Steel and Mana

I didn't have anything to give as an answer, not that I could have in my position. I simply stood there, watching her calmly, waiting for her to continue or permit me to say anything.

"I hate how you look." There it was... she continued. "Next time you visit me, shave your head. I don't want to see the color red on your head. Ever again. I will look this over, as this is your first visit here."

"As you command." I bowed, remaining unperturbed, but deep inside, I was laughing. What a weird, eccentric person.

"At least your ugly looks are paired with the correct personality." Raising her right hand, one of the armored guards walked forward, giving me a rolled parchment with the royal seal holding it together. "From now on, you are the governor of the Frontier. Be as productive as your Father! That's it." She was about to stand up when my mouth opened, and I decided to go for it. It was on the spur of the moment, but let's risk it... If I die, I die!

"Isn't there more to being appointed to be the new viscount?" The moment my words left my mouth, I felt everyone stiffening. I even heard my Father's body move forward a little before freezing. I watched as the Empress settled back in her chair, tilting her head slightly and looking over me a second time.

"Your family will be presented with a list of free servant lineages to choose from and bring them back to the Frontier." After a bit of pause, I was about to speak again, going against my own thoughts, but luckily, it was her who spoke first. "I heard a weird rumor... Of a barbarian mutilating his wife."

"Rumors tend to be that. Rumors. Not all of them are coincidental, and many are birthed from straight-up malicious intentions."

"That is true. I read you had a hand in discovering that your uncle stole my belongings, Young Viscount Leon?"

"A small one, yes. I discovered the plot when touring my territory and responding to a bandit attack. Those nobles-"

"Nobles?" She laughed sharply, covering her lips with one hand, "You call those dregs nobles? Haaah... you Frontier people do have a kind of humor, I will admit that."

"..." Haahh... well, it was best if I stopped speaking. It did feel like I stretched my luck to a snapping point. At least I can bring back a family to serve me, and I already have someone in mind. My goal was achieved: time to retreat!

"So be it. A bit of backbone is needed to lord over a savage place like that." She continued, surprising me that showed on my face, which in turn made her smile. I saw it in her eyes; she was enjoying my dumbfounded look. "I will give you a personal reward! Ask me for something, but if it makes me angry, I will order you to be beheaded!"

"I want to visit a library with books about magic!" My answer was instant, said right when she finished her word. Now it was my time to surprise her and everyone else present in the throne room. "I don't want the books; guards can accompany me while I'm in there. I just want to read them. I wouldn't dare take away anything from Your Highness."

I waited patiently for the silence to end. Finally, it was the sharp laughter of the Empress that broke it, and I could feel that she was greatly amused but also mocking me.

"You? Reading magic books? Ahahaha! This is the best thing I have ever heard! You wouldn't understand half of it! Ahahahaha! Can you even read?!"

"I can." I answered with a bow, maintaining a kind smile, "I have been interested in magic since my birth. I know I am talentless, but I'd like to read about it."

"Sure!" She continued laughing, but that word alone made me giddy deep inside. I just hit the jackpot... "For making this Empress laugh so hard, I will grant you access to my private library!"

"Your Highness!" Multiple voices appeared as people I hadn't seen before emerged from the shadows.

"Shut up! It is my decision!" She growled at them, her smile disappearing in a snap of a finger. "Leon of the Frontier! You are only allowed into the library if accompanied by my guards and completely naked!" She added with an evil smirk, not expecting me to nod at once. "Hahaha! Yes... this is why your Frontier people are interesting... Hah!"

With that, she didn't wait anymore, standing up and leaving, laughing now and then, still finding my request hilarious. Father wanted to approach me, but multiple guards led them away while I was escorted in a different direction. I mouthed to him not to worry, although my stomach felt like two hands were squeezing it.

I was closely guarded and taken to the back of the palace, then down underground on a spiral staircase. By my estimations, we were at least 20 meters deep when we stepped off the steps, and I was ordered to strip. I didn't say anything while complying with their demands and instead began scanning the area around me. The room was made out of cold stone and lit up by multiple torches. There was only one door, which was made of dark iron with no visible locks or handles. It was as plain as one could be.

When I was deemed 'clean,' one of the guards knocked twice on it, and a moment later, with a visible shudder, it began sliding into the walls. Behind it, I could already see an extensive and well-lit library, but what was more surprising was that an old man stood at the other end, wearing what I could only describe as a bathrobe with the images of stars sewn into it. Was that a mage's robe? Or was this some kind of nursery for old people, and I just woke up poor grandpa?

"Why is this boy naked?" He asked, surprised to see me, raising an eyebrow, leaning on a walking stick that I quickly noticed to have an apricot-sized CC embedded into it.

"Her Majesty's order!" One of the guards answered, saluting, "He is to freely peruse the library while we accompany him."

"Is he a new inductee? No... he wouldn't be naked and escorted by you then." He grumbled, stroking his long, white beard while I watched the light reflect from the top of his bald scalp.

"He is a normal human who asked to read about magic."

"Pft! What a dumbass!"

If not for his age and him being probably related in some way to the Empress because of his red eyes, I would have become angry... but oh well. It is best if they think I am some idiot barbarian, so I just smiled amicably at them. I could only thank my luck that it wasn't a witch to welcome me, or I may have had some problems being naked. Led inside, I could see hundreds of books neatly organized in row after row of bookshelves.

"Go, browse!" The old man waved his hand dismissively at me before turning to the guards. "I wanted to call for you anyway, come with me! I need some helping hands. I am old enough to refuse to haul boxes from the basement!"

"But we were ordered to-" They said, sounding troubled, but he tapped the ground with his stick, sending loud echoes around, silencing them.

"Even if my great-granddaughter sits on the throne, I was the Emperor of your ancestors! You do what I tell you! This little idiot won't be able to damage anything here, not to mention stealing any of the tomes! His little puckered asshole is as virgin as it gets, I can tell! Now come, I don't have all day!"

Fuck me... I mean, DON'T! Shit... the royal family is messed up in the head. I couldn't help but stand still, watching them leave before turning my back to them and looking at the overwhelming knowledge before me.

"Calm down..." I whispered before walking to one of the shelves, randomly picking out a book and flipping through it. It was filled with complex diagrams and theories, followed by pages of calculations. I was not here to understand them; that can wait for later. "Come on, brain... do your thing!" I thought to myself, beginning to concentrate and quickly flip through them. I relied on my enhanced memory to remember all the information, taking a snapshot of them to recall and review later. "Who says you need magic when you have a cheat?"

...
....
......

"Son!"

"I'm fine!" I smiled, arriving back home and welcoming my Father after being away for a whole day.

"What did they do to you?" He asked, holding me by the shoulders, supporting my swaying body, looking at my tired expression and bloodshot eyes.

"Nothing!" I chuckled, "I was simply up for all the time, barely blinking, reading probably 10,000 pages. Or more. I feel dead!"

"You look destroyed." Laughed Yuri, scrutinizing me with a grin while Oleg kept an eye on her, afraid she would attack me. "Should I suck you off to relax?"

"I would fall asleep at once, and I don't trust you with that yet!"

"Uuu... meanie~!"

"Enough!" Father interrupted us, leading me inside, "Go, fetch me that girl, Luna! She will take care of him! You two go start preparing; we are heading home at once!"

"Dad... I'm sleepy..." I moaned, wanting to just fall into a bed and sleep.

"You will sleep when we are on the carriage! And you two, why are you still here?! I gave an order, didn't I?!"

"Yes!" Oleg saluted first, dragging Yuri away while Father accompanied me into my room.

"Tell me, Son... did they torture you?"

"I told you that nothing happened!" I grinned, "My head simply hurts because I memorized almost a whole library!"

"You... did what?" He whispered, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I memorized. A lot."

"..."

"Yeah." I chuckled, seeing his expression change from shocked to awed and then settling on a dangerously excited look. "Exactly. I still need to make sense of it, but... Their hubris is going to cost them a lot!"

...
....
.....

"Did you check the boy?" Asked the cold, indifferent voice, standing before a mirror that now, instead of reflecting the face of the Empress, showed the underground library and the face of the old wizard.

"Magicless nobody. You don't have to worry about him. He has as much magic in him as a rat would!"

"I wanted to make sure! You can't trust one with red hair..."

"You are more paranoid than me, girl! The line of Vasa was killed off. There are no living witches or wizards with red hair! Haven't been for more than a thousand years! You already know this! The first Emperor made sure their line was butchered! Everybody was killed, even the chickens and their bedbugs!"

"We can't be sure! If their blood lives, they could-"

"No, they couldn't!" The old man countered, waving his hand, "Nobody remembers the Vasas; they are a dead bloodline! Nobody will come to ask back their throne! Even if they did, who would even know about them?! Only ghosts! The world has forgotten them; you should, too! Your obsessions will be your end, girl!"

"Okay... okay... So, the boy was fine?"

"Yeah. Anyone with red hair nowadays is nothing but a coincidence! This little boy was just a barbarian, thinking he would understand the profound secrets of magic! A delusional nobody!"

"Okay, okay... I got it! You can really go on and on about nothing!" The Empress groaned, cutting the connection and looking at her own reflection in the mirror before grinning.

With a satisfied smile, she stood up, walking to her window, watching the full moon above the city, not knowing, far away from the city, in a rolling carriage, Leon couldn't wipe off the smirk from his face, not even when sleeping.