue.
‘How dare he look down on me?’
He was the most powerful figure in the imperial court.
Eurius must have known that, yet he blatantly disregarded him.
“Haha!”
“Hehe!”
But without paying any attention to him, a friendly dialogue was going on right in front of his eyes.
‘So that’s how it is…’
Yeosang’s eyes turned cold as he waited for a chance to interrupt.
‘Anyway, His Majesty cannot ignore my influence. I’ll teach him that it’s useless to try to win His Majesty’s favor with his clever tricks.’
As he expected, Eurius brought up the main topic after a while.
“So, about the matter of subjugating the heretics, can I ask for your cooperation?”
“Hmm, it shouldn’t be too difficult…”
The emperor was not unaware of the rumors about the heretics.
They were a cult notorious for their wicked schemes.
He thought it would be beneficial to get rid of them.
“How dare you! I think that would amount to interfering with our internal affairs!”
“That’s right, Your Majesty! How can you let a foreign army enter our country just to subjugate a trivial cult?”
The moment the emperor was about to agree, the officials who were under Yeosang’s influence rose up like a swarm of bees.
Yeosang also opened his mouth with a cunning expression.
“Hehe! We understand Your Majesty’s intention. But for the sake of the empire’s dignity, don’t you think you should think more carefully?”
“Er…”
The emperor knew very well why his officials were opposing so blatantly.
‘Ugh… How can you humiliate me like this in front of a foreign prince? Are you really my loyal subjects?’
This reaction was nothing but a proof that his authority as an emperor was not strong enough, so his face twisted in an instant.
“But their fleet is only twenty ships. How can we be afraid of letting such a small force stay for a while? Where is our dignity?”
As he said, how many soldiers could the Scharnos Empire have sent to find Eurius? The emperor’s words made sense.
“No way, Your Majesty!”
“This is not just a matter of face! This conflict would not have happened in the first place if they had not sent their ships!”
“They were allies in the past, but we haven’t had any contact for decades. How can we trust them?”
And so, the debate between the emperor and his officials went on for several times, and the conclusion was as follows.
“Hmm… I agree, but as you can see, I need to discuss more with my officials.”
“Huh…”
Eurius looked at the emperor with a very regretful expression.
And he muttered softly.
“They say too many cooks spoil the broth…”
“…!?”
His gaze was only looking at the emperor, but the officials felt as if Eurius had glanced at them for a moment.
Shiver!
The officials felt a chill run through their bodies.
They sensed a faint killing intent from Eurius that swept over them briefly.
“…”
The officials became quiet all of a sudden, and the emperor wondered why they did that.
“I understand that you need time. Then I’ll wait for your answer.”
That’s how the audience ended that day.
Eurius left the palace while murmuring to himself.
‘What a mess.’