Chapter 158 – 39. The Only Hope (6)
I was the Empire’s only hope.
Kidnapped princess. Nobles who disappeared together. And the monsters that fled above the clouds.
The empire, which had not yet conquered the sky, had no choice but to rely entirely on me who could fly.
I designed it to be so, and Iris put it into practice.
It was to overturn the political situation that was trying to pursue and punish me.
Now, the imperial family can’t punish me until I leave. The fact that the imperial capital was attacked defenselessly and the princess was taken away from the imperial palace was known to the whole world, and she lost face. Is the hero who solved this situation single-handedly a sex offender?
It is like taking away the dignity of the imperial family.
Even if clear evidence of my charges had come out, I would have had no choice but to cover it up.
Even I was in a relationship with the 2nd princess, and the inspector investigating this case became on my side before I knew it.
What the empire needs to do in the future is to raise the atmosphere that me and the summoners are the hope of the empire, and to prepare for the future invasion of the demon realm and increase the military power to take revenge.
‘Everything goes according to plan.’
In fact, there was only one uneasy factor in this plan.
It is said that the imperial family possessed several divine objects.
The legacy of Empress Kairos, which only the emperor could know and demonstrate specific performance, was an unknown territory that I could not access yet.
What if the attack on the ecliptic is easily blocked with divine water? What if the kidnapping of the princess fails? Perhaps Iris, the executor, would be seriously injured.
I harbored a bit of anxiety, but the divine object did not appear this time.
Should I be happy or should I be sad? There is a need to grasp the power of divine beings. Surprisingly, since they are the work of the [Beauty] Goddess, they may be insignificant in front of the [Heaven] Attribute.
Anyway.
After dressing in a neat formal attire, I headed to the ‘Palace of the Sun’, the center of the imperial palace.
Today was a happy rewarding day.
The emperor’s great egg scene.
Unlike most audience rooms, it is an auditorium that is so huge that an entire building can easily fit into it.
There, almost all nobles from the imperial capital and nearby territories had gathered and were seated on both sides. In addition, the knights and magicians guarding this place, as well as the maids of the imperial palace, were waiting immobilized in various places.
They all stood on their own two legs. Neither the elderly duke nor the pregnant woman with a baby were exceptions.
The only ones allowed to sit in this space were members of the royal family on the podium and the emperor on the throne.
I knelt down and bowed my head toward the steep steps and the throne above them.
“Reward! Honorary Viscount after suspension! He has done a great job in rescuing the 4 princesses and 23 nobles of the Empire from demons in the underworld and defending against the invasion of the zodiac, so he will give you the next reward.”
The solemn voice of one of the emperor’s maids resonated throughout the auditorium. Everyone was silent, paying attention to her mouth.
“First, the 2nd class military service medal!”
In the past, I received a 3rd class military service medal along with Hyerin, Minho, and Ahyoung for saving the capital of Count Curreal.
The 2nd class was an insignia one step higher than this, and was normally an award corresponding to kingdom-level achievements.
This incident occurred not in an ordinary big city, but in the heart of the empire, the ecliptic, and the shocking facts that a noble princess almost died, not an ordinary person, became the justification for me to be awarded the second class instead of the third class.
“Second, the bounty!”
It was a considerable amount. An amount that commoners cannot even look at in their lifetime. How many replacement houses are there?
The more money, the better.
Most of the nobles watching in a polite manner widened their eyes at the news of the medal, and nodded their heads at the talk of the bounty, saying it was worth it.
However, in the third content, many people had no choice but to doubt both ears.
“Lastly, the third, after stopping, tell the honorary viscount the reward he wants right now, right here and now.”
Unexpected ‘wish’! This is a very rare scene. In a way, it is the best reward for granting one wish of the target.
And from the point of view of the imperial family, it is a price that is difficult to overdo. The current situation is that the emperor has summoned all the aristocrats he can call, and boasts that he will grant your wishes. So, no matter what the target asks for, you must do it whenever you can. This is because it is directly related to the dignity of the imperial family.
If the rewarder speaks nonsense, it is an immediate catastrophe.
Of course, in the vast majority of cases, the parties negotiate and decide in advance what they wish for.
So, my answer was pre-determined.
While everyone is paying attention to my mouth,
“I hope for the restoration of the Rothline family.”
I went through with the script.
There was a quiet but disconcerting hum on either side.
Rossline is the countess where Ireina was born. It collapsed and disappeared along with the third prince’s faction a few years ago. I summoned a family from the past that no longer existed out of the blue into the middle of the political world.
This is to clear up my suspicions of sex crimes.
From now on, the imperial family will not reveal my charges, and even Serena, the inspectorate, has become my slave, but someone in the empire will still remember in a corner of their head, ‘There was such a suspicion about Jeong Ji-hoo’.
You can’t do that.
I do not allow one speck of dust on my honor.
To this end, I deny the basis of my charges in front of everyone.
There was no way that a brute who was threatening female nobles because of her master-servant relationship with Ireina could not wish for the freedom and liberation of Ireina herself.
I will be an example of showing mercy to even a mere maid.
“Is it Rossline? It’s from the maid I gave you as a gift.”
After hearing my ‘wish’, the emperor also spat out a certain word.
“Since it is a family that has collapsed due to corruption, it is a step down. Also, since the only member is non-attribute, it is an honorary status. ‘Honorary Viscount of the Ross Line’. Are you satisfied with this?”
“The castle is ruined.”
With this, Ireina has now become ‘Honorary Viscount Ireina Rothline’.
Of course, nothing would change in my subservient relationship with her.
“This is not enough to praise all your credit.”
The emperor continued.
“Now that you have an honorary viscount, I will upgrade your status from honorary viscount to honorary count.”
With the emperor’s extravagant reward, the quiet buzz in the gallery grew to the limit of imperial court etiquette.
Because the difference between a count and a viscount is enormous.
Generally, counts and above are classified as high-ranking nobles, and those below viscounts are classified as low-ranking nobles.
Therefore, a new high-ranking noble family in the Empire had just been born here. The political world and the social world were about to be shaken. The commotion around them was understandable.
However, it was still too early to panic.
“Honorary Countess after cessation, you are the treasure of the Empire. Self-sacrifice and heroic feats for the cause. Your benevolence, even caring for her maidservants. And even your unwavering loyalty to the Empire and the Imperial Family. I liked you. .”
While most of the nobles could not fathom the emperor’s intentions, a shocking bomb hit the aristocracy of the empire.
“So, why don’t you marry my daughter, Soniel?”
“!!!!”
Truly a silent clamor.
There was no disturbance because it was in the palace of the emperor, in front of the emperor.
Some doubt their ears, some open their mouths wide, and some remain expressionless in astonishment,
Only Scott Brista was still engulfed in the shock of Jeong Ji-hoo’s ‘wish’, separated from others and unable to wake up.
Ireina… Has been released…?
Why······?
Then I…?
* * *
Scott Brista is still an academy student and a prospective aristocrat, so he originally couldn’t be on the field. However, he earnestly asked his father, the head of the household, to attend the event as a ‘representative count’.
In order to grasp the situation of the enemy of life, Jeong Ji-hoo.
He was so pitiful It was as if the whole world was forcing himself to be beaten.
‘Why now!’
The imperial capital was attacked, and his plans were thwarted by his rescue of the princess.
He thought everything was perfect. Since the will of a very high person was reflected, Ji-Hoo Jeong also thought that he would not be able to go against it.
But out of nowhere monsters ruined it all.
Jeong Ji-hoo became a hero and swept all kinds of rewards,
The long-awaited liberation of Ireina’s slaves was also accomplished. However, not with his own hands, but with the heinous stop, unintentionally.
‘Why······?’
Scott couldn’t understand.
Jung Ji-hoo was a villain. Ireina was a victim who was captured and suffered by the monster, and she herself was a hero who defeated evil and saved people.
It had to be.
This must have been a story of a hero killing the demon king and living happily alone with the kidnapped princess.
‘Why······?’
Scott trudged along the streets of the ecliptic. It was a devastating feeling. He was immersed in dark thoughts all the time, not even knowing where he was heading.
After a stop is evil.
There was no way he would release Ireina smoothly.
Yes, this was his deception. Everyone was fooled by him. Something sinister was evident.
‘I have to stop it!’
He himself is not quite sure of its purpose yet, but if he continues to ponder it, as he does now, he will know it himself.
Because he is the hero of Ireina.
Because it is his role to defeat the Demon King.
As Scott roamed the city, his delusions continued to stretch.
In front of him, the back of a woman suddenly appeared.
Short stature, slender limbs, red hair.
“Uh, Ireina…?”
For a moment he thought it was a dream.
Ireina, unable to hear his voice, entered the dark back alleys of the imperial capital. Scott hurriedly chased after her, calling out the name he nostalgicly missed.
“Ireina!!! Stop!! It’s me, it’s me! Scott!!”
A chase that started suddenly. Scott started running with all his might, but Ireina was also surprisingly fast. The distance between them showed no signs of closing.
Still, Scott didn’t give up.
As long as he could face Ireina again, hear her cute voice, and hold her soft hand, he could do anything.
Even if he were to sacrifice his life to the devil—for sure.
Eventually, somewhere deep in the shadows of the ecliptic.
Ireina finally stopped in front of a dead end wall. Scott exclaimed, breathing heavily.
“Ireina!! Ha, ha, let’s get out! It’s dangerous here because of the vagrants. Let’s go to my mansion! I’ll protect you!!”
She still shows him only the back of her head.
Scott took a slow step forward.
I wanted to see Ireina’s face for the first time in a while.
She was right in front of her eyes.
But.
Tuk-
“Uh······?”
When she had only one step left to reach her,
There was a big shock to the nape of his neck.
“No······.”
Scott slumped to the floor and slowly closed his eyes.
His gaze was on her until the very end,
Ireina never showed her face.
