Chapter 261: Interlude – The Empress’s Reward (1)
After my brief encounter with Khalid Han, I headed straight back to the Hero Academy. Camellia had said she was staying in the academy. Attended by many children of high-ranking figures from the three nations, the academy naturally had accommodations prepared for visiting dignitaries as well. And if the guest was Empress Camellia, she would undoubtedly have been given the most luxurious room available among the faculty dormitories, for she was the greatest of dignitaries, one without equal.
A heavy sigh slipped out between my lips. The weight of having to report this failure to none other than the Empress herself pressed down on my chest. This was probably the first time I had screwed up so badly since regressing. In my previous life, everything I touched had gone wrong as a matter of course. But after regressing, things had gone smoothly, almost too smoothly, until now.
“Ugh!”
Anyway, the water had already been spilled. I couldn’t do anything about it now. However, it was not like I had come back empty-handed. While I wouldn’t get a reward, I probably wouldn’t be punished either. With that thought in mind, I knocked on the door.
Camellia’s voice came from inside. “Enter.”
I slowly opened the door only to see her in an unexpected pose. Empress Camellia lay languidly across a long sofa reminiscent of the kind used in the imperial palace. She wore a thin dress that could easily pass for nightwear, paired with white stockings, and gazed at me with her signature lazy smile.
“Did you resolve the matter well?” she asked.
This atmosphere felt a little odd. Her attire wasn’t that different from what she wore in the palace, so that alone wasn’t strange. But the dim lighting, the scented candles placed around the room, the expensive-looking liquor bottle on the shelf, and even the two crystal glasses set beside it felt odd. This was practically a victory celebration. She looked like she had already assumed success and was prepared to raise a celebratory toast. Empress Camellia had prepared a reward with a bright smile on her face, never once considering the possibility that I might fail the task she gave me.
She continued, “Heh. There’s no need to even ask. If it’s you, you must have handled it perfectly.”
That made it even harder for me to say that I had messed everything up. “Uh!”
Damn it. She’s the one who jumped the gun, so why do I feel embarrassed?
Seeing me hesitate, she asked, “Hm? Why aren’t you answering?”
“Well, um...” Avoiding her gaze, I spoke in a small, almost creeping voice. “I failed.”
“What?”
“I failed... Completely.”
An awkward silence settled over the room. Empress Camellia stared at me, her eyes widened in disbelief. “You failed? Does that mean Khalid Han wasn’t the traitor?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hm. But that alone hardly qualifies as a failure, does it?”
If she had been certain Khalid was a traitor to begin with, she wouldn’t have handed me a dagger meant to verify the blessing and sent me to ambush him. It was regrettable that we hadn’t uncovered anything concrete, but a wrong hypothesis alone wasn’t enough to call it a failure.
I looked at her. “And...”
“And?”
“My identity was exposed. And also that you were the one behind this operation, Your Majesty.”
Camellia’s expression stiffened slightly. Not only had my identity been revealed, but the fact that she had suspected a fellow Master and ordered an attack had also come to light.
She finally said, “That... certainly qualifies as a failure.”
“I apologize.”
“No. A subordinate’s mistake is ultimately the ruler’s mistake. This is not your fault.”
Setting aside the question of when exactly Camellia had become my ruler, I replied, “But I did manage to obtain some useful information.”
“Oh? Go on.”
I relayed everything I had learned from Khalid to her.
Camellia let out a low exclamation, clearly astonished. “I see! Khalid Han is the son of the Prophet of Eternity?”
“According to him.”
“Hm. And what do you think?”
“He didn’t seem to be lying.”
More accurately, he had no reason to lie. Revealing blood ties to the Prophet of Eternity would bring Khalid no benefit whatsoever.
“Very well. If that is how you saw it, then I will believe it.”
“Is it really all right to trust him so easily?” I asked.
“Heh. Would you prefer that I doubt him?”
“No, that’s not what I meant, but...”
I hadn’t expected her to show me the same trust as before, even after I had botched the job this badly. Camellia struck me as the type who would ruthlessly cut down a subordinate who made a mistake, not forgive them so generously. People said that even the Empire’s highest nobles would lower their heads and scarcely dare to breathe in her presence.
“This is a bit unexpected,” I said.
“What is?”
“From what I have heard before, Your Majesty, you are extremely strict when it comes to rewards and punishments.”
“Hm. That depends on the situation and the person.” With a languid smile, Camellia continued, “I show no mercy to those who make mistakes because they are blinded by their own ambition. But you are not like them, are you?”
The boundless trust in Empress Camellia’s gaze only made my thoughts grow more tangled.
She continued, “And besides, is it really something that deserves to be called a mistake?”
“Pardon?”
“What I asked of you was to find out whether there was a traitor among the Masters. And according to Khalid Han, at the very least, there is no traitor among the Masters themselves. By that measure, couldn’t this be considered a success instead?”
That was true. Simply confirming that no traitor existed among the Masters alone was already a significant result.
“Well... Even so, won’t this incident make things awkward between Khalid Han and Your Majesty?” I asked.
From Khalid’s perspective, he had learned that the Empress openly suspected him. It would be hard for him to harbor any positive feelings after that.
“Hmph. What does it matter if my relationship with a mere drunkard grows distant? If anything, I feel refreshed.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Indeed. There’s nothing to worry about. Ah!” Camellia let out a small exclamation, then subtly averted her gaze and turned her head. “O-on second thought, perhaps it is a bit of a problem.”
What was that about? She had just said she felt refreshed.
I stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“No matter how improper his conduct may be, a Master is still a Master. Being in a situation where we might as well be sworn enemies, can one really say that’s nothing?”
“Well, given Khalid’s personality, I doubt it’ll go as far as becoming sworn enemies.”
“Therefore!” She clenched her fist tightly. Her eyes sparkled like stars. “You shall take responsibility and fill Khalid Han’s vacant position.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
Fill Khalid’s position?
“Heh. If relations with one Master become strained, isn’t the solution simply to grow closer to another Master instead?”
“But I’m not a Master.”
“Ahem. In terms of sheer ability, haven’t you already surpassed the level of most Masters by a wide margin?”
“But still...”
“And as for influence, when one considers the members of your party, you are in no way inferior to the other Masters.” Empress Camellia continued, the corners of her lips lifting into a sly smile, “The Saintess of the Holy Empire; the future Sword of the Holy Empire; the successor of the Sun Sword Style; the grandson of Lionel Ryu, the Thunder God; the genius mage who claimed top rank this year by surpassing Meteor Spear Aaron Baek; and even the daughter of the Archbishop of Frost. Ah, come to think of it, the Cursed-Eye Spider is also your lover, so she counts as part of your party as well, does she not?”
“Well...”
“With that much backing, isn’t it more than enough to be called a Master-level force?” she asked.
Just as Camellia said, even if it wasn’t large in number, my party was composed of individuals strong enough to easily claim a leadership position in any other faction on their own.
Camellia looked at me with a bright, beaming smile. “Heh. So, take responsibility, and from now on, grow even closer to me.”
I finally understood her angle. To think she would resort to such petty, no, shrewd, pressure. But despite her tricks, it was true that my actions had caused a rift between the Masters.
Letting out a deep sigh, I nodded. “Understood. From now on, I’ll interact more frequently with you, Your Majesty.”
“H-heh. Hehehe! Uhehehehe.”
“Your Majesty?”
“A-ah, ahem. I-if that is your will, it cannot be helped. I shall accept your proposal.” With a deep smile on her lips, Camellia smoothly rose from the sofa she had been reclining on. “Then it is time to grant your reward.”
“Reward?”
A reward? After botching the assignment so thoroughly, what reward could I possibly receive?
She continued, “Even if it wasn’t a perfectly clean success, didn’t you uncover the most important matter? Whether or not there was a traitor among the Masters?”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
“Heh. Then it is only fitting that a ruler grant a reward commensurate with the achievement.”
If Camellia herself insisted on giving one, there was no reason to refuse. But I wondered what the reward could be. The last time, it had been the Seven-Colored Stone and the Emperor’s Blessing. A summoning stone that allowed me to summon the Empress once, anytime, anywhere, and an elixir said to be reserved for only the Empire’s Imperial Family—I had received such outrageous treasures back then, so my heart couldn’t help but flutter at what she might give me this time.
Even if the reward was not on the same level as last time, since the one giving it was the same Empress, I did have some expectations. After all, there was no way the Empress would prepare some half-baked reward.
Camellia smiled. “Heh. You look excited.”
“Ah, w-well.”
“Do not worry. I have already prepared the finest reward just for you.”
“Even better than the Seven-Colored Stone or the Emperor’s Blessing?”
“Tsk! Those paltry things are not even worth comparing. I shall now grant you the promised reward. Come closer to me.”
Just what on earth had she prepared to build it up this much? Nodding, I approached Camellia, who was seated on the sofa.
“Kneel,” she suddenly said.
“Pardon?”
“Do you intend to receive the Empress’s reward while standing tall?”
“Ah, yes.”
Kneeling at this moment? Something about this felt off, but I still knelt on one knee and bowed my head.
“Heh. Good.”
With a deep smile on her lips, Camellia slowly removed the white stockings she was wearing. The flickering light of the scented candles illuminated her now bare, snow-white legs.
She extended her long leg toward me, her pale, bare foot swaying gently near my lips. “Now, then, lick it.”
“Excuse me?”
Lick what?