The world around me spun as if I was about to lose my balance.

“Kyaah!”  
“...Be careful.”

Was this the sensation of crossing through a dimensional portal? If General Paul hadn’t caught me, I might have fallen.

“Thank you, General—”  
“Lady Erika Baumann. His Majesty summons you.”  
“Oh.”

Before I could properly thank General Paul, one of the emperor's maids, distinguished by the golden dragon badge she wore, approached me and whispered.

“Yes, I’ll go immediately.”

I expected this. My father’s letter had not only relayed the order to use the Phlegethon but also included some updates about His Majesty.

Apparently, information gathering about Viktor was still ongoing, and the lights in the emperor's chambers hadn’t been turned off for several days. It seems His Majesty has great expectations for him.

I had anticipated this, especially since His Majesty personally mentioned Viktor when the kingdom proposed a ceasefire. Still, for her to stay up for several days... even for someone like His Majesty, this was unusual. She often worked through the night, but for my father, who knows her well, to point it out in his letter, it must be particularly serious this time.

I nodded to General Paul and Viktor before leaving the room.

“How is His Majesty?”  
“Ah, well... It seems she has high expectations.”  
“...? Understood.”

The maid's somewhat nervous response felt strange, but I wasn’t overly concerned. Since I had been called separately, it likely meant Viktor was already considered a candidate for employment.

As I walked down the corridor, I mentally organized the points I wanted to raise with His Majesty.

I wanted to work with Viktor if possible, so I planned to speak as positively as I could without distorting the truth.

I was curious to see what kind of figure Viktor would become, not just as a prisoner from the kingdom, but as a potential member of the Empire. Could he become a hero here, just as he had been in the Ruth Kingdom?

I periodically glanced at the notebook I had prepared for the report, thinking over my words as I approached the room where His Majesty was waiting. Normally, when I gave my reports, it would be in one of the many guest rooms, but today I found myself arriving at His Majesty’s personal lounge.

It was a room I had never been in before, nor had I ever dared to try to enter, which made me more nervous than usual.

*Knock, knock.*

“Your Majesty, Lady Erika Baumann has arrived—”  
“Enter.”

Before the maid could finish speaking, I heard His Majesty’s voice from inside. It was as commanding as usual, but there was a slight sense of excitement to it.

The maid opened the door for me, and I took a deep breath before stepping into the lounge.

The interior was incredibly lavish. The furniture was decorated with rubies that sparkled in a deep red hue, and the rugs and wallpaper were far superior to those in the guest rooms.

His Majesty was seated comfortably in a chair, legs crossed, with a table set for tea before her.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

I started to kneel and bow, as was customary upon entering her presence, but—

“Rise, and lift your head.”  
“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Her command came before my knees even touched the ground.

“Keep your answers brief and to the point. Do you think this conversation will take long?”  
“Yes.”

Upon hearing my reply, the corners of her lips noticeably lifted. Then, in a rare move, she added:

“Come, sit.”

Sit? The only chair available in the room was directly across from her.

“...Yes.”

Though I felt a great deal of pressure, I couldn’t refuse.

Following her gesture, I pulled the chair towards me with trembling hands and sat down across from her.

Seeing her up close, His Majesty’s appearance was even more striking. I had mentally prepared myself, but her half-lidded red eyes felt like they were piercing right through me, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.

“So, how was it?”

As I sat frozen in the chair, His Majesty casually extended her right hand toward me.

Typically, I would hand over my report notebook, as I found it difficult to speak in her presence. In fact, many others also preferred to report in writing, given the daunting experience of standing before her.

But this time, I gathered my courage.

“May I... speak to you directly, Your Majesty?”  
“Oh?”

At my request, His Majesty’s eyes seemed to open fully for the briefest moment, accompanied by a soft exclamation. The second I made eye contact with her, I felt a wave of inexplicable fear and quickly averted my gaze.

“Haha. I won’t eat you. Look up.”  
“...My apologies.”  
“No need to apologize.”

When I cautiously looked up, she was smiling slightly, her eyes once again half-closed.

Had I imagined what I saw earlier? Something seemed off about her eyes...

“You want to speak directly. Does that mean writing isn’t sufficient?”

I didn’t have time to dwell on the strange sight; I needed to answer her question.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

This was only the second time I’d made a request of His Majesty, the first being when I asked to be sent as a negotiator. It was nerve-wracking, but I wanted to share my impressions of Viktor in my own words.

His Majesty drummed her fingers thoughtfully on the table.

After a brief pause:

“Very well. Speak, and don’t leave anything out, no matter how long it takes.”  
“...Yes!”

I had been granted the opportunity to report directly.

“To begin with, I’ll summarize the negotiations—”  
“Did they go as expected?”  
“Yes, they did.”  
“Then skip to when you first met Viktor.”

Clearly, His Majesty was more interested in Viktor than the negotiations. Feeling a bit more confident, I continued.

“Yes. The first time I saw him was in the main hall of the royal palace where the negotiations were held. He opened the large doors with his bare hands and entered in full military regalia.”

“Hmph, hmph.”

I began slowly, recounting everything I had seen, describing it as vividly as possible, so His Majesty could picture it clearly.

There was no need for exaggeration. Viktor was an impressive enough figure as he was. And His Majesty had always been sensitive to exaggeration.

“...In fact, a few of the kingdom’s nobles even wet themselves right there on the spot.”  
“Hahaha! Amusing!”

I had been worried that my detailed storytelling might bore her, but His Majesty seemed to be enjoying it, laughing heartily at times as she listened.

She laughed aloud at the parts about the royal palace, and—

“When he mentioned the Battle of Angelgorod, he softly recited the names. They were the names of the thirteen soldiers who had died in that battle out of the hundred he commanded.”  
“Is that so?”

She was just as intrigued by the stories I shared from our carriage journey.

I also recounted how Paul came to his defense, as well as some of the more personal conversations we had late at night.

“...That is all.”  
“Hmmm... Erika.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  
“What is your opinion of him?”

After hearing my entire account, His Majesty asked for my personal thoughts.

“In my view, Your Majesty, he is a rare and exceptional talent.”

“A talent, you say.”  
“It is a shame that we encountered him as a prisoner.”

“You seem rather confident in your assessment. I doubt even if you were asked to praise yourself, you’d go that far.”

“...Yes.”

Judging by her response, it seemed that, despite my efforts to remain objective, some of my personal feelings had slipped through.

“That was quite entertaining. You may go rest now.”  
“Yes.”  
“And leave the notebook as well. Though your explanation was sufficient, I’m curious about its contents.”  
“Here it is.”

I handed over the copy of the negotiation contract and the notebook I had carefully kept tucked in my chest before leaving the room.

*Thud.*

“Haa...”

As the door closed behind me, I collapsed onto the floor, completely drained.

It had been a nerve-wracking experience.

I could barely remember what I had said midway through.

Still, I hoped Viktor would get a chance to work for the Empire. I had done my best, so perhaps His Majesty would consider him favorably.

---

Many people questioned why Erika Baumann had been sent to such an important negotiation. She was still young and inexperienced, they said.

But to me, all humans felt young, regardless of their age or experience. Things like national prestige or status didn’t concern me much.

There was also the fact that Erika had requested the assignment.

Among all the candidates, I chose Erika to bring Viktor because her reports were always concise and without unnecessary embellishment. She had never failed to note even the slightest flaw in someone’s character.

Until now.

“Hmmm...”

The report she submitted this time was missing something crucial. I grabbed the notebook from the desk and flipped through it, hoping it might contain what was missing.

“...Nothing.”

I read it several times, but it wasn’t there. The report was brief, suggesting that there hadn’t been much conversation during the trip.

That wasn’t the issue, though.

“There’s not a single flaw.”

Everything in the report was neutral or written with a positive tone, almost like the way a hero’s story is told without any mention of their faults.

No flaws at all, when any human should have some.

After being deeply disappointed by several highly regarded humans in the past, I had made it clear that any report on a potential recruit must include their flaws, no matter how small. That’s why I had placed so much trust in

 Erika.

But if her report was accurate, Viktor was a flawless human being. He had proven skills, unwavering loyalty, and even a sense of humanity that few soldiers could claim.

“A perfect talent with both skill and character…”

I was holding a report, but it felt more like I had just read an incredibly well-crafted story.

“There’s no way.”

I compared the report with other information I had gathered about him, checked the notebook for any signs of revisions, but found nothing.

It was suspicious.

Even dragons, who tend to look down on the world, don’t dare to claim they’re perfect. Could it be that he’s not even human?

“That can’t be…”

It was strange enough for someone like this to suddenly appear, but it was even more baffling that a kingdom would throw such a person into enemy hands. A more reasonable assumption would be that sending Viktor to the Empire was part of the kingdom’s strategy.

The elders always said, “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

“...I’ll have to see for myself.”

Perhaps Erika had simply been deceived. They had only spent a few days together, and if Viktor had made a strong enough first impression, it wouldn’t have been hard for him to fool her.

In my experience, people like that often turned out to be disappointing when met in person. Most of them had simply been good at hiding their weaknesses, or had a close relationship with the person who had reported on them. None of them had ever been able to hide from me for long.

I would find out soon enough whether Viktor was a rare, nearly perfect talent, or if Erika had been fooled by a smooth-talking con artist.

I hoped it was the former.

After all, I had been searching for someone like him.

If he could even fool me, then I’d gladly allow myself to be deceived. That kind of performance or confidence would certainly have its uses.

But if he turned out to be nothing special…

*Crunch.*

I’d have to hold him accountable for crushing my expectations. The nobles already despise him, so giving him to them would be a fitting punishment.