NOVEL NEXT chapter 21
21 – The Imperial Family and the Seven Families
“It is served by His Excellency the Duke of Qliphort and his successor, the White Prince of Qliphort.”
“… ….”
The voice of the chamberlain resounded calmly, and Teikan and White entered the audience room.
A long dark red carpet was stretched out, and a throne existed at the end of it.
And a middle-aged man sitting on it.
He is the one who exists at the pinnacle of this empire and is the emperor, the sun of the empire.
“Duke Qliphort greets His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Um.”
Tay Khan first politely bowed to the emperor on one knee.
“…… White Qliphort greets His Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”
And a beat later, White also showed his manners.
However, is it really an illusion that his expression looks so confused?
Probably not.
Actually, White was feeling quite undesirable.
‘…… I never thought the day would come when I would be polite to the emperor.’
Clucking his tongue inwardly, White lowered his head.
To make sure that the expression is not revealed to the emperor or to the guests who were present inside the throne room first.
…… In the past, that is, before the return, there was no reason to show loyalty to the emperor again.
I didn’t like this situation very much for White.
If you think about it for a bit, yes.
As a subject of the empire, and as a noble, it could be said that it is natural to show respect to the emperor, who is a distant superior.
If it was that time, when the 12 demon kings spread their magic powers in earnest and Ashera ran rampant and drove the world to the end.
Rather, if the emperor had bowed to White, he would have bowed, but White would not have bowed to the emperor.
Although it is a time zone that has now disappeared, it definitely existed.
That’s why White wasn’t happy about this situation.
If all the Great Mage-class wizards of the empire were killed by the reckless Ashera, and the only remaining Grand Mage-class wizard was the White Qifoth of those days.
He couldn’t treat anyone carelessly, even the emperor of the empire.
…… But.
‘That’s true, but it can’t be helped. I’m no longer the me I was back then.’
He let out a shallow sigh that White couldn’t hear.
And at that point, the conversation between Teikan and the emperor was continuing.
“…… How have you been, Your Majesty?”
“You don’t have to be so polite in front of me, Teikan. If you are my only best friend, he will not be able to say anything to anyone, no matter what you say to me.”
The emperor said that with a faint smile, but Teikan was just honest.
“How could I, Your Majesty?”
First of all, Teikan shook his head after saying that.
And then, his eyes narrowed and he began to scan all directions.
“…… Even more so, it is not a private place, especially if it is a public place like this.”
“… ….”
The Emperor’s expression slightly hardened at Teikan’s meaningful words.
And the faces of several people standing around the emperor on the left and right also changed unexpectedly.
‘…… It seems that my father and I were the last to arrive.’
White was also looking up at them.
“… ….”
His blue eyes swept past the beings once.
‘A total of seven families, huh?’
White followed Tay Khan as she stretched out her bent knees, slowly beginning to cast an interesting light over her pupils.
‘…… How will it go?’
Raising the corners of her mouth once, White made a relaxed expression.
Now, show me where you are.
What kind of stories will come and go at the place where all the 7 generations of the empire are gathered?
Will they be able to draw a conclusion that will satisfy them?
At this point when the gold demon died, at this point when the continent was shaking.
What kind of attitude will the characters of the imperial family and the 7 families finally take?
The emperor who is currently leading the empire, and the heads of the family.
The successors who will lead the empire from now on.
Are you sure you are a person you can be satisfied with?
If not, or—
‘…… hahahaha.’
For one time like that, I had a thought in my heart that could even be described as arrogant.
White drew a brilliant eye smile with a flowing trajectory.
“… ….”
…… And.
Because there was a golden gaze looking at White like that.
‘…… Ha, the disciple is also true.’
Unbeknownst to anyone, Ashera, who had been with White and Teikan since they entered the throne room, sighed inwardly.
‘How have you really been in your previous life? How could it be that the middle 2 disease hasn’t healed yet… …. Even making an expression like that of a middle school patient like that.’
“…… Ah.”
No, no.
Ashera shook her head once with a deliberately serious expression.
‘I was really a patient with second grade disease, right?’
I can’t believe that the person I am is forgetting that simple proposition.
“Aha.”
That’s right.
My disciple is clear and unmistakable.
He must have been a terminally ill patient.
Ashera let out a shallow exclamation at the moment of realization that came lightly.
How should I do this?
Does she just have to watch as the disciple she loves so much continues to create dark history?
In the future, someday, there will come a day when you will struggle with pain due to the memories filled with those dark histories.
‘I don’t think it’s going to be fixed by beating me to death.’
I would have done that long ago.
Whether it’s hitting with a fist or bombing with magic.
“Um… ….”
Ashera let out a short sigh.
“… ….”
But within a short while, for some reason, annoyance came over me.
‘…… Ah, what I’ll take care of it, my disciple.’
Nodding her head refreshingly once, Ashera smiled brightly.
…… To confess her honest feelings, she later looked forward to the day when her own disciple would suffer in the dark history.
“…… Aha.”
Somehow bloody, but I don’t feel any murderous intent.
With such a contradictory and strangely sadistic smile.
Ashera continued to face her white with a warm gaze.
‘Someday you will understand, disciple too. Being a second grader isn’t that attractive.’
Ashera calmly lets out a shallow laugh.
“Whoops.”
…… However.
If there’s one thing she doesn’t know.
Her one and only disciple of her own, suffered from two illnesses of a more severe degree than she expected.
She will never know the appearance of White, who did not let go of the element of secondary illness until the last moment in the time that has now disappeared.
You probably can’t even imagine.
The fact that the element of two of them made White develop the ultimate magic that can even turn back ‘time’.
*****
“…… So, first of all, you have to pay attention to the movements of the 12 demon lords and take a passive attitude.”
The head of the empire’s master swordsmanship, the Marquis of Lyikanter, said so.
“However, if you do so, there is a possibility that you will not be able to respond to sudden changes in circumstances… ….”
The family head of the Kesil family, who had held the position of Chancellor of the Empire for generations, answered that.
“… ….”
A tendon once sprouted from the forehead of the Marquis Lycanter.
“…… Then, first of all, why don’t you mobilize all the knights and wizards of the empire and look at the dynamics of the 12 demon kings? In the first place, to figure out why the golden demon king who caused the current situation died.”
The Marquis of Lyikanter, having endured the anger that was about to rise, gave such a different opinion.
At that point, the Marquis thought that the gap of opinion would narrow to some extent, but.
“However, if you do that, there is a possibility of incurring the wrath of the 12 demon lords… ….”
“… ….”
At Duke Kesil’s refutation, which flew in once again, Marquis Lyikanter had to feel the sense that the string of reason was cut off.
Quang!
The Marquis slammed the table violently and jumped up from his seat.
“No. So, what does His Excellency the Duke want to do? You keep giving only negative reactions, so why don’t you clarify your opinion? Your Excellency!”
Duke Kesil’s eyes widened.
“What did you say now, sir? Does the way you speak seem a little displeased?”
“Ha.”
The Marquis Lycanter snorted at him once.
Soon he proudly spat out a short word.
“Your Excellency is believed to be mistaken.”
“Uh huh, this person is still…… !”
At that point, did Duke Kesil get a fever?
Just like the Marquis, Duke Kesil spurred his seat and stood up, his eyes shining brightly.
“This matter is not so simple to conclude! Don’t you know that too?”
“No matter how much it is, shouldn’t there be at least a conversation going on in some form? What the Duke is doing now just seems to be disrupting the discussion!”
“The Marquis of Lyikanter!”
“Huh!”
…… When no conclusion was reached despite the lengthy discussion, the two people who exchanged the most opinions eventually exploded.
The Marquis of Lyikanter and Duke Kesil exchanged bloody glances once.
“…… It really hurts.”
The emperor, who was sitting in the seat of honor, touched his forehead as he watched the quarrel between the two.
I wonder if even the emperor was tired from the discussion that lasted for several hours.
“…… Whoa.”
The emperor frowned and let out a sigh.
And right after that.
“Both of you stop.”
“…… !”
The emperor murmured a single word as if he were chanting briefly.
The Marquis Lycanter and Duke Kesil, who were exchanging words violently, stopped moving in an instant.
“What are they doing right now in front of me?”
The emperor’s eyes began to take on a cool light.
“…… Your majesty.”
“Um… ….”
The two people, who had raised their voices with such passion, calmed down their emotions in an instant and sat back down.
The atmosphere of the meeting, which had been gradually escalating, changed calmly in an instant with the emperor’s words.
‘Ohh… ….’
Then White, who was quietly lowering her head behind Tay Khan, once again brightened her eyes.
An interesting expression of its own began to appear on his face.
‘Is there such a thing as dignity in its own way, the emperor too?’
She slightly raised the corners of her mouth just enough to hide White.
Because I had no chance to see a scene like this before returning, I didn’t see the emperor like that either.
Of course, those factors made it difficult for White to judge the emperor easily, which naturally led to prejudice.
So far, White’s perception of the current emperor is just literal.
The most ordinary emperor.
That was all.
‘…… Am I underestimating too much?’
White glanced at the emperor and put a gentle smile on his lips.
Before returning, by the time he ascended to the position of head of the Qliphoth family, the imperial family had also undergone a generational change.
I only judged the current emperor based on records or what I had heard.
Although it was only to calm down the two people who were heating up with a simple, short word.
That alone seemed to tell White.
The reason why his own father, Teikan Qliphort, was loyal to the emperor.
‘Perhaps, it might be more helpful than expected.’
White gave me a smile that somehow gave off a sinister feeling.
“…… Ha. Disciple, please.”
Ashera let out another deep sigh, but White didn’t seem to notice.
…… Anyways, for now.
“Let’s get this far first. I don’t think we need to hold more meetings here to come to a reasonable conclusion…….”
With the muttering of the emperor’s lamentation, the meeting of the first day ended in a half-sloppy fashion.