Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

The morning after the two searched for a restaurant.

A herald arrived at the mansion.

"His Majesty the Emperor is coming."

"Pardon?"

Before long, a single carriage guarded front and back by about twenty horsemen, stopped in front of the mansion.

A man stepped down from the carriage.

He was dressed like a high-ranking official of the Shitaifu class, but…

"Welcome, Your Majesty."

Behind him, Abel also bowed his head.

"Duke Rondo, sorry for the sudden visit."

Emperor Tsuin greeted him with a smile.

"We've only just moved in and don't have much ready, but please, come in."

Ryo led the way.

Tsuin followed him.

Satisfied to see the mansion he had bestowed was well-kept.

But after his gaze passed once, it suddenly returned.

A double-take.

His eyes returned to a person in blue clothing who seemed to be cleaning…

But no— that was a mistake.

There was no one in blue clothes.

No, not a person at all…

"D-Duke Rondo, that one cleaning—is…?"

"Yes, it's the mansion's maintenance golem."

Ryo answered, looking slightly pleased to have surprised the Emperor.

"A golem… I've heard of them. They're not made in the Eastern countries, and we don't even have wild golems…wasn't their production thriving in the Western countries? Do the Central countries also have golems?"

"Yes. Recently they've become common even in the Central countries. Our neighboring country, the Handal Union, has begun deploying them on the battlefield."

"What!…"

Tsuin was further shocked by Ryo's explanation.

Then he stopped and carefully observed the golem cleaning nearby.

"The Ministry of Works reported that Duke Rondo said he needed no attendants or maids—but this explains it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It's almost like a shikigami."

Tsuin's murmur surprised Ryo.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty—did you just say shikigami?"

"Indeed. It's not mainstream, but among certain sorcerers, some assign household tasks to shikigami. I saw it once…"

"I find that fascinating!"

Ryo's voice was full of curiosity and excitement.

Which made Tsuin chuckle as he continued.

"It's amusing to watch even as an outsider…"

"Your Majesty, we're running short on time."

Interrupting Tsuin was a man who had been walking behind him the entire time.

He looked every bit the stern military officer— obviously a guard.

"Tin… don't look so grim."

Tsuin replied with a frown.

Though he admitted time was indeed limited.

"My apologies for delaying you, Your Majesty. Please, this way."

Ryo resumed leading them.

They entered one of the mansion's forty rooms.

Chairs and a table were set for a small meeting of about four people.

Tsuin sat at one seat, with Ryo sitting opposite.

Behind them stood Abel and the grim-faced Tin.

Tin clearly had no intention of leaving the Emperor's side.

Seeing that, Tsuin slightly shook his head and spoke to Ryo:

"Apologies, Duke Rondo. This is Tin Meu—my bodyguard, as you can see… He holds the title of Commander of the Forbidden Army, which numbers fifty thousand troops."

"Impressive."

Ryo nodded with sincere admiration.

Tin looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s.

He was about the same height as Abel, but with a noticeably more muscular build.

His close-cropped hair, originally black, was streaked with enough white to appear grey from a distance.

The sword always hanging from his left hip had almost no decoration—clearly well-worn and familiar to him.

Given Tsuin's simple attire today, it didn't stand out, but in the imperial court, its lack of ornament might be conspicuous.

Ryo had noticed something.

People of Darwei used double-edged straight swords.

They were sometimes worn at the waist, but more often carried in hand.

Yet Tin had kept his sword at his waist—even while on horseback.

"Tin-dono must keep his hands free to protect His Majesty."

Of course, that was a personal guess.

But Ryo said it anyway.

Despite Tin's stern face, Ryo understood it came from loyalty.

And so pointed it out.

It was a statement only someone of equal standing could afford—but if it landed, it would be powerful.

Tin gave a silent nod.

After that, the atmosphere softened noticeably.

Now Tin understood that Ryo grasped his intentions.

That didn't necessarily mean he considered him an ally.

But still…

The subtle shifts of the human heart are fascinating things.

"During the recent attack, Tin led the Forbidden Army to defend the Taiji Hall. We believed the attackers would come that way…indeed, they did, but from the sky. Since then, he's felt responsible and has been like this ever since."

"Your Majesty, I sincerely apologize."

Tin said, bowing his head in apology as Tsuin explained.

"How many times must I tell you I do not blame you? No one could have predicted the Starry Veil would be breached. It's not your fault."

Tin apologized repeatedly.

Tsuin replied, clearly irritated by the repeated apologies.

Commander Tin of the Imperial Guards seemed to be a serious man.

"Ah, yes, we are pressed for time."

Tsuin resumed with urgency.

"So, Duke Rondo, I will be direct. I'm here today to ask a favor."

"A favor, Your Majesty?"

"Before long, the Sixth Prince, Ryun, will have to go to the battlefield. I want you to protect him."

"What exactly do you mean…?"

Ryo tilted his head. Confused by the request.

"All over Darwei, monsters are descending from the mountains and causing havoc."

"Yes, I'm aware."

Both Ryo and Abel had witnessed one such incident.

"Indeed, I heard you were present at one of those scenes. In fact, there's a region called Moason to the north of 'Chuo Chuang'. It's also been attacked multiple times. The duke who ruled that land failed to suppress the threat and lost his life."

"What…?!"

Ryo was shocked.

A duke—not just a count—meant someone with considerable military strength, or so he assumed.

A duke's territory is larger, and their status is higher than that of a count.

And yet, even he was defeated and killed…

"You suspect they're being led by an Illusionkin.

"That's what we believe. That's why the Imperial Palace has decided to intervene. Prince Ryun will be placed in command of the suppression army."

"I see. I have no experience commanding troops though…"

"That's not an issue. Ryun and his subordinates will handle that. What I ask of you, Duke Rondo, is to make sure Ryun doesn't die."

Tsuin's gaze as he said this was piercingly serious.

He had likely come to Ryo because of the Ryo used to protect the emperor during the palace assault.

An invocation that had even fended off an Illusionkin's attack.

"I may be speaking out of turn, but… Prince Ryun just got married. And yet, you're still sending him?"

Ryo asked, probing for something.

"Yes, even so."

Tsuin replied solemnly.

After a brief silence, Tsuin continued.

"Let me be frank, Duke Rondo. I intend to eventually confer the title of Imperial Prince upon Ryun."

"As I suspected. So if he succeeds in this campaign, that achievement will serve as the basis for his elevation?"

"It may not be enough alone, but it will be a significant step."

Ryo had already been told by Count Roche Ten of Bashu about the possibility of Ryun becoming an Imperial Prince.

That might explain the new mansion's location and surroundings.

"I told Ryun of the possibility of handling this campaign long before his wedding. Originally, I intended for him to cooperate with the now-deceased duke…"

Clearly, plans had changed.

Tsuin gave a small shake of his head.

"The main force will be troops from Ryun's domain. They should have already been summoned. His trusted aides will form the command staff. They, too, are either summoned or already at his estate. However, that alone is insufficient. I wanted to send the Forbidden Army from the capital, but…"

Here, Tsuin paused.

Ryo glanced and saw Tin scowling as well.

He too had likely wanted to send troops…

"Someone opposed the idea, didn't they?"

"Yes. The other princes opposed it."

Even the emperor, it seemed, did not wield unlimited power.

"The Forbidden Army exists to protect the emperor and the imperial palace. And should be led by the emperor himself, or at the very least, an imperial prince. There is no precedent for it being commanded by a mere prince. That's what they told me, quite directly. And they're not wrong… So instead, we're deploying ten thousand troops from the Black Banner Army under the Ministry of War."

"Ten thousand—that's a large force."

Ryo said, nodding.

Back when Ryo and Abel had helped Fu Ten as Rank 8 adventurers, only 80 men had been mobilized.

Compared to that, ten thousand was a massive number.

No—a staggering number.

"At the very least, we need to match the enemy's numbers. Regardless of who commands them, the enemy won't be easy to suppress. We don't even know how many monsters there are…"

"Avoiding piecemeal deployment of forces is a wise decision, I believe."

"You think ten thousand is too many, don't you, Duke Rondo?"

Emperor Tsuin asked with a laugh.

Apparently, Ryo's thoughts showed on his face.

"But the duke who just died lost even with two thousand troops from his domain."

"I see. In that case…perhaps even ten thousand is not too many."

Overwhelming force to crush the enemy head-on.

A textbook military strategy.

"All tactical decisions and command will be left to Ryun. I do want him to gain experience, but more than that, I want to evaluate him."

"Evaluate?"

"The tiger pretending to be a cat, as you once said, Duke Rondo."

Tsuin laughed heartily.

Commander Tin narrowed his eyes slightly, as if dazzled by the light.

As the laughter died down, Ryo spoke.

"I will accept the task of accompanying Prince Ryun in his suppression campaign."

"Oh! I am most grateful. It feels as though I've gained an army of a million."

Tsuin grasped Ryo's hands with both of his own.

"They say victory or defeat depends on fate. I don't mind if we lose… just bring him back safely."

"Understood."

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

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