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Chapter 261: Interlude – The Empress’s Reward (1)
After the brief meeting with Khalid Han.
I returned to the academy immediately.
‘She said she was staying at the faculty-exclusive dormitory, right?’
Since the Hero Academy was attended by many of the high-ranking descendants from the three nations, there were also rooms prepared for distinguished guests from outside.
And for Empress Camellia, she would undoubtedly be treated as the most honored of all guests.
They must have given her the finest room even among the faculty dormitories.
“Haa.”
A heavy sigh slipped out through my lips.
The weight of having to report this failure—especially to the Empress—pressed heavily on my chest.
‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve botched a mission since my regression.’
In my previous life, failure was a constant companion.
But ever since my return, things had been going so smoothly that I’d begun to feel almost invincible.
“Ugh.”
Well, what could I do?
There was no use crying over spilled milk.
‘At least I didn’t walk away empty-handed, so I shouldn’t be punished, even if I don’t get rewarded.’
Thinking as much, I knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Camellia’s voice drifted from inside the room.
When I slowly opened the door, what greeted me was—
“Did you handle the matter well?”
Camellia, the Empress, was lounging diagonally across a long sofa, one similar to those used in the imperial palace.
She was wearing a thin dress, delicate enough to pass for sleepwear, paired with white stockings.
With her signature languid smile, she gazed at me.
‘Huh? This atmosphere is a bit….’
Her attire, at least, wasn’t unusual—she often wore similar outfits in the palace.
But the dim lighting, the scented candles scattered around the room, and the elegant liquor bottles with two crystal glasses on the shelf—
This was unmistakably…
“Fufu. There’s no need to ask, is there? You, of all people, would have handled it splendidly.”
Indeed.
She had already assumed the mission was a success and had prepared to celebrate in advance.
‘In other words….’
Camellia never once entertained the possibility of my failure.
She had been so certain of my success that she had everything set up for a toast.
“Uh….”
No.
Now it was even harder to admit that I had failed.
‘Damn it.’
She was the one who had jumped the gun, yet somehow, I was the one feeling embarrassed.
“Hmm? Why so silent?”
“Well….”
Avoiding her gaze, I softly muttered, my voice barely audible.
“…I failed.”
“What?”
“…I said, I failed. Completely.”
“…….”
An awkward silence filled the room.
Camellia stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Failed…? You mean Khalid Han isn’t a traitor?”
“That’s right.”
“Hm. Well, that hardly qualifies as a failure, does it?”
After all, if she had been entirely sure that Khalid Han was a traitor, she wouldn’t have armed me with a blessed dagger for the ambush.
It was disappointing that there was no tangible result, but…
A mere misjudgment hardly warranted the label of ‘failure.’
“And….”
“And?”
“My identity was exposed. As was the fact that you were the one who ordered the operation.”
“…….”
Camellia’s expression stiffened slightly.
Not only had my cover been blown, but the Empress’s involvement in the attack on a fellow Master had been revealed as well.
“…Yes. That does qualify as failure.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it is not your fault. A subordinate’s failure is ultimately their lord’s failure. This is on me.”
Never mind the fact that I couldn’t recall when exactly Camellia had become my ‘lord.’
“Still, I did manage to gather some useful information.”
“Oh? Let me hear it.”
I relayed to Camellia what I had learned from Khalid Han.
“…Hah.”
She let out a soft, disbelieving sigh.
“Khalid Han is the son of the Order of Eternity’s leader?”
“That’s what he claimed.”
“Hmm. And what do you think?”
“…He didn’t seem to be lying.”
More accurately, he had no reason to lie.
There was nothing for Khalid Han to gain by revealing his blood ties to the leader of the Order of Eternity.
“I see. If that is how you read him, then I shall believe it.”
“…You’re going to believe it so easily?”
“Fufu. Would you prefer that I doubt you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant, but….”
I hadn’t expected her to show me the same unwavering trust even after such a major failure.
Camellia had always struck me as the type who would be merciless toward subordinates who made mistakes.
“…This is a bit unexpected.”
“What is?”
“I heard rumors that Your Majesty was extremely strict when it came to rewards and punishments.”
It was said that even the highest nobles of the Empire would lower their heads and barely breathe in her presence.
“Hm. That depends on the situation and the individual.”
With a languid smile, Camellia continued.
"I show no mercy to those blinded by ambition who make mistakes… but you are different from such people, are you not?"
"……."
The infinite trust in Empress Camellia's gaze made my head feel strangely cluttered.
"And besides, isn't it hardly something that can be called a mistake?"
"…Pardon?"
"What I asked of you was to find out whether there was a traitor among the Masters. According to Khalid Han, it’s been confirmed that there are no traitors among them. So, in a way, you could even call this a success, no?"
"That’s…"
She had a point.
Just confirming that there were no traitors among the Masters was a significant achievement.
"…Still, won’t this make things awkward between Khalid Han and Your Majesty?"
From Khalid’s perspective, knowing that the Empress openly suspected him wouldn’t exactly leave him with warm feelings.
"Hmph. What does it matter if I become estranged from that drunkard? If anything, it’s rather refreshing."
"Then… that’s a relief."
"Yes. No need to worry about it… Ah."
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Camellia let out a short gasp before subtly averting her gaze and speaking again.
"On second thought… it might be a bit of a problem."
"Pardon?"
What?
Just a moment ago, she was saying how refreshing it was.
"Regardless of his poor conduct, a Master is still a Master. It wouldn’t be strange for him to become my enemy after this. I can’t act as though it doesn’t matter."
"Eh, but with Khalid Han's personality, I doubt it’ll come to that…"
"Therefore!"
Clench.
Her fist tightened, and her eyes sparkled like stars.
"You will take responsibility and fill Khalid Han’s absence."
"…What do you mean by that?"
Fill Khalid Han's absence?
"Hehe. If my relationship with one Master becomes strained, wouldn’t it be fine if I simply became closer with another?"
"But I’m not a Master."
"Goodness. Based on skill alone, you’ve already far surpassed most of the Masters, have you not?"
"But still…"
"And in terms of power, when you consider the members of your party, you’re hardly any weaker than the other Masters."
Camellia curved her lips into a sly grin as she continued.
"The Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, the successor to the Sword of the Sun, the grandson of the Thunder God Lionel Ryu, the genius mage who dethroned Aaron Baek to become the top student of the year, and the daughter of the Archbishop of Frost… Oh! Let’s not forget that the Spider of the Cursed Eye is also your lover, meaning she counts as part of your party as well, doesn’t she?"
"That’s…"
Well… she had a point.
"With a group like that, you have more than enough power to be called a 'Master.'"
"……."
As Camellia said, even if the group was small, each member could easily hold the position of a leader in any other faction.
"Hehe. So… you must take responsibility and become even more closely involved with me."
Camellia smiled brightly as she gazed at me.
‘So this is what she had in mind.’
I didn’t expect her to resort to such a… sneaky(?) form of blackmail.
‘Well… it’s true that my actions caused a rift among the Masters.’
I let out a deep sigh and gave a small nod.
"Understood. I’ll make an effort to interact with Your Majesty more frequently moving forward."
"Hu, huhu. Uhuuhu."
"…Your Majesty?"
"Kuh, ahem. If… if that is your wish, then I suppose I have no choice but to accept your proposal."
Camellia, with a deep smile on her face, gracefully lifted herself from the sofa where she had been reclining.
"Now, it is time to grant you your reward."
"Pardon?"
A reward?
Why would I be receiving a reward when I had practically botched the mission?
"Even if you didn’t accomplish the task flawlessly, you still revealed the truth—that there is no traitor among the Masters. Is that not the most important outcome?"
"Well… that’s true."
"Hehe. Therefore, it is only right, as a ruler, to grant you a fitting reward."
"……."
Well, since she was offering, there was no reason to refuse.
‘I wonder what the reward will be.’
Last time, I had received the Seven-Colored Stone and the Blessing of the Sovereign.
‘A summoning stone that allows me to summon the Empress once, anywhere, anytime, and an elixir said to be reserved for the imperial family alone.’
The gifts had been so incredible that I couldn’t help but feel a spark of anticipation.
‘Even if this one isn’t as grand as the last, it’s still coming from the Empress herself, so I can expect something decent, right?’
Surely, she wouldn’t prepare some half-hearted reward—it would be beneath her dignity as the Empress.
"Hehe. I can see the expectation on your face."
"Ah… T-that’s…"
"Don’t worry. I’ve prepared the finest reward just for you."
"…Finer than the Seven-Colored Stone or the Blessing of the Sovereign?"
"Tsk. Those petty things cannot compare."
Oh-ho.
What on earth had she prepared to warrant such confidence?
"I will now bestow your reward, so come closer."
Nodding, I approached Camellia, who remained seated on the sofa.
"Kneel."
"…Pardon?"
Kneel?
"Do you intend to receive the Empress’s reward while standing?"
"Ah… Yes."
Though it felt a little odd, I complied with Camellia's words, lowering myself onto one knee and bowing my head.
"Hehe. Very good."
With a deep smile, Empress Camellia slowly removed her white stockings.
The smooth, white skin of her bare legs shimmered faintly in the candlelight.
"Now, then."
Swish.
Camellia extended her long leg toward me.
Her bare foot swayed gently near my lips.
"Lick it."
"…Pardon?"
Did she just tell me… to lick her foot?
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