The Emperor Who Was Chapter 21 : Chapter 21

Chapter . 21

The First Prince's faction and the Empress's faction stepped forward in large numbers. The Emperor's faction was watching, and the Bastard Prince's faction was quiet, unlike earlier. Since the bastard brother himself was quiet. Although the glares he threw at

were not.

"And if a saint's relic really cos out, what will you do?"

I asked back, smiling gently. People flinched, but seeing

smile, they smiled along without tension.

"How would we know?"

"Indeed, what do you expect from us?"

Asking back playfully.

Unaware that their answers were the second stage of the Word Soul Magic I initiated.

"Do not worry. I will not be angry at you for not believing . I will ask for nothing. However, from now on, you will not be able to doubt my words."

Laughter arose in response to my smile.

"Generous Prince!"

"How thoughtful!"

"Of course, we will not doubt Your Highness's words again!"

People responded gladly. They were already deeply imrsed in the story I unfolded before their eyes, and the price I asked for didn't seem like a price to them. Excited that another story was beginning, they could follow along without burden.

The core of Word Soul Magic was the link. One story leads to another, and utterance begets response. If the story that started with the false charge of a secret tryst, then went to the false charge of being pro-Roncer and was cleared, leads back to the secret tryst, people will gladly support my story with interest, agreent, and empathy. Becoming the power of my words with their response.

As long as they agreed to pay the price for doubting my words themselves, they won't be able to doubt my words hastily. Those who doubt shall be doubted. Even if they outwardly agree with suspicion towards , inwardly they won't be able to shake off an uneasy feeling.

Crowd Word Soul Magic. The magic I am attempting for the first ti.

-Word Soul is subtle magic, so it is easy to fail. It fits best one-on-one, and works properly only when used on as few targets as possible.

Master taught

so. But what if I lower the expectation of the result? What if I loosen the conditions?

-It is easier for many people to believe one person's words than for one person to believe one person's words. Belief becos stronger when there are many.

-Then that is no longer magic. Because it relies heavily on people's participation, not your will. The possibility of failure also increases significantly.

-Instead, as people's spontaneity increases, reality is added that much.

-So it ceases to be magic. A guy like you, strong in both stubbornness and imagination, can only be left to learn the hard way.

Even better if it's not magic. I didn't intend to rely solely on magic in ruling people. However, if there is a way to induce the participation of the crowd but control their whims, whether it's magic or whatever, whether it fails or not, I will gladly try.

Thus, if the boundary between magic and reality disappears, that too is beautiful. If people feel a magical mont where they gather their wills together in reality, and thus magic settles in reality.

"If anyone doubts the Prince even then, that person is a bad guy!"

"That is right!"

Magic or not, the seeds I sowed began to sprout.

"That is in the case the relic is found; what on earth will you do if it is not found? Trying to avoid it cunningly with words?"

Maximilian hung on tenaciously. Is he a person or a dog?

"If it is not found, I will take responsibility for my words and leave the Imperial Palace."

It's what I already promised Grimiati anyway.

If the Duke or my brother objects saying that's what was promised to them, I can offer other conditions. But I was curious how close the relationship between the Duke and my brother was. Whether my brother knew about the bet between

and the Duke.

And the Duke kept his mouth shut. Without even showing signs of displeasure at my proposal.

Hmm.

"Then if it is found, what will you do, Brother?"

When I asked straight on, Maximilian crossed his arms and laughed.

"What do you want from ?"

"I will choose and take one of Mother's keepsakes that you inherited all by yourself."

"Ah, indeed, that was so......"

"Oh dear, it seems he truly had none of his mother's keepsakes......"

People whispered as I openly pointed out my brother's tyranny of monopolizing our Mother's keepsakes. But the arrogant First Prince was the one who cared least about people's opinions among our brothers. He snorted and responded.

"Indeed, still an age to miss Mother. I will gladly give it to my pitiful brother."

"What do you want from ?"

Before I could answer Maximilian, Desmond asked imdiately.

Digging his own grave. But there's no helping it since Desmond's insight is lacking.

"I want double the expenses Her Majesty the Empress provides you."

Ignoring Desmond as is, I turned to the Empress and asked.

"Is it possible, Your Majesty the Empress?"

Even the gold called Lasilex I drank recently probably falls short of the expenses I haven't received for over ten years until now.

"I have already promised you a great reward, Prince Leontes."

Still not ntioning what that reward was, the Empress continued in a clear voice.

"Do not ask

for the price of a bet made with my son. If you think my son cannot resolve what he started himself, that is insulting him."

"She says so, Desmond."

I turned back to Desmond.

"If you lose the bet, what can you give ?"

If not for your mom, you're a corpse.

"Indeed, I am also curious, Desmond."

Maximilian, who slls things well like a dog, imdiately switched stance and barked at Desmond like a brother encouraging his younger brother. Still, I was a better brother than Maximilian.

"If it is not sothing to my liking, I will not make a bet with you."

Because I'm letting you off once.

However, Desmond was a guy who didn't know gratitude even if I let him off. The oversized fledgling flashed his eyes and said.

"I will switch my residence with Brother's residence."

'Ah, I didn't think of this.'

The Imperial Palace belongs to the Emperor, not the ho of the Empress or Princes. Only the Emperor's residence remaining unchanged is tradition. Other residences are up to the Emperor's whim, even giving what was customarily the Empress's room to a favorite concubine. It was common for the Empress's residence to be shabbier than a favorite concubine's. And that concubine also has her residence taken by the next favorite concubine.

In other words, except for the Emperor, everyone in the court is holess for life. The reason they fight frantically over good residences within the Imperial Palace.

Distance from the Emperor's residence equals power ranking. Even cleaners know who is favored and who lost favor just by looking at the location. If one loses their room, they often cannot live in the capital due to rumors and go down to the countryside or enter a monastery.

'But to offer that residence? The spot closest to the Emperor after the Empress and Maximilian? Even though there is no disgrace like losing a room in the Imperial Palace and being kicked out?'

Looking at Rhiannon, she was wearing an iron mask indeed. Trying not to show her anger.

"Are you serious?"

I asked without taking my eyes off Rhiannon's iron mask. I wish I could freely wear such an iron mask soday.

"Brother, when asking , you should look at ."

Desmond said in an angry tone. Since he was right, I turned to look, and just seeing his face showed he was serious.

"It would be interesting if Desmond breaks his word. Just to see that sight once, I even feel like it doesn't matter if I lose."

Maximilian said laughing. I also said laughing.

"We should hope Desmond keeps his promise. If my residence becos closer to your residence because of that, you will also visit often with your knights."

"Hahaha!"

This ti Desmond laughed. Thus, the bet between us three Princes was established.

***

"It is here."

I pointed to a spot as far away from Michelon as possible and close to where I t Grimiati.

The surroundings were bustling with people. Just the fact that they were at the site where a saint's relic was excavated would be sothing to brag about for a long ti.

Amidst the colorful expressions of anticipation, ridicule, excitent, concern, and amusent rippling in the wave of the crowd, the Father Emperor alone was expressionless. A face too much of a monarch to be a politician. Unlike Rhiannon's iron mask, an expression I didn't really want to wear.

Even uninterested in his sons' bet, he was here due to the pleas of the Cardinal and Archbishop. Because for the Traneha Temple, the situation where the excavation of a saint's relic turned into a competition between Princes was burdenso.

When the Father Emperor raised a hand at my words, a mage walked out. The Emperor's mages wore masks so their faces couldn't be recognized. The Emperor's mages started wearing masks due to state secrets, but now others also preferred to put masks on the mages they commanded.

I couldn't see the face, but judging by the height, it didn't seem to be Master. I would be more certain if he used magic.

When the mage pointed to the ground with his staff, earth magic dug into the ground.

'Not Master, and I don't know who it is.......'

I was sowhat disappointed, but anyway, he was a competent mage.

I also started magic.

A mage can detect when another mage uses magic. That's why it's not easy for mages to ambush each other. Unless the skill gap is large.

Because the range of magic is also the range of the magic field, and they influence each other by colliding or interfering with another mage's magic field.

'But what if that magic field is so large that it swallows the opponent's magic field?'

Unless using a fairly large magic, one cannot detect the opponent's magic without chanting a spell and aiming a staff. Small magic unfolded silently passes freely, and it's even harder to notice if concentrating on one's own magic.

If I cover the mage's magic field with my magic field now, he won't know whatever I do within the range that doesn't interfere with his magic. Although I cannot hide the visible results.

It was worth enduring magic while avoiding the eyes of monitors until now.

Clairvoyance.

I looked through the ground. As I had seen earlier, a large boulder was embedded deep inside. I can see it's a boulder because it's my magic's clairvoyance, but other mages wouldn't know if it's a rock or a saint's relic.

"Is the saint's relic really here? Seems like a wasted effort."

When Maximilian crossed his arms and sneered, the Empress's faction as well as the First Prince's faction laughed.

'He knows it's not here. To sll all that out, indeed he must be a dog.'

Still, since I pointed out a place with a suitable boulder, it would be good for digging.

Until I find the saint's relic.

Then where on earth is the relic of Saint Marcella?

-There is an old beech tree at the exact midpoint between the courthouse and Traneha Temple in my hotown, Langseng. It is an old well site, where we excavated the statue of the saint thrown into the well during the Roncer invasion.

As the Archbishop said.

I have never been to Langseng before or after the regression. However, Langseng, which was a city before its decline, is still an imperial territory directly under the Emperor. Just as I could grasp the geography of the Imperial Palace with Tess, the Throne Magic Circle grasps the geography of the whole country, and especially the imperial territories are recorded in more detail. Because the courthouse in that imperial territory, handling both trials and administrative duties, is connected to the Imperial Palace by a magic circle.

Although the Throne Magic Circle doesn't manage the connection with the courthouse individually, all magic circles installed by imperial order are automatically recorded in the Throne Magic Circle. Therefore, the location of the magic circle in the Langseng courthouse could be accessed through Tess.

If I know the coordinates, I can use spatial magic. Swapping an object in this space with an object in that space.

-So say magic is accuracy. Others say magic is power. Which is correct?

To Master's question, I answered accuracy. Sad from the realization that I had no magic power.

-Foolish, power is accuracy and accuracy is power!

...Master liked trick questions....... Anyway, now that my magic power has grown, I understand very well what it ans.

Searching through the coordinates of the courthouse's magic circle, I can also find the coordinates where the saint's relic is.

Spatial magic was based on elental magic filling the space called the world. Like a fire mage unable to retrieve an object fallen into a river, it was difficult magic for mages with only one attribute.

On the other hand, since any space must contain one of the four elents, I had no such restriction. To the extent that simply swapping the saint's relic precisely was possible.

Whish!