Chapter 28: Another Empire
Imperial Capital, Royal Palace.
Emperor Odri V sat on a stone chair, incense smoke floating in the air before him.
Opposite him, a figure was shrouded in the shadow of a hood.
That was the Court Diviner.
"Say it again."
Odri's voice held no inflection.
The Diviner's head lowered slightly, voice coming from under the hood.
"Your Majesty, I saw the future. A certain future."
"Your only daughter, the princess you dote on most, will personally end your life."
Odri made no extra movements, merely looking silently at the Diviner.
"Details."
"At night. She holds a sword in her hand, the tip pointing straight at your heart."
"Your Queen, your most loyal guards, stand right outside the door. They listen to the commotion inside, but no one enters."
"Is that so."
Odri stood up.
The stone chair made a slight friction sound.
He turned and walked out of the Diviner's room without looking at the figure in the hood again.
The corridor was empty; footsteps echoed between the stone walls.
Sunlight cast down from high windows, cutting bright patches on the floor.
Odri walked through the light, then into the shadow. Light and shadow alternated on his royal robes.
Seeing the King, the guards immediately straightened, right hands forming fists and striking their breastplates, making dull thuds.
Odri did not respond.
Maids wiping a row of statues saw Odri and immediately knelt on the ground, foreheads pressed against the cold tiles.
Odri did not stop.
He passed through the atrium, walking toward the rear garden of the Royal Palace.
Laughter of a child and the sound of wood striking wood came from there.
Odri pushed open an unlocked small iron gate.
In the garden, his fourteen-year-old daughter was waving a polished wooden stick.
Her movements were clumsy, lacking any technique, just hacking wildly in the air with brute force.
Sweat soaked the blonde hair on her forehead, a few strands sticking to her cheek.
Beside her, a maid's face was full of anxiety.
"Princess, please stop. His Majesty does not allow you to play with these things."
"If His Majesty finds out, he will definitely punish you."
Saying this, the maid tried to step forward to take the stick, but the Princess jumped away nimbly and continued waving it.
"I'm not afraid. Father loves me the most."
Odri stood there, watching quietly.
The maid spotted him first. The color drained from her face instantly, her legs went weak, and she knelt down.
"Your... Your Majesty..."
The Princess's movements stopped.
She saw Odri, her hand holding the stick somewhat at a loss.
Odri walked over.
His shadow covered the maid kneeling on the ground, and also covered his daughter.
Ignoring the trembling maid, he reached out a hand toward the Princess's face.
The Princess closed her eyes in fear, body tensing, prepared to welcome the expected scolding.
Suddenly, a warm, dry palm landed on the top of her head.
Rubbing it gently.
"What do you want to learn in the future?"
Odri's voice was very calm.
The Princess carefully opened one eye. Seeing no anger on her father's face, she opened the other eye, which was full of surprise.
She immediately grinned, revealing a big smile.
"I want to learn the sword! Learn true swordsmanship! That way I can protect everyone, and protect Father too!"
Odri looked into his daughter's eyes.
Inside was pure joy and longing.
"Good."
Odri withdrew his hand.
"Starting tomorrow, you will learn swordsmanship from Altlais."
The Princess's eyes widened even more, hardly daring to believe what she heard.
"Really? Altlais? The Commander of the Royal Knights? Can I really learn the sword from him?"
"Go. I promised you. He will teach you."
"Thank you, Father!"
The Princess cheered, tossed the wooden stick to the maid, and hopped away like a little deer.
"I'm going to tell Mother the good news!"
Her voice echoed in the garden.
Holding the stick, the maid stood up tremblingly, curtsied to Odri, and hurriedly followed.
The garden returned to silence.
Odri turned around to see the Diviner standing in the shadow of the small gate, unknown when he had arrived.
"You know my prophecies can never be wrong."
The Diviner's voice was still the same, devoid of any emotion.
Odri answered equally expressionlessly.
"So what?"
"You are personally handing the weapon to the person who will kill you."
"You won't stop it? Won't change it?"
Odri walked toward the Diviner, step by step, neither fast nor slow.
"Why should I stop it?"
Odri walked up to the Diviner and stopped.
"I will give her the best education, the happiest childhood, the most correct royal guidance."
"I will teach her what honor is, what responsibility is, what the Empire is."
"I will make her an excellent Princess, a qualified royal heir."
Odri looked into the distance, at the silhouette of the Imperial Capital.
"If, after accepting all of this, she still chooses to pick up the sword and point it at my heart..."
"Then it only proves one thing."
"That I, Odri V, have become a tyrant who must be killed."
"A qualified heir killing a fallen King—that is the correct choice."
"Why should I stop a correct choice from happening?"
The Diviner fell silent under the shadow of the hood.
After a long time, he spoke.
"You... are the strangest monarch I have ever seen."
"Is that so."
Odri turned and walked toward the palace.
"Pass my order. Summon the Commander of the Royal Knights, Altlais, to see me immediately."
His voice reached a guard not far away.
The guard immediately took the order and left.
Odri didn't look back again.
His back disappeared at the end of the corridor.
A few leaves fell from the tree, spinning as they landed on the grass.
Council Chamber.
A huge sand table was placed in the center, displaying a topographical miniature of the entire Kingdom.
Altlais knelt on one knee, his helmet placed aside, revealing a face with hard lines and gray-white short hair.
"Your Majesty, you summoned me."
Odri walked around the sand table, his finger tracing over the protrusions representing mountain ranges.
"Altlais, how many years have you followed me?"
"Since you were still a Prince. Fifty-seven years, Your Majesty."
"You are the Empire's strongest Tier 6 Knight."
"I dare not claim that title, Your Majesty."
Odri stopped walking and looked at him.
"Starting tomorrow, put aside all affairs of the Knights. Hand them over to the Vice-Commander."
Altlais raised his head, confusion unconcealable on his face.
"Your Majesty, we are preparing for the war with the Theocracy recently. I need to..."
"Your new task is to teach the Princess swordsmanship."
Odri interrupted him.
Altlais's expression froze.
"...Teach the Princess?"
"Yes. Teach her everything you know. Everything."
"Your combat techniques, your battlefield experience, your understanding of the sword. Without reservation."
Altlais fell silent.
As the Knight Commander, he knew what this meant.
Teaching a Princess, and teaching the art of killing without reservation—this had never happened in the Kingdom's history.
A Princess should learn etiquette, art, history, not the sword.
"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness. The Princess has a body of a thousand gold pieces; swords have no eyes..."
"This is an order, Altlais."
Odri's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that allowed no rebuttal.
"She is your only student. Until I deem it sufficient."
"What I need her to learn is not just how to swing a sword."
Odri reached out and picked up a golden chess piece representing the King from the sand table.
"I also need her to learn how to be an Emperor. And when necessary... learn how to judge an Emperor."
Altlais looked at the chess piece in Odri's hand, his body shaking.
He seemed to understand something, yet seemed to understand nothing.
But he asked no further.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Altlais lowered his head, bowing deeply.
"I shall obey your will."
"Very good. Go down and prepare. Tomorrow morning, go to the Princess's courtyard."
"Yes."
Altlais stood up, put on his helmet, turned, and exited the Council Chamber.
The sound of heavy iron boots gradually faded away.
Only Odri remained in the hall.
He played with the golden King piece in his hand, placing it back on the position of the Imperial Capital.
Then, Odri extended a finger and gently pushed the piece over.
The chess piece rolled a few times on the sand table and stopped.
Odri looked at the fallen piece and didn't speak for a long time.