Chapter 11: -in i mean (1)

You are in danger on the deck, Your Excellency.

Well, I’d say the aged butler is in more danger than I am.

A high-speed airship swiftly cut through the cold air of the late dawn.

The chilling wind posed no danger to me, but it was different for Albert, the old butler.

“It’s just as uncomfortable inside as it is outside. So, you go in first.”

“Then I will go in first.”

In the end, he went inside first.

This small airship, which sacrificed much for speed, didn’t even offer comfortable rest indoors.

All it had were submarine-level cabins, something the nobles of this world, who epitomized grandeur and splendor, couldn’t even imagine.

Rather than forcing everyone else out just to lie down in that stuffy place, it was better for me to stay outside.

“Your Excellency, we will arrive soon.”

It didn’t take long anyway.

I don’t know the exact figures, but looking at the distance on the map, it was farther than stretching the Korean Peninsula from north to south.

The high-speed airship in this fantasy world, a jumble of early modern, medieval, steampunk, and arcane-punk elements due to the author’s lack of skill, covered that distance in about half a day.

By the time the bright sun had already risen, I looked down at the landscape spread out below, hearing the sailor’s announcement of our arrival.

Though incomparable to Earth’s metropolises, this immensely vast urban area unfolding below was the Imperial Capital, the heart of the Empire.

In a world where most people had never even ridden a hot air balloon, let alone an airship, this sight from the sky clearly had an overwhelming power.

Of course, not for me.

“Landing.”

Soon, the airship fully landed on the ground.

However, it didn’t land at the Imperial Capital Airship Port, which was a kind of airport where airships generally take off and land, but at the Imperial Family’s private port.

“I’ve been waiting, Eve.”

And there he was, already out, waiting for me.

“To think you would come out and wait for me, this humble subject is at a loss.”

Since it was a private port, all the troublesome procedures unique to ports, comparable to airport immigration, were omitted, but a meeting with the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Empire, meant even more bothersome procedures awaited.

I quickly scanned my surroundings, saw the attendants clustered around the Emperor, and clicked my tongue inwardly.

Seeing not only the Emperor’s personal confidants but also others from the Imperial Household Department and Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was clear that this meeting itself was somewhat official.

This meant that if I acted on my own whims out of annoyance, those unaware of the bilateral contractual relationship between the Emperor and me might misunderstand, making things even more troublesome.

“I greet the Emperor of the Empire.”

Though it wasn’t to my liking, after the body search was complete, I knelt on one knee before him, bowed my head, and formally greeted him.

After all, as the Headmaster of Ragpedia and an official receiving the nation’s stipend, ‘officially’ it was a lord-vassal relationship.

“I’m the one who should apologize for calling you when you’re busy.

You might be a bit tired from the flight, but shall we go somewhere quieter first?”

Perhaps conscious of his surroundings, he smiled and personally extended a hand to help me up.

He was Emperor Lich Radat von Brodenia, a tall, blond, green-eyed young man who had just passed his coming-of-age.

In the original work, he didn’t have much presence.

He was clearly a capable emperor who, at a young age, won the succession struggle, became Crown Prince, successfully ascended the throne, and strengthened imperial authority amidst seasoned factions.

But that was all.

After the appearance of humanity’s worst enemies, who would plunge the entire world into ruin, the Empire’s throne, no longer the strongest, became less significant.

He only appeared as a mere seasoning, commending the protagonist and other characters.

“Shall we walk for a bit? I’d like you all to follow a little behind. I want to speak with Eve alone.”

Nevertheless, his unfathomable eyes still bothered me, even now, at our first meeting since my transmigration.

Lich sent his attendants back and gestured for me to walk beside him.

“I’ve already sent a letter, but anyway, all the issues raised regarding school management have been resolved.”

“Thank you.

I would have liked to investigate who those rascals were.”

“Please bear with that.

I still can’t do everything as I wish.

If things escalate beyond this, I won’t be able to suppress it.”

While the attendants followed far behind, we walked and conversed alone.

At such times, I didn’t strictly adhere to etiquette either, which was quite comfortable.

“The reason I called you is the same as before.

I need to go there and investigate a bit more.”

“I knew it.”

I had already anticipated why he would specifically call me, who had gone far away.

It was none other than demon realm exploration.

He had somehow acquired an artifact capable of opening the gate to the demon realm, which had been closed since the Age of Myths.

Taking me as his escort, he would occasionally enter the demon realm to explore the remaining ruins and retrieve artifacts and treasures.

Naturally, this story was never mentioned in the original work.

Therefore, I couldn’t be sure if this action was a predetermined destiny, or a variable created by me, an irregularity who also didn’t appear in the original work.

“The demon realm, I don’t like it.”

“I feel the same.

We only go because the legacies left there are of great help to us.”

He chuckled and agreed with me about disliking the demon realm.

But it was obvious he wouldn’t know why I, in my current state, disliked the demon realm.

A disaster that would plunge this world into crisis, one I couldn’t mention or design to intervene in right now.

Because its true nature was the resurrected demon race, under the command of an unimaginable new Demon King.

Of course, they were completely different from the past, operating from a new demon realm they called [Hell], so this current activity probably had little to do with it.

“For now, get some rest.

The scheduled time is dawn today, so we’ll meet up with Sir Guilford then and secretly leave the imperial palace.”

“That bald man? Ha.”

Lich, who personally showed me to my room, told me the plan before those who would attend to me arrived.

And at the name Guilford, I recoiled.

Guilford was one of the Emperor’s closest confidantes, holding one of the cringeworthy titles: the Seven Imperial Swords.

He was an upright knight, strong and proper, but also equally stubborn and narrow-minded.

This meant he was my complete opposite, making him a tiresome opponent whenever we met.

“It couldn’t be helped.

Instead, look at that.

I had this special strawberry pudding prepared in advance, so I thought if you ate it and rested, you might feel a bit better.”

‘Kuh…’

Lich gave a wry smile and pointed to a cart approaching with a rattling sound.

A large, covered dish brought directly by the imperial chef.

This crazy body instantly decided to ‘eat first, then decide,’ and before I knew it, I was sitting obediently, waiting to be served.

****

“It is dangerous, Your Majesty.”

“Always the same parrot-like answer, Butler.

But as you know, I cannot stop.

It was because I could go there that I was able to come this far.”

Lich, who had changed out of his splendid imperial uniform into plain clothes, shook his head at the butler’s words.

“You don’t have to worry.

I’m going with Sir Guilford, as well as Eve.”

“…Please return safely.”

As always, the butler could not break his stubbornness.

In the end, Lich, slipping out of the imperial palace as if on a secret excursion without a single escort, met the party who would guard him there.

There was a sturdy middle-aged man and a small girl, similarly disguised in rough, plain clothes and cloaks.

The chilly atmosphere between the two, who seemed to be deliberately ignoring each other as if after an argument, quickly dissipated with Lich’s appearance.

“You’ve arrived.”

“That greeting is a bit much, Sir Guilford, no, Guilford.

So, let’s make haste.”

Though he didn’t kneel or bow his head, Lich let out a wry laugh at the sight of the man respectfully bowing to him.

He waved his hand and simultaneously pulled out the necklace hanging around his neck.

“The legacy of the demon race that perished in the Age of Myths.

Even if they are demons, there’s no reason not to use them if they are helpful to us.

This is for all of us.”

Lich infused mana into the necklace, activating the inscribed spell formula.

At the same time, a lost ancient spell was activated, creating a shimmering spatial rift before them in the secluded alley.

‘For all of us.’

And Eve, who threw herself into the rift with Guilford and Lich, mulled over Lich’s last words.

She too was already acting for certain people.

Serving as a kind of mercenary was all for that purpose.

To support them as much as possible, in a destiny where she could never be the main character.

‘If that is your life, then this is my life.’

She acknowledged the distinctly different destinies of being a protagonist and an outsider, and accepted that focusing on her own destiny was the path for everyone.