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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: A Precious Collaborator
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Is this selfish greed a wicked desire?
Ekiel’s worries continued until he entered the Imperial Palace and stepped onto the main thoroughfare.
“Jusi.”
Stroking Jusi’s soft fur, Ekiel, who was thinking he might get addicted to this, spoke.
“What is it?”
Jusi perked up her ears and lifted her head, her brilliant blue eyes meeting his.
Ekiel stared, fascinated by his own reflection in Jusi’s eyes, which were as beautiful as a famous lake in the Rilberg Empire.
There was a ghost story about that lake.
That many young people, mesmerized by its beauty, would walk into it and drown.
*I think I’m the same.*
Lost in a daze, Ekiel asked without thinking.
“You said Claude Continell is your friend.”
“Yep. We decided to be friends.”
“I see. Then, what am I to you?”
Ekiel asked slowly, deliberately making it sound meaningful.
Blinking a few times, Jusi lowered her head, rested her chin on her front paws, and after a moment of thought, she spoke.
“Hmm… You’re a collaborator?”
“…A collaborator.”
Ekiel repeated the word Jusi had used to define their relationship.
He felt empty.
*Well, she’s not wrong.*
It was such an accurate description that Ekiel couldn’t even argue. How could she be so clever?
*But…*
Ekiel retracted his assessment that Jusi was affectionate.
She was kind even to Regent Jetar, who had been openly wary of her, and to Claude, who she said had picked a fight with her.
He didn’t know why she was being so unfair to him.
Not even a friend, but a stiff ‘collaborator.’
*Cruel Jusi.*
Ekiel’s shoulders slumped, dejected.
But just then, Jusi, who had been muttering to herself in thought, lifted her head and said in a bright voice.
“Ah, no! Ekiel, to be precise!”
“?”
“Yes! You’re my precious collaborator.”
Jusi’s blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
“Precious…”
“So, I’m counting on you!”
The beaming Jusi offered her paw to Ekiel’s hand as if to shake, and the dazed Ekiel belatedly came to his senses.
“Okay.”
A beautiful smile gently spread across the boy’s tense face.
Then Jusi spoke, as if in a trance.
“Ekiel, you know what?”
“What?”
“Your smile is really pretty.”
“Is it?”
“No, you’re just pretty in general.”
“I’m pretty?”
Ekiel, holding Jusi securely with one arm, tilted his head and caressed his own cheek and chin with his other hand.
He’d thought he wasn’t bad-looking, but still.
“Is it okay for a boy to be that pretty? Ah, no, I mean an emperor.”
“Is it not okay?”
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but…”
Jusi waved her front paws and grunted.
“You’re an emperor. I’m just worried you should have more dignity. I’m afraid your vassals might look down on you for being too pretty. You should look intimidating, like my dad.”
Jusi said, mimicking Ritain’s stern expression.
“Haha. Is that so?”
Ekiel chuckled softly, then adjusted his grip to hold Jusi with both arms again.
Walking down the Imperial Palace’s main road, he turned into the left path leading to the training grounds and said.
“I’m fine. I just want to live with this face that Jusi calls pretty.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll try to keep living with a pretty face.”
“W-what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Jusi is prettier.”
“What? What is he saying!”
A flustered Jusi swished her tail back and forth. Ekiel found it so cute that he felt an urge to gently touch her fluffy tail just once.
But the mayor of the town he’d inspected yesterday had told him never to grab a cat’s tail.
*So I definitely shouldn’t touch the tail of a tiger, the fiercest of the feline family. I absolutely don’t want Jusi to hate me.*
Ekiel firmly suppressed his desire.
He tried his best to ignore Jusi’s tail, which swayed temptingly before his eyes, and spoke.
“Um, Jusi.”
“Yeah?”
“I believe an emperor’s authority…”
Ekiel trailed off for a moment, mesmerized as Jusi’s tail gently brushed past his cheek, then managed to continue.
“…doesn’t come from a menacing face or a large build. Look at your father, the Emperor of Penterin. His dignity comes from his ability, not his appearance.”
“Hmm, that’s true, isn’t it?”
“It’s the same for me.”
“Ah…”
At Ekiel’s calm reply, Jusi looked up at the young emperor.
*Ah, I see.*
Ekiel was young and pretty, but.
*I underestimated him. I’m such an idiot.*
His aura, his relaxed yet confident demeanor—everything about him was that of a dignified emperor.
That’s why his vassals would follow him, not look down on him.
*I was so foolish. To think such things about someone like him.*
Jusi felt ashamed of herself.
He wasn’t swayed by a powerful regent like Jetar, instead observing appropriately while asserting his authority with imperial dignity.
A man who would become the perfect emperor to lead the empire in the future.
That was Ekiel Rilberg.
*I’m so proud. He’s doing well, he’s so cool.*
As Jusi was steeling her resolve to work harder herself, Ekiel touched the ring on his hand to a certain spot and spoke.
“We’re here, Jusi.”
Lifting her head, she saw a transparent barrier that had resonated with Ekiel’s crimson ring slowly disappear.
“This is the emperor’s private training ground.”
Ekiel entered the training ground with Jusi and set her down from his arms.
Jusi’s eyes went wide.
“Whoa.”
Her jaw dropped.
Is this really what you’d call a training ground?
It was completely different from the training ground at Stella Palace that she had wrecked—no, played in.
For starters, it was at least five times larger.
The walls were higher than the fences there, and the ceiling was covered by a transparent dome.
*And are those all magic stones?*
The faintly glowing walls and floor didn’t seem to be made of ordinary materials.
They were specially reinforced magic stones, so they would probably withstand most magical attacks.
Jusi hopped around, exploring every corner of the emperor’s private training ground.
Strange magical devices were placed here and there inside. They looked just like streetlamps, but according to the explanation, they were special defensive magical devices that activated as barriers in case of danger.
They protected the mages training inside and also prevented any damage outside in the unlikely event the walls or ceiling were breached.
“Ekiel, your training ground is amazing!”
Ekiel, who had approached Jusi from behind, smiled brightly.
“It is. So don’t worry, you can fight with all you’ve got.”
When Jusi turned around, Ekiel asked, looking a little worried.
“Jusi. I checked you over with a diagnostic spell, but are you really okay? Are you good for the evaluation?”
“Hah, pfft!”
Jusi snorted.
Then she raised her hindquarters and let out a threatening growl.
Taking an attack stance, Jusi bared her teeth in a grin.
“Of course! Prepare yourself, Your Majesty!”
Remembering the goal she had forgotten, Jusi’s fighting spirit flared.
*The access magic stone!*
She had to show her true skills in today’s evaluation.
*My pride is on the line!*
Jusi honestly thought so.
She was the reincarnation of Anash, for crying out loud. Wasn’t this just wrong?
Of course, she couldn’t use supernatural abilities or strength as powerful as when she was the Divine Beast Anash.
Even so, this chick-yellow, lowest-grade access magic stone was too humiliating.
She glanced back at the yellow magic stone bracelet she’d put on her hind leg so it wouldn’t get in the way during the evaluation, and shivered with disgust. *Ugh.*
*I can’t even stand the sight of it.*
Whipping her head back around to look at Ekiel, Jusi narrowed her eyes.
Ekiel was preparing something, putting on black leather gloves and an earring.
“What are you doing? Mana enhancement? Or some kind of strength-enhancing item?”
Jusi scoffed.
Well, humans are physically weaker than beastmen, so I’ll let that slide.
I can understand using a mana-enhancing item.
After all, she herself was wearing a magical device that Ekiel had enchanted with healing and defensive magic.
But Ekiel replied seriously.
“No. It’s a mana suppression device and a strength-weakening item.”
“…”
“Otherwise, you’ll get hurt.”
Ekiel’s gentle smile was genuine.
Jusi’s face flushed with heat.
“Grrrrrrr!”
Her pride wounded, Jusi furiously scratched the floor.
