After Atlerina ended, I stopped by the imperial palace.
Since the expedition was completed, the emperor had to personally reward my achievements.
I visited Atlerina first due to time constraints, but the emperor had already permitted it.
I wonder why he took his time deciding on a reward.
“This is unexpected. The Grand Chancellor has arrived.”
“You must have gone through a lot.”
“Well, that wasn’t my fault, was it?”
‘It wasn’t his fault. But I was still angry. I’d be lucky if he didn’t smirk in that irritating way.’
“And now you’re assigning me to handle the anti-imperialists? I just finished the expedition, didn’t I?”
“Life is never easy. Handling anti-imperialists shouldn’t be a bad thing, though. If you join the Mage Division and capture them, it’ll help your career.”
“That’s true, but…”
The way he put it left me with nothing to argue.
“Well, before that, I should give you a reward, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes, I’d be grateful for whatever you grant me.”
“What should I give you?”
“Huh?”
‘Why is he asking me that?’
“I mean, you’re Lady Ashtar, Grand Chancellor, and a Saint. I wasn’t sure what would be appropriate. Since you have your own private forces, I can’t exactly grant you a knight order.”
“Oh.”
“So, I decided to give you whatever you wish for.”
I don’t really want anything.
As long as I can be a mage, I’m fine.
But then, a mischievous thought crossed my mind—I wanted to make things difficult for the emperor.
“Give me the throne.”
I threw it out there casually to test him.
“Shall I? If I adopt you as my daughter first, we can proceed step by step. One of my children has already ruined his chances, and the other is off playing somewhere far away, so Lady Ashtar might be a suitable choice.”
“That was a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.”
He had been entirely serious just now.
I can’t even joke around him.
“If you truly wanted it, it could happen.”
“The noble bloodline of 1,500 years would be replaced by Ashtar’s, though.”
“Ashtar is a family selected as the Second Imperial House. If you trace your lineage back far enough, you’d find imperial blood as well.”
‘If I follow that logic, I have no valid reason to refuse. Come to think of it, if the prince and princess are truly unfit for the throne, the empire might consider bringing in an heir from Ashtar. Since the empire doesn’t prioritize gender in succession, I could end up in the line of succession.’
I need to prevent that.
“Absolutely not. Don’t take my joke seriously.”
“Still, you are the Grand Chancellor. You personally took down one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Your achievements deserve recognition.”
“In that case…”
There is one thing I want.
Something that only the empire possesses.
“In that case?”
“Allow me access to the imperial archives.”
“I need to gather information about the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King. Bernoa’s history spans only a few decades. If I want information on the previous Four Heavenly Kings, I must look further back.”
“It’s likely Seto. Seto is the oldest of them all.”
“Hmm. You’re asking about the knowledge buried deep within the past?”
“Yes.”
The emperor tilted his head, intrigued.
As if he couldn’t quite grasp what I was thinking.
“Very well. That’s not difficult.”
“Really?”
That’s a relief.
“But I am curious about your reasons. Just curiosity?”
“Partly, but I also believe I need historical knowledge to eliminate the Four Heavenly Kings.”
‘Seto has existed far longer than expected, so there should be records in the empire’s archives.’
“I see. You want to uncover hidden history.”
“Yes.”
“It’s nice to have a conversation that flows smoothly.”
“Good. I’ll grant you a key to the imperial archives. However…”
“However?”
“I wonder if you can withstand it.”
‘Withstand it?’
“Is it that extreme?”
“Extreme? You could say that. It’s simply overwhelming.”
The Imperial Archives.
It has existed for 1,500 years, built at the very founding of the empire.
However, it’s said that unauthorized intruders rarely make it out alive.
It isn’t just an ordinary archive.
It is, quite literally, a living library.
“But if the emperor grants permission, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“That only ensures you can enter freely. What happens inside… well, who knows?”
The emperor smirked mischievously.
‘Should I hit him or not?’
“This is complicated.”
“Still, there are the archivists. Haven’t you seen them before? When you took lessons as the crown princess consort, they were the ones who retrieved the empress education materials from the archives.”
I don’t remember much from the first Olivia’s memories.
Ah, but I do recall something from when I was Noah and visited the imperial palace.
Women wearing iron masks and draped in fine cloth.
The eye holes in their masks didn’t reveal eyes but instead glowed ominously.
And the lanterns they held were unsettling.
“Are they human?”
“They are. Humans who have dedicated their lives to the imperial family.”
The emperor waved his hands dismissively as if he enjoyed spooking me.
“That’s scary.”
“They are probably the strongest warriors in the empire.”
“Then why are they archivists?”
Now that I think about it, I was once an archivist, too.
If I hadn’t caught Lily, I might still be stuck in that role.
“That aside, with their help, it won’t be too difficult.”
“Is that so?”
“While you’re at it, why not look into my curse?”
“Your curse?”
“The curse that was placed upon me.”
He had mentioned a curse before.
“A curse on Your Majesty?”
“An eternal, unchanging, beautiful appearance.”
I want to call that nonsense, but looking at the emperor’s face… it’s not exactly wrong.
After all, his appearance is oddly youthful for his age.
‘Who would believe that someone with that appearance had children?’
“Hearing that, wouldn’t most women consider it the greatest gift?”
‘If he told a group of noblewomen that he was cursed like this, they would probably beat him to death on the spot.’
“Just kidding.”
“Let’s be serious, Your Majesty.”
‘If he’s the emperor of a great nation, he should act like one. Just because he looks young despite his age doesn’t mean he can go around saying whatever he wants.’
“It’s not time for you to know yet.”
“Will there be a time for me to know?”
“If you are truly the saint I am looking for.”
The emperor gently took my hand.
“Then I must not be the one.”
“Who knows? You might be, or you might not.”
This isn’t some kind of word game.
“That wouldn’t be good, would it?”
“Personally, I hope you prove yourself worthy.”
I have no intention of doing so, nor will I entertain the emperor’s games.
“You’ve already set your sights on me, haven’t you?”
“Who knows?”
This man is truly unfit to be emperor.
He has a talent for exhausting people.
“Understood. Then I can assume I have unrestricted access to the imperial archives?”
“That’s right. But given security concerns, it would be best to visit during school breaks.”
“During breaks?”
‘Why specifically then?’
“If one of the books you take from the imperial archives gets discovered during an exam, it would be troublesome, wouldn’t it? Especially since Atlerina might already be infiltrated by anti-imperialists. We can’t have imperial archive books spreading there.”
“Oh, right. There are exams.”
I’m still a student at Atlerina.
The end-of-term tests are coming up.
After the exams, break begins, and young nobles spend time with their fiancés.
“For someone attending Atlerina, you sure don’t seem nervous.”
“Because it doesn’t matter to me.”
I’m already a saint and the Grand Chancellor.
The exams are meaningless.
I’m not just some noble lady.
“Even in front of the emperor, you won’t try to do well?”
“Aren’t you the type to dislike that kind of thing?”
“How boring.”
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
I got what I wanted.
Leaving the emperor clicking his tongue behind me, I walked away.
***
Dean’s Office
Galedo, a professor and former adventurer, arrived at the dean’s office.
“You called for me, sir?”
“Galedo, are you aware of the recent incidents?”
“The murders happening outside the capital?”
“Lately, a series of murders had occurred near the capital. The suspects were believed to be anti-imperialists. Atlerina, full of central nobles, was a prime hunting ground for them.”
“Yes. I believe this is…”
“You think it’s the work of anti-imperialists?”
“Who would have expected noble-born adventurers to become the primary targets?”
“That’s right. All the victims had been adventurers of noble descent. Clearly, the killings were targeting noble adventurers.”
“But is this really our concern? The capital’s security should be handled by the imperial guards.”
“The imperial guards were responsible for maintaining order in and around the capital. If these murders were the work of anti-imperialists, it should be their job to handle it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean?”
This situation felt ominous.
“Was there a specific reason he was assigning this task to me, an ex-adventurer?”
“The end-of-term tests are coming up. When that happens, Atlerina students will leave the academy. They’ll be perfect bait. If we involve the imperial guards, it will draw too much attention, making the students even bigger targets for the anti-imperialists.”
“I see.”
“That makes sense.”
“Then why not change the test format this time?”
“Why don’t we adjust the test for once?”
“Can you handle the nobles’ complaints?”
“…I suppose not.”
Galedo knew nobles all too well.
They were a proud bunch, living off their status.
Telling them to avoid anti-imperialists would only provoke outrage.
“I already tried to push for a change. They insisted on keeping things as they are.”
“Don’t they care about their children’s lives?”
Unbelievable.
These are their own children.
“They think it won’t happen to them. Besides, they’re nobles. Other schools might consider it, but Atlerina? Changing the test format out of fear of anti-imperialists? Unacceptable.”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense. The very people opposing anti-imperialists are the nobles.”
The empire stands on the foundation of its noble class.
It would be unthinkable for them to show fear.
Which means we have no choice but to proceed with the usual tests.
“The Seven Stars are already handling the anti-imperialists. But Galedo, you will be in charge of guarding the test this time.”
“Me alone?”
That won’t be enough.
There are thousands of Atlerina students.
One person can’t possibly manage it.
“There’s also Natalia, the other professors, and Olivia. With them, it should be manageable.”
“Even so, how can you rely on a student?”
‘No matter how exceptional Olivia is.’
‘Even if she joined the Ashtar army and succeeded in the Demon King subjugation.’
‘There’s still a matter of professional pride.’
‘How can they expect her to shoulder this burden?’
“Regardless, both you and I will lose our positions if we fail to oversee this test.”
That would be a problem.
‘Galedo had climbed up from being an adventurer to where he was now.’
‘If he lost his position as a professor, who knew how long it would take to rise again?’
‘But… do we really need to conduct this test as a real battle?’