CH 183

Even though the emperor had received the report in advance already, he acted as if hearing it for the first time. Still, he knew it would not do to praise only the Dark Knights. Before the other expedition corps lost spirit and gave up, the emperor quickly ignited a spark of hope in their hearts. “While the Dark Knights may be in the lead, the number of gates opening in a year is gradually increasing. According to history, the appearance rate of dungeons will grow exponentially as the advent of the demon lord approaches. As such, I expect all of you to do your utmost.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!” Everyone answered in unison, their eyes sparkling with a mixture of tension and anticipation. On that note, the long and drawn-out performance report meeting came to an end.

The emperor leaned his old body against his throne with a slightly weary face. Then, he said the words most of the expedition corps had been waiting for. “I recognize all your hard efforts in braving the dungeons over the past year and defending the empire. Tonight, I have prepared a grand banquet for you, my faithful subjects. May you all enjoy it to the fullest.”

“Hooraaaah!!”

A cheer resounded through the ceremonial hall, incomparably louder than before. The kids of the special unit were among those cheering. It must have been hard on them to bear through the long official procedure, being so young. I smiled slightly.

Only the captains of the expedition corps placed importance on the report meeting. Most of the regular members actually looked forward to the banquet that would follow. It was a rare opportunity for these people who always had to deal with stinky monsters in dungeons to get at least a glimpse of the shining, splendid upper-class society.

Now that the performance report meeting was over, every expedition corps exited the ceremonial hall in an orderly manner to prepare for the banquet. Those of our occupation normally valued regulations and order for the sake of survival. The nobility, on the other hand, took rules and discipline for granted as a means to keep up appearances. But the corridors currently filled with corps members and nobles were a far cry from that. Sevi groaned in amazement at the sight of the congested crowd.

Among the crammed traffic, I spotted a bright red head trying to go against the great flow. It was Fabian.

“You bumpkin!”

“My apologies, just passing through.”

Fabian continued to squeeze through the crowd despite getting cursed. Whichever way I looked at it, he seemed intent on coming over to me, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, he was swept away by the wave of people and thrown out of the ceremonial hall. I kept watching until Fabian’s red hair went far and completely out of sight.

His efforts were in vain, though. Even if he had managed to come close, he would’ve been blocked by the Dark Knights and denied the chance to even have a proper talk with me. Did he not understand that, or was he that thrown off…? Whatever the case, it brought a smirk to my lips. He was such an impatient fellow, trying to get an answer to my survival right after the report meeting ended. I, for one, had waited a whole year for this moment and I had no intention of letting him meet me that easily. Let him agonize over how I got out alive and became vice-captain of the Dark Knights, I say.

I took a moment to swallow back my malice toward Fabian before turning to our corps members. Cheerfully, I called out, “Now then, let’s all return to our rooms too.”

* * *

“What the heck is up with you, Fabian? Did you eat something wrong or what?” Decca asked pressingly, grabbing Fabian’s arm as the latter stared blankly into the distance. Despite the passing crowd bumping past him in irritation for holding up the traffic, Fabian didn’t budge an inch. His eyes roved about the ceremonial hall as if looking for something.