Chapter 100: The Emperor’s Medal (2)

Everyone who was supposed to attend the banquet had already arrived.

The horn did not sound again. The entrance doors were closed.

Yuri sensed that the moment for the emperor’s appearance had come.

“I wonder what he looks like?”

Jared took a sip of the fruit liquor on the table and commented.

“I still can’t believe I’m really going to see the emperor…”

“It’s thanks to me.”

“Ah, is that so…?”

“What do you mean, ‘ah, is that so’?”

Jared had made it this far despite being a commoner—a true story of perseverance. Yuri patted him on the back and chuckled.

“Did you know?”

“Eh?”

“I’ve never seen the emperor either.”

The orchestra’s music changed. The cheerful melody that had been playing was replaced by a more solemn and majestic tune.

At the same time, one of the red curtains covering the side of the hall began to open slowly.

Yuri couldn’t look away and watched beyond it.

The imperial nobles had already placed their hands on their chests, ready to pay their respects.

Finally, an enormous steel eagle appeared behind the red fabric. Its outspread wings were larger than any person, and red gemstones were embedded in the eye sockets.

Beneath the sharp, curved beak of the eagle, the emperor was reclining.

With an apathetic gaze, he looked over the entire banquet hall. Due to the red cushion on the throne, it appeared as though the emperor was sitting atop the blood spilled by the eagle.

His presence was so overwhelming that the other imperial family members seated beside him went unnoticed.

Everyone in the hall knelt on one knee simultaneously. Even the orchestra stopped playing to show respect.

A deep silence fell over the place. Then, the emperor’s voice echoed.

“Rise.”

Everyone slowly lifted their heads.

The emperor appeared to be in his forties or fifties. Perhaps due to good care, his skin was smooth and his eyes sparkled with vitality.

With a wave of his hand, the orchestra resumed the music. This time it was a lively melody.

“To honor our brave warriors, who defeated the prairie monsters, I have prepared this banquet. Enjoy it, all of you!”

The emperor raised his hand, and a servant offered him a glass of wine.

“Raise your glasses!”

Everyone raised their glasses at once. Those without one hurried to grab one, creating a slight commotion.

The emperor laughed heartily at the sight.

“Easy, easy. Is someone chasing you?”

And so, everyone raised their glasses.

“To the Alliance’s victory!”

The emperor drank. Without pausing, he downed the entire glass in one go. For that reason, no one dared to lower theirs before him.

“Phew…”

The emperor wiped his lips with his sleeve and set the empty glass down on the table.

Following his example, everyone began to gulp down their drinks quickly.

Those with low alcohol tolerance couldn’t help but cough.

“What’s wrong? Take it slow. Why imitate me and drink it all at once? Are you trying to say you got drunk because of me?”

The emperor said this and laughed mockingly. Yuri watched him as he also emptied his glass.

He seemed to have more of a sense of humor than expected.

Jared whispered.

“He seems to have a good personality, doesn’t he?”

Yuri sighed. If that man were really as simple as he seemed, why did people fear the emperor so much? And why would Ragnar hate him?

“You’re lucky with your boss…”

“Eh?”

“Thanks to me, you haven’t had to suffer.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“You should consider yourself fortunate.”

“What do you mean?”

Thus the banquet officially began. Some nobles lined up to introduce themselves to the emperor, but he declined, saying he would call them when he pleased.

Therefore, the guests began to mingle freely without worrying about him.

Yuri also took the chance to reconnect with familiar faces from the Alliance.

“Hey, damn Gain!”

“My name is Sven Gain!”

“Have you been training hard? Not getting beat up anymore?”

“When did I do that…?”

After teasing Sven, he greeted Wolf.

“Sir Wolf. How have you been?”

“Well. I see Your Highness hasn’t changed.”

Wolf looked him up and down and smiled, as if impressed.

“You look amazing. You’ve barely spent time in the Empire and already look more elegant than the nobles here.”

“All thanks to finding a good tailor.”

When Yuri talked with Wolf, he drew the attention of those around. Even an imperial noble approached to speak.

“Seeing the two heroes of Briol and Liberta together is quite the sight.”

“Thank you very much.”

“What do you think of the Empire?”

“The capital is the best, the food as well. Yekaterina is beautiful. I admire the emperor. The Black Knight is great.”

“I knew you’d say that…”

By giving the answers the Imperials wanted to hear, the noble smiled contentedly and drank more wine.

Gradually, the crowd around Yuri grew. The royal commander of the Alliance was Ragnar, but since he sat next to the emperor, attendees naturally gravitated toward Yuri.

“Sir Jonathan, how have you been? You seem bulkier than before.”

“Of course! I’ve grown stronger thanks to Brusen’s sea wind.”

“Or maybe you’ve just gained weight?”

“Jajaja, it’s because I eat a lot of sashimi…”

“Sashimi, huh? I’ve never tried it. I hear it’s delicious, right?”

“It is! Your Highness must come to Brusen. I’ll prepare a full menu for you.”

Gonte, from Joachim, still remembered his promise with Yuri.

“Your Highness. Have you been well?”

“Oh, Sir Gonte.”

“We’ve been rigorously selecting cadets in Joachim. You’ll see them soon.”

“Oh, a selection? I’m looking forward to it. Let’s work together to strengthen the country.”

Yuri already had a training course prepared for Joachim’s knights.

They would train not only in swordsmanship but also in mountain combat techniques, survival, camouflage, and the use of various weapons.

To that end, he had recruited famous hunters from various regions. Joachim would become a dagger pointed at the Empire’s throat.

“It’s been a while.”

Then Wayne, commander of the Empire’s Third Division, approached Yuri.

His expression remained as stoic as during the Alliance campaign.

“You’ll be participating in the tournament, right?”

“Who knows.”

“There are many waiting for you, Your Highness.”

“Me? Who?”

“You’ll know when you see them.”

“And if I don’t see them, then I won’t know.”

“His Majesty has promised many prizes for this tournament.”

Wayne smiled faintly as he looked at Yuri.

“I’d like to see Your Highness participating.”

“Thank you for the encouragement.”

Yuri had no intention of participating. But since everyone seemed to assume he would, he dodged the topic.

As the place grew more crowded, Yuri stepped back a bit and took a sip of wine. He tried to ignore the gaze he felt on the back of his neck.

“Hernando.”

“Yes.”

“That person’s looking at me, right?”

“They are.”

“What kind of expression do they have?”

“Let’s see…”

Hernando, sipping wine beside Yuri, discreetly glanced around. Then he spoke again.

“If I had to compare it… I’d say they’re looking at you like someone gazing at their future son-in-law.”

“What stupidity are you saying?”

***

The emperor sat on his throne, calmly observing the banquet hall.

From his elevated position, he could see far more than from below. The atmosphere’s attention was clearly centering on the third prince of Briol.

“Well now… he has the power to draw people in.”

Ivar stroked his chin.

He had already heard plenty about Yuri Briol. Ivar asked his second son, who had a past history with that prince:

“Georg.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think of him now, compared to back then?”

“Well…”

Georg let out a low chuckle.

“He’s grown exactly as I imagined. I’d even say he’s exceeded my expectations.”

“Oh?”

“I want to bring him in.”

“Do you now?”

Ivar laughed quietly. The second prince had always had a soft spot for talent, but it was rare for him to express his intentions so directly.

Then he turned to his heir, Eugen.

“Eugen.”

“Yes.”

“He seems more popular than you, doesn’t he?”

“This banquet is for the Alliance. It’s only natural he receives the spotlight.”

“Maybe I should adopt him as a son.”

“He may surpass me in many things, but I doubt anyone else could put up with his temperament, Your Majesty.”

“You’re right about that! Hahahahaha!”

Ivar burst into laughter and then glanced at his daughter, Yekaterina, who sat quietly.

She looked toward Yuri Briol and then took a sip of wine. At that very moment, Yuri was also drinking wine. Was she interested in him?

But his daughter was not someone so simple as to draw conclusions lightly.

“Hmm…”

Ivar grinned mischievously as a good idea came to him.

“Summon the representatives of the Alliance.”

“Yes, understood.”

The attendant at his side relayed the emperor’s message to the hall.

Since most of the Alliance commanders were gathered near Prince Briol, they assembled quickly.

“Ragnar.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Come here. You are the true hero of the Alliance.”

“Understood.”

***

At the emperor’s sudden summons, Yuri moved with the others.

Ivar had descended personally from his throne and was now standing. Though his body was not imposing, his eyes shone with intensity.

“I’m glad to see you all here.”

He placed a hand on Ragnar’s shoulder, who stood beside him. Unlike the relaxed emperor, Ragnar looked rather uncomfortable.

“I am Ivar, the Emperor.”

As he introduced himself, everyone reflexively bowed again in respect.

“You may rise. There’s no need for excessive formality.”

“It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”

“And you, who are you?”

“Yes. I am—”

“Weren’t you outside the Alliance?”

The one receiving the question was Larsson, heir to the Holy Kingdom. Instead of sending Sybilla, he had insisted on attending personally, despite not being part of the Alliance.

Ivar seemed aware of that decision.

“I thought your sister would be the one to come.”

“S-Still, I came representing the Holy Kingdom. As the higher-ranking individual, I believed it more appropriate…”

“Appropriate, you say?”

Ivar shook his head.

“Your attitude was inappropriate. Protocol exists to honor others, not to elevate yourself. If you came just to show off, what protocol are you talking about?”

“N-No… You’re right, Your Majesty.”

“Tell your sister to come. You don’t need to.”

“Y-Yes…”

Larsson bowed hurriedly and withdrew, completely dejected. Ivar watched him go and let out a low chuckle.

“What do you think? I’m good with words, aren’t I?”

He placed his fingers on his lips, extended his hand, and snapped his thumb as if making a joke.

“They call me Ivar, ‘Ivar the ever-charmer!’ Hahahaha!”

Everyone was baffled. No one knew how to respond, so a brief awkward silence followed.

But Yuri, who in his past life had been a mercenary and dealt with many insufferable superiors, instinctively understood what to do.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

He burst out laughing and began clapping.

Seeing Yuri laugh, the others caught on and started laughing desperately. A wave of laughter suddenly spread through the entire banquet hall.

Ivar stroked his chin, satisfied.

“You’re good kids. I bet you got along so well, that’s how you defeated the orcs. Right, Ragnar?”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

“I just wanted to chat a bit, hmm… what should we talk about?”

Ivar rubbed his chin, deep in thought, and suddenly spoke.

“Ah, I know. Are all of you here planning to participate in the tournament?”

Everyone began glancing at one another.

“This tournament will have an age limit. So if you can’t participate, don’t feel too bad.”

The tournament was being held to discover new rising stars. That meant not everyone who applied could compete.

Those too famous or powerful—or too old—would be excluded.

But this was the first time an age cap had been declared from the start.

“Hmm… not forty, but maybe thirty is fine. Is an age gap up to that acceptable?”

Ivar thought for a moment more and then smiled broadly.

“Alright. Thirty years old max! Anyway, the medal awarded to the winner… you all want it, don’t you? This year, you’ll have to fight hard, because…”

He turned to look behind him. Where his gaze fell, Yekaterina was seated.

From the guests’ lips escaped a collective gasp.

Dressed especially for the banquet, Yekaterina was so beautiful that even seeing her from afar left people breathless. Even Yuri couldn’t take his eyes off her for a moment.

With a voice full of mischief, Ivar declared.

“If someone presents the medal to my daughter… then I shall present my daughter as well.”