Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 75

EP.75 What Was Expected Has Finally Come… But Isn’t It Too Soon?

The carriage passed through the gates of the Imperial Palace without any hindrance.

Normally, there should be a strict checkpoint, even for a ducal family, no exceptions.

But today was different, as if some command had been given.

“You may enter.”

None of the soldiers stopped the carriage.

This unimpeded progress continued right up to the gates in front of the Imperial Palace.

‘This has never happened before.’

The Minister of Education covertly glanced at the two siblings sitting opposite him.

Leo and Lea, who had been running ahead of the carriage just moments before, were now inside.

As they approached the Imperial Palace, the minister had finally persuaded them to get into the carriage.

Would he let guests invited by the Emperor himself run all the way to the end?

If he did, he wouldn’t have a word to say even if the palace officials cursed him out.

Sssss….

The carriage slowed down, indicating they were nearing a place where they could no longer ride.

The Minister of Education suggested it was time to get out and walk.

Leo and Lea then made an expression full of relief, as if saying ‘finally.’

‘Nobles who hate riding carriages are a first for me.’

It wasn’t the crazy, bumpy carriages of the past without magic.

Nowadays, many nobles can’t even travel without the comfort of a carriage.

Yet these two were outright rejecting that comfort.

The Minister of Education got out of the carriage first, followed by Leo and Lea.

The Imperial Knights standing nearby twitched at their arrival.

An aura of a ‘strong one’ that only the truly powerful could recognize.

Not just any strong one, but one who could shake the continent and turn the world upside down.

It was only natural for even the swords of the Imperial family to flinch.

“Please, come this way, guests. Minister, you may accompany them.”

Guided by the chief steward who came to meet them, they entered the Imperial Palace.

A place where even the head of a department could not enter without permission.

Perhaps that’s why the minister looked more nervous than the Jonathan siblings.

The Minister of Education, unlike the Ministry of Finance, Internal Affairs, or War, did not have the absolute need to meet the Emperor, which made him all the more anxious.

“Welcome, guests of Jonathan.”

Ahead, a man stood with a large entourage.

He spread his arms wide and waited with a smiling face.

Upon witnessing this, the Minister of Education gasped.

He had thought it unlikely, but the Emperor of the Empire himself had come to greet them.

“We greet Your Majesty.”

The minister quickly knelt and bowed his head to the ground.

He had never imagined that the Emperor would come out this far, outside the grand hall.

In contrast, the two siblings merely glanced around briefly before bowing slightly.

Anyone could see that their actions could be considered disrespectful, but no one said a word.

Not the Imperial Knights, not the chief steward, and not even the Emperor himself.

“I thought you would come later, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”

The Emperor simply smiled gently and gestured for them to come inside.

Before leading Leo and Lea inside, the Emperor turned back.

“Oh, and Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“You brought them quickly. You’ve done well, very well indeed.”

The Emperor’s words were simple, yet they were clearly a commendation.

It wasn’t a message sent through someone else, but words directly from the Emperor’s own mouth.

That alone was an immense reward. It meant he had earned the Emperor’s recognition.

‘Hahaha….’

The Minister of Education couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

He had worked tirelessly all this time without ever hearing a word of praise from the Emperor.

It was natural, of course; those in high positions do not give out compliments lightly.

For that reason, he had never felt particularly resentful or anything of the sort.

But today, he received direct commendation for bringing the siblings of a baronial family on the same day.

And not in a private setting, but in front of many people!

‘Should I be happy about this? It’s quite absurd.’

Thinking about it, even the Minister of Finance, who worked just as tirelessly, had never received direct praise from the Emperor.

Yet here he was, hearing words of commendation from the Emperor himself.

Realizing he now had something to tease about, a smile naturally formed on the Minister of Education’s face.

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What kind of place is the Imperial Palace? It is the heart of the Empire, where the supreme ruler resides.

It is the most important place, the most splendid, and the most magnificent.

It must be so impressive that anyone, even a deity, would be in awe upon entering.

This is because it symbolically represents the authority of the ruler of this Empire.

‘Hmm.’

The Emperor, who was walking ahead, glanced back.

It was unusual for the ruler of the Empire, not just any lord, to look back.

Yet, the Emperor continued to observe the two siblings following him.

‘Not even the slightest reaction.’

This was a demeanor one would expect from dukes who had visited the palace multiple times.

Others, upon entering the palace, would either genuinely or for show,

express great amazement and continuously marvel at their surroundings.

But Leo and Lea Jonathan were different.

Even when passing by golden pillars or seeing decorations crafted with various jewels,

even when taking in all the proud history of the Empire,

the siblings showed no reaction. They didn’t even glance at them.

They weren’t just pretending to be indifferent.

With just a glance, the Emperor could tell what these two were like.

The Jonathan siblings genuinely had no interest.

They regarded displays of authority and power as if they were mere insects.

Seeing this, the Emperor let out a sigh of relief.

If Jonathan had changed like everything else, it would have been troublesome.

If, by any chance, their children had different thoughts from their parents,

if they were not content with the process of being strong but sought the conclusion of strength,

‘It would be horrifying. I can’t even fathom how many would die.’

Fortunately, it seemed that the children were no different from their parents.

It seemed that the deity so sought after by the church truly existed.

For such overwhelmingly powerful individuals to dislike wielding their strength was indeed fascinating and paradoxical, yet it brought a sense of relief.

The Emperor, in an unusual move, led the siblings to a reception room.

Normally, the Emperor would sit in his place, and the two would kneel before him.

After all, there were countless baronial families in the Empire, and they were merely the children of a baron, not even barons themselves.

Even at the very least, one would need to be a border count or a marquis to receive such treatment.

But the other party is Jonathan, the northern warrior tribe that stood against the Empire.

They remain barons simply because they choose to, they could be treated on par with the Schrelitz ducal family if they wished.

“Please, take a seat.”

The Emperor, having seated himself first, gestured for Leo and Lea to sit.

The chief steward was on edge, worried they might commit some breach of etiquette.

In the Imperial Palace, in front of the Emperor, any misstep could lead to serious consequences.

But even if they are Jonathan, they are certainly not ignorant of proper manners.

“We sincerely thank you for inviting us.”

Leo began with a solemn voice, bowing his head.

Lea also expressed her gratitude for the Emperor’s grace with a radiant smile.

Her smile was so beautiful that the Emperor momentarily wondered, ‘Is this the same woman who destroyed the academy?’

‘…Well, if my own daughter is like that, wouldn’t others be the same?’

The Emperor shook his head as he thought of Yurika.

Despite having the same father and mother, why was she so different from other children?

He even wondered if there might be someone from Jonathan among his ancestors.

“I heard you went to the academy. Was it to see your younger sibling?”

“Yes. We were curious about how our youngest was doing and wanted to convey news from home.”

“You could have stayed longer after such a long time apart. Didn’t I say you could come anytime?”

“We bow our heads in gratitude once again for Your Majesty’s kindness. However, we had urgent matters to attend to, which is why we had to conclude our visit and come to see Your Majesty.”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly at Leo’s words, then looked at him.

The reason he had invited those from Jonathan was to understand their true intentions.

Why had these people, who had almost never left the north, suddenly come into the interior of the Empire?

And not just to the northern regions they occasionally visited, but all the way to the central area.

While it was clear they had no hostile intentions, one couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Why exactly had these individuals come to the deepest part of the Empire?

Was it really just to see their younger sibling, or was there something else?

The Emperor had been pondering how to uncover their true intentions if they intended to hide them.

But now that they had voluntarily explained their reason, he felt somewhat relieved.

“Your Majesty, I heard there was an unfortunate incident at the academy.”

“…Indeed.”

From the Empire’s perspective, the most infuriating thing was being backstabbed by the western kingdom alliance.

But it seemed something else was particularly irksome to Jonathan.

“Our youngest told us that the intruders did something they should never have done.”

“You mean the ambush?”

“No, Your Majesty. They did something strange to their bodies.”

At Lea’s words, the Emperor nodded, understanding.

They had said the intruders had temporarily gained more power by harming their own bodies.

To waste people like that for a short burst of strength was indeed foolish.

“The Ministry of War has already reached a conclusion, and I have made my decision. Soon, the Empire’s legions will head west. They will hold them accountable for this incident.”

The justification was established. Conversely, the western kingdoms had lost theirs.

What remained was a question of blood and iron, determining who would prevail.

“That is precisely the ‘matter’ we mentioned.”

“Hmm?”

At the Emperor’s puzzled response, Leo, who had maintained a neutral expression until now, smiled slightly.

“Our Jonathan intends to head west.”