LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 139
Before the emperor’s throne in the audience room.
“Should I kneel? What’s the etiquette in this game world?”
“What are you talking about? We’re just users, right?”
” hehe, we might look like complete uneducated mercenaries.”
Tap.
“Shh.”
Chris gestured for silence behind her.
To the left of the emperor’s throne, there stood a man appearing as a substitute.
And on the throne sat a middle-aged man.
Indeed, the leader of the massive empire that divides the Continent of Astria. His face bore a clear majesty. He had a dignified mustache. Surprisingly, he looked quite built. Judging by his sharp features, he must have been a stunning handsome man about twenty years ago.
“Wow.”
I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of his face.
Somewhere, it seemed familiar. He must be from the same bloodline.
Even after a millennium, I can still vaguely see my ancestor’s visage. Looks like there was no revolution or anything?
He wasn’t wearing the kind of flowing robes you might imagine when thinking of an emperor. Of course, he wasn’t wearing a crown either. Instead, he wore something resembling a uniform.
Swish.
He stood up, casting a smile at Chris, who was nervously swallowing her saliva. Chris hurriedly bowed her head in greeting.
“Your Majesty, I hope you are well today. …Um, is that right?”
A small chuckle could be heard among the users standing behind Chris. She shot a deadly glare behind her, as if someone was about to meet their end.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable. I have no intention of imposing the etiquette of this empire on you, otherworldly adventurers who were born and live in this world.”
“Um, heh. Is that so?”
“Haha, you’re quite amusing.”
The moment the Emperor noticed Chris scratching her head and laughing awkwardly, he burst into hearty laughter.
He looked around at everyone and spoke.
“As the Emperor of the Alparion Empire, I extend my gratitude to you, heroes from another world, for stopping the threats from the North.”
I raised my previously lowered eyes slightly. It felt like the emperor’s gaze brushed over me. I tilted my head in confusion.
“The empire did not remain idle upon detecting their movements. We are the protectors of both the empire and this continent. That is the founding philosophy of this nation. We were planning to dispatch knights against the threats that have emerged from the North.”
“Ooo…!”
A gasp arose from the users.
Even if the adventurers hadn’t stopped the general, this continent was ready to fight against the threats on its own.
“There will be a banquet in your honor tonight. Young ladies and young masters from noble families will be participating, so I hope you find suitable companions.”
After saying that, the emperor flashed a meaningful smile.
“Meanwhile, rest yourselves at the palace. This is just a small token of my gratitude.”
Clap.
With the sound of the emperor’s applause, several attendants entered the audience room, holding a hefty bag. Was that… gold?
“Wow, I knew it! You know what’s good!”
“Rare items are nice, but you can buy everything with just gold!”
Excitement spread across the faces of the raid members.
What simple-minded folks they are.
Of course, I like gold too.
“Heh.”
Receiving my share of the bonus, I checked the amount and grinned.
In the luxurious waiting room of the palace.
Amidst the chatter of the raid members buzzing about the upcoming banquet and ball, I was glued to Chris’s side.
“You said young ladies and young masters from the Alparion Empire’s noble families will be participating in tonight’s banquet? Suitable companions? What does that mean?”
“Hmm… Do they want to pair us up?”
“Pair us up?”
Chris’s face turned strange.
“You know? They match capable people with the children of noble families to make the empire’s power stronger.”
Chris still seemed puzzled.
“Huh? But, if they’re the children of noble families, they’re NPCs, right? Is it even possible for users to marry them?”
“This is a game with high freedom. What could be impossible?”
“Um… I get that for users, but what about the NPCs? We can just log off, right? The server could shut down. What happens to our spouses left in this world?”
Chris frowned in deep thought.
Male guild members who were eavesdropping on our conversation also began chiming in with serious expressions.
“This is a 19+ game, right? S-so, could such a thing be possible?!”
“Hey… If you’re going to think like that, go play another game! Astria Online has a low synchronization rate, so what satisfaction do you expect to find here? There are VR games made just for that purpose, you know? Uh, still, if there’s a pretty noble lady, I wouldn’t mind talking to her.”
“Hey, you idiots! You have no shame in front of the ladies!”
Chris shouted angrily.
I puffed my cheeks out. I’m not a kid!
Knock knock.
“Is Rain here?”
“Yes?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
It was the same attendant who stood next to the emperor in the audience room. He was calling me.
“The emperor wishes to speak with you privately.”
“What?!”
Chris gasped and hugged me tightly. Her eyes were blazing.
“After talking about suitable noble heirs, calling Rain over… could it be…?”
“Sis… that can’t be true, right?”
“W-Who knows? The emperor could have a thing for younger women…! Rain is a phenomenal beauty!”
I felt my face heat up at Chris’s silly remarks.
Compliments are embarrassing, and so is all this fuss.
Growl. “Anyway, Rain can’t go alone! You have to take me with you!”
Chris snorted, preparing her guard stance against the attendant.
The attendant wore an awkward expression. He had no choice but to go back to the emperor.
We were guided into the emperor’s office, walking through the palace’s deep corridors with him.
“The reason I requested a private audience with you isn’t for mere pleasantries but rather a favor. Unlike those who faced the general as a guild, you entered the Abyssal Tree alone, didn’t you? …And behind you is the Guardian, right? Haha! It’s nice to see you both together.”
The emperor burst into laughter as he looked at me with Chris shadowing me.
“…….”
The emperor’s information network is surprisingly good. He knew I tackled the Abyssal Tree alone.
Chris was captivated by the much more regal decor of the palace compared to what we had traversed before, quietly gasping in admiration.
“See that? Those are the portraits of past imperial emperors.”
Portraits lined the walls of the corridor, stretching on endlessly. The faces of those who had sustained the Alparion Empire for a millennium were depicted.
“My father, the late emperor, all the way to the first emperor. What you’re looking at right now is the history of the Alparion Empire.”
I followed his lead and walked down this historical path.
“This nation arose to protect humanity from the threats of the demon race, and it has continued for a millennium. Over time, the purpose has faded, and we have been embroiled in power struggles with our sibling country, the Betarion Empire, behind the scenes. Heh, don’t be too harsh on them. Once a nation reaches this scale, entanglements are inevitable.”
The emperor continued walking as he spoke.
“The empires that divide the Continent of Astria. Alparion in the east, Betarion in the west. The reason we couldn’t focus on the North was that threats from the East began to stir.”
“The threats from the East?”
“That place is ‘Erin’s Canyon,’ a land of countless monsters. Even with the empire’s power, we cannot fully conquer it; we can only build strongholds to fend them off. The signs from there are troubling. After a millennium, the demon race threatens human existence once more.”
Chris whispered to me in a low voice.
“Is this a hint for the next expansion pack?”
“Um, it could be.”
The threats from the North, the demon race’s northern general.
And the threats from the East of the Alparion Empire.
Could there be a general from the East as well?
But why is he showing us this? If it’s a quest, he could’ve given it in the audience room or the office.
The emperor halted at the end of the hallway.
The portrait hanging on the wall there was.
“The first emperor.”
I stopped in front of his portrait.
It was definitely a familiar face.
He looked far older than when I had seen him in his youth.
And beside the portrait of the first emperor, at the end of the hallway.
“Whoah.”
I gaped.
“Huh? What?”
Chris displayed a similar reaction to mine.
A white-haired figure with one eye slightly covered.
A younger-looking face with striking ebony eyes stood out.
Though somewhat different, this was definitely.
“Rain! T-this, this!”
Chris pointed frantically at the portrait.
Honestly, I was at a loss for words myself.
Why, here?
In the castle of the Alparion Empire.
Is my portrait here?
“…The first emperor was also quite the artist. I have heard that after the empire was firmly established, court painters painted his portrait, but he personally painted his own and that of the hero of the time.”
The current emperor looked back and forth between the portrait of the first emperor and mine.
“Adventurer from another world who doesn’t flow with the history of this realm.”
He turned his body toward me and asked.
“Who are you?”
The events that unfolded in this continent after my departure.
The thousand-year history that I was unaware of.
He resembled someone not much older than me.
I chuckled lightly.
“Didn’t I say I would save humanity and become their king? Bern had quite the charming picture drawn, huh?”
Thud.
The emperor sank to his knees.
Chris gasped in shock.
I wasn’t surprised.
The emperor wasn’t hiding his emotions.
“…Hero from a millennium ago, Foremother of the Empire.”
And then, he kissed the back of my hand.
Chris jumped in astonishment.
I scratched my face in confusion.
Foremother?
I’m not a mother.