Volume 9, Chapter 52 – Gloria XVII’s Troubles

As the sun painted a fish-belly white across the horizon, a new day began.

This ‘beginning’ was especially true for Red and Purple. They had arrived in the Norta Empire’s capital several days prior. Only after conferring with the local Divine Religion branch, gathering, and organizing detailed information did they choose today to make their move. Although the Imperial Palace was heavily guarded like a fortress, as long as the people inside needed food and clothing, there were bound to be exploitable loopholes.

“Sneaking into the royal city hidden in a food transport carriage… it’s feasible, but if discovered, escape would be impossible…”

Yisi murmured, concealed by [Concealment] magic, floating in the air and monitoring Red and Purple’s actions.

“Onee-sama, can the people below really not see us? I can clearly see you.”

Camilla, carried by Yisi, pressed down her hair. Although the Empire was located in the warmer southern part of the continent, the late autumn morning wind was still biting, whipping Camilla’s golden hair wildly.

“Although [Concealment] magic is a low-level spell usable even by people of this world and can’t hide the sounds we make, visually, people outside absolutely cannot see us. Rest assured, Camilla. Red and Purple have entered the royal city; we should lower our altitude. If anything unexpected happens, we can respond immediately.”

“Okay. Then let’s follow the plan. I’ll monitor the entire royal city from the inner city, while Onee-sama goes into the inner city to keep an eye on Red and Purple. We’ll communicate via [Message] if anything happens.”

“Okay.”

Nodding, Yisi descended. According to the plan, she placed Camilla at the highest point of the Norta Empire’s royal city. Even if separated, the [Concealment] magic would last for at least six hours, which was more than enough time for Red and Purple to complete their assassination mission.

Incidentally, Yisi had not communicated with Red and Purple after arriving in the capital; neither knew she was nearby.

Watching the carriage pass the Imperial soldier’s inspection and disappear into the buildings, Yisi, in her third form disguised as Viel, narrowed her eyes and exhaled a puff of white mist.

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“Well then, let’s begin.”

◇

The Royal Capital of the Norta Empire.

Unlike the Hels Kingdom’s royal city, the Norta Empire’s was not centered around a castle, spreading outwards like an onion. Instead, it was arranged in the form of palaces, distributed gracefully. If one were to lay out a map of the Norta Royal City, they would find it mainly divided into three sections, located on the east, west, and south sides respectively. These were places for magic casters, magic weapon crafters, and the Emperor to rest, handle important affairs, and convene councils.

Generally, a king wouldn’t establish two such large institutions near their bedchambers, lest they have no reaction time in case of a subordinate revolt. But the Emperor of Norta had no such concerns. Every scholar permitted to reside in the royal city had to pass a personal imperial examination. It could be said that being able to work in the royal city was the Emperor’s bestowal. In such an environment, people were naturally loyal to the Emperor. Placing the residences of magic researchers within the royal city was a testament to the ruler’s confidence in their own charisma.

And now, in an exceptionally magnificent and vast palace, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard, a man draped in a gold and blue interwoven cloak, dressed in extraordinarily lavish attire, sat slumped on a red throne, propping his head with his right hand and yawning.

“Bradley, those two insects you mentioned, where are they now?”

The man called Bradley, an elder over sixty with graying hair, stroked his beard. His head held high and chest puffed out gave the impression that everything was under control.

This was the current Chancellor of the Norta Empire, an elder revered as a veteran of two reigns. Even though this elder couldn’t use even the most basic magic, no one in the entire Norta Empire dared disrespect him. Among the surrounding human and even demi-human nations, Chancellor Bradley’s value was considered equal to at least three legions of court magic casters. The Norta Empire’s current standing owed much not only to the wise decisions of the previous two emperors but also to Bradley’s indispensable wisdom.

“Your Majesty, they should have already entered the inner city. Regarding these two insects who presumptuously seek to harm you, how do you intend to deal with them as a warning to others?”

“Hehehe… Bradley, you seem quite confident. How can you be sure those guards will discover them?”

“Well… The palace defense is overseen by General Carl, appointed by the previous Emperor. You know General Carl’s meticulous nature, Your Majesty. I presume those two assassins will be captured by General Carl before they even reach your presence. Rather than discussing such tedious matters, I believe Your Majesty should focus on the Empire’s future. Although it is still early for you to designate an heir, as the Emperor, each day without an heir makes us, your ministers, feel uneasy.”

Although his words held respect, Bradley’s gaze towards the man on the throne contained only affection and amusement. The man on the throne, though the monarch of a nation, was also someone Bradley had watched grow up, like his own flesh and blood.

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After Gloria XVI’s death, it was Bradley who single-handedly supported this man onto the throne, which was also the reason for Bradley’s high prestige. No one dared disrespect the Emperor’s confidant, especially when he also held the position of Imperial Chancellor.

As for the identity of the man on the throne, it was self-evident.

Adonis Eli Gloria, the seventeenth ruler of the Norta Empire.

Due to a traitor leaking secrets, the Empire plunged into prolonged internal strife before Gloria XVI could fully reclaim power from the nobles. He himself was assassinated during this protracted war. When Gloria XVII ascended the throne, he inherited only a nation in chaos, plagued by frequent warfare. Yet even under such circumstances, Gloria XVII chose to uphold his father’s legacy, refusing to reach a power-sharing agreement with the nobles. Instead, relying on the Imperial army cultivated over many years and his own martial prowess and strategy, he broke all banners of rebellion one by one, becoming the first ruler in history to consolidate noble power under the monarch.

To commemorate this feat, Adonis renamed the original Norta Kingdom to the Norta Empire, changing his own title from King to Emperor.

However, most people would never imagine that the emperor who accomplished such a great deed was actually just a person barely past twenty, with refined features and an extremely approachable appearance. A golden ponytail tied back with a white ribbon, red eyes glittering like jewels, coupled with the fair skin and tall stature characteristic of Norta people—if his crown were removed, people would likely mistake him for just a handsome noble, unable to connect him with the dignified, regal emperor.

In fact, most people meeting Gloria XVII for the first time reacted this way. They would first marvel at how approachable their ruler was, possessing an affability like a spring breeze, then be captivated by his wisdom and decisive, ruthless execution. Contrary to his gentle appearance, Gloria XVII was actually quite willful, disliked compromise, and would always find a way to achieve whatever he desired.

Of course, this didn’t mean Gloria was unscrupulous. In fact, his style of conduct either inspired goodwill or made others feel inadequate. If one had to make an analogy, it was like when a group of people scrambled for the last item worth one gold coin, Gloria would suddenly step forward and offer a gem coin for it—using his own conditions, standing at an absolute height, to crush all challengers with overwhelming advantage. This applied not only to money but also to strategy. His ability to quickly quell internal strife was inseparable from his wisdom.

However, such an emperor now faced a difficult problem, one that couldn’t be solved by ordinary means.

He needed to establish an empress.

In the Norta Empire, nobles often arranged marriages for their children before the age of six—some even decided while the child was still in the womb. Once the age of adulthood, fifteen, was reached, the families would immediately hold the wedding ceremony. Adonis Eli Gloria was no exception. However, unlike other countries, the Norta royal family had a tradition passed down through generations.

To maintain bloodline purity, the imperial royalty could only marry within the royalty. Furthermore, only after marriage could the royal heir be permitted to ascend the throne and become the true ruler. Gloria XVI left only three heirs, and among them, Adonis was the only male. Therefore, Adonis becoming emperor was a foregone conclusion.

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So, after Gloria XVI’s death, Adonis naturally ascended the throne, inherited his father’s legacy, and led the Imperial army to unify the empire. However, the prerequisite for his successful ascension was that the empire was in a tight spot militarily at the time; people had no time to care whether Adonis was married, focusing solely on the war. But now that things had settled down, the emperor’s marriage became a popular topic of discussion.

Since the Eldest Princess Ailis Carol Gloria was deceased, Adonis could only marry his younger sister, Vina Carol Gloria. The problem was, his sister Vina was only eight years old. Although age difference wasn’t an issue for nobility—there were past examples of fifty-year-old nobles marrying six-year-old boys—Adonis not only detested this archaic custom but also disliked his overly gentle sister. In his words, he had seen too many such submissive, gentle women. Accepting Vina as a sister was tolerable, but if he had to marry her, he’d rather not be emperor.

Thus, Adonis’s marriage kept being postponed, until now, it had become the most pressing concern for the ministers around him. The high-ranking ministers remaining in the palace were mostly meritorious officials who had watched Adonis grow up and followed his father and him through the unification. Adonis couldn’t just throw tantrums in court according to his whims, forbidding ministers from mentioning the matter. That would not only chill their hearts but also trouble his own conscience.

Thus, under the slogan “Since the Norta Kingdom was reformed into the Norta Empire, some old orders should also be abolished,” Adonis abolished the rule of royal intermarriage. Because the ministers desperately wanted to see Adonis’s child—the third princess Vina was only eight, and by the time she could bear children, probably half the ministers would have died of old age—they could only turn a blind eye, pretending not to know the emperor had abolished this thousand-year-old rule, while secretly mourning the deceased Eldest Princess.

But no one expected that a new problem would soon arise.

No matter the status or personality of the woman brought before Adonis, he would immediately voice opposition, find various excuses to refuse, or simply give them money and send them home. The reasons were mostly the same as when he refused his sister Vina—these women were too submissive.

Of course, it wasn’t that there hadn’t been women who interested Adonis before. In the past, to escape official duties and seek leisure, Adonis often hid his identity and wandered the capital. During that time, he met a woman who interested him—lively and not subservient. Unfortunately, when Adonis joyfully summoned her to the palace, intending to announce her as his empress, the woman suddenly changed completely. Gone was the cheerful, genuine smile, replaced by timidity and extreme restraint, bearing no resemblance to her former self.

Since then, Adonis realized that the women brought before him cared more about his status as Emperor than about him as a person. That’s why they were so submissive, considerate, and gentle—precisely what Adonis disliked. Thus, Adonis lost all thought of establishing an empress.

It was worth mentioning that, besides all this, Adonis had an even more important secret he hadn’t told anyone—or rather, the only ones who knew were Adonis himself and Chancellor Bradley, standing beside him now: she, Adonis Eli Gloria, was actually a young woman.

Hearing Bradley urge her to establish an empress, Adonis frowned impatiently.

“Bradley, I’ve told you many times, I don’t want to think about these things right now. I’m only twenty, far from the age of bearing heirs. Didn’t Father also have me only when he was thirty?”

At this, Adonis rolled her eyes, scanning the empty hall to confirm no one else was present. She swept her right hand across her face. As if by magic, Adonis’s facial features instantly softened, and her voice abruptly changed from neutral to a delicate female tone.

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“Besides, establishing an empress and having heirs are fundamentally different matters. You know this too, Bradley. Can you find someone who looks like a woman but is actually a man? Even if you did, I can’t possibly attend court with a big belly. Don’t forget, only those with royal blood can control and command those puppets. Randomly finding a child and claiming it’s my heir… it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out.”

Bradley instantly wore a look of grave concern, glancing nervously outside the door while anxiously advising, “Your Majesty! What if someone sees—”

“See? So what if they see? Didn’t I tell you before? Revealing I’m an Empress sooner would also make those urging me to establish an empress give up sooner. Being asked about it every day in court is driving me mad.”

“How could that work! Soldiers trust men to possess the rationality to rule them, more so than women! If you announce you are an Empress, it will cause chaos throughout the land!”

“Did I command them wrongly in battle before? They became ever-victorious soldiers under my, an Empress’s, rule! Besides, isn’t Hyurent in the east always ruled by a Queen? I haven’t seen them object to their Queen.”

“The Blood Clan has always been ruled by females because their founding ruler was a Queen. Your Majesty, didn’t you choose to appear as a male precisely because you were prepared to succeed the previous Emperor and never reveal your female identity? As for the issue of childbirth, there is already news from across the sea. As long as you find an empress you like, they can help you bear heirs.”

Hearing ‘across the sea,’ Adonis’s brow instantly furrowed, her face showing extreme displeasure. She snorted heavily.

“Hmph. With their help, heaven knows if what’s born will be human or monster. I don’t need their meddling. Bradley, after that experience of bringing a common woman to the palace only for her personality to change drastically, I’ve prepared myself to never have someone I like in this lifetime. After some time, just designate Vina’s heir as the crown prince. As long as they have royal blood, it’s fine.”

“This… Alas! Please reconsider, Your Majesty! I have never married or had children in my life. In my eyes, you are like my own flesh and blood. If Your Majesty could bear heirs, even in death, I could close my eyes in peace.”

“Alright, alright, Bradley. No need to play the pity card with me. My mind is made up. There are no women left in this world that I yearn for, nor will I ever fall for anyone again. My heart is like a stone sunk into the Sea of Thunderstorms; it’s impossible for there to be any more ripples. My goal for the rest of my life is solely to turn the Hels Kingdom and the Ymir territory into lands of the Empire. Nothing else.”

Finished speaking, Adonis swept her right hand across her face again, returning to the familiar appearance of the Emperor. Seeing Bradley’s sorrowful expression, Adonis shook her head helplessly and changed the subject with a wry smile. On the matter of heirs, Bradley was even more anxious than she was.

“Alright, let’s talk about those two insects from the Divine Religion again. Where are they?”