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My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 188

#188

imperial palace (2)

The 5th Princess Palace located on one side of the imperial palace area.

It was natural to say hello to your parents if you returned home after a long time, and to the landlord if you visited someone else's house..

However, if the other person was the emperor of the empire, even that would not end with a simple greeting..

In that sense, a luncheon with complicated procedures and strict etiquette was bound to be a cumbersome and frustrating event for those who were not familiar with it..

“Sigh, I just hate that kind of position. I want to eat comfortably. Should I go too??”

And in the warrior party, Harley, the manly barbarian warrior, was just such a case..

“Umm···.”

“definitely a bit···.”

Not only Isea, who had been with him for quite a long time, but even Riley, who had only accompanied him briefly, nodded seriously..

The wild image of him eating griffin meat was still vivid in my mind..

From his personality to his words and actions to his fashion, he was so unconventional that he was completely unsuitable for formal occasions..

“···In fact, it wouldn’t matter if only the saint went as a representative. I hate to say this, but the three of us, excluding the saint, feel like we're on the sidelines..”

Isea, who exchanged glances with Riley for a moment, lightly shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking as if it was no big deal..

“Because our circumstances are different from the irreplaceable saint. Still, it's okay to completely ignore him, so I feel like I'm treating him out of respect for the saint..”

Also, unlike the other two, who were at least aristocrats, Harley, who was a complete brute, lacked the so-called 'class'..

If it weren't for his background as a member of a death squad, he probably wouldn't have been able to enter the imperial palace at all..

“Oh, then I'll leave too..”

Geos, who had been quiet at her words, intervened as if he had been waiting..

Although he was also a noble of the Kingdom of Lesque, he was secretly ostracized because he was from a commoner background, so he was not used to this kind of position..

He was so indifferent to politics that he didn't even meet his country's king that often..

Of course, Hesperon, which just happened to come along, was not covered in the first place..

“Then can we eat in peace? To be honest, I was curious about what the imperial palace chef's skills would be like, but it turned out well! Hahahaha!”

“Yes, I will inform my palace’s personal chef. So you can eat the way you want.”

In the end, it was decided that only Heinrich, Riley, and Isea would attend the luncheon with the emperor..

And while they were away for preparations, Harley and Hesperon naturally approached Geos and had a pleasant conversation..

“Now— shall we go too? What does the meat eaten in the imperial family taste like??”

“oh! It's my first time in this world eating high-end cuisine, so I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, I took out a lot of things using my abilities, but.”

“Now that I think about it, your brother said he came from another world.?”

“That's right. But you can speak freely, brother! Just call me Heron. Oh, can I call you brother??”

“Hahahaha—! Are you a cool friend? So let's do it, Heron.!”

“Wow, I feel very reassured that I get to serve such a wonderful brother.!”

Two people talking excitedly, giving and receiving from each other.

If you look at the reality, it was no different from a skit where one person plays brother and younger brother, but on the outside, he looked completely normal without any discomfort..

“Oh, Geos, please feel free to call me Heron. Hey, I'm glad I met good people as soon as I got out of here. Hahaha!”

“···Okay, Mr. Heron..”

And of course, the reason they looked like this was entirely due to Zios Calkin sitting right next to them..

‘First, I'll have to make him and Hesperon a little closer..’

Before moving from the Duchy of Rohan to here, there were words he carefully spoke to Henry..

Among my acquaintances, there is someone who has revealed himself to be from another world, so maybe I can get some information from him..

‘From what I heard, it sounds like he's been in this world for at least 20 years. Assuming that is true... is this a settler who gave up on returning?.’

settler.

This term refers to those who have given up on collecting karma points and returning, and are completely stuck in another world.···.

This was a path sometimes chosen by those who had no particular attachment to Earth but became more attached to it..

Of course, he only came into contact with them indirectly..

In some ways, this can be said to be a good opportunity to meet the person in person and obtain information..

‘As an Earthling who has just crossed over to this world. In that sense, it is best if a close friend, Geos, introduces Hesperon directly..’

Of course, if it were Heinrich, it wouldn't be that difficult to face him, but wouldn't the range of questions you could ask as an awakened person from Earth be on a different level from what you could say as a saint from another world??

“Come on, let's not stay like this and let's all go eat some meat together! The belly skin will stick to my back, really!”

“Hahaha! Brother, it’s been less than two hours since you ate meat for a snack earlier. Oh, Geos, please come quickly too.!”

Regardless of time and place, eating together is the best way to build friendships..

Harley, a rough and fierce barbarian man, and Hesperon, a tactless and naive young man, walked majestically into the restaurant..

In the meantime, with Geos following along with a nervous look on his face..

***

The current emperor of the empire, Gario Carte Azerion..

Now close to sixty, he was a man with faded blond hair and intense light green eyes who looked more like a military commander than a scholar..

“Thank you for your hard work in coming this far. I knew very well that you worked hard to protect the world, but it is shameless to say hello to you now. And this time, you even saved Princess Riley..”

“no. Doesn't everyone in the world know that the Emperor is busy? It is also more important than anything else to keep the great empire steady during this tribulation..”

Of course, a luncheon with the emperor of the Azerion Empire, the greatest power of Outerica, and the saint of the main church could not have been just a meal..

It's a bit less so now that Heinrich is the leader of the organization rather than the representative of the church. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to even think about meals due to the suffocating tension..

‘Ugh—should I have just fallen for it too? I participated because I thought I could be of some help to Riley... How are you supposed to eat in this atmosphere?!’

Of course, the current conditions were not very good for eating..

Ise-ah sighed inwardly and glanced at her surroundings, gnawing at the silverware..

I wasn't in the mood to eat anything right now, but I couldn't just sit there by myself while everyone else was eating normally..

“Viscount Isea Pristine.”

At that moment, her body became rigid..

Although I didn't do anything wrong, I was momentarily taken aback by the emperor's sudden call while I was very nervous..

But that time was only a moment.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please state.”

She used to be an ordinary girl on Earth, but now she is a great wizard who goes beyond extremes and knocks on the wall of transcendence..

The tension up until now was only due to her ego as 'high school girl Lee Se-ah', but when the situation actually came, she calmed down and was able to observe the situation from a step back..

“The situation is moving so quickly that I am finally able to speak up. Thanks to the Viscount's actions, our empire also stood up. Once the situation is somewhat resolved, there will be good news for the Viscount soon. So please continue to take good care of me..”

It was referring to joining the hero's party as a saint's companion and being active..

Although I had no choice but to step forward to save Riley, there was no need to turn down the offer of praise and reward..

“I salute you, Your Majesty. He just did what he had to do.”

The emperor nodded slightly at her humble words, then his gaze returned to Riley..

His always solemn expression wavered for a moment when he looked at her, but he regained his composure in an instant and spoke calmly to her as if nothing had happened..

“It's good that you're back now, Princess Riley. She's had a hard time.”

“···Thank you, Your Majesty..”

“But there is one thing I want to ask you.···.”

A conversation that feels too stiff to be exchanged between a father and daughter who haven't seen each other in a long time..

It wasn't just because it was a public place, they talked naturally as if they were used to it..

The question the emperor asked was one that naturally made everyone wonder..

The question was how she was able to escape ‘alone’..

‘It's definitely a problem that can't be easily overcome. Because this is a case that is difficult to understand..’

Heinrich internally agreed and slowly moved the knife to cut the steak..

If it hadn't been a saint who saved the princess this time, she wouldn't have found her place as easily as she did now..

In fact, even now, because of the saint's prestige, she cannot come forward openly, and her political opponents are spreading all kinds of rumors..

From the claim that she was a fake transformed into a princess, to the concern that she was planning to unleash the fatal curse hidden in her body in the midst of the leadership, to the conviction that Riley had already been brainwashed and became a stooge of the Immortal King..

All of them were speculations based on the assumption that Hans had released her on purpose..

“The reason I was able to escape was entirely thanks to the ability of another person who was trapped with me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have even dreamed of escaping. I was just lucky to be next to him.”

Then she began to talk about the situation in a calm voice..

The crown prince, who has been unable to communicate with her since being imprisoned, a man with special abilities who appears in the midst of this, continued magic education, and a sudden appearance of hope..

Of course, I intentionally left out the conflict with the crown prince at the end..

There was no need to leave room for confusion by even mentioning that part..

“Hmm—.”

As the story ended with the crisis that occurred immediately after escaping from the immortal castle and the sudden appearance of the saint who saved them, the emperor fell into a heavy sigh and quietly closed his eyes..

I wondered if it was possible, but listening to what she said, there was almost no chance that the crown prince could escape in the same way..

I didn't think I could use it in reverse..

Princess Riley's escape was a complex combination of many factors and was filled with all sorts of coincidences and luck..

A weak possibility that is generally impossible and in some ways even feels artificial..

But since it actually happened, it was something that couldn't be denied..

Coincidence becomes necessity, and a probability so small that it seems impossible becomes reality..

···We usually call it 'fate'.

Sigh—

The emperor slowly opened his closed eyes and turned his gaze back to Henry..

“···Come to think of it, the second continental summit is not far away..”

“That's right. There's less than two weeks left.”

1Unlike the tea meeting, he was busy with the warrior party, but he was consistently receiving news from the church..

There is also a rumor that the saint is being divided again because of that incident..

“We will send 5th Princess Riley as the representative of the delegation of the Azerion Empire..”

The emperor spoke in a calm tone..

In a situation where Prince Simon and Princess Riley were kidnapped, this was the position that the 2nd and 6th princes were aiming for while fighting each other.···.

It was meaningless now that she was back..

‘at las···!’

Riley and Isea clenched their fists at the same time..

Although he was only a representative of a delegation, these were the words spoken by the emperor himself in the presence of the saint of the main religious order..

It is natural that there is more meaning than just the meaning of the sentence..

Riley's War, which had been a temporary truce, resumed and immediately began laying waste to the rivals' camps..