"Mm-hmm. The regent was very capable. We've lost another great man."
The conversation with the Prime Minister continues. I wonder if I've been summoned here only to ask about the state of the kingdom of Juka. If that's all I'm asked to do, the conversation will soon be over. As I was wondering what I would do when I returned to the hotel, the Prime Minister's face changed.
"Well, I called you here for nothing else. I had one question I wanted to ask you.
Well, what the hell? I don't know how hard it is.
"Nothing else. Do you know the whereabouts of Falco, mage of the House of Bertham?
"Master Falco! Do you know Master Falco? The great mage Falco is my master. Unfortunately..."
"Oh, yes, I knew he was dead. If you know how he died, would you please tell me?
I told him that his arms had been cut off, that his chest had been pierced by a sword, and that he had been devoured by a sheikh dragon.
It was an uncharacteristic end for Falco. He must have been very skilled to cut off Falco's arms. I'm glad we didn't mess with the Juka Kingdom after all. Even though we have twice as many men, we probably would have been destroyed if we had invaded the Juka Kingdom.
"Excuse me, how did you know Master Falco?"
Falco and I were childhood friends. Yes, Falco is from the Heedata Empire. He has excelled in magic since he was a child. By the time he graduated from the University of Magic, he had mastered magic of almost every attribute. His fire magic, in particular, is among the best of all Imperial wizards. He was a wizard with a bright future ahead of him.
Why did this great mage come to the kingdom of Juka?
"That's because... she crawled into the Princess's room at night. We managed to stop it, but several of her guards died.
Master, what are you doing?
"If that had been all, we would have been able to put a stop to it somehow. After all, he is the most gifted sorcerer in the history of the empire. But Falco was an instructor at a magic college at that time, and he was too strict in his teaching. He thought that since he could use restorative magic, he could heal any injuries he received, so he was merciless. Because the lessons were so strict, the number of young people who gave up on becoming mages increased dramatically.
Wow, I get it. Those who have never been taught by a master can't understand, but it was really hard. He would attack you until you were really close to death. Even a child was merciless.... Then Eryl came and beat us to a pulp....
I remember those hellish days. I cried.
"Falco's reputation was not good in the empire. He was admittedly a good mage, but his personality was the worst. And now he's crawling into the princess's bed at night. You know we can't just sweep it under the rug.
That's right. That's a line that would be completely punishable by death.
"As for Falco, we were afraid to take his life. We decided to keep him in jail for a while. He broke out of his cell and crawled on the princess again.
What? Twice? Master, what are you really doing!
"Thanks to the quick thinking of the lady-in-waiting, the princess was able to escape, but the problem was Falco. The Imperial Guard has even formed an army to defeat him. That's when he escaped to my house.
"I tried to hand Falco over to him, but he said he wanted to escape to another country. Falco was a childhood friend of mine, and I didn't want him to die. It just so happened that Bertherm was there. Through his arrangement, I was able to escape to the Kingdom of Juka. I have been friends with the Marquis ever since.
Is it safe for you to say that to me? I thought, "But a prime minister would not lightly say something that would make his own position worse. In other words, he has the power that no one can say anything about such a thing.
It is said that when the master fell from the capital, he put on an outrageous three-sentence play. He was cut down by the prime minister in front of the army of defeat (though of course he was faking it) and said, "Ugggggghh... I never thought my childhood friend, Gremont, could be mortally wounded! and disappeared in agony. Wouldn't they find out if he did that? But it seems that the Prime Minister was able to manage that situation with his skill. In that sense, he must be an excellent person.
While they were talking, a man came into the room and talked to the Prime Minister. What is it? Are you serious? You are surprised. I was wondering what was going on,
"His Majesty the Emperor is to meet you. I am sorry to trouble you, but would you be so kind as to accompany me to the audience?"
I couldn't say no to that. I'll follow behind you like a big boy. After a few minutes of walking through the maze of corridors, we arrive at a ridiculously large door.
"Wait there for a while."
The Prime Minister enters and exits first. After a few moments, the door opens and they are asked to enter. A throne can be seen at the back of a fairly large room. A soldier is standing there. I suppose he is telling us to stop here.
I kneel down and put my right hand on my left chest.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Linos, a servant of the Marquess of Bertham in the Kingdom of Juka. It is a pleasure to see your beautiful face.
At any rate, he gives a standard greeting and hangs his head. At the voice of the Prime Minister, "Raise your head," he raises his head and looks at the Emperor.
He looks fearless. He is a little old, but his face is reminiscent of his youth. Perhaps it is because he has a mustache. After a while, the emperor opens his mouth.
"...I've been to ・・・・..." he says. ...and ... I ... want ... to ..."
I beg your pardon? Can't you hear me? You've got to be a little louder!
I look at the Prime Minister and see him nodding with a smug look on his face. No, he's not nodding! I can't hear you!
"It is highly unusual for you, a man without a title, to be granted an audience. His Majesty wishes to ask you directly. I thank you for your kindness, and you may answer in detail.
After that, the Prime Minister asked me the same questions that he had asked me in the Kushana room and that I had just been asked by the Prime Minister. Of course, Master Falco's story was off the record. The emperor listened to my story with great interest.
"...gi...ta. ...is... .
I knew it was hard to hear the emperor's voice. How can the Prime Minister hear that voice? Does he have some special skill? As I was thinking about this, His Excellency asked me to leave the audience hall.
After this, the Prime Minister had some political business to attend to, so I was left in the charge of the chamberlain who was to guide me. It seems that he will invite me to his residence at a later date.
I returned straight from Miyagi to the hotel. It was already around noon. I was tired, by the way. Let's have lunch for now.