“So he made that request.”
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand while listening to Garyeon’s report.
“Yes…”
Tap. Tap. The sound of fingernails tapping the armrest seemed to grate even Garyeon’s nerves. A chill ran down her back—even though she was just the messenger.
‘The content of the message is just too absurd.’
Historically, messengers tasked with delivering excessive demands were often unjustly killed. It was the perfect way to signal the collapse of negotiations. In other words, a declaration of war.
However, this time was different—regardless of intentions, Garyeon was part of the imperial family.
And something else was clear to her the survival of the imperial family was top priority. Truly. As she often said herself, the weight of the term “imperial family” on her heart was far greater than for the Emperor himself.
‘All my actions are for the good of the imperial family.’
She tried to rationalize it. And in fact, it was true.
She had considered many possibilities.
‘Was allying with the Heavenly Sword the right call?’
She had pondered it over and over—down to the extreme.
And in the end, Garyeon arrived at the same conclusion she had made the right decision. The best thing for the imperial family was not to provoke the Heavenly Sword.
‘…Though I didn’t expect him to be so irrational.’
Too late for regrets. As soon as she finished her talk with Kang Geom-Ma, Garyeon headed to the Emperor’s cabin.
Her steps felt like she was dragging tons with her feet—but there was no other option. She had to go.
“Hmm.”
The Emperor’s murmur dragged on. The gray bandage over Garyeon’s eyes darkened with the sweat pouring from her forehead.
The fireplace’s warmth filled the air, and yet Garyeon felt chills. Her hands and feet were cold.
“Tell the Heavenly Sword…”
At last, the Emperor’s voice broke the silence.
“…that I’ll accept one of his demands.”
“…?”
Garyeon reflexively lifted her head. Her eyes, hidden behind the bandage, widened like lanterns.
‘He’ll accept that demand?’
Her reaction was clear, but the Emperor continued speaking calmly as he tossed logs into the fireplace.
“I promised I’d accept one of his requests.”
She knew that.
‘I know, but…’
Based on experience, the Emperor was someone who only made demands, never accepted them.
‘So in this case…’
Could it be fear of the Heavenly Sword?
Never. Impossible.
‘He’d sooner let his head be sliced by sashimi.’
The Emperor would never submit to anyone—not because of imperial pride, but because of his very nature.
Garyeon began analyzing quickly.
‘If I stay quiet now…’
The Emperor would suspect her relationship with Kang Geom-Ma. Garyeon was a palace official. Her role was to advise the Emperor.
The palace was full of flatterers. She had to be different.
She always had been—and must continue to be.
But if she showed submission on something this important…
Even if the Emperor didn’t suspect her, it would be a problem. It would be an admission that she couldn’t fulfill her role.
Crack, crack.
Firewood cracked in the hearth. She felt her neurons burning, too.
The Emperor accepted the Heavenly Sword’s proposal with unsettling indifference.
Too much indifference, in fact.
‘That means…’
As she cut away the extraneous thoughts, her hypothesis solidified. Garyeon chose her words carefully.
“The annihilation of the Imperial Guard wasn’t the Heavenly Sword’s order—it was Your Majesty’s. He merely became your sword unknowingly. So his demand is nothing more than rightful compensation—”
“If my children were half as worthy as you, I wouldn’t ask for more. Though Victoria is fine, she still lacks experience.”
“I’m honored. I vow to serve Her Highness Victoria with absolute devotion.”
“So you think her reign is near?”
“No… That wasn’t my intention.”
The Emperor smiled at the flames.
“Nor was it mine.”
“…”
“What’s the most basic mechanism of politics?”
“Giving in proportion to what one receives.”
The foundation of politics is trust. You must repay in kind. Only by respecting that principle can you earn the people’s trust.
But it’s not enough to respect it—you must also use it shrewdly.
“Don’t tell me…”
Garyeon’s lips went pale.
“You plan to bring the Black Dogs into the light?”
The Emperor stirred the firewood with a poker as he replied.
“This situation has made it clear. The Imperial Guard’s ego has grown too large. That Oscar got involved with the queen—yes—but more importantly, the soldiers no longer swear loyalty to the throne.”
“And what made you think that?”
The Emperor fixed his gaze on Garyeon.
“If they were truly the imperial family’s army, they would’ve killed Oscar on the spot. But what did they do? They carried him off on a stretcher to the hospital.”
“Ah…”
“There’s no other option.”
The Emperor shrugged and turned back to the fireplace. Garyeon watched, thinking.
In this man’s mind, the honor of the imperial family means nothing. Worse—it’s an obstacle.
And so—
‘There’s no other choice.’
The scale in Garyeon’s chest, which had been swaying ceaselessly, tipped completely.
“I accept the will of the sun.”
She lifted her skirt’s hem and bowed before exiting the cabin.
***
A warm and cozy bedroom.
The morning bell rang. I stretched an arm out from under the comforter and smacked the nightstand. After groping around five times, I finally found my phone and pulled it under the covers. The one who interrupted my sweet sleep was Garyeon.
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
I replied drowsily.
After the brief call, I dropped the phone back in place. Just then, I heard a rustle beside me.
“Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s okay. Time to get up anyway.”
Ryozo rubbed her eyes with a fist.
“A call this early?”
She asked while sitting up.
With her other hand, she pulled the white comforter up to her collarbone.
Morning sunlight sparkled on his neck.
“It was from the Imperial Palace.”
“…The Palace?”
“I contacted the palace officer last night. They’re thinking about founding a graduate school in the Academy and want access to knowledge from the Infinite Library.”
“And what did they say?”
Ryozo leaned closer. The comforter slipped to her navel.
“They agreed.”
“What?!”
Ryozo’s surprised eyes were rare. I wanted to see more of them, so I added.
“What do you think is Incye’s best bottomless chest?”
“…They’re giving you money too?”
“Seems like it.”
“Geom-Ma, let’s be real. Did you threaten the emperor again?”
Again? Though it stung a bit, I pretended not to hear.
“I’m not that rude. I spoke with him adult to adult. Fortunately, he’s not too dense. If he accepted the demand, it means he understood well.”
“…”
Ryozo went silent for a moment.
If it were her, she’d be happy, right? Didn’t this solve that muscle strain issue?
“Still… it feels fishy.”
Ryozo wasn’t exactly optimistic.
More than pessimistic, she was an expert at objectifying everything.
“In politics, the most important thing is…”
“The payback.”
Ryozo blinked. Sometimes, when I get lost in thought, she looks at me like a stranger.
“Giving in proportion to what one receives.”
Though it’s embarrassing to admit, in my past life I spent a lot of time rubbing shoulders with politicians. They say even a school dog learns something in three years, so with my time among swords, I was practically a three-term congressman.
At one point, I was number 7. I said it proudly.
“I was curious too. I saw the emperor in person, you know? He’s not the type to just accept things. If he can squeeze something, he will. I was about to ask the caller about it, but he beat me to it.”
“What did he say?”
“That since I spared him the trouble of cleaning out the Imperial Guard, he accepted my demand. Looks like the Guard was his weak spot.”
I’d explained it in advance. With Choi Seol-Ah and Shail present, the info flowed smoothly.
Ryozo, listening, was silent for a few seconds. Then she murmured.
“If the Imperial Guard disappears, new power will be needed to fill the gap… And the only group I can think of is them.”
“Feeling guilty about something?”
“Hmm, do you know the Black Dogs?”
I slowly closed my eyes—and then opened them.
“I’ve heard of them. Something about Offri…”
“It’s the blood name of the Oprichnik (опричник).”
They weren’t a group that appeared in Miracle Blessing M. As expected, I didn’t learn of their existence until I’d spent a long time in this world.
“If the Guard lives in the light, the Oprichnik are a private force in the shadows. Since I come from the family I do, I’d only vaguely heard of them—but I don’t know much more. Still… you gave them the excuse to come into the light. That’s why the emperor accepted so easily.”
Ryozo deduced the Green Emperor’s intent with near-perfect precision from scattered clues. Impressive.
“The Guard was filled with sons of noble families. It was a generational tradition. He couldn’t just wipe them out in one swoop, but he took the opportunity and cleaned house without triggering an explosion. It’s only natural he’s grateful to you.”
“I didn’t know he had that intention.”
“Neither did I. Sometimes, our most insignificant choices cause the biggest ripples.”
“If it weren’t for the person who called this morning, I wouldn’t have known either. What a grateful soul, huh?”
“…”
“What do you think?”
“Well, yeah.”
“That’s it?”
“Ryozo, don’t tell me…”
Chirp, chirp, chirp. Morning birds chirped energetically.
“Huh, it’s not that.”
“Is it a woman?”
Ryozo smiled and tilted her head.
“Is it a woman or not?”
“In terms of daily life?”
“Uh-huh.”
Swoosh.
“It’s none of that.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s strictly a business relationship.”
“I never said otherwise.”
Ryozo walked to the wardrobe, dragging the bedsheet like a wedding gown.
In the space left behind, cold air swept across my chest.
…Tiiing.
The bow twanged crisply. Ryozo had taken out her S-grade weapon, the Baeksi of pure light, and was drawing and releasing the string multiple times.
“Did I heal too much? I feel tense.”
“You’re with me. You won’t need to use it in your life.”
“You never know.”
Their eyes gleamed sharply.
“Maybe that you never know won’t affect you. But I can’t stop you.”
A cold, terrifying objectivity.
“…”
“But the other one is different.”
I masked my discomfort as best I could.
Southern base. Media. I calmly erased the wave of suspicion and responded with a teasing smile.
“Who knows?”
“I don’t think it’ll happen, but if it does… what would you do?”
Ryozo spoke firmly.
“I’m curious too.”
***
A day that began by smoothing over the morning chaos with my dazzling wit (adult matters).
I must’ve looked visibly worn out—no one dared bother me.
In fact, I broke into a cold sweat.
“Egh…”
That’s what I get for doing something suspicious.
I regret my past self. If I’d wanted to, maybe I could’ve stopped Media from becoming so active early on, right?
It was such a surprise I froze. So it wasn’t my fault—it was an act of God. By the time I tried to step in, Media had already disappeared.
‘Gotta watch my behavior.’
Ryozo is someone who stays calm in any situation. Even when a shadow looms over the Academy or during management struggles. Ryozo rarely shows emotion.
But it was that same person who warned me with raw feeling. She didn’t say it aloud—but that made it hit harder.
‘If that case comes to pass…’
I shook my head.
‘Better be careful.’
I spent the whole day in thought.
And before I knew it, dusk had begun coloring the sky.
‘Already?’
I repeated that same phrase into the evening.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Heavenly Sword.”
Palace officer Garyeon had come to Joaquin Academy. It had only been eight hours since I made the request.
She waited in the reception hall, posture straight. Around her, a line of suitcases formed a sort of barricade.
Did she use a subspace gate? But the Imperial Palace doesn’t have that kind of transport.
“Since it was urgent, I came on the palace’s private jet.”
Garyeon tapped one of the suitcases stacked like a mountain.
“This is the knowledge you requested, Mr. Heavenly Sword.”
“That fast?”
“His Majesty hates leaving things undone. And it wasn’t something that should be delayed. In fact, I planned to deliver this and leave immediately, but since flying at night is dangerous, I’ll spend the night nearby before returning. I hope that’s alright.”
“No problem.”
I gestured toward the suitcases.
“The deal included exclusive rights to this knowledge. That’s why I intended to visit the emperor once everything was ready.”
“No need to worry.”
“Saying no need to worry when it’s the emperor we’re talking about… coming from someone who knows him so well—how can you say that?”
“…I was careless.”
“Well, no matter now.”
I gauged the size of the suitcases by eye.
Just as the emperor promised, it was an overwhelming amount. Maybe even more than expected.
‘This should be enough to prepare the graduate school.’
A satisfied smile crept across my lips. But it was too soon to relax.
[The blessing of the Sword God manifests.]
Garyeon flinched at the sudden sword resonance. Funny. Why does everyone get so tense whenever I draw my sashimi?
I really don’t get it.
I squinted.
A red line etched itself into my retina. The starting point—the pile of suitcases. The destination—the source of that knowledge.
“Tell the emperor…”
As I approached with the sashimi, the line snapped.
“That he promised me exclusive rights.”
“…!”
Garyeon covered her ears. She must’ve been communicating with the emperor via transmitted sound.
So at this very moment, the words were likely echoing in his ear.
Kyaaaaaaaaaa!
Since he used me at his convenience, I’m just returning the favor.
Give in proportion to what you receive.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
《May the blessing of the gods be with you.》
++++++++++++++++++++++++
But double.
____
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