“Just like us?”
“Do you know how this country was founded?”
Amyu nodded timidly in response to the emperor’s question. “It was founded by an ordinary citizen who ascended.”
“Precisely. That citizen and their allies banded together against the demon threat, won independence from the rulers of the time, and founded their own nation. That nation was the Urdwight Empire. Of course, it started as a kingdom, not an empire.” Like a teacher giving a lesson, the emperor continued. “Most of the nobles who now govern the land are descendants of the rulers of kingdoms and territories once annexed by the empire—kings, tribal chiefs, or even bandit leaders. The self-righteousness they display is due in no small part to that lineage.”
“Really?”
“But the emperor and his family are different. We began as nothing more than ordinary citizens. Since we have a history of overthrowing the ancestors of the nobles, there is some justification for ruling over them. However, there is no such justification for us to extend that rule to the people. After all, we rose from among them and merely became those who stand at the forefront.” The emperor let out a small chuckle.
“When the emperor two generations before me was in power, that awareness was still strong among the citizens. People would come all the way to the imperial palace to make their appeals. Some of them even shouted—at the emperor! I was still very young at the time, but I remember well how the shouts echoed outside the audience chamber, and the weary look on my grandfather’s face. It made me feel that being emperor must be an arduous duty indeed.”
At some point, our nervousness had completely dissipated. Even Yifa had stopped shaking and was listening intently to the emperor’s story.
“So there’s no need to humble yourself. In fact, I should probably be the nervous one. After all, I have the Hero of legend standing before me.” The emperor’s smile drew a listless sigh out of Amyu. “I’m sure you must be quite skilled with magic and the sword.”
“Not really. There are a lot of people stronger than me out there.”
“Hmm. Well, I can’t possibly fathom the world of the strong. The imperial family and nobility are said to be blessed with magic power, but the truth of the matter is that those who can handle it well are few and far between. I doubt I could stand up to even the weakest of monsters,” the emperor said, his calm smile still on his face. “I’m fortunate to be living in a time of peace, with little threat presented by the demons. Having said that, as the Hero, I must wonder if you find yourself with more strength than you know what to do with.”
“Your Majesty,” I interjected. I got the feeling things were headed in an unfavorable direction. “Forgive my impertinence, but may I first ask what judgment awaits Amyu, and by extension, us?”
Yifa and Mabel looked at me in shock. They probably hadn’t expected me to broach the subject deliberately.
A year and a half ago, Amyu had escaped from confinement in the imperial palace. The charge of her killing a demon envoy had been fabricated, but she had nonetheless broken free from the dungeon. It wasn’t something the empire could simply sweep under the rug.
Of course, we had no reason to bring it up ourselves. It was better for us if they let it slide, so it would’ve been smart to remain silent until the emperor said something about it. I had brought it up despite that because I was getting an increasingly bad feeling. The emperor had avoided mentioning every important topic I had expected him to discuss. Speaking from my experiences in my past life, it typically ended poorly when rulers behaved in such a manner.
“Judgment?” Tilting his head slightly, the emperor repeated my words back at me. “Oh, you mean that. It was an unfortunate situation for you all as well,” the emperor said as though he had only just remembered. “Fear not, we’re well aware there was no demon envoy. Amyu’s crime was nothing more than a pretense to restrain her. Hans—excuse me, Marquess Greville viewed the Hero’s strength as a threat, and acted rashly in the interests of the country. I’m deeply sorry.”
I silently listened to the emperor’s apology.
“As a result, you all had to endure unnecessary hardship. Life away from the academy must have been difficult. The three of you were originally Amyu’s schoolmates, weren’t you? On behalf of the empire, I thank you for supporting humanity’s savior, the Hero. In truth, I had planned on having her released after the assembly met the next day. I could have used my authority to set her free that very day, but it was already night, and I wanted Hans to take responsibility before the assembly. That was why I asked you to endure for one night. I never expected things to turn out the way they did.” The emperor let out a short sigh and gave Amyu a look of concern. “Were you all right?”
“Yes,” Amyu answered with a firm nod. “All the shaking warped the bars, which let me escape. There were a lot of people collapsed outside, and the gate was gone, so I figured there was some kind of emergency and immediately ran.”
We planned out how Amyu would respond to questions about her escape beforehand, as the subject was all but guaranteed to come up. We also made sure there were no contradictions with Fiona’s cover story.
“I’m glad you were unharmed.” The emperor smiled. The circumstances of her escape should have been vital information, yet he seemed utterly unconcerned. “There is something I would like to ask—did you happen to see the perpetrator behind the attack?”
“No...”
“I see. The attack on the palace is said to have been carried out by a powerful demon, but we have no idea what it truly was. While none of the soldiers who fought it were killed, for some reason, they all lost their memories of the encounter. The most we have is testimony from someone who glimpsed the figure from afar, saying it was of a small build. I had hoped you might have seen it yourself. That’s too bad.”
Contrary to his words, there wasn’t any hint of disappointment in the emperor’s voice. It was fortunate that he hadn’t discovered my identity, but my bad feeling was only growing.
“Though we live in a time of peace, the world is not without conflict,” the emperor said with a sigh. “The very fact that the empire still maintains hundreds of thousands of troops shows that violence is indispensable to a nation. Violence protects the peace.” The emperor continued as if engaging in casual conversation. “On that note, Amyu, as the one who stands at the forefront of the people, I would like to make a request of you.”
“Huh? Me?” Amyu blinked in confusion.
I immediately realized that this was the real purpose for our audience, and why the emperor had summoned Amyu.
“I would like you to quell the revolt that has occurred in the west.” The emperor’s tone made it sound as though he were asking something as simple as running an errand to the neighbor’s house. I couldn’t help but grit my teeth. “Using your power as the Hero.”
It seemed we were getting dragged into something more troublesome than expected.