As I stepped into the audience chamber, Emperor Gilzerius awaited me on the throne, just like our previous encounter.
“Hey there.” The plain man gave me an equally plain greeting. “Good work. I know you just got back, so I apologize for making you come all the way to the palace.”
“It’s all right,” I responded briefly. “What business do you have with me?”
“I wanted to thank you, of course. You did well. Though I made the request of the Hero Amyu, I’m told your contributions were particularly noteworthy. Sorry for making you clean up after my son,” he added entirely casually.
“So you knew it was him,” I replied, my eyes locked on the emperor.
“I could hardly call myself the emperor if I didn’t.” The awkward smile on Gilzerius’s face was the type one could find on any ordinary citizen. “I had a general idea what he was aiming for, so I deliberately let the military’s deployment drag on. I didn’t know what sort of trap he had set to turn the soldiers into undead. I do feel bad for keeping quiet, but I hope you understand why I couldn’t inform you all. In the end, it didn’t change what I needed you to do.”
Devoid of any threat or even vigor, the emperor revealed the intent behind his actions. “I’m very pleased with your results. You all truly did an excellent job. I’ll be able to keep my promise to Lugale now. Ah, pardon me,” the emperor said, noticing my confusion. “I make it a point to call anyone I have even a minor personal relationship with by their given name rather than their family name. It does tend to raise eyebrows. Lugale is Marquess Daramat. I promised him I would have Tenend’s bridges restored.”
“The bridges?”
“They were built more than three centuries ago, so they were quite aged. The mage who constructed them certainly made something incredible, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much thought put into their maintenance or repair. Both bridges were beyond fixing, so Lugale was at a loss as to what to do. Frankly, it’s already impressive that they lasted three hundred years.”
“Ah, I get it.” I had thought he meant rebuilding the bridges because they had been destroyed, but it seemed they had been deteriorating long before that. If they were going to be rebuilt anyway, then the timing of this incident had been rather fortunate. “That’s good. I don’t know much about governing, but I imagine that the treasury will be more willing to allocate funds if it’s said to be going to reconstruction...” My words trailed off, and a powerful sense of unease welled up inside me.
He said he had promised to restore the bridges. How was the emperor planning on doing that? As the ruler of a powerful empire, he no doubt possessed considerable wealth, but there was no way he could personally finance the construction of bridges that large. On the other hand, using the treasury’s funds would require the approval of the assembly. They would never authorize such a large expenditure for a single noble’s territory—unless it was under the guise of reconstruction after wartime damage.
Yet there was an even more fundamental question. Fiona had said that Marquess Daramat, once a prominent figure in the first prince’s faction, had suddenly defected to the emperor’s faction last year. That incident was what had set this entire chain of events in motion. What had prompted him to defect?
“Truth be told, I was actually hoping you would destroy those old bridges, Seika,” the emperor said, resting his chin on his hand like it was a casual conversation.
I was shocked. “Did you have a secret agreement with Marquess Daramat that you would use the empire’s funds to rebuild the bridges if he left the first prince’s faction?”
That would change the meaning behind everything that had happened. Hiltzel’s fury had been because of Marquess Daramat’s defection. But what if that defection occurred because of a secret deal with the emperor? What if that deal had been made fully expecting Hiltzel’s actions?
“Did you...” My words caught in my throat. “Did you plan all this?!”
“No, no, you give me too much credit. Human intentions aren’t so easily bent to one person’s will,” the emperor said, his expression as ordinary as ever. “Restoring the bridge was but one of many promises I made to Lugale. His change in allegiance was merely a side effect. I also asked him for more material favors, though I don’t imagine you’ll ever learn what those were.”
I stood there frozen as the emperor continued.
“There were some miscalculations as well. I certainly didn’t expect the number of undead to swell to such an extent. I knew my son was keeping an interesting pet, but I couldn’t possibly have anticipated the scale. Heh heh, Lugale must have been shocked as well. All he did was make an agreement to rebuild the bridges. He had no idea what he was getting into. Still, things more or less went as I hoped they would.”
“You...” I forced the words out. “That was what you wanted? You really think sacrificing all those lives to fulfill a secret deal was serving the empire?” I knew he was no fool. I could feel it. He hadn’t been driven mad by the results of divination or chasing after a woman, nor was he the type to let greed drive him to make poor decisions. That was what made it so incomprehensible.
“Yes.” The emperor nodded, completely unbothered. “The agreement I made with Lugale, and even this revolt, all served a purpose.”
“What purpose is worth all those sacrifices?!”
“Are you aware that the number of children being born in the capital has been decreasing?” the emperor asked.
I had no idea what he was talking about. Seeing my silence, the emperor continued.