Chapter 228
The noble who saw him first looked oddly confused.
When Joshua waltzed into the throne room, their faces were awash with surprise and amazement until they recognized him. Upon realizing that the young man was Joshua Sanders, their jealousy and envy turned into fury.
“Who do you think you are, Baron Sanders?” Count Yorik demanded as his mustache bristled. “If you’re going to drag yourself back to the Imperial Palace after all this time, at least do your damned job, knight! How dare you stroll in here?”
Count Yorik’s words seemed to have ignited something within the nobles as they started shouting as well.
“Huh! Just because your name has been going around, you act like you’re above everyone.”
“Everyone here outranks you, Baron, so you’d best watch yourself if you have a decent head between that shoulders of yours.”
“I really can’t believe it! You’re a Master, yes, but there is a hierarchy in Avalon. Be humble! You’re standing under the eaves of the Imperial Palace!”
Joshua stared into the distance longingly while Ash whistled nonchalantly. The scorned baron sighed quietly and began to examine the gathered nobles.
They all hated each other mutually.
After a moment, Joshua’s mouth curled into a smirk.
‘So this is the world of nobles…’
The nobles saw Joshua’s smile.
A hotbed of plots and conspiracies. A friend yesterday could become a traitor today. This was a world where everyone would do anything to get ahead. This was the world of nobles.
Buoyed by his fellow nobles’ support, Count Yorik grinned and raised his voice at Joshua. “Baron Sanders—no, Reserve Battalion Commander! We demand to know why you are here!”
Joshua was only a baron, but the nobles called by the Emperor to this meeting were all deeply connected to the center of power. In addition, the noble with the lowest ranking of them all was still a viscount, but Joshua was just a baron.
At last, Joshua finally spoke, “Is this everyone?”
“Huh?” Count Yorik was befuddled.
“I’m asking because I can’t see the marquises or the dukes, let alone the emperor.”
“...” Count Yorik was dumbfounded. ‘Is he mad? Does he have any idea what he’s saying?’
Furious, Count Yorik said, “Are you saying that they should be waiting here for your arrival and to welcome you?”
“Not really to welcome me, but yeah.”
The jaws of the nobles, including Count Yorik, dropped to the floor.
“This mad fool…!”
“What nonsense are you even talking about?”
“What is this?! Why is a proud Imperial Knight acting like there’s no hierarchy here? You’ve gone too far!”
Joshua was just a baron, so the nobles’ censure could definitely harm him. In addition, politics was a complicated game where one had to tread lightly and carefully if one didn’t want to lose.
“The Sun of Avalon, His Majesty Emperor Marcus, has arrived!”
The herald’s cry interrupted them. The nobles collectively ignored Joshua and bowed their heads at the same time. Of course, the glaring Count Yorik did the same without hesitation.
The Imperial retinue came through the door with an insurmountable momentum.
Each and every one of them was powerful, and together, they formed the strongest force in the Empire. The man leading them looked to be carved from iron, and everyone else trailed behind him like servants.
The Patriarch of the Imperial Family, the iron-blooded ruler, and the craziest, most bloodthirsty monarch since time immemorial. It would be no exaggeration to say that he was the most storied Emperor of Avalon in history. Marcus ben Britten. He was the only person who could silence the highest nobles and greatest knights of Avalon.
“W-We greet Your Majesty the Emperor!”
“Your Majesty!”
The nobles exclaimed at once. However, Emperor Marcus didn’t even spare them a glance. Emperor Marcus looked straight at the young man bowing stiffly in front of the throng.
“Joshua Sanders…”
Duke Agnus was too ashamed to say anything, so he didn’t interrupt Emperor Marcus’ words.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
“How did you get here?”
“I set out as soon as I received your summons, Your Majesty.”
“...”
Impossibly, Emperor Marcus’ unshakeable gaze seemed to waver. However, he wasn’t nearly as impulsive as he seemed because every move of his would always be a part of his plans.
“You see, I heard about the Pontier Family’s crisis a few days ago…”
“It was all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace. However, this great task that Your Majesty has given to me will require many preparations.”
“Oh, a task?” Emperor Marcus titled his head. He couldn’t remember anything of the sort. If Joshua were talking about the Reinhardt Masters’ Battle, then he could just say that he had successfully completed the task rather than having to make preparations.
Joshua bowed apologetically to Emperor Marcus before turning around to look at someone else. “Count Yorik djon Palesman. If my memory is serving me correctly, then I’m sure that I heard you mention my job earlier.”
“...!” Count Yorik trembled at the sudden mention of his name.
“My job is to protect the Empire, the Imperial Palace, and His Majesty. It is also my job to be his Majesty’s sword. I’m certain that my job doesn’t include protecting bastards like you.”
The rest of the nobles had been quietly listening all this while, but they couldn’t help but exclaim in their hearts with wide eyes. ‘This mad fool…!’
“His Majesty the Emperor is the only one who can command the Imperial Knights to his side.” Joshua stared at Count Yorik and saw that the latter was both dumbfounded and nervous.
Seeing that, Joshua continued. “You dare command us like puppets dancing in your palm? You have gone beyond your bounds, along with the rest of your traitorous ilk.”
“Traitors? What are you—”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
The nobles in the throng revealed nervous looks and started discreetly muttering to themselves. Of course, they were still bowing in the direction of His Majesty the Emperor. They were obviously afraid to meet Emperor Marcus’s gaze.
Emperor Marcus stared at Joshua for a moment before asking, “What are you talking about, Joshua Sanders?”
“Your Majesty, in this hall is a traitor who has done great harm to the Empire. Had my efforts gone awry, the Imperial Palace would have been reduced to a sea of fire, and tens of thousands of our people would have died…”
“You…” Emperor Marcus’ eyes widened in understanding. “Are you saying that…”
“Yes.” Joshua nodded lightly and said, “The one who drew the dragon’s ire over Arcadia is among us.”
“What?!” a noble couldn’t help but exclaim. He couldn’t really be blamed. The news was so shocking that the throng of nobles was startled.
Joshua slowly turned to look at the nobles behind Emperor Marcus, and when he found his target, the latter trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.
“Marquis Gehor don Crombell. You took advantage of the territorial war to break an unwritten yet inviolable law, thus angering the dragon.”
“T-that’s…”
Marquis Crombell couldn’t have even imagined that his cards would be revealed in a place like this.
He paid a considerable premium to teleport back to Arcadia, and he spent the entire day doing damage control. He barely managed to prevent Joshua’s real-time broadcast from reaching the other nobles, but it was all for naught.
‘This bastard really can’t keep his mouth shut…!’
Marquis Crombell trembled all over. He opened his mouth and barely managed to squeeze words out of his throat. “I mean, isn’t it settled? A-a hundred million gold as compensation should be more than enough…”
“What does their rightful compensation have to do with this?”
“What I mean is—”
“Don’t make excuses,” Joshua coldly interrupted. “You can tell the whole story while rotting in prison, Marquis Crombell.”
Joshua Sanders was just a baron, but he remained steadfast in the face of many great nobles, and within the confines of the Imperial Palace’s throne room, to boot!
The fact that Joshua Sanders defied the hierarchy of aristocracy for the sake of bringing a criminal to justice made a few nobles emotional. It was a bit embarrassing for them to admit it, but people like Joshua had long become rare, even in Avalon.
“Your Majesty, with your permission, I will take care of the traitor immediately,” said Joshua before bowing with the utmost respect possible.
“You…” Emperor Marcus stared at Joshua, seemingly hesitating and contemplating what order he would give the latter.
However, the nobles had no idea that Emperor Marcus wasn’t hesitating because he was contemplating. He was hesitating because he didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t predict how far Joshua would take advantage of this situation.
“Y-your Majesty…” muttered the nobles.
“Granted.”
“...!” The nobles were shocked when they heard Emperor Marcus’ low voice.
Not each and every noble was aware of this, but most of them knew that Emperor Marcus was Marquis Crombell’s backer.
Emperor Marcus granting Joshua Sanders permission to deal with the ‘traitor’ meant admitting defeat. In other words, Emperor Marcus had just admitted defeat to a young man who had just come of age.
Joshua swept his gaze at the trembling Marquis Crombell before turning toward the door and shouting, “Knights of the 11th and 12th Battalions! Arrest this sinner and a traitor of Avalon, Marquis Gehor don Crombell!”
“Understood!” A large group of knights came pouring in from outside. Their quick arrival meant that they had been waiting for Joshua’s orders.
There was a reason why Joshua also earned the moniker ‘Reaper’ in his past life. It was all because of his modus operandi, which involved catching and releasing his prey before catching them again as soon as his prey thought that they were safe.
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