Chapter 52: Treasure Vault (part 2)

The awards ceremony for the exam proceeded clumsily and ended in a lackluster manner.  

No one in the auditorium took the test results seriously.  

It was understandable. Despite rumors that the emperor himself would personally congratulate the top performers, no cadets seemed particularly focused on the results.  

“This is it.”  

“Ah, yes…”  

“Yes, yes!”  

Noah and I were summoned by the emperor in advance and made our way to the room where he awaited.  

The knights stationed around us stood rigidly, their intimidating presence making it clear that even the slightest sign of disrespect could cost us our lives.  

“I’ll tell you this now… Do not even dream of summoning a creature in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor.”  

Though I had no such intention, the knight delivered the warning as if anticipating even the faintest possibility.  

Looking at his stern demeanor, I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.  

‘Even if I summon something…’  

“Of course, there would be no way to harm His Majesty’s esteemed form,” the knight added, almost as if he had read my mind.  

“His Majesty is the only 5-star Summoner in the empire.”  

A tale known across the empire—it was said that the first emperor, long ago, had managed to summon a 5-star creature with a single attempt. Since then, the imperial family had passed down the summon through generations, cementing their rule.  

The belief that the Demon King refrained from attacking solely due to the might of this 5-star summon was a widely held notion.  

‘What nonsense.’  

The truth was, the Demon King far surpassed the power of an untrained 5-star summon. There were entirely different reasons why the Demon King hadn’t invaded humanity’s realm, but such thoughts were better left unsaid in front of imperial knights. I wasn’t eager to lose my head.  

“Take this.”  

When we arrived outside the drawing room, the knight handed both Noah and me gloves. They were magical items designed to suppress the summoning circles on the backs of our hands.  

I reluctantly put on the glove, silently cursing the need for such restrictions.  

The knight performed additional magical measures to ensure the gloves stayed secure, then opened the door to the drawing room.  

The moment we entered, the knight knelt and bowed his head to the emperor. Noah and I followed suit, lowering our heads respectfully.  

“I greet the sun of the empire, Your Majesty the Emperor.”  

“I greet Your Majesty.”  

“Uh, yes… Greetings, Your Majesty.”  

“Enough,” the emperor interrupted, gesturing for us to rise.  

He was lounging on a sofa, leisurely sipping tea, his gaze focused on the two of us. With a sigh, he motioned for the knight to leave.  

“You may go.”  

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  

The knight exited, leaving just the emperor, Noah, and me in the room. He directed us to sit on the couch across from him.  

The emperor studied our faces intently. 

Noah, clearly uneasy under his scrutiny, darted her eyes nervously. 

I, on the other hand, met his gaze without flinching.  

The emperor smiled, seemingly pleased by my demeanor, and broke the silence.  

“You’re Ian?”  

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  

“I heard you performed very well in this test.”  

“…Did you see it yourself?”  

“Not directly. Manipulating the magic in the testing grounds is difficult even for a mage.”  

Still, he must have received detailed reports on the results.  

“They say you control two summoned beasts.”  

“…Yes, that’s correct.”  

“Can you demonstrate?”  

I raised my hand, showing the gloves securely fastened around them. 

The emperor nodded with mild disappointment and changed the topic.  

“Are you married?”  

“Unfortunately, no.”  

“Good. What do you think of one of the princesses?”  

“Being engaged to someone I’ve never even met…”  

Like dealing with over-eager cadets in the academy, I instinctively rejected the suggestion. 

The emperor and even Noah looked at me in surprise.  

“Ahaha! Fair enough,” the emperor said with a laugh. “It is indeed strange to arrange an engagement with someone unknown to you.”  

Thankfully, he didn’t take offense, respecting my honest response.  

“There is a princess in the second year of the academy. Haven’t you met her?”  

“No… I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with cadets from other years.”  

“Hmm. I’ll let her know about you later.”  

“…Thank you?”  

Though I responded politely, I was growing increasingly impatient.  

There were no “skip buttons” in real life, but I desperately wished there were. This idle chatter was tiresome. All I wanted was access to the Imperial Treasure Vault.  

The thought of the treasures inside made my heart race with excitement.  

“Well, I suppose this is boring for you,” the emperor remarked, sensing my disinterest.  

He reached into his robe and retrieved a massive golden key, which he then inserted into thin air.  

“Artia, open the vault.”  

At his command, the air seemed to split apart, swallowing us into a new space. Before us stretched the Imperial Treasure Vault—a dazzling mountain of gold, silver, and artifacts.  

Standing in the midst of the treasures was a radiant figure.  

A naked girl with golden scales covering her body appeared, her only unadorned feature her pure white skin.  

“Isn’t this too extravagant, Your Majesty?” she said with a smirk.  

This was Artia, the Yellow Dragon—the emperor’s Summon and the legendary 5-star summon.

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