Chapter 18: The Imperial Meeting
Cutting off Chaian’s attempt to evade, Luca calmly and precisely stated the exact time he had reported the situation.
“……”
“……”
Aserian’s gaze grew sharper, while Chaian squirmed, desperately avoiding his brother’s eyes.
The crown prince of the Devrica Empire gently stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist and asked with mock kindness,
“Weren’t you working on creating an alarm device to detect the appearance of the Black Forest?”
The frequency of the Black Forest’s occurrences had increased significantly in recent times.
Previously, they mostly appeared in remote, uninhabited areas at the far edges of the empire. However, they had started to emerge near densely populated regions.
Not long ago, one even appeared close to the capital, leaving people in a state of heightened anxiety.
“I’m working on it…”
“Does the work require you to crawl on the floor? Does increased dramatics somehow enhance the effectiveness of the item?”
As Aserian sighed, Chaian began to whimper again.
“If you find my blue gem, I’ll feel more motivated to speed things up…”
“Luca is looking into it. You’ll find it soon enough.”
“And when exactly is this ‘soon’? My blue gem must be desperately waiting for me even now!”
“……”
Seeing the conversation heading toward yet another endless cycle, Aserian lightly shook his head.
“Just make sure you don’t miss the meeting in two weeks.”
“Two weeks? What meeting?”
“…Didn’t you hear about it?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it…”
“I informed you two days ago at precisely 12:50 PM about the imperial meeting in two weeks.”
Luca’s interjection made Aserian’s eyes narrow further.
Trying to avoid his brother’s gaze, Chaian slowly crept toward a corner of the room.
“Don’t even think about skipping this meeting.”
“Why are you always on my case? That frozen duke up north skips every meeting anyway!”
“Well, if you want to lock yourself in the Magic Tower for 300 years and never step into the outside world, I suppose you can start skipping meetings too.”
“……”
Chaian pouted, his lips protruding dramatically as Aserian clicked his tongue in mild irritation.
“It would be nice if he could attend this one, though.”
“Do you think he will? Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Father seems determined to summon him this time.”
“Do you really think that’ll work?”
Chaian’s skepticism earned another long sigh from Aserian.
***
Knock knock.
A land of perpetual snow.
The Duchy of Persia, situated at the northernmost edge of the Devrica Empire.
Although originally part of the Devrica Empire, it was granted autonomy long ago and became an independent duchy.
Knock knock.
The Grand Duke’s residence, blanketed in pristine snow.
Dell, the aide to the Duke of Persia, let out yet another quiet sigh as he stood before the eerily silent door.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
Finally, without waiting for permission, Dell opened the door and stepped inside.
Whirr.
As the door opened, a gust of icy air rushed in, revealing the source of the chill.
Standing at an open window, completely indifferent to the fierce snowstorm outside, was a solitary figure.
The wind swept through his snow-white hair, a sight that looked eerily harmonious with the storm.
“Lord Kainel.”
Despite Dell’s call, the man didn’t respond.
He remained motionless, as if frozen in time, his gaze fixed on the view outside.
Sigh.
Dell exhaled deeply, though only inwardly.
His lord had always been a quiet man, but…
“He’s been like this since that day.”
That day, the most secret and secluded place within the Grand Duke’s residence was left empty.
The remains of someone once revered as a saint—Grace Ellsia—had vanished like dust.
“Why did the body suddenly…”
Grace Ellsia, who had once been called a saint, had rested here in the Grand Duke’s residence.
Though 300 years had passed since her death, her body remained perfectly preserved, untouched by time.
This was thanks to the Power of Frost, an ability unique to the head of the Persia family that could freeze anything.
Kainel Persia had used that power to preserve Grace’s body for centuries.
But then…
The magic suddenly broke.
The very moment the Grand Duke visited that secret space, the freezing spell collapsed, and the body disintegrated before his eyes.
It vanished like smoke.
The event happened so quickly that neither Kainel nor Dell could do anything but stand there, watching in helpless shock.
“And ever since that day…”
Kainel had become even more isolated from the world.
Though he had long shut the Duchy of Persia off from the outside world for 300 years, he had still paid attention to events within the duchy and taken action when needed.
But now?
He had abandoned all efforts, as if he had lost all purpose.
Sigh.
Dell sighed again.
A man who had lived alone for 300 years…
How could someone as ordinary as himself ever hope to understand the actions or emotions of such a person?
As someone who had existed for such a long time, Kainel was called by many names.
The Guardian of the North.
The Heartless Monster.
The One Who Forgot Time.
“The Tower Master called him the ‘Frozen Human,’ didn’t he?”
There were countless rumors and titles associated with Grand Duke Kainel Persia.
But to Dell, who had served him alongside his father since childhood, Kainel appeared to be someone riddled with emptiness—a being full of holes, lacking something vital.
Perhaps it was to fill that emptiness that Kainel often visited the chamber where Lady Grace had once rested. To Dell, these visits only seemed to amplify Kainel’s sense of desolation.
“Lord Kainel.”
Dell called out to him once more and immediately followed with his next words.
“There’s a message from the Imperial Palace.”
At last, Kainel’s gaze shifted from the window. His cold silver eyes looked even emptier than usual.
Suppressing the sigh threatening to escape, Dell carefully handed over the documents he carried.
“They are requesting your attendance at the upcoming meeting. The message details the urgent need to revise the security measures due to the increased frequency of Black Forest occurrences near the capital.”
Among all the regions on the continent, the Duchy of Persia saw the highest number of Black Forest incidents.
One of the reasons the Empire had granted autonomy to the duchy was this very phenomenon. It was impractical for the Imperial Palace to fully manage and support the northern regions.
“His Majesty also sent this.”
Dell placed a small golden plaque on the table with great caution. The intricate engraving of a lion symbolized the Devrica Imperial Family.
The Golden Plaque, also known as the Emperor’s Plaque.
Though it was the size of a palm, the meaning it carried was monumental.
Anyone who received it was obligated to comply with the Emperor’s orders, no matter what they were.
Refusal, regardless of the reason, would mean becoming an enemy of the Imperial Family.
However, even the Emperor could not wield this plaque recklessly.
During their reign, an Emperor could use the Golden Plaque only once.
And now, the current Emperor had chosen to use it to summon the Grand Duke.
Considering Kainel’s three centuries of isolation, this was unprecedented.
None of the previous emperors had ever made such a forceful request of the Grand Duke.
“This shows how dire the situation must be.”
Dell had already been aware of the escalating frequency of Black Forest appearances through his external sources.
“What should we do?”
If this had been a typical request, Kainel would have declined without hesitation.
But with the Golden Plaque attached to the summons, the situation was different. Ignoring it could potentially lead to war.
“Not that he’d care, of course.”
Knowing his master’s utter indifference to such threats, Dell sighed even deeper.
“When is it?”
“…Pardon?”
Dell looked at Kainel with surprise, wondering if he had misheard.
Had he just asked when the meeting would take place?
“I’ll attend.”
“…!”
Hearing Kainel’s short response, Dell’s jaw dropped in shock.
After 300 years of self-imposed isolation, the Grand Duke was finally stepping back into the world.
***
Meanwhile, Ceres stared at the magic stone resting on the table, her mind clouded with hesitation.
“It would be a good idea to sell it to the Magic Tower.”
Just as the woman from the magic shop had suggested, taking it to the Magic Tower would fetch a better price.
“She said the price would depend on what they’d offer, didn’t she?”
Selling it to the Magic Tower was undoubtedly a clean and straightforward solution—no need to wander through shops.
But something held her back. A persistent unease tingled at the back of her head, making her hesitate.
“If they hand it to Arthia without my knowledge…”
Kainel’s words when he gave her the magic stone kept resurfacing in her mind.
Of course, one could argue that selling it to the Magic Tower wasn’t much different from selling it to a shop, but…
“Even so, selling it to the Magic Tower doesn’t sit right.”
Considering Arthia had once been the Tower Master there and how much he had coveted this very stone, delivering it there herself felt wrong.
“It wouldn’t be respectful to either Kainel or Alti.”
Though Ceres wasn’t exactly someone who lived by strict etiquette, this crossed a line even for her.
Eventually, she tucked the magic stone back into her subspace storage.
Though she needed the money urgently, it seemed wiser to do more research before selling it.
Knock knock.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and someone stepped inside.
It was an elderly man in his early sixties, with a calm and unhurried demeanor.
“Lady Ceres.”
It was Colin, the butler who had been forced to leave by Agne.
Not long ago, Ceres and Antonion had gone to find him and brought him back.
“I thought he would refuse.”
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment