It was very easy to coax powerful people.
The Princess, sitting next to the Emperor, would take a little time, but to look good to that old man would indeed be a piece of cake.
I didn’t know how this Emperor ran the Empire when he was young and what he did, but I knew very well what his state was right now.
‘Lame duck.’
This Empire really needed a change in regime if it wanted to be successful in the future. No wonder so many rumors were circulating about him.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the Emperor had lost his power. He was still in position, the supreme decision-maker with a fixed amount of support, and the power to proclaim his successor. This meant that he would stay in power for the next three to five years.
The question was, how did the Emperor himself feel? Even if he actually wasn’t…
‘He can obviously feel the imperial power weakening…’
Otherwise, there was no reason for us to be here.
The Emperor’s disposition was Timid Power.
He was the kind of human who would match well with me.
Those in power pretended to hate the vassals, but the truth was that they loved them more than anyone else. Humans couldn’t hate those who flattered them directly.
‘I can’t flatter him too openly, but…’
I could definitely get him to like me within the course of this dinner.
“Hahaha. That’s… a funny story…”
I didn’t have to talk much, and he was already showing me a smile, undoubtedly seeing me as a nice guy at this point.
“Come to think of it… you are an alchemist, right?”
“That’s right, His Majesty, the Great Emperor.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I remember that you… hmm… had many titles. You are also the person who developed alchemy in the Empire… Didn’t they say you were chosen by a dragon? If my memory is correct… Charlotte?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Lee Kiyoung, who was appointed as one of the Eight Seats of the Empire, is the Vice Guild Master of the Blue Guild, founded in the Free City of Lindel, and is the first to be chosen by a dragon on the continent. I was also told that he was the first summoner to receive an honorary post from the Pope’s side, and he is very close to Cardinal Basel.”
“Right. He did… He is the Honorary Bishop of the Pope’s side.”
“I was lucky. That’s why I could get acquainted with him. Haha. Cardinal Basel has a fiery side, but he is more concerned about the Holy Empire’s future than anyone else.”
“Right… I know.”
“In fact, I like to meet new people. I have a strong relationship with other nobles in the Empire.”
“Oh, is that so…”
“I have a good relationship with people like Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and Count Elise.”
I also had a very good relationship with the nobles of the pro-emperor faction.
“With Victor Hart…”
Victor Hart, who was standing near the Emperor, sent me a questioning look, but I averted my gaze and continued.
“Since Cha Hee-ra and I are also close…”
“Ah… is that so? Hahaha. I see. Come to think of it… Victor Hart, you said you think of that red-haired foreigner like a daughter… right? My old friend got a very good son-in-law in his later years…”
“I-I apologize, Your Majesty.”
Victor Hart didn’t seem to want to be associated with me very much, but it was far too late for that.
“Yes… okay. That’s right…”
In the meantime, seeing that the woman named Charlotte told the Emperor that I was related to the Pope’s side, it seemed that she didn’t like me. Because of this, I thought about whether I was too openly acting as a vassal.
The Emperor was important, but the Princess was also the main subject of management.
Of course, she also seemed to loosen her expression after hearing that I was getting along with the nobles of the pro-emperor faction, but she was still wary of me.
Now, I knew it wouldn’t take too much time to get her over to our side.
I bet the Princess also knew that they would eventually need me. I was already the center of attention as it was, and not taking advantage of this would be their loss.
“By the way, the Princess’s beauty is dazzling. Seeing the eyes full of vibrance, anyone can see that you have inherited His Majesty’s blood.”
“Right. Our Charlotte is beautiful.”
“It’s also thanks to Your Majesty.”
“Yes… absolutely.”
It was funny seeing how easily he accepted my praise. However, Charlotte herself was aloof to my compliment, which gave me more insight into her personality.
‘I need to spend some time in order to get close to her…’
This would only work if I could see her after this affair, but I could focus on that later.
While the meal continued, we talked course, the topic wasn’t just focused on me. From the Emperor’s point of view, all eight people here were subject to management.
Everyone else answered the Emperor’s question sincerely and tried to maintain a good atmosphere, but somehow, attention was bound to focus on me.
Each of the Eight Seats of the continent was basically the head of their own respective group, and it was natural for each one to stand on top of others. I could already tell I had won this fight, though. All of these were necessary techniques for living in society.
Anyway, the Emperor had shown me that he wanted to have a separate discussion with me as the meal continued. The others also felt like leaving the Emperor up to me.
In particular, Cha Hee-ra, Celia’s Ibuki Suzumiya, and Dawan’s Cheon Gwan-wi seemed to have little interest in getting close to the Emperor. They even seemed grateful to me for snagging his attention.
Kim Hyun-sung felt unusually focused on the Princess, but it was difficult to read his face, so it was difficult to judge what the Princess had been like in the first round.
‘Is she the next Empress?’
The possibility was high.
In the first place, it was already evident that she had a high standing, as she had been included in this social event.
As time passed by, the hard atmosphere gradually loosened.
Of course, the old and sick Emperor also began to focus on the stories, turning his attention back to me. I didn’t even have to bring up the subject first.
Rather, he was just throwing questions to me, ones that were easy to answer.
As usual, with someone who had condescending attitudes, I exclaimed at his youth’s story and praise for His Majesty’s greatness. The pleasant Emperor smiled once more at this.
Of course, this alone was not enough. The art of conversation was a tricky field.
One had to keep in tune with the other person’s story and find elements that interested them as well. That was the way to be liked.
Of course, it wasn’t difficult to find such an element.
Even our 1-year-old Tol To-ri would know what these humans wanted.
“Did you just say an elixir? Hm…”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a potion that has been handed down only as a story along with the Sage’s Stone to those who study alchemy, although I haven’t yet learned the details due to my low achievements. It is a divine gift that is said to be able to heal all diseases and injuries, as well as restore youth.”
“Haha. I see. Is it possible… to research about it?”
“Sorry, but it is not. To be honest, it is almost impossible to achieve such results within a short period.”
“Hmm. Thank you for being honest.”
“It seems like I shouldn’t have said it.”
“No. It’s not that. Rather, it’s better to be honest like this. You uh… are a little different from the other nobles.”
“I sincerely apologize for that.”
“No. I’m not rebuking you, so you don’t have to apologize. Hmm… So, that elixir…”
Hook, line, and sinker. There was no need for me to instill hope in him for that elixir.
It was more advantageous for me to tell him that it was impossible than try and deceive him. He was already interested, anyway.
“It seems that elixir is a potion that can turn the Sage’s Stone into a catalyst. Of course, it is still not possible to properly figure out what the Sage’s Stone is.”
“Ohhh… I see.”
“Making an elixir or seeing the Sage’s Stone is probably the dream of every alchemist. I believe it will happen someday. I didn’t expect that I would be chosen by a dragon until a few months ago, so perhaps someday…”
“Well, yes. Come to think of it, you said you were chosen by a dragon… I’ve never actually seen a dragon in my whole life, so I was hoping it came along, but how unfortunate.”
“Yes. As you might expect, it’s not a creature I can control…”
“That’s right. Even if I say they’re better creatures than human beings, there is no shortage.”
“But… I can show you a little bit of that here. Of course, it’s not a complete dragon, but…”
The Emperor looked at me, curiously. At this, Victor Hart stiffened.
“Please refrain from doing useless things…”
“No. Victor Hart… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is not such a person.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
I definitely liked the trust in his voice.
“No… How can I see the dragon?”
“I know you’ve authorized it, so please excuse me, Your Majesty.”
As flames sprang up in my hands, the face of a dragon slowly began to materialize in one of the walls of the spacious parlor. The crackling sound as it formulated its shape sounded unrealistic, even to the most experienced wizard.
“Grrooooaarr…”
Although it was downgraded enough to fit inside the room, with its large eyes, menacing teeth, and huge horns, anyone could see it was a dark dragon.
The Emperor and members of the Eight Seats from other cities—even Charlotte—were looking at it with their mouths open. However, this was just a childish showmanship.
It went without saying that Jung Hayan’s magic was more useful on the battlefield than any of my skills. Kim Hyunsung could easily cut my materialized dragon’s head off with his sword.
However, my goal here was to give off an impressionable show of my alchemy, and it was working.
“Ha… Haha…”
The Emperor quietly laughed, looking perplexed.
“This, like this, uh, how…”
The Princess herself was also speechless.
“It’s just alchemy.”
This was only a small event that would prove my worth.