“Brought two tagalongs, did you? What’s on your mind, Saintess?”
“Tagalongs? They’re my friends, actually. I find it unpleasant for you to refer to them like that.”
Estelle frowned as she responded casually to the Holy Emperor’s remark.
“Hmm? You seem different somehow.”
Even though Estelle had always spoken her mind, she had never once gone against the Holy Emperor’s wishes. But now, she seemed more defiant than usual, and it felt like she wouldn’t do as she was told if asked.
“People are bound to change. Naturally, it all depends on who you spend your time with.”
To the Holy Emperor, Estelle was someone who would say whatever was on her mind but always cowered in fear. Yet the Estelle standing before him now wasn’t cowering at all, nor did she seem afraid. If anything, she acted as if she found all this bothersome. It made him marvel at how much she had changed in just a few months.
“Have you fallen for someone, Saintess?”
The Holy Emperor believed that a person changes most drastically when they come to like someone else. He himself was someone whose first love from childhood had reshaped much of who he was.
“You didn’t seem interested in women, so is it the man who came with you?”
Estelle hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to answer, but in truth, there was nothing to agonize over.
“Yes. But you’d best not get any ideas. Even you, Your Holiness, wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”
Of course, if a war broke out, it wouldn’t be a mere one-on-one matter. But when it came to a personal confrontation, Estelle was certain Theo would never lose.
“So he’s that strong, huh? Now I’m interested.”
When the Holy Emperor gave a sly, snake-like chuckle and voiced his curiosity, Estelle’s face twisted in obvious distaste.
“That perverted streak of yours is the same as ever.”
Publicly, the Holy Emperor was known to be incredibly kind and gentle, but underneath it all lay a deeply perverse side. If someone was stronger than he was, he simply had to test himself against them. He had a compulsive need to fight until it was settled.
“No matter how many times you charge in, you won’t win this time. Give it up.”
After a brief moment of deliberation, Estelle spoke. Normally, she would say such things to protect someone she cared about, but this time her words carried genuine concern for the Holy Emperor. She was utterly convinced that, no matter how powerful the Holy Emperor might be, he couldn’t defeat Theo.
“Bring them both. I’m too curious to let this slide.”
“You’re not even listening when I say you’ll lose.”
“You can’t know until you try, Saintess. Besides, one of them is the Crown Princess of that Empire; I would have to extend my greetings, don’t you think?”
When Estelle had left for the Ermunt Empire of her own accord, the Emperor there had sent Crown Princess Iris, at least in name, to greet her. When he remembered that, the Holy Emperor also felt obliged to greet the Crown Princess now that she was in the Holy Empire.
“Fine, do whatever you like. I’m not taking responsibility.”
From Estelle’s attitude, there wasn’t the slightest hint that she was worried about Theo. Which only made the Holy Emperor even more curious. Usually, when something is dear to you, you want to protect it at all costs, but apparently, he was so strong that she felt no need to fret.
“I can’t wait.”
The Holy Emperor who loved this sort of thing flashed a bright grin after Estelle left. It was the same smile that all citizens of the empire recognized and praised as kind and benevolent.
***
“So that’s how it turned out. His Holiness said he wants to greet you both. Would that be all right?”
Estelle, who had gone to inform the Holy Emperor of our situation, came back with the unexpected news that he now wished to greet us.
Ah, well, that made sense. Even though we had technically entered illegally, the Holy Empire would still need to welcome Iris and greet her, just as the Ermunt Empire had welcomed the Saintess.
I roughly understood that.
But then, why me…?
“It’s understandable if he wants to see Iris, but it’s surprising he also wants to see me. I’m just an ordinary commoner.”
“Actually, His Holiness seems more interested in… you, Sir Theo.”
Huh? He’s interested in me? Well, I’m not really interested in men.
“I’m not really interested in men.”
“…Um, I believe His Holiness is the same way.”
“It was a joke, Estelle.”
“Ah, really? I see! It’s so funny!”
It wasn’t funny at all.
I give an awkward smile back to Estelle who was forcing a laugh as if she really did find it funny.
“I wonder why he’s so interested in the first place. Has Sir Theo’s reputation already spread all the way to the Holy Empire?”
I mean, I don’t have much of a reputation to begin with, so what’s there to spread to the Holy Empire?
“His Holiness has some… unusual tendencies. He can’t stand it if someone is stronger than him; he has to figure out a way to outdo them.”
“It seems nonsensical that I’d be stronger than His Holiness when we’ve never even sparred.”
I’ve never fought him or tested our abilities. How would anyone prove I’m stronger than the Holy Emperor?
“…I’m sorry. I think I may have spoken out of turn.”
Ah, so Estelle must have said something that implied I was stronger than the Holy Emperor.
Then he heard it, assumed it was true, and got curious enough to call me in for a test…or something along those lines.
“Goodness, Estelle. How could you cause such trouble for Sir Theo?”
Iris immediately started scolding Estelle, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Hey, Iris. Stop, stop. It’s fine. These things happen.”
Seeing Estelle’s expression grow sad, I quickly stepped in between them.
These two were always one step away from a bad ending whenever they got the chance.
[The Achievement ‘Troublemaker Tsk Tsk’ has been recorded.]
See? If I hadn’t intervened, we’d be heading straight for a bad ending by now.
Seriously, I can’t let these two be alone together. Ugh.
“Well, we’ve come this far, so let’s go see him and say hello.”
To be honest, I was a little curious about how the Holy Emperor looked.
In the game, he was only ever labeled with a question mark, with no illustrations, so I was all the more curious about his appearance.
He has never shown his face at any official events in Ermunt, and the Holy Empire’s technology, like the Internet, was not quite as advanced as Ermunt’s, so you wouldn’t find any pictures of him on the forums. This only added to the mystery.
“Yes, I’ll show you the way.”
Following Estelle, we arrived at the Holy Emperor’s office which wasn’t too far away.
“Your Holiness, we’re coming in.”
I seemed to be the only one taken aback by Estelle’s confident way of flinging the door open without so much as a proper knock.
When I saw Iris following Estelle inside without any particular reaction, I wondered if all imperial members were like this…?
“Oh, so you’re the Crown Princess of Ermunt. I look forward to working with you, Crown Princess. Welcome to the Holy Empire.”
As I slowly followed behind Estelle and Iris, the face of the Holy Emperor who had been shrouded in mystery all this time finally came into view.
Even though he surely had little to do with Estelle, the two of them resembled each other so closely in both appearance and aura that one might have believed they were family.
He was an extraordinarily handsome man, and I couldn’t help thinking that if Estelle had been male, she might have had exactly that sort of look and presence.
“I am Iris Luasa Ermunt, the Crown Princess of Ermunt. First, let me apologize for making an unofficial visit.”
Iris offered an apology and a greeting at the same time.
“No need. Our Saintess often caused similar trouble, so it’s nothing. Ah, and the person behind you must be Estelle’s…”
“Friend.”
Estelle cut the Holy Emperor off mid-sentence and glared at him fiercely as she declared me her friend.
Uh, well, that was true. We were friends, after all.
“I see. A friend of the Saintess.”
It was hard to tell why he was suppressing a laugh, but after all, he was the highest authority in the Holy Empire.
I bowed my head to greet him first.
“My name is Theo. I’d like to apologize for entering the country without permission.”
I also offered an apology for, in effect, sneaking into the empire.
“No need. It’s perfectly understandable, considering you’re friends of the Saintess. It would be nice if you could stay longer now that you’re here in the Holy Empire, but… since all three of you are students at the Academy, I suppose that’s not possible.”
He already knew we had a packed schedule of just one day, not even an overnight stay, and he looked disappointed.
“It would have been wonderful if you could have stayed longer and taught me a thing or two.”
Taught him what, exactly?
Was he out of his mind?
“Haha, if anything, I’d be the one learning from Your Holiness, not the other way around.”
“You’re far too humble for someone who calls themselves the Saintess’s friend. Then again, being humble is never a bad thing.”
“So, are you telling me I’m being rude in a roundabout way?”
“No, I’m not hinting at it; I’m saying it outright. Saintess.”
They really seemed to get on each other’s nerves, yet it also didn’t look entirely hostile.
Maybe the fact that Estelle was so good at talking back made it feel that way.
“In any case, if the opportunity arises next time, I hope you can stay longer and show me more of your abilities. How about all of you visit again during summer break?”
Before I knew it, we received an official invitation from the Holy Emperor for a summer break visit. Perhaps he intended to keep us around so he could properly gauge our skills.
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