CH 686

The Emperor exited the meeting hall and walked down the corridors of the central palace. The major matters had been dealt with, so Charlotte would handle the remaining affairs of state.

Once they exchanged summaries and discussed matters, the bulk of the day's work would be completed.

As always, Scarlett was by the Emperor's side.

In fact, Scarlett had spent more time with him than anyone else.

"Is only the evening event left?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. As I mentioned earlier, the banquet of the meritorious will be held in the Spring Palace tonight."

"I see..."

"It's been a while since all five empresses gathered together."

"...Indeed."

The Emperor had five wives, and their ranks were equal.

All five were empresses.

Although there were concerns that this could cause confusion within the ranks, the Emperor had decided to proceed in this way.

Of course, among the five empresses, their influence varied individually.

The most influential was, naturally, Charlotte, who handled the overall state affairs.

However, that did not mean the other empresses were without influence.

Airi controlled and ruled the demon forces that had become a massive pillar of the empire.

Louise, as one would expect, ruled over Kernstadt, the second-largest power after the Empire.

The current King was Heinrich von Schwarz, but until King Heinrich became accustomed to state affairs, Louise was virtually the King, assisting him.

Kernstadt had a larger territory than the direct territories of the Empire. Even Edina Archipelago, which had been the base after the incident with the Demon King's gate, had already become part of Kernstadt.

The empire couldn't attempt much restoration or expansion due to the excessively dense population in the imperial capital.

The Empire focused on reducing the size of the imperial capital, which had become almost like a deformed city-state due to its immense size, and relocating its people.

And there was more.

"The Holy Empress has already entered the palace."

"Ah... Is that so?"

Olivia Lanze, who had completely reformed the Five Great Religions into a new group and became the ruler of another vast empire, also held tremendous power.

Of course, there were those who had become too famous for their power.

A person who had never existed in history: the most powerful mage.

An unparalleled entity capable of using infinite magic.

Harriet de Saint Owan.

For her, a new title had to be created.

A different position for a being of different stature.

The current leader of the Council of Magic, the highest decision-making and intervention body for all things magic.

"The Archmage was also heading there."

Harriet had become synonymous with that title.

—---

Since everyone was to gather at the banquet in the evening, the Emperor headed to the Spring Palace in advance.

The banquet had not started yet, but the preparations were bustling.

The Spring Palace, where Charlotte once resided as a princess, was still blooming with flowers.

Charlotte, who often had state affairs to deal with, had moved her residence to the Autumn Palace, where the institutions handling state affairs were concentrated.

In the courtyard of the Spring Palace now stood two people.

Holy Empress Olivia, her platinum hair braided up, and Adriana, with her black hair, standing next to her.

"It's been a while, Your Majesty."

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Adriana, standing next to Olivia, was now the Holy Empress's knight.

Looking at the Emperor who had come to visit, Olivia Lanze, her mouth covered, wore a gentle smile that belied any trace of her once venomous demeanor.

If anyone had changed the most since getting married, it was undoubtedly Olivia.

Despite her declaration of being a thorn in the emperor's side, her demeanor had softened considerably after marriage, as if she had finally found contentment.

The reason was simple.

Empress Olivia was incredibly busy due to the establishment of the Holy Empire.

Consequently, she rarely had the chance to see the emperor.

And so, whenever she did meet him after a long absence, she found it a waste of precious time to quarrel and bicker.

Since their time together was so scarce, she cherished every moment, speaking only sweet words and behaving kindly.

"When did you arrive?"

"Just now. Not long ago."

She even responded to the emperor's inquiries with the utmost respect.

It was surprising how much a person could change.

To be precise, she had regained the demeanor and speech pattern reminiscent of the time when she was known as the Saintess.

For that reason, those who knew Olivia felt a sense of unease at this new behavior.

'It's like... I've confirmed that she's fundamentally a very good person, but I kind of hate to admit it. Where's the fun in that?'

That was how Charlotte evaluated the gentler Olivia.

Of course, there were many days after the wedding when she cried her eyes out, lamenting that she couldn't see Reinhardt as often as she used to.

"Why don't you stay a few days while you're here?"

"I would like to, but I'm too busy. The same goes for you."

"...That's unfortunate."

Olivia was beaming as if she couldn't ask for anything more.

“Oh, Reinhardt is here too.”

Everyone turned their heads at the sound of a voice from afar.

Approaching them was the Archmage Harriet, dressed in casual attire, as if she had just arrived at the palace.

Olivia's expression hardened.

"Doesn't that person ever take a hint? Always showing up at the worst possible time. Or does she do it on purpose?"

Of course, many things had changed about her, but her intense dislike for Harriet remained unchanged.

"What is it?"

The approaching Harriet looked at Olivia with a cold gaze.

"What about you?"

"When you see someone after a long time, shouldn't you at least pretend to be pleased?"

"And shouldn't you have the decency to disappear when I'm having a rare chat with His Majesty?"

"I haven't seen him in a long time either."

"Well, it's been longer for me."

Knowing that he would be the first to bear the brunt if he stepped into their quarrel.

"..."

The emperor could only break out in a cold sweat, remaining silent.

—---

Harriet had a minor spat with Olivia but claimed to be tired and entered the spring palace ahead of everyone else.

Despite her words, she knew Olivia didn't have much time and was showing consideration.

Given that Olivia had to establish a new nation, her responsibilities, in some ways, were even greater than the emperor's.

She even had to undertake the dangerous task of religious reform, which was bound to provoke intense backlash. Her days were filled with risk and busyness.

"How have you been these days?"

At the emperor's question, Olivia sighed.

"As always. There's still a long way to go."

Due to the nature of religion, the territory of the Holy Empire wasn't limited to the empire's land.

The temples, monasteries, and shrines of the Holy Order all over the world could all be considered part of its territory.

She had to govern over areas and people that were scattered across the entire continent.

The existence of the Demon God was, in fact, a fallacy.

It had taken an incredibly long time to convince people of this single truth, and even so, the majority remained unconvinced.

It was difficult to upend common sense.

"However, these days we have Demon Priests, making things a bit easier than before."

The Demon God was the deity of the demon race.

If the divine beings truly rejected the demon race, there shouldn't be anyone amongst them capable of wielding divine power.

However, recently, the presence of Demon Priests has caused people's perceptions to change when they see demons wielding divine power.

"From the start, it seems right to just believe, considering that I possess Tiamata, but absolute numbers could be important too."

"That's true. Numbers are quite significant."

Having somewhat finished his conversation with Olivia, the emperor shifted his gaze to her side.

The Holy Empress's guardian knight, Adriana.

By the Empress's appointment, Adriana had become a knight to protect the Empress, much like Scarlett.

Adriana had initially refused, insisting she was not capable, but Olivia had practically forced her into the role.

And as the saying goes, the role makes the person. Given enough time, Adriana, already a formidable holy knight, had grown into a fitting guardian for the Holy Empress.

"You've come in a dress today. What's the occasion?"

"I was ordered to dress appropriately for the occasion…"

Adriana, with an uneasy expression, was clad in a dress more splendid than the Holy Empress Olivia's.

It was clear that Olivia had intentionally dressed her in such a manner.

Olivia covered her mouth and laughed at the sight of Adriana.

"Now that we've abolished the law forbidding priests and holy knights from marrying, there's no need to hide your charm, is there?"

"…"

From the moment the Holy Empress married, it was as if all old laws were discarded.

Of course, all Adriana did was fiddle with the uncomfortable hem of her dress, her face filled with discomfort.

The Holy Empire itself wasn't that large.

However, the areas under its jurisdiction included all the lands where people lived.

The Holy Religion was a deeply rooted religion and naturally existed wherever its followers were.

Therefore, the Holy Empire was not only a state but also the intelligence agency of the current empire, gathering information from across the continent.

This was not intentional; it was an inevitable phenomenon.

As such, the temples and shrines scattered across the continent inevitably became aware of everything that transpired on the continent.

"What about the autonomous region? I guess things are still okay there, considering there hasn't been any news."

Thus, even in the autonomous region where the official governance of the Demon King's Empire could not penetrate, there were churches of the Holy Religion.

Naturally, these were very small, but they couldn't not exist, as there were still people who believed in the divine beings, even in places where the Hero Religion was dominant.

"Hmm... According to Rowan, they seem to have lost all will to resist since the last war. But who knows? It wasn't too long ago that they rebelled, thinking they could overthrow us. However, I believe we'll be safe for at least five years."

The Commander of the Holy Knights, Rowan, had not been purged.

After the war, she returned to where she belonged.

The realm of shadows, where her existence rightfully belonged.

Her work had changed not to heresy interrogation, but to gathering intelligence.

She was the head of the imperial intelligence agency.

Her role was to collect scattered information across the continent to detect threats to the empire.

Especially, her main duty was to monitor the autonomous region.

Ironically, it was Louise who suggested this, the one who desired Rowan's purge. Rowan accepted the proposal gladly.

Saying that she couldn't stay in an overstepped position for long.

She didn't hesitate to return to the realm of shadows after completing her work, arguing that the work she was good at suited her talents better.

In the end, it turned out to be a better outcome when the former Holy Knight Commander, Eleion Bolton, returned to his position and declared his support for the Holy Empire.

Of course, the Order of the Holy Knights has now become a completely subordinate institution of the Holy Empire. If the Holy Knights originally gathered the power of the Five Great Religions, it was natural for the Holy Empire to be a collection of the Five Great Religious Orders.

"Slowly, one by one, they are arriving."

Olivia smiles as she sees two people approaching the spring palace.

The emperor springs up from his seat as if seared by fire.

Both Adriana and Olivia smile at the sight of the emperor.

"Adriana, isn't this picture always interesting to look at no matter who sees it?"

"Sh, shut up..."

"...Yes. I won't say anything."

Since a certain point in time, a man whose face looks like he's chewing on rotten feces every time he sees the emperor.

And a woman who always has a cold expression.

The two of them are walking towards the spring palace together.

Not only the frozen Emperor, but Olivia also rose from her seat.

The master of the empire is Emperor Reinhardt.

And the real power of the empire is Charlotte de Gardias.

However, there is someone else who is most respected in the royal family.

The regent of Kernstadt, Empress Louise.

Empress Louise was not very close to the emperor.

Those who knew, knew. But to those who did not, it was because of some unknown reason.

Those who did not know, only knew that Empress Louise was the person the Emperor found most difficult.

That was why ironically, the person who the emperor found most difficult and feared the most was the most respected in the royal family, creating a peculiar situation.

"Oh, you, you've arrived. Teacher."

The Emperor bent his waist to ninety degrees to greet her.

"...I still don't understand why I'm the teacher. You're so formal, Your Majesty."

Louise looked at the stuttering emperor and clicked her tongue briefly.

When standing in front of Louise, the Emperor became like a mouse in front of a cat.

So everyone thought that the dreadful Emperor Reinhardt was afraid of Empress Louise, and they were also afraid of Louise.

In reality, Louise von Schwarz was a swordmaster, a tremendous talent in reality, and she herself is a war hero. If someone was afraid of her, there was enough reason.

Of course, to those who knew the circumstances, it was just a ridiculous event.

Despite the change, the still jealous Olivia found Reinhardt's actions in front of Louise simply amusing.

"...I will go in first, sister."

The current king of Kernstadt, Heinrich von Schwarz, rushed into the spring palace as if he were fleeing.

After the proclamation of the empire, Olivia knew that Reinhardt and Heinrich had become a relationship that never meets in private.

Whenever they locked eyes in a formal setting, they'd avoid each other as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.

Just like now.

"Um, would you like some tea...?"

"I already had some on the way."

"Then, how about a meal...?"

"Isn't the banquet about to start soon? Why would I need to eat beforehand?"

"Oh, right. I wasn't thinking clearly..."

His flustered state, unable to do this or that, was akin to a puppy in desperate need of the bathroom.

Empress Louise often stayed in Kernstadt due to her duties there, but occasionally she would return to the imperial palace for a few months.

During such times, the emperor would be on edge, unable to sit or stand, living each day in anxiety. This was true even when Empress Louise wasn't in the same room.

From his perspective, he wanted to do well by her in any possible way, but from the outside, it was hard to tell if he was trying to be good to his wife.

"Your Majesty."

"Yes, um... Yes? Yes, ma'am."

"How many times have I told you to stop acting like an old undutiful son who's anxiously trying to make up for his neglect of his aged mother?"

That strangely detailed explanation accurately described the emperor's behavior towards Empress Louise.

It didn't look like he was trying to treat his wife well; it looked more like he was trying to please a parent.

The evidence was that he might forget the gifts he gave to his other wives, but he always remembered to send gifts and greetings to Louise.

"Well, I... I'm sorry."

In the end, the Emperor hung his head.

He wanted to treat her well, but he didn't know how, leaving him helpless.

"It seems like I've become not an empress but an empress dowager."

It wasn't just the Emperor.

Olivia also respected her to some extent, as did Charlotte.

And there was one more person who froze just as much as the Emperor.

Another empress who had first entered the palace but had rushed back out upon hearing of Louise's arrival.

"Oh, oh, oh, you're here, Louise?"

The Archmage.

Her stammering was on par with, if not worse than, the Emperor's.

"Yes, have you been well, Archmage?"

"Y-yes! Would you like some tea...?"

"I've already had some."

"How about a meal...?"

"Isn't there a banquet soon?"

"Oh, right. Right? I wasn't thinking clearly..."

She echoed the Emperor's exact words.

She too sent gifts and greetings every birthday and every season.

"Haah..."

Louise didn't have high expectations for the marriage, given it was something she had to do.

In fact, she had assumed there might be difficult times ahead.

She thought that, due to the lack of a strong foundation or a deep connection with the Emperor, she might be ignored or treated as lesser.

But this, this was an utterly absurd marriage life gone awry.