Now, all that remained were the recovery of the damaged areas, clean-up, and the extermination of the remaining monsters in each of the outer regions.
At Count Lester’s words, the Emperor’s face was clearly troubled.
The position of an absolute power in the midst of chaos was very important.
His direct orders carried that much weight and authority.
I was puzzled as to what the Emperor was agonizing over, given that he should have been setting off for the Imperial Palace immediately.
“We return as quickly as possible. What is Ian’s condition?”
By the Emperor’s order, I was lying very still in bed, receiving treatment from healing mages.
One of the healing mages stopped the treatment and opened his mouth.
“You have burns all over your body, so we have finished treating the external wounds first. However, I think you should rest quietly for at least three days. You were already physically weak to begin with…”
“I see. In that case, I will return alone first.”
“No, what are you talking about? If the external treatment is finished, we should depart immediately.”
I never expected my injury to be the cause of his hesitation.
Even if he was a tyrant who took good care of his own people, this was bordering on excessive overprotectiveness.
I struggled to pull myself up and leaned against the headboard.
“I am of the same opinion, Your Majesty. Especially since it seems Lord Sion has contacted us saying that the conflict between the Subjugation Team and the Imperial Knights is quite serious…”
As soon as he heard the words “Subjugation Team” and “Imperial Knights,” Leonel’s brow furrowed.
If it was the Captain of the Imperial Knights, that was the guy who had ignored my greeting the other day despite my background as an illegitimate child, only to get rebuked by the Emperor.
He had a lousy face, and it seemed this wasn’t the first time he’d caused trouble.
He’d undoubtedly been the one to pick a fight with the Subjugation Team first.
I was sick and tired of factional fights, but watching the leader of the faction get a good thrashing was always entertaining.
“Let’s depart, Your Majesty. I’ll put on a coat immediately.”
After about five hours in a carriage from the frontier Count’s residence, I finally arrived at the nostalgic Imperial Palace.
Maybe it was because the northern border was so cold—I never thought I’d miss the Imperial Palace, even if I was about to be buried in work.
The capital’s commercial district, which I caught a glimpse of on the way, was filled with collapsed buildings, making it hard to find its former splendor.
Signboards were crumbled into tiny pieces and littered the alleys, and I saw soldiers cleaning up things like the decapitated corpses of low-grade monsters.
When I returned, the work would automatically pile up in my mind: calculating damages, rebuilding buildings, supporting civilian damage compensation, etc…
Of course, since there were existing departments in the Ministry of Finance and Defense, in my position where I only had to do final checks, there shouldn’t be much work to touch.
There shouldn’t be.
I hope there isn’t.
I grabbed my head, dizzy from motion sickness, and stepped out of the carriage.
Seeing that my gait was shaky, Leonel sighed and helped me down by supporting my waist with one hand.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Is your physical condition alright?”
The Emperor asked me coolly as he stepped out of the carriage.
If it were the Emperor, who was famous for being terrifying among bureaucrats, I’d have expected him to bring documents to me even if I became a vegetable.
Had he actually intended to reduce my work if I said I was sick?
Fortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t need to ask for a reduction in work.
It seemed A-rank healing hunters had been swarming me for treatment, and my burns had healed cleanly without a single scar.
Of course, the problem wasn’t my arms; my lower body was still sore…
I guess healing magic doesn’t cure muscle aches.
I swung my right arm, which had been charred black, and nodded, saying I was fine.
“I have some motion sickness, but my condition is good.”
“Good. I won’t keep a wounded person long, so please see to the cleanup for the Ministry of Defense.”
“Yes, I will do my best.”
Although I hadn’t been working long, Leonel trusted me.
Did he trust my abilities that much?
Being recognized for one’s skill by someone else was always a pleasant feeling. I turned on my heels to head to the Ministry of Defense, but…
Because of Sion, who had come running in a rush from a distance, my Ministry of Defense work was pushed to the back burner.
“It’s a big problem! Your Majesty, Advisor Ian. At the training grounds, the Subjugation Captain and the Knight Captain are…”
“Let’s go. Lead the way.”
It seemed that the factional fight had reached its peak.
The Imperial Knights were a unit that did not participate in monster subjugation to defend the Imperial Palace, and from the Subjugation Team’s perspective, it was inevitable that they would look down on the Imperial Knights, who had stayed safely in the palace while they were deployed all over the empire to fight.
If the Imperial Knights had been gentle, they might have gotten along, but since the Imperial Knights were a group consisting entirely of children of high-ranking nobles or those who had been granted titles, they would regularly look down on the Subjugation Team, which was a group of commoners and low-ranking nobles selected based on skill.
‘Did a fight break out somewhere?’
Seeing Sion’s back as he urgently led the Emperor and me to the training grounds, I vaguely thought they might be grabbing each other by the collars.
But it was true that if it were just that kind of thing, it wouldn’t be a situation for the Emperor to step in.
And seeing the scene unfolding before my eyes, I realized.
This was indeed a situation that needed to be settled by the Emperor.
“Gasp, what is this…”
The Subjugation Captain, whose eyes were starting to turn black, was holding his head and suffering in the middle of the training ground. Even from a distance, it was a clear precursor to a rampage.
Calix Ixion, the Captain of the Imperial Knights, was facing off against the Magic Captain with his sword pointed at his neck, and the Imperial Knights were surrounding the Subjugation Captain while the Subjugation Team had drawn their swords in a threatening manner.
Magic Captain Jess barely restrained the Knight Captain’s sword with telekinesis and snapped.
“Step aside, Calix. While you were resting in the Imperial Palace, that man was supporting the outer regions alone. If you have a conscience, sheath your sword. Do you intend to turn the entire Subjugation Team into your enemy?”
“I am simply being faithful to the duties of the Imperial Knights. If we don’t kill him now, the area will be ruined by his rampage. Will you take responsibility for that?”
