It has been nearly 4 weeks since the conversation with the six noble men, and the opening of the dungeon is drawing closer.
The treaty with the Nordhaven Kingdom was easily concluded. Just like my Empire, they also follow Manarism as their main religion, and when I offered them the deal with a slight threat, they couldn't refuse.
Currently, I am at the headquarters of the church to pray. Luckily, it's not a far distance as it's located directly in the capital of my Empire. My palace is also situated there, so I can always be close to Manara to find my peace.
I once again asked for her blessing and permission for the upcoming war and good luck for the speech I'm about to deliver.
To be closer to Manara and to gain strength, I went down to the basement to attend the ritual.
Upon arrival, I saw a brightly lit room made of white marble, black ebony, and subtle gold decorations. Every time I see it, I think about how beautiful it is, and a sense of anticipation wells up within me to liberate the world a little.
A priest emerged from a metal door on the left side and asked, "Are you ready, Your Majesty?"
I simply nodded and drew my sword from its sheath. I found it to be a beautiful sword, even though it's not overly ornate; it emits an aura of strength. It has a blade of about a meter in length, glimmering and reflecting.
It's relatively thick and has intricate patterns in the center that can only be seen up close. The crossguard, grip, and pommel seemed to flow into each other, making it difficult to describe.
But there was no time to admire the sword; the priest introduced a few figures, their hands tied behind their backs, their faces obscured. All that could be seen were their bald heads with slightly shimmering scales.
"I would have enjoyed defacing the faces of these miscreants myself," I remarked to the priest without expression.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. This group of Skalaris arrived in this state. Likely, the hunters had some fun with them," the priest explained.
I nodded and approached the 20 individuals slowly.
I offered a brief prayer and asked Manara for her blessing and for her to witness that I executed these sinners and traitors for her.
Then, I raised my sword and beheaded the first Skalari. While I usually made them atone for their misdeeds, as I didn't have much time, I decided to show mercy this time.
I repeated the process, and after the tenth, I felt a slight surge of energy within me. Consequently, I swiftly dispatched the remaining ten, leaving my sword with the priest. A quick glance at my status allowed me to see that I had earned 2.3 [EXP].
The priest cleaned the sword while I offered a prayer of thanks to Manara. With that done, I retrieved the sword and left the church.
My automobile was waiting there; a recent invention that was made public last week. As the Emperor, I had the privilege to test it, and although I'm faster on foot, I found driving to be enjoyable and now used it for transportation through the city.
To ensure my safety, however, ten soldiers jogged around my automobile. It worked for now, but the inventor of this contraption mentioned that with further refinement, it would drive even faster. Yet, at the moment, the mana storage was insufficient and not efficient enough. Something like that.
After a short while, I arrived in the city center. A vast square stretched before me, capable of accommodating the entire population of the city, for sure.
At the other end stood a 10-meter tall tower with an observation platform. It was from there that I would deliver the speech. A speech written by the eldest of the six noble men, as he had the ability to craft succinct propaganda.
Since the square was already well-filled, my bodyguards made way for me to cross it. Once at the tower, I parked the automobile and entered.
I must admit, I was a bit nervous; this would be my first speech in front of so many people. So, I mentally reviewed the speech several times as I waited for the event to begin.
Half an hour later, a young, red-haired lad called me over, saying that all preparations were ready. Thus, I stepped onto the observation platform, where a wave of cheering people welcomed me.
I walked to the railing and waved slightly to my people. I glanced back at the entrance; it was closed now. In its place, a huge hologram of me was projected.
A middle-aged man with a broad build, 182 cm tall, short silver hair, and eyes resembling the depths of the ocean. My face appeared stern, with an air of seriousness, and my features were somewhat angular. A scar cut diagonally across my face, and one of my ears was missing. My medium-sized eyes remained untouched, but my delicate nose and mouth bore the marks of a three-day beard.
My attire was kept simple: a garment of white and violet hues enveloped me. Therefore, I tore my gaze away from the hologram and approached the podium, a raised platform with a microphone that amplified my voice using mana.
Standing there, I looked out over the vast crowd, estimating around 800,000 individuals. I picked up the microphone and began.