Chapter 49: Why are you calling me again?

I had been forgetting something very important all this time.

Surprisingly, despite becoming a Saintess, I had never met the Emperor in person.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never once met the Emperor since being appointed as Saintess.”

“That might be the reason,” Claire said.

I sighed at her words.

‘Should I have met the Emperor earlier?’

“Hmm. Should I have met her earlier?”

Thinking about it, ‘isn’t this a bit messed up?’

The Emperor isn’t just any ordinary woman.

“—So, you’re saying you’re actually an Archmage?”

“—No, I’m just a mage.”

“—You must be a master of something then. That makes you an Archmage. Can you create a universe?”

Although I had never truly acted as an Archmage, I was sarcastically called one by the Emperor, who doubted my abilities as a mage.

That insane woman once asked if I could create a universe.

Magic involves creating various things using mana.

Theoretically, creating a universe isn’t impossible, but I didn’t answer her back then, fearing what she might ask me to do next.

She was such an eccentric woman.

Most of all, she didn’t seem to have the wisdom or maturity of someone who had given birth to four children.

Her appearance was also strange, as if cursed.

Even though Armenia bloodlines are exceptional, it’s not like they are immune to aging.

Meeting Olivia again might actually be amusing.

Who knows? At least I’m a Saintess now, so maybe she won’t treat me recklessly.

***

Claire and I entered the Imperial Palace.

It was my first time coming here as Olivia.

I had been here before as Noah, but the circumstances were different.

Back then, I was part of the Hero’s party and met the Emperor as such.

Now, I was meeting her as a Saintess.

“Looking at the palace again, it’s astonishingly vast.”

The Imperial Palace is where the Emperor resides, but it also houses the empire’s government, various departments, and the parliament.

At the center of it all stands the Emperor’s castle, where all conveniences for the Emperor are ensured.

Before the parliament was established, the Emperor directly exercised power from this castle, but now, only the courtiers assisting the Emperor and the Emperor herself remain here.

“The Imperial Castle alone has stood for hundreds of years. Even though it looks peaceful now, decades ago, there were fierce succession disputes over the throne.”

Claire seemed knowledgeable about the history of the castle.

It’s so massive that even if the capital were to fall, one might imagine holding out here until reinforcements arrived.

“Welcome, Saintess Olivia. From now on, we will escort you. Your attendant will wait outside.”

Upon entering the Imperial Castle, the maids separated Claire and me, leading me inside alone.

However, I didn’t get to see the Emperor.

The maid escorting me seemed more intent on giving me a tour of the palace.

Suddenly, I grew suspicious of this maid.

How does it make sense for the Emperor to summon the Saintess and then not be present?

“Where is Her Majesty?”

When I muttered to myself, the maid bowed her head cautiously.

“Her Majesty is not here. Please wait.”

The maid guided me to a sofa.

‘Hmm. Is this some kind of joke?’

Considering the Emperor, it wouldn’t be surprising.

‘Shouldn’t she start acting her age by now?’

“When will Her Majesty arrive?”

“Well, I suppose you might meet her before sunset.”

‘So that means she’ll come by sunset, doesn’t it?’

This nameless maid suddenly began drinking tea by herself.

Judging from the aroma, it seemed to be tea imported from the East.

The maid took a sip and then cautiously opened her mouth.

“Do you know what kind of room this is?”

“Not really. Even as a Saintess, there’s no reason to know.”

Noah had been here before.

The Emperor’s whims changed like boiling water.

This is the Room of History.

The names of countless Emperors, great chancellors, and loyal subjects throughout the empire’s 1,500-year history are inscribed on the walls, alongside their achievements.

I squinted at the maid who brought me here.

She smiled brightly.

An oddly out-of-place smile.

“That’s right. Normally, it’s not something one would know.”

“So, what kind of room is this?”

Feigning ignorance seemed best.

Noah might have known, but Olivia wouldn’t.

“This is the Room of History.”

“Then those names and inscriptions beside them?”

“From the founder onward, the names and achievements of Emperors and renowned subjects are inscribed. Initially, they were lightly engraved with mana, but as magical science advanced, they were coated with mana for preservation.”

“I see.”

“Do you know what’s even more fascinating?”

“What is it?”

‘You’re the Emperor, aren’t you? Do you think you can hide with that appearance?’

“Despite regular maintenance, doesn’t this wall seem different in quality compared to the other walls of the palace?”

‘Hmm. It does look different.’

“Yes.”

“Before the Empire was founded, this land was part of a federation of kingdoms. Specifically, this room was originally the royal chambers of the Kart Kingdom, the leading state of the federation. When the founder conquered the Kart Kingdom, she demolished the palace but left this room intact.”

‘Why is she giving me a history lesson now?’

‘Not that it’s bad to know, but all this information feels like it could be a weakness later.’

‘She might end up saying, “You know too much now.”‘

“So, they wrote the empire’s history here to mock the royal family of the fallen Kart Kingdom to this day?”

“Exactly. The founder was an enemy of Kart’s king and feared the long-standing power of Kart’s history. So, she overlaid the empire’s history on this room and made the Kart queen the empire’s empress.”

‘It seems that in the early days, the Armenia royal family was more like a nomadic tribe.’

‘But did I really need to know that?’

“The founder was Kart’s king’s sworn enemy, so I suppose this was inevitable.”

“That’s surprising. I thought you’d find it barbaric.”

‘If you dig deeper, it is barbaric.’

Before founding the empire, the Armenia royal family were the leaders of a semi-nomadic tribe.

They unified the nomadic tribes and seized the opportunity to rise during a period similar to the Warring States Era on the continent.

The Empire was established, but it lacked legitimacy.

To address this, Elfric chose to assimilate the ruling class of the former Kart Kingdom into the semi-nomadic tribes, blending their bloodlines.

Following this, Elfric married into the prominent Arman family, which had historically been tied to the Kart royal family through generations of intermarriage.

The chosen bride from the Arman family was none other than the former Kart Queen.

As part of the agreement, Elfric combined his family name, Phony, with Arman’s to establish the Armenia Imperial Dynasty, under the condition that the former Queen of Kart would become the Empress of the Empire.

Although the kingdom perished, the Queen effectively co-founded the Empire with Elfric.

“In the history of the continent, it’s not uncommon for victors to plunder and assimilate the defeated. If one were to criticize the Empire for this, the same could be said for countless other nations.”

“Indeed. But how did a minority group like the semi-nomadic tribes sustain their dominance for over a thousand years? Typically, unless the ruling minority surpasses the subjugated population in numbers, such a feat would be impossible.”

I chose not to answer.

Even as a maid, her statement felt far too brazen.

It wasn’t a secretive history, but still, it didn’t need to be spoken of lightly.

The semi-nomadic tribes had employed conquered families to commit large-scale massacres, wiping out all the men of certain regions to prevent potential future uprisings.

Over generations, the bloodlines of the semi-nomadic tribes and the conquered peoples merged, forming the current citizens of the Empire.

To think she wanted me to say all this aloud was ridiculous.

‘There’s a limit to playing along with a joke.’

I hadn’t come here to discuss ancient Imperial history.

I came to meet the Emperor.

I looked directly at the maid.

“Hah… Your Majesty. Isn’t it time to drop the act?”

“What are you talking about?”

‘Still going to deny it?’

“I am Ashtar. I’m already aware of how the noble group that dared to lay hands on Your Majesty was annihilated.”

Her reckless behavior as Emperor is baffling, but I didn’t hold back.

The maid clicked her tongue, then smirked.

“Not very amusing.”

“Have you not tested enough? Making me discuss the forbidden truths the Imperial family wishes to erase—what are you trying to achieve?”

These forbidden truths are hardly known, even among the Empire’s elite families.

However, the catastrophic events during the Empire’s founding, tied to the Imperial family, are a topic that can never be openly discussed.

“Let’s be clear: as a Saintess, shouldn’t you have sought an audience with me of your own accord?”

I couldn’t argue with that.

‘The Church is an independent institution. Besides, doesn’t Your Majesty dislike dealing with tedious matters?’

‘Had I approached her first, she would’ve likely told me to get lost. So why summon me now?’

“The prospective daughter-in-law is too boring.”

“Prospective daughter-in-law? I’ve already broken off my engagement with Lord Aslan, and I am now a Saintess.”

As a Saintess, marriage is no longer a concern.

Hearing this, she chuckled bitterly as if disappointed.

“Ah, right. You’re a Saintess now. So, I’m curious. Where does that holy power of yours come from?”

‘Ah, so the Emperor knows about Olivia.’

Although she hadn’t seen me since I’d been enchanted by Lily, it’s unsurprising that the Emperor knows Olivia.

After all, Olivia was once set to marry her son.

I let light radiate from my hand.

“Is this what you’re referring to?”

“Yes, that.”

“I just created it.”

‘Anything can be created if you try hard enough.’

“Is it really that simple?”

“Well, yes.”

‘Even as Emperor, you should know better than to believe something so easily.’

If she doesn’t believe me, she’s free to try mana fusion herself.

Honestly, I wanted to say this out loud, but considering she’s the Emperor, it would’ve been reckless.

This woman’s true thoughts are inscrutable.

‘Who knows?’ She might cut off my head out of spite.

While I wouldn’t die easily, I couldn’t forget that I was from the Ashtar family.

That’s why she wiped out all those nobles—to “legally” execute them under the guise of protecting her own.

“Didn’t you see it with your own eyes? Isn’t that enough?”

“Yes, that will do.”

“I doubt Your Majesty summoned me for something so trivial. What is your true intention?”

‘She wouldn’t have called me here without a reason.’

“Olivia, are you familiar with curses?”

“Are you referring to dark magic?”

“Yes.”

“Has Your Majesty been cursed?”

‘Could she really have been cursed?’

When I asked seriously, she stared at me for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, I have.”

“What kind of curse?”

“A boredom curse.”

“…What?”

‘Is she even serious?’

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m bored. So, as the Saintess, shouldn’t you do something to help?”

The Emperor yawned with a dull expression.

In other words, she was asking me to entertain her.

‘The Emperor of all people? Isn’t she thirty-five or thirty-six now? She’s far too old to be asking for playmates.’

“Are you not simply asking me to entertain you?”

“Ah, caught on, did you?”

“Your Majesty, I am also a student of Atlerina. Shouldn’t I focus on my studies?”

A Saintess is still a student, and there aren’t many duties for a Saintess anyway.

My plan was to focus on my studies.

Although I was concerned about running into Seria, I needed to focus on defeating the Four Heavenly Kings, using the Empire as my base, and dealing with the local nobles.

“For someone so studious, didn’t you completely crush the swordsmanship and archery classes on your first day? Left them paralyzed, didn’t you?”

“That’s because they challenged me first.”

“I heard you excel in swordsmanship, magic, and archery.”

“Well, yes.”

‘There’s no point in denying it. It won’t work on her.’

“Then teach me magic.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to learn from a professor? For example, Atlerina’s Adran?”

Adran could be a suitable teacher for the Emperor.

“Still, wouldn’t a former daughter-in-law be better than a professor?”

“Regardless, I have no intention of marrying Lord Aslan.”

‘Absolutely not. Not in a million years, not even if the world were ending and we were the last two people alive.’

Noah and Olivia share one body.

It’s biologically impossible.

“Seems my son caused you quite the trouble. But don’t worry. I’m asking Olivia Rafa Ashtar, the Saintess, not my prospective daughter-in-law, to teach me magic.”

Her words sounded reasonable enough, but…

‘Why?’

‘Why would the Emperor need to learn magic?’