I headed to the Setran Hall where the title ceremony would begin. The place where noble titles were awarded was the Setran Hall in the outer palace of the Imperial Palace. It was said that it took the surname of Setran, a legendary diplomatic hero who saved the empire from crisis.
"Unless you are an archmage, you cannot use any force or magic in this Setran Hall."
The title of Marquis Kinnoa was to be awarded in the Hall of Heroes. Coincidentally, I liked it very much. I carefully looked around and checked. It was a seat for reporters from the Imperial Palace Daily and a table for reporters from commoners' newspapers, including the Times, which I personally invited. I even saw a small chair for a young academy child.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." Isaac nodded briefly at me. We looked each other in the eye.
"Do you have the bird?"
I was about to say that I always carried it with me, but I stopped. It was because his eyes were too serious.
"Don't worry too much. It's not a project that is that tense yet."
So far, it had only been a matter of uncovering the holy sword and tarnishing the reputation of the man and woman who had had an affair. I whispered to Isaac in a low voice.
"We need to find out the identity of the holy water and check the holy relics."
I wondered what exactly that was. Isaac looked at my wrist. I could see that the ruffles at the end of the sleeves of the dress were slightly torn.
"You always have to be careful."
He held the end of the sleeve in his hand, and the torn ruffle regained its original shape as if by magic. I looked at him with admiration.
"You look like Cinderella's fairy godmother."
The pitfall was that he was too handsome for a fairy godmother.
"Isn't that amazing?"
When I let out a low exclamation, he smiled languidly. "I didn't expect to hear good things about this."
He smiled at me and immediately looked at the clock tower outside the hall. "Is that so? Oh, it's time." He said quietly. "I'll go. May your plans be perfect."
I looked at Isaac and nodded. The dice had already been thrown.
Inside the Setran Hall.
The title ceremony was held at my request, and thanks to the small number of nobles participating, it was held frugally and comfortably. The Emperor was sitting on the platform above the hall, on the top seat. There were tables that could seat about four people, and the center was carpeted. The president of the academy I invited, professors, children, some nobles, and even minors who had not made their debut gathered. There were also nobles who heard the story from my child and set foot here themselves.
The most important thing was one: the reporters from the Times and the Imperial Palace Daily, who once instilled positive stories about me. The Times postponed covering the Hesmann-Babyloa engagement ceremony, and was full of enthusiasm, perhaps because they arrived here.
It's perfect.
All I needed to do was make sure the speaker was ready. In an atmosphere similar to a wedding hall, I walked on the carpet and headed towards the platform where the Emperor was. When walking on the carpet, Axion said in a very small voice, "Fighting!" I heard him muttering.
When I reached right in front of the Emperor's seat, I finally knelt down on one knee.
"Meldenik Yves Kinnoa." The Emperor's voice echoed affectionately. "A direct blood relative of the previous Marquis of Kinnoa and a qualified person." He touched his mustache and soon came to a simple and clear conclusion. "I will officially seal you as the Marquis of Kinnoa, and hereby I will give you a mansion and a part of the food shop that can be used in the capital."
When the Emperor, who was sitting on the splendid throne, winked, the court official beside him quickly approached the Emperor. He unfolded the long document in his hand and looked at me.
"I will recite the list of the property of the Marquis of Kinnoa and the details of His Majesty's bestowal."
"Yes."
"The property belonging to the Marquis of Kinnoa includes stone mountains in the Hepena area and buildings in the archipelago."
I think I was listening to the sound of poverty. Even from a distance, I could feel Basil swallowing his breath as he sat in the title ceremony. It must be deplorable that all the wealth of the Marquis of Kinnoa, who had been legendary for generations, had belonged to the Babyloa family.
Now I have to get back all my things that I have lost.
Originally, I was going to step back. Because I was going to live a moderate, comfortable, and easy life! But I wanted to have everything I could.
The court official continued. "Your Majesty has given you a new mansion in the system, fifty attendants, gold bars, etc."
"I have high expectations for the loyalty of the Marquises."
With the Emperor's simple congratulations, the title ceremony ended faster than expected. It was just over ten minutes. It was time to end the oath of allegiance and proceed with the second act, the reception.
"Marquis Meldenik Kinnoa, I swear allegiance to Your Majesty."
The court officer gave me a brief glance. I remembered the oath of allegiance I had memorized last night.
"I, Marquis of Kinnoa, Meldenik Yves Kinnoa, will be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and the infinite glory of the Empire."
Even the oath of allegiance was over. Everyone was mistaken that the awarding ceremony had been completed. After a break of about an hour, a simple reception was scheduled to follow. However, instead of taking my foot off the podium, I bowed my head to the Emperor and continued.
"Your Majesty."
"What's going on?" The Emperor's voice seemed to be intrigued.
"Although the Imperial Palace is grand, I have some remaining assets that have not yet been disclosed to the world."
As soon as I finished speaking, Dominic, dressed in a colorful uniform, stood up. The complexions of some journalists and nobles who saw Dominic's face deteriorated. It was only natural that they would know that Dominic and I were rumored to be having an affair. However, it wasn't long before that expression turned into astonishment.
I looked at Dominic as he walked towards me. At that time, the court official stopped me with a displeased face.
"What exactly is going on, Marquis?" He asked openly in a low voice so that only I could hear him. "That person is your… isn't he the other party in your infidelity?"
I shook my head. The Emperor, who was watching the confrontation between me and the court officials, immediately spoke.
"The Marquis should stand up and explain it properly."
There was a little doubt in the eyes that looked down on me. At the Emperor's words, I stood up from my knees and straightened my body.
"I would like to tell you about the hero's sword that I have contracted with."
"A hero's sword?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After saying that, I looked at the table where the people were sitting, not at the upper seat where the Emperor was. The word "hero's sword" caused a stir everywhere. Among them, the eyes of the reporters of the Times and "Imperial Palace Daily" shone brightly. Even if what I said was true or false, I had a sense of it. They were asking the knights if they could film this scene with the magic tools they were holding.
Meanwhile, the children were looking at each other with puzzled faces.
"I guess you have all the plans!"
"Wow, the hero who has been hesitant by the sea bream, let's see him!" Henry's voice sounded unusually clear.
Finally, Dominic, whose shoulders were raised as much as he could under the attention, approached me. People were wondering why the man who was rumored to have an affair was standing on the podium when it was about the hero's sword.
After taking a short, deep breath, I opened my mouth and declared to everyone present.
"This is him."
Dominic chuckled and raised a hand. Then he raised one hand forward and summoned the huge magic sword he was trapped in. The huge greatsword was somewhat rusty, but the end of the handle was encrusted with colorful jewels. Seeing people admiring the menacing appearance of the sword, I continued lightly.
"The hero Sword who has contracted with me, Dominicus, is a hero called 'Dominic' for short."
The Emperor couldn't even speak, his mouth was open. The court official next to me stiffened without even realizing that it was rude. Everyone present began to be filled with astonishment. A cold silence ensued. It was as if he couldn't even speak.
Only Dominic had a very satisfied face. He proudly ran his hand through his black hair with a face that showed he liked this situation very much.
Perfect, Dominic.
Dominic also sent a message so that only I could hear it.
'Now, shall we go cook them perfectly?'
…No, you were so excited?
"Let's proceed step by step as planned." Of course, I was doubly excited.
I grinned, took the sword Dominic had manifested, and cut it halfway into the air. Sparks began to erupt from between the swords.
Exclamations erupted from the Emperor's lips. "No one can use magic in this hall…"
The same was true for the ordinary people gathered here. They looked at the magic that Dominic embodied with astonishment. However, the reporters were a little different. They looked at the aura entangled in the sword with admiration on their faces. The aura entangled in that sword was truly the state of swordsmanship.
As the commander of the Imperial Palace Knights, who had always guarded him by the Emperor's side, spoke in a trembling voice. "Your Majesty. It is likely to be true…"
"…"
"…It seems highly probable. In legend, it is said that only Dominicus embodied the magical glowing aura on the sword."
Count Jeong-baek also spoke. "I'm sure I'll have to finish my conversation with the officers, wizards, and blacksmiths, but I've never seen an aura like that before…"
I nodded when I heard them. The general public wouldn't know. But the knight commander who followed him like a shadow by the Emperor's side would know. The fact that Dominic's power was a dangerous realm that even a sword master could not easily reach.
The Emperor raised his trembling head and looked towards Dominic. Dominicus was famous as a hero who saved the country and a legendary being. Was it true that the hero of that great legend appeared in his generation?
"If this is real, it's a great scoop!"
"Yes. I didn't expect this to happen!"
The most excited were the reporters of the Times and the Imperial Palace Newspaper. They jumped up and even turned on the video to record.
"Everything I say is true." The time had begun to explain to Dominic that he did not have a son like the Holy Sword, or rather, to make the existence of the Heroic Sword firmly imprinted on all the Imperials.
"I'm coming to see you, Your Majesty."
"Yes."
"There are those who impersonated the great hero Dominicus' own blood relatives." Dominic spoke beside me.
"I'm very upset."
No, Dominic.
You're overacting!
'Really? No, I'm nervous.'
Dominic struggled to harden his face. After that, his expression seemed relatively colder. Fortunately, people were overwhelmed by Dominic's voice and did not notice his performance. In particular, the Emperor was the most serious.
"Did that happen? How dare you impersonate a hero's blood relative? Who on earth is he? No way…" The Emperor's voice trembled. My stomach was shaking slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty… You guess it's correct." I blurted out my words and looked at the window. From this hall, the clock tower was clearly visible.
It's been thirty minutes. The engagement ceremony is probably starting by now, right?
I'll have to go there soon. It was the very place where the engagement ceremony would be broadcast on a national video.
"Your Majesty." I took Dominic by the arm and prostrated myself towards the Emperor. "Dominicus wants to punish those who lie recklessly. I've been away for a while, can I arrive at the reception?"
An hour was enough for an engagement ceremony. In addition, the first part of the title ceremony had already been completed. It meant that I was not being disrespectful at the moment. The Emperor, who was well aware of this, nodded.
"I will allow it."
"The Emperor is coming."
Dominic and I prostrated ourselves to the Emperor together and stood up. As I left the hall, I saw reporters writing breaking news and sending it straight to the magic video. This article would spread quickly. By the time I teleported to the wedding hall of Hesmann and the Babyloa family, those present would be in a state of panic when they heard the news, while weighing whether what I said was true or not.
But by then, it would be too late.
Dominic seriously sent a message to me.
'Let's go, let's fight.'