Chapter 59: The Audience

The Imperial Capital of Hamel was the largest city in the Empire with a population of a hundred thousand. It was named after the city-state of Hamel, the empire’s predecessor. Now, the name Hamel represented the capital, and the name of the nation had become ‘Empire,’ which referred to its very existence.

“Hup! Hup!”

Outside the city walls, renovations were in full swing. The walls were as tall as seven full-grown men combined. The workmen used cranes to lift the heavy stones.

Chatter, chatter.

Urich was dazed. He couldn’t fit all the new sights into his eyes, and it seemed like having multiple pairs of eyes wouldn’t have been enough to do so. He had never been in a place so crowded before. All sorts of people walked past each other, paying no attention to anyone but themselves.

“Urich, you’re going to get lost. Stay close to Kylios,” Pahell said. He had been watching Urich’s dazed face for a while.

‘Even Urich has to be shocked in his first time in the Imperial capital.’

There was no place like this anywhere else in the world. Hamel had it all. It was the center of academia and the largest commercial city in the world. Out of its hundred thousand inhabitants, twenty thousand were mobile, indicating how big of a traffic the city had.

‘The heart of the Empire.’

Urich finally knew the meaning of the saying: here was the essence of civilization. Even though he had only just entered the outskirts of the city, he felt it acutely: what he had seen of the civilized world so far was only the tip of the iceberg.

“The city is going to be more crowded than usual because of the annual jousting tournament that is just around the corner. Anyway, only five people can enter the palace.”

The Sun Warrior Harvald said to the group. There was no way an external mercenary squad was going to be granted entrance into the emperor’s palace. Urich clapped his hands and gathered the heads of the mercenaries around.

“Bachman will enter the palace with me as our contact. The rest of you find a good place for us to stay.”

The mercenaries were already drooling with a wide grin on their faces. Their bodies were itching at the thought of the imminent entertainment.

The Imperial capital had as many beautiful women as its size. As long as you had the money, there was no limit to what entertainment you could find.

After sending the mercenaries away, Urich took in the sight of the Imperial Plaza. There were many attires that he had never seen before, along with many languages that were from the provincial kingdoms, not the Imperial language. There were paved streets everywhere and wells connected to the aqueducts that he had only heard about. Each well had a pair of soldiers assigned to it, who watched over it to make sure no poison or filth was released into it.

Step.

Urich approached the well connected to the aqueduct. The soldier glanced at him.

“Hey, hillbilly, if you want a drink, bring your own bucket. You can’t put your hand in the well,” the soldier said rather unkindly to Urich. The security in the capital was so well-kept that soldiers were stationed at each of the wells.

“Watch your language, soldier. This man is a guest of the empire,” Harvald said as he walked up to the well. The soldier flinched as he noticed Harvald’s attire.

‘A Sun Warrior!’

The status of Harvald was not one that a mere soldier could trifle with. The soldier glanced between Harvald and Urich.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Of course, I’m a hillbilly. Haha, this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it! Where on earth do you bring this water from?” Urich laughed as he patted the soldier’s shoulder.

“Ehem, here is a cup for you.”

The soldier took out a bronze cup from his belt. Urich took it and scooped up a full cup of water.

“Ahh!”

Urich gulped down the water. It was delicious. He would have never guessed that it was still water if he hadn’t seen it for himself.

“How is it, Urich?”

Harvald waited for Urich’s reaction. Imperials, especially those from the capital, had a great deal of pride in Hamel. They enjoyed seeing the reactions of outsiders.

“...this is amazing.”

Back in Urich’s homeland, it was not uncommon for people to survive through the droughts by drinking water that was pooled on the ground. The more frail people often died from drinking the contaminated water. Water was the source of life.

Urich stared into the end of the aqueduct. The aqueducts that split off like a spider’s web passed above the buildings to prevent them from being contaminated with any outside material. The aqueducts were the veins that gave life to the city.

‘The Heart of the Empire.’

The entire city felt like a singular creature. The districts separated by the city plans were as beautiful as a piece of art. Despite being a metropolis of a hundred thousand people, it wasn’t difficult to find your way as long as you followed the street signs.

“This is very cool. You should be proud that you are a soldier protecting a place like this.”

Urich said to the soldier as he returned the bronze cup. The soldier thumped on his chest as if it were a given. His chainmail clanked.

“Of course, outsider. We have given our everything to this city.”

The soldier’s pride soared. It reflected the high morale of the soldiers of this city.

‘How long will it be before a civilization like this is born in my hometown...’

Urich felt a rush of sadness. He felt the gap between his people and civilization, and it was bleak.

‘My brothers will live without ever knowing the existence of something like this. They’ll think that bustling with the other tribes on that small plain is all there is to the world...’

His heart felt suffocated. He wanted to show what he had seen and felt to his brothers back home. The awe of seeing the bigger world, the overwhelming sensation of the unknowns.

Feeling that eating, drinking, killing, and dying aren’t the only things that life is about, and pursuing something that is beyond them to truly feel that you are alive.

Urich felt truly alive when he came to the civilized world. He found the meaning of life and felt a sense of mission.

Explore and see. Go forward.

He heard an inner voice.

He was both happy and sad. He wanted to scream.

“Urich! We’ll have plenty of time to look around the city later. We’ll be here for a while.”

Pahell yelled from a distance. They were planning to stay in the capital until he became an adult, which was two months away.

“Sir Urich.”

Harvald called Urich with a higher title. He thought highly of Urich’s performance in his last duel trial.

‘He is a warrior worthy of the title of sir.’

“If you are ever interested in the Sun Warriors, you are always welcome. You do seem to lack understanding of the doctrine, but that’s something you can always learn.”

“I’m not interested.”

Urich declined in a heartbeat. Harvald was taken aback by Urich’s direct response.

“Hmm, it seems like you aren’t fully understanding me. This is not an offer that we give to everyone. The Sun Warriors is a great honor.”

“That honor isn’t my honor.”

Harvald stopped for a second, then asked again.

“Then what is the honor that you are looking for?”

“I don’t even know. My heart doesn’t move toward serving someone. I only do and follow where my heart beats.”

“Your heart beating... That’s just a fancy word for a life of debauchery, a life of simply following your desires, Sir Urich.”

“My desires are not bad, nor are they of debauchery.”

Urich was growing irritated. He was getting tired of Harvald’s lectures.

“If you are a follower of Solarism, it’s only right to faithfully live according to the doctrine of the sun instead of following your dark desires. You are a Solarist, are you not?”

Harvald didn’t back off.

‘Now I can see why Sven wanted to kill Harvald.’

Steadfast religious beliefs, the arrogance to believe that only he is right. A sense of entitlement and group membership to back that arrogance up.

Harvald, under certain standards, was clearly a very moral and good man. Urich didn’t try to save the farmers, but Harvald did so without hesitation.

‘Different ways of civilized people.’

Urich respected the various ways of civilization. Even when he didn’t quite understand them, he let them be.

“I don’t feel the need to respect someone who does not respect my way of life, Harvald. If you speak another word...”

Urich’s good mood sank. He was about to spout off and his fingers were groping for the hilt of his sword.

“Urich!”

Pahell rushed off Kylios and pulled Urich back.

“Have you forgotten who you are working for right now?”

Pahell said as he grabbed Urich’s arm. His blue eyes stared at Urich.

“Why, it’s for you who pays me, of course,” Urich smirked.

“Then shut your mouth. If you’re a mercenary, act like one.”

Pahell said as he tapped on Urich’s chest. Urich’s head cooled rapidly, and he looked at Harvald.

“Let’s just stay within our boundaries, Sir Harvald.”

Harvald realized that things had gotten rough and nodded. Harvald was overly faithful, but he still knew how to read a room.

“In any case, the Sun Warriors always welcome a warrior like you, Sir Urich.”

Harvald persisted. Urich laughed, holding his stomach.

‘That was truly amazing, Your Highness.’

Phillion thought to himself as he held back his teary emotion. Pahell had stood between Urich and Harvald before a conflict arose between them. Not so long ago, Pahell had no such dignity or power of action.

‘Harsh experiences have molded you into a fine prince, yes.’

Phillion imagined Pahell at his coronation.

* * *

The Swallow Residence was the abode of the guests of the empire. Like the migratory swallows, guests came and went.

After being guided by Harvald, Pahell’s party spent two days in the Swallow Residence. Their request for an audience was yet to be answered.

“What do you mean you can’t schedule an audience? What are you talking about?”

Phillion was upset. Pahell was only able to stay in the palace as a royal guest as even their request for asylum had not been approved yet.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“His Majesty is always busy with official businesses. We will notify you with the date when the time comes,” the residence officer who oversaw the operations of the Swallow Residence said to the frustrated Phillion.

“This here is Prince Varca Aneu Porcana! Are you saying that a royal request for asylum is something that can be pushed?”

Phillion persisted, but the officer responded without changing his expression.

“Even if you say so, this is out of my power, Sir Phillion. I am merely an errand boy for those who stay at the Swallow Residence.”

Phillion’s face turned red.

‘I thought that everything would go smoothly once we reached the Imperial Capital!’

The group hadn’t even seen the emperor’s face yet. If only they could, they wanted to storm into the palace where the empire resided.

“That’s enough, Sir Phillion.

Pahell walked out as he wiped his sweat. He was on his way back from his training with one of the guard knights. Pahell had been training every chance he got throughout the journey. Over their journey, he had gained quite a bit of muscle. His arms were thicker, and his muscles were more toned.

“Prince Varca Aneu Porcana, Your Highness.”

The residence officer said with respect. Pahell received it by raising his hand.

“I see that his Majesty isn’t very interested in meeting me. He probably thinks that an exiled prince who couldn’t even keep his place in his own kingdom is not worth his time,” Pahell said with a smile, and the residence officer shook his head.

“In the Swallow Residence, there are many who stay for months waiting for a single audience. The emperor is just that busy.”

Pahell looked at the officer. There was no point in saying anything more.

“I apologize for the hassle. You are excused.”

Pahell sent the officer away. Phillion, with a face full of dissatisfaction, paced beside him.

“Your Highness, you are not just any guest. You are heir to the throne of Porcana!”

“So what? Does the sky drop an army for an heir to the throne? Or does an army rise from the earth to help me claim my throne?”

Pahell said dryly. Phillion fell silent.

“I know that you mean well and that you want what’s best for me, Sir Phillion. But my name and my status mean nothing; that’s what I’ve learned throughout our journey. My status isn’t what is going to make me king, it’s me.”

“But Your Highness, you are of royal status, no matter what anyone says. In that regard, you can be a little stubborn, like the old days.”

Pahell wiped his sweat with a towel as he listened to Phillion. He watched the people walking by in the Swallow Residence. Quite a few of them, like Phillion, were questioning the residence officer.

‘Most of them are people who are waiting for the audience of the empire. Over these last couple of days, I’ve seen many of them giving up and leaving.’

Perhaps Pahell would be one of them. He thought for a moment, closed his eyes, then opened them.

“Sir Phillion, please summon Urich. He’s probably at the Sun Warriors’ barracks.”

Phillion hid his displeasure and nodded. In the past two days, Pahell had been hanging around the Sun Warriors a lot. His new nickname, Armor Breaker, had caught their attention.