Ch. 66 - Emperor

"Welcome, everyone. You may relax."

Hearing this, I raised my head.

In the grand hall with stone walls and pillars that exuded an imposing atmosphere, Strass, Eliza, and I were kneeling on a red carpet laid in the center. Behind us, only Cote had accompanied us as the representative of the students.

The hall was dimly lit, with lamps set on the pillars and walls to compensate for the lack of natural light, further enhancing the heavy atmosphere.

In front of us was a ten-step staircase, atop which stood a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a golden robe. His thinning hair and the dark circles under his eyes, along with his gaunt cheeks, gave him a rather shabby appearance. He wore a gold crown, but it hardly suited his appearance.

So this was what it meant to be 'dwarfed by one's clothes'.

With this thought in mind, I looked up at the emperor of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire, who sat on a magnificent throne above the stairs, looking down at us.

Seeing me raise my head, Alabarta, who was kneeling slightly diagonally in front of us, cleared his throat and began to speak. "Once again, Your Majesty Diageo, this is Aoi Konominato-dono, a senior teacher from Winter Valley's Fiddiq Academy. Then there are Strass Clyde-dono and Eliza Woodford-dono, who are teachers from the same academy. Lastly, we have the distinguished student Cote Hedge Butler-dono from Fiddiq Academy. Some other students have also accompanied us, but they are waiting in a separate room."

Alabarta bowed his head.

Emperor Diageo nodded gracefully. "Hmm. You all seem quite young. To be enrolled in Fiddiq Academy and even entrusted as teachers at such an age is impressive. I remember seeing Cote before, but we shall leave that for now."

Nodding in satisfaction, Diageo then fixed his gaze on me. "And you, Aoi Konominato-dono, you are the magician who was suddenly appointed as a senior teacher, correct? You are not quite what I imagined, which confuses me, but I am glad you have come to our country."

I tilted my head slightly and responded, "Thank you."

Diageo laughed with his shoulders shaking. "Are you curious about what I imagined? Indeed, being heralded as a magician surpassing even Fore, our country's renowned mage, I expected either a suspicious older woman or someone appearing older than me. Please forgive me, no offense intended."

Diageo continued to laugh heartily. While it was good that he seemed to be in a good mood, I couldn't quite match his pace.

As I watched, Alabarta cleared his throat again and spoke. "Your Majesty, shall we move on to the main topic?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes. I have a request for you. As Alabarta might have informed you, we wish for your contribution to the development of our country's magic. The reward will depend on your results. Oh, and also, your status in this country will be equivalent to a minister of another country. You will receive a ring to signify this. Is that acceptable?"

Diageo presented the request, conditions, and treatment, checking my reaction as a formality. The terms were likely exceptionally favorable.

It seemed Diageo never expected a refusal. I found him to be a rather approachable king.

However, I had something else I wanted to confirm first. "May I ask something?"

Diageo and Alabarta looked at me. I also felt gazes from behind, but I decided to ignore them. "Your Majesty Diageo, I understand the terms and conditions. However, I have a request regarding the reward."

Alabarta frowned and pursed his lips.

Diageo tilted his head and asked back, "What is it? Some rare magical tools, perhaps?"

I shook my head lightly. "No, it is not."

"Then what is it?" he asked again, sounding a bit impatient.

I nodded and stated my most desired request. "I want you to disclose all the magic of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire to me. Additionally, I would like a portion of that magic to be made public to the world."

Hearing this, both of them widened their eyes in shock, freezing in place.

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