CH 172

I had covered myself in a robe to hide my gray hair, but I still shared those glorious moments as a member of their corps. Having the experience of that time, there was no way I could be embarrassed or moved by this now.

Besides, compared to that moment when we were setting off for the final expedition, this was… The title of Champion wasn’t given for nothing. As the battle against the demon lord approached, Fabian was more revered as the savior of mankind. The religious belief of the people and his quick rise to legendary fame couldn’t be easily matched by Mayer Knox, even if he was renowned as the Dark Knight. Although, well… Even that hope of humanity would belong to Mayer Knox now.

I smiled as I looked after Mayer and his fluttering black cloak. Seeing me smile wordlessly, Axion shook his head, seeming to give up on getting an answer.

* * *

Upon entering the castle, we immediately held an audience with the emperor. When news of the Dark Knights arriving was relayed, the emperor put down everything and came out to welcome us. “Welcome, Grand Duke Knox!”

The aged, white-haired emperor held out his hands to Mayer in a friendly manner. Regardless, our captain silently approached the emperor and bowed. “As the shield of the Champion, I hail the Champion’s descendant.”

Mayer’s attitude could have been deemed unpleasant and insulting, but the emperor seemed accustomed to it. “I am always keenly following your feats, Grand Duke. Oh, how I await the day when I can hand over my throne to you.”

“You flatter me,” Mayer replied perfunctorily. His tone was flat as if he didn’t have the slightest desire for the emperor’s throne. The emperor seemed to know this too as he smiled bitterly and said, “You really seem to have been born for the sake of closing dungeons. Although that makes you even more dependable, but…”

He trailed off then. The current emperor had no children. Of course, there would be at least one relative of the imperial family if you were to search as far as the cousins of in-laws. If everything was normal, he would have adopted one of them as his son to have succeeded the crown. But 15 years ago, the dungeon gates began to open for the first time in over a thousand years since the first emperor defeated the demon lord. The appearance of dungeons signified one thing: the demon lord would soon appear. The first emperor had slain the lord of evil and founded the empire. Now, the current emperor sensed that he was standing at the cusp of a change in eras.

Although the emperor was an indecisive man, he had an advantage: he wasn’t greedy. This enabled him to make a quick decision in this moment of crisis. Shortly after the opening of dungeons, the emperor declared that he would hand over the throne to the one who defeated the demon lord. There was only one chance to achieve this feat. To decide who would get this opportunity, the emperor had the expedition corps compete to close the dungeons.

It was a divine move to protect the people as the emperor and save the empire. As he had expected, the young and ambitious all leaped into the gates in hopes of becoming the emperor.

Mayer was an odd case, however. As a descendant of one of the seven heroes who accompanied the Champion, he possessed the same noble lineage as the emperor. The man was the strongest being in existence. He was closest to attaining the throne due to closing more dungeons earlier than anybody else. And yet, he didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in the position of emperor.