RISE OF EROS

The grounds of the imperial palace were quite extensive, to the point of occupying several blocks. The castle itself was enormous, by far the largest building in the city and there are many large mansions here.

It was obvious because the imperial family had to show its status. The castle was similar to any western castle on Earth in ancient times, except it had flashes of color in some parts.

Castles on Earth were usually gray or white depending on the material they were made from, but this one had some parts painted blue, red, and golden, even though it was mostly white.

It was magnificent, but Andrew did not have the opportunity to detail it well, as he was very close and could not see its full extent. Furthermore, with all the guards present, it would only cause problems for Andrew to look in too much detail at the castle.

An old man was standing at the door with a straight posture and an elegant suit that demonstrated his status. This was not the only curious thing about this old man, Andrew could tell that he was a powerful expert.

Andrew couldn't measure his strength in detail, but he was convinced that he is on the same level as Oliver, which was amazing for a simple butler. What Andrew didn't know was that this old man is the chief of staff of the imperial palace, so he is no ordinary man.

He had even been offered a high-ranking noble title, but he rejected it under the pretext that his mission in life is to serve the emperor. Because of this, although he is a butler, he actually has more power than many nobles in the empire.

The old man approached Andrew and with a respectful bow said, "Welcome Mr. Andrew. The emperor is waiting for you, please follow me." Andrew returned the courtesy but didn't say anything, just slightly nodding as if telling the old man to lead the way.

The old man understanding this, turned around and began to walk. Andrew was surprised as he followed the butler, that no guard accompanied them, this only showed the trust they had in the old butler.

Despite being at the entrance to the castle, they had to walk a few meters to enter the building and when they did, Andrew was amazed. If the exterior of the castle was majestic, the interior was another world.

The uniform marble floors, the paintings, and the decorations in the hallways, as well as the architecture itself, were exquisite. Sometimes jewels and even gold could be seen on some walls and decorations, which demonstrated the wealth of the imperial family.

The butler didn't say anything when he saw how Andrew admired the majesty of the castle, in fact, he slowed down so that Andrew could enjoy it better. Andrew did not notice this subtle action and had even forgotten that he could be in danger.

Inside the castle, there were guards almost every 5 meters, which was what brought Andrew back to reality, since he had forgotten that he was in possible enemy territory.

They walked for about 5 minutes and arrived at a room that was guarded by two men, who, upon seeing them, Andrew adopted a serious look, since they were just as powerful as the butler who guided him.

"I guess the empire has to have this power or they wouldn't be the powerhouse of the region," Andrew thought as he noticed the number of experts he had seen on his short walk here.

The old man approached the two guards and said calmly and respectfully, "Mr. Andrew attends the emperor's summons," then one of the guards knocked on the door and announced, "Mr. Andrew appears before the emperor."

From inside the room, Augustus's voice was heard allowing entry and then the guards opened the door. The butler stepped aside and bowed, inviting Andrew to enter.

Although nervous, Andrew gathered his courage and walked steadily into the room, and once inside, the door closed again. This was the office that Augustus usually used to discuss government issues with his ministers.

There was a huge table with space to seat 20 people easily. The emperor was at the end of the table, at the head as the highest authority, but he was not alone.

The 5 ministers and Marquis Valoide were sitting at the table on either side of the emperor. Strangely, there were no guards, but Andrew knew there must be someone hiding in the shadows because he did not think the emperor was unprotected.

What surprised him was not this, but that the emperor himself exuded a strength superior to the experts he had seen so far. He could even easily tell that he was much more powerful than Oliver.

The reason why he was able to perceive this was because the emperor was not hiding his aura. Andrew deduced that it was a way to show his power and status, but, even so, he did not flinch, and, approaching, he bowed respectfully and said, "Andrew has seen the emperor."

Being a god candidate, Andrew was indeed the one with the highest status in this room, but that was something he couldn't be shouting from the rooftops, so he acted according to etiquette and offered the emperor the respect he deserved as if he were an ordinary citizen.

"We finally meet. I have heard a lot about you," the emperor said in a serious, but not aggressive tone. His tone had a strange majesty that even Andrew could not match because it came not from strength, but from his title as emperor.

"It is my honor to be invited by his excellence," Andrew responded submissively and politely. He didn't know the reason why he was summoned, but he didn't want to start the meeting with a confrontation, first, he had to verify the reason for the summoning.

"Young Andrew doesn't have to be nervous. I didn't call you to reprimand you or punish you, I just wanted to meet you and discuss some topics with you," the emperor said, still calm.

The other ministers remained silent, pretending that they were not present, but they all looked at Andrew as if trying to size him up. They were surprised to learn that Andrew is an expert and, although low-level, was extraordinary for his age.

The emperor was no different from his ministers. He was also sizing Andrew up thoroughly, which made Andrew feel uncomfortable. Not all of the ministers were experts, but they still had a strong presence, and having 7 pairs of eyes of this caliber staring at him made Andrew nervous.

The emperor, realizing this, smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, Mr. Andrew. Sit down please". Andrew unceremoniously took the chair furthest from the emperor and sat down.

"So, what does the emperor want to discuss with a small person like me?" Andrew asked still maintaining his polite tone, to which the emperor replied, "I think Mr. Andrew is an intelligent person, so it is obvious that I want to know about the issue of Badily's spies."

Andrew paused briefly and then said, "I think my men explained the whole thing," but the emperor laughed lightly and countered his argument by saying, "Come on Mr. Andrew, you know that's not true."

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked in confusion, to which the emperor asked more seriously, "I want to know, why did you send men to Calci in the first place?"

Although he did not expect the emperor to ask this, Andrew quickly came up with an excuse, "Well, as the emperor will know, I am a merchant and since Calci is my city of birth, I was thinking of opening a business there."

Andrew paused and added, "That's why I sent people to investigate the market. That's how I found out that Doldo had returned and since I think the emperor already investigated, you will know that I have some differences with him."

It was true. The Emperor had investigated the whole matter of Andrew, Emilse, and Doldo ever since he found out that Andrew is from Calci. He even inquired about his life there, his parents, his friends, and any details about Andrew in Calci.

Even though Andrew's excuse seemed legitimate and he knew everything about Andrew when he lived in Calci, for some reason, the emperor felt that Andrew was lying to him, but he didn't know about what he was lying.

Not knowing how to get the truth out of Andrew, the emperor decided to put this topic on hold and continued with what he really wanted to discuss in this meeting, "Mr. Andrew. It would not be difficult to grant you a noble title for your contributions to the empire, but I will be honest, I do not trust you."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The emperor's direct accusation surprised not only Andrew but all the ministers. It was inappropriate to throw judgments like this head-on, at least not in politics and negotiations, so the fact that the emperor was so direct surprised them.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, the emperor continued speaking, "Somehow you have been at the forefront of all the problems the empire has faced. First the spies from the kingdom of Tripia and now those from Badily, that is very strange."

It was certainly strange. Even Andrew himself couldn't believe the coincidences he had had, but he knew that the emperor wouldn't believe him. Even so, he decided to tell the truth, "Although appearances do not look like, in reality, they have only been coincidences. These people just have crossed my path, nothing more."

Just as Andrew had imagined, none of those present believed him, but they said nothing and the emperor spoke again after a few seconds, "It is hard to believe, but let us assume it is true. What are your real goals?".