Chapter 47 – Powers
In the Empire, His Majesty is often compared to the sun.
It is a fact known to all people that it reigns over the sky and overlooks the earth, but even if you stretch out your arms in longing for the brilliant light, you will never be able to get close to it.
He is more like a concept or symbol than an individual.
It is extremely unusual for such an existence to appear in front of the public without prior notice and without an escort.
For what purpose did you appear?
I didn’t know right now. They just show their loyalty by bowing down on their knees.
—Who is that person?
—It’s a face I’ve never seen before! The clothes aren’t too flashy either. Did the commander-in-chief change?
—Still, many knights knelt down at once. It is clear that he is an extraordinary person…
Unlike the knights, who remained stiff in their kneeling posture, a small disturbance arose among the crowd who could not grasp the situation.
His Majesty the Emperor seldom appears in public.
The fact that Alicia and other members of the royal family all had outstanding appearances, while the man suddenly standing on the podium looked like an ordinary middle-aged man at first glance added to their misunderstanding.
But you should never judge him by his appearance. I swallowed and thought.
‘Yet… You must be unpredictable.’
It is inevitable that you will not realize how incomprehensible the owner of the empire is until you face the true value.
And finally.
[Listen to all peoples]
When His Majesty the Emperor opened his mouth and began to spread his Jade Sound, the entire vast arena instantly froze in silence.
Status as a king. Even though it only revealed a small part of the side.
In an instant, the presence of a crowd of 100,000 people was overwhelmed.
[My knights gathered here]
It was a strange feeling, as if the will of some great being was being conveyed directly into my head instead of hearing a voice.
However, I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. Are the priests receiving the oracle really feeling like this?
[I sincerely pay my respects to you who are loyal to the Empire day and night]
A word of will to praise the dedication of the knights towards the empire descends towards the thousands of troops gathered here.
What could be a greater honor than this for the knights who swore allegiance to the imperial family? Thousands of soldiers raised their voices in excitement that made their hearts overflow.
Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Glory to the Sun of the Empire!
A part of the oath of allegiance that any knight of the empire would have memorized.
There was no word in advance or no separate practice, but everyone unanimously sang the same.
We were in a position to compete with each other in the future, but for now, everyone’s will is united as one under His Majesty the Emperor.
[The courtesy was enough. Wake up]
When His Majesty’s order fell, the 16 Knight Commanders stood up first and then delivered orders to their subordinates.
“Everyone stand up!”
Then, all the knights raised their bodies in unison, and at the same time, belatedly, a small breathing sound began to be heard from all directions.
The golden eyes of His Majesty the Emperor, looking down at the platform and skimming the faces of countless knights.
—Stop!
Moment, it’s a very brief moment, but it seems that His Majesty’s gaze stayed on my side for a long time.
Please hope it’s my misunderstanding.
Normally, he would have been overjoyed at the fact that he had garnered His Majesty’s attention as a knight commander.
‘Master!’
It was because Alicia’s soft face flashed past her mind the moment she met her blazing golden eyes, and she felt unbearable remorse along with her terrifying fear.
Fortunately, nothing more happened there.
“Whoa…”
I let out an inaudible sigh of relief.
Before long, His Majesty the Emperor made a declaration to the crowd of spectators.
[Jim doesn’t enjoy the silence too much. He is a place created for the purpose of harmony and unity, not oppression, so everyone is allowed to freely open their mouths and express their opinions]
Then, the suffocating cold air instantly warmed up, and the host’s body, which had been frozen in place a while ago, creaked again.
“Yo, ya, ya, everyone! The Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor, has visited this place! What the hell is this all about!”
‘Am I crazy?’
No matter how much excitement is said to be the role, several knights, including myself, looked at me in amazement at the moderator’s frivolous introduction of the sun of the Empire like a gladiator.
When His Majesty, the person in charge, didn’t scold him for his rudeness, and went over it casually, the heat in the audience started to heat up again.
—Waaaaa!!!
—Long live the Emperor!
—Overwhelming mercy! Infinite thanks for that warm mercy!
As I calmly thought about it without being swept away by the atmosphere, a doubt popped up in the midst of the confusion.
‘Could it be that this was intentional in advance?’
If it was going to be like this in the first place, why didn’t the imperial family give the commanders a word in advance?
I glanced around and glanced around.
‘Yes. You are all the same’
The other knight commanders also seemed to be feeling a bit confused, as their momentum was slightly disorganized. It was fortunate that we weren’t the only ones who didn’t know anything.
‘It will be very different from the preliminaries.’
At this point, Alicia’s mention flashed through my mind again.
Anyway, I didn’t know it would be like this.
I wanted to close my eyes tightly in a situation that was far beyond my expectations.
[Listen to Jim’s loyal knights]
In the middle of the stadium, where tension still lingered, His Majesty’s full-fledged speech to the finalists continued.
“Yes!”
[As you know, less than a year has passed since the horrors of war swept across the north.]
His Majesty’s will on the jade sound felt terribly heavy.
‘Yes… It hasn’t passed yet.’
War.
Normally, I thought it was just a thing of the past. Is it because an unexpected person in an unexpected place brought out the wound?
That short word became a blade that mercilessly dug through my chest and pierced my heart.
[I saw Jim. And remember. The image of those who fought and shed blood on the battlefield. The youth that could not fully blossom was fading away, leaving indelible scars in the hearts of those who survived.]
A word with many meanings passed by.
—Ughhh… !
—Louis… Allen… !
—Cursed Northern immigrants…
The atmosphere in the crowd, which had been noisy, quickly became solemn, and some even shed tears from the rising sadness.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Was it because of this that His Majesty’s gaze stayed on me just a moment ago?
The days of graduating from the officer training school. I remember being so nervous to the point of dying because I was forced to take an oath in front of His Majesty the Emperor as the representative of the cadets.
And after 5 years
I, who survived to the end, faced the Emperor’s face again at the triumphal ceremony.
Seeing that he was so serious about the war that had already passed, it was not unreasonable that His Majesty remembered me separately.
I opened my eyes again.
Thousands of troops gathered in the arena were looking at only one person.
Then, His Majesty’s golden eyes began to burn as hot as the sun.
[Going through the first war in hundreds of years, Jim realized. The fact that in order to keep the peace, one must never be immersed in inertia]
—Hwaaaaak!
Before long, waves of mystical energy bursting out around him began to cover the entire vast arena.
In the empire, there is a legend that has been secretly drifting since long ago.
The Emperor is not human, but a being close to God.
Of course, in the yard where Cheonshingyo functions as a state religion, those who spread such nonsense are treated as heretics and are bound to be taken to the interrogation center.
Right now at this moment. It was as if he could understand why such absurd legends were still talked about by people.
[I declare my burden. This time, the match against the knights will be conducted in a way that is infinitely close to the real battle, breaking away from the existing standardized format.]
Magic? It wasn’t anything like that.
This is power itself.
With His Majesty’s declaration, the arena began to change in an instant.
—Woozijik, Woojik…
Is this a miracle that can only be achieved by the supreme leader of this empire and by those who have reached transcendence?
An incomprehensible phenomenon was happening right in front of my eyes.
Depending on the will of only one person, a fine space endlessly twists, expands, and changes.
“Aaaaa! Even seeing with my own two eyes, a miracle that is hard to believe is real is unfolding here! The power of His Majesty the Emperor! What are the limits!!”
— Kyaaaaa!!
— What is this?!
Screams erupted from the audience all at once at a sight far beyond common sense.
The subordinates lined up behind me also seemed to be seldom coming to their senses.
“Captain! What the hell is going on right now? Oops, I never heard that something like this would happen…!”
“It’s the same for me! It can be dangerous if you move carelessly, so everyone stick to your current position!”
“Yes!”
As His Majesty’s power swept through the arena, a completely different space was unfolding before her eyes, not the gigantic amphitheatre.
—Whee-oh-oh… !
It was an all-too-familiar, everyday scene in the northern frontier.
