Chapter 299
Several nobles were seated first in the conference hall.
buzz buzz.
An awkward atmosphere somewhere.
The nobles were talking in pairs.
“Is it really true that a stranger cleared the Dark Forest?”
“Some say it’s not at the level of sweeping…”
“Isn’t it on the level of sweeping? What does that mean?”
The main content was also related to the dark forest.
To be precise, it was about Seo-joon, a stranger who wiped out the dark forest.
Earth or Astelgiana. It seemed like rumors had already spread, as if it were the same as a horse without feet going a thousand miles.
“Kuhm.”
Arriving at the meeting place, Vettel cleared her throat slightly.
Only then did the nobles, who noticed Vettel\'s existence, start to shut up one by one.
But that\'s for a while.
buzz buzz.
The atmosphere, which had been quiet, began to become chaotic again.
However, unlike a moment ago, there was a little less clutter because of paying attention to Vettel.
Even so, the chaotic atmosphere did not change much.
Vettel\'s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
But that\'s something you can\'t say anything about.
As if to express her displeasure, Vettel strode forward and took her seat at the designated place.
How much time had passed like that?
“Your Highness is here!”
With a booming voice, the Crown Prince of the Empire, Cals, appeared in the conference hall.
At the same time, the tumult that had been buzzing all at once fell silent, and all the nobles rose from their seats.
Carls walked across the aristocrats who had risen from their seats and walked confidently...
“...?”
“……?”
I don\'t know why, but Carl\'s face looked quite different from usual.
To be precise, his face was very shattered, as if he had been through hard labor.
At least it was that much because the uniforms were neat and the attendants hurriedly rushed in to take care of it.
I couldn\'t even imagine what it would look like raw.
Perhaps because of that, the atmosphere on Carl\'s face and expression was truly miserable.
Turbuck.
Another person appeared after Carls.
It was none other than Seo-jun, who opened the meeting.
As expected, Seo-joon looked dumbfounded, as if he had lost a screw.
It is unbelievable that he was the one who wiped out the dark forest.
And unlike the previous Carls,
Seo-jun\'s expression was a smile.
Carls, befitting a crown prince, was placed in the most prestigious seat, and
Seo-joon took a quick look around and found himself in a suitable place.
And just then.
“Come this way.”
Carls called Seo-jun and guided him to another seat.
And the seat that Carls guided.
It was a position similar to that of the emperor, and a higher position than that of the crown prince, Calth.
same as last time
Doing the same thing again
Vettel didn\'t want to miss this, so he went straight ahead.
“Your Highness, I think this is an excessive position for a stranger. And my memory is dark, so I know this story ended last time. Please consider that treating strangers on the same level as Your Majesty could be considered disrespect for Your Majesty.”
Vettel slightly lowered her head and gave a fishy smile.
He would, too, because this was literally an issue that was over the last time.
Therefore, Bethel\'s words just now said, ‘I don\'t know if you are an emperor, but you are not an emperor yet. But why do you act like an emperor?” and at the same time.
‘You\'re not a kid, are you going to stop using the group?\' It wasn\'t the same as swearing.
And it was the same as turning Carls into an expression of ‘his own memory is dark\'.
Just a few words brought the first atmosphere.
Taking the initiative from the start of the meeting.
Anyway, there was no other stupid prince.
“Oh it was.”
As expected, Carls nodded as if he had forgotten.
however.
“But isn’t that the situation then?”
“……?”
Vettel felt like she was going crazy for a moment.
How is it different from then?
Could it be that Seo-joon will treat you like that because he wiped out the dark forest?
If that was the case, it was an even more stupid idea.
To say he would treat you like an emperor just by clearing the dark forest.
Of course, it was true that clearing the dark forest was a great achievement.
However, that could not be a reason to be placed in the same position as the emperor.
In that sense, all mercenaries in the empire were emperors.
Above all, the dark forest was a scourge of the empire, but wasn\'t it a crisis of the empire?
Vettel snorted and opened her mouth slowly.
No, to be precise, I tried to open my mouth.
“Kim Seo-joon is now my teacher.”
“……?”
Vettel was momentarily speechless at Carl\'s words that fell like a bomb.
And not just Vettel, but all the nobles gathered in the conference hall.
Silence between moments.
“......!!!”
“......!!!”
“......!!!”
The nobles in the meeting room opened their eyes for a moment.
“So it\'s only natural that you sit in a higher seat than me. Surely it doesn\'t mean that my teacher should be in a lower position than me?”
The nobles were speechless.
Because everything Carl said was true.
Right then.
“That is nonsense!”
Vettel\'s shout was heard as if to refute Carl\'s words.
Vettel was looking at Carls with a furrowed eyebrow.
Vettel could never admit this.
Even if he seemed stupid, Carls was none other than the crown prince.
A person who will later become the emperor who will rule the empire.
And it is safe to say that being such a teacher of Carls actually guaranteed the position of Grand Master.
Taishi (太師) is the only person who can be placed above the emperor.
In other words, the one who is above everyone in the empire.
Giving such a noble place to a stranger over there?
Even for such a stupid bastard?
“To think that such a major matter was decided by Your Highness alone! Absolutely not!”
“What\'s wrong with me saying I\'m going to serve my teacher?”
Vettel shouted with a face full of shame.
“Your Highness is the person who will become the father of the empire in the future! Being the teacher of such a highness is the same as being the teacher of the empire. No matter how much you are your teacher, this is a matter that cannot be decided by your own judgment!”
At Vettel\'s resolute words, Carls kept his mouth shut.
And Vettel let out a small laugh at the sight of Karls.
also.
I thought I would only act hastily, but I still had no idea.
Right then.
“good night. So, let’s decide the matter now and go.”
Suddenly, Carls opened his mouth with a confident face.
Then Carls looked straight at Vettel and asked.
“I will ask Sir Bethel. Why can\'t Kim Seo-joon be my teacher?”
“......”
Vettel was momentarily at a loss for words.
It was because he had never expected that Carl would come out like that.
“Didn’t I ask you now? Or are you ignoring me?”
An attitude full of dignity.
Vettel bit his teeth and opened his mouth.
“As I said before, being the Grand Master of the Empire is like being the teacher of the Empire. So, you have to have the ability and qualifications to match it—”
“Ability and qualifications. You spoke well.”
Carls cut off Vettel.
Then he looked at the nobles seated in the conference hall and said.
“You may have heard of it, but Master cleared the dark forest alone. This is something I have seen and experienced with my own two eyes. I guarantee it on my honor.”
That moment.
“Your Highness said you were with me? That dangerous place?”
“Oh no wait. Rather, you cleared the dark forest by yourself?”
“What nonsense…”
The meeting hall began to shake.
Cals looked at those ministers and said to Vettel.
“I think this is enough to prove Master\'s ability... but what about Sir Bethel?”
Vettel had nothing to say.
The fact that he swept the dark forest alone.
Because that fact alone was enough to prove his ability.
“Yes, but there is no guarantee that it is true…”
“I would have said I would risk my honor.”
“......”
Vettel kept her mouth shut.
More than Carls directly staked his honor. To refute that was tantamount to denying the imperial family.
“Then, by chance, Your Highness may clear up and give credit to that stranger...”
“Do you think that makes sense now?”
The look on Carl\'s expression as he looked at it was literally ‘What are you talking about?\' It looked like he was saying.
“......”
And Vettel didn’t know that either.
Unbeknownst to me, I lost my sense of balance.
In times like this, you need to be calm.
Carl\'s voice came over Vettel again.
“Even Master is a close friend of current Taesa Aren, and he is a person whom Aren recognizes enough to write a letter of recommendation. If you do this, I think you are qualified.”
“However, he does not accept strangers. Having a foreigner as the Grand Master is...”
“That means that you are not qualified just because you are a foreigner?”
“The Gentiles are those whose roots are unclear. You never know when or where you\'re going to do something.”
“Because he is a stranger, he cannot know when, where, or what he did...”
Carls laughed and continued.
“Then I guess I\'ll have to kill all the foreigners residing in the empire. Because they are all potential rebels.”
“......”
Vettel was at a loss for words once again.
And the look of Carls I saw.
Something has changed.
Vettel was able to realize at once.
Normally, Carls couldn\'t even say this.
When Vettel refuted, he would parent it,
but the only thing he could do was bite his teeth.
It was really hard to refute item by item so openly.
He knew that Carl\'s talent was excellent, but only ‘talent\' was outstanding.
In addition, as much as his status was his, he was raised as a newbie who doesn\'t know the world.
As usual, it was a bonus that there was no cheapness.
That\'s why, in the imperial palace, where prenatal battles and air battles unfolded, they were just prey.
But in the past few days, I have become a completely different person.
To be exact, since I was with a stranger.
Vettel\'s gaze naturally turned to Seo-joon.
Seo-joon was still smiling, wondering what was so enjoyable.
that\'s the guy
That appearance convinced Vettel.
That guy made Carls like that.
I saw him in an awkward atmosphere, but
he was more meticulous than I thought.
Because of that, there was no justification or basis to refute right now.
But that doesn\'t mean there will be no future.
At any time, this matter can be publicized again.
So take a step back for now.
Because this place wasn\'t meant for this in the first place.
And if you withdraw like this now, you will have a reason to fight back.
I\'ll take a step back now
You, too, take a step back in the next one.
“... I will obey Your Highness\' will.”
Vettel lowered her head slightly and stepped back.
Unknowingly, my eyebrows are twisted.
It was a feeling of taking one step back in order to take two steps forward, but
that didn\'t mean I didn\'t feel dissatisfied.
“Please take a seat.”
Carls offered a seat to Seo-joon with a satisfied expression.
Seo-joon was naturally placed in the most prestigious position.
That\'s how Seojun is located.
“Since the story just came out, let’s start the meeting right away.”
Carls continued talking.
“As I said earlier, Master has cleared the Dark Forest, the bane of the Empire. Just what I saw...”
Carls continued to talk about this.
Exactly what happened in the dark forest.
More precisely, it was about how Seo-jun cleared the dark forest.
“I can’t believe it…”
“I thought that was really true…?”
“Not even His Majesty could do something like that...!”
The faces of the aristocrats who heard the story were gradually stained with astonishment.
The long story of Carl\'s ended like that.
“Therefore, I would like to give Master the promised 100 billion gold as compensation.”
It was just when Carls came to his conclusion.
“Your Highness, Vettel. Can I just say one word?”
Vettel shouted softly through the astonished atmosphere of the conference hall.
It was as if he had been waiting for Carl\'s words.
“What else?”
Carls raised his eyebrows and asked, and Vettel answered right away.
“As Your Highness said, it is only natural that we keep our promises. However, I don\'t think it\'s an unreasonable decision to keep that promise right now.”
“Are you in trouble right now?”
Vettel lowered her head slightly and said.
“100 billion gold is an enormous amount. Although it\'s not to the point where I can\'t spend it from the empire\'s budget... I think there should be His Majesty\'s permission to use this amount of budget.”
“Your Majesty Yunhe?”
“It is.”
Vettel nodded.
To put it simply, ‘Carls, you are only the crown prince. It meant ‘don\'t use your budget on your own\'.
and at the same time.
“But now, since Your Majesty is missing…”
It was like saying that he would not give money to Seo-Jun until he found the emperor.
In the first place, Seo-jun had two conditions.
To clear the darkness and find clues about the missing emperor.
So, if you want to get paid, go see the emperor.
‘But I can\'t find the missing emperor.\'
Vettel let out a bitter laugh.
At the same time, Vettel felt as if he could hear the wrath of Carls biting his teeth.
Right then.
“From here on out, let me tell you.”
Seo-joon, who had been still for a moment, began to step out.
focused gaze.
Vettel could feel Seo-jun\'s gaze looking at her.
At that moment, Seojun suddenly smiled.
< I don\'t know... I don\'t know...! >
And a small voice came from somewhere.
It was the voice he used to say about himself.
But why today?
< I really don\'t know...! >
The voice just kept repeating that it didn\'t know.
Something... I\'m starting to get a foreboding feeling.
At that moment, Seo-joon began to take something out of his pocket.
“Is that…?”
“Aren\'t they His Majesty\'s staff!”
It was none other than the sword the emperor used.
“As expected, everyone knows it well! Yes, this is the staff His Majesty used. It was found in none other than Bogus Wilderness!
The Bogus Wilderness, like the Dark Forest, was one of Astelgia\'s abandoned lands.
It was similar to the dark forest in terms of danger.
“Bogus Wilderness!”
“You mean His Majesty went there!”
Behind the astonished nobles\' words, Seo-joon shouted again.
“I searched all over the dimension to find you. And after a lot of hard work, I was able to find this one clue.”
< Lies! You\'re what Aren was looking for! Kim Seo-joon just picked it up and ate it... Eup! Ugh! >
An unknown voice kept ringing in Vettel\'s ears.
“How much trouble did you put into finding this… this is one clue about Your Majesty, right? So, earning 100 billion gold?”
The nobles had nothing to say.
Because it wasn\'t wrong.
No, but even if I did, should I say it cheaply?
I was just thinking about it.
“And there are more.”
Seojun then took something out of the kibisis again.
And he continued to explain something...
“Three great things!”
“How can that be!”
As a result, the nobles are upset.
Frankly, Vettel wasn\'t listening.
< How can you be so shameless, Kim Seo-joon! Aren-sama\'s hard work like this, like a robber—! town! Ugh!!! >
There was only a small, incomprehensible voice circling around.
There was only an ominous foreboding.
In that way, Seo-jun suggested a total of 3 clues.
In a word, it was 300 billion gold.
“In this short time, you\'re clearing the dark forest and searching for His Majesty\'s whereabouts at the same time.”
“Is this really the person Your Highness will take as your teacher...”
The nobles couldn\'t help but admire Seo-Jun\'s actions.
exactly one person.
“so.”
Only Bettel had a displeased look on his face.
Vettel took a step forward and spoke to Seo-jun.
“In the end, we only found clues, but couldn\'t find His Majesty... isn\'t it?”
Vettel bit her teeth and finished her words.
Currently, Seo-joon is Carl\'s teacher, so he can no longer treat him carelessly.
But the johndae didn\'t stick to his mouth.
And anyway, I just found clues like this or that.
In the end, it was just a clue.
Practically nothing has been achieved.
“In the end, we couldn\'t find His Majesty, did we? It would be different if you found His Majesty at the end, but isn\'t it the same as not being able to receive His Majesty\'s promise?”
In a word, he had no money to give to Seo-joon.
however.
“So, are you saying that if you have His Majesty’s Yun Heo, you will acknowledge all of the above?”
For some reason, Seojun\'s expression was unusual.
And just then.
< No stomach upset!!! You shouldn\'t have said that!!! >
Along with an unknown voice, Seo-joon\'s mouth moved from side to side.
It took a while for Vettel to grasp the situation.
“So I\'m ready!”
Seojun quickly shouted.
“Please wait here for a moment!”
And in case the words change, Seo
-joon hurriedly left the meeting room.
“……?”
“……?”
Seo-joon\'s sudden action caused a brief uproar in the meeting room.
What did you prepare for?
It\'s been a while since I thought that.
jump.
Seo-joon, who had suddenly disappeared, came carrying something on his back.
It was none other than a person, but he was hanging on Seo-jun\'s shoulder, hanging limply, as if he had passed out.
The aristocrats carefully looked at the person Seo-joon was carrying.
Along with her slender body, her long, drooping silver hair.
A dreamy atmosphere that feels somewhere.
“Voila! Your Majesty the Emperor!”
It was none other than the missing emperor Elian.
“......!!!!”
“......!!!!”
“......!!!!”
The mouths of the nobles, including Vettel, were wide open and did not intend to close.
At the same time, an eerie silence descended.
“Now then, each contract is 300 billion gold for 3 clues, 100 billion gold for finding Your Majesty, and 100 billion gold for clearing the dark forest. All in all, 500 billion gold, right?”
Literally staggering silence.
“......” ”
......”
“......”
Everyone present in the meeting hall began to ascend to heaven one by one.
And Carls, who was watching it.
He said that he would take care of the compensation for the mental damage he received from His Majesty, so was it like this
...
Besides, considering the tutoring expenses of 500 trillion won per hour to be spent on Seo-
joon
...
Only Carl\'s deep sigh resounded in the meeting hall.