Chapter 193: Negotiations (1)

Louis’s unexpected outburst was intolerable to these nobles, who had grown accustomed to being treated with utmost respect throughout their lives. They’d never encountered such rudeness before. This reaction was especially pronounced among the renowned aristocrats of the Dominant Empire, known for their haughty nature.

The more capable nobles, those with brains as well as lineage, were already fighting on the front lines or managing affairs in various ministries across the Empire. In other words, the nobles gathered here for the grand debate were mere surplus personnel deemed useless by most standards.

These individuals possessed inflated egos that far exceeded their actual abilities. Their reactions were as predictable as they were:

“Where did these riffraff come from?!”

“How dare you speak with such insolence! Do you have any idea where we are?!”

“Intruders! What are the guards doing?!”

Angry cries erupted from all directions.

As the clamor directed at him intensified, Louis cocked his head quizzically. “Is this a competition for who can shout the loudest?”

Then I’ll raise my voice as well. Louis cleared his throat and drew a deep breath from the pit of his stomach. A powerful roar burst forth from his lips.

“Silence!”

Woo—woo—.

His thunderous voice reverberated throughout the grand hall. The spectators, startled by the sheer volume, gaped at Louis in bewilderment.

Louis grinned with satisfaction. “This is the power of diaphragmatic breathing.”

In one breath, Louis had taken control of the situation. As a hush fell over the crowd, his steady voice resonated through the hall.

“Isn’t it disrespectful to clamor like this when your savior has been apprehended?”

Louis’s smile swept across the grand hall as he scanned the crowd. His gaze finally settled on the highest dais at the far end of the chamber—a middle-aged man adorned in more resplendent robes than any other, with a crown adorning his brow.

At a glance, one could discern his prestigious rank. He was also the very person Louis had come to meet today.

Thump, thump.

As Louis approached him, Pablo silently followed close behind. Soon, the two faced each other with about five meters of space between them.

The emperor spoke first. “Who are you? I certainly didn’t invite you here.”

Louis’s eyes glinted at the ruler’s bland tone.

Oh ho? Is this what an emperor sounds like?

It was a far cry from how other nobles had reacted, but Louis didn’t miss the hint of bewilderment concealed within the seemingly calm voice.

“Well, that hurts my feelings, doesn’t it? I distinctly remember receiving your invitation, you know.”

The emperor was taken aback by Louis’s casual remark, and pandemonium erupted around them.

“You impudent wretch! Show some decorum!”

“How dare you show such insolence!”

Louis ignored their outbursts. Instead, Pablo stepped forward.

Thud.

His footfall resonated heavily on the ground. At that moment…

Crack.

The marble flooring of the grand hall cracked and sank inward. The fissures in the floor halted precisely at the feet of those who had shouted moments ago.

Pablo glared at them with ferocious eyes. “Silence yourselves. This is a place for our esteemed Priest to discourse.”

As Pablo’s icy voice reverberated, figures who recognized him began to emerge.

“Who… who is that?!”

“The Order’s great warrior!”

“I said silence yourselves. Next time you open your mouths… it will not be a mere warning.”

Those who had spoken once more swallowed their words as Pablo’s sharp gaze fell upon them.

A hint of surprise flickered across the Emperor’s eyes at the title ‘great warrior of the Order.’

Is this the eternal monster? wondered the Emperor.

He was well aware of the rumors surrounding the Order’s great warrior.

He was acknowledged as a martial artist far superior to the Empire’s vaunted sword master. In other words, if he set his mind to it, not a soul here would survive. Even with the protection of his elite bodyguards, the emperor himself couldn’t escape the risk.

As the tension in the room ratcheted up once more, the emperor broke the silence. “The Priest of the Order, is it? But how odd. I seem to recall sending you an invitation. Do you mean to say you never received it?”

“How dare you! Your men sent by you stole our family’s religious artifacts!”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Of course you would say that, wouldn’t you?”

“Well, I don’t care how you managed to get here… I have no time for any more of your nonsense today. So please see yourself out.”

“Really? Can we really go? Won’t you regret this?”

Louis pointed to the window with his finger.

To be precise, he was indicating the enormous human shape that was looking down from the sky above.

The emperor’s eyebrow twitched.

“Is this also one of your tricks?”

“It’s the will of Carlos, my lord. Our gracious master has mercy on the Empire… he told us to give you a chance.”

“This is truly amusing nonsense.”

“Wow, that hurts my feelings. You call it nonsense even after seeing the miracle of God?”

“Do not try to bewitch me with lies.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

A smile spread across Louis’s face.

Suddenly, the smile vanished.

“Pablo, don’t you hear that buzzing sound from somewhere? There must be a bug around.”

“Oh dear… I’ll take care of it right away.”

Pablo lowered his head slightly before slamming his fist down with great force.

Thud - Crack!

His fist instantly burrowed into the ground, while at the same time, cracks spread across the marble floor, snaking up the pillar behind the emperor.

And then…

Thump! Thump!

Two men dropped from the ceiling with small groans. Soon after, eighteen black-clad warriors descended from above and surrounded the emperor.

Pablo’s face stiffened slightly as he looked at them.

All of them are tier-2!

Even more alarming, there were several among them that Pablo hadn’t detected at all.

Eighteen tier-2 warriors. Their collective power was not to be underestimated, even by someone like Pablo.

On the other side, the emperor’s bodyguards glared at Pablo and Louis with murderous intent, aware of the peril facing their sovereign. Other than that, there was one more thing that could be seen.

He silently observed the two guards lying on the ground, coughing blood.

“…”

The emperor’s spine shuddered as he realized Pablo had taken out these guards and mortally wounded them in a blink of an eye. His eyes gleamed with icy fire. “Do you truly think you can get out of here alive after all this?”

“Your Majesty, should we not worry first about your survival? Surely you will come through this safely.”

“There can be no second chance at such an attack.”

“So are you claiming we have failed?” asked Louis pointedly. “Even if I and Pablo here die in the attempt, we think as many as half their number would perish with Your Majesty.”

A tense standoff ensued between Louis and the emperor. Meanwhile, tension between Pablo and the imperial guards escalated. The atmosphere teetered on the brink of erupting into violence.

At that moment, Louis spoke with a smile.

“Ah, we don’t have much time, so let’s not waste it on conflict. I’m content if I can just get what I want.”

Since Louis took the first step back, the emperor also relented.

”…What do you want?”

Seeing that they might finally have a proper conversation, Louis raised his hand. He unfurled his fingers one by one.

“I desire but three things. First, the return of the sacred relic stolen from us. Second, appropriate compensation for all the suffering you’ve caused us. And…”

Finally, he extended his third finger.

“A bargain.”

”…A bargain? What kind of bargain are you speaking of?”

“For now, allow us to handle the monsters encamped beyond your domain.”

Surprise appeared on the faces of the emperor and the other nobles.

“Is what you say truly the truth?”

“It is indeed the truth. However, I’m not doing this for free.”

“What do you want?”

“Well, what do you think I might want?”

”…What are you trying to accomplish here?”

“Isn’t it clear we’re negotiating?”

“That’s why I’m asking! If you want something, then tell us!”

“Ah, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Do I really need to say it out loud?”

Despite his words, he brought his thumb and forefinger together to form a circle. He continued speaking in this manner.

“Ahh, I wonder if you might offer me a… donation…”

In essence, it was a blatant demand for money. His gesture was irritatingly insolent as he made the sign of the holy.

The emperor gritted his teeth and asked.

”…How much do you want?”

“Come on, you can’t just expect things to be handed to you. You don’t seem to understand the basics of negotiation.”

”…What?” The emperor’s voice quivered as he stared at Louis.

Louis grinned, waving a hand at the emperor. “You first.”

”…Huh?”

“Isn’t it usually the one with the upper hand who makes the first move? Go ahead, show me what you’re willing to offer.”

Quivering…

The emperor’s face flushed beet red at Louis’s condescending tone. Had anyone ever treated him like this before? From birth, he had been above all others, a being meant to be revered and supported. His patience had already been tested to its limits by enduring Louis’s rudeness up until now. Yet, even with his reserves depleted, he scraped the bottom of his barrel to maintain composure.

The Emperor clenched his jaw as he spoke. “I’ll give you one million gold.”

”…What did you say? One million? That’s all?”

”…That’s all?” The incredulity vanished from the Emperor’s face.

Meanwhile, Louis twitched his nose. Wriggle, wriggle. He furiously shook his nose without anyone asking him to.

“Wow, for someone with such vast lands, you seem more… frugal than I expected.”

“Exactly… how much do you want?”

“Hmm, let me see… I think I’ll just tell you since you can’t seem to grasp it.”

”…Just tell me.”

Despite facing the Emperor’s murderous gaze, Louis continued smiling. Then suddenly, the smile vanished from his face.

“One hundred million gold.”

As soon as he uttered those words, a wave of shock rippled through the chamber.

Unfazed by the reactions around him, Louis’s face once again split into a grin.

“Well then, how about it? That’s a better price than you’d expect, wouldn’t you say?”

“What absurdity! The fee you’re demanding is preposterous.”

“What’s the issue? Is the Empire short on funds or something?”

“100 million gold is equivalent to the Empire’s budget for ten years.”

“Doesn’t that make it a good deal then?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to spend ten years’ worth of budget to save the Empire rather than let it be overrun by the monster army and cease to exist?”

“What nonsense!”

“If the cost is too high…we can offer a payment plan.”

Louis’s cavalier attitude finally pushed the Emperor’s patience over the edge.

Squelch.

“Get out. I will never forget this humiliation.”

“Really? You’re kicking me out?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll regret this, won’t you? Our dear Carlos here is more resilient than you thought, so turning us away…”

Louis pointed toward the window.

You’ll toss us out? But if you do, we’ll fling open that window over there.

So, will you really send us away even then?

…That’s what his eyes were clearly saying.

It was plain for all to see—the weirdly shaped object floating above them kept the monsters at bay.

Threatening to open the window would be nothing but a bluff.

The Emperor gnashed his teeth. “Instead of trying to negotiate, you come here to threaten us.”

“Come now, calling it a threat? Thanks to our dear Carlos, we’re breathing a little easier at the moment, no?” Louis drawled. “This is merely a taste of things to come in our earnest negotiations. Letting a customer see the fine merchandise before the purchase, you know?”

Louis turned on his heel.

“Well then, if you lack the desire to buy, we shall be on our way.”

”…”

“Oh, should you change your mind, just fire off a white signal flare. We’ll come without hesitation.”

His voice oozed with confidence that they could enter theodemocracy’s palace at any time.

“Follow me, Pablo.”

“Yes, Priest.” Pablo trailed behind Louis as the pair disappeared once again, wrapped in light.

What’s more…

“Huh?! It’s gone!”

“It disappeared!”

“T-the entire pantheon has vanished!”

The figure of the Church of the Whole, which had been suspended in the air above the islet, had completely vanished without a trace, as if all that had transpired had merely been a dream.

And at that moment…

Boom! Boom!

Once again, the sound reverberated through the palace. No sooner had the pantheon’s form disappeared from above the islet than the monsters’ bombardment began anew.

“Arrrgh!”

Once Louis left, murmurs of discontent arose once more from various quarters, and the Emperor clutched at his forehead. A severe headache had struck. He slumped back into his chair and glared with murderous intent at the spot Louis had occupied moments ago.

Louis and Pablo escaped from the imperial palace.

Graaaaah!

Cree!

Gaaah!

As Louis watched the monsters go berserk in the air above the islets, Pablo furtively glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

The constant stares since they left the palace finally erupted into irritation for Louis.

“Oh, for crying out loud! If you have something to say, use words!”

”…You won’t hit me?”

“Let’s see.”

“Then I won’t say it.”

“Then I’ll just hit you anyway.”

“Aargh! I’ll do it! I will!” Pablo exclaimed hurriedly, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Why did you only ask for one hundred million?”

This had been Pablo’s lingering question from back at the palace. The issue was that Louis had only called for “one hundred million gold.” It was unclear when one hundred million gold had become so insignificant, but to Louis, it truly was a pittance. Considering the toil and effort he had put in thus far, he should’ve asked for at least a billion.

That’s the Louis Pablo knew.

Louis snorted at Pablo’s question.

“What’s my story? Of course, compared to the effort I put in,100 million gold is just pocket change. Hmm! That’s that.”

”…Yes, I suppose so. So why are you asking for only 100 million gold?”

“Pablo, let me ask you—how would they have reacted if I demanded 1 billion or even 10 billion gold on the spot?”

“They’d be frothing at the mouth even more than they are at 100 million! How could they possibly come up with 1 billion or 10 billion gold? It’s simply not feasible.”

“Exactly! It’s not feasible because those numbers are unrealistic! But 100 million gold, that seems like a feasible number, doesn’t it?”

“Huh?”

One billion gold was equivalent to the Empire’s budget for a hundred years.

Ten billion gold was equivalent to the Empire’s budget for a thousand years.

It was an unimaginably vast sum of money.

But one hundred million gold was different. Even if it seemed impossible at first, it would be manageable if paid in installments over several decades. No, if the Empire’s treasury were depleted, there would still be enough gold to cover this amount.

“And that’s not the whole story, is it?”

“Hmm?”

“Heh-heh. You know something else.”

Pablo inwardly grumbled about Louis keeping secrets from him again. After fretting for a while, he asked with concern, “So, will the emperor actually give us that money?”

“At first, probably not.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“What can I do? We’ll just have to cling to his ankles and badger him relentlessly. ‘Please help us! We’ll give you one hundred million gold.’”

“I see…”

Pablo shook his head at Louis’s sly grin, clearly unimpressed by the scheme he had just outlined.