Emperor! Can You See Stats!?

Chapter 140: That Guy

The eastern port of Zenobia in the Scharnos Empire.

This place was in a state of emergency that was not appropriate for the time. 

At the port where twenty galleons were anchored, soldiers wearing the imperial navy uniforms were frantically carrying supplies.

“How is the loading of food and ammunition?”

“More than 30% is completed. If the knights arrive, we can set sail in a week.”

“That’s too late! His Majesty ordered us to set sail within this week.”

Count Kernell, who was in charge of the first fleet of the empire, shouted from inside the flagship.

“But it’s such a sudden order that we don’t have enough time.”

The lieutenants looked gloomy, but Count Kernell had no choice. 

In fact, the imperial navy didn’t have much to do.

Their main duties were to escort a few minority merchants who had permission to trade with the east, and to repel pirate ships that occasionally came from the southern coast.

‘I haven’t had any trouble for twenty years since I took office, but it’s all messed up at the end.’

Having nothing to do meant having no influence in the military. 

He was the admiral of the first fleet, but he had never seen the emperor except for his inauguration ceremony.

But this time he was unexpectedly summoned to the palace and scolded.

“Send the knights and prepare to sail to the eastern continent. You have to set sail as soon as possible!”

“Ah… Yes, sir.”

He quickly moved his fleet to Zenobia port and prepared to set sail. 

He didn’t know why, but the emperor’s order was absolute.

But why did he have to go to the east, where official diplomatic relations had been cut off decades ago?

“Maybe… It’s not a war with the Hwan Empire in the east…”

A lieutenant voiced his concern. Kernell shook his head.

“That can’t be. A diplomatic delegation left a while ago, so maybe they have some other mission for us.”

But his guess seemed to be sadly wrong.

***

Bang!

“We have to bring Leonhardt back, even if it means going to war with the east!”

The emperor slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne with an angry expression. 

It was very rare for him to lose his temper like this at a grand council meeting, so his ministers could only bow their heads and keep silent.

After the grand council meeting ended, the ministers gathered in groups and whispered.

“Have those easterners gone mad? Did they harm Prince Leonhardt, who we sent as a diplomatic delegation?”

“Hey… No way. It’s been decades since we sent a diplomatic delegation, so there must have been some misunderstanding.”

It had been over a month since the eastern diplomatic delegation left. 

The reason they heard was that there was a problem with Prince Leonhardt’s identity in the east.

It was an urgent matter that the emperor had no choice but to be furious about.

“After the north and south, now another continent is causing trouble? I don’t know why there are so many surprises lately.”

“Hehe… That’s right.”

One of the naval ministers suddenly wondered.

“But why is the Crown Prince so quiet in this situation?”

A sharp-eyed minister quickly rebuked him.

“You have no sense. He said he was locked up in a villa for knight training, but do you think he wouldn’t come out in this situation?”

“What do you mean? He didn’t even show up at today’s grand council meeting.”

“Tsk! That’s the most decisive evidence.”

The sharp-eyed minister began to explain confidently.

“Who sent Prince Leonhardt to the east as a diplomatic delegation… No, who kicked him out? Isn’t it Crown Prince?”

“So what? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Think about it. The first fleet of the empire is preparing to depart right now, but where do you think Crown Prince is?”

The first minister who asked was surprised.

“Don’t tell me Crown Prince is also going to the east?”

“That’s right! There will probably be some kind of clash with the east. His Majesty is so furious that Prince Leonhardt must be detained in the east.”

Then, the other ministers who had been listening quietly began to nod their heads.

“Oh dear, is it the east this time?”

“Maybe he predicted this situation beforehand. Poor Prince Leonhardt.”

There was no evidence, but they all believed that Eurius had deliberately caused this situation.

It was understandable, since it was Eurius who had sent Leonhardt to the East, and he suddenly locked himself in the palace and refused to come out. 

It was suspicious, to say the least.

If it was a normal diplomatic mission, there would be no way to avoid rumors when Leonhardt died. But dying as a hostage in a war zone was a different story.

For Eurius, it was a perfect plan to go to the East, pretend to fight a war, and then make peace, while disguising Leonhardt’s death as a tragic accident and boosting his own merit.

The servants all clicked their tongues at Eurius’s ruthlessness, but the truth was quite different.

***

After the meeting, the emperor was talking with Mareus in a separate room.

“This should do it. Eurius, that bastard, can be away for a long time and the servants will accept it.”

“Well, they are not entirely wrong in their guesses, are they?”

The emperor’s biggest concern was how to hide Eurius’s absence while sending a search party to the East.

He had his dignity as an empire. He couldn’t announce that the crown prince had run away, could he?

But he couldn’t fool the servants if he sent a large fleet. He and Mareus had racked their brains over this problem and came to one conclusion.

‘If we can’t hide it, then let’s make it look like he secretly went on a mission.’

Of course, it didn’t make sense to send both of the heirs to the throne to another continent. But if they subtly revealed Eurius’s absence in this way, it would work.

The servants would think that Eurius had some intention and went to the East without making it official.

And it was true that the East diplomatic mission led by Leonhardt had lost contact. He didn’t know what happened, but the emperor was bothered by the words Eurius had left behind.

[I’m going to the East because Leonhardt’s movements are suspicious.]

“As soon as you arrive in the Eastern continent, ask through the official envoy what happened to Leonhardt and secretly proceed with Eurius’s search.”

The emperor instructed them urgently before the search party departed. 

Of course, the commander was Count Cornel, who led the 1st Fleet, but the search party was going to act under separate orders from the emperor.

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty!”

The search party was led by Haines. 

He and the knights of Sharnos Order participated in large numbers.

They were also worried about the sudden disappearance of the core member of their order and Eurius. 

Of course, they had heard from Eurius beforehand that he was leaving, but they couldn’t disobey the imperial order as knights.

Twenty galleons and five thousand infantrymen from the 1st Fleet.

Two hundred knights from the search party, including Sharnos Order.

This was the number of additional fleets sent to the East. 

The emperor and Mareus were confident that they could bring Eurius back safely unless a full-scale war broke out.

But just as they finished organizing them and were about to send them off, an unexpected news came in.

“Your Majesty! The envoy from Holy Kingdom is requesting an audience.”

“Holy Kingdom?”

The emperor looked puzzled. 

It hadn’t been long since Eurius’s crown prince ceremony ended. 

Why did they send an envoy at this time? 

But his puzzlement soon turned into annoyance.

“Didn’t I say? Tell them to request an audience again tomorrow!”

The emperor had been exhausted from squeezing his head for days and was not receiving any audience today. But Sijong looked embarrassed and opened his mouth.

“I was going to send them back today too… but they are very stubborn.”

“Huh?”

The emperor put away his anger and looked interested. 

His attendants were experienced and quick-witted.

 He wondered who had visited that made Sijong look so awkward.

“Hehe… Holy Kingdom? Don’t tell me it’s the pope of one of the three churches?”

“That’s not it. But…”

Sijong approached the emperor and whispered in his ear who the visitors were.

“…!?”

The emperor’s face changed into a serious expression. 

They were really unexpected visitors.

“Let them in.”

Sijong bowed deeply and stepped back. And a moment later

“…”

Two people walked into the corridor in front of the audience hall with Sijong’s guidance.

They were both old men who had aged considerably. 

One of them had completely white hair and looked at least seventy years old.

They had to return their weapons before entering the Alhyeon room. 

The royal guards, who had been informed in advance, quickly came forward and asked them.

“You two need to hand over your weapons before entering the Alhyeon.”

“Here you go.”

One of the two elders, who looked slightly younger, handed over his sword with a cheerful expression. 

The guard who received it tried to reach out to the other elder, but his face stiffened for a moment.

‘Is that a war hammer of the Mars sect? How can that be a human weapon?’

The elder with white hair was carrying a huge war hammer on his back. 

It was so big that the weight attached to the end of the hammer was as big as an adult male’s head.

No matter how strong the knights who wielded force were, compared to ordinary people, he doubted how practical such a crude lump of iron would be.

But their duty was only to keep the weapons. 

The guard coughed lightly and stretched out both hands.

“Hmm! I’ll take this too.”

“Please be careful.”

The elder said briefly and pulled out the hammer with one hand and handed it to the guard. 

The guard tilted his head at his light movement.

‘Is it not just iron, but a light material like mithril?’

But as soon as he received the hammer with both hands politely, the guard staggered.

“Ugh!”

The guard, who was ashamed of his reputation as a royal guard, almost fell down. 

The weight of the hammer was much heavier than he imagined.

‘He lifted it with one hand? Is he human?’

The guard barely stood up by using all his force and looked at the back of the elder who disappeared into the Alhyeon room with disbelief.

***

“I greet your majesty, the great emperor of the empire!”

“I greet your majesty.”

The two elders who entered the Alhyeon room bowed deeply. 

The emperor accepted their greeting and looked at them alternately with interest.

“Hmm? Did you say you had an urgent matter to request Alhyeon?”

The emperor couldn’t help but be interested in these two people. 

They were like pillars of the holy kingdom. 

No, even if they searched the whole continent, they would have a hard time finding anyone who had as much fame as these two people.

“I apologize for being rude to your majesty. But it was a matter of utmost importance in the holy kingdom, so we had no choice.”

“Hehe… You don’t have to worry about that. Especially you, since my eldest son owes you a lot.”

The one who apologized politely first was none other than Duke Dios, Beatrice’s father.

He was not only a duke of the holy kingdom, but also had enough qualifications to receive such treatment as one of the top three among superhumans.

“And… I think this is the first time I see you in person, but I didn’t expect you to come here?”

Actually, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Duke Dios came here after exchanging some letters beforehand. 

The emperor’s attention was on the elder standing next to him with white hair.

“Your majesty. Actually, this Alhyeon was requested by me.”

“Oh? Now tell me what your purpose is.”

The identity of the elder was Archbishop Galeus!

He was the person in charge of the executioner position in the sect that served the god of war, Mars.

He was always one of the three people who were considered to be the strongest in the continent, along with Wilhelm Duke who was already dead and Duke Dios who was here.

But if they had to decide who was superior among those three people, everyone would pick this Archbishop Galeus first.

The strongest superhuman in the continent couldn’t help but wonder what he came to visit as a mere envoy from the holy kingdom.

Galeus opened his mouth.

“Actually, there is someone else I want to meet.”

“Hmm?”

The emperor felt something deja vu in his head. 

Wasn’t there someone who always got involved in these unexpected events?

‘Don’t tell me…’

“The person I request to see is your highness, the crown prince of the empire.”

The emperor grabbed his head and uttered a tired word with a weary face.

“Him again!”