Chapter 247

RMSBS – Episode 247 . Reunion (4)

Guiltian looked down at Adjest with a grimace .

“That was incredibly rude . ”

Facing Guiltian, Adjest felt overwhelming pressure from his aura . While her outward composure didn’t reveal it, internally she began to crumble slightly .

‘I shouldn’t step back down here . No, I _can’t_ step down here . ’

Adjest stood upright . She bit her lips and looked at Guiltian without avoiding his gaze .

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty . However… … ”

A strange emotion began to appear in Adjest’s normally impassive eyes . She stared at Guiltian with a gaze filled with flames of passion .

“For the sake of our Empire, Desir’s plan must be realized . And in order for that plan to come true, the Spear of Longinus and my royal blood are required . ”

After rebelling openly against the Emperor, it wouldn’t be surprising for anyone else to be beheaded immediately . Even a First Princess would not be able to escape severe consequences for such an action .

Despite knowing this, Adjest refused to step down .

“Are you saying that you will ignore my order and go anyway?”

“… In the end, if you don’t permit me, I will do what I must . ”

It was a precarious atmosphere akin to one walking on thin ice . The slightest miss-step could cause it to shatter .

“Hahahaha!”

Guiltian, who had been harshly staring at Adjest, burst into a hearty laugh . Something was off; the laugh completely broke the tense atmosphere .

“That boy is something else . You must believe in him too . ”

Adjest couldn’t understand what had happened . Her face revealed her desire to ask what had happened .

“If you join, Desir’s plan will surely succeed . ”

Guiltian got up from the throne and began pacing down the royal hall .

“You don’t have to worry . From the beginning, I intended to accept Desir’s request . ”

“What do you… ”

“It was by my command that Raphaello told you . ”

Adjest’s eyes widened .

“Before I accepted, I wanted to know what you truly thought . Seeing that you came here within a day, and how strongly you fought just now, I can tell that you definitely want to join him . ”

Step by step, Guiltian finally stood in front of Adjest .

“I know your skills are excellent . But after what happened to Swan Katarina, I realized that I had taken this situation too lightly . So I summoned you to the Imperial Palace, to make sure you were safe . ”

Suddenly, Guiltian knelt down and reached eye level with Adjest .

“But you don’t understand this father’s heart, and continue to struggle . Heaven has bestowed you with talents so great that you have no choice but to go on the battlefield . ”

Adjest had prodigious talent in both magic and the sword, as well as significant talent as a commander, having an uncanny knack for military strategy . It was no exaggeration to say that she had the best potential amongst the entirety of mankind .

Furthermore, this talent had been refined by Desir . In the near future there was no doubt she would be the strongest human, past and present .

Guiltian knew her talent better than anyone else .

However, who could watch their own daughter throw themselves into life and death situations without making a fuss? Guiltian couldn’t tolerate the thought of Adjest putting her life at risk on dangerous battlefields . Thus, he brought her back to the Imperial Palace .

“But now that I think about it… I’m glad you grew up like this . I feel grateful to Desir for changing you in this manner . ”

Guiltian definitely knew the importance of Desir’s plan . Such a person like him couldn’t be ignorant to such a fact . However, he contrived this situation to make the decision one that Adjest made, rather than one he forced onto her . She had to choose her own path .

Having reached such a conclusion, he dismissed her .

“You can go, Adjest . Go and prove that your choice was right . ”

Adjest noticed the warmth that Guiltian showed through his actions, even if he was too prideful to express them directly .

She bowed in gratitude .

“I will accept this Imperial order . ”

* * *

“We have almost arrived, Your Highness . ”

As Adjest looked out the window of the wagon at Raphaello’s announcement, a citadel had begun to appear in the distance .

There were just two occupants of the wagon clattering along the road, Adjest and Raphaello . Though Adjest wasn’t initially aware of it, Desir’s request included not two, but three things: herself, the Spear of Longinus, and Raphaello Cheriger .

The shield of the Royal Guard took in the scenery . As it was his duty to guard the Emperor, he didn’t get to venture outside Leonhardt Palace often . Finally, his eyes rest on the citadel .

“Everyone is already gathered . We are the last to arrive . ”

“I see . ”

Despite being still hundreds of miles away from the citadel, Raphaello could clearly sense who was inside . However, the demonstration of this amazing technique was nothing new to Adjest . Instead of being surprised, she began to think .

‘Everyone is here . ’

Adjest slowly recalled her parting words . At that moment, her heart shook .

‘I’m finally seeing you . ’

To her, the past half year had been forever . As soon as she realized that she was about to meet them soon, her heart swelled with anticipation .

‘But… … ’

One problem remained with Adjest . It was a problem that couldn’t be solved, no matter how much she agonized over it .

“You are nervous . ”

Raphaello stated matter of factly .

“Are you afraid that you’re not going to be helpful to Desir?”

Adjest, whose feelings were easily identified, turned to Raphaello in surprise .

The moment their eyes met, Raphaello bowed his head lightly .

“Please forgive me for my rudeness . ”

“It’s okay, Sir Raphaello . What you said is indeed correct . ”

Adjest nervously kept touching the Center of Ice that she wore at her waist .

“I’m not sure if I can be helpful to him . I’m scared that I may end up holding him down . ”

“That will never happen . ”

Raphaello shook his head firmly .

“Be confident in yourself . You’re a powerful magician, and you studied swordcraft with tutelage from a member of the Royal Guard . ”

Jean Euremrin .

The best swordsman of the Empire, someone acknowledged by the Emperor himself and given the position of sword amongst the Royal Guard .

While Raphaello held the title of Sword Grand Master, a title only given to the greatest swordsman of their generation, Guiltian had recognized Jean as the greatest swordsman in the Empire . In terms of pure swordsmanship, Jean surpassed Raphaello .

There was a common misconception that Jean was too old to carry the title of Sword Grand Master, and that Raphaello had gotten it by that luck . However, that was far from the case; Raphaello was certainly deserving of his title .

“I can only say that my sword is immature in front of him . You’ve studied under the best swordsman of the continent . ”

Adjest nodded .

During her half-year in the Imperial Palace, she was able to train in swordcraft under Jean Euremrin in her spare time . It was an opportunity that she only gained because he had returned home to deal with the sudden appearance of Shadow Worlds in the Hebrion Empire .

*Rattle*

The wagon shook once .

“No one else has ever managed to train under him . His sword skills are enigmatic, something only a genius amongst geniuses could conceive . But you managed . There will be few people on this continent who are able overpower the current you . ”

Adjest knew that his words weren’t exaggerated or made in an attempt to flatter her . Raphaello Cheriger was a man that never told lies .

“Thank you, Sir Raphaello . ”

"You’re welcome . "

Raphaello smiled at Adjest .

“Ah . I guess someone came out to meet Your Highness . ”

At the same time he finished speaking, the wagon reached the main gate of the citadel .

The horseman out front of the carriage knocked on the window twice . It was the signal that they had arrived .

The wagon’s door opened and Adjest got out . Looking for the one Raphaello had mentioned, her gaze stopped on a figure .

“It’s been a while, Adjest . ”

She had found Desir .

Adjest’s head emptied . Her heart stopped . Obviously, she had thought about what to say upon encountering him all this time, but nothing came to mind .

She continued to vacillate between hesitation and something perfunctory .

“I missed you . ”

Desir spoke with a gentle smile .

At that moment, Adjest realized that her worries had been meaningless .

There was no need to worry . She had just heard what she had longed for, for what had felt like an eternity .

“I missed you too . ”

Adjest replied with a smile toward Desir .

At that time, she heard the whining voice of Romantica as she approached .

“Really, why are you so late!?”

Adjest was pleased to see that she had not changed at all since she had last seen her half a year ago .

“It’s been a long time, Adjest!”

“It’s been a long time, sister!”

Pram and Fizzlebang followed behind Romantica . Subsequently, the members of the Starling Party gathered one after another .

Adjest smiled .

“Nice to see you again, everyone . ”

It was the long awaited reunion after six months of separation . They talked about how they had been doing and spent some time catching up .

However, time wasn’t a luxury they could afford to waste .

When Raphaello eventually emerged from the wagon after waiting for a while, the Starling Party members who saw his face were surprised .

Raphaello, the Sword Grand Master of this generation, the strongest knight on the continent . Let alone the Hebrion Empire, nearly every citizen of every developed nation knew his name . He was especially popular amongst the budding students at Hebrion Academy, as a result of their close proximity to the capital . It was impossible to find someone that had not heard of him .

“The Emperor let Raphaello mobilize as well?”

“Yes, Desir called him . ”

Since Pram became a leader of the Side Guard, he had a lot of chances to talk with Raphaello . Rather than be surprised to see him, as everyone else was, he was shocked that Raphaello had been allowed to leave His Majesty’s side .

Raphaello, who just got out of the wagon, approached Desir .

“It’s been a long time, Desir . It’s been two months since we last cleared that Shadow World in Dresden . ”

They shook hands .

“It’s been a long time, Sir Raphaello . Again, I hope you can show off your ability to your heart’s content . ”

“Let’s do our best . I want you to tell me your plan in more detail . ”

“Good timing, then . Since everyone is gathered, I was planning on going over the operation . Let’s head inside, shall we?”

Desir took the lead and headed for the citadel while guiding Adjest and Raphaello .

‘All of the actors are gathered now . ’

In the citadel were the people hand-selected by Desir . This group was complete now with the arrival of Adjest and Raphaello .

Desir smiled while taking in the sight of all the people gathered . There were very few other people he trusted that were not present . These were the strongest people on the continent, maybe not now, but definitely the strongest several years from now in the Shadow Labyrinth . They were his comrades in arms, his friends… even if they didn’t know it yet .

—-

Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .

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