Chapter 65
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 65
Let’s go back in time a little, to the time when the students of the academy were struggling in the hell called midterms.
“Your Majesty?”
Crown Prince Rufreicht looked at his father in confusion.
“Why are you so surprised? Crown Prince. It’s not strange to want to meet someone who has already been awarded medals by the Princess and then by the Crown Prince.”
“Well, Your Majesty, even so, such a thing has never happened before.”
The Emperor is the master of this vast empire. The father of all his subjects.
As such, no one should dare to confront the Emperor. Especially when it comes to praising merit, it is considered sufficient to send the emperor’s representative.
Of course, it is by no means the intention to disparage Karl’s contributions. He is undoubtedly a clear hero of the empire.
However, in the history of the empire so far, the emperor has rarely called someone to the palace and paid respect in person.
And more than half of those occasions were during the early days of the founding of the empire when there was still extreme chaos.
Above all, the recipients of the medal of honor so far have not been treated to that extent.
It is possible for the emperor to show courtesy to them, of course. They are heroes of the empire. However, the emperor has not shown any special treatment by personally calling them or in similar ways.
‘Care must be taken not to tarnish the essence of the Medal of Honor, which is the honor itself. The recipients of the award were also careful not to damage the reputation of their predecessors and juniors because of them.’
The crown prince continued, thinking that there was no way his father did not know such a fact.
“If there is a need to pay respect, Your Majesty, I will go again. That will do.”
“The prince is right. That’s how it should be. If you overdo it, it will only embarrass that young man, and it would be fair to all the previous recipients of the Medal of Honor, and, above all, it would tarnish the luster of the Medal of Honor.”
“Please forgive my words. Tarnish? That’s inappropriate. Your Majesty is the one who…”
The emperor raised his hand as if to say enough. The crown prince closed his mouth and bowed his head.
“I understand your concern, Prince. I also know it well. A ruler, the more lightly he moves, the more likely he is to convey wrong intentions to his subjects. That could cause confusion.”
“Your Majesty.”
“But, Prince. Can this matter be passed over in silence?”
To that question, the crown prince could not immediately answer and only his lips quivered.
In fact, the answer was already there. It couldn’t be overlooked. That was the answer.
“Hyzens has awarded Karl Adelheit the Legion of Honor.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t expected the elves to award the Legion of Honor.
Since Hyzens called Karl, I expected something. But I didn’t expect it to be the medal, or more importantly, the pride of the Elves.
‘The Legion of Honor. At a time when the elves were not divided, and there was nothing for the empire to gain. Even the population was several times larger than it is now, the most glorious moment. It was given to the leader of the legion they had at that time, something that could truly be called the pride and history of the elves.’
Naturally, it has never been awarded to a human. Nor is it possible to obtain it.
Although the elves have declined considerably compared to the past, they still have their pride.
The same goes for Hyzens, which has a pro-empire orientation. They also view the empire favorably, but they never belittled themselves.
However, in that situation, Hyzens suddenly awarded Karl with the Legion of Honor. They bestowed quite an honor, even considering Karl’s merits.
‘Thanks to that, his status has become even higher. The Legion of Honor of the elves.’
The Empire’s silence in this situation is quite odd.
He’s already been awarded the Medal of Honor twice, but he can’t give the last one to elves.
Perhaps the Emperor’s resolve is also due to the actions of the Hyzens.
“There’s no need to worry, Prince.”
However, the emperor seemed calm as if he had already thought of everything.
“What giving excessive honor to one person can do is only to arouse jealousy among others. Therefore, while giving honor, I will prevent the light from excessively concentrating on that young hero.”
“I would like to ask Your Majesty’s intention once again, if I may.”
At that, the emperor gestured, and soon the Grand Chamberlain presented something to the crown prince.
Accepting it politely, the crown prince sighed, ‘Ah,’ after a while.
“I always thought a moment like this would come at some point. The timing is right, so it would be right to do it.”
As I said that, I pressed my temples to relieve the still slight headache.
As one gets older, even colds don’t go away easily. Perhaps, sooner than I think, I might hand over this position to the crown prince.
* * *
Rattling―
A strange sound made me glance down. It felt like an earthquake in one of my legs. My leg wasn’t my leg. It wasn’t my will to tremble like this. It’s just shaking uncontrollably.
‘Emperor. Emperor. Emperor!!’
It’s extremely rare for the emperor to personally summon a subject to the palace.
At most, it’s dukes who are the pinnacle of imperial nobility, and very occasionally marquises or imperial counts.
Other than that, meeting a representative of the imperial family is all there is.
But I’m neither a duke nor a marquis or an imperial count. Leaving that aside, I’m not even a titled noble.
I am a recipient of the Medal of Honor, but am I the only one in the history of the Empire to have received it? No, I am not.
All of the previous recipients have been treated as heroes, but I’ve never heard of the Emperor personally summoning the recipient to the palace to meet them face-to-face after receiving the medal.
It’s none other than the emperor. Not the first princess or the crown prince. The emperor, the pinnacle of this empire.
While my father sincerely assists the emperor, and I also have that in mind, he’s a figure at the center of power no matter what. If he suddenly calls, there’s no way not to be scared.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
Of course, it couldn’t be. If there was, would it be that I’m just overzealous with patriotism?
Everything I’ve done so far has been for the benefit of the empire and the imperial family. There’s nothing to criticize.
…Yet, the reason I’m shaking like this is because I, as a mere nobleman, have been summoned by the emperor. It’s only natural.
“Sir Karl Adelheit. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Unlike before, there was a thorough inspection of the imperial knights. Even if you are a Medal of Honor recipient, you are on your way to see the Emperor and no one else.
Although they seemed apologetic every time they searched me, I didn’t mind. They were just doing their job, and I, as a nobleman, have an obligation to be loyal to the imperial family.
“This way.”
With each step, it felt like my breath was being choked. Even though it’s not my first time in the palace.
I thought if the crown prince could just show his face once, it would ease this tension a bit.
“Your Majesty. Karl Adelheit, son of Count Friedrich, has arrived.”
The chamberlain, who had been traveling with me, spoke in a polite tone.
Immediately afterward, I heard a voice on the other side of the door, a voice that sounded both calm and harsh at the same time.
“Come in.”
After quietly taking a deep breath at the gesture of the chamberlain, I moved forward. Then, I kneeled down and raised my manners just like everyone who had met the emperor before.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor. Karl Adelheit, son of Count Friedrich, has received Your Majesty’s summons.”
“I finally get to see the young talent of the empire. Come a little closer.”
Should I crawl over? I thought for a moment. But it didn’t seem appropriate, so I rose briefly, took a few more steps forward, and kneeled down again.
“Raise your head and look at me.”
“H-humbly at your service, Your Majesty.”
Very cautiously, I lifted my head and looked at the emperor before me.
The first thing I noticed was his white hair and deep wrinkles.
It made me realize that even the owner of this vast empire is not immune to the passage of time.
“You are indeed the son of Count Friedrich. You have the youthful look of your father. He, too, was a loyal servant of the empire. If the Adelheit family had been there from the beginning, the chaos in the empire would have been a little less.”
“It is a great honor, Your Majesty.”
He’s smiling, but I’m not sure if he’s really smiling. I’ve heard that those who play politics are not what they seem, and the Emperor at the center of it all is even more so!
“I see that your face is full of worry, you must be very surprised by this sudden turn of events.”
“I apologize, your majesty.”
“No, no. It’s only natural. It is a burden that I called upon even though I knew it. Karl Adelheit, the eldest son of Count Friedrich. I hope you understand.”
It’s absurd, really. I pleaded for him to retract his statement, but the emperor waved his hand.
“I summoned you here because there’s something I want to discuss. Where should I start? Ah, yes. I want to invite you to the New Year’s Eve ceremony.”
“I would be honored.”
“It’s not just a simple New Year’s Eve ceremony. This New Year’s Eve ceremony is a little different from the previous ones.”
Different from before? What does that mean?
“For this New Year’s Eve ceremony, I plan to invite all of the Empire’s Medal of Honor recipients. Heroes who bravely stepped forward to defend the Empire so long ago. All of them, once again, will be called upon and honored. And you will be their representative.”
The Emperor’s finger slowly points to me.
“Karl Adelheit. I intend to promote you.”
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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