Water Magician

Extra 12 The Former Emperor and the Explosive Blaze Magician

Editor: Tseirp

The Imperial Palace, Debuhi Empire.

“Haa～～～～～～.”

The former emperor, Rupert VI, heaved a deep sigh.

“She’s definitely going to be furious…”

With those words, he let out yet another deep sigh.

Since his son, Helmut VIII, had been defeated by Hahn, the king of the equestrian tribe, the supreme power in the Debuhi Empire had once again fallen into Rupert’s hands.

And now, Rupert, dreading the anger to come, continued to sigh deeply.

Finally, the moment came…

“Duchess Rubine and Count Ruska have arrived.”

“Let them in.”

Duchess Rubine, Fiona, and her husband, the explosive blaze magician Count Oscar, entered the office.

“Thank you for coming, Fiona, Oscar. Please, have a seat.”

“Excuse us.”

Rupert sighed softly once more.

Fiona and Oscar had been summoned from their duchy, Rubine, to the imperial capital.

The reason for their summons was still unknown to them.

All they had been told was that the former emperor, Rupert, had something he wanted to ‘consult’ them about.

When they received the summons, both Fiona and Oscar had been puzzled.

It was extremely rare for Rupert to ‘seek advice’.

During his reign and even after abdicating, Rupert seldom sought the counsel of others.

This might make him seem like a typical dictatorial emperor, but the truth was that Rupert was fundamentally a person who didn’t consult others.

This was partly because he was always ready to take full responsibility for everything himself.

He never shifted the blame onto others. He took responsibility himself.

The only exception had been Hans Kirchhoff, the count who had served as his governor.

But now, Hans was not by his side.

Having remained in the western countries as the acting head of the imperial delegation.

“I called you here because… well, actually…you see…”

Rupert tried to explain, but he was surprisingly hesitant.

Fiona and Oscar were quite taken aback internally.

They had never seen him like this.

Fiona, though she was Rupert’s youngest daughter, had been demoted from her royal status and was now a noble, a duchess.

Because her position was clearly different from that of Rupert, the former emperor, they generally did not engage in personal conversations.

However…

“Your Majesty, no, Father, if it’s something difficult to say, please, go ahead. I am fine with whatever it is.”

Fiona urged him to speak.

Prompted by Fiona’s words, Rupert finally spoke.

“Well… alright. The truth is… I want Oscar to go to the Western Countries…”

Rupert couldn’t finish his sentence.

Whoosh.

Rupert felt something invisible whisk past his cheek.

It might have been a light-attribute magic spell… or something….

He swallowed hard.

“Father… what did you just say?”

“A-ah, calm down, Fiona.”

“I am calm.”

“No, you’re definitely not calm…”

From the moment Fiona was born, and especially after her mother, Empress Frederica, died shortly after her birth, Rupert had doted on Fiona.

Fathers often have a soft spot for their daughters, but Rupert’s affection for Fiona was of a different magnitude.

That’s why he feared Fiona’s anger.

Though in his mind he thought, “But you just told me to say it”, he couldn’t voice that thought.

“F-Fiona, please listen to me.”

“I am listening. Go ahead.”

Fiona prompted, as Rupert spoke, sweating profusely.

Rupert thought honestly that he didn’t want to say it, even though Fiona was urging him to.

Therefore, he looked at the person sitting next to Fiona.

Oscar, who didn’t say anything aloud, understood what Rupert was seeking.

He also had an idea why Rupert wanted to send him to the Western Countries.

“Fiona, let’s calm down and listen to what His Majesty has to say.”

“…Alright.”

Oscar held Fiona’s hand and soothed her in a calm voice.

Fiona, still frowning, squeezed Oscar’s hand back and nodded.

Seeing this, Rupert breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he finally began to explain the rest.

“Actually, I urgently need to call Hans back.”

“Count Hans Kirchhoff? He is with the delegation in the Western Countries.”

“Yes, that’s right. I plan to use Hagen’s to send Oscar there and bring Hans back. That’s why I asked Oscar to go to the Western Countries.”

Rupert managed to explain, exhaling slightly.

He knew that this proposal would be accepted.

Fiona might be displeased, but Oscar wouldn’t refuse.

Oscar was rational and quick-witted as long as it didn’t involve Fiona.

Leading the imperial delegation as Hans’s replacement in the distant Western Countries required not only command ability but also high charisma.

It was necessary to captivate emotions with charisma rather than just rational commands.

As they’re in a faraway foreign land.

When considering this, there were very few options in the Empire besides Oscar.

In fact, excluding Rupert, there was only one other person.

That person was Fiona.

In other words, only Oscar or Fiona could fulfill this role.

However, sending both was impossible.

Since the emperor’s death, the current Empire was far from stable.

Even with the return of the great Rupert VI, the former emperor.

The Rubin Duchy, ruled by Fiona and Oscar, was one of the key regions in the eastern part of the Empire.

Currently, it was an extremely stable territory due to their power, but it was also a land that had been confiscated from nobles at the end of Rupert’s reign, so it couldn’t be taken lightly.

It would be too reckless to send both of them to the Western Countries from such a territory…

“Father. No, Your Majesty.”

Fiona called out.

Deliberately changing her manner of address.

“Ah, no, Fiona, please calm down…”

At that moment, Rupert saw a towering inferno behind Fiona.

An illusion for sure. It was likely an illusion, but he was certain he saw it.

The anger she was trying to suppress couldn’t be contained and manifested.

It was as if it had taken form….

Fiona, who controlled both fire and light attributes.

Her fire attribute was, in a sense, very aggressive…

“Former Emperor, may I hear that again? What do you plan to do with Oscar, my husband?”

“Fiona, please, calm down…”

“Your Majesty, I am calm.”

“No, you’re definitely not calm…”

There was no emotion on Fiona’s face.

However, it was more terrifying than when she showed anger. Rupert genuinely felt that way.

Rupert swallowed hard several times.

He was about to face the greatest anger from the person he cherished most in this world… something no one would want to experience.

Next to Fiona, Oscar shook his head slightly.

Exchanging places with Hans in the Western Countries.

He predicted that this order would be conveyed.

And it happened just as he expected.

Additionally… Fiona’s anger was also as he predicted….

Oscar understood that this was the most logically correct course of action.

Ideally, if Baron Hagen Venda could use his to bring the entire delegation back to the Empire at once, it would be the quickest solution.

However, the former emperor was unwilling to do this.

This suggested there were reasons why it couldn’t be done.

It could be an issue on the delegation’s side or perhaps… a problem with Baron Hagen Venda’s .

During the last war with the kingdom, was used to transport a large army to the battlefield.

Afterwards, Baron Hagen Venda reportedly hovered near death….

This time, the delegation was not as large.

If it were just the Imperial delegation, it would be a few hundred people.

Yet, the former emperor did not command it.

Oscar had a hypothesis about this .

The hypothesis was that it might not be possible to teleport a large number of people over a long distance.

Teleporting one or two people over 4,000 kilometers was possible.

This had been proven.

However, as the number of people to be teleported increased, the distance that could be covered might decrease proportionally.

Thus, teleporting a large number of people between the Central Countries and the Western Countries might be impossible.

Details about Baron Hagen Venda’s were the Empire’s top secret.

Neither Oscar nor even Fiona had access to this information.

Therefore, there was no way to confirm it…

In any case, if it wasn’t possible to move the entire delegation with , the options were limited.

The most critical point was that the delegation was in the distant Western Countries, far from their homeland.

No matter how elite they were, being far from and away from their homeland for a long time would make them homesick.

They would want to return home.

This would create vulnerabilities.

It was an emotional issue, not a rational one.

Therefore, the person leading such people needed to be able to captivate emotions.

Oscar did not consider himself charismatic.

However, he understood that his presence provided a sense of security to his subordinates.

“A sense of assurance that following this person would be alright.”

Such a sense of security.

This was, objectively, a part of charisma, but Oscar himself was not aware of it…

Oscar gently squeezed Fiona’s hand.

That alone brought Fiona back to a normal state.

“Master…”

However, she still referred to him as Master even in front of the former emperor Rupert.

She hadn’t completely calmed down.

“Don’t trouble His Majesty too much.”

“Sure. But…”

“I’ll be fine.”

Oscar smiled slightly.

Oscar could only smile in front of Fiona.

Since that moment eight years ago… when Oscar’s frozen heart began to thaw, he might have understood this deep down.

“I’ll lead the delegation back properly. Will you wait for me?”

“Yes…”

Oscar’s unusually gentle words.

However, this was Oscar’s usual demeanor in front of Fiona.

And Fiona accepted Oscar’s decision.

The former emperor Rupert let out a silent sigh of relief.

The Imperial delegation remained in the Holy City of Marlomar.

Along with the delegations from the Kingdom and the Union.

With numerous administrative tasks, the death of the previous Pope, and the chaos caused by monsters falling from the sky, there was still no prospect of departure.

Rumors even suggested they might stay for several months, possibly nearly a year…

In the midst of this, the leaders of the delegations gathered.

The location was the Imperial delegation’s quarters.

Visiting were Hugh McGrath, the leader of the Kingdom’s delegation, and Roberto Pirlo, the leader of the Union’s delegation.

“Actually, I need to return to the Empire urgently.”

Count Hans Kirchhoff, the acting leader of the Imperial delegation, began.

“I see. So…you’re introducing your replacement, though the term sounds odd.”

“Your insight is humbling, Your Majesty.”

Former King Roberto Pirlo remarked, and Hans replied with a respectful bow.

Simultaneously, the door opened, and a man entered.

“Allow me to introduce the person who will be leading the Imperial delegation in my stead, Count Oscar Ruska.”

Hans said, introducing Oscar, who bowed politely.

“Oh my…”

“This is unexpected…”

Both Hugh and Roberto Pirlo were momentarily at a loss for words.

Knowing exactly who Oscar was.

Indeed, in the Central Countries, it would be no exaggeration to say that there was no one who didn’t know of Oscar.

“The famed explosive blaze magician…”

“The former emperor’s proxy, no less.”

Hugh muttered, frowning, while Roberto Pirlo chuckled wryly.

Oscar Ruska’s appointment as the acting leader of the Imperial delegation was announced that very day.

As a result, the morale of the Imperial delegation rose.

However, within the Kingdom’s delegation were three adventurers with a deep-seated grudge against the explosive blaze magician.

“Isn’t Count Oscar Ruska the one we faced in Whitnash?”

“Yeah, he’s incredibly strong.”

“Are we… going to be okay…?”

Etho recalled, Amon admired his strength, and Niels shook his head slightly, contemplating the challenges ahead.

It seemed that the delegation to the Western Countries was in for quite an ordeal…

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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