Chapter 60
Seeing him up close like this, I could tell that Emperor Silis was really handsome.
He had that “bad boy” look — strong facial features, thick eyelids, and sharp lips.
I was certain he’d be listed in the Continent’s Handsome Men Almanac, Year 310.
While I felt baby Sweet Potato wriggling, I began to speak.
“Your Majesty, the reason I entered your palace without permission is—”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
I didn’t understand why he asked that out of nowhere.
When I said I wasn’t hungry, he looked a bit disappointed. It was so confusing, I didn’t even know how to react.
“…I see.”
After a long explanation, I told Emperor Silis everything that happened at the Rohia house.
How the Grand Duke saved me when I was left alone in danger.
And how the bandits were defeated by Winter right there.
‘Well… technically, they’re not dead.’
Emperor Silis briefly skimmed the letter I handed him from Doctor Perez and frowned.
“So Perez is still alive. Did he look like he was going to die soon?”
That almost sounded like he wanted him to die.
“Doctor Grandpa is still full of energy. I think he’s even wandering the forest looking for herbs to fix his, uh… reproductive problems because he wants to get married.”
A vein popped on Emperor Silis’s forehead. He tossed the letter aside with an annoyed look.
“That old man really doesn’t know when to shut up around kids. He’ll crawl back here on his own if he’s not dead. We don’t need to worry about him.”
I thought the Emperor was supposed to care about Perez… but this reaction was very different from what I imagined.
While I thought about that, I kept glancing at the breakfast table in front of me.
Even though I said I wasn’t hungry, Emperor Silis still brought out a table full of food.
Honestly, I wasn’t that hungry, but now that I saw the food, I started feeling tempted.
‘Why is there so much bread?’
I thought about reaching for a bun stacked high near me… but each time I tried, I felt someone staring hard at me like I’d get stabbed if I took a bite.
That intense gaze changed to slight disappointment when I pulled my hand back.
Seriously, what’s up with him?
But then I realized something. He probably thought it was rude that I didn’t touch the food he offered.
So I kept sipping juice and turned to Winter, who was sitting across from me.
“Grand Duke, didn’t you say you haven’t eaten all day? Aren’t you hungry?”
Before he could answer, the Emperor cut in.
“Little lady, a man like him wouldn’t even feel this kind of food. It’s nothing to him.”
Emperor Silis now looked at Winter. The air suddenly turned cold and tense.
“So you flew all night to Rohia because you were ‘worried about Materia,’ huh?”
“Yes.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that?”
The Emperor looked like he didn’t buy it at all. Winter slowly turned his gaze from me to the Emperor.
With the same calm tone as before, he said,
“Yes.”
Silis glanced at Winter’s clothes and gave a cold laugh.
“Maybe try changing out of those blood-soaked clothes before you speak. I could hear the screams of the people you crushed all the way from the desert.”
The smile disappeared from the Emperor’s face, replaced by a dark look.
“So tell me — why should I trust you at all?”
“Your Majesty, this person is [Igrio]… that means—”
I panicked and tried to explain, but the Emperor stuffed a piece of bread into my mouth to shut me up.
“Little one, just focus on eating. Want three more pieces?”
“Mmhm! Thank yuh…”
I knew this wasn’t the time for me to butt in, but I never expected Emperor Silis to suddenly start picking a fight with Winter.
‘I think I remember the original story saying Winter was killed by the Western Emperor once… though it was during a time when the Emperor wasn’t in his right mind.’
There weren’t many descriptions of Emperor Silis in the original, but now that I saw him here, I could tell one thing clearly: he didn’t like Winter.
In fact, he didn’t seem to trust the idea of “saviors” at all.
In this world, the three saviors were important and powerful figures, but not everyone blindly worshipped them.
Some believed, others didn’t.
Those who didn’t believe were called nonbelievers.
In the original story, the nonbelievers eventually formed a kind of rebel group and even tried to assassinate Igrio, Ampelos, and Yubel.
Falling stars, dragons — even seeing them wasn’t enough to change their minds.
That’s just how the world works. There are always people who go against the system.
I never imagined the Western Emperor would be one of them.
‘Now that I think about it… maybe that’s why he got along so well with Joseph.’
Joseph was also a nonbeliever. That memory suddenly came back to me and made a lot of sense.
“I only came to see [Materia],” Winter said calmly, as if the Emperor’s threatening tone didn’t bother him.
“She’s cute. Though I’ll have to feed her more and fatten her up.”
Hearing that, Emperor Silis frowned.
Technically, Winter hadn’t met Yubel yet in this timeline. But right now, the Emperor wasn’t thinking straight enough to notice that detail.
‘Wow… the tension here is insane.’
Emperor Silis was a skilled warrior. That’s why his body was reacting instinctively — his skin tingled with danger.
If he relaxed even a little, he might lose control of the situation.
He felt it in his bones: an invisible threat, powerful enough to split him in half if he let his guard down.
And yet, along with fear, he also felt a strange thrill — a sense of challenge.
He smiled coolly and said,
“You want to fatten her up? [Materia] already looks like she’ll start rolling around like a ball.”
Clearly, the Rohia household had been spoiling Yubel.
The Emperor had seen her just yesterday — chubby and round like a baby piglet.
She probably looked like she’d pop like a balloon if you poked her.
Still, thanks to that, the tension in the room eased a little.
The Emperor clicked his tongue and said,
“You’re pretty good at changing the subject. I didn’t expect you to have such social skills.”
“If that’s what you think, then I guess I have no choice but to meet Your Majesty’s expectations,” Winter said.
But then his voice turned cold, like ice.
“So now, I’m going to make a wicked and terrible request.”
Instead of getting angry, the Emperor just smiled more.
“I like honesty. No matter how evil it is, remember one thing.”
I sat there blinking, not knowing what Winter was going to ask. The Emperor continued:
“There was once a giant dragon called Ragria. Its full-grown body was the size of this entire imperial palace. In the end, it was defeated.”
“The team that took it down included two 7th-class mages, seven 6th-class mages, and four Sword Masters. Not counting the regular mercenaries.”
What? That dragon was way stronger than I thought!
I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist.
Currently, in the Western Empire, there were only seven Sword Masters in total.
Even if someone became a new one soon, that’d still only make eight.
Sword Masters weren’t something you could become just by being talented. It was 100% decided from birth — either you had it or you didn’t.
So they were all legendary figures of their time.
‘Four Sword Masters just for one dragon?’
And having two 7th-class mages? That was no joke either.
In this world, mages are ranked from Class 1 to Class 9. Humans can reach up to Class 8.
Currently, there are only four 8th-class mages on the entire continent.
Unlike Sword Masters, magic could be improved with both talent and hard work.
But still, reaching Class 7 was the usual limit for even geniuses.
Gathering nearly ten top-tier mages and warriors was like preparing to take over a whole country.
And they used that strength just to take down one dragon — it showed how powerful Ragria was back then.
“And now, the imperial palace has exactly that same number of warriors gathered,” the Emperor said, “and you haven’t even reached your full form yet.”
Wait, what? He had that many elite people here already?
That meant the Emperor was seriously on guard against Winter.
“If you go on a rampage here like you did in the Northern Empire, I won’t let it slide like your soft-hearted brother did.”
Winter stared straight at the Emperor and replied,
“You have two 7th-class mages and two Sword Masters. Underestimating me is your choice… but the consequences will be yours to bear.”
