"Welcome, Saintess, and Holy Knights. His Majesty is awaiting you."
It had taken nearly three weeks to arrive at the Empire from the Holy Kingdom.
It was only possible because we had personnel from the Holy Kingdom who could restore the horses so they wouldn't tire.
After instructing the Holy Knights to wait elsewhere, only Ariana and I followed the servant's guidance to meet the Emperor.
"The Imperial Palace is incredible..."
"Indeed."
Even on the way to meet the Emperor, Ariana gazed around the opulently decorated interior of the palace with sparkling eyes, and I watched her adorable reactions with a warm smile.
"It's so different from the Holy Kingdom."
"Well, our Holy Kingdom holds temperance as a virtue, after all."
The Holy Kingdom outright banned extravagance, so even the grandest building, the Papal Palace, contained no luxuries whatsoever. In contrast, the Empire was filled with all sorts of opulent items to display the Emperor's authority.
The difference was stark, inevitably.
After walking through the palace corridors for quite some time, we finally arrived before a door that screamed luxury at first glance.
"Your Majesty, the Saintess and her direct Holy Knight have arrived."
-Enter.
A majestic voice from beyond the door—one so commanding it fully embodied the word 'sovereign'—granted permission, and the massive, ornate doors slowly parted to either side.
The doors were so impeccably maintained that not even a single creak sounded as they opened. And when they fully parted...
Thud—the overwhelming pressure bore down on my shoulders like a physical weight.
I'd already been getting along well with high figures like the Saintess Ariana back in the Holy Kingdom, but the atmosphere in the Empire felt entirely different.
The Emperor.
Baron Oberia.
Possessor of the epithet Iron Emperor, his mere presence dominated the entire space with sheer aura.
This was likely his way of expressing displeasure that only we had come, as negotiations with the Holy Kingdom hadn't gone smoothly.
Ariana and I were the ones suffering needlessly from the squabbles of the higher-ups.
As I glanced at Ariana, cold sweat beading on my forehead, I saw her body rigid with tension, sweat trickling down her face as well.
If things followed the game's story, Ariana would receive slightly lacking courtesy and support here, earning poor evaluations from the palace folk.
But the one by Ariana's side now wasn't the lazy Holy Knight Valss Venus—it was me, Is Adonis.
"How dare you before the Saintess—"
"What is the meaning of this rudeness?"
Huh.
My attempt to speak up in Ariana's defense was completely overshadowed by her own words.
What was going on here?
Ariana was supposed to be too intimidated by the Emperor's presence to say a word...
Wait.
'There's one reason why Ariana might have changed.'
The Hero.
Ariana had already unleashed a verbal tirade on that guy, Ruin.
I'd been surprised by her unexpected side back then, but what if that had snowballed into her gaining the confidence to stand strong?
'That makes sense.'
It seemed Ariana had learned to push back strong after witnessing my clash with the Hero.
I wasn't the only one startled by her bold attitude. The Emperor, who had been sitting on his throne radiating pressure, finally spoke.
"...Unexpected."
"What, did you think because I'm a Saintess, I'd overlook such rudeness?"
At her words, the knights standing by began exchanging nervous glances.
They were probably worried she'd get caught in the backlash of the Emperor's anger.
But what came from the Emperor's mouth next dispelled all their anxieties and left them stunned once more.
"A bold woman. I apologize for the rudeness."
His admiring tone and outright apology shocked the knights to the point of gaping.
I was just as surprised by the situation, so I looked toward Ariana.
And there she was, gazing at me with eyes that said, 'Did I do good?'
'How did she turn out so commendably like this?'
Thinking she was incorrigible in the best way, I smiled and nodded.
With the Emperor relenting, the conversation with Ariana went surprisingly smoothly.
First, he promised to provide as much support as possible. Second, we received the imperial crest.
The imperial crest—originally, we wouldn't have gotten much help from guards or minor nobles during investigations, but with that, we could save far more people in less time.
'The snowball's rolling in a good direction.'
Satisfied, I nodded vigorously when the Emperor asked for confirmation one last time.
"Is this sufficient?"
"Yes, this is more than satisfactory. I'll discuss things with the Papal Palace upon my return, so I hope you'll consider improving relations with the Holy Kingdom."
"Understood. You've traveled far and must be weary—I'll have you escorted to your quarters at once."
"No need. There's no call for that."
Ariana firmly refused rest.
"Even now, countless people are suffering at the hands of evil. How could I rest? So I must decline that offer—"
"May I have the opinions of the others?"
"...!"
At the Emperor's words, Ariana startled and whipped around to me in a panic.
"S-Sorry! I was only thinking of myself..."
Realizing she'd been so focused on saving people that she'd overlooked the condition of her companions, Ariana's face fell into a pitiful pout, like a lost puppy unsure what to do.
"Pfft—"
Unable to hold back at the cute sight, I burst out laughing and quickly reassured her.
"It's fine, Saintess. No one will reprimand you for being absorbed in the thought of rescuing people. That said... a few of our group did look a bit fatigued, so let's rest just for today and set out tomorrow."
Ariana nodded with a smile once more, and we were assigned rooms under the servants' guidance.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ariana was given a guest suite in the palace, and I got the room right next door.
The servants unpacked my luggage at top speed, letting me finally lounge on the bed in comfortable attire for the first time in ages.
Not that it was my choice—Ariana had insisted I rest properly just for today.
She didn't have to be so forceful about times like this...
I'd refused repeatedly, but the watching Emperor said she was trustworthy and that he'd handle any issues, forcing me to relent.
'It's not even evening yet, let alone night...'
It was just past 4 p.m.
Having spent so much time by Ariana's side lately, I couldn't even recall what I'd done at this hour before becoming her direct Holy Knight.
"...Bored."
Just looking at Ariana's face was healing enough.
Without her, the atmosphere felt oppressively dull.
'The training grounds looked pretty good here. Should I just head there now?'
The Holy Kingdom's facilities were better than most, but they paled in comparison to the extravagantly equipped palace grounds.
'Alright, let's go.'
Decision made, I grabbed only my shotel and headed to the training grounds.
I'd already asked the servants for directions.
I'll blend in with the other knights and train quietly in a corner.
Arriving with light steps, I saw countless knights swinging swords, spears, axes, and halberds at practice dummies.
The classic sight of knights training.
I tried slipping to a corner unobtrusively, but soon noticed many eyes turning my way.
'Ah, figures.'
Shotels weren't common weapons, so I'd unwittingly drawn everyone's attention.
Rare weapon plus unfamiliar face made it worse.
Ignoring them as best I could, I took position before a corner dummy and swung my shotel.
-Whoosh!
-Thud!
The shotel buried into the dummy with a vicious sound.
I lightly pulled it free and swung again, smashing into the dummy.
-Thud!
-Thud!
-Thud!
Sometimes striking the head with the tip, other times stabbing the torso and ripping like a hook.
I hadn't known much about shotels originally, but since it suited my body so well, shotel combat techniques had gradually seeped into my instincts.
'Time to layer on some Holy Power.'
Physical training only up to here—I wrapped my body in Holy Power and reset my stance.
"A Holy Knight?"
One of the onlookers quickly identified me, but it wasn't an issue, so I ignored it.
I was in the Empire's training grounds; might as well make full use.
About an hour like that?
"You're the Holy Knight, right?"
"Hm?"
A man approached me mid-swing and spoke up.
Wondering what he wanted, I turned to see a blue-haired guy. Handsome face wasted on an expression that screamed 'I'm a sleaze.'
And surprisingly, he was someone I recognized.
'Aspiring Fallen Knight Lore Inferior?'
The mid-boss from the Princess questline.
Pre-corruption version, even.
Why was this guy approaching me?
Lore was supposed to resent the knight heroine 'her' and pick fights—wait, no way.
No wonder I hadn't seen her around. Was he taking it out on me instead?
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