Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 413

Chapter 413

The Schutel barony was a small family that had barely maintained its lineage since receiving its title during the founding of the nation, without any notable achievements. As a traditional military family, they possessed private soldiers, but they had not produced any outstanding warriors. From several generations ago, successive failures in their investments led to financial difficulties. Without any special events, they were destined to become ordinary fallen nobles, with only the disposal of their private soldiers and mansion remaining.

Therefore, when the baron’s daughter, Annika, defied the Grand Duke and aided the pro-Imperial faction, or when the men of the family were dragged into the war as if being taken away, it didn’t cause a great stir. Everyone saw it as merely accelerating the demise of a family that was already doomed. Even the baron himself and his sons thought so.

However, the situation unfolded differently from everyone’s expectations. They were given an unexpected opportunity, and the baron’s decision to seize that opportunity led to a remarkable outcome. The Schutel barony became the only family among those who had sided with the Grand Duke to escape the Emperor’s wrath. That alone would have been a stroke of good fortune, but the luck that came their way did not end there.

At twenty-five years old, Louis de Schutel, the eldest son of the Schutel baron and the next head of the family, felt like he was dreaming. He stared blankly at the uniform being handed to him. The uniform, consisting of a white suit, silver epaulettes on the shoulders, a blue sash, and a cloak, was coveted by all knights. It was the uniform worn by the Emperor’s Imperial Guard.

Born as the eldest son of a military family, his long-held goal since before he could even remember was to become an Imperial Guard. However, according to the Imperial family’s long-standing tradition, only nobles of viscount rank or higher, or their descendants, could join the Imperial Guard. As a baronial family, he was not even qualified to take the entrance exam. It was the object of his lifelong admiration and resentment, a lingering attachment that he could not shake off even as he resigned himself to it. That very uniform was now in his hands.

“Congratulations on joining the Imperial Guard, Sir Louis. As a formality, only the uniform is being pre-issued for now. The armor and affiliation badge will be personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor during the official induction ceremony later.”

The word “Emperor” made his heart leap. Only then did Louis regain his senses and hurriedly raise his head. But no matter how many times he looked, the man in front of him was still Count Kay de Serik, the commander of the Emperor’s Imperial Guard. He was the most meritorious vassal who had safely escorted the Emperor during that chaotic night, the immortal knight who had returned alive after being rumored to be dead. The fact that he was personally handing him the uniform remained unchanged.

“Umm…”

“What is it?”

“Am I, am I really becoming an Imperial Guard?”

Even as he asked, Louis thought he was asking a really stupid question. But Kay smiled lightly instead of looking disdainful and replied,

“You are undoubtedly an Imperial Guard knight.”

Imperial Guard knight. Imperial Guard knight. His low voice echoed in his head like a mantra. Louis barely managed to resist the urge to lose himself in the ecstatic sensation. It was not yet time to let his guard down. All of this was too surreal to accept comfortably.

The beginning of it all was right after the battle of Martin Castle. At that time, Louis and his soldiers were stationed on the Grand Duke’s side and were tasked with secretly opening the castle gates. The operation was a great success, and after that, he only remembered being mixed up in the melee, just cutting and stabbing. It was only after the battle was over that he realized he had been near the Emperor. Originally, he was on the list of traitorous families and destined to be beheaded for having won the battle together. He didn’t dare to hope for a reward, and he only felt relieved to have survived. But then an Imperial Guard knight approached him, confirmed his rank and name, and asked in a casual tone if he was interested in the Imperial Guard. When he was offered to take some tests, he simply agreed without much thought. He never imagined that it would be the Imperial Guard entrance exam. He never thought he would hear that he had passed. Maybe it was a mistake. No, it must be a mistake. He had to stay calm if he didn’t want his joy to turn into despair in an instant.

“Um, could there be some kind of mistake? I am a knight and have the qualifications of a sub-baron, but I don’t have an official title yet. Besides, my father is only a baron.”

“Ah, about that, the entrance regulations have changed.”

“Yes? The regulations have changed?”

“His Majesty the Emperor thought that the Imperial Guard entrance requirements were unreasonable in many ways. He regretted that skilled knights could not become Imperial Guards because of their status. So, before replenishing the personnel, he comprehensively revised the regulations. Now, any knight can take the entrance exam.”

“I, I see.”

His head went blank again. Louis took a deep breath and stared blankly at the uniform. Now he really felt like he had joined the Imperial Guard. Kay, who was watching him with a satisfied expression, said,

“Ah, but even if the regulations had remained the same, you would have been eligible.”

“Yes?”

“Haven’t you heard the news yet? Baron Schutel will receive a portion of the territory of Herace in the east and the title of viscount for his merits in this civil war. The baronial title will go to you.”

“Yes?”

“That means the Schutel family is now a viscount family.”

For a while, his face was blank with incomprehension, then astonishment dawned on his face. He thought it was a stroke of luck just to have avoided ruin, but now he was being rewarded with a higher title and territory! Moreover, Herace in the east was famous for its ruby mines. It was no exaggeration to say that all the high-quality rubies representing the Empire were produced there. Receiving just one of them would be more than enough to solve the family’s long-standing financial difficulties. Louis’s face, which had been blinking at the unbelievable news, gradually darkened. Kay tilted his head at his hardening expression.

“You don’t seem very happy?”

“The reward is too much. I’m worried it might harm His Majesty’s reputation.”

Their family had saved their lives thanks to the head of the family’s correct decision, but looking only at the result, it was a betrayal. It was something that could be criticized enough from either side, and they were prepared for it. If they received a generous reward in the midst of that, it seemed that the critical gaze would follow them even more. He was afraid that there would be those who would point fingers at the Emperor, even if they were paying the price they deserved. Then Kay chuckled.

“Sir, you are too modest. It is a natural reward for the family that was the first contributor to the victory in the Battle of Martin Castle. Didn’t you open the way for our troops to enter from inside the castle gate? You did a really good job in a dangerous and difficult role. What harm could there be to His Majesty’s reputation if the reward given to the meritorious vassal is great?”

Louis’s expression wavered. It was true that their opening the castle gate had been helpful, but it was a war that the Imperial army had almost won anyway. Even before the battle began, the Grand Duke’s army was already in a state of near defeat. The Imperial army would have won even if their family hadn’t stepped in. Frankly speaking, they had just put a spoon on a table that was already set [helped with something that was already going to happen]. So they decided to just be grateful for the fact that they had survived. But to be called the first contributor greatly stirred his emotions.

“Don’t think it’s too much. The Schutel family is worthy of reward enough just for the righteousness shown by Lady Annika. We also know very well that Baron and your brothers’ choice to side with the Grand Duke was to protect Lady and the family. No one can blame you for that. Rather, if you hadn’t been of that character, His Majesty would not have embraced you.”

“Thank… you.”

Kay lightly patted his shoulder as he lowered his head with difficulty. Louis clenched the uniform in his hands tightly. He wanted to repay the grace bestowed by the Emperor. He would protect him as his shadow for the rest of his life and give him everything. Louis vowed deeply in his heart.

That was what had happened just yesterday.

That day, a total of ten new recruits, including Louis, were newly selected for the Emperor’s Imperial Guard. It was said that they would continue to hold entrance exams and recruit additional personnel in the future. Originally, it was the rule to assign them after the induction ceremony, but the Imperial Guard’s manpower was severely depleted after the civil war, so Louis began his duties even before the official induction ceremony. The same was true for all the other new recruits.

“Are these my new people? I look forward to working with you all.”

In the early morning, the new Imperial Guard members stood before the Emperor, properly dressed in their uniforms. It was the first time they were exchanging greetings with their sovereign. When the Emperor, shining brilliantly in gold, spoke with a smile, his heart felt like it was jumping out of his throat because he was so nervous. Several more words followed, but Louis, whose mind was blank, didn’t remember any of them. When he came to his senses, he was guarding the outside of the conference room with his colleagues. Relieved, Louis took a deep breath and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. The sensation of shaking hands with the Emperor still seemed to linger, and his mind wouldn’t settle down easily. Then a knight standing next to him spoke to him.

“Are you Sir Louis de Schutel?”

“Yes? How did you know me…?”

“I saw you in action in the Battle of Martin Castle from afar. I also participated. I am Renas de Schmion.”

“Ah, are you perhaps the son of Baron Schmion?”

“Yes, I am the second son.”

“Ah, I am Midel de Lahass.”

“I am…”

Only then did the new Imperial Guard members introduce themselves and exchange greetings. As light chatter passed, the tense atmosphere became much more relaxed.

“I thought I was going to die from nervousness earlier.”

“Me too. To see His Majesty the Emperor this close. Now I really feel like I’ve become his knight.”

“By the way, did you know? They say that His Majesty the Emperor is a contractor of the Spirit King.”

“Yes? Is that really true?”

“The rumors are rampant among the participating soldiers. Those who stood at the forefront all saw it.”

“Oh my…”

“His Majesty the Emperor must be a person sent down by the Demon God. Didn’t a streak of light appear in the sky on the day he won the Battle of Martin Castle?”

“Ah, that’s right. I heard from an acquaintance priest that it’s a mass of holy power. They say it purifies monsters. That’s why many people heard strange screams.”

“Ah, I think I heard it too.”

“Me too.”

Special abilities and special signs. They were directly experiencing things that only appeared in legends. Until then, Louis’s mood was floating above the sky. His whole body was so light that he was sure he would float even if he fell into the water. It felt like the world was shining brilliantly with joy. It was, without a doubt, the best day ever.

But why was this happening?

Crash! Rumble!

“Eek!”

Louis screamed involuntarily at the loud noise that vibrated in all directions. He couldn’t put strength into his body, and his legs were trembling. The other new recruits were also huddled up in an unsightly manner. The senior Imperial Guard members were at least enduring it with composure, but their faces were all pale. It was an unavoidable situation. Unbelievable things were happening one after another before their eyes.

Between the split sky, in the white clouds where light poured down, hundreds of people could be seen in that space where people could not normally be. They were even angels with large wings on both sides. It was a truly absurd situation.

The beginning was sudden. Even as he trembled, Louis calmly retraced his memories. He was continuing a full-fledged conversation with his colleagues whom he had greeted. The new Imperial Guard members, who were in the midst of a lively chat, were startled by the sudden intrusion of a voice and closed their mouths.

“Hmph, these new recruits are no good. I told you to stand guard, but you’re chatting during your mission?”

The one who appeared before them was a young knight with blonde hair and green eyes. Those who recognized him as the vice-commander of the Imperial Guard, Baron Alex de Irwan, turned pale and straightened their posture.

“V, Vice-Commander.”

“You haven’t experienced how tough the Imperial Guard training is yet, have you? Do you want to go straight to the training grounds from the first day?”

“We will correct ourselves!”

It was when Alex was smiling mischievously at the loud shout. Suddenly, he hardened his face, threw open the door to the conference room, and rushed inside. Louis, who was following in a panic, widened his eyes at the sight inside the room. It was because a person he had never seen before was standing in front of the Emperor.

He was a mysterious-looking boy with bright blue hair. He was definitely someone he hadn’t seen before the meeting started. He couldn’t have misremembered, as his appearance was not easy to forget even if he had seen him once. That meant he had suddenly appeared. But the Imperial Palace was protected by a magical barrier that blocked mana manipulation. It was a defensive formation to prevent surprise attacks using space 이동 [teleportation] magic. At the same time, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘His Majesty the Emperor is, a contractor of the Spirit King…’

Without realizing it, he looked up, and Alex, who had met his gaze, nodded. All the new recruits who understood the meaning quietly gasped in astonishment. After that, the boy perfectly revealed his identity by creating a splash of water before everyone’s eyes. Spirit King. He was really the Water Spirit King.

But even then, an even more extraordinary thing was happening outside the window. A person was standing tall in the sky filled with dark clouds. Every time he shot an arrow of light, everything vibrated all around. Even more shocking was the next sight. Something seemed to break with the arrows shot indiscriminately, and people bound in the air were revealed. They were all bleeding profusely with thorns stuck all over their bodies. Seeing that, the Spirit King hurriedly left his place and headed towards them (here, he once again realized that he was the Spirit King), and then several more people appeared in the air, and the bound ones seemed to be released soon. Then, this time, the sky quickly cleared, and angels appeared from the clouds. What followed was a scene of a woman descending, scattering golden light. It was the advent of a god no matter who saw it. After that, Louis just kept trembling. No matter how hard he tried to stop it, he couldn’t stop his body from trembling. He couldn’t understand it with his head, but it felt like his instincts were automatically submitting.

He couldn’t even guess what was going on. An army of angels appearing from the clouds and a god descending. Even in the founding myth, such a tremendous record did not exist. Even if there was, he would have considered it an exaggerated exaggeration. He was about to lose his mind when he witnessed such a thing with his own eyes.

And just a little while ago, the noise and vibration that had been quiet for a while were echoing again on the ground. Suddenly, Louis slowly raised his head, thinking that the surroundings had become quiet. The 모습 [sight] of the 천군 [heavenly army] that had filled the sky was nowhere to be seen.