Chapter 116
After several months of civil war, the Prares Empire welcomed a new Emperor.
Once the places devastated by the civil war had been restored, the very first thing carried out was the Emperor’s coronation ceremony. Since it was being declared that the revolution had succeeded, the proclamation itself held significant meaning.
Considering the times, Raymond urged that the ceremony be held simply. Although it became the most modest coronation ceremony among all past Emperors, its prestige was higher than ever before.
His cloak fluttered as he strode across the red carpet. As he confidently advanced toward the platform where the High Priest was waiting, everyone held their breath in anticipation of welcoming the new Emperor, even though the surroundings were filled with people.
When Raymond knelt on one knee, the High Priest placed the imperial crown upon his head.
“With this, I hereby proclaim that Raymond Luslo has become the new Emperor.”
The moment the High Priest’s declaration fell, the Imperial Palace, which had been as silent as a dead mouse, erupted into cheers. Not only inside the palace but also the citizens gathered outside welcomed the new Emperor with resounding voices.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
Receiving the outpouring of congratulations, Raymond rose from his seat and waved to his people in response.
As the sun of the new Empire rose, the Prares Empire entered an entirely different phase than before.
The citizens were thrilled with anticipation for the new Emperor. The Luslo Grand Duke’s house had enjoyed a good reputation since the time of the previous Grand Duke, and the happiness index of the Grand Duke’s territory was markedly higher than that of other territories in the Empire.
Living up to their expectations, Raymond began reforming the outdated and corrupt systems. He opened the imperial granaries to care for the starving, returned lands that nobles had forcibly taken from the people, and freed those who had been unjustly imprisoned or enslaved due to poverty.
“All of this was brought about by the people’s earnest wishes.”
Melas placed both hands over his chest, wearing a deeply moved expression. Having assisted Raymond as his right-hand man for many years, he was appointed Chief Chamberlain.
It was Raymond who rejected Melas’s request to return to his hometown and rest after all his hardships. Looking straight at Melas with an impassioned voice, he had shouted, “You are the Chief Chamberlain!” They said he grabbed him, demanding to know how he could think of running away while leaving him alone in a pit of work.
Though Melas claimed with words that he was tired, the corners of his mouth were raised so high they nearly touched his cheekbones. Despite what he said, it seemed he had hoped Raymond would stop him.
Most of Raymond’s subordinates, including Neverrest, returned to their territories. Since their lovers or families were there, they wished to go back home. Though reluctant, Raymond permitted it. He then appointed Evan as Chief Aide, and Eden, Drew, and Chloe as aides.
Evan, who handled matters calmly and rationally, seemed the right person for the position of Chief Aide. However, Drew could not hide his disappointment at the fact that Eden was an aide alongside him.
“Aide. Speaking humanely, shouldn’t Eden be excluded?”
“Ah, here we go again. Just because I’m not good at martial arts doesn’t mean I can’t handle documents, you know?”
Eden flared up in protest, but only ended up providing evidence against himself.
“You make mistakes often.”
“You made one earlier too. That makes it three already just today, right?”
“What? Did I…? Hahahaha.”
Eden rubbed the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh. He tried to smooth it over with laughter, but the atmosphere only turned colder.
“Hahaha. Let’s drink our fill today!”
“Wahaha!”
Jetren and Nad shouted as they raised their beer mugs high.
After the revolution succeeded, the Night Watch members held their own festival, drinking heavily every single day.
Having fulfilled their long-cherished wish for revenge, the Night Watch openly established their base in Ferment. Whereas they had previously moved only in the dark underground as information brokers, they now shifted their stage of activity to the bright surface. They revealed themselves as information brokers and decided to operate simultaneously as a mercenary group. Whether an openly acknowledged information broker would have much merit was uncertain, but one thing was clear—they planned to run wild freely as mercenaries.
In the end, although they did not achieve sole success in the request to deal with Kyle, they were satisfied simply with receiving 100 denai, which was 10 percent of the contract fee.
“I’ll be back!”
“Please take good care of yourself, Navien.”
The Marchioness of the Run family wiped away tears with a white handkerchief as she saw her daughter off onto the carriage.
In accordance with her promise to Raymond, Navien set off to study design abroad. Fortunately, the kingdom she wished to go to had nothing to do with this civil war, so she was able to depart safely.
Persuaded—almost like an order—by Raymond, the Marquis and Marchioness had no choice but to support their daughter’s wishes. The wholehearted backing of the newly crowned Emperor and Navien’s firm determination to study ultimately moved their hearts.
“Oppa. Don’t cause any trouble, got it?”
“You’re nagging even as you’re leaving?”
Adrien shrugged as if she were incorrigible.
“Stay healthy. Write often.”
“Okay.”
The siblings, who always bickered, held hands. They let go after about three seconds, but even that brief contact revealed the unspoken trust and affection between them.
“Navien. Study hard and come back.”
“Unni. I’ll be back.”
Navien waved energetically as she boarded the carriage. Her bright smile looked happier than ever before.
Before long, the Run family was set to rise in rank from Marquis to Duke in recognition of their contribution to the revolution. It had been promised that the title would be formally granted when Adrien became the head of the family.
The Magic Tower stood tall and dignified.
White clouds hung upon its cylindrical body that pierced the sky. From the topmost floor, the gentle voice of the room’s owner drifted out.
“Niyan. I believe it is time for me to step down.”
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Shandalf spoke softly. In contrast to his quiet tone, Niyan’s loud voice burst out in protest.
“Tower Master. I am still too young to lead the Magic Tower.”
“And I am old. Through this incident, I realized that you possess more than enough qualities to follow the right path, Niyan.”
“Tower Master.”
“Niyan. I will entrust the Magic Tower to you.”
There was no use trying to argue with someone who had already made up their mind—especially if that person belonged to the mage race, known for their strong convictions and stubbornness.
Seeing Niyan remain silent without rebuttal, Shandalf took it as a sign of acceptance. To deliver the final count punch, he added one more remark.
“Do not worry. When you become Tower Master, I will become Elder Tower Master and help you.”
“Then it would hardly be any different from now, would it?”
“As an elder, I’ll serve for three years and then retire. I, too, wish to free myself from troublesome matters and enjoy the rest of my life leisurely.”
As Shandalf gently stroked his gray beard, Niyan flared up in protest.
“Ha. Are you saying you’ll slip away comfortably on your own now?”
“Hey. Try working your guts out for thirty years. Wouldn’t you miss freedom? Huh?”
“I prefer freedom even now!”
“You’re still green. You should be working—what do you mean playing around?”
As Niyan raised his aura, Shandalf responded in kind.
Rumble.
As the momentum of the two rose, a tremor ran through the entire Magic Tower. The lower floors stirred.
“There they go again.”
“They claim to get along well, yet they fight every time.”
The mages who had been immersed in their research clicked their tongues or shook their heads.
Meanwhile, after wrapping up my work simply, I stopped by home.
“Aileen!”
The moment I passed through the ducal gates, my parents ran over and embraced me.
“You must have been very worried, right? I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s enough that you’ve returned healthy like this.”
Mother said as she stroked my back. The wrinkles that had deepened on her face showed just how much she had suffered in worry.
After our reunion, we went up to the drawing room and chatted. My parents explained everything that had happened in detail. After I disappeared, Kyle had completely surrounded the ducal residence under the pretext of investigating the kidnapping case. It had been extremely inconvenient, as even the servants were inspected and interfered with whenever they went out to purchase goods. He had intended to keep watch and catch them if they tried to contact me.
“You’ve suffered so much.”
“Not at all. We felt rather guilty for having to remain still.”
My upright parents had never been on Kyle’s side to begin with. Even during the reign of the former Emperor, when they sided with Crown Prince Kyle, it had been in opposition to tyranny. They felt deeply upset that, due to the surveillance, they ultimately could not help the revolution.
In the midst of conversation, Father clenched his fist and struck the table. Then he revealed all the excitement he had kept hidden until now.
“By the way, to steal the hearts of two men—our daughter’s charm is truly remarkable, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. She’ll end up becoming Empress after all. Hohoho.”
Mother responded gracefully with laughter to Father’s praise.
“Of course, she takes after me, so she’s extraordinary.”
“What are you saying? She takes after me.”
But the two began arguing over which of them I resembled. As their voices grew louder, I had no choice but to mediate.
“Excuse me. Father? Mother?”
“Oh, yes, Aileen.”
“What do you think?”
As soon as I opened my mouth, the baton was passed to me. It worked out well. Seizing the moment, I told the truth.
“I resemble both of you. Just look at my hair and eyes.”
“Oh my, that’s right?”
“Of course. She has my adorable pink hair and her mother’s calm green eyes.”
“My daughter is so wise as well. Hohoho.”
The atmosphere turned warm once more. As my parents burst into laughter, I joined in between them and laughed together.
