Chapter 85 – 23. Nobility (3)
“Jung Ji-hoo, Park Min-ho, Min Hye-rin, Seong Ah-young.”
“The above 4 people made a decisive contribution to resolving the ‘Curreal Curse Situation’ that occurred in the Cursreal Earldom 9 days ago. They did not hesitate to act actively for the Empire and its people in the face of a great evil.”
“Their noble courage and the merits of saving the lives of 50,000 citizens of the Empire are worthy of universal praise.”
“Therefore, the above 4 people are sealed with the rank of ‘Honorary Viscount’. In addition, the ‘3rd class military service medal’ is awarded to the above 4 people.”
“Their heroic exploits will remain as a great example in the history of the Empire, and will serve as models for the people of the Empire today and in the future.”
“Emperor, Vincent von Sior Kairos.”
Emperor. Absolute ruler of the empire.
As soon as he finished his declaration, loud applause poured out from the people who filled both sides of the audience room, causing my eardrums to tingle.
Did all the aristocrats of the imperial palace and the imperial capital gather here? The appearance of the audience that can be seen in the gap is not unusual. Their luxurious appearance exudes the atmosphere of the ruling class of the empire to anyone who sees them.
Well, it seems that even those high-ranking people can’t help but get nervous in front of the emperor.
A podium located on the opposite side of the front entrance I entered.
The lofty throne set atop it is undoubtedly the emperor’s.
One floor below that, familiar faces are standing in a row. 1st Prince Porcus, 1st Princess Jennifer, 2nd Princess Soniel, 2nd Prince Dave, and 3rd Princess Amer.
They are not all of the imperial family. Among the emperor’s children, the 3rd prince who was out of sight and those who are still minors do not seem to have come to this place.
Thud!
The protocol aide next to the podium hit the floor once with a thick stick. As instructed beforehand, I quietly lifted my head. The emperor’s handmaids approached the four of us, each holding a medallion.
Pretending to stare blankly in front of me, I studied the faces of the imperial family very carefully.
Wow, looking at it like this, it’s so unique.
There is an exceptionally ugly and fat guy among the respectable people who lack nothing in terms of looks and body.
That is the first prince of Porcus von Cairos.
How the hell did such an inferior guy come from the best bloodline in the empire? If he were not only of the imperial family, he would have been an object of study for genetics.
As if she was ashamed of herself for being among her outwardly proud younger siblings, Porcus’ expression was not bright at all.
Even though he is already ugly, his face, which has become even more ugly because he frowns, naturally evokes feelings of pity.
Of course, Porcus’ displeasure isn’t because of his appearance, but because he doesn’t like the current situation where I’m receiving awards for my achievements. There’s no way he’d look at me kindly for colliding with his underling at the academy entrance banquet a few months ago.
My potential first prince is still in a position that I can’t tamper with, but one day I’ll get a chance to get him out of my life.
‘Later, surely.’
I stopped swearing inwardly, stuck out her neck to her maid, kicked her medallion, and rose slowly from my seat.
Then, along with the other three, they walked out of the audience room, following the ladies-in-waiting.
The higher ups continued to clap until we were all out.
······Everyone seems to have a sore palm.
It seems that nobles also have their own difficulties.
* * *
The next step was an interview with the emperor’s maid of honor, Senri di Henriart.
It is easy to mistake because the clothes they usually wear are similar, but the status of ‘handmaiden’ and ‘maid’ is vastly different. A maid is a type of slave that is the lowest in the caste system, but a handmaid is an elite who is in charge of assisting the master, and is usually one or two ranks lower than the master.
The woman in front of him is the lady-in-waiting of the ‘Emperor’, much less the chief lady-in-waiting in charge of the ladies-in-waiting. It is no coincidence that her surname is ‘Henriart’ of the center, one of the five royal families.
“Everyone, it’s been a while.”
In fact, she is obsessed with me. After awakening our attributes, we received each maid as a gift from the emperor, and the head maid was the one who guided us through the process.
Unlike the first prince, I have no complaints about the emperor. He couldn’t hate it when he only remembered receiving something from him. Moreover, Senri’s humble attitude also affected my crush stack.
Originally, we should bow down in front of her like before, but she vehemently refused. Since we are the guests of the emperor and the main characters of the day, we cannot be greeted by the host.
The goodwill of the emperor and the maid of honor is probably the result of a political calculation to fully embrace us in the bosom of the empire.
This at least works for me. I really like the current empire and caste system. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my dominion and desire, I will always be a citizen of the Empire. He is not very interested in impure ideas such as liberation of slaves or democratic revolution.
······I don’t know what the other kids are like.
I glanced at Park Min-ho, who was sitting next to me.
“I’m here to tell you about the rewards you’ve received.”
After Senri’s maid cleared her throat once, she began to explain.
“You have become ‘Honorary Viscounts’ as of today. ‘Viscounts’ is a rank that is one step higher than baron, the lowest rank among the nobility of the empire. And ‘honor’ means that you can enjoy the rights of nobility only at the time, that is, children It means I can’t pass on the title.”
Apparently, an honorary position is the inferior half of a common title. The limitation of not being able to build one’s own family is a major drawback.
But Senri’s words weren’t over yet.
“But don’t worry. Upon graduating from the academy, you will become a true ‘Viscount’, not an honorable one. You will be one level above the rest of the students who will begin their aristocratic life as ‘Barons’.”
Then I have no problem As of now, there are no plans to drop out of the academy.
“By the way, more than half of the nobles in the current empire are barons.”
Oh, so now we are in the top 50% of the nobles? Although that word stone.
The lady-in-waiting continued to inform us of this and that.
Our family names are set to each of our surnames, and can be changed at any time.
The rights and duties of the Viscount, and how to attend the Viscount’s gathering.
Military service medals are classified according to the influence of merit, the fact that we received the 3rd class because we saved a big city, and so on.
The sentences that came out of her mouth were like heavenly gold to us without exception.
After that, we had time to learn about the life of a nobleman for about an hour.
* * *
What is the word that symbolizes nobility?
Authority? Classes? Droughty? Wealth and luxury? Manor management? An obligation to dedicate yourself to the Empire?
All of the above are correct answers.
But there is one thing not mentioned,
It is the center of aristocratic culture, the ‘banquet’.
Public exchanges between nobles are likely to come and go at banquets. Banquets are indispensable at gatherings of nobles, and at banquets nobles broaden their connections.
In addition, banquets clearly show the characteristics of aristocrats’ wealth and luxury.
The nobles gathered at the Palace of the Sun did not spend their precious time simply decorating our award table.
After studying the nobility, we immediately had time to experience the knowledge firsthand.
The grand ballroom of the palace.
We first greeted the owner of this place.
“The gemstones that will brighten up the empire in the future. It’s the first time I’ve seen you up close like this.”
The emperor was an old man with a lot of gray hair. He is old, but he has aged very nicely and nicely. From him, the dignity of an old man with thick bones in the battlefield and the atmosphere of an intelligent and wise old scholar were exuded from him.
To be honest, the image of a senile politician is hard to come to mind just by looking at his appearance.
“If you have anything you want from the Empire, feel free to tell it through Amer. The Empire will be your home, so I hope you will also sharpen yourself for the Empire.”
Contrary to my expectations, the conversation with the emperor ended in an instant. Did he think it was too much to approach us directly? We moved out of the Emperor’s way to other nobles and started wandering aimlessly.
The banquet has just begun. As we are the main characters of the day, many nobles took an interest in us and talked to us first. My head was a bit dizzy from the overflow of new names and faces, but I tried to memorize them all.
Contrary to the fact that the families and appearances of the people I met for the first time were different, the conversations with them were surprisingly the same as if they were salty.
ㅡAre you thinking of meeting my child?
As attributes are often inherited, we, who are mythical and epic, are very attractive mates. What’s more, since this incident proved the superiority of their attributes, they opened their eyes and proposed to us. How about meeting you once?
Some even brought their own sons and daughters.
I was quite interested. Most of the young ladies were unsavory, but a few that stood out exuded an attractiveness that could often be eaten as a sexual partner.
But the three other than me showed no interest.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m sorry. We’re lovers.”
Whenever that happened, Ayeong clung to Minho’s side and politely declined. Then the nobles immediately agreed and took a step back.
They looked at Hye-rin and me, and each time, without saying a word, I put my arms around Hye-rin’s waist and pulled her toward me. We acted as if we were lovers as well.
Hyerin, who was very embarrassed and shy at first, but as the same pattern continued, she naturally came out and kept pace with her. Thanks to her, I was able to get close to her by touching her a lot this time.
Although it was a bit regrettable, it was a choice without regrets as no woman in this auditorium could reach Hyerin.
Glitter!
Ah-yeong watched Hye-rin and me moving together, her eyes shining. Those eyes seemed to contain the interest of watching a love triangle drama. Maybe it reminded me of wisdom that is not here.
Ayoung doesn’t know. The fact that she, too, will one day be involved in this complicated relationship. I’ve already defiled her once, and she won’t hesitate to go further than that if the opportunity arises.
Of course, it wasn’t just married warriors here.
“Congratulations guys! And thank you. For saving the lives of the people of the Empire.”
“Prince, it’s been a while.”
“Haha, just call me senior. Or call me student council president.”
Dave Von Kairos, 2nd Prince. Currently a third year student at the academy, he gave us a different proposal.
“Would you guys like to join the student council?”
“Student Council… Is that what you mean?”
“Yes. It is the place where the academy’s student policies are devised and enforced. Originally, participation from the second year is the rule, but no one will say anything to you.”
At the same time, he preached all the advantages of the student council.
You can enjoy more power than a student, it is easy to build a network with high-ranking nobles, you get a salary, etc.
It’s a pretty interesting proposition. I know that the third princess of Amer joined the student council, but let’s ask her later.
Suddenly, someone came out and put her arms around Hye-rin’s shoulders.
“Chairman, you can’t do that. These guys are talented people from our security department.”
“Adele.”
“Heroes who fought against monsters to save people’s lives. Wouldn’t their courage be better suited to the peacekeeping department than the student council?”
She then winked at us.
‘No, who are you?’
I managed to suppress the rising doubt.
Adele Griff, Vice-President of the Academy’s Security Department. Like 2nd Prince Dave, she is a senior I met at the academy entrance banquet a few months ago.
Also, her family is ‘Griff of the North’, that is, the royal family.
A situation in which the prince and the princess send love calls to us at the same time.
I could feel our rapidly rising status.
* * *
“After······.”
At the end of the banquet, I went out to the balcony alone to get some cold air.
Today was a really crazy day. My head is dizzy from receiving too much, studying, meeting, and talking.
I want to go back to my room soon. Who are you going to hang out with tonight? Wisdom? Is it Erey? Or all three including Anna? It’s been a while since Iris’ mouth and throat seem to be okay.
But the banquet wasn’t over yet.
I looked up at the blue and red moons that were sticking together and talked to the woman who was probably my last partner for the day.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
She, who had been looking at me pretending not to, then came towards me.
I turned to greet her.
“I would like to offer you a new proposal regarding Ireina.”
Baron Elaine. Scott’s female knight, unlike last time, stood in front of me in a dress suitable for a banquet.
But looking around, Scott was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Scott?”
“Now I am before you as a baron, not as one of his attendants.”
Her bright white hair fluttered lightly in the night breeze.
“Jihoo Jeong, would you like to have a ‘duel’ with me?”
