Chapter 997 – #99. The Story of the Three Thousand Concubines and the Emperor (55)
“These people are out of their minds. Do you think they are people who come when His Majesty calls them and go when they are called!!!”
The priests were surprised by the nobleman’s shouting and gasped! And I was scared.
“Wow, aren’t you afraid of the consequences of persecuting us like this!!”
“We are advocating for fair treatment!”
“That’s right! Treat me fairly!”
“Tsk, tsk, you haven’t come to your senses yet. I thought you would change after suffering in a place like this, but have you still not figured out your subject?”
“What? Understand the topic?! Are you talking to us?!”
“Then why would they say that there is someone here other than you?”
It seemed like he was very embarrassed by the imperial nobles who appeared stronger than expected.
He’s repeating a threat that hasn’t worked in the past, hoping it will work for the nobles.
She sighed at that pitiful sight and did not bother to hide her sigh.
And the nobleman who was threatened by her also looked behind her and shook his head.
“I will show you mercy and warn you just once. If you refuse to do things like this one more time, you will end up living in a place even worse than the one you are living in now.”
“A place worse than here?”
“This place is already terrible enough, but there’s something even worse?”
“If you want to know how terrible it is, go on strike one more time. Then you will know even if you don’t want to know. Haha!!”
She hurriedly interjected as she saw the nobleman finishing what he had to say and moving to leave.
“Wait! I want to talk for a moment.”
“… We’ve already had enough conversations.”
“What I have to say is a different story. It has nothing to do with what those people said.”
“It doesn’t matter? If you’re lying, you’ll be the first to see it. Do you still want to talk to me?”
“Yes.”
Her nobleman pondered for a moment at her firm response, then motioned to her soldier to take her out of the room.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about, but I think you’re a more attentive person than they are, so I’ll give you a cup of tea.”
I can feel the priests watching her from behind as if they are going to stab her in the back.
If you leave this path, you will no longer be able to be with them.
Even as she thought again that her choice was right, her steps became heavy.
Nevertheless, he did not make the mistake of stopping to follow the nobleman and looking back.
‘This is right.’
Because she was now convinced that her actions were right.
⁘ ⁘ ⁘
She told her nobleman what she had thought and returned to the prison as if nothing had happened.
The priests kept trying to ask what on earth she was talking about with the nobleman, but she withstood their stares by closing her eyes and remaining silent.
If everything goes as planned, the relationship with them will be the same as being severed.
She said, “I heard she had an unusual story.”
A few days had passed since that day, and the imperial army had marched all the way to the capital of the Geos Empire.
Her emperor summoned her secretly.
Even though she knew that she was being watched by other priests since that day, she was called in as if she was being kidnapped while she was treating the soldiers.
She was so shocked that her mind went blank because she had to face her emperor without any preparation.
“…”
“Hmm? Why isn’t there anything said?”
“That…”
She opened her mouth because she was afraid that he would put a sword to her throat, saying that she was being rude, but she didn’t know what to say, so she just stuttered.
The emperor must have understood the situation and spoke with a dull expression.
“You must be nervous. Did you bring him here in a rough way?”
“I brought him here after saying that His Majesty was calling him. From then on, he seemed a bit out of his mind.”
“It seems like it was too sudden. But I’m disappointed if I just don’t have the mental strength to endure this. I was looking forward to it because you made a pretty interesting offer.”
“!!”
She came to her senses when she saw that the emperor was truly disappointed.
If you continue like this, your chance to survive will disappear.
I quickly came to my senses and opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry. I was summoned so suddenly that I lost consciousness for a moment.”
“I heard you made an unusual proposal.”
“Yes.”
“I called because I wanted to hear more about the proposal.”
“I want to build a new temple in the empire.”
“Yes, a new temple! Is this really possible?”
“I believe that Your Majesty has no intention of reversing relations with the temple at this time. Am I correct in my opinion?”
The emperor looked at her strangely and said.
“Yes, that’s right. I think our relationship with the temple has already crossed a line that cannot be undone.”
“But there will continue to be children born with divine powers in the empire. What do you plan to do with them?”
“Well, at least I had no intention of bringing the imperial citizens to the temple. I had no intention of bringing them to my country in the first place.”
“Then you will need me. I will teach them and train them to become temple priests for the empire.”
So, if something like this happens again, I will make it so that you don’t have to apologize to the temple.
“If that happens, there won’t be anything bad.”
“I don’t think there is any need to turn a blind eye to the people of the empire who were born with divine powers just because they built a temple and a palace.”
“Hmm… I’m worried.”
“I think it’s a good enough proposal that you don’t have to worry about it.”
“It’s not like there are no problems.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Jim can’t trust you.”
There was nothing she could say about that part.
Isn’t trust something that can be created artificially?
However, she decided to provide the emperor with some information for trust.
“I came from an orphanage. So I don’t have a family. I don’t have a lover. That means I don’t have any relationships that I can regret. That’s why I was able to make decisions with ease.”
“You can’t entrust a big job like that.”
Entrusting the education of young children is a much more important position than you might think.
Imagine if, with bad intentions, she educates her children for the temple rather than for the empire.
“Wouldn’t it be a good thing for the temple to raise it with my own money?”
“Then what and how do I prove it?”
“Making that offer means that you are determined to come into the arms of the empire, right?”
“Yes, I have no intention of returning to the temple anymore. In fact, there will be no place for me there.”
“There is no space? Ah, because it is not a revelation? I knew that I was hated for it, but was the persecution that severe?”
“!!!”
The emperor did not hesitate to reveal that he knew everything about the circumstances of the priests.
“How do you know that?”
“Haha, it’s happening in Jim’s hands, so you can’t know.”
“…”
We were completely being played by the emperor.
A feeling of emptiness washed over her.
“For your information, I have no intention of releasing the prisoners in exchange for money from the Geos Empire.”
“?!”
“After all, isn’t that money coming from the Geos Empire? I have no intention of accepting it unless it comes from the temple. And if I let them go, aren’t they the ones who will ultimately point the sword at our empire?”
“Then what do you plan to do with those you captured alive?”
“Either we can persuade them to come to our side, or we can make them pay the ransom themselves.”
These are actions that do not hesitate to destroy the existing method of prisoner exchange.
Although he was repulsed by the fact that he did not follow the ‘rules’, it also occurred to him that it was even stranger for someone like the emperor to follow the ‘rules’.
The emperor seen up close is a very strange person.
‘And somehow… I feel a sense of déjà vu.’
At first, I didn’t feel it because I was nervous about the pressure of the emperor’s position, but as we talked, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
For some reason, it felt like I had had a conversation alone with him like this before.
‘That’s nonsense.’
She ignored her sense of déjà vu without thinking much about it.
It was because what was in front of me was more important than worrying about such things.
“What about the priests?”
“They also have to repay the ransom with their own abilities. Of course, they will have to measure the ransom and the value of their abilities again.”
The emperor was not a soft-spoken person who could only send money to those he had captured.
Since the temple and castle are built, there will not be any major problems if you do not follow the prisoner exchange rules.
‘It will be a relationship that can never be restored with the temple, but it will be no problem for the current emperor.’
As expected, the choice she made was right.
If she hadn’t made the direct deal like this, she, like her other priests, would have gone through the trouble of paying her ransom while in captivity.
But things changed when she first made her deal offer.
At least if you can earn the emperor’s trust, you won’t have to go through all the trouble of paying the ransom.
“How can I give you trust?”
“Are you asking Jim that?”
The emperor laughed as if he had heard everything.
That relaxed appearance was enough to make her nervous.
“There is no time. The war will end soon…”
“Yes, it will end in victory for our empire.”
“Then I have no way to show you trust, right?”
“If you really want to gain Jim’s trust, would you try one thing?”
“… Do you have something to tell me?”
“Yes, yes.”
“What is it?”
As she asks a question and waits for the emperor’s answer, she suddenly begins to laugh.
“… Why are you smiling?”
“It’s quite extraordinary.”
“?”
Could it be that he is mocking himself?
I started crying and felt bad.
But the emperor seemed to have laughed purely because he felt good.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m sincere. I don’t think I even remember very well, but I can’t help but feel honored that they came to collect my luggage first and made such an ingenious suggestion.”
“What do you mean I don’t remember?”
When he questioned the emperor’s unknown words, he changed his tone instead of giving a clear answer.
“More than that, aren’t you curious about what you should do?”
“Of course I’m curious.”
“Haha! Jim will come and tell you soon. Until then, wait patiently.”
“… You mean later?”
“It will be quite difficult for you to gain trust. So you must be prepared.”
I swallowed my saliva at the emperor’s meaningful warning.
I had no idea what they were trying to do.
However, he decided not to regret the path he had already chosen.
At least he was confident that his situation would be much better than that of other priests.
The imperial emperor was such a formidable person.
‘Would the emperor of such an empire be satisfied with having captured the Geos Empire? In my opinion, the temple will be next after the Geos Empire.’
That was the confidence I had from the moment I met the emperor one-on-one.
Was it really the right thing to choose this man?
Only time would tell what was the right choice.
