‘Well, I guess I should pack this too.’

I rummaged through my pouch to check the ring I had stashed away. It was a ring adorned with the crest of the Fratroyd family, obtained from the Arachnae Boss Room.

I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to deliver this, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep it, just in case. It’d be great to solve it alongside what I actually needed to do, but even if that didn’t happen, having it wouldn’t be a loss.

‘Maybe I’ll have some time after visiting the Imperial Palace.’

While the outcome had undoubtedly been positive, I hadn’t achieved any of the goals I initially set out for.

I still hadn’t obtained the rune to dispel combat fatigue debuffs, nor had I defeated all the mandatory bosses from the early story. Yet, new tasks kept popping up like pop! pop! pop!

Since my stats had increased, I needed to find a new weapon to replace the blood-stained sword, and alongside that, I had to look for dark magic to use with the new weapon, and find a rune to go with that dark magic too.

Not only had my tasks increased, but now there was a forced event to deal with—talk about huff puff!

At least this call offered a chance to progress in the main story, so I was grateful for that. I’d find a way to tackle the remaining two mandatory bosses somehow.

I checked my attire in the mirror, confirmed there were no awkward bits, and stepped out of the room.

‘Is it supposed to be this tight around the neck?’

I was used to wearing plain fabric tops and plain fabric pants, or maybe just leather pants, so suddenly putting on a full uniform felt quite weird. Especially with this strangling feeling around my neck.

Fidgeting with the collar as I approached the Castle Main Gate where the Knight Commanders were waiting, I spotted four of them still dressed in white sleeveless tops and dolphin shorts.

I knew that was the Knight’s uniform, but I never expected them to wear that when meeting the Emperor. Wearing casual clothes to meet the Emperor? Now that was ugh!

They weren’t wearing armor, unlike when they went to see the Pope. According to them, it wasn’t for security but the visit itself was the purpose, so wearing armor would be considered rude.

But when they dressed for the Pope, they looked sharp, so I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. I figured there must be some etiquette I didn’t know about.

“I’m here,” I called out.

As I waved at the gathered Knight Commanders at the Castle Main Gate, all four of them turned to look at me simultaneously with wide eyes.

Upon seeing me, they all looked utterly stunned.

Lize was staring at me with a vacant expression, and Erica looked similar. Claudia was no different, and even Iris seemed half-frozen in place.

Confused by their reactions, I spoke up.

“What’s going on? Why the sudden group staring?”

“Ah, no… it’s just that… your outfit really, um… suits you well?”

“Huh?”

Lize mumbled, and I lowered my head to inspect my clothes. Overall, it was black with golden embroidery here and there, quite a reputation for uniformity.

Since it looked way fancier than the uniform Kaiquilia wore, when I subtly asked if it was okay for me to wear something more extravagant than the Emperor, Aurora nearly burst into laughter.

She said it was nice of me to highly evaluate the outfit she picked for me, but really, compliments should have some boundaries. It felt like I ended up giving a lot of flattery to Aurora’s fashion sense.

But what was I supposed to do about it?

My uniform was heavily decorated and incredibly flashy, whereas Kaiquilia’s was almost barren except for the golden insignia on her shoulder. Considering she was the Empire’s Emperor, it must have been quite modest, but clearly, others saw it differently.

“Hey, Lize. Watch your jaw—if you’re cool with Delta, at least close your mouth while looking.”

“……”

Claudia, the first to regain her composure among the four, closed Lize’s agape mouth with her hand. But as soon as she did, it opened again, prompting a sigh from Claudia.

“What’s wrong with Erica? She’s lost it completely just like her sister!”

Erica also had a spaced-out expression, echoing Lize’s vacant stare—it’s true, sisters really looked alike in moments like these.

It took a few more minutes before both of them snapped back to reality.

As soon as Lize collected herself, she clung to my arm more intensely than usual, while Erica was too busy stealing glances at me.

‘If you want to look, just look openly.’

What’s it to lose?

Suddenly, I remembered what Lize had mentioned before. Even though she and Erica seemed nothing alike on the outside, their tastes in men were identical.

For just a moment, a nah, it can’t be thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. To think that way would be excessive self-awareness. Even if Lize was on the front lines, Erica wasn’t.

This reaction carried on even after we arrived at the mansion.

“Wow, I picked the outfit, but it’s seriously intimidating. Is it because I have a good figure? It didn’t feel like this when I was at the store.”

“Why are you acting like this when you saw the Lord once before?”

“Seeing them once makes it more surprising, doesn’t it? Isn’t that natural?”

Aurora nodded rapidly as soon as she saw me, and her observations continued until Iris, unable to bear it any longer, interjected.

“Lord, we should be on our way soon.”

“Oh right, I forgot! I almost lost track of time because of Delta!”

“…Is that my fault?”

Ignoring my incredulous mumbles, Aurora pulled out a teleportation scroll wedged between imperial decrees. Iris took it from her and dramatically unfurled it.

Maid Lana and the knights who typically kept an eye on the mansion were outside to bid us farewell. Aurora spoke to Lana, unfazed.

“I’ll leave the mansion to you while I’m gone, Lana.”

“Yes, my lord. I will not disappoint your expectations.”

There were no flowery words, but this exchange strongly reflected their trust in one another.

Lana glanced at Aurora, nodded, and then quickly looked at me, jostling and then blushing in surprise.

She still seemed embarrassed from that last joking incident. Honestly, if I had thrown a joke at someone I wasn’t close to and the reaction was chaotic, I’d probably feel mortified for a week too.

Iris, holding the teleportation scroll, placed her palm on the magic circle inscribed on it. Mana absorbed into her hand as if by magic, causing her palm to glow a brilliant blue.

That was an item sold as a consumable even in-game. It was meant to teleport players to a predetermined location saved on the scroll, and for a one-time use item, it was ridiculously expensive.

Of course, in high-level scenarios where experience points and money drop in bulk from fields, one could easily have hundreds of these in their inventory.

As Iris created a blue circle enveloping the six of us, she released her grip from the circle’s edge. Immediately, a pillar of light shot up into the sky. A signal that teleportation was underway.

“Have a safe trip,” Lana’s final farewell echoed as an all-too-familiar sensation washed over me, one I experienced not long ago. My vision flickered, and a blue flash covered my eyelids. Once again, my eyes automatically closed.

The flash rapidly dimmed. I opened my eyes, regaining my sight as the surrounding scenery came into view. It was a room more extravagantly decorated than in Aurora’s reception room, or indeed, any place I’d seen before.

It felt like enough gold was used to decorate this single room to match the weight of several people. The sheer brightness was nearly painful to my eyes.

Moreover, it wasn’t just gold; every piece of furniture was adorned with various jewels, truly showcasing the pinnacle of opulence.

“……”

As I became overwhelmed by the dazzling decor, the Knight Commanders wore slightly moved faces, looking around in awe. They must be feeling nostalgic returning to the Imperial Palace after years away.

“How does it feel?”

As I continued to observe the decor, someone approached my side. It was Aurora.

“It’s incredible in many ways. Is the entire Imperial Palace like this?”

“Well…this room is our equivalent of the reception room, so it’s specially dressed up, but you can think of the other places as being much the same. They aren’t too different from this one. In fact, the central hall where my aunt is and the bedroom are even fancier than this.”

“A bedroom fancier than this? Is it fit to sleep there?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to ask when you meet the Emperor.”

I shot her a look as if to say, ‘Are you serious?’ and Aurora burst into laughter. Before I could respond further, I glanced at an old-fashioned and massive grandfather clock sitting in the corner of the room.

According to what the Emperor had mentioned, we still had about 15 minutes left. Just as I prepared to lean back on the sofa, a knocking sound reverberated from the reception room door.

The Knight Commanders froze in place, all sharing an expression of ‘The time has finally come.’

Meanwhile, I thought there was still a bit of time left before the Emperor arrived and moved toward the door. No way would Kaiquilia call for us before the scheduled time.

Before I even managed to open the door, someone thrust it wide open from the outside.