33 – Road to the Imperial Palace

Imperial emblem…?

I stared at the stationery, holding on to my blank mind.

Then, in an incomprehensible situation, I quietly muttered to myself.

“No… Why did the imperial family send me an invitation…?”

“Have you had an accident or not…?”

“Usually, the imperial letter doesn’t arrive just because you’re in a bit of an accident…”

I waved my hand at Rachel, who looked at me suspiciously, and looked down at the letter again.

On the pure white letter paper, solid golden lines are splendidly intertwined.

The tactile feel of the paper felt by his hand seemed to tell him that this paper was of a very high grade.

After fiddling with it for a while, I carefully unsealed the letter.

– Jjiik

A seal that is gently torn.

I slowly took out the contents inside and unfolded it.

The contents of the letter were as follows.

“invitation”

[Dear Leiden Lissit, the eldest son of the Duke of Lissit.]

I don’t know how many years it has been since I wrote you a letter like this.

In the past, we regularly exchanged letters to hear reports about troublemaker Lucy.

A few days ago, I heard that you protected my daughters from assassins.

You don’t know how lucky I am that my daughters are safe thanks to you.

I am inviting you to the imperial family to acknowledge the credit for this and to give you an award.

I really want you to come.

[From the Emperor of the Empire, Millium von Lietro.]

I silently looked at the letter with blind eyes.

Lucy, who was glancing at the letter next to me, was the same.

“Usually… even if it’s an invitation… Does the emperor send a letter himself…?”

I shook my head in response to Lucy’s tilting question.

“No… It’s just that the emperor is unusual…”

It must be because it has to do with his daughters.

That man, it’s a huge arm.

“No, plus… the words written in the letter are very friendly…”

“Well……”

That’s right, it’s too dignified to say that it’s a letter written by the emperor of the empire.

It’s just like a letter from a neighbor.

“My father and the Emperor are on good terms, right? That’s why he treats me friendly too.”

“The duke and… the emperor…?”

“Yeah, you said you grew up together since childhood?”

Rachel had a question mark above her head, as if she still didn’t understand.

“If it’s hard to understand, you can roughly think of me and the first princess in the past.”

“Aha”

As if I finally understood, clap your hands! Hitting Rachel.

I took my eyes off her and looked at the letter again.

‘It’s an invitation from the imperial family…’

It’s definitely an event that didn’t exist in the original story.

If you think why…

Well, it was because Alan couldn’t perfectly protect the princesses back then.

Lucy was killed in the raid, and Anna was also seriously injured.

Emperor Palbulchul, who was extremely passionate about his children, fell into a deep heartache and locked himself in his room.

‘Under such circumstances, there was no way an event like an invitation to the imperial family could have occurred…’

I nodded my head thinking to myself.

At that time, Rachel, who was looking at the letter, threw her eyes at me and asked.

“Bocchan, are you going?”

“Hmm? Of course I have to go.”

you give me a prize

There’s no reason to give up.

Well… If you’re an ordinary possessed hero, you might worry about the butterfly effect because it’s an event that didn’t exist in the original work, but…

To be honest, the butterfly effect was already destroyed by the time I saved Lucy.

‘And it’s also a good opportunity…’

There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

Since this item was illegal in the Empire, there was no way to obtain it.

I’ll take this opportunity to ask the Emperor to get me some.

I don’t think it’s too trivial, but…

To be honest, I am also the eldest son of a ducal family.

I can do anything as long as it’s not illegal.

Rachel sighed and said, as if she was happy with my answer.

“I’m afraid the young master will say he’s not going…”

“Hmm? It’s an invitation from the imperial family, but it’s a little hard not to go.”

That’s an invitation sent directly by the emperor, but wouldn’t he be a madman if he didn’t go?

“Boss, you ripped off the invitation to the 1st princess’s birthday banquet last year.”

“……”

There’s a madman here…

f*ck Raiden, do you still open birthday invitations?

Did Rachel have any reason for this concern?

“…Don’t worry, I’ll go this time.”

“Then I’m glad…”

I reassured Rachel, who was worried about me, and folded the letter carefully and put it back on the stationery.

By the way, the royal family…

It’s been a long time since Raiden went to the imperial family.

I haven’t been there since I became a madman.

What… won’t it be a big deal?

I muttered that to myself, taking my eyes off the letter.

.

.

.

The day after receiving the letter,

I got on the carriage heading to the imperial family.

-It’s different…

Inside the empty carriage, only the sound of the wheels rolling quietly echoed.

Unlike the cheap wagons at the academy, it didn’t even make a rattling sound because it was quite high quality.

running for hours,

The inside of the carriage feels empty for some reason.

“…Shouldn’t you have brought Rachel at least?”

I muttered that for no reason and looked out the window.

With no one by my side, I felt lonely.

“I’m really… why am I getting wet with emotions…”

I closed my eyes, laughing at myself.

The raw stillness, without any noise, gently dug into my ears.

After savoring the silence for a while, I opened my eyes again.

—-Darrr…

The carriage was already crossing the forest road.

“It should be soon…”

I murmured while fiddling with the two swords tied to my waist.

And at the same time as my murmur echoed in the carriage—

ㅡ bang!!!

There was a loud noise, and the carriage stopped.

A booming sound came from inside the rattling carriage.

“Give me everything in the wagon!!!”

It’s up.

A national rule event that only comes out when riding a carriage.

“I’m sorry if this doesn’t work, okay.”

Of the two swords tied to my waist, I pulled out one and stood up.

When I opened the carriage door and went out, I saw a trembling driver showing surrender with both hands raised.

I said looking at him.

“The coachman is going into the carriage.”

“Yes…? Ha, but…”

“Go in quickly, you’ll get in the way.”

“Yes, yes! Sir!”

The coachman clatters into the carriage.

I glanced at him, then turned my gaze to where the voice had come from.

There, to anyone’s eyes, there were thugs standing there who looked like ‘I’m a thief!’

‘The equipment is all short swords or long swords… About 20 people…’

While I was checking my opponent’s strength with my eyes,

one of the bandits shouted.

“Hey! You look like a rich boy, but if you give me what’s in the wagon, I’ll save your life!!”

“……”

What is that typical cliché line?

After that, after you rob the carriage, you’ll be hit in the back.

“Quickly surrender! Everything you have…”

As you can see, it didn’t look like it was done once or twice.

Because each position and waiting posture were quite serious.

“So… before I kill you…”

It’s really noisy.

On the subject of only extra thieves,

I, who had come to say no to him who was confidently shaking his mouth, quietly recited an incantation.

“Blink×6”

ㅡFajik!

A momentary flash of vision.

And the back of the guy you see when you open your eyes again.

“Uh…? What, where did you suddenly go…?”

I swung my sword at the stupid head that was turning its head stupidly.

ㅡSuddenly!

At the same time as the sound of blades cutting flesh and bone echoed,

A solid silver line drawn in the air and a red fountain.

ㅡTuk, Tuduk…

Then, in vain, the head fell to the floor and rolled on the floor.

“……”

For a moment, the noisy thieves fall into silence.

I saw them like that and stepped on the head rolling on the floor.

ㅡUjik…!

A head bursting with a cheerful sound.

I rubbed the blood and brains from my shoes onto the floor and ruined it.

“Why is everyone so quiet all of a sudden? Won’t you come in?”

“……”

“Then I’ll go, you worms.”

I raised my sword and kicked my steps.

.

.

.

“Uhh…”

A forest road with blood splattered everywhere.

The floor where severed limbs were rolling around.

Soil soaked with pieces of fresh intestines.

Standing in the middle of that hellish landscape—

“Hmm, it’s easier than I thought.”

—-It was me who was no different.

I turned my head away, shaking off the fresh blood that was splattered on the sword.

“Eupuuh…”

Where I turned my head, there was a thief who survived last.

With both of his legs amputated, he seemed to be trying to get out of this position, crawling on the ground on his hands.

I approached him slowly.

“Oh, don’t come…! Please…!”

As I get closer, the rogue screams.

But I didn’t care about him and raised my sword.

“Save me… Help me please…!!”

A thief screaming desperately.

The slightly scratchy voice is desperate.

I slightly squinted my eyes at him.

I felt a little sympathy inside, but it quickly disappeared.

These guys are thieves.

They would have lived by killing someone.

Even innocent people.

“……”

I cooled my eyes and looked down at the thief begging for his life.

How is this guy different from the ‘explorers’ who killed Raiden’s mother?

The only difference is that the dead person is ‘Raiden’s mother’.

Other than that, everything is the same.

Of those they killed to satisfy their greed,

Some would have been someone’s mother.

Someone must have been someone’s father,

Some may have been someone’s children.

I enumerate these facts in my head,

The hand holding the sword gave strength.

Then I tell the thief who is looking at me with desperate eyes.

“Yes, you deserve to die.”

No salvation, death sentence.

ㅡSuddenly!

My sword, which moved once again, cuts off his head.

The head that had been separated from the body had a distorted expression on its face.

I kicked that head away and returned to the carriage.

ㅡ smart

“Now let’s start again.”

As he knocked on the door of the carriage and said that, the driver who had been hiding inside crawled out and bowed.

“Haigo… Thank you, sir…! Thank you, thank you…!!”

I nodded to him, who was constantly expressing his gratitude, and got back on the carriage.

After the coachman cleaned up the messed up surroundings and climbed into the coachman’s seat, the carriage started again.

—-Darrr…

As before, I sat down in the seat, listening to the quiet sound of the wheels.

When I looked at my hand, it was covered in bright red blood.

I took out a handkerchief from my bosom and wiped it off.

‘Come to think of it… I’m not too reluctant to kill…?’

Thinking so, I looked down at the white handkerchief stained red.

Usually in novels, the main characters who commit murder just vomit…

I was strangely fine.

“……”

Perhaps because my first murder, which should have been difficult, was revenge soaked in rage,

Even though he cut his flesh and killed people, he might not have felt any guilt.

Those thieves were also the ones who deserved to die.

“Or maybe I’m just weird…”

I muttered that and threw the handkerchief I had wiped the blood out of the window.

Then he crossed his arms and leaned against the window.

My body was tired from moving a little violently.

I quietly closed my sweaty eyes.

And after a few hours

“I have arrived at the imperial palace, sir!”

—-With the coachman’s powerful cry, he opened his eyes.