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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Brave Lion and the Wise Fox
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Although Daniel wanted to stay in Bellanos for a few more days if he couldn't stay for months, unfortunately, that dream didn't come true.
Because at noon the next day, a private jet sent by the imperial family arrived in Tentarbahaem.
Naturally, the order to return immediately had been issued, and thanks to that, Daniel had no choice but to board the private jet with a heavy heart.
As Daniel boarded, escorted by Hartmann, the private jet immediately took off and headed for the capital.
The private jet, which had been flying freely over the capital, landed at an airport near the Imperial Palace.
Stepping off the private jet, Daniel saw the personnel of the Imperial Household Agency standing against the backdrop of the sunset sky.
The Head of the Imperial Household Agency, leading them, had Daniel board an imperial ceremonial vehicle with the words, "His Majesty the Emperor awaits."
Honestly, Daniel wanted to rest, but he couldn't refuse an imperial command.
After traveling to the Imperial Palace by car, Daniel, guided by the Head of the Imperial Household Agency, headed for a room called "Golden Repose."
Unable to figure out what kind of room it was, Daniel cautiously asked, and received the reply, "It's a room His Majesty the Emperor visits when he drinks alone or contemplates."
In short, he had been invited to the Emperor's private quarters.
Feeling an ominous premonition for some reason, Daniel moved with sustained tension, finally stopping his steps only upon reaching the Imperial Palace's highest floor.
"His Majesty the Emperor is beyond this point."
The door pointed to by the Head of the Imperial Household Agency was lavishly decorated with gold.
Only then did Daniel understand why this room was named "Golden Repose."
"His Majesty dislikes it when questions aren't answered immediately, so I believe it would be best for you to respond as quickly as possible."
Daniel, adjusting his attire, nodded at the Head of the Imperial Household Agency's advice.
Confirming he was ready, the Head of the Imperial Household Agency lightly knocked on the door.
"Your Majesty! Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner has come to have an audience with Your Majesty!"
Then, a voice from within bid them enter.
The Head of the Imperial Household Agency, having shown deference with a slight bow, sent a glance, and the Imperial Guard soldiers waiting on either side of the door moved.
As they opened the room's door, the Emperor's back, looking out from the room's terrace, became visible.
Inside the room, large murals adorned with golden decorations were in place, and the ceiling, being a glass dome, allowed the moonlight from the sky to permeate directly.
Expensive carpets covered the floor, and a glass liquor cabinet adorning one side of the room was filled with high-priced whiskies rarely seen even once in a lifetime.
It was truly a paradise of luxury, a place that naturally made one's body shrink.
Daniel, after briefly surveying his surroundings, walked as naturally as possible to the center of the room and saluted Emperor Berthram.
"Your Majesty! Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff Officer of the General Staff, has returned after completing his mission as diplomatic envoy—"
Daniel stopped mid-sentence.
Because Berthram had waved his hand as if to dismiss the formalities.
As Daniel lowered the hand he had raised for the salute, Berthram quietly spoke.
"Come here. I have something to show you."
Daniel nodded and approached Berthram.
As the distance closed, Berthram glanced at Daniel, then raised a hand and pointed to the ground below.
"Do you see them? My people."
Daniel turned his gaze to where Berthram was pointing.
Then, countless crowds in the streets waved their hands and cheered.
Though the exact number couldn't be estimated, it was a crowd of at least ten thousand people.
As Daniel looked down at the city's panorama, stunned and frozen, Berthram let out a laugh.
"All of them came out to the streets to celebrate your safe return. It's nothing short of a festival. Though, half of them are probably celebrating your return as an excuse to enjoy a festival, I suppose."
"...I didn't realize such a large crowd had gathered."
"For the return of a war hero, this is rather small. Seeing this reminds me of when I returned to the capital after leading my first war to victory. Everyone praised my achievements."
Berthram's eyes, fixed on the crowd, half-closed.
"And now those very people are praising your achievements. So, let me ask you: Are these my people, or are they your people?"
It was a calm question, but for Daniel, it was not an easy one to answer.
It was the first time the Emperor had so openly shown caution towards him.
Feeling a sense of crisis, Daniel immediately knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty! The people praising me is, in a larger sense, equivalent to praising Your Majesty's achievements! I am but a mere officer, a person who merely follows the Empire's commands. Furthermore, the Empire is Your Majesty; how could they possibly be my people?"
At Daniel's excuse, Berthram let out a low chuckle.
'He's grown accustomed to dealing with power. The tremor in his voice has significantly decreased.'
If the Daniel he first met was desperate to gauge the mood, the current Daniel, while still gauging, possessed a certain composure.
It was proof that he had grown accustomed to conversing with those in power, whether he was conscious of it or not.
Berthram, who had been observing Daniel intently, nodded.
"If you say so, then so it is. Rise. Let's have a drink."
As Berthram moved into the room, Daniel rose from his spot.
Berthram walked to a mahogany wood table set in the center of the room, where a high-grade whisky and two crystal glasses were placed.
As Daniel approached, Berthram sat down and picked up the whisky bottle.
"Have a seat."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Daniel, bowing his head, took a seat, and Berthram poured him whisky.
The whisky pouring from the bottle was an amber color mixed with golden hues.
The thought of it being top-grade whisky momentarily thrilled him, but that feeling quickly faded.
"Your Majesty?"
A flustered Daniel looked at Berthram.
Because Berthram had poured the whisky until the glass was full.
Whisky is not typically drunk this way.
Especially with top-grade whisky, it was normal to savor the taste and aroma, drinking it little by little.
Even Berthram, who surely knew this, had filled the glass with whisky.
"Just drink it for now."
"But..."
"I'll drink it too."
Berthram also filled his own glass to the brim with whisky.
Seeing that, Daniel exclaimed in shock.
"Your Majesty! I heard your condition has improved, but drinking like that could be dangerous!"
However, Berthram merely laughed it off.
"I know my body best. Drinking like this won't kill me, and not drinking won't save me. So, let's drink."
Berthram, having poured all the liquor into the glasses, moved the whisky bottle aside.
Berthram raised his glass, and Daniel, unable to refuse, also raised his.
After a brief eye contact, both emptied the whisky in their glasses down their throats.
Berthram let out a low groan, digesting the alcohol, but Daniel kept coughing repeatedly.
It was an act Berthram had often done in his youth, but for Daniel, it was the first time drinking a glass full of whisky all at once.
Berthram, who had been watching Daniel cough as if he were about to die, soon burst into laughter.
"I heard you liked alcohol, but it seems that's not quite true. Can't you even drink that?"
"This is... *cough*! My first time... I apologize."
Daniel, finally catching his breath, straightened his bent back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Berthram, who had been looking at Daniel meaningfully, quietly spoke.
"Looking at you, a strange fairy tale comes to mind, you know."
"...A fairy tale, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. Do you know the tale of 'The Brave Lion and the Wise Fox'?"
There was no way he wouldn't know.
That tale was a famous story parents in the Empire told their children.
The plot is simple.
A brave lion, who succeeded in defending the forest from humans, gathers all the forest animals.
The lion claims there's an animal among them who conspired with humans, interrogates them one by one, and devours them.
Among them, only the fox manages to escape alive.
Daniel, who had no parents, had also heard this story from the Abbot.
"If there's anyone who doesn't know that tale, they'd be a spy, wouldn't they?"
"Then we can speak freely. In your opinion, what trick did the fox use to escape without becoming the lion's prey?"
There's a rather interesting part of this story: the interpretation of how the fox used its cunning to escape differs from household to household.
So, adults would often make up their own stories to tell children what trick the fox had used.
'Of course...'
Daniel knew that Berthram wasn't genuinely curious when he asked that.
'...How long is he going to keep testing me?'
It was natural to keep a war hero who had achieved too much in check.
Daniel also understood that the Emperor, nearing his later years, was growing increasingly paranoid.
However, understanding was one thing, accepting it was another.
As the alcohol he had quickly drunk began to take effect, emotion started to override reason.
'The Emperor cannot fault me for successfully concluding the treaty in Bellanos. So this conversation...'
It was nothing more than a simple attempt to find fault.
"Tell me. About what trick the fox might have used."
The second question came with a sharper tone.
The Head of the Imperial Household Agency's words, telling him not to remain silent to questions, made his heart pound.
Daniel, enveloped in thought, finally decided to recount exactly what he had heard from the Abbot.
He figured that repeating what he had actually heard would cause less trouble than trying to twist his own thoughts into a clever answer.
"Your Majesty. May I answer with what the Abbot, who raised me, told me?"
This was to emphasize that these were merely words he had heard from the Abbot in his childhood.
If that were true, it would be as if Berthram couldn't criticize anything Daniel said.
Berthram, thinking Daniel was truly skillful at evading, nodded.
"Go on, then."
"Yes. The Abbot first mentioned that the lion met the rabbit before coming to find the fox. Your Majesty, you know how the rabbit died, don't you?"
"Of course. The rabbit, not wanting to be eaten by the lion, prepared a bribe. I believe it handed over a basket full of blackberries..."
"Unfortunately, the lion suffered from a severe blackberry allergy. The lion, thinking it was being mocked, devoured the rabbit in one bite right then and there."
"Yes. That's right."
As Berthram responded as if remembering, Daniel continued.
"The Abbot said that the fox, seeing that, must have eaten an enormous amount of blackberries the day before. And even left blackberries scattered throughout its home."
Berthram looked at Daniel meaningfully.
Daniel continued speaking.
"The next day, when the lion came to its home, the fox reportedly said: 'Oh, Lion, great Lion. You could swallow me in one bite, couldn't you? But you must remember one thing: the blood of blackberries flows through my body, so if you eat me...'"
After a brief silence, Daniel met Berthram's gaze.
"You, great Lion, will also have to be prepared for death."