“How did the 8th Princess imprint you?”
“...Indeed, that is a really sensitive question. Wouldn’t you normally not ask that?”
“I asked the question with the mindset that I had no choice but to lose.”
He thought that he couldn't help but not answer, but surprisingly, Sylvestian seemed to be choosing his words while thinking deeply.
"I won't tell anyone."
“Can you promise me that?”
“Of course. On my name.”
“Do it with the sword.”
Michael, being the regretful person he was, took out his night tray and did as he was told.
Of course, performing such ceremonies was merely an appeal to the individual's sense of chivalry, and did not have the force of a stamp that was given the highest priority.
The most dangerous situation is when the imprinter asks directly. The homunculus has the right to remain silent of its own volition.
You can exercise it, but it will be treated as refusing the order, and you will feel a heart-wrenching pain.
When faced with simple but horrific torture, most homunculuss will obediently spit out their answers.
So now Sylvestian is trusting Michael, even though he knows the risk of revealing it.
It was like doing a favor.
It seems that they have developed a sense of bond as close friends.
Finally, Sylvestian gave the answer.
“His Majesty the Emperor has given a good sacrifice to Her Highness the Eighth Princess. Anyway, the evidence is already been erased, so there’s no use looking for it.”
That alone was enough for Michael to guess the identity of the sacrifice.
'You used the Philosopher's Stone as a sacrifice. If that's true, then so be it.'
It is an artifact with the Philosopher's Stone. Michael decided to somehow understand that Rosenite had dismissed him because he did not dare to guess the limit.
At that moment, Sylvestian opened his mouth.
“Michael, there’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while now. Can I ask you this?”
“As much as you want.”
Michael welcomed the question in terms of equivalent exchange. But that ended up getting stabbed in the eye.
“During the last hunting competition, what did the demon dragon say when it saw you and called you the ‘King of Homunculus’?”
Only then did Michael realize what he had forgotten.
'This guy was listening at the time too. I was so out of it that I forgot.'
It seems like there was a reason why he was so accommodating to his sensitive questions earlier.
“Ha, that was a stepping stone to ask this.”
“Thanks for catching me so easily, Michael.”
Sylvestian, who was known only as a noble and upright knight, was also quite clever.
“It’s hard to say because the scale of the question is different. It’s just that Galamut curses in a unique way. Can’t you just let this go?”
“That would be difficult.”
It was then that Sylvestian pulled out his sword and lifted it high into his heart.
“I swear on my knightly honor and on the name of Sylvestian Millard that I will not reveal it. Not to anyone.”
“The knight’s oath is to be taken while wearing modest clothing.”
“Oh, I see. Just wait. I’ll do it again.”
“Yes. That’s enough.”
Now it was time to tell an unbelievable story. Michael opened his mouth, hoping Sylvestian would not treat him like a madman.
“I am a King born with the destiny to rule over all homunculus.”
The arrogant self-introduction made the air in the room awkward.
Sylvestian stared at Michael silently with the expressionless face typical of a homunculus.
Michael also looked at him as if he was trying to prove his confidence.
Finally, Sylvestian opened his mouth with a cough.
“Michael, I don’t think you’re the type of person to verbally humiliate yourself.”
“I appreciate that you seem to be trying to understand.”
In the first place, the source of words was not Michael, but Galamut's thought. Although it was evil, it was unlikely that a great being would have uttered a sound without substance.
“It’s true that you, Michael, are special.”
He was born with the strongest fighting power and even rejected the Emperor's oath of loyalty. And according to the other Homunculus, they felt a strange sense of oppression from Michael and felt uncomfortable.
“You believe me? That’s touching.”
“Then, now let me show you how to command the homunculus.”
“That’s difficult because the power hasn’t been awakened yet.”
“What a pity.”
“So, Sylvie, I need you to help me out.”
“You need my help to gain strength?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s not a bad story for you either.”
"Hmm?"
Michael posed a riddle to Sylvestian, who was puzzled.
“Think carefully, isn't it best to go with Homunculus? Look, Sylvie. Who comes to mind first, the one who controls everything?"
“Isn’t that... His Majesty the Emperor?”
“That’s it. The King of Homunculus takes on the role of Emperor.”
At that point, Sylvestian's walls grew to their limit.
“You are acting as the Emperor?”
“Yes. Being under my command means following my orders first and foremost. It means that the seal of the royal family has been nullified.”
Sylvestian expressed his agitation by inhaling it in vain. Because Michael's casual tone was nothing short of treason.
As a homunculus trained to be loyal to the royal family, it was right to strike him down.
But at that moment, the only thing that came to Sylvestian's mind was a thread of hope.
'Can you get out of the imprint?'
The nights spent in Rosenite's room were too harsh for Sylvestian to endure.
Of course, even if the imprint is invalidated, his role will remain as long as the direct knight system does not disappear.
It was not going to change. It could be even more painful to pretend to submit with a clear mind.
Nevertheless, he wanted to leave his will intact. As a noble knight, the most painful thing for him was his changing mind under the influence of his imprint.
So Sylvestian's worries did not last long.
“How can I help you?”
“It’s easy. Just give me mana.”
“Mana?”
“I felt that by absorbing the mana of my kind through mutual agreement, I was getting closer to awakening.”
“Then this treatment for the fever must have been a great opportunity for you.”
With Sylvestian's cooperation, there was no reason to postpone it. Michael decided to absorb his mana right away.
First, the task of emptying Michael's mana had to come.
Since attack magic was prohibited in the palace, this time he used the Aegis embedded in the Night Ray.
He decided to use the barrier magic stone.
It was less efficient than destroying the sky of Lapis Village, but it was still fast enough to consume mana.
Michael let go of the nighttray just before his hair turned pink.
“All done. Now sit down, Silvy.”
"I get it."
The mana drain began immediately.
As expected, Sylvestian's mana was qualitatively different from Lapis' lower-level homunculus.
As pure mana flowed into Michael's body, his mana core quickly became heated.
'It's very efficient.'
It seemed that the mana of one Sylvestian was equivalent to the mana of all the homunculus sucked from Lapis.
Moreover, Sylvestian had an advantage that set him apart from the other homunculus in the palace.
'This guy has silver hair, so even if I suck out all his mana and turn his hair white, it won't be that noticeable, right?'
Michael, having come to his senses, immediately asked:
“Sylvie, are you on vacation today?”
"However..."
“Then take a break from training for a day or so.”
“What? No, wait..."
From then on, Michael began to extract Sylvestian's mana without hesitation.
Although it was nothing compared to Michael, Sylvestian's mana amount was also unrivaled among homunculus.
When the mana drain was over, Michael collapsed on the bed.
“Whew, that’s tough. Why do you have so much mana?”
“What about the bowl you took all that from?”
Sylvestian looked dumbfounded as he locked eyes with him while lying on the bed opposite him.
Michael held his heated chest and exhaled. Sylvestian, whose hair had turned white, asked about his condition.
“How are you, Michael? Do you feel anything?”
“Well. I guess it might happen... For now..."
Michael, who had been talking longer, grabbed the blanket.
“I should go to sleep.”
"?e too."
Both Michael and Sylvestian had stayed up all night. The two fell asleep peacefully without worrying about who would go first.
While the mana core grew, Michael fell into a deep sleep and had a dream.
'Is it the same this time too?'
As he experienced once, it was not an ordinary dream. It was a dream that touched the soul.
The fragments of his past life were engraved and realized in his dreams.
He had to find out as much information as possible. Michael concentrated all his attention on his dream.
The location was once again the palace. He was summoned to King Desmond II and swore allegiance to him.
Although it had no effect at all, he thoroughly faked obedience with perfect acting.
The sinisterness displayed by Michael in his past life was truly astonishing.
Michael, who became a knight of the royal guard, had no royal family to serve for a little over a year. During that period, it was a time of exploration for Michael.
He mainly looked at Eve, but he also looked closely at Rosenite. Of course, his eyes were on Rosenite.
He didn't have the same look in his eyes as when he looked at Eve.
"The Imperial White Rose...It seems to be of some use."
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