21st Century Archmage

Chapter 80: Becoming a Count

“Garvit, a Knight in the eternal service of His Majesty, sincerely offers birthday felicitations.”

“Haha, thank you for coming from so far away. You are indeed our eternal knight.”

“It is an honor.”

The Emperor was standing pale-faced, the rest of the imperial family next to him, in order to receive the congratulations of his subjects. The first to go were Bajran’s four dukes.

“It is a trifling gift, but please accept it. They are palime herbs from my territory.”

“Thank you. I gladly accept your intent.”

‘Those palime herbs that are hard to get?’

It was a fairly valuable herb used to treat knights or mages with mana poisoning. I’d learned about it in class at the Knight Academy.

“I, Pernike, wish to sincerely offer my felicitations for the birthday of Your Imperial Majesty.”

‘So these are the legendary dukes of the empire.’

Only on a day like this would one be able to see all the pillars of the Bajran Empire in one place. There were some who stayed in the capital and participated in politics, but some of them lived cooped up in their territories.

However, all the nobles lowered their heads at the mere title of “Duke.” The four ducal houses holding up the Bajran Empire were meritorious families that had founded the empire along with the first emperor, Alvatreon.

‘Those people must be delegates from other kingdoms,’ I thought, looking at the people standing behind the dukes. As long as you weren’t the king of your own country, the duke of an empire was higher in rank. The rank relationship between kingdoms and nobles was visible in strictly regulated celebrations like this. I stood at the very end of the long line and watched the people speak with the Emperor.

‘Eh?’

As people gave their greetings to the Emperor one by one, I thought one woman’s back looked familiar. She was certainly one of the kingdom or duchy ambassadors waiting behind the dukes.

‘She seems awfully familiar….’

She was standing with her back towards me so I couldn’t see her face, but the golden-haired woman was wearing a marvelous dress accentuated with dark blue. As expected of an ambassador dispatched from a kingdom, the skirt of her dress was embroidered with showy decorations just as fabulous as the dresses worn by the Bajran Empire noblewomen inside the hall.

“I am Haschvind, Crown Prince of the Andain Kingdom. I consider it a great honor to be permitted an audience with Your Imperial Majesty, the master of the Great Bajran Empire and the leader of the continent.”

“Is King Tazrian doing well?”

“Thanks to your gracious concern, he is in good health.”

“That’s good. That fellow always had a sturdy body, at least.”

“I am deeply grateful.”

‘Being an emperor is no easy job.’

Even though he was sick, the Emperor had to look the part of a hearty, magnanimous leader. If it were me, I would have gone to a hospital and camped out with an IV and a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door.

“This is insignificant, but it is a gift prepared by our kingdom.”

“It’s not necessary to go this far… Relay my thanks to the King, if you will.”

‘Geh! T-That is!’

The “insignificant gift” was a sheath encrusted with a huge gem the size of a duck egg. I didn’t know what the sword inside looked like, but the sheath alone was a masterpiece like no other.

‘I take back what I just said! Take back! Sickness be darned, for something like that, I would be an emperor any time.’

The Emperor was using his birthday as an excuse to lawfully fleece all the kingdoms and a bunch of nobles. From the looks of it, the other nobles with an audience with the Emperor were also holding considerably valuable goods. You could acquire wealth great enough to purchase most territories with a single birthday party.

‘Power is truly a beautiful thing!’

On Earth as well, I saw cases where successful merchants or smart scholars ended up jumping into the gutter that was politics. It was a filthy gutter, but the moment they controlled that gutter, it would grant them the power to control everything else.

I was busy watching the pile of treasures growing next to the Emperor with my gleaming eyes when the woman who was somehow familiar got her turn.

“Rosiathe of the Havis Royal Family gives her humble greetings to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, he who has a noble soul. I sincerely pray that you may walk with the peace granted by the Goddess of Mercy, Neran.”

“Haha. Princess Rosiathe, it seems that you have become more beautiful than when I last saw you two years ago.”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

‘Rosiathe!!!!!’

I was startled to my senses as soon as I heard the woman’s pleasant, bell-like voice.

‘Holy hell!’ I could kind of see the jawline of the woman as she bowed to the Emperor. ‘So the Rosiathe I met back then was the princess of the Havis Kingdom….’

It was the same Rosiathe I had met on the land bordering the Havis Kingdom when patrolling Nerman’s southern border not long ago, the beautiful woman who had ‘elegantly’ gobbled up boar meat while exuding the pure fragrance of a violet. Now I understood why ten wyverns had appeared to escort her away.

‘Heh… She was super pretty.’

I thought of her blue diamond eyes and her unexpectedly cute actions.

“It is inadequate, but my Father asked me to give this to you, Your Majesty. It is a cloak made of Ashifor fur.”

“Haha. To think it is a cloak made with Ashifor fur. Be sure to relay my thanks for the valuable gift.”

Rosiathe passed over a red cloak.

‘Aren’t Ashifor the king of the red-furred demon beasts, one of the hardest demon beasts to catch?’

I thought it might help me make money, so I had studied an encyclopedia of demon beasts in the Imperial Library. Ashifor were beasts belonging to the upper class in the list. They looked like foxes, but their fur was sturdier than wyvern hide and they were extremely agile, so they were difficult demon beasts to catch. However, the moment you put on a garment made with its fur, you would forget all heat or cold, and it had the strange effect of boosting energy. Therefore, clothing made with Ashifor fur was the best present for a sick person.

‘I’m jealous…’

The mountain of treasures was piling up next to the Emperor, and there were still around a hundred nobles waiting for their audience. I thought I could understand why only nobles of at least the count rank or nobles with an imperial mandate were allowed to have an audience. If everyone in this hall were to give their greetings and a present, the Emperor might die of old age.

‘But anyway, when is it gonna be my turn?’

After the four ducal houses and the ambassadors from every kingdom came the audiences for nobles of count rank. And that wasn’t all—there were still dozens of nobles here via imperial mandate behind the counts. Just looking at the line made me feel all stuffy.

‘Heyyy! It’s Irene!’

I spotted yet another familiar back among the lined up nobles.

‘Oh gods above!!!!!’

It was definitely Irene. I hadn’t seen her at first because of how many people were gathered in the Hall of Honor, but I saw her now among the counts lined up before the Emperor. Her incomparably magical silver hair flowed neatly behind her and her flexible, slender figure was wrapped in a glittering red dress instead of the usual armor.

I couldn’t help but call the gods in an exclamation of admiration.

Among all the Bajran noblewomen, three women stood out radiantly like the crème de la crème. The greatest beauty of the North, the cute and honest Rosiathe, the dignified Igis who was standing next to the Emperor and smiling to all the nobles, and Irene with her mysterious beauty and the figure of a woman in her prime. I couldn’t help but be proud that I knew all three of them.

“Knight Irene, it has been a while.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Take care of this empire. It is because Skyknights like you exist that the peace of this empire can be maintained.”

“I shall never, ever forget your words.”

Even among the counts, she wasn’t a hereditary noble with a territory, so Irene was almost at the very back. She bowed her head to show her respect for the Emperor’s praise.

‘Their father is so decent, so why are those two the way they are?’

No matter how good the seed was, if the field was rough and lacking nutrients, only shabby sprouts would grow. It was perfectly obvious that the queen and her spawn lived with “I’m rude as fuck” stamped on their foreheads. They were arrogantly receiving the greetings of the nobles from beside the Emperor.

‘Ey! How dare that son of a bitch smirk!’

When Irene bowed to the Emperor, Crown Prince Poltviran raked her with his eyes like a pervert, an insidious smile on his face. As Irene went from greeting the Emperor to bowing to the Queen and the other members of the Imperial Family, the bastard blatantly smirked at her with his white canines exposed.

And so, the line grew steadily shorter. The counts finished giving their congratulations, and the nobles invited via imperial mandate finally started having their audiences.

“That black-haired man is the person who angered His Highness the Crown Prince, right?”

“I heard he’s Nerman’s provisional lord.”

“Hmph! Who cares we don’t have that damned Nerman. Is there really any need to appoint a lord to such a place? And to a bastard like that with unknown origin, at that.”

“I think he won’t last long.”

“His face is decent, at least.”

As the line of nobles in front of the Emperor steadily decreased and I reached the dais, I heard a bunch of nobles gossiping behind me. Thanks to my ears being sharpened with mana, I could catch every word.

“—thank you.”

“It is nothing, Your Majesty. It is the honor of our family that you called us to such an occasion.”

And then, the last noble in front of me finished greeting the Emperor.

Flash.

I met the Emperor’s eyes.

Tired face, sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks. It wasn’t the face of an emperor ruling over a great empire, but a person with half a foot in their grave.

‘How can someone become so broken within a few months?’

I recalled how the Emperor had looked during the Imperial Knight Academy entrance ceremony. I’d heard rumors back then too that he had been sick, but I didn’t think he would become so frail so fast.

“And who… might you be?”

Failing to recognize the person he supposedly invited, he addressed me before I could speak.

“I, the provisional Lord of Nerman and subject living under Your Majesty’s divine grace, Baronet Kyre de Nerman, extend my sincere congratulations for Your Majesty’s birthday,” I said, bowing my head low to greet the old emperor.

“Kyre….? Ah! You must be that young man who saved Yaix and the empire’s soldiers. Haha. It is good to meet you.”

The Emperor extended a hand. I kneeled and respectfully touched my forehead to his hand in Bajran Empire fashion.

“So, how is it? Is everything going well with Nerman?”

‘So this is an emperor’s dignity.’

* * *

* * *

He was sick and in pain, so his voice wasn’t very loud, and I didn’t feel much strength from the hand I took.

He was sick and in pain, but the Emperor was strong.

Deep within his sunken eyes wavered a fiery light. This was a lion roaring into his territory with one forepaw set proudly on a boulder. It was weak, but his blazing dignity filled the air around him.

“The safety of Nerman is being secured with Your Majesty’s care.”

“Oh? Is that so? Haha. I had my doubts when that fellow Yaix said that Nerman might soon be stabilized, but seeing your face and hearing your words, it seems that was the truth. I feel like I can see myself from my youth in your eyes.”

I was surprised by the Emperor’s unprecedented praise; how in the world could he give me this kind of compliment when he’d never seen me before? The nobles behind me began murmuring to themselves. I could feel that unlike the audiences with the royal ambassadors and high-ranking nobles, the Emperor was truly happy, just because he could see his younger self in my eyes.

“I do not deserve such gracious praise.”

“Rise. But what is that in your hand?”

As I rose, the Emperor expressed his curiosity towards the object covered in black cloth in my hands.

“Father, it could be something dangerous.”

Unlike the presents brought by the other nobles, my present, the elven mithril armor, was wrapped in black cloth. The Crown Prince glared at me while speaking nonsense. I felt the aura of the attentive Imperial Knights closest to the Emperor change with frightening speed at the Crown Prince’s words.

“It is a small offering from the residents of Nerman to Your Majesty.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Please unwrap it.”

Ignoring the Crown Prince’s words, the Emperor took the present from me. He began to remove the black wrapping.

Flash!

At that moment, the brilliant sparkle of mithril peeked out from the unwrapped corner.

“Somehow, I have the feeling it is a valuable present.”

This wasn’t the Emperor’s first or second time receiving a present, but he slowly removed the wrapping as if savoring the suspense.

And then, a silver thing of beauty was uncovered in the Emperor’s hands.

“!!”

“W-What?”

“W-What is this?” questioned the Emperor while looking at the thin mithril armor laying in his hands like a silver bird taking flight. Despite his pain, surprise was whirling in his eyes.

“It is a mithril airplate worn by elven Skyknights.”

“OHH! An airplate made by elves!!!!!”

“An airplate made by elves?! They really do exist?!”

“Oh my… How beautiful.”

Surprised exclamations burst out from the onlooking nobles, and the Emperor himself shouted in shock.

‘Y’all ever heard of an elven airplate?’ I thought with a hint of smugness. The elven-made airplate in the Emperor’s hands right now was probably a thing of legend for the people here. The elves had lived a long time away from humans, and they had the unique ability to work mithril with greater detail and more perfection than the dwarves. All the other treasures the Emperor had received lost their luster in front of the elven mithril airplate.

“What a truly precious gift. Until now, even I, the Emperor, have never seen an airplate made by elves… Incredible!”

The airplate gleamed brilliantly even in the hall lit up with tons of magic lights. Even I thought it was an awesome work of art.

“It wouldn’t do to let you go unrewarded when you have given me such a valuable present despite difficult circumstances.”

‘Eh? What’s he talking about?’

My mood was pretty good just seeing the Emperor’s joy and the slack-jawed disbelief of the nobles who’d looked down on me, but then, words that were like music to the ears rang out in the hall.

“Speak. I will fulfill a wish of yours!”

‘OH! Mama mia!’

I did think about it a bit—fortune rewarded the generous, and if the Emperor liked my gift, then he might give me a gift in return.

However, I didn’t expect this much. It was law among nobles that one must absolutely uphold words spoken before other nobles. The Emperor declared in front of all the empire nobles that he would fulfill my wish.

“…..”

The faces of the people who had smirked at me before twisted. They also knew very well that words from the Emperor’s mouth were never falsehoods.

“I am immeasurably humbled by the greatness of Your Majesty’s royal favor.”

Bowing my head, I accepted the Emperor’s proffered goodwill in a roundabout manner. From their expressions, the Crown Prince and high-ranking nobles looked like they were about to say something.

“Alright, speak then. In any case, Sir Kyre protected Bajran’s noble and soldiers who were withdrawing from Nerman, and you are a top vassal who is guarding the dangerous Nerman very well. It is only natural to reward you.”

‘I see Count Yaix extolled my virtues a bit to the Emperor.’

There was no other reason why the sick Emperor would recognize me, someone from the territory the empire discarded. He even praised me as a top vassal, making the nobles’ mouths shut right up.

“Your Majesty, you have given me plenty of grace and care already…” I started, backing away once.

“It is fine. I will honor your wish, as long as it is something I can fulfill. Speak—this is an imperial mandate.”

With an attentive voice that made him seem more like a grandpa giving a present than an emperor, the Emperor even did me the favor of making it an imperial command.

‘Sankyu! Berry much!’

“I humbly receive the imperial mandate.”

Bowing my head again to express my thanks, I began to speak my wish, using Derval’s words as a reference.

“After the departure of the troops of the Great Bajran Empire, millions of monsters and the savage Temir have attacked Nerman by the tens, and the pirates have also terrorized the seas, eagerly waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, with Your Majesty in mind, the people of Nerman and her soldiers, including the like-minded me, have stood in the face of death and have repelled the enemies in order to not dishonor the empire.”

I gave an ardent performance, passionately telling the Emperor and the nobles of the crises Nerman had withstood. In any case, Nerman was such a nuisance that the empire threw it away. I wouldn’t request for something like the dispatch of reinforcements. No matter how magnanimous the Emperor was, we would only be able to maintain a good relationship if I requested something that could be readily granted.

After delivering my speech, I paused for effect. “I earnestly request that Your Majesty give the people of Nerman the great mercy of exemption from national taxes for ten years.”

I asked for the Emperor’s generosity. He couldn’t assert rights over a discarded territory anyway, but the master of Nerman was still the Emperor. A smattering of flattery was necessary for the next step.

“I grant my permission.”

The Emperor easily assented, and the nobles didn’t look dissatisfied, either. Everyone knew you couldn’t get more than a rat’s tail of taxes from Nerman, anyway.

“Also… I have one other request for Your Majesty.”

“…..”

The Emperor silently gave me a slight nod with a satisfied smile. Everyone’s gazes moved towards me, their eyes gleaming with greed, as if they were thinking about the wishes I might say.

“Please grant me the title of count!”

“!!”

“C-Count?”

“Mm…”

My words caused a commotion among the nobles.

The position of a count was not something you could buy with money or gain through a territory. In the Bajran Empire, a count was a high-ranking noble who could participate in important policy and represent the empire with his peerage alone.

‘You jerks, as if a peerage is really worth losing your shit over….’

If I became a count, at that moment, at least 80% of the nobles here would be under my feet.

“Your Majesty, a count peerage is too much.”

“I concur. No one in all of the empire’s history has gone from a baronet to a count.”

“Father, reject this fool and his ridiculous wish at once. If he becomes a count thanks to a single airplate, the other nations will look down on our empire!”

Chaos ensued. It wasn’t even like nobles from other countries would travel all the way to Bajran causing trouble just because I became a count, but these guys were mad with fear all on their own. It was noble preferential treatment that after getting a peerage, even your death would be a lofty affair as long as you didn’t commit treason. Therefore, it wasn’t that unusual that they would try to dissuade the Emperor. After all, I was an enemy the Crown Prince and several nobles could not coexist with.

‘Do as you wish. Give it if you want, or don’t.’

It was just a token formality anyway. In Nerman, I was the Lord, peerage be damned. It was just that I had a dear wish to experience being a count at least once.

“I shall permit it.”

“!!”

“Y-Your Majesty….”

‘Good choice.’

I had a lot of fate with the Bajran Empire, but I had more bad memories than good ones here. Among those Bajran-related memories, I wanted the Emperor to be one of the good ones, because he was the father of Princess Igis and the kiddo Razcion, two people I was rather fond of.

“I will repay Your Majesty’s great grace with my loyalty.”

I didn’t know about anyone else, but if the emperor in front of me right now were to give the order, I would try my best once. Though well, my relationship with the empire would probably end the moment the incredibly rude Crown Prince became the emperor.

“Prepare to be knighted.”

I really liked this emperor’s personality, straightforward and true. Anyone receiving a formal peerage of at least viscount rank had to be appointed a noble by the Emperor.

I knelt at his command.

Schwing.

Unsheathing a dress sword given by an Imperial Knight, the Emperor slowly placed the blade atop my head.

‘So this is the formal noble appointment granted by the emperor.’

My heart thumped happily. I finally got to experience one of the noble appointments I’d seen in novels and movies.

It happened on the spur of the moment, but it felt like a dream.

“In the name of Havitron von Bajran, Emperor of the Great Bajran Empire, We hereby command that our loyal Knight, Baronet Kyre de Nerman, be appointed a Count. May he instill the strong name of the Empire within his heart and defend the castle of Nerman and her territory with his title, until the day the Empire’s glory comes to an end.”

Swish, swish, swish.

As he spoke, the Emperor slightly pressed the flat of the blade against my head and both shoulders.

“In front of the mighty name of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, Child of the Great God, I, Count Kyre de Nerman, hereby give my vow of loyalty. I swear before all the gods and on my name that my loyalty towards Your Majesty shall not waver, until the day the seas run dry.”

‘Nice follow-up!’

I don’t know where it came from, but the embarrassing words slipped out of me as smooth as an eel.

‘The loyalty only counts for you, okay? Not that dirty gangster over there.’

When I raised my head again and looked at the Emperor, I saw the Crown Prince’s twisted face in the corner of my eye.

“Haha, what is everyone doing? This is the moment a new count is born in the empire, is it not? Everyone should give a warm round of applause for Count Kyre de Nerman.”

The Emperor’s hearty words rang out through the silent Hall of Honor.

Clap clap clap.

A few people were quick to respond. Igis, who was flushed red with joy, Rosiathe, who was looking at me with surprise, Irene, who had a strange smile on her face like she’d expected this, and the kiddo Razcion.

“Waaaaaaaaaa!”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.

After a few people started clapping, it rapidly spread to the nobles and the hall erupted in cheers. I noticed that the young noblewomen were looking at me differently and clapping the most enthusiastically.

‘You jerks, shoulda done so sooner.’

A title could make the man. These nobles who only had money and honor in their heads finally recognized my name and position. Now, there would be no one in the Bajran empire who didn’t know me.

“Sir Kyre… I leave it to you.”

‘….?’

As people loudly cheered, the Emperor leaned slightly towards me and whispered something very meaningful in my ear.

I had no idea why he would say something like that. People said a wealthy man would live for three years after his ruin, didn’t they? And this was Bajran, one of the three empires flying high on the current continent. That wasn’t something the Emperor should say to a person in charge of a trifling territory like Nerman.

‘There’s something else.’

And then, I saw it.

I saw the place the Emperor’s eyes were pointing to.

They were gazing at little Razcion, the happy Princess Igis, and finally, the Empress who was smiling benevolently…