Chapter 87

A middle-aged man with silver hair neatly arranged was walking down a massive corridor, wide enough for twenty people to walk side by side.

This was the heart of the imperial palace.

The Sun Palace, where the emperor, the master of the world, resided.

The Sun Palace was covered in gold on all sides, and every fabric was densely embroidered, making it splendid and grand.

Anyone in this space would forget that the world was in crisis.

However, the man was not intoxicated by this sweet, dreamlike space.

Instead, his wariness of the palace's owner, who intended to intoxicate him with such pleasures, only increased.

Although the Sun Palace, the emperor's most private space, was strictly off-limits to outsiders, it was eerily silent.

The man saw a servant passing by like a ghost.

He had added cloth to his shoes.

This meant that the emperor's neurosis had worsened.

A deep sigh seemed to escape him.

Finally, when he arrived at the emperor's office, the head attendant, who had been waiting at the door, reported from the other side.

"Your Majesty, Sir Gordon Willow of the Willow family requests an audience. Shall I let him in?"

"Let him in."

Gordon, the second son of the Duke of Willow, hesitated before entering the open door.

It was because a strong smell of tobacco wafted through the crack in the door.

He almost coughed but managed to hold it back.

He dared not cough or frown in front of the emperor.

Gordon immediately performed the most elaborate and ancient form of respect he could.

"I am in the presence of His Majesty, the great emperor, the master of this country and the Sun Palace."

"Rise."

The emperor, standing with his back to the sunlight, was a man of striking appearance.

His platinum hair shone brightly in the sunlight, and the rings made of gold and jewels on all ten of his fingers sparkled even more.

Viggo Rodrigo, who inherited the throne at the age of five and is now thirty-one, has lived almost his entire life as an emperor.

He was lounging in a disheveled posture, flipping through documents and tossing them to the floor one by one.

Although his actions were clearly reckless and light-hearted, the emperor's intimidating presence did not diminish in the slightest.

On the contrary, such playfulness made the other party even more nervous.

"Squire's daughter performed exceptionally well from the very first student council activity, didn't she?"

Damn Squire.

Gordon felt a chill and wanted to close his eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"To find a way to restore land contaminated by corruption—something no magician has ever accomplished—and to show an amazing ability to control magical creatures?"

The emperor burst into laughter.

However, Gordon did not think this was a laugh of genuine satisfaction.

It was clearly anger.

"I have a question, Gordon."

"Speak, Your Majesty."

"The Squire family has been without the vision magic for a hundred years. How is it that they still remain strong?"

"..."

"Shouldn't they have quietly declined and disappeared into the annals of history like other families after losing the vision magic passed down through generations?"

It was an irrefutably sound argument.

"I thought the Squire family would finally fall due to their incredibly foolish eldest daughter."

Gordon felt the same way.

"If Theresa had the ability to handle magical creatures, it should have been discovered at Valhalla long ago. Why didn't you find out?"

"The lady showed the worst compatibility in the aptitude test. It was only for some unknown reason that she suddenly displayed such..."

Smack!

The emperor picked up the imperial seal from the table and struck Gordon's shoulder.

"!"

Gordon thoroughly suppressed his scream.

Today, he must not make a sound no matter what pain he endured.

If he did, the displeased emperor would certainly increase the severity of the punishment.