A room in the Imperial Castle. I was summoned to a room in the imperial castle, and there were all the people who had been my guards. It's been a busy day.
I hear there are many nobles in Zebrudia's guard. I'm probably the least well-born person in the room.

Franz stiffened for a moment at the sight of me, and then said in disgust.

'You've come a long way. Have a seat. ...... Krei Andrich...... don't tell me you're always dressed like that?'


From the moment the call came, I felt like a prisoner awaiting execution. It was inevitable that I would resort to a 'comfortable vacation'.

There is a ...... emperor. I just barely swallowed the words that were about to come out. It's just too impolite.

The room I was summoned to was sturdy and solid, as if to symbolize Zebrudia, and although there were few luxurious ornaments, there was an air that naturally made me want to straighten my back. The person sitting at the far end of the room was undoubtedly the greatest person in the country, the Emperor.

Perhaps it's just that I don't know him, but there is no such thing as a normal call to the Emperor. It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything that might help you.

Emperor, are you free?

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

'Well, no matter. The reason I summoned you this time is--'

Then His Majesty opened his mouth.

'Look, Franz. This is not an audience, there's no need to make formalities. I'll speak directly.'

His gaze shifts from Franz to me.

I've been thinking, Your Majesty, aren't you being too frank? Don't keep popping in and out. Emperor, are you free?

Now, why was I summoned? Did they find out what Citri did? I'm sure they found out. I wonder if he'd forgive me if I got down on my knees. No?

I checked and it seems that Citri, for some reason, hasn't trained the princess.
The only thing he did was a blood test, and he didn't have time to do anything else. Apparently, he was very interested in the royal blood.

According to Citri, he squeezed as much as he could. It would have been difficult to make Her Imperial Highness the strongest with only a few days of training, but I wanted her to at least show an attitude of training.
It's a bad habit of hers to lose control of things that stimulate her curiosity.

Now, what to do? ...... I've been trying to think of an excuse, but there is no excuse.

I've been thinking of excuses for a long time, but there are no excuses. I feel like a carp on a chopping block, and His Majesty opens his mouth gravely.







'Thank you very much for your hard work in escorting me the other day. There were a lot of headaches, but there's no one as skilled as ...... Stopping Water . I'd say the crisis is over for the time being.



......? ............? That's not what I was expecting. ....... How could I possibly be the first to thank the man I was about to execute?
I blink my eyes and look at His Majesty and Franz.

'Also, thank you for your help in training Murina.

!

I said quickly.

'That's a waste of words, Your Majesty. We didn't have much time, so we didn't do much.


I'm really sorry for squeezing the blood out of you. I'm really sorry about my people. but weren't there other guards? Isn't it bad that you didn't stop them?
I gently checked but I couldn't see Her Highness Princess Murina in the room. His Majesty, perhaps noticing my gesture, nodded in a pompous manner.


'Murina is under instruction in swordsmanship. She has seldom asked for anything of herself in the past, but it seems she has changed her mind about something.'

'She looks so devilish that ...... it's almost worrisome. Your Majesty.'

Franz-san says with an expression that doesn't add up.
I'm sure he'll change his mind after having his blood drained for days on end. I didn't see the training, but it seems that even if there was nothing wrong with his life, there was something wrong with other parts of him.

'Neither Murina nor the people around her would talk about the details of the training, but it sounds like it was intense.

She said, making a solemn expression so as not to pull a face at His Majesty who didn't know that her daughter's blood had been drained.

'No ordinary person could have endured that. It's only by your own strength.

'Hahaha ......, he said he never wants to take it again.

That's great, Citri. You're the only one who's ever thanked me for squeezing the blood out of him!

'Once will be enough. Your Highness has already changed. ...... You'll be able to wipe out the disasters that come your way.

I took the opportunity to lift Her Imperial Highness up and try to make it all go away.
His Majesty nodded humbly at my words of sincerity.

'I'll take that as an honest compliment, my dear. And by the way, you didn't give me a reward for my training.

What? That's great, Citri. You're the only one who can squeeze blood out of me and get paid for it!
You're the only one who can milk me for blood! His expression remains stern, but perhaps this is just ...... plain.

I'll take an additional reward. Make any offer you wish.'

'That's ...... unnecessary, Your Majesty. The training for His Highness Murina is something I offered myself--I've already received enough.

You've already had enough-- blood as a reward!
Even the most impudent of me can't be rewarded for training I haven't even begun. In fact, if I did, I'd be in trouble if something happened to me.

If you insist, please give me 'True Tears'.

It's not just training. It's true that fighting off the foxes and the planting of trees in Toaizant also worked in our favor at the talks. Even if you take into account the fact that the airship fell, you can't match it with a piece of carpet.

That's great, me. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. It's also a coincidence that anything can happen at any time with the planting of trees.



'I did all this on my own. If you're going to give a reward, you should give it to Franz-san who has been putting himself on the line for His Highness Murina.''

'? Stop it. His Majesty has said he will give you a reward, and it would be impolite not to accept it.

I really don't understand the world of the nobles. If you must, give me the Tears of Truth.

'But I don't want wealth. Nor position or honor.

I remembered what Ark had said before about the Rodin family rewarding you with a knighthood every time something happened, and added this for the record.
I'm generally satisfied with what I'm doing now. It would be perfect if I could retire, but that would be beyond the power of the emperor to manage.

I said to Hardboiled at the end.

'They corrupt the soul.

'As Gladys told me, you are a humble man. It could be construed as condescension, but ...... well, ...... if you don't need wealth, position, or honor, you're in trouble. The only thing left is power, which you already have if you are level 8.

Power,....... In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to use it to buy a lot of things.

Please give me Tears of Truth or an honest carpet.

Then, Franz, who had been thinking with a subtle expression on his face, opened his mouth.

'If you don't want wealth or honor, or if you don't want ............, your Majesty, why don't you give us the ticket?

The ticket ......?
At Franz's words, His Majesty's eyes widened and he gave a small snort.

'Ah, the "Martial Emperor Festival" ......, it's true that I still have some left over, but it's a little light to give as a reward ......'.

That was an unexpected turn of events. But it might be good.

The Martial Emperor Festival is one of the world's leading martial arts tournaments. As the name suggests, famous warriors from all over the world gather to fight for the title of the world's strongest - the Martial Emperor.
It may sound a bit ostentatious, but not only swordsmen but also mages participate in the event, making it a flashy and popular event. The participants include famous swordsmen, mages, and treasure hunters, and it is not uncommon for people to die.
The winner receives a cash prize and tremendous honor, and the list of past winners includes many famous heroes.

However, tickets to the tournament are coveted by the nobility and even by treasure hunters who love the word "strongest," and are platinum tickets that can only be obtained through thick connections.

I'm a semi-retired treasure hunter, but I still love to watch a fancy fight from a safe distance. As I recall, Luke wanted to go too.
It would be a nice reward. A platinum ticket, however, has nothing to do with status or honor, and the price is reasonable. Even if my screw-up is discovered later, I'm sure they'll forgive me for this .......

'That's ...... great. I've always been curious about the Martial Emperor Festival ....... If you could get me a ticket to that--'

His Majesty frowns. It may be that giving you something cheap will affect your reputation as the emperor of a great country, but since I told you to give me what I want, please forgive me.
Besides, it is not a lie that I am interested in it. My certification level is reasonably high, but there are many people who are certified at a higher level participating in the tournament. The opportunity to witness the full power of a powerful hunter is truly rare. Actually seeing the battle of the strong will lead to further progress of Ghost of Sorrows.

His Majesty understood that I would not change my opinion, and said resignedly.







'.................. Very well. It is not worthy of your merit, but if you say so, then so be it. You may compete in valor to your heart's content.