Chapter 37: I Couldn't Ask for More
Joshua, who had already restrained himself as much as possible, stared expressionlessly at the Imperial Guard Captain, who seemed ready to draw his sword and attack at the slightest provocation. There was no fluctuation in his heart at all.
—What did I just say?
And under the warrior's cold gaze, the Imperial Guard Captain also calmed down. He smiled somewhat awkwardly, as if wanting to say something—in fact, he did recognize Joshua, after all, the warrior was somewhat of a celebrity. While many people often attempted dragon-slaying, those who succeeded and wiped out an entire dragon nest in one go were truly rare. He had just been compelled by that pressure that seemed to pierce straight into one's heart, unable to control himself.
Of course, news hadn't arrived yet, so he didn't know that Joshua had just dealt with a demon in the Imperial Capital.
After confirming that aside from Brandon's group of three, the carriage indeed carried no weapons, this Imperial Guard Captain apologized and withdrew, allowing the carriage to continue forward.
"Speaking of which, Ying and Lin could also be considered weapons, right? Even if they are nominally your head maid and butler."
Sitting in the carriage, Brandon glanced sideways at the young boy and girl who were still secretly holding back their laughter, shook his head and laughed: "You've broken the law, Joshua. This is a capital crime of great disrespect."
"It's fine, I won't use them anyway."
Shaking his head, Joshua said casually. He hadn't even thought about it when he said it, and he completely failed to notice the fierce glares coming from both sides beside him. The silver-haired girl's small teeth ground back and forth, as if she were itching to bite something, while the black-haired boy seemed to want to say something but was momentarily at a loss for words, only able to smile awkwardly.
—Does this master have any self-awareness at all!
Shortly after, they officially arrived at the main entrance of Morlai Palace. Carriages could no longer pass through here, so the four of them dismounted and walked forward.
At the entrance, there were also many Imperial Guards. These guards appeared even more elite than the previous black-armored ones. They wore black plate-chain composite armor, held shields in their hands, and carried cross-shaped longswords, hand crossbows, and poison darts at their waists. Since it was now deep in the night, these guards seemed almost invisible in the shadows.
These were the exclusive elite guards of the Imperial Royal Family, the [Mars Imperial Guards]. In his previous life, this was considered a hidden class in the game, requiring respected reputation with the Imperial Royal Family and revered reputation with the Empire to apply for the class-change quest. It was a combination of a heavy-armored swordsman and a light crossbowman, possessing two traits: [Sturdy Physique] and [Eye of Discernment], along with two additional specialties: [Single-Handed Sword Mastery] and [Hand Crossbow Mastery]. They could use magical items, wearing heavy armor did not affect their agility, and they received bonuses to strength and endurance when protecting a target. It was a very versatile class with a certain degree of strength.
They clearly knew that Brandon, Joshua, and the others were coming, so after confirmation, all these Imperial Guards stepped back and cleared the path.
It had to be said, these men were noticeably a cut above the previous Imperial Guards. This could be seen from the fact that they managed to suppress the urge to draw their swords as Joshua passed by them.
After entering the palace complex, several servants came forward from both sides, gesturing for everyone to follow them. The leading attendant bowed: "Please allow me to lead you all to the Imperial Study. His Majesty and Master Nostradamus are waiting for you."
Following this attendant into the palace interior, passing through long corridors and magnificent archways, winding through the luxurious palace for a while, and seeing many other palace staff along the way, everyone finally arrived at an open-air garden.
"Apologies, we cannot enter here."
Bowing slightly in apology, the attendant pointed to the other end of the garden: "You may all walk straight ahead. At the end is the Imperial Study."
Stepping onto the garden path, both sides were lined with various tall marble statues—statues of past emperors and famous figures. These statues were clearly the work of master craftsmen, each person's expression incredibly vivid, as if they were still alive.
Halfway through, Joshua stopped. He frowned, looking toward the palace ahead, as if sensing an inexplicable aura. Brandon also shuddered slightly, turning back to look at the warrior. The two exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Is this a welcome?"
Joshua muttered to himself: "I never expected His Majesty the Emperor to have already reached this level."
The current Emperor of the Northern Empire, Israel Diamond. The warrior didn't know much about this Emperor. In his previous life, by the time he could interact with the Imperial Royal Family and the Legendary rank, this Emperor, later known as Emperor Israel the Great, had already been dead for several years. Thinking carefully, it was only about five or six years from now. He wasn't clear on the reason for this, but he knew that the new Emperor of the Northern Empire was the Second Prince, Dimor Diamond. He possessed the same talent as his father, suppressing all competitors with his Legendary-rank strength to secure the position of the Empire's ruler.
To be honest, Joshua knew more about that Second Prince. He was a tough and iron-blooded figure. When Emperor Israel the Great passed away, internal strife erupted within the Empire as the various princes fought for the throne. He decisively acted personally, launching a thousand-mile surprise attack, killing his brothers and sisters one by one. When facing the Abyss invasion, he planned a series of counterattacks. It was also during that time that Brandon entered the Legendary realm, earning the title of the Empire's Sword.
The reason that aura had made Joshua frown earlier was because he realized that this Emperor was on the verge of a breakthrough. But if Israel could truly achieve Legendary High-rank, or even Peak, then how could he possibly die mysteriously six years later? There must be hidden circumstances behind this.
Regardless, everyone had arrived at the door of the palace study. Overthinking was useless; it was better to meet directly and observe. But before they could announce themselves, the door opened on its own.
"Come in."
The old mage's voice came from inside: "We've been waiting for you for a long time."
Joshua entered first.
In that instant, what he saw was not the luxurious decorations of the study, nor the countless treasures in the surrounding bookshelves, but a middle-aged man sitting at the other end of the desk, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
This man was tall, his eyes revealing boundless authority—and of course, an overwhelming psychological pressure that made one feel the fear of standing at the edge of an abyss. His expression was indifferent but carried a hint of curiosity. As he locked eyes with Joshua, the warrior felt a powerful force swirling around him, as if trying to see through him.
But this force was blocked by Joshua's own power. This caused the Emperor to let out a soft exclamation of surprise: "I didn't expect young people nowadays to be this formidable."
He slowly stood up. This Emperor, with dark golden hair, was tall, like a small giant. Even in the study, Israel wore a leather armor. Before being an Emperor, he looked more like a battle-hardened warrior. His temperament was less that of a king who controls everything and more that of a warlord commanding thousands: "Truly worthy of being the new Chaos Warden, a powerful warrior who crushed the Magic Tide, sealed the Space-Time Gate, returned safely from another world, and even wiped out an entire dragon nest."
He nodded in praise, as if very satisfied with this.
"Joshua van Radcliffe."
Waving his hand to stop the warrior from bowing, Israel shook his head: "This is not a formal meeting, and there are no outsiders here. No need for such formality. Nostradamus is my teacher, little Brandon is my junior brother, and by extension, he's also of my nephew generation—it's all this old man's fault for taking disciples randomly, the seniority is too chaotic."
He seemed to be in a good mood, not deliberately displaying his imperial authority. But even so, the pressure of a Legendary-rank expert, even when restrained as much as possible, still made one feel stifled.
"This is to cultivate a new generation for your Empire." On the side, the old mage shook his head in response: "If I wanted to retire, the first one to refuse would probably be you."
"Hahaha."
Laughing in tacit agreement with Nostradamus's words, this Emperor looked directly into Joshua's eyes. After a moment of eye contact, Israel slowly said: "I have met your father, Beruo de Radcliffe. He was a competent lord and a qualified Chaos Warden... and you, you've gone a step further."
Slowly walking out from behind the desk and coming before Joshua, this tall Emperor carefully examined the warrior. His brow furrowed slightly, as if somewhat surprised: "You've already touched the barrier of Ultimate Essence... Genius is no longer enough to describe you. Is this the power of the Sage's inheritance? Truly worthy of its name."
After a moment of silence, this Emperor suddenly said: "How about we spar a bit?"
Joshua was silent for a moment, then a corner of his mouth curled up, revealing an excited smile.
"Bring it on, Your Majesty."
He spoke his first words since entering the study: "I couldn't ask for more."
(To be continued.)