Secret Room (2)
The massive Imperial Castle, erected in the capital, was not a place just anyone could enter.
To stand confidently before the Emperor, the master of that place and ruler of the Imperial Court, meant you were no ordinary person.
Even if that person happened to be a boy from a small, unknown village.
"Quick, show your respect to His Majesty... W-who are you people?!"
"Hello~"
The knights guarding the castle recoiled the moment they saw the boy.
At Louis's arrival, they dropped all thoughts of vigilance and hurried to clear the way.
These were knights who had devoted their all to the Imperial Court.
Yet here they were, treating a guest from the outside with an excessive formality usually reserved only for the royal family.
Perhaps it was because he was a guest, but the excessive respect bordered on a demeanor shown only to the royal family.
"I'm here! Your Majesty!"
There was no one to challenge the boy, even when he spoke informally right in front of the Emperor.
Had anyone else done the same, they would've lost their head on the spot.
"Welcome. I've been waiting."
Instead of reprimanding the boy's insolence, the Emperor greeted him with a laugh.
Everyone, from courtiers to the knights, had witnessed this strange sight for two years now.
"Estelle is nowhere to be seen. Did she go out somewhere?"
"I sent her on a brief excursion to the neighboring small nation of Woodrock. It'll take her some time to return."
"That's a relief! I was worried Estelle would kick up a fuss about why I didn't bring Rio."
There was no one in the audience hall who didn't know who this boy was, who treated every member of the royal family like a friend.
After all, even the Emperor himself couldn't lay a hand on him, for the boy was a monster beyond compare.
"It's an honor to see you again, Your Majesty."
Yet among Louis's company, only Silia showed proper respect before the Emperor.
Compared to Louis, she could be considered a relatively normal person.
"I'm sure you already know why I called you here."
"Yes, I heard the barrier will soon be lifted."
A secret room hidden beneath the castle.
The barrier sealing another door there would be dispelled today.
The Emperor had summoned Louis to show him just that.
"Um, but..."
There was yet another person with Louis's party besides Silia.
"May I ask why I was summoned as well?"
Pram raised her hand like a student as she asked. At this, the Emperor stood and spoke.
"Let's move somewhere else first."
They shifted their conversation to the castle's garden.
It was easier to talk somewhere fresh and clear like a garden, rather than in the strict atmosphere of an audience hall.
"What happened to Seifert Village after my visit?"
"Thanks to you, the elf children have been able to adapt well in the village. It's all because of the speech Your Majesty gave after the incident."
It was the demonkin, not the elves, who had summoned the monsters from the demon realm.
Thanks to fully clearing up that misunderstanding, the Emperor was able to ensure the elves' safety.
"And lately, we've been getting a lot more visitors. The many experts coming ee..through have greatly improved the village's economy compared to the past."
"There have been plenty of uninvited guests too, of course."
Louis mentioned the uninvited guests he'd encountered before coming to the capital.
"I cracked their heads open. Do you think that'll be a problem?"
"Did you kill them?"
"No."
At this, the Emperor burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! As long as you didn't kill them, it's perfectly fine. Do as you like."
"Um..."
Pram quietly raised her hand.
"Will you tell me now why I was called?"
"Oh, that's right."
Her question snapped the Emperor's memory back to what he'd forgotten.
"There's something I'd like to test."
"A test?"
"Do I seem like a weak man to you?"
"Well... at a glance, maybe..."
Pram knew well that the royal family all possessed supernatural powers.
She was aware that Pram, for instance, had eyes that could see through anything.
"As you're all aware, our royal family has inherited special powers since ancient times. That means we have special blood flowing through us."
To demonstrate, the Emperor floated the table in front of him.
With a simple gesture, he moved objects at a distance: telekinesis, and with a twist—gravity manipulation.
This was the Emperor's "supernatural power".
"It's neither magic nor aura. In fact, it probably doesn't involve magic power at all."
Even the Emperor wasn't sure how to classify this power, as it hadn't been properly studied yet.
"But I've thought: what if this power isn't human?"
"What do you mean?"
"That's what I want to experiment with."
With those words, the Emperor used his gravity manipulation on Louis, making his body heavier.
It wasn't enough to crush him—just to add some weight.
"What are you doing all of a sudden?"
Louis questioned the newfound heaviness in his body.
"Well? Do you feel heavier?"
"If it were anyone else, they'd be screaming at the discomfort instead of just complaining about the weight."
With the increased gravity, Louis felt as if he were carrying two large sandbags.
"That's right. Because it's you, I could increase the weight without worrying."
Anyone else would've begged for mercy, but Louis, with his superhuman strength, took it without complaint.
"So, what now?"
When Louis asked, the Emperor extended a hand toward Pram.
"Will you take my hand?"
"Now?"
The sudden request piqued Pram's curiosity.
Though she possessed the powers of the great devil that would normally turn anything she touched into ashes, lately she'd been able to control that power well.
So, she took the Emperor's hand without fear.
"Huh?"
At that instant, Louis felt a change.
"Well? Do you feel anything?"
In response, Louis said,
"My body feels lighter. No, it's not my body—it's the force on me..."
"Yes, my power on you has weakened."
The gravity manipulation on Louis had lessened.
It felt as if two sandbags had been replaced by one, which felt rather novel to him.
"Why is this happening?"
"As I thought, that's the reason."
The Emperor looked certain about something after observing the phenomenon.
"Louis, what measures do you use to control the Chaos Dragon's power?"
"I use a spell, or... otherwise..."
'Otherwise...' Louis glanced at Pram.
"Yes, you'd rely on the World Tree's power, wouldn't you? The World Tree is the only thing that can suppress the Chaos Dragon's power."
"But why did Your Majesty's ability weaken just from holding Pram's hand?"
Silia, still not understanding, remained puzzled. But the answer had already been demonstrated.
"You saw it a moment ago. Because I came into contact with the 'World Tree,' my power weakened. And the World Tree and the Chaos Dragon are polar opposites."
"So then..."
Realizing, Silia's face hardened.
"Our royal family's supernatural powers may be of a similar type to the Chaos Dragon's."
There existed a fatal, telling similarity: both weakened in the presence of the World Tree's power.
"What do you two think?"
Silia asked the twin blades at her waist. Heroic voices emerged from them.
[It's quite likely. The World Tree only weakens evil demonic energy or the Chaos Dragon's power.]
[The fact that it weakens your power is itself evidence. It's not certain yet, but the World Tree's power is definitely affecting 'supernatural powers.']
Hearing this, the Emperor felt a chilling thought cross his mind.
"Then does this mean we royals are monsters like Louis...?"
[No, that's not it. From what we see, you are definitely human.]
[We're sure, so don't worry.]
Does that mean the royal family, like Louis, carried the monstrous power of the Chaos Dragon?
While both could produce supernatural power without magic, the royals were no monsters.
They didn't go berserk as Louis sometimes did.
[Besides, Your Majesty, your supernatural power suits your body perfectly. You're not in danger of being consumed by it.]
[Did you say you were born with it? Then it's basically a part of your body.]
The royal family's powers were innate.
Going berserk from such ability is like a newborn's hands and feet moving involuntarily.
For them, supernatural power was as much a part of them as their own limbs.
[Also, even in our era there was someone else with a similar power.]
[Isaac, once one of us five comrades.]
[He was also the Imperial Court's crown prince at the time.]
"Yes, the reason for opening the secret room is to find out more about that Hero."
The monsters that attacked Seifert Village—though summoned by Eramon, the Great Devil—were found to bear power similar to that of the Heroes, as Mirianne and Frederick's investigation revealed.
To uncover information about this, the Emperor wanted to open the secret room.
"That Isaac person must have used supernatural powers since he was of the royal family, right?"
[No. He mastered aura just like I did. He didn't rely on any other ability.]
Frederick refuted Louis's query, and having fought alongside Isaac personally, his word carried weight.
[He was also suspicious in some ways. Though I trusted him, he always seemed to be hiding something.]
[He died after defeating the Chaos Dragon. The aftereffects were much worse for him than for us.]
Two other Heroes likewise died for the same reason. Only Frederick and Mirianne survived.
"Was he a good person?"
[He wasn't a bad one. He used the World Tree's wisdom to forge artifacts, and his support on the front lines let us survive longer.]
[Even if there were things I couldn't trust, I could entrust my back to him.]
It was a perfectly neutral review, so one couldn't easily judge.
"But why did monsters that attacked our village have his presence?"
[Hard to say.]
[That's as far as we know.]
Yet the monsters that attacked Seifert almost caused massive casualties. If it was truly the work of Isaac, he was no good man.
"And do you know why I called even Silia?"
The Emperor had summoned not just Louis and Pram, but also Silia.
"It's because of them."
[Hmm?]
[Us?]
More precisely, it was because Silia could handle the Bloodline—he was actually inviting Frederick and Mirianne.
"We're at the final step of unsealing it... but it simply won't open. That's why we need the key."
[So, we are the key.]
The Emperor agreed with Mirianne's statement.
[That means there's a spell only we can undo.]
"It's been sealed for hundreds of years, and it was left behind by the Emperor of that time. It's no wonder it won't open with just our power."
After the explanation, they went to the entrance of the sealed chamber.
Taking a hidden magic lift deep in the Imperial Palace underground, they reached a huge door.
Never once had any Emperor been able to unlock this door.
Now the twin blades imbued with the lingering thoughts of the past Heroes were set into its seal.
[Let's begin.]
A key that shouldn't exist in this age was used to unlock a seal that should never open.
The process happened in an instant.
[Easier than I thought.]
As the door opened, the party was greeted by the shocking secret hidden in the Imperial Court.