Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 169
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 169
113. The Gift Received by the Emperor (2)
The banquet continued. After that, countless people came looking for me. Some people even burned with competitive spirit when they saw me.
I wondered what that was about, but since they were knights, I just let it be.
And there were continuous questions about whether I would participate in this year’s Danter Cup.
“Of course. I absolutely have to participate. Victory is a foregone conclusion, isn’t it?”
“But isn’t there that student named Conrad from the Swordsmanship Department?”
“Huh. These people. The previous tournament winner is standing right there, so what are you all suddenly talking about?”
“Well, you never know. And he’s the hero of this subjugation, so would the Danter Cup even matter to him?”
That’s how banquets originally are.
With the person in question right there, everyone takes turns saying something, so the actual person involved doesn’t have much to say.
While I let them make such enjoyable speculations, I imagined myself participating in the Danter Cup.
Hmm. Well.
It seems like it would be fun, but since it’s tournament-style, it might also be a bit tedious.
Well, I can decide when the time comes.
Perhaps due to the influence of my previous life when I was desperately trying to survive day by day, I’m not the type to worry about distant future events.
“The banquet ceremony will begin soon! Everyone, please prepare!”
Amidst all this, a shout was heard.
Finally, it begins.
The tribute ceremony for the Emperor.
And I’m participating in that tribute ceremony too.
Just as I did with Professor Delfineso, when you receive an invitation, it’s common courtesy and proper etiquette to give a gift to the person who invited you.
What I prepared was an item made by a woodcarver, to whom I even gave extra payment.
“His Majesty the Emperor enters!”
And the Emperor entered.
Everyone bowed their heads.
The Emperor headed toward the massive and splendid chair that had been empty until now.
“Everyone raise your heads.”
And the moment he sat in the chair and opened his mouth, all the people in the banquet hall, which had been enveloped in silence, raised their heads to look at the Emperor.
The person who was said to never touch a drop of alcohol and always only participate in the middle of banquets before leaving before they ended.
Looking at that strong impression, who could even think such a thing?
Or perhaps…
Like some emperors I saw in history books, it could be due to fear of assassination.
“Then, we shall conduct the tribute ceremony starting from this moment.”
Thus began the tribute ceremony.
“I, Soivier Neldo, master of a small family in the central part of the great Empire, humbly greet His Majesty the Emperor, who is noble, beautiful beyond compare, and most dignified.”
Amidst greetings filled with all sorts of flowery language, the tribute items directly offered by the nobles who participated in today’s banquet were quite diverse.
“This is a very precious medicinal herb that can only be cultivated by our family and nowhere else in the Empire…”
“Speaking of this, it was forged by hammering steel that comes only from the mines of our territory thousands of times…”
“This fabric suits His Majesty the Emperor perfectly, with a soft texture that feels as if you’re wearing it yet not wearing it…”
Anyone watching might think they’re selling goods, but naturally they have no choice but to act this way. Having their tribute items please the Emperor would be a tremendous honor.
“Thank you. I shall gladly receive it.”
But the Emperor’s reaction was exactly just that much.
What shows in that expression—is it boredom, or does it mean he’s not yet interested?
I’ll find out now.
“Next, it is the turn of Dane Sogress of the Sogress County to present tribute to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Do so.”
It’s my turn.
I glanced at the tribute item I had previously given to Hank, which had undergone all sorts of inspections.
The method was for the head attendant to place it on a large tray, cover it with appropriate cloth, and present it to His Majesty the Emperor on my behalf.
“Please begin with an introduction of the tribute item first.”
I pondered.
Not about what flowery language to attach, but about how I should proceed.
So I decided to say this.
“It is a memory of when His Majesty the Emperor achieved the greatest glory.”
That was the end of my explanation.
“D-Dane Sogress, student.”
When my words ended, a flustered Hank whispered.
“Is that all?”
I nodded my head.
Then Hank, as if he had no choice, gave instructions to the head attendant.
The head attendant then approached the Emperor, knelt down, and finally removed the cloth.
“That is…”
“Isn’t that a sculpture…”
Yes, what I prepared was—
A sculpture made from the hardest wood in the world.
And moreover—
“That appearance… isn’t that from the time when His Majesty the Emperor personally roamed the battlefield…”
“Ooh…”
The time when His Majesty the Emperor personally drew his sword, personally rode his horse, and personally cut down enemies.
It was the appearance from that era when he expanded territory through conquest wars.
“My goodness… I remember. Yes, he wore such a cloak and armor and led the knights from the front.”
“His martial prowess at that time was truly… magnificent.”
“It was dazzling to behold. Don’t all the knights from that time still unanimously praise it?”
Emperor Danter VIII.
The Emperor who began conquest wars to further expand the Empire’s territory and finally ended the war with Drenik.
Though he also faced checks from nobles, by my standards, he’s an emperor worthy of filling several history books.
That’s why I prepared it.
The era he would think of most gloriously.
“…”
The Emperor looked at the sculpture without saying anything.
But his eyes were different.
Unlike his expression from just before that was full of boredom, he was quietly gazing at the sculpture made in his likeness.
And then, he finally asked me.
“Dane Sogress.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your age is 14. But how… did you create a sculpture that seems to show my appearance from that time?”
“I asked my father and looked up several history books that recorded that period.”
It’s true.
I had Ernest draw the design I decided on through that method, then entrusted it to the woodcarver.
And the result was such a magnificent wooden sculpture.
The appearance from that era when the Emperor was most glorious.
“…”
The Emperor carefully lifted up the sculpture.
That carefulness was completely unimaginable from the demeanor he had shown until now.
But he was certainly doing so.
And the Emperor said.
“It… resembles me. Truly.”
He acknowledged it.
That this sculpture was exactly to his liking.
“It feels like the glory of that time has been recreated, Your Majesty!”
“It seems the glorious days have returned to this space, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, this is truly an excellent tribute!”
Riding the atmosphere, nobles from all sides joined their voices in praise.
However, the Emperor asked coldly in response to those words.
“Then does that mean there is no glory now?”
Nitpicking again, here it comes.
“Th, that is…”
“N, never did we mean such a thing…”
The flustered nobles urgently tried to explain themselves, but only briefly.
“It’s a joke. I’m in a very good mood.”
The Emperor had just shortened the nobles’ lifespans by ten years.
I didn’t know he had a personality that enjoyed jokes.
Or maybe he was really in that good of a mood.
“Dane Sogress.”
Then the Emperor called me.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have received your tribute well. It is truly a wonderful gift. Not just the craftsmanship of the sculpture, but… I am truly grateful that you thought of me sincerely.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
“You came to receive a gift, yet I too have received a great gift. And above all…”
The Emperor gazed at the sculpture with deep eyes for a moment before continuing.
“It seems like those times I thought I would forget are coming back to life. Those times when I burned all my passion for the Empire.”
Seeing the Emperor, who had responded indifferently no matter what tributes the nobles presented until now, speak like this…
“Above all… it is curious that I received this gift from one who bears the name Sogress.”
Mother and Father told me, who had received an invitation from the Imperial Palace, not to worry about the two of them and to do what I wanted to do.
So I prepared.
I sculpted and created a statue depicting the era the Emperor would miss most, and presented it as a gift.
Of course, one sculpture won’t solve everything, but it might at least serve as a catalyst.
“I am deeply moved. Seeing His Majesty the Emperor pleased makes me as happy as if I had received a gift myself.”
His Majesty the Emperor said.
“It was a very joyful gift.”
As expected…
Listening to my parents is the best.
* * *
The banquet concluded very successfully without any particular problems.
And the undisputed topic of that banquet was, of course, Dane Sogress.
The boy who satisfied the Emperor with a single small wooden sculpture rather than the precious tributes brought by countless nobles of the capital.
As rumors spread that the wooden sculpture was a work depicting the Emperor’s golden age, praise for Dane followed within the Imperial Palace.
“The youngest young master of Count Sogress’s family is not only talented but also very thoughtful, isn’t he?”
“The item he presented to His Majesty the Emperor was, well, a sculpture of His Majesty expanding the Empire’s territory!”
“They say it was the first time anyone had seen His Majesty the Emperor so satisfied!”
Emperor Danter VIII.
A being whose anger was unpredictable, who brought both great honor and fear just by being in his presence.
Such a person had laughed.
And quite heartily at that.
All of this was thanks to Dane Sogress.
The boy who satisfied the Emperor from his first audience, then satisfied the Emperor again with an amazing tribute.
The fact that such a boy was only 14 years old and still just an Academy freshman made people even more amazed.
And one more thing.
Even the rumor that he had subjugated and made his own the famous horse that everyone had failed to tame.
Dane’s legend was spreading in an instant.
And naturally, this news also reached Count Sogress Castle.
“His Majesty the Emperor was pleased?”
-Yes. It ended well without any problems. He also liked my gift.
Count Sogress, who had heard the entire story from his son about everything from entering the Imperial Palace to the end of the banquet, had a dazed expression.
“Haha…”
Honestly, he had worried a lot.
He thought that while someone as great as the Emperor wouldn’t harm a child because of relationships with previous generations, there wouldn’t be absolutely no influence…
The results were amazingly good to an embarrassing degree.
Who would have thought he’d do so well.
Lily Sogress also seemed unable to believe it and asked again.
“Dane, His Majesty the Emperor didn’t make any other proposals or anything, did he?”
-Proposals?
“Yes. For instance… like telling you to join some organization within the Imperial Palace.”
-No. There was nothing like that. It just ended with receiving a reward.
“Ah…”
If he praised him like that without making such proposals, then given the Emperor’s nature, this was certain.
Dane had truly pleased him.
The Emperor watches those who please him for a long time rather than keeping them close.
Rather, he keeps those he doesn’t trust or finds dangerous close by.
To monitor them himself.
Then this meant Dane had truly pleased him.
It was truly an amazing and curious thing.
‘Perhaps… the conflict of our generation might really be resolved…’
Count Sogress recalled the past.
What he had done after long deliberation.
Then he had accepted Duke Termion’s proposal and went to the Emperor to plead for him to stop the purge of nobles.
From that point, he had grown distant from the Emperor.
But now, things might be different.
“Really… our son has accomplished something amazing.”
“Indeed he has…”
The two still seemed unable to believe that their young Dane had pleased that picky and sharp Emperor.
The unbelievable facts weren’t even limited to just that.
“…How on earth did he tame that fellow Chiron?”
-Ah, that fellow.
Dane’s laughter could be heard through the crystal orb.
-He was more obedient than I thought?
“…He listens when you talk to him?”
-If he acts up more, I’ll just have to discipline him properly.
“Haha…”
Another hollow laugh escaped.
‘What kind of horse is that fellow.’
For reference, Count Sogress had also failed at taming Chiron.
And quite spectacularly at that.
Yet such a fellow…
My son managed to tame him.
‘I’m looking forward to when he returns to the castle riding Chiron.’
On the other hand, he suddenly had this thought.
Perhaps he might not know everything about his own son.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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