After I returned to my room, I looked at the letter Sullivan delivered to me with narrowed eyes.

Looking back…

In Sera’s original story, despite Iliya being one of the chief executives of the Empire, which was the nation she was most deeply involved with, she rarely had the opportunity to step into the Imperial Palace.

Mostly because the Empress herself was more deeply connected to Eleanor than Iliya, also the way she appeared in the main story wasn’t particularly pleasant.

I had mentioned this a few times before, but the Empress held the most significant role in causing Eleanor’s mental breakdown in the main scenario.

That was why…

Cecilia the 11th could be considered as Eleanor’s enemy.

Because in the game, the Chancellor was the villain for Iliya, meanwhile it was Cecilia the 11th who had sent Eleanor on that express train to hell.

“...Why did she summon me at this timing, though?”

I mumbled while lying on the bed.

The letter stated that she was summoning me to the Imperial Palace to congratulate me on my exceptional achievements during the Hero Selection Ordeal.

Just the content is already strange.

She shoulda called Iliya instead of me.

The event was called ‘Hero Selection’, so the focus should have been on the Hero Candidate not on the entourage who was nothing more than an assistant.

But, the Empress mentioned me by name in the letter, which meant that it was me who she had a business with. Basically telling me to be obedient and not consider running away.

“...”

What was she up to?

It was strange enough that she was interested in me in the first place and now she summoned me before the Last Ordeal started?

I could understand why the Chancellor tried to stop me, as something might just happen to me.

But still…

[Are you going?]

“...I have to.”

Because something worse might happen if I didn’t.

Sullivan begged me to not go while gritting her teeth, but it was still better for me to walk into the enemy’s camp—even if I had an ominous premonition about it—than to cause a civil war or something along that line.

“Caliban.”

[Hm.]

“...What kind of threats do I need to expect?”

Caliban went silent for a moment before bursting out laughing.

[Did you really just ask about what lies inside the Imperial Palace to an Imperial Guard who had pledged his allegiance to Her Imperial Majesty the Empress?]

Hearing that, I also let out a chuckle.

Yeah, technically speaking, he was right.

The Guardians belonged to the Imperial Guards, technically.

But…

“It's an abode of demons inside, after all.”

He really was the perfect person to ask for this.

Because he would have known the evil behind the Imperial Palace the best, given he was the one who was closest to it.

I had mentioned this a few times before, but in terms of power, the Empire was the most powerful among the Three Superpowers. Like, there was a reason why the Empire was the main camp for Sera’s MC.

Despite that, there was a reason why the three countries were evenly balanced.

...Because its leader is a fucking mess.

Setting aside the Pope’s morality, at the very least, the Holy Land was stable due to him ruling it with an iron fist.

The Empire, on the other hand, though its leader supposedly held the majority of the authority, its affair was the most chaotic among the three and it was practically on its way to destruction.

Amazing balance, I gotta say.

[...The problem is the Major Nobles who are at the Upper-Grade. Duke Tristan and Margrave Kendride are decent people, but don’t even think to involve yourself with the others. Hell, don’t even try to meet them. They’re like a bunch of venomous snakes.]

That confirmed what was in my mind.

As I listened to him while letting out an inward sigh, he continued.

[Her Imperial Majesty herself is… A nice person. She’s gentle, for one. Some people think she’s weak, but that’s only because they’re starving demons who could only be satiated by bringing other people down.]

Caliban continued calmly.

[However, there’s one thing that she would jump into no matter what the cost.]

“...I think I know what it is.”

This was something every citizen in the Empire would have heard at least once.

Well, no one would talk about it out in the open, but everyone knew about the terrifying curse that afflicted the Imperial Household, who called themselves the ‘Descendants of Dragon.’

[She’d do anything to survive. The reason why she’s interested in you is probably related to that.]

“...”

I already knew what he was trying to say.

Dragonblood.

More specifically, the curse derived from it.

It was similar, yet different from the Curse of Severance that was eating Yuria’s body.

In Yuria’s case, her lifespan was reduced because she touched the Severer, a cursed object. Meanwhile, with Empress, it was because her human body could not tolerate the ‘Dragon’s blood flowing in her whole body.

Because the Dragon, known as the purest Mana Lifeform, was one of the most powerful species in Sera.

The Dragon Emperor, the one who stood at the pinnacle of the species, could be compared to a Vessel holding three Fragments—

[...Looking at it that way, it feels like the Devils aren’t so strong, are they?]

“Sorry?”

[I mean, you know, there are too many things that are comparable to them. Like, the Cursed Speech User, the other day. Then, there’s also this Dragon Emperor fucker or whatnot. Seriously, why are there so many beings that can match them?]

I let out a bitter smile at his words.

“...You can think of it like that, but…”

I shifted my gaze outside the window.

Since my private room was on a pretty high floor, the Void Zone, beyond the barrier set by the Seraphim, was visible from here.

“The Vessels and the Fragments serve to gather the Devil’s ‘power’ together in one place. They aren’t the Devils ‘themselves’.”

[What?}

“They could only really be called Devils after a Vessel holding three Fragments came into contact with the Devil’s ‘body’ in the Void Zone. Gathering three Fragments isn’t the end of it.”

Once that happened…

The whole world would be destroyed right away. No, I wasn’t joking.

This was why I was keeping a close eye on Faenol.

Because she was currently the most likely to result in an ending scenario where the world explodes.

This was also why there seemed to be a bunch of beings who could match the Devils despite them being dubbed as the most powerful. The truth of the matter was, they weren’t even in their complete forms.

[...How did you know about all this shit? You fascinate me every time.]

“...From things, I guess.”

I left those ambiguous words before letting myself lose in thoughts once again.

The Curse of Dragonblood, is it…

As Caliban said, the Empress was a gentle person. That curse would be the most plausible reason if she were to take an interest in something unexpected.

“...”

But, I still couldn’t understand.

Yes, I did something so extraordinary that made me stand out every so often, but at the end of the day, I was still a student. It was still unthinkable that one of the most powerful people on the continent, alongside the Chancellor, was this obsessed with me.

“...I don’t know.”

Whatever, I’d know once I got there.

It wasn’t like things would work out the way I wanted to anyway.

I just needed to cope with whatever it was that I’d get to face.

“...”

“...”

The Chancellor’s gaze was sharp.

Inside the carriage, on its way to the Imperial Palace, I broke out in cold sweat because Sullivan, who was seated across from me, glared at me with narrowed eyes.

The carriage was spacious, as expected of a carriage worthy to be used by the Chancellor, but even that didn’t stop me from feeling suffocated.

“...”

“...”

The silence went on for a while.

And the one who broke it first was the Chancellor.

“...You do not have to be so wary of me.”

She said, letting out a deep sigh.

“I knew you would do this anyway.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Considering how you’ve been sacrificing yourself for others and all. Honestly, I doubt there’s anyone else in this world who’d go to the same length as you did.”

“...Thank you.”

What an overwhelming over-evaluation. I didn’t know what to say to that.

Like, was I really that amazing…?

“However.”

While I let out a sour smile, the Chancellor continued her words with a firm expression.

“...You’ll still need my help in the Imperial Palace. If something happens, please do not hesitate to rely on me.”

“...”

Actually, I was thinking of doing exactly that if things became too dangerous.

By the way, I realized once again…

This person was acting a little too familiar with me.

It hadn’t been long since we first met, yet she stared at me with a sweet gaze, as if we were a married couple on a honeymoon or something.

- Please do not leave my side.

I recalled what she had said to me when she tried to dissuade me before we left for the Imperial Palace..

...It sounded weird.

Asking me not to leave her side like that.

The way she said it made it sound like we used to have an ‘intimate’ relationship prior to all this.

My hunch kept telling me that something was a little off.

It felt like my experience with her and the experience she had with me were completely different.

As if she knew a side of ‘myself’ that I did not know.

“Speaking of, I didn’t expect this.”

While I was pondering such thoughts, the Chancellor brought her face closer to me.

She smiled uncharacteristically, as if amused.

“I thought for sure that you’d bring Lady Tristan to the Imperial Palace with you. For you to choose me instead of her, that’s really something I didn’t expect.”

“...”

Well, that was because something might happen if I put the Empress and Eleanor together in the same room.

I had said this a few times already, but the Empress was the catalyst for Eleanor’s meltdown, and unlike Gideon, I didn’t have the slightest reason to improve their relationship.

“...I just thought it would be way better to visit the Imperial Palace with Your Excellency. For several reasons.”

“...”

Hearing my answer, the Chancellor went silent.

She quietly looked at me.

With her eyes wide open.

“...”

What is it?

Did I say something wrong?

As I thought so…

“...Does that mean—”

The Chancellor brought her face even closer to me.

Her smile grew bigger and there was a slight blush in her cheeks.

“—That I am more dependable than Lady Tristan?”

“...”

“Of course I am, right? You think so, right? I am way more reliable than that young whelp, right?”

I never said that, though.

Please, stop saying things that could make Eleanor split me in half if she were to find out about this…

As I forced myself to smile while breaking out in a cold sweat, the carriage gradually slowed down.

I guess we had arrived at the Imperial Palace.

“...Haa.”

I got off the carriage with a sigh.

There was a magnificent building right before my eyes. I couldn’t see the top of it even if I bent my neck back the best that I could.

“...”

I was overwhelmed.

While I could still remember the buildings made of concrete and steel that I had seen before, this was the first time I’ve seen such a massive, opulent, and majestic building.

…And they built all this for one person.

Of course, it was symbolic as an official residence with the country's prestige at stake. However, it was widely known that the main purpose of the building was to be ‘the Empress' house’.

And next to me stood someone with the same level of power as this house's owner.

Now once again I could feel it in my skin how enormous the power both the Empress and the Chancellor had.

They lived in a completely different world from me, whether in this or previous life.

At the end of the day, I was a son from a Baron—

“...”

Ah, right. It was a Viscount Household now.

...By the way, is my father doing well?

I handed the viscounty I had received to my father and had not paid interest on it since. You know, maybe I should go there to check on its condition during the vacation.

“Are you Dowd from Campbell Viscount Household?”

Suddenly, when I was looking around after getting off the carriage, someone called out to me.

I turned my head. There was a man, resembling a giant bear, looking down at me. Behind his back was a massive sword that was as tall as him.

He had an unforgettable appearance.

Radu Alexander Varphon.

He was the current Sword Saint.

“...”

What the fuck?

This person, in terms of physical power, was one of the strongest people in this entire continent.

And you were telling me that this kind of person came out to greet someone like me? A mere student from a Viscount Household?

“...What brings you here, Sir Radu?”

Sullivan asked with a stiff voice after seeing him.

“I am here as an escort, Chancellor Sullivan. Her Imperial Majesty personally commanded me to do so.”

“...”

Sullivan narrowed the corners of her eyes. Seeing how she was even frowning, she seemed to be in a bad mood.

“...This is the first time that this man ever came here. He is tired from the journey, so let’s reschedule the matter for tomorrow.”

“...”

Actually, nope.

It only took us two hours to get there since we used the Teleportation Transference Stone first to get all the way here.

Sullivan growled in his face, as if telling him to not mess with us, but the Sword Saint didn’t even bat an eye as he continued his words in a gentle tone.

“However, Her Imperial Majesty wishes to see this man right now. We can consider it as an Empress’ order.”

“...”

Sullivan’s frown grew deeper.

Seeing how insistent he was seemed to throw her in a worse mood.

“...It’s already evening. Even considering that it is the Imperial Household, it’s still not polite to call in guests at this time. It’s common sense to provide the guests a place to sleep and let them rest—”

This time, her voice had practically turned into a growl.

It was as if she was telling him ‘Stop playing tricks and get lost already’.

But, he still replied in a calm tone.

“You do not need to worry about that.”

Hell, he didn’t even sound bothered at all.

Even though his tone didn’t fit what came out of his mouth next.

“We can just let him sleep in Her Imperial Majesty’s bedroom tonight.”

“...”

Sorry?

Uh, Wh-

What?

“...W-Where, you said?”

“Bedroom. The place with a bed to sleep.”

“...”

“Her Imperial Majesty wants to spend the night with you, Dowd Campbell.”

Sullivan’s mouth opened wide.

And so did mine.

“...”

Shit.

Dude, I just got here. What the fuck?