"Yo, here it is, Rutega. ”

After entering the door, the man who accosted Count Lutga was the person sitting on the throne in the hall, that is, the emperor of the empire.

"See Your Majesty'......"

"Okay, okay, respectfully 'See Your Majesty' or something, it sounds disgusting. An idiot like me is mentally retarded, and no one in the whole country treats me as a dish, so you can just order it at will. ”

Having said that, the emperor in front of him did not feel "mentally retarded" at all.

With confident eyes and a upright posture, even the fat on the body seems to be full of the unique wealth of the royal family at this time.

In short, compared to him on the throne, today's man is more like an emperor.

"Being on the throne and being able to do this, Your Majesty deserves to be the wisest person in the Empire. ”

"I haven't seen you for many years, and I'm getting a lot of sycophants, Lutega. Haha, I don't deny this wisdom! You know, lately, I've been pretending to be mentally retarded, but I've been getting more and more perfect!"

"For example, incontinence on the spot when meeting officials and nobles?"

"Ah...... No, no matter how much I say it, I haven't reached this level of enlightenment......"

So that's what you're going to do in the future. ”

"Haha...... Hahahaha, that's so bold, Lutega! When the time comes, I'll order you to wipe my ass and clean up the aftermath!

"It's Your Majesty's Honor......"

"No, wait, it's too perverted to say anything!"

Between the conversation and laughter of the two, there is an unexpectedly deep friendship, not like a monarch at all, but like a friend who has been separated for many years.

"Hehe......"

“......”

However, after laughing at each other for a while, they fell silent at the same time, and the emperor's previous happy expression darkened.

"Okay...... That's all for the joke...... If I had been wise, I wouldn't have been a puppet of those wine bags and rice bags until now. ”

The laughter at the beginning has also degenerated into helpless self-deprecation here.

"It's a long time coming, Your Majesty. ”

"Rutega, you know, I didn't have much interest in the throne from the beginning, and I spent all day drinking to get away from the battle for succession...... But I didn't expect this to be taken advantage of, and finally put me on the throne, if my father saw the current miserable state of the empire in the spirit of heaven, it is estimated that he would teach me a hard lesson. ”

"Your Majesty thinks you've done quite well, and if it weren't for Your Majesty, the empire wouldn't have lasted two years. ”

Lutga said from the bottom of his heart, because he knew that it was precisely because of the emperor's efforts in the secret that he was barely able to maintain the current delicate situation of the empire, and if it were not for this king who pretended to be crazy and stupid, I am afraid that the empire would have been swallowed up by the fire of civil strife and aggression.

"Two years...... I thought that I would turn the situation around in two years, clean up the mess and get the empire back on track, but unfortunately God did not follow people's wishes, and Lutga ...... It took two years for me to pick up on some clues. The death of his father, the tragedy of the struggle for the throne, the rise to power of the corrupt aristocracy, the fall of the Senate, and the rebellion of the 'Blade of Legends'. On the chessboard of the country's political situation, no event will be a coincidence, everything is inevitable, the result of skillful threading of the needle. ”

The Emperor put his hands behind his back, paced to the window, and looked into the distance, he gently shook the wine glass in his hand, and said gracefully to the trusty young nobleman behind him.

"Your Majesty, what ......are you saying behind the scenes?"

"That's right...... You must know that the foundation of the empire is by no means fragile, even if my father dies and the crown prince is not established, my excellent brothers and sisters will not fight in the same room for the throne. The old foxes of the Senate are even more unlikely to be wiped out by those wine bags and rice bags. ”

The Emperor said, taking a sip of the wine in his glass, "That's right, there is 'someone' behind the scenes, not for two or three years, but even longer, and the dark shadow that has eroded the empire has been around for a long, long time...... It may even take more than a decade to complete the layout of the subverted empire. ”

What the Emperor said was a topic that was too big, and Lutga couldn't help but fall into deep thought, and then he cautiously asked, "Why did Your Majesty tell me this now?

"Nope. ”

The Emperor said categorically, "I have no intention of drawing you into a struggle, and you are no longer a knight of the royal family...... Since the death of Sister Flora, I can't bear to let you return to the sad land of the Imperial Capital. It is enough for you to be a border nobleman and govern your territory well, even if the empire is subverted, the imperial power is usurped, or even annexed by other countries, Silia may not be affected too much. No matter who is in power, they will not be willing to expend extra energy and assign extra men to take over the lords of border towns. Presumably, your title will be retained by the new masters of the Empire, and you will continue to rule the land and live a peaceful life with your children. ”

"So, why ......"

"It is not my will to recall you, someone is using it in my name...... Having said that, however, there is no trace of who that person really is. Because I am an ugly vase at best, there are now countless nobles in the Imperial Court who can tell their own stories and falsely convey holy decrees. Who, for what purpose, deliberately recalled you, a knight who had been in seclusion for many years, to the imperial capital, and what kind of conspiracy was hidden in it, I can't imagine...... Although there is no evidence yet, what can be assured is that Rutega, unfortunately, you have been caught up in the whirlpool of this conspiracy by the people behind the scenes, and I am afraid that it is difficult to get out now. ”

"Your Majesty, with all due respect...... Could it be your worries?"

Since the emperor's words were so inconsequential, Lutga could not feel the slightest sense of reality.

"Never. It's not that you can't understand how you feel, these sound like baseless conspiracy theories. However, my instincts have always been accurate. It's not just the matter of summoning you back to the imperial capital, but there have been many difficult situations happening at the same time recently. ”

"Is there something else going on?"

"That's right, first the civil unrest in the territorial cities around the empire was quelled during the same period, and then the harassment of the neighboring countries on the border also disappeared. ”

"Huh...... Isn't that a good sign?"

"No, it's an extremely dangerous sign. In response to the civil unrest, the nobles did not restrain their oppressive arrogance, nor did the imperial capital increase the number of troops to suppress it, and of course the 'Legendary Blade' did not take action. So...... What is the reason why the rioters would swallow their anger? Not only that, but the situation at the borders is also the same. The Rangers of the neighboring countries took aim at the current situation of internal instability and weak border defenses in the empire, and carried out some plundering at the borders, so that the act of stealing chickens and dogs was not a year or two. However, all the nations seemed to be in harmony with each other, and at the same time they reined in their predatory behavior...... The stench is too strong. ”

"Indeed...... But ......"

Lutga nodded, and as the Emperor had said, the status quo was not so much a return to tranquility for the empire as it was a calm before the storm.

But he was still very confused, because these circumstances had nothing to do with him, and none of them could be a reason to recall himself to the imperial capital.

"You're wondering what this has to do with recalling you back to the Imperial Capital, right? Wait for me to finish speaking, because there are still many situations worth caring about. ”

"Your Majesty Listens to ......"

"Did you know that Mr. Edward is not in the Imperial Capital right now, to be exact, his old man has been missing for ten days. ”

Edward's name is well known throughout the Empire, and as the wisest scholar on the continent, he is also known as the "Sage". He served as a court magic advisor in the Imperial City of the Empire, and was also the founder and honorary headmaster of the Empire's largest aristocratic magic academy.

"Ah......! ...... Little's just said."

Lutga suddenly remembered that in the corridors of the palace just now, the red-haired knight seemed to have mentioned that 'Old Man Edward is not in the city'.

"And, you know, there's been a whole new trend in the aristocratic circles of the rich nobility lately. ”

"Trend?"

"Uh-huh...... They built towers throughout the empire to store their wealth and show off their wealth. ”

"This ...... It's unbelievable!"

At the moment of national crisis, the nobles still used whimsical means to show off their wealth, and Lutga could not help but be amazed by this kind of behavior.

"That's what I thought at first, but when I saw the structure of the towers, I didn't think so. ”

With that, the Emperor waved his hand proudly, removed the tablecloth from the table, and swept it to the ground along with the piles of luxurious utensils filled with fruit and snacks.

Fortunately, there is a soft and thick carpet on the ground, so that the fallen dishes do not make much movement.

I saw that the table under the original tablecloth was covered with a huge piece of parchment.

Regular geometric figures are drawn on the paper, and dense text is listed everywhere around the figures.

"It's ...... Graphic design drawings of some kind of building?"

"Well, it's the blueprints of the towers that the nobles are competing to build. There are seventeen of them under construction, and all of them are the same. ”

"Your Majesty means ...... These towers are all built in the same style?"

Rutega, who didn't know anything about the construction of buildings, didn't really understand the drawings, and didn't have any special feelings other than that it was a 'tower'.

"No, I'm trying to say that these towers are under construction, and they're exactly the same in terms of construction details, and even the progress of the work is exactly the same. This is no longer something that can be described as a mere 'coincidence'. However, what is even more puzzling is that the nobles who built these towers did not discuss the construction of the towers in advance, nor did they agree on it, they just hired famous craftsmen from all over the world to design and build them themselves. ”

"In this way, it means that there are 'who' for 'some purpose' instigated the nobles to build the same kind of towers all over the empire...... Could it be for some kind of magical ritual?"

Since ancient times, towers and magic have been inseparable, and the fortification enchantments covering major cities are also centered around towers, so even if you don't know anything about magic and architecture, Rutega can immediately associate this with this.

"The odds are very high, but what kind of techniques will be built after the tower is built, what kind of effect will it play, and why will there be as many as seventeen of them all over the empire...... These questions will not be answered until the tower is completed, and I will have to wait and see what happens, but ...... My instincts tell me that these towers are dangerous, and that by the time they are finished, it may be too late. ”

“......”

Lutga also vaguely understood the seriousness of the situation from the emperor's words, and he frowned worriedly, but after thinking for a moment, he sighed helplessly.

He really wanted to contribute to the emperor, but now he couldn't leave his young daughters behind.

As soon as he thought of this, he looked like he wanted to speak and stopped, but just as he was about to speak, the emperor took the first step to choke his words back into his throat.

"Rutga, I understand your difficulties, so the Tower's affairs will be accountable to the 'Legendary Blade' who is loyal to me. And you, on the other hand, have a much more important task...... Hurry back to Silia as soon as possible. ”

"Huh......?"

As if suspecting that he had misheard, Rutega's eyes widened as he knew what to say.

"This is also my intuition, to deliberately recall you, the knight of the original 'Legendary Blade', to the imperial capital, it is very likely to 'divert the tiger from the mountain'. At this moment, there is a high probability that 'somebody' is going to 'do something' in Celeria. ”

“......！！”

The Emperor's words suddenly made Lutga's expression tense, and his pupils shrank suddenly.

"Strictly speaking...... Your daughters have Imperial blood in them, though it's a secret that only a few people know. ”

A strong sense of uneasiness spread through his chest, and the adorable faces of his daughters kept flashing back to Rutega's mind.

Just from the literal meaning of the emperor, the daughters of Lutga may have an ulterior background. Scandals involving royalty are not uncommon in history.

But Lutga understands that the secrets buried by his daughters are far from being as shallow as the scandal of their backgrounds.

Rather, it is deeper, more crazy, the "real darkness" that has been buried deep in the torrent of time and is absolutely not allowed to be peeped at.

"Rutega, take everything I said today to heart. Think hard, watch hard, and take every step carefully, and your mission hasn't changed since it started eight years ago. Leaving the imperial capital this time, I don't know what will happen in the future. But remember...... From the moment you took that step eight years ago, there was no turning back. You have to take responsibility for your choices. Even if you abandon me, your comrades, and even this empire, you must carry out your determination to the end! For the sake of Sister Flora, and at the same time, for your own ......."

The Emperor's last advice, echoing in the knight's ears, pushed him into the deep darkness of the imperial capital.

- Chris prepared horses in Downtown.

While saying goodbye, the emperor said. And let Lutega jump from the balcony of the dormitory into the pool in the back garden, and escape the imperial city from the waterway.

And as long as he leaves the confines of the imperial city, with Lutega's skills, it will not take him an hour to sneak out of the city without noticing.

But the original plan was quickly frustrated.

It should be said that it was expected or unexpected.

The four knights in silver armor stood in the way of Lutega's escape.

A scene full of déjà vu, except that the four were no longer the four former comrades-in-arms that Lutga was familiar with.

Young-

The faces of the four people in front of him were all unexpectedly young, and they were only fifteen or sixteen years old, and all of them were just childish teenagers.

It's hard to believe that with their age, they are qualified to be the members of the strongest knight order in the continent.

"Count Lutga, the ...... Please come with us, there is an adult who wants to meet you. ”

The young man who spoke had neatly combed silver hair, emerald pupils, a lovely neutral face, and even a weak voice.

It's not so much a knight as a young master Vinsven who doesn't know anything about the world in a noble family.

However, behind him, there hung a steel greatsword that seemed to surpass his height.

It was not difficult to imagine the staggering weight contained in the great sword, but the young knight's steps seemed light and steady, and one had to believe that he could easily swing the fierce blade behind his back.

"Please, please don't worry, the horses they prepared for Chris, I, we'll stay where we are, and you can still ride them out of the imperial capital later. ”

The second teenager who spoke was still overly polite, and even made people feel a little cringe, as if he was afraid that he would say the wrong thing. His pale blonde hair was a little messy, and his eyes were just as soft emerald green.

"Hah...... It's so tiring, hey. Without further ado, why don't you just take him away?"

In stark contrast to the previous two, the third teenager crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking impatient.

To Lutega, this boy is somewhat similar to Little, not only does he also have bright hair like flames, but also because the two exude a "wild" atmosphere.

But there are also differences between the two, if you want to make an analogy, Little is like a male lion who only shows his fangs when hunting, while the young man in front of him is a fierce wolf all the time.

"That's right, it's so late, I'm hungry. Hurry up and finish and go have some supper~!"

The last boy chimed in, his innocent and dazzling smile over his belly with his hands, his grinning temper, and his messy blonde hair turned up at will, giving the impression of being raunchy.

"I'm sorry, I'm carrying the imperial order now, and I have to leave the imperial capital immediately. So, young knights, please apologize to the 'Lord' you call it. ”

Lutga had no intention of being captured, and his opponent was not his former comrades.

The opponents in front of him, even if they wore the silver armor of the 'Legendary Blade', were at best just a few fledgling children, and Lutga didn't feel that he would be helpless against them.

"That's, that'...... If you say that, we're going to have a hard time......"

Although, the silver-haired boy's troubled look made Lutga a little unbearable.

"Hah...... If that happens, then we're going to have to force you to come along, 'senior'. ”

The wild, red-haired boy seemed to have guessed this from the beginning, and he drew a one-handed sword with an all-black blade from his waist very simply.

However, Lutga had no intention of fighting at all.

Although the opponents are children, they also have a place in the 'Legendary Blade', and Lutga does not mean to underestimate their combat ability, but they are too young to misunderstand the essence of things - combat power alone cannot solve all problems.

For example, right now-

Without warning, Lutga rolled over a low wall not far away, and in a flash he fled into the intricate lower town, sprinting at full speed toward the edge of the imperial capital.