Black Badger - Chapter 358
Only Noblemtl
358. Emperor (2)
The mouths of the badgers who were watching the series of events on the screen opened.
On the other hand, You, who was simultaneously interpreting Hildebert’s Imperial language, closed her mouth with a complicated expression after interpreting the last words.
It was Yoon who broke the silence.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a dignified appearance.”
The man grumbled in a low voice.
“How can you be so obedient without complaining?”
“What are you talking about, Oppa? Hilde is so polite.”
“Do you really think I have to blindly follow the author’s words now?”
Sophia turned her gaze to You and the Titans standing beside him.
A faint wrinkle formed between her pale brows.
“You always kneel when you stand in front of others? Surely it’s not like in the movies.”
[Hilde.]
The Emperor’s voice echoes through the control room.
The conversation is interrupted by the only word that does not require interpretation.
People quickly turned their heads and looked at the screen.
Hildebert, who was kissing the man’s hand, also raised his head and looked up at the other person.
The man took his ring-marked hand out of Hildebert’s.
The emperor looked down at Hilde.
“Have you been here long?”
“yes.”
“okay.”
The conversation between them was immediately interpreted by Youga.
Badgers holding their breath so as not to miss the interpretation.
The Emperor remained silent for a moment, then lightly grabbed Hildebert’s white hair.
“I’m still holding the sword.”
“Yes.”
“It looks like there’s no one here to cut your hair.”
People’s jaws dropped.
Hildebert’s expression also became subtle. You’s face, who was interpreting, also became strange, but Deltey, Kairos, and Rose stared at the screen with unsurprised faces.
Hildebert answered slowly.
“Hair… If you leave it alone, it will grow.”
“Wow, what a lame answer.”
Deltey muttered.
Kairos let out a snicker.
But the Titans’ composure did not last long.
The Emperor, who had been silently looking at Hildebert, muttered.
“Why are the leaf veins so messed up?”
You took a deep breath before interpreting for the first time.
The Titans stiffened and looked up at the screen. The Badgers, who were puzzled by their reaction, also stiffened their faces as soon as they heard You’s interpretation.
Everyone’s eyes flew to Hildebert and were fixed on him.
Everyone in the control room witnessed Hildebert’s eyes lose focus for a moment.
The owner of the golden eyes also hurriedly lowered his head.
A small sigh fell from Scar and Rose’s mouths.
Ricardo and Yoon’s eyes narrowed as they caught Hildebert’s hand trembling slightly as he asked the question.
A breathless control room.
In the dark and narrow space, Hildebert’s intermittent Imperial language echoed.
“I have no face.”
You, who was chewing her lip, interpreted Hildebert’s answer.
Ami was furious, raising her fist silently.
“I am well aware that I am not worthy to meet Your Majesty.”
“The finishing is a bit sloppy for Clyde’s skill.”
The emperor muttered slowly.
It’s a muttering that’s almost like talking to oneself.
Amy couldn’t stand it any longer and lost her temper.
“Why don’t you deny what Hilde said!”
Her eyes were filled with tears of resentment.
“Why don’t you deny my nonsense about being unqualified?”
Before anyone could react, the Emperor continued.
“It doesn’t look like someone who doesn’t know anything has touched it… but it looks like there’s a lot to hear.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hildebert lowered his head and closed his eyes. William Walker muttered a curse in the corner.
Ricardo and Yoon frowned.
“I see that young knight is behind you too.”
“yes.”
Hildebert answered politely.
“I have placed my subordinate knights outside. Would you like to call them?”
“Igor.”
Instead of answering Hildebert’s question, the emperor called his name.
Another person quickly appeared inside the control room.
Igor, who had been walking slowly, stops at an appropriate distance.
The man spoke in a firm voice.
“His Majesty the Emperor.”
The blond man looked at the black-haired knight and smiled faintly.
The man’s voice that followed contained a faint note of pleasure.
“The author is still loyal only to you.”
Only a few people caught Hildebert’s finger twitching.
Most people didn’t notice it because the body didn’t tremble as much as when you asked if the veins were damaged. Only those who were exceptionally sharp could sense the vibration and narrowed their eyes.
Of course, Hildebert’s agitation disappeared within seconds.
The white-haired man spoke with his head bowed.
“I bow my head before Your Majesty’s feet like this. That knight is, after all, just one of Your Majesty’s many swords.”
The emperor did not answer.
But he said nothing more about Igor. He didn’t even look at the black-haired knight, even though he was standing tall. He seemed to accept Hildebert’s friendly words, “I’m sorry. Please pass.”
“Hildebert.”
Instead, a man calling out a name while looking somewhere.
Hildebert raised his head at the voice that was more resolute than before.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It looks like someone is giving you orders.”
Hildebert’s movements stopped.
The ever-changing air.
The eyes of the people in the control room widened.
You, who had been interpreting smoothly, stopped talking at the end.
The only one who is at peace is the person who brought it up.
The emperor looked down at Hilde with a face that showed no emotion.
Then he ran his ring-free hand through Hildebert’s hair.
A crushed mastoid process was captured on screen.
“Who is it?”
People turning their heads towards Yehyun.
The commander-in-chief looked up at the screen expressionlessly.
He watched Hildebert, who was unable to answer, and then walked towards the screen.
Yehyun pressed the speaker button on the control panel below the screen and brought her mouth to the microphone.
“Can you come in for a moment?”
A husky voice echoes through the portal zone.
Hildebert looks up at the speaker.
“Go and come back.”
The Emperor acknowledged the call.
Hildebert gave another kiss of submission before rising, then stood up and walked out of the portal zone.
***
“Do you have to keep acting like that in front of the Emperor?”
That’s what Sophia said as soon as Yehyun’s broadcast ended.
“As I said before, the author is no longer the emperor. He is just a man who used to be my superior.”
The Titans standing behind You turned their heads towards her.
Youwa stared at the speaker with cat-like eyes, and Deltey opened his eyes wide in surprise.
The two men seemed speechless at the shocking claim.
Rose shot him a sparkling look with a face that said, ‘What a change of thinking.’
The one who answered was Kairos, who was smiling bitterly.
“That makes sense, but the emperor’s authority doesn’t suddenly fall to the ground just because the empire is gone.”
The man looked at Sophia with soft orange eyes.
“He is revered as a saint, and as such, he is someone who can gain the support of many of his fellow clansmen. He is also a powerful man who cannot be ignored. He is a wizard and a swordsman at the same time. If he is the true emperor, that is.”
“Jack too?”
Amy muttered.
Kairos looked back at his marksman gently.
“Yes, sir?”
“Jack, if that man is the real emperor, should you go in front of him and kneel like that?”
“sure.”
Ami seemed a little shocked by the cool answer.
Kairos smiled briefly at the look of surprise on his senior’s face.
“I was favored, though. So was Hilde. Those who did not receive favor but desired it would prostrate themselves before the royal family, and their knees would get calluses.”
Ami’s jaw dropped at the deputy’s sharp words.
Kairos added without erasing his smile.
“Of course, being favored doesn’t mean the leash around your neck goes away. The leashes that are on Hilde and I are relatively thin, but they’re still enough to rub the back of your neck.”
“omg….”
“Are you the real emperor?”
It was Karl Doe who changed the subject.
“I don’t know for sure, but didn’t you say it could be someone else?”
“The author was caught by intuition?”
Scar joined the conversation.
Braze Head’s aide glanced at You.
“I think that should be enough to give a rough idea.”
“I can’t detect any sign of the Emperor.”
Youga answered gloomily.
“Because they always hide their presence with magic. From the moment they are appointed as crown prince, or even worse, from the moment they are born, the royal family hides their presence and lives that way their entire lives. Once they are old enough to use magic, they don’t rely on the power of other magicians, but rather cast spells on themselves. If they hadn’t, the royal family would have fallen. They would have been assassinated one after another.”
“What? So you’re saying you can’t feel anything right now?”
To Scar’s question, You nodded slowly.
“That’s natural.”
“Can I ask you to cancel my order for a moment?”
You and Deltey’s mouths dropped open at the refreshing question.
Kairos’s smile grows longer and Rose shoots him a look that says, ‘Is this the way again?’
But You was unable to answer the aide’s question.
The control room door opens.
Hildebert and Igor came inside.
“Hilde!”
Ami shouted.
Hildebert’s head was raised as he came in with a blank expression.
A faint smile appeared on the white-haired man’s face.
The gentle smile they are so familiar with.
“army.”
“Hilde.”
Ye-Hyeon, who had been bowing her head and placing both hands on the control panel, straightened her body.
People’s eyes were focused on Yehyun and Hilde.
People waiting for an official response.
The commander-in-chief turned around and looked straight into Hildebert’s eyes as he took off his armor.
“I still think the author is Jaeyeon.”
“I also think it is not impossible.”
Hildebert answered.
It was a calm voice that did not seem to be agitated.
A voice that does not contain any of one’s own emotions.
“If you ask me how I know the Emperor, I have no answer… . I can’t say for sure that it’s the Emperor himself. It’s also hard to say for sure that it’s not.”
“Did you happen to see him die in person?”
Deltey spoke very carefully.
Hildebert just rolled his eyes and looked back at the saintess.
He answered, looking at the saint with eyes that could not read her emotions.
“no.”
“But since the author seems to be the real me… and since there is a possibility that he is the real me, I should go ahead and check.”
Yehyun changed the flow of conversation.
Hildebert also turned his gaze towards Yehyun again. His face still had an unreadable expression on it.
People who look into his golden eyes with complicated feelings.
Ye-Hyeon’s eyes, looking into the golden eyes of the white-haired man, also wavered for a moment.
But the commander-in-chief quickly caught on.
He saw Black Badger, who was still classified as a rookie.
Then he asked.
“Which order do you have priority over the other right now?”
Golden eyes wavering at that moment.
The collapsing expressionless face and the hidden pain that dwells in the neat face.
The sense of alienation that comes from standing between two camps.
Such emotions dripped from Hildebert’s voice as he answered slowly.
“Commander.”
He muttered in a voice full of pain.
“Can I take a leave of absence?”