Chris’s actions were disrespectful. This was the land of the empire. In a place and situation where no one should look down on the Valhalla Empire’s Emperor, Chris paid his respects to Roman first, and this made the atmosphere frozen cold. Even those who had been cheering for Chris’s performance until a moment ago kept silent and looked at the Emperor.
At that moment, Roman raised his hand, and at the sight of his loyalty being accepted, Chris finally shifted his gaze to the Emperor. He got on his knees, but he didn’t offer his sword.
It was a cheeky act. The faces of the high-ranking nobles, who sat near the table of the Emperor, were red, but they couldn’t say anything until the Emperor did anything.
Valhalla was the same as Kronos. In a nation where the Emperor had absolute power, they couldn’t recklessly raise their voices in front of the Emperor.
“Your name was Chris?”
Finally, the Emperor opened his mouth. If the Emperor of Kronos was violent and had a cold atmosphere, the Emperor of Valhalla spoke in a languid tone, not befitting the reputation of a warrior’s country.
His outside appearance was also ugly. His body seemed to be in bad condition, probably because he hadn’t undergone any special physical training, and his sunken eyes seemed dark.
“Yes, it is Chris.”
“Amazing. It isn’t easy for a stranger from a foreign nation to win on the stage on the eve of the festival, but to actively decapitate the heads of the warriors and remain as the final winner. I also expected a boring match where we had to find something interesting to see, but thanks to you, I watched the stage with excitement.”
“Thank you.”
“To thank me for that.”
The Emperor grinned and laughed. He displayed a strange feeling of madness. Even though he didn’t show any special words or signs, the Emperor had this air around him that could make people nervous.
“But you see. Just now, why did you bow to Roman Dmitry? Sigh. I don’t mean to reprimand you. I have no intention of imposing the laws of the empire on people from other nations. It is just plain curiosity. In front of me, people who act like you are not so common.”
He was a bit frivolous.
In an excited voice with no weight, Chris said,
“… Because it is a stage for my Lord. Just as the Valhalla warriors gave up their lives for the Emperor, I also risked mine for my Lord. There is no other reason.”
“Hoo.”
The Emperor made a sound of admiration. His eyes, which gazed at Chris, had changed.
“You are still at a young age, yet you possess outstanding skills and even blind loyalty towards your Lord. Such an amazing talent. Valhalla is a nation that has treated talented people well since ancient times. People say that our nation doesn’t welcome outsiders, but actually, it is only outsiders who have no skills. Valhalla can do anything to recruit talent like you. Money, if you want money. Honor if you want honor, and women if you want women. Valhalla is a paradise for those who have talent.”
His laughter turned deep. He was not asking Chris to take responsibility for his attitude, yet the conversation was moving in an odd direction.
“How about it? Swear allegiance to me right now, and I will give you a reward that will overwhelm anything that Dmitry had promised you.”
The words of the Emperor had crossed the line.
Groans and sighs could be heard from everywhere. In front of the whole nation, his statement about openly recruiting a person was worse than what Chris did by bowing to Roman.
In his sudden and unexpected action, if Chris hadn’t known what kind of person the Emperor of Valhalla was, he would have been a bit flustered and shocked.
The Emperor of Valhalla. As the 14th son of the previous Emperor, who gave birth to as many as twenty-three sons, he was a cruel figure who ascended to the position of the throne by taking the lives of even his youngest siblings in the battle for the throne.
On a day covered in darkness, a bloody wind blew into the imperial family. As his sword was dripping with blood, the Emperor of Valhalla killed all the bloodlines in his family.
Hence, the people said that the only opponent of Valhalla now was Kronos. Despite knowing that fact, the reason they couldn’t actively move was that the rumors about the mad nature of the Valhalla Emperor were well known.
And it was worse when Kronos revealed their ambition to conquer the continent. They couldn’t help but say that Valhalla was the lesser evil.
Unlike Kronos, there were not that many cases where they invaded the borders of other nations, so many people who didn’t know the situation in Valhalla fell into the illusion that it was just a nation of warriors and thought the Valhalla Empire was good.
However, the reality was that it was evil and more extreme than expected. In a world where the weak get eaten and are dominated by the strong, the top position is occupied by an abnormal person.
“Chris, make your choice.”
Even so, people agreed that the Emperor of Valhalla’s offer was attractive. His choice would mean a rise in his status.
It was a fact that everyone acknowledged that the Emperor was a brutal person, but the reason he could stay in his current power was that he rewarded the people based on their abilities.
It wasn’t a lie to say that heaven was for those who had the ability. The reason why talents from the continent flowed into Valhalla through the ranking system was that the heaven-like daily life that was experienced by a few people in Valhalla was very nice.
Between the conservatives and the liberals, the Emperor was in the middle. At times, both sides would agree, but what was certain was that both forces were composed of talented people suitable for the empire.
Their gazes were focused. Everyone was sure of Chris’s answer. No matter what the true nature of Valhalla was, there was no reason for someone chosen by the Emperor to refuse him. The moment he accepted it, the heavens would open, and Valhalla would take the winner.
However, Chris answered differently from their thoughts.
“… I apologize, but I refuse.”
“Why so?”
“The present me, whom His Majesty values now, wouldn’t have reached this state if it weren’t for the teachings of my Lord. The value that the empire desires belongs to my Lord and not me. I can only express my presence with the sword of Dmitry, so I cannot accept His Majesty’s offer.”
Chris. He valued aspiration and the desire for strength. Whatever Valhalla offered, he didn’t think it would make him stronger than when he was with Roman.
Roman Dmitry was an existence that made his subordinates feel special. The benefits and treatment received by his subordinates under Dmitry made them have faith in Roman.
Chris’s answer was right. While politely refusing, the Valhalla Emperor turned to Roman Dmitry at the answer, which made him shine.
It was interesting. Seeing Roman Dmitry look like he was expecting Chris’s answer, the Emperor felt a strange sense of kinship.
“I cannot help it if you put it that way. The Eve Stage ends with this. And to Chris, who is the winner, I will give him as much wealth that he cannot use up all his life!”
The Emperor cried out the reward for the winner.
At his cry, which contained all emotions, the people of Valhalla shook off their tension and let out enthusiastic cheers.
This nation. This was Valhalla.
The eve of the festival was over. At the time when everyone went back to their respective rooms for tomorrow’s festival….
Slap.
Viscount Jonathan’s head jerked back. Marquis Belfir coughed up his anger with a red face.
“This fucking bastard. You definitely made it clear that other than Rankers, there is no doubt about Gonzales’s victory. Then what are these results? A stranger from another nation won the championship. And after boasting that you would deal with the subordinates of Roman in front of everyone, we now end up as idiots who spouted nonsense to the Emperor.”
“I-I apologize… Kuak!”
Slap.
“Shut up!”
And he was hit again.
During the last meeting, the conversation proceeded in a more leveled manner than now, but the situation changed with their failure.
The Emperor of Valhalla. He was a man who valued performance. And Marquis Belfir, who led this plan, knew he couldn’t avoid taking responsibility for it.
“Look at how those conservative ones loved Chris the moment he won. If we repeat the same failure as today, His Majesty will side with the conservatives and not us. This is something I refuse to accept. Valhalla’s future cannot be satisfied by repeating its barbaric history in the jungles.”
The current Valhalla was on the borderline. Was it moving to a new future? Or would they talk about tradition and stop where they are?
Recently, the Marquis had been building a cooperative relationship with the Kronos Empire, but the Valhalla Emperor could change his mind at any time.
And that was why he had to bring results now to prove his advice was right. If another defeat happened again, then the Emperor would rethink everything.
Valhalla was unique in many ways. Even though the Emperor held absolute power, the specific future of the nation he thought about didn’t exist.
The violence continued. When the Marquis, who had been slapping him, was catching his breath, Viscount Jonathan corrected his form.
As he was on his knees, he spoke in a desperate manner,
“Marquis. Please give me one more chance. I will set the stage for Roman to lose.”
It was his last chance. The moment he let go of this, he couldn’t survive in Valhalla any longer. And Valhalla wasn’t a place for those who were used to failure.
“No, you don’t have to do anything.”
His voice was cold.
Marquis Belfir wiped the blood from his hand with a cloth and recalled the report he had received.
“Barbossa has moved in earnest, so you’d better hope he succeeds. If even Barbossa fails, in order for you to take responsibility, I will guarantee that you will not survive.”
It was the day before the festival, and there was still a chance to turn the tables.
Right after returning home, Roman Dmitry took a break. Knowing that he usually enjoyed tea, the servants served him something simple to eat and drink. But one of the servants serving the refreshments said,
“Do not eat anything.”
At that moment, Roman looked at his servant. The servant said that when the other servants went to get other things.
“Barbossa has made his move. I don’t know what tricks he played, but from now on, you need to be careful of what you eat and drink. Keep that in mind. Barbossa’s opponents were helplessly defeated by him, but the tricks he did were hidden. Do not shout out, saying he tried to assassinate you, either. Tomorrow is the festival day. Even if there is poison, Barbossa will try to turn you into a coward who is avoiding the fight in the end because of the fear that you would lose to him.”
He looked around and checked that the servants hadn’t returned yet, and he added,
“I am someone who admires Mr. Morales. We are the ‘Force of One,’ and I hope people like you will not be brought down by that coward and his tricks. We will not expect you to trust us. But if you are careful about everything in Valhalla, you can at least deal with Barbossa in a fair manner.”
It was an honest voice that had nothing to do with vendettas. Following the tradition of Valhalla, he heard what kind of person Roman Dmitry was from Sanchez.
Regardless of nationality, he was someone worthy of respect. What would happen if a figure like Roman Dmitry collapsed due to his cowardly tricks?
The fact that he, who was a member of Valhalla, had allowed it to happen couldn’t be accepted.
So as the people who shared the same values moved, they found out that Barbossa was making his move.
His role was over. At least he had given Roman Dmitry the chance to have a fair fight.
At the sight of the other servants entering the room, the servant changed his expression and tried to leave.
At that moment….
The servant’s expression was stained with shock.
“…!?”
Roman Dmitry.
As if to show off to everyone, he was drinking the tea.
