I was in a carriage in the capital.
We arrived directly from Lautreamont territory to the capital on a flying boat.
After disembarking, we went straight to a carriage to the palace.
And I say "we" is because the girls are with me.
Celia, Evelyn, Yukihime and Celes are in the carriage.
Yukihime will be rewarded because thanks to her, the soldiers were strong and not tired, just like other knights.
So we are going before to get out of being hours.
Celes is going since she has to give her report.
In the carriage, she was saying to me.
"I have come several times to the capital, but this is the first time the sunlight hits my face."
"Many more times you will be able to see scenery like this."
She blushed a little when I told her that.
Evelyn on the other hand.
"My father said that the guild master sent a report of you not showing up, it's likely that the emperor wants to hang you since you disobeyed an imperial command."
I don't want to run away from the empire having a good life here, let alone let the girls pay for me.
I hope the punishment he gives me, won't be painful or exaggerated.
"Well, we'll find out soon..."
I hope he's not angry...
◇◇◇
There in the great hall of ministers.
On a throne similar to an Aztec pyramid, stood a muscular man, with long golden hair like his beard, it was the emperor, Loic V.
To his right was the only grand duke and prime minister, his younger twin brother.
And to his left was a man in red armor, the saint of twilight.
Several people, among them ministers, were looking at Razel.
Celes, like others, were giving their report of what happened.
In that report they talked about what Razel did.
The emperor's face showed anger when he heard that Razel breached a command of him.
Regulux did that and it cost him his position as third prince.
Several members of the anti-Rosenberg faction were there, waiting for the future duke to fall.
When the Celes report was finished, the prime minister spoke.
"Young man, raise your head."
Razel was showing his respects to the emperor in a fancy suit.
The emperor was angry.
Very angry, you could see his hair rising from his magical power.
Razel swallowed saliva at the sight of him so angry.
"Tell us, why did you disobey an imperial command?"
Razel proceeded to tell the truth.
That only made the emperor angrier.
He immediately fell to Razel with a blow to his throne.
"You dare mock me, the emperor!"
He stood up and his hair was rising.
He was even coming down from his throne.
To see the emperor descend was unimaginable.
Even the prime minister and the twilight saint were astonished.
Immediately they both came down as well.
As they stood on the ground, the emperor approached Razel.
"Answer me boy... why did you disobey my order?"
"Just as I said your majesty, I was afraid. That's why─"
"That's why what?!"
"What are you going to say to stop me from crushing your head with my foot!!!?"
The emperor lifted his foot and placed it on Razel's head.
Slowly Razel descended to the ground until his forehead touched the cold, white tile.
"It was worth it."
The emperor stopped his foot to say.
"What did you say?"
"It was worth it. Thanks to disobeying your order, I was able to do things like defeat a dark dragon king, an army of A+++ level monsters, and also defeat a dark knight."
"If it hadn't been for that, I would have maybe died or been too tired to fight, but my strength was at its maximum potential. So I'd say it was worth it to disobey your order."
"But if he wishes to punish me, let it be me and not my family or the Rosenberg Household."
Everyone waited for the verdict of the emperor who still had a bad expression on his face until...
"Gurarara..."
He started laughing out of nowhere.
"Gurarara! Gurarara! Gurararara!"
The emperor laughed as if he had been listen the best joke in the world.
So much so that he even sat on the carpet of the pyramid that was part of the path leading to his throne.
He would tap his knee with his hand and tears would flow from his eyes.
His mouth opened like a bear's from laughter.
Everyone, and even his right and left hands were stupefied.
"Gurara! Jerome, you were right!"
The guild master was present, he was in a good suit and stepped forward from his place.
"Tell me, is what he said true?"
"Yes. We were able to verify everything he said, and even the captured archduke himself confessed that it was Razel who defeated the dark knight."
Many voices in the stands and nearby seats murmured because of what they heard.
"I can't believe what he said is true."
"That means... he single-handedly defeated all those monsters that are equivalent to gathering A-ranked adventurers and sword saints."
"Ideal's dark knights are the equivalent of our saints, you mean he's on the level of one?"
Among them, a man was biting his teeth in anger.
The emperor stood up and held out his hand.
It was a signal to give him his scepter.
The imperial scepter, decorated with diamonds, plated with gold and a green magic stone in the center to symbolize the emperor's power.
"Gurara. If you hadn't said that, I would have crushed you, regenerated you, had you watch your house and your betrothed's house fall and then kept you alive to be eaten by crows."
He laughed, but the others didn't.
He had already done that.
When he was young and came to the throne, his uncle tried to manipulate him, it proved very expensive that move.
Even his other relatives got to the point that small rebellions were caused.
But they were all stopped.
The emperor put the scepter on Razel's shoulder and then on another while saying.
"I, Loic V, the current emperor of the Arklight Empire, decorate you, Razel Bartlet with the following honors."
"First, I decorate you to the fourth highest rank, under the title of count."
"Second, with the guild master's consultation, your punishment will be that you will not be promoted to adventurer rank S. You will only be promoted to rank A."
"And lastly..."
The emperor showed a strange smile as he looked at Razel.
"I name you as a national hero and your knighthood shall be... the black knight."
Immediately upon uttering the last, the prime minister looked with surprise at the emperor.
There were murmurs from the ministers.
"He skipped the rank of viscount to being directly a count!"
"I can't believe that the emperor wanted to give him the S rank of adventurer, only that man earned it and left it due to not wanting to be under the rule of the palace again."
"No, no, no, no, no. He's the heir to a duchy and a national hero to boot!"
"Why the black knight, isn't that name very unpleasant?"
Various murmurs were heard, but only one of them mattered.
"Damn you, future duke of the Rosenbergs."
It was Baron Grin who was angry, showing his not-so-white teeth with deep hatred.
◇◇◇
Once the meeting was over, the emperor and the prime minister were left almost alone.
The twilight saint was in the room with them.
But they could talk without a problem since he was a tomb that man.
Sighed the prime minister before saying.
"Big brother, was that right? You know he committed a foul against you."
The emperor had strange hobbies.
Like going for a walk in a storm.
Or going out hunting alone.
But the strangest, was watching him write a story.
A children's story, no one knew why he did it.
Only him.
"I know. But... you saw their faces didn't you."
"Yes."
They were talking about members of the anti-Rosenberg faction.
"Normally I would have crushed it, but it gave me a good laugh to imagine the faces those guys would make when they saw him ascend, gurarara."
"I understand that, but what I don't understand is the promotion."
"I wanted to make him a margrave, because he's a born fighter. Didn't you see his body? I don't remember him like that."
"I'm surprised you haven't forgotten."
"I don't forget things that interest me, gurara."
The emperor saw Razel as a thing, something to entertain him.
"But that's not what I'm most interested in."
"Elder brother ─ no, Will, why did you call him the black knight?"
The emperor's hand paused and then looked up at the ceiling.
"You well know that it is only a children's legend told to us by our grandfather."
"Sometimes legends are true... and even more so if those legends have names."
"Will, there was only one white knight in the empire."
"Maybe it's time for a black knight to emerge? He defeated a dragon king, you of all people know that even I had trouble defeating one and with your help."
"He also defeated a dark knight, he managed to erase some of the embarrassment that demonic knight put us through decades ago."
"Grandfather told us so, that one day the stars would align to bring a light that can remove the darkness that traps us."
"Even if it's true... do you think it's him?"
"Rosenberg. Cidfert. The lawless city and recently Lautreamont."
"From the moment he set foot in this place, I felt strange seeing him, but now it only confirms my suspicions more and more."
"Should I give him one more push?"
"I don't think so, please leave it at that."
"Younger brother... the black knight will be our new white knight, since it seems the crows won't be happy."
The emperor wrote again after showing a rare smile.
◇
The moment of truth arrived.
We arrived at the Rosenberg mansion after finishing the auditing with the king.
Truth be told, I had to go to the bathroom a lot.
Do I think I lost weight?
Who wouldn't in my situation.
Besides, I'm a count and a black knight.
What the hell is that?
Damn emperor.
Anyway, I just told the doorman to let us in.
I didn't think I was Razel.
Do I really look that weird?
He opened the door for us and after a few minutes in the carriage, we arrived at the door.
I got out first to help the girls do it.
Just as I stepped on a step, footsteps at high speed approached.
"Razel!"
"Razel-kun!"
Eli and Lily came running in their pajamas toward me.
The door was opened and they jumped out.
But when they saw me they stopped after falling.
"Huh... Razel... is that you?"
"Yes."
Eli nor Lily could believe it was me.
Well, now I look more like my dad.
"... Is it really you?"
Lily came over like a shy hare and touched my face.
She pinched me even.
I laughed.
"Hehehe, yeah, it's me."
They couldn't believe me, more people came out.
Glenn, the Duchess's butler and right hand man.
And Barbara in a fancy dress.
She turned to look and asked for me.
"... Err, where is Razel-kun?"
"Mom... he's Razel."
Barbara looked like a frozen computer and then out of trouble.
"Huhhhhhhhhh!"
She gasped.
She looked like she couldn't believe it was me either.
As I was about to explain everything, Lily tugged on my sleeve.
Before, she would just touch my shoulder, but now she pulls my sleeve since I'm taller than her.
"Razel-kun, who are they? And more so, why were you with them?"
Lily pointed in the direction of the girls.
For some reason, her beautiful bright eyes showed a dark emptiness.
Eli seemed to show that too, but the color of his red irises made it look like it was an entrance to another place.
"Err... let's go inside and let me tell you."
I felt a little nervous as I enlarged my harem and my main girlfriends watching me with their wide eyes.
◇◇◇
"Damn!"
A man was throwing papers on the floor, Minister Olgren.
He had been Gerald's accomplice, but now with what happened, he had to support Offrey Household so they wouldn't rat him out.
"Damn the Rosenbergs!"
"Picking on me indirectly and hurting my plans!"
"I've had enough, this time I can't take it anymore!"
Minister Olgren cursed endlessly at Razel and his future household.
Then, a person knocked on his door.
No one should be in at this time of night, so he could shout all he wanted.
"Who is it?"
He asked intrigued. The door opened and Baron Grin bowed to show greetings.
"Good evening minister. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I'm here to make a suggestion."
"Suggestion of what, Grin?"
Baron Grin held out some papers for Olgren to read.
"This is?"
"A list of all the members."
"Members of what?"
"Of the anti-Rosenberg faction."
"The look on your face gives you away Minister, you hate the Rosenbergs too, so... why don't we join?"
"What's gained for me in joining you?"
"All the members of the faction agree that you should be the one to take over the Rosenberg's territory."
"... I will think about it."
"But, there is one condition, the only way to take them down is to have someone very powerful on our side."
"And that would be?"
Grin flashed a wicked grin on his bony face.
"We need Prince Blake's backing, he's the only one who can give them war without losing out."
On that day, a macabre plan was carried out.
Which, related to a future event in the game.
_____________________________
Reincarnated in an Otome game as the ugly character in the background, volume 5 end.
Lautreamont Frontier War Arc.