bookpower Chapter 194 : Chapter 194
Chapter 194 : Chapter 194
What would happen if I stood confidently before the Emperor of the Angla Empire?—Based on that thought, the
…….
Thud—!
A huge door opens. It looks similar to the banquet hall door in my palace, but it's a door twice as large.
As I entered through that door, the empire's knights and vassals stood on both sides, and a long red carpet was stretched out in the middle.
This was also similar to the ‘Crimson Banquet Hall’ in my kingdom.
The sight of the Emperor sitting alone on the dais, looking down, also felt similar to me for some reason.
‘Is this how people feel when they look at me from below the dais?’
I feel a sense of pressure.
I think I understand why the knights and officials bow their heads before me.
The ruler, looking down from the dais with a blank expression, has a weight that makes it difficult for those below to raise their heads.
‘Still… since I decided to be confident.’
I held my head high and looked at the Emperor.
We both said nothing.
We were just having a battle of wills. Considering the precedent of the envoy, it would be proper to greet him first, but I decided not to follow that.
As a king, as if on equal footing.
No, I stared at the Emperor as if I were standing on the same dais.
‘A young whelp, and the king of a small kingdom, staring straight at him must be unpleasant…’
That's natural.
But why was it that the Emperor didn't look displeased?
Rather, he was smiling very faintly. A smile invisible from other angles, a smile only visible to me who was staring straight ahead.
As silence flowed between me and the Emperor.
One of the knights standing to my left spoke in an annoyed voice.
“Does the King of Plank not know the etiquette of an envoy?! What are you doing, raising your head and glaring before the Emperor!”
That knight's words were correct.
It might be better for my own well-being to apologize now and bow my head to the Emperor.
But, I had already decided.
To stand proudly as a king.
So, while still looking at the Emperor, I replied without even glancing at the knight.
“The Emperor himself summoned me, yet a mere knight dares to interrupt.”
“…”
“I heard the Emperor of the Angla Empire was called the ‘Emperor of Iron and Blood’ and thought his prestige was great, but it seems that is not the case, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
As I spoke, that knight trembled and placed his hand on his sword.
He seemed ready to draw it at any moment, but he also seemed to be watching the Emperor's reaction.
Since I had already acted like a clown, I decided to act up one more time.
Because the Emperor was not looking displeased while watching me.
“If you are drawing your sword because your pride is hurt, then draw it as you please. However, I will surely cut you down, so His Majesty the Emperor must lend me a sword.”
“…You will cut me down? A whelp who still has milk on his lips, do you dare know who I am—!”
“Who else. A clumsy fool who interrupted while a master and his guest were trying to speak.”
“I will sear that open mouth shut with a branding iron…!”
Just as the knight was about to finally draw his sword.
“Enough.”
The Emperor said, raising his hand. He spoke nonchalantly, as if with no effort, but his voice had a subtle power.
Is this the voice of an ‘Emperor’?
“I was curious what kind of person the king who a knight I acknowledge serves as master was, but you are an interesting one. First, I apologize. The one who interrupted our conversation is the commander of the Empire's 2nd Knight Order, a knight with great loyalty to me. So please understand that he acted out.”
As the Emperor spoke, all of his knights and vassals looked at the Emperor with surprised eyes.
They all had their eyes wide open in the exact same way.
They seemed quite shocked.
“That being said, it is also true that you insulted my Knight Commander in my land. I would like you to apologize.”
“Understood.”
“You accept immediately? My words asking you to apologize?”
“Yes.”
“…Your words are short. Why is that? Looking at your personality, you seem to be the type who can't stand losing, just like me.”
“I am the type who can't stand losing, but I also clearly have my faults. And did Your Majesty not also apologize to me? If I try to save face here, wouldn't that put Your Majesty in a difficult position?”
“Hoh.”
The Emperor's eyes widened with interest. I looked at the knight who still had his hand on his sword and said.
“I am Leonardo, the King of Plank. I apologize for insulting you just now.”
“Pardon? Ah… yes.”
Clack—.
The knight, the commander of the Emperor’s 2nd Knight Order, spoke reluctantly, but it seemed his mood had improved a bit since I apologized first.
He seemed to be a hot-tempered and simple person.
As the situation settled down a bit, the Emperor asked Jereuth.
“Jereuth, have you been well? You haven't aged a day.”
“It has been a long time, Your Majesty, Emperor of the Angla Empire.”
“Are you married?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, I see. I invited the Plank Kingdom for my birthday this time because I had something important to say to you, Jereuth. However, there is someone more interesting than you.”
The Emperor looked at me again and asked.
“King of Plank, are you married?”
“I am not yet.”
“That pleases me even more. My daughters will be pleased as well.”
My daughters will be pleased… if so.
‘Was the reason the Emperor wanted to summon Jereuth really because he wanted Jereuth's son? To marry him to his daughter?’
I had had a similar conversation with Jereuth while drinking before.
About what the reason might be if the Emperor of the Angla Empire were to summon Jereuth.
At that time, Jereuth had said. If the Emperor were to summon him, it was surely because he wanted to have a son born of his seed.
‘But that… has it become me?’
As I was briefly thinking.
The Emperor spoke in a satisfied voice.
“King of Plank. Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday. And as a sign of my gratitude, I will offer you two things.”
“Two things…?”
“The right to attend the splendid banquet that only those I acknowledge can enter, and the right to participate in the ‘Swordsmanship Grand Tournament,’ the pride of ‘our’ Angla Empire.”
“The banquet is one thing, but may I know what the prize for winning the Swordsmanship Grand Tournament is?”
“Oh, are you aiming for victory? I'm having Jereuth next to you participate as well, you know?”
As the Emperor asked, smiling at Jereuth, Jereuth said in a serious voice.
“I have fought my master a hundred times recently and have not won once.”
As Jereuth spoke, the large conference hall buzzed.
—…Sir Knight Jereuth lost? To that young king?
—He doesn't look that strong on the outside.
—Isn't he just praising his master?
—That could be it.
—But considering he didn't back down from the argument with Knight Commander Daxos earlier…….
“Enough.”
The Emperor raised his hand again to quiet the conference hall.
Then, with a cautious gaze, no, rather… with the gaze of a drug addict looking at the highest quality drug, he spoke to me.
“To the winner of the tournament, I give a different prize each year based on their level. No matter how much of a winner they are, if the level of the tournament is low, I cannot give a good prize.”
“I think that is reasonable.”
“You think like me. Anyway, as for now, considering your level, King of Plank…”
Grin—.
The old Emperor finished his words with a greedy smile.
“I will give you the chance to become my family. If you are truly a knight who surpasses Jereuth, I would rather want it myself.”
***
This was the last of the newly written diary.
‘What should I say… a lot of things happened.’
Compared to when I had conceded to the Emperor, it was definitely a better development.
The Emperor liked me, and I managed to keep my pride intact.
It's just that I wasn't entirely pleased.
‘The Emperor still sees me as someone beneath him. That's why he offered the right to enter the banquet or urged me to participate in the swordsmanship tournament.’
I don't know about the envoys or kings of other kingdoms. Perhaps they would be satisfied and smile just by gaining the Emperor's favor.
But I was different.
‘Even if the empire is influential and actually stronger than the Plank Kingdom… it's not good for the hierarchy to be settled like that.’
Of course, it's natural for a weak country to live while watching the mood of a strong country.
That's the logic of power.
I know that well.
‘However… the Plank Kingdom is not weak.’
It has now disappeared as the content of the
「“He came on a large ship that even the empire does not have.”」 —he said.
The size of a ship does not show everything about a country's military power, but it is certainly an indicator of its technological prowess.
From receiving various reports while building the Griffon Aircraft Carrier, I clearly know that the smaller a ship is, the easier it is to build, and the larger it is, the harder it is to build and maintain.
‘So the conclusion is… I have to go stronger.’
To the extent that the Emperor greets me not from on the dais, but from below it.
It seemed I needed to stage a show of force of that magnitude.
Only then would the Angla Empire not be able to look down on my kingdom, and even after the Emperor's death, they wouldn't dare to covet my kingdom.
‘Since one of my endings was the kingdom's destruction and my death due to an invasion by the Angla Empire, it's right to see the Angla Empire as a potential enemy. As such, it would be better to give a strong impression in advance so they won't attack.’
I made my decision.
All that was left was action.
Ssk—.
I operated the crystal ball to connect to Elly's crystal ball.
No, I was about to, but… Elly wasn't answering.
‘Is she really waiting outside? I told her to wait while resting in her room.’
I got up from my seat, went to the door, opened it, and looked outside.
Elly was really waiting there.
As I opened the door, Elly was slightly startled and came closer.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“I told you to go to your room. Why are you standing here like you're being punished?”
“Hoho… not at all.”
“It’s nothing much, I just need you to prepare for a meeting.”
“Understood. What kind of meeting should I prepare for?”
I said as I went back into my room.
“A full meeting. Call everyone.”
I intended to tell everyone how to act when the envoy arrived soon.
‘Ah, I should also tell them to place the hidden Griffon Aircraft Carrier at the port. To pressure the Angla Empire's envoy right from the port.’
It seemed I could proceed in a similar manner to when the envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago came.
Pressuring them with various performances on the way from the western port to the royal capital.
Of course, I would have to treat the Angla Empire's envoy politely, in my own way.
In my own way.
***
Time flew by, and soon the envoy from the Angla Empire arrived at the royal capital.
From the moment the empire's envoy arrived at the port, I had been putting pressure on him, though not overtly.
Having the Griffon Knights escort him, ‘unnecessarily’ circling the sky.
Asking my Alpha Gryphon to have other Griffons ‘unnecessarily’ screech around the envoy's carriage.
Asking Chomsky to conduct experiments dropping Madans that were ‘unnecessarily powerful in explosion but also dangerous.’
Having Seria’s crows cover the sky to make day look like night.
Besides that, I staged several other shows of force.
As a result, the envoy from the Angla Empire who came to meet me now was—
“Ah, I am Pompeius, the envoy of the Angla Empire. I am pleased to meet the King of the Plank Kingdom. H-His Majesty the Emperor has personally sent a letter, so if you would… please listen, I would be grateful…!”
—completely intimidated like that.
He was watching my reaction, his voice trembling.
My silent war to make the Angla Empire never look down on the Plank Kingdom seemed to have won its first victory.