SBTMK Chapter 28

Erne let go of his curiosity and offered a different response instead.

〈You should turn in for the night. You must be tired—sneaking outside the palace when you should've been asleep.〉

"I'm fine. I've got to get through this pile. Otherwise who knows what kind of shitty scheme they'll pull."

〈…….〉

"Just look at the paperwork, you can tell they're thrilled. Look at this. Already planning the founding-day festival. Fast, aren't they."

Simen flung the stack of papers onto the desk, his voice thick with sarcasm.

His irritation hadn't eased in the slightest.

"And the thing I told you to check? Is the canal work out on the outskirts actually going right?"

〈Yes. I looked into it—seems they're paying the workers next to nothing while working them half to death. Most of them are refugees, people who lost their kingdoms.〉

"God. Not one damn thing done right anywhere. Can't screw around with the budget anymore, so now they screw around with people instead."

Simen's brow creased, then he let out a long breath.

"Same spot. Same damn spot. Don't even know where to start, or how. Might as well just cut the whole thing away and start over."

〈If Your Majesty commands it, I am ready at any time.〉

At Erne's dead-serious answer, Simen choked on a breath.

"Don't take that seriously. I'm not trying to be the tyrant of the century."

Erne had lightened his mood a little; Simen asked with a faint smile.

"No word from Riviere?"

〈He said he'd visit as soon as he could.〉

"Get in touch with Neyra first. I need to see her before that."

〈Understood.〉

Simen heard Erne's reply, then buried himself back in the documents.

Silver hair, dark eyes—still flickering somewhere in his head. But he just barely held himself together.

The Temple of Arzeka, which she visited trailing after Eden, was magnificent from outside.

Massive round columns supported the roof, and every part of the temple's outer walls was covered in gold.

The exterior walls also bore intricately carved depictions of the god Arzeka—rendered with far more distinct form than what she'd seen at the plaza fountain the day before, and far more beautiful for it.

Climbing the tall steps and stepping inside the temple, an even grander spectacle unfolded than what she'd seen from outside.

The ceiling was densely painted with images glorifying Arzeka, and the corridors were lined with rows of angel-shaped statues.

Priests in robes like Eden's were everywhere she looked.

"This way, please."

Only a single prayer room was open to nobles or knights visiting the temple.

Flora followed Eden's lead into the permitted prayer room.

At the center of the round prayer room stood a statue modeled after the god Arzeka's form, and chairs had been arranged encircling the statue.

There were already people praying.

Eden crossed himself the moment he laid eyes on Arzeka, and closed his eyes.

Caught up in the reverent atmosphere, Flora quickly offered her own prayer to the god Arzeka.

Nothing special. Just a prayer—to live as a knight who kept her convictions.

"You've arrived? Your Majesty."

Neyra, who had arrived at the Tea Garden first, rose to greet Simen.

Erne, who had come along, bowed politely to Neyra, the Grand Mage, before withdrawing to a distance.

The Tea Garden, situated at the center of the Emperor's gardens, was a place Simen liked to visit whenever the weather was good.

Birdsong drifted through like harmony, clean air mixing well with the sunlight—so that, tea in hand and thoughts adrift, even his worst worries could be set down for a while.

He rarely brought anyone else here, and the space that was usually his alone had Neyra in it today.

"Yes. Neyra. You got here early."

"I only just arrived myself. This place is still beautiful. This is the first time since the day I received my initiation ceremony after entering the palace, isn't it?"

"Probably."

Not long after graduating from the Academy, Neyra had received her initiation as Grand Mage.

Even during her time at the Academy, she'd consistently earned better marks than Simen in magic, and her latent magical potential had been so enormous that, young as she was, she'd been able to ascend to the position of Grand Mage.

On the day of her Grand Mage initiation, Simen had served her tea here—to mark meeting a close friend again, and as a gesture meaning he looked forward to working well with her going forward.

Even then, she'd looked at this place with those same eyes. Sparkling. Clear.

Watching someone else love a place he cherished always filled him with a quiet pride.

"You must have a lot to do."

Simen led with that, easing toward the real reason he'd called her here the moment the tea and dessert arrived.

"There's always plenty to do. Though it is fun, at least."

"Good that there's at least some fun in it. With Riviere gone, your work and Sophie's must be doubled."

"I have no idea how Lady Sophie managed while I was gone. She really is remarkable. Second only to Your Majesty among the people I respect most."

"Marquis Neysis would be hurt to hear that."

Neyra, hand already halfway to the tempting cake, flinched at Simen's words.

"Go ahead and eat. It's good."

Simen, quick to read her reaction, smiled wryly and urged the dessert on her.

Neyra took a bite of the dessert with her fork before speaking to Simen again.

"So, what brings you to look for me?"

Neyra asked, her eyes going round.

"Ah. There's a girl I'd like you to take a look at."

"Wait, you mean that woman everyone in the palace has been gossiping about?"

"……Guess that's the one. Didn't realize you'd heard, too."

Simen shrugged, and Neyra smiled faintly.

"How could I not have heard? The mages who were pulled in for this round of the Imperial Knights Examination wouldn't stop talking about it. That she purified a top-grade mage stone. And the nobles won't stop chattering about it either."

"The nobles?"

"They keep asking me—why'd Your Majesty bring her in, is it true she's got magic, all kinds of things. Do they think I'm some kind of god? This is actually the first time I've seen you since the mage-tool matter, Your Majesty. If they want a proper answer, shouldn't they be offering sincere prayers to Arzeka instead of asking me?"

"…….."

"Even Sir Kasin came by yesterday going on about her. Heard it so much I've got the name memorized. Lady Flora. Right?"

"That's right."

"Wait, didn't she take the knight exam though? Why show me someone who's about to become a Master—"

Neyra, who'd been running her mouth in mounting irritation, tilted her head.

"She has magical power but can't use it. She might not even be aware she has it. So I wanted to see if you could take a proper look and tell what state she's actually in."

"Ah…… I see."

"That okay with you?"

"It's fine with me. I'm still not experienced enough, so I don't know if I'll be able to examine her properly. If that's the reason, wouldn't it make more sense to show her to Lady Sophie instead of me?"

"Sophie blows up the second she sees me. Can't control that woman."

"You want me to bring Riviere over?"

"Yes."

Neyra lowered her gaze to her teacup as if she understood.

"Already reached out to Riviere too, but who knows when he'll actually stop by. Man's impossible to pin down."

Something in her sank, just for a moment.

She'd told herself, over and over—don't get your hopes up, don't misread this—and yet the moment Simen brought up nothing but work, she was disappointed all over again.

Still—it was a relief she hadn't made a complete fool of herself misreading things again, thanks to always keeping half an ear on whatever Simen was up to, always minding whatever happened in the palace.

She had, to some extent, expected he'd bring up talk of that woman.

Neyra took a sip of tea to steady herself.

"Putting together what I've heard—Sir Kasin doesn't seem to know yet that Lady Flora's the outsider Your Majesty brought in. And she's become his subordinate. And she's got magic but can't use it. That about right?"

"Exactly right."

"So where did you bring her from?"

"Picked her up off a mountain."

"……What?"

"Living hidden away in the mountains. So I brought her in."

She'd figured it for a lie, but Simen's face was dead serious.

"Nobles are gonna keep kicking up a fuss now that a commoner's been brought into the palace. So at first I figured maybe I'd just grant her a title—but that'd cause an even bigger uproar, so that's out too."

Neyra nodded as though she understood.

There had been quite a commotion when Erne was brought in as well, apparently.

Back when Simen had still been Crown Prince, he'd met Erne while taking part in a Demon Hollow suppression, brought him into the palace, and on top of that had immediately appointed him as his personal guard.

And once Simen ascended to the throne, Erne had become Captain of the Imperial Guard and Commander of the Dawn Knights.

The nobles pretended, at least with their words, to worry over the Emperor's safety, but in truth, regardless of the Emperor's actual wellbeing, they treated anyone likely to become a pillar of the imperial court as an enemy from the outset and moved to check their influence.

Rookie knight or not—dragged in by the Emperor himself—Flora, too, was bound to be the talk of the nobility for a while.