Chapter 325
Even after their conversation had ended, Tremblin was lost in his thoughts for a long time, but it wasn’t because Joshua’s story was suspicious. Out of all the hypotheses that Tremblin had heard until now, the story that he had just heard was the most trustworthy since Joshua would have been more than capable of breaking through the ten thousand strong blockade of soldiers.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Joshua said.
Tremblin broke away from his thoughts and raised his head.
“I’ll tell you everything I know—no, you’ll eventually find out even if I don’t. Of course, only if you trust me on this matter.”
“Are you okay?” Tremblin finally asked.
“Pardon?” Joshua tilted his head in confusion.
“Everything else aside, he’s your father,” Tremblin cautiously said. “According to the story that you told me just now, one of the hidden masterminds behind everything is him—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Joshua replied before Tremblin had a chance to finish. “If you’re talking about my love for my family, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“…Do you, as an illegitimate son, still resent your father?” Tremblin asked.
“No, I don’t.” Joshua firmly shook his head.
Tremblin tilted his head. “Then…?”
“I have a dream,” Joshua said with a small smile.
“A dream?” Tremblin repeated.
“I’ve sworn that I’ll become the Emperor and never lose my dear ones again,” Joshua said.
Tremblin’s emotions became muddled as he remembered something.
“…For that goal, you’re even going to fight the Dark God?”
“Yes, I am.” Joshua nodded.
Tremblin shook his head. “You had your heart set on it from the beginning. You were serious when you said you were going to become the Emperor of the Avalon Empire…”
“My colleagues waited for me until now because they trust me, and they’re dearer to me than my blood kin,” Joshua answered.
Tremblin’s eyes turned sharp. “Is that the only reason?”
“Do I need more reasons?” Joshua shrugged.
“Your position defines you. I don’t trust the part where you said that all of this is just for your colleagues. Joshua of the Sanders Family, which is nominally a noble family, and Joshua, the great Emperor of Avalon, are bound to have different mindsets.”
“You say you don’t trust me…” Joshua said with a smile, “but you began to treat me differently at some point.”
Tremblin’s eyes lost focus. Joshua was right—regardless of the fact Joshua was an illegitimate son or how young he was, he was the son of the Duke, so Tremblin had treated Joshua like a child until now. However, Joshua pointed out a fact that even Tremblin wasn’t aware of.
“But… that’s not the important part. The point is that you’ll definitely change after you become an emperor.” Tremblin examined Joshua. “There were a myriad of nobles who wanted the throne, but only one—even if I delve deep into history—actually got the throne. After they became the Emperor, they changed. It was as if they became a totally different person in every way.”
Only Tremblin, who had served three emperors, could say such a thing.
“But still…” he bitterly continued.
“Like His Majesty Marcus ben Britten, our current emperor?” Joshua asked.
Tremblin shut his mouth.
“He must have hidden his claws to survive, so people didn’t even mention him while they talked about who would inherit the throne. At the right moment, he revealed his hidden claws.”
“You mean he had been hiding his true nature, rather than changing?” Tremblin realized.
“People’s natures don’t change easily,” Joshua said with a shrug.
“You’re saying you’re different from them?”
It wasn’t Joshua who answered—the people standing beside him immediately replied.
“Our master is different!” Cain growled.
“Our master is far different from them!” Icarus shouted.
“How can you compare such a lunatic with our master!” Cain huffed and puffed with a reddened face.
“Watch your mouth!” Icarus immediately snapped at Cain. She had remained relatively calm, unlike him. “He’s still the Emperor—”
“Well, he di—no, he passed away, didn’t he? Everyone is the same once they die,” Cain answered, perplexed.
However, Icarus still looked cold.
“You’re badmouthing the deceased,” she scolded.
Tremblin was starting to feel dumbstruck as he quietly watched the conversation between the two.
“You said your position defines you, right?” Joshua asked.
Tremblin turned back to Joshua.
“…Are you going to tell me I’m wrong on that too?” he muttered.
“Yes, because I disagree. People are the ones who define their positions. Although it’s said that a god chose our emperor, it was his fellow people who had made the emperor’s throne, so those people can always change who sits on the throne.”
Only Joshua, out of all the people in the world, could give such an answer. It cause Tremblin to tremble uncharacteristically.
“Can you really remain honest to those words?”
“Of course.” Joshua nodded.
“You’re defying god's will. How can you say anyone can commit treason that easily…?” Tremblin shook his head.
“History says so, and if I really become the emperor, then it’ll be god’s will,” Joshua replied.
“Are you treating an emperor and an ordinary citizen the same?”
“There is no empire without those ‘ordinary’ citizens,” Joshua reminded him.
“You may not know this, but the other nobles will not think so,” Tremblin warned Joshua. “If they find out that you think that way, then they’ll definitely not sit on their hands.”
Joshua’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
“If they don’t sit on their hands… I’ll have to turn everything upside down. ”
Tremblin’s mouth clamped shut. The waiting room turned totally silent—Cain and Icarus were also stupefied by Joshua’s shocking remark.
The Duke looked at Joshua for a long moment without saying anything.
“…It was good talking with you,” he finally said, turning away. “Can I answer you after the knights’ battle comes to an end?”
“That means…?”
“I think I at least have the right to test the candidate’s ability…” Tremblin trailed off.
Realizing what Tremblin meant, Joshua smiled lightly.
“Of course.”
“…I look forward to seeing what happens soon.” Tremblin turned away from Joshua and exited the room, leaving the wide waiting room empty except for the three people left inside.
“Master, so all we have to do right now is to wrap up our business, don’t we?” Cain asked.
“Our business?” Joshua looked confused.
“You value your colleagues that much, but I’m not sure why you were nowhere to be seen over the past three years,” Cain said with a bite to his words.
Icarus quickly poked Cain’s waist. “What’s wrong with you now?”
“I feel so angry now that I think about it!” Cain shouted.
“He must have his reasons,” Icarus said in an attempt to calm him down.
“I mean, I have to hear his reasons,” Cain enunciated.
“He said he’ll tell us over time. Besides,” Icarus pouted, “you can already guess why—”
“Stop, because I really need to hear an answer to this question right now.” Cain looked determined. “Master, are you okay with that?”
It was obvious that Cain was going to ask something serious, so Joshua slowly nodded.
“Go on; you have more than enough right to do so.”
Cain bit his lower lip.
“I’ll still ask it even if you say such things,” he solemnly replied.
“Yes.” Joshua nodded again. “Do it.”
“This is the question that I want the answer to the most, so I really want you to be honest with me on this one,” Cain emphasized.
Joshua chuckled. “Alright.”
“Then… I’ll ask… By any chance… are you…” Cain hesitated.
“What in the world are you trying to ask…?” Icarus asked as Cain’s silence stretched for an unnervingly long time.
“Married?” Cain blurted.
“Huh?” Icarus gaped, dumbfounded.
“No, do you have a lover?” Cain narrowed his eyes.
Icarus continued to stare, slack-jawed, unable to process Cain’s words.
“On a side note, I still don’t have one yet.”
“You…” Icarus finally pulled herself together and scowled like a devil that had climbed up from hell. “You idiot!”
Icarus’s hand whipped into Cain’s back with a loud Smack!
* * *
There was a building that only the Imperial Knights could use, but only the Knight-Commander could use the office on the third floor.
“Commander, it’s Joker.” Joker, the Captain of the First Battalion, knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Knight-Commander Rod replied.
Joker opened the door without hesitation, looked around the inside of the room, and flinched.
“…I see you have another visitor. Cazes…”
“I greet the First Battalion Commander.” Cazes, who had come before Joker, stood up and bowed gently.
“Are you done with your business?” Joker asked.
Cazes shrugged. “I’ve just arrived.”
“Then excuse me. I’m in a hurry.” Joker immediately gestured outside of the room with his eyes, silently ordering Cazes to get out of the office.
“No need,” Rod said, shaking his head.
“…Pardon?” Joker asked.
“I happened to need both of your opinions.”
Cazes and Joker both gave him a curious look.
“I received a message,” Rod said.
“By a message, you mean…?” Joker narrowed his eyes.
“It’s from Joshua Sanders.” Rod pulled out a neatly-folded piece of paper from his pocket. “He gave this to me as a gift before he got off the colosseum stage.”
“What does it say?” Cazes asked.
“If I summarize it…” Rod glanced at Cazes. “He has been exonerated, so he wishes to be reinstated.”
“Huh?” Joker snorted dismissively. “We postponed bringing the charge against him due to the situation, we didn’t exonerate him.”
“The problem is that people don’t think that way.” Rod shrugged.
“Why does that matter? Wait, you’re not seriously believing the nonsense about how he has the blood of the Imperial Family, are you, Commander?” Joker took a step back in surprise.
The words “blood of the Imperial Family” made Rod stiffen.
“He doesn’t have the right in the first place since he’s just a fugitive who abandoned the Empire. So how can he talk about reinstatement? If you’re asking for my opinion, my answer is definitely no!” Joker shouted.
“But…”
“Commander, think carefully about this. Since His Majesty is missing right now, you’re the one with the right to reprimand the Imperial Knights. That must be why he sent you such a message.” Joker clicked his tongue. “Isn’t his plan obvious? He’s trying to play hero in the group battle and earn the support of the Empire's unwitting citizens.”
“Of course, he can’t do it on his own,” Rod answered. Joker’s face immediately brightened up. “Even if he has the Imperial blood, the group battle is a different matter.”
“Which means…” Joker mumbled.
“There are precedents where a member of the Imperial Family became an Imperial Knights, but…” Rod trailed off for a moment, then he said, “Berche’s Blood Battle is a sacred battle of life and death, so how would it look if hundreds of Imperial Knights pointed their swords at a member of the Imperial Family? All the people on the continent would laugh at us.”
“Exactly!” Joker merrily shouted.
“That’s why I also summoned Cazes.” Rod pointed at the man in question.
“…What? What are you…?” Joker gaped dumbly at the Knight-Commander, wondering what happened that had made Cazes and Rod get along so well..
“Cazes,” Rod called, turning to the knight.
“Yes, Commander,” Cazes said, nodding.
“What do you think?” Rod asked.
“I…” Cazes pondered for a moment before strongly continuing, “You and Captain Joker mean to say that you can’t make an exception with Joshua Sanders.”
“That’s it!” Joker loudly clapped. “Cazes, you and I seem to be on the same wavelength, unexpectedly!”
“I have an idea,” Cazes said.
“…What?” Joker’s eyes widened.
“An idea?” Rod looked intrigued. “Shall we hear it?”
“Berche’s Bloody Battle isn’t over yet,” Cazes said with a shrug.
His reply sounded very random, but it wasn’t so random that the veteran Rod couldn’t understand.
“As long as you’re a citizen of the Avalon Empire, everyone has the chance to become an Imperial Knight. This isn’t about making an exception since this rule already exists. That was how the knights of my battalion, who had been mercenaries, became Imperial Knights,” Cazes reminded them.
Joker’s eyes popped open as he finally realized what Cazes intended.
“Why are you bringing up such nonsense right now?” he demanded. “Why would you bring up that rule?”
Cazes paid no mind to Joker’s anger.
“A contender usually has to go through the entire tournament from the start, but… this contender is the great Superhuman known as the ‘Hero King’. Out of respect to such a man, I myself will go up against him as the current Captain of the Auxiliary Battalion.”
Joker gave him a wide-eyed look, thrown off by Cazes’s totally unexpected proposition.
“If I am defeated, the position of the Auxiliary Battalion Captain is his in accordance with the old rules of the Bloody Battle. He’s newly acquiring the position, not being reinstated, so I don’t think there is a problem.”
Rod’s eyes sparkled subtly as he quietly listened, a faint smile sneaking onto his lips.
“No matter who you’re going up against, you’re going to lead the Eleventh and Twelfth Battalions and participate in the group battle as the new Captain of the Auxiliary Battalion?” he asked.
“That’s right.” Cazes nodded.
“Are you speaking for all the knights of the Auxiliary Battalion?” Rod asked.
Cazes, however, had already expected the question. That was why he had already asked for the knights’ opinions, so he could answer with certainty… And he knew that no one in the Auxiliary Battalion opposed his idea.
Cazes readily nodded, with a little grin dancing on his lips.
“Of course.”
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