A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

294 – Bloody Engagement Ceremony (5)

December 24, 99, Continental Calendar.

The day of the decisive battle has come.

It feels like something really great is going to happen when you talk about a decisive battle, but it’s not like going to an actual war.

However, the mindset is like that of a soldier going to war.

With a solemn heart, you never know when or where death will approach.

‘Preparation is perfect.’

I prepared everything.

All controllable factors were controlled, and all variables were blocked or insured.

If an accident occurs even after doing this, it is a force majeure that cannot be done by human power.

Booo ooo much

A trumpet sounds outside the window.

When I raised my head and looked outside, there was a huge airship flying over Orosol Academy.

Congratulations on your engagement.

Gray Gibraltar. Astasia von Tersian.

Did they attach something like a battery, or did they just paint a big coat of ink on the side of the airship?

If you look at the writing on a white background, it looks like the former, but if you look up and focus with magic in your eyes, it looks like the latter.

‘It’s Empress Erwin.’

The cost of painting an airship is enormous.

Rather than hanging a placard on the side of such an airship, the idea of simply repainting it with ink seems absurd, even just because of the ink and labor costs.

You even have to wipe it off later, and covering it again or removing the ink also costs money.

Sponsored by Iperia Industries.

Although it is not actually written that way, it was Iperia Industries that prepared all the imperial goods needed for this engagement ceremony.

Even those who bought and prepared items that could be prepared within the kingdom.

Even the dark blue suit I am wearing right now was prepared by Empress Erwin herself.

“…”

Stand in front of a full-length mirror.

It’s a bit strange that all his hair is pulled back, unlike usual, and he doesn’t have the glasses he used to wear to create a mean-spirited image (sometimes it was a monocle).

First of all, the fact that the suit is navy blue is extremely awkward.

It is extremely awkward for Gray Gibraltar to wear a suit in a color other than red, which symbolizes the color of Gibraltar, the color of his father, and the color of the time.

Dress code has political meaning.

Just the color of the tie can reveal who is on whose side.

Meanwhile, choosing the color of your suit as navy blue is like making an official declaration to people.

Gray Gibraltar becomes engaged to Astasia von Tersian – ‘Princess of the Empire’.

Whether you say it’s not you or not, you’re on the side of the empire.

‘I’m shaking.’

I’ve been preparing for a long time, but today I feel even more nervous.

I’ve already been married once, but the wedding before I returned was a wedding that was embarrassing to even call a wedding.

After the war.

Dead mother.

A father who became a ruined man.

The younger brothers suddenly became citizens of the empire.

The eyes of those who came as guests were half looking at traitors to the kingdom, and half were looking at political opponents who were trying to usurp the position of heir to the empire.

There were many people congratulating the couple on their marriage, but they were all speaking perfunctorily.

There was only one person who celebrated my marriage with Astasia.

Knock knock.

A knocking sound ring.

I’m nervous that my true feelings will be revealed if we meet face to face, but when I think about it, that day also came at dawn like this.

“It’s open. Please come in, Your Majesty.”

“Excuse me.”

Do you really think this is rude?

The man who opened the office door and leisurely entered was, of course, Emperor Habsburg von Tersian, whose hair and eye color were the same as the color of this navy blue suit.

“You look displeased when you see me this morning.”

“Not really.”

“Is that so? That’s a little surprising.”

“Anyway, after the engagement ceremony today, you will officially become my future father-in-law, so just think of it as saying hello in advance.”

“A prospective father-in-law. Then, if the engagement ceremony goes well today, I will officially become your future father-in-law.”

“Yes.”

The emperor shook his head as if he was proud, even though it was a natural statement.

“When do you plan to get married?”

“Well, what about after killing Saint Geo Nostrum and creating a safe environment for giving birth?”

At the same time, if we kill the Habsburgs and create an environment where Astasia can have children without worrying.

“I agree. You never know when he might try to use Nostrum’s miracle again to cause trouble. As a result … None of his family came, so it must be a little disappointing.”

“It’s okay. It’s an engagement party, not a wedding.”

There is only one Gibraltar here.

Except for Gray Gibraltar, none of the other Gibraltar came to Orosol Academy where the engagement ceremony was held.

Why?

Of course, it’s dangerous.

“Although the number of Golden Heroic Spirits has decreased significantly compared to before, and it is certainly encouraging to see that false gold has also decreased due to those caught up in the false world. However, it is absurd to think that they will not appear at all on days like today.”

“That’s right.”

It was safer to have a wedding before returning.

At that time, the shadows of the empire stood under tight security, all of those invited were those who had surrendered to the empire, and since it was the first event led by the emperor after the fall of the kingdom, assassins were unable to do anything.

“Let me tell you this one thing clearly. If something happens, it doesn’t happen in the Empire.”

But it’s different now.

“Whether Saint Geo Nostrum is trying to ruin your engagement ceremony, or whether paranoid psychopaths who can’t tell the difference between dreams and reality are screaming ‘This engagement is invalid!’, Those are variables that not even the Emperor can control. That’s it.”

“I understand.”

Not only does the incompetent king have no idea what he will do using Nostrum’s miracle, but we also don’t know what the radicals who quickly became anti-imperialists as a result of the miracle will do.

“Gray. Don’t you think it would be better to get rid of people like that?”

“…”

The emperor asks.

“Nostrum, Gibraltar, and the Empire will become a community through a marriage alliance. There is no need for idiots who still follow St. Geo Nostrum in this one-party alliance. This is especially true for those who believe that what is in a dream is the truth.”

“It is true that they are frustrating, but I don’t think there is a need to kill them all on purpose.”

“Even though they became a risk factor that prevented your family from coming to your engagement ceremony?”

“If everyone is killed, who will clean up the bodies?”

The emperor smiles.

In the Empire, the method of getting rid of corpses is different from that of the Nostrum, but the Emperor especially prefers a different method of getting rid of corpses.

“Well, wouldn’t it be okay to do what you did in this room?”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never removed a body from this room.”

“Why isn’t he there? Was it Lionel…? Didn’t the Knights of the Golden Dawn attack this place and he went missing?”

“You have bad taste. You say that on purpose.”

“Because you and I are similar. Since we are dead anyway, wouldn’t it be beneficial to everyone if it was used as a magical power enhancer for the living?”

The emperor is a person who does not respect or mourn the dead.

And that’s somewhat similar to me too. The direction is different.

“So, are you going to round up all the loyal soldiers and paranoid psychopaths and imprison them? Then turn them into vampires, kill them, collect their bone powder, turn it into silver, and sell it?”

“Rather than burying it in the sunny Nostrum land and contaminating it, wouldn’t it be an efficient measure for this continent to burn it and use it as silver?”

“I admit that, but I have no intention of intentionally killing a living person.”

“So you will always try to kill me only when you have done something that would kill me?”

“Is there anything that can’t be done?”

“Merciful.”

“It’s annoying.”

“It’s annoying…”

The emperor strokes his beard with his hand and grins.

“Then I can relieve you of that annoyance.”

“If you kill them all, it won’t be a hassle, but you shouldn’t kill all the people of Nostrum.”

“Why?”

“If there are Nostrum people, wouldn’t the people of the Empire live with caution?”

The emperor smiles and nods with a serious expression.

“Even if a being is on the verge of death, there must always be an enemy?”

“You must always be on guard. It is true that the people of Nostrum are technologically and culturally behind the Empire, but aren’t some people catching up with frightening speed?”

Clearly, Nostrum is relatively barbaric compared to the Empire.

However, it’s because I didn’t know until now, and it’s true that once I know, I can definitely grow faster.

“Or are you worried, Your Majesty, that the people of Nostrum will eat Gibraltar and the Empire? Are you afraid?”

“Am I afraid?”

“Yes.”

“…I’m scared.”

The emperor shook his head and laughed.

“I am afraid that Gray Gibraltar will say that he will not be my successor.”

“…”

“I am not the kind of cruel person who always wants to see blood. If I had just killed every time, half of the empire would have already become white. Incompetent people who do nothing while collecting taxes are like parasites who depend on someone else. , I wanted to kill them all.”

Those words are sincere.

“But aren’t the Empire and Nostrum different?”

“It’s different. It’s different. It has to be different, otherwise His Majesty here will want to kill all of Nostrum.”

“To prevent something like that from happening, let’s just deal with the sick?”

“It’s a good day, and good days like this will continue in the future. You can’t carelessly see blood on a good day.”

“It’s a good day… Right.”

The emperor quietly raised his hands.

“Today is your day, so I’ll stop here.”

“I hope you end it today and don’t do it again in the future.”

“Is that possible? Since you are my son-in-law, I hope you will listen carefully and not think of me as nagging.”

The emperor giggled and came next to me.

“It’s a shame. If you were my son, everything would have been easier.”

“Isn’t your son-in-law your son?”

“My son and son-in-law feel different. I feel like I want to take Crimson’s place as his father.”

“I’ve heard of someone stealing someone else’s woman, but this is the first time I’ve heard of someone stealing their her father her’s her place her her her her.”

“Is that so? Isn’t this the first time?”

The emperor smiles meaningfully, but unfortunately, this is the first time I’ve really heard it.

“I’m sorry, but Your Majesty is the first person to say that to me.”

“…Why?”

“That’s right… “

Because my father before and my father now are different.

“Your Majesty may feel sorry for you, but if anyone could go back in time, my biological father would only be Crimson Gibraltar.”

The emperor before his return had already criticized his father for not being able to fulfill his father’s role.

And he also enjoyed taking on his father’s role.

Unlike the current emperor.

I also accepted that to some extent.

Rather than being a father, I felt like he was viewed as a politically ally, but-

“Isn’t it true that a son grows into a man by watching and learning from his father?”

“…It’s a shame. It’s really a shame.”

The Habsburg Emperor shook his head.

“Still, I have to be thankful this time. Thanks to Saint Geo Nostrum, I was able to take your father’s place.”

“…”

“Would you refuse?”

“How could I refuse?”

Even if you want to refuse, you can’t.

“Let’s go, father-in-law.” In front of the whole world, I will declare to the world that I will have your daughter.”