CHAPTER 128
The 2nd Prince, Dreivan Gladion.
He had appeared with an Emperor’s decree to take the Ice Lord away.
Our plan to use his help to control the Red Flame Lord had just been derailed.
I wanted to stop him if possible, but he was a prince.
One wrong move here and we could be summarily executed for defying a royal command.
‘Of course, it’s not like I’d actually die.’
Still, being marked and hunted by the Imperial Family was the last thing I wanted.

“Why the Imperial Family…?”
Meanwhile, Babiyen swallowed her question.
Her face showed she couldn't understand why the Imperial Family would want to summon the Ice Lord.
The Imperial Family tried not to antagonize the Lords.
They were beings of immense power, so while they might cooperate, they would never deliberately provoke them.
Of course, the same was true for the Lords.
They, too, bowed their heads to the Imperial Family and the kings of each nation as much as possible.
No matter how strong a Lord was, they couldn't take on an entire nation.
A relationship of mutual assistance.
That was the relationship between a nation’s leader and a Lord.
So, this unilateral request from the Imperial Family was baffling.
Moreover, offering the position of Royal Mage Captain to the Ice Lord, who was famous for his humble nature.
It only deepened the mystery.
But if one considered the current flow of events, it was easy enough to figure out.
‘The Imperial Family has become more certain of the threat posed by Black Dawn.’
The Imperial Family was not a group strong in individual martial prowess.
Their power was built on the collective strength of the nation and the masses.
Thus, while they had many high-quality combat personnel on average, individuals with overwhelmingly strong personal might were rare.
The Imperial Family had come to realize this fact.
Black Dawn couldn't do much to the Imperial Family.
The most they could do was steal something and run away.
However, the Imperial Family had to be an absolute sanctuary where even that was unacceptable.
The Imperial Family needed a certain dignity to maintain the nation.
If the Imperial Family wavered, the nation would soon follow.
The more people doubted the Imperial Family and felt the nation was in peril, the faster the country would collapse.
The Imperial Family was keenly aware of this.
That’s why they were trying to gather power.
From trying to betroth Babiyen, a person of great ability, to a future royal heir to produce talented descendants.
To now, trying to bring in the Ice Lord as the Royal Mage Captain.
And it wasn't just the Lords.
The Imperial Family would try to draw more people into their fold.
They would offer conditions only the Imperial Family could provide, winning them over and making them part of the royal court.
They would clearly stop at nothing to maintain the state.
The Imperial Family was changing with the times.
And that rapid change would give birth to much conflict and sacrifice.

“Aigis, Commander of the Holy Knights.”
Dreivan opened his mouth.
“Speaking of which, I heard a story about why you left the capital.”
Just as the Holy Church had ears everywhere, so did the Empire’s Imperial Family.
They had likely planted their ears far deeper and wider than the Holy Church.
Countless pieces of information would flow to the 2nd Prince, Dreivan.
It was no surprise that Aigis’s movements had been reported.
“I heard you undertook a mission to escort the Saint.”

Just as I thought.
Dreivan had already obtained a significant amount of information.
Dreivan’s eyes slowly scanned over us.
And finally, they stopped on me, the only man among us.
The Saint who can bring people back to life.
The fact that he was a man was already a well-known story.
“I didn’t expect to see the face of the much-talked-about Saint so soon. Isn’t your introduction a little late, seeing as you’re in the presence of a prince?”
Dreivan spoke with an arrogant and cold demeanor.
An attitude befitting a prince of the Empire.

“The Holy Church attempted to recognize him as a Saint, but he refused, and the title was withdrawn. Therefore, I did not think he had a status worth introducing to Your Highness, hence the delay in greeting.”
There was no reason to provoke Dreivan.
When I explained it with a perfectly reasonable excuse, Dreivan raised an eyebrow and showed a look of disbelief.
“Refusing the title of Saint bestowed by the Holy Church? You must be out of your mind.”
“As I am a Transferee, I would appreciate it if you would generously understand my lack of common sense in this society.”
I’m also trying my best to understand you uncivilized this-worlders, you know.
I smiled as pleasantly as I could.
From the Imperial Family’s perspective, they wouldn't want to antagonize a Saint acknowledged even by the Holy Church anyway.
At my smile, Dreivan stared at me for a moment before parting his lips.

“So, Saint, let me ask you one thing.”
Here comes the main point.
There was a specific reason he had brought me up.
“Are you willing to work faithfully for the Imperial Family?”
Faint light seeped through the corridor’s broken windows.
It was the light flowing in from the setting sun in the distance.
Amidst that light, Dreivan was looking directly at me.
A quiet atmosphere ensued.
The meaning of his words was blatant.
I am a Transferee.
And the Imperial Family must have figured out that Black Dawn had arrived.
Whether I was hostile to the Imperial Family or not.
This fact was extremely important to them.
The moment I misstep in my answer here.
The Empire will come after me with all its might.
To them, I was a potential threat.

“Of course, I must help.”
I had no intention of antagonizing the Imperial Family.
As long as I had to live in this land, it was the obvious answer.
Although, that was assuming they didn't antagonize me first.
“I hope that the Imperial Family continues to maintain its rule well into the future.”
While I sometimes disagreed with the Empire’s methods, seeing how daily life went on, they were running the country reasonably well.
This was much better than the chaos a new regime would bring.

“Hmm.”
Dreivan crossed his arms and stared at me blankly.
Then, he held up one finger.
“Then, I shall make you a proposal, Saint.”
“A proposal, you say?”
My expression changed in an instant.
The flow of the conversation had shifted.

“The moment you refused the Saint’s title, you became a free man, I suppose.”
As he said, I was not bound to any place.
“The Empire will issue you an official status.”
My eyes widened at his next words.
Citizenship existed for those living in the Empire.

But that citizenship, of course, was not for the common folk.
It was for the upper class.
In other words, the nobility.
The 2nd Prince was saying that the Imperial Family would grant me a status equivalent to that of a noble.
Babiyen’s face showed her shock.
As a former noble herself, she knew just how valuable that was.
Nobles and common citizens lived in different worlds.
However, not a single Transferee had ever been granted a title by the Imperial Family.
That was true even for the war hero, Rapha Hastel.
While his command of the Regular Army was recognized worldwide, he was not recognized with a title.
And now, he was telling me, a Transferee, that he would bestow a title upon me.

“Don’t you think I haven’t built up enough merit for that?”
“This is about the future. With Resurrection magic, even with the title of Saint, those with power will come flocking to you.”
For now, the Holy Church was acting as a shield, but in the end, the Church was just the Church. If the nobles joined forces and began to wield their power, it would become overwhelming.
However, it would be a different story if I were a noble granted a title by the current Imperial Family.
That would mean the current Imperial Family was openly presenting a new noble to the political world for the next generation.
To touch such a noble would be to antagonize the Imperial Family itself.
“Your reputation as the Saint will eventually grow to the point where it sweeps through all of society. There’s nothing to lose by granting you a single title now.”
The nobles wouldn't particularly object either.
The reason they looked down on those who became nobles through money was because they themselves had more than enough money.
But Resurrection magic was different.
If I became a noble, they could officially visit me as a fellow noble and secure priority for Resurrection magic.
The nobles would likely welcome me becoming a noble with open arms.
Whether noble or commoner, everyone only gets one life.

“In return, I would like you to grant a personal request of mine.”
So, you’ll give me a noble title, and in return, I grant you a request.
I didn't know what his request was, but I could clearly feel his desire to use me to fulfill his ambitions.
This feels like if I step too deep, my head will fly off.
Aigis, Lululio, and Babiyen remained silent.
They knew this was in the realm of my choice.

“I am the one who refused to become a Saint.”
I had refused the sainthood the Holy Church was willing to grant me.
This provided a pretty good excuse.
“The same goes for being a noble. I have no intention of being tied down anywhere.”
With a prior precedent, I had a valid reason to refuse.
“Of course, if I receive a request from the Imperial Family, I will gladly help. If it is something the Imperial Family is doing, would it not be a righteous cause?”
In this country, what the Emperor does is the law.
Keep people at a distance, but keep the law close.
There was a reason for such sayings.
I only refused the noble title.
I declared that I would help the Imperial Family.
Dreivan looked at me with narrowed eyes, then let out a hollow laugh.
“I never thought I’d live to see someone refuse a noble title.”
Well, you’re trying to make me a noble just to work me to the bone.
Your intentions are as clear as day, you think I’d just bite?
In the first place, the Imperial Family couldn't afford to treat me as an enemy either.
If I got fed up with the Imperial Family’s hostility and went over to Black Dawn, they would be the ones in trouble.
Perhaps knowing this, Dreivan didn't press the matter further.
“In that case, I will make another proposal.”
Dreivan’s gaze now fell upon Babiyen.
“As we bring the Ice Lord into the Imperial Family as the Royal Mage Captain, we will also take that young lady with him to the Imperial Palace as his disciple.”
His reaction showed he had already guessed our purpose for being here.
My eyebrow twitched silently.
I had instantly understood the meaning behind his words.
Ah, so since putting a leash on me seems tough, you’ll just take an acquaintance of mine to the Imperial Palace and hold her hostage.
Is that what you’re saying right now?
This son of a bitch.