Chapter 353: Chapter 353: The Strange Emperor
Chapter 353: Chapter 353: The Strange Emperor
"We have heard a lot about the hospitality of the Holy Empire. Unfortunately, those who came before us were not able to experience it," Eren said, shaking the Holy Emperor's hand with a hint of intrigue at the strangely familiar gesture.
The handshake of the Holy Emperor felt slightly stiff. It was clear that he was putting a little too much strength behind that handshake, albeit not intentionally.
For Eren, this amount of strength was not enough to seriously hurt him but it was also uncomfortable, especially since the Holy Emperor was not weak either.
From what he remembered, the Holy Emperor was supposed to be as strong as a Cardinal. With just his raw strength, it did not seem like an exaggeration.
He didn't dwell on it further and continued, "But it doesn't matter. Those who took this opportunity from them will soon pay."
Eren's words were not directed at anyone in particular, but he had conveyed the message he intended to send.
As soon as he finished speaking, Eren noticed a brief, almost imperceptible change in the expression of Cardinal Treniel, which quickly returned to normal.
The Holy Emperor also appeared quite serious, especially since he remembered quite a lot about the Great Demon Sect which had an important role in the story of the Western Continent.
The Demon Sect was notorious for its brutality. That's why, even though he had the knowledge from the novel, he did not take the envoys from the Demon Sect lightly, especially since they were not the envoys that had come in the novel.
Even the Envoy who had come in the novel was cold and ruthless when she was annoyed. As for the personality of Eren, he was not sure about it yet.
From the initial impressions, he appeared somewhat more welcoming compared to the original envoy that was supposed to come as per his memories. Still, he knew that he could not lower his guard.
Although Eren looked pale and weak, he was able to reach the position of the Great Elder. It was clear that he was strong.
As he was sent by the Eastern Overlord, it was enough to show that his position wasn't lower compared to any other Great Elders either.
At least he was on the same level as the envoy that had come in the novel that he read, especially when it came to strength.
As the formalities continued, the Holy Emperor's gaze subtly shifted to the young girl, Zia, who stood beside Eren.
Her presence was also unexpected, yet there was an aura about her that made her feel even stronger than Eren who didn't stand out much because of his seemingly pale physique.
It was only because she was standing behind Eren that he was able to learn that she was actually weaker than Eren. In the Demon Sect, influence was only received through strength after all.
The Holy Emperor made a light conversation with Great Elder Zia, asking her name. With that, he was finally able to confirm that she was not the woman that was supposed to come.
From what he remembered, the woman who came in the novel was known as Xiu Ying.
Although it was at the beginning of the novel, he still remembered it as it had left a deep impact on him with how much the author had hyped the beauty of that woman. It left even more of an impact with what the woman did later on.
Next, he talked to Yu Lin who was the only one that looked normal and non threatening here. Not only was the girl young but her presence was also mild, as if someone who had nearly started her journey in this world.
It was only after Yu Lin introduced herself, the Holy Emperor came to learn that she was the disciple of Eren which surprised him.
He took another glance at Eren. Just what kind of person was he? Why would he bring his disciple to such a dangerous place where he was to investigate the disappearance of his people?
Was it because he didn't even consider the involvement of the Holy Empire in that matter? Why else would he be relaxed enough to bring his disciple? If that was the case, the Holy Emperor could only sigh as he knew the reality of this Empire.
After giving a slight nod, he walked towards his throne. He sat on his throne, taking his rightful place as the Emperor.
The real Emperor had sat on this throne thousands of times. For him, this was the first time he was sitting on the throne of an Emperor that overlooked the entirely grand hall.
He tried to be as natural as possible, still appearing somewhat different. That difference was not noticeable by Eren who was seeing the Emperor for the first time.
On the contrary, the eunuch that served the Emperor and Cardinal Treniel were more perceptive. Although confused about the strange behavior from the Emperor, they didn't think too much of it.
The Emperor talked a little more with the three guests before telling a servant to lead them to the rooms that had been arranged for them to rest.
He also reminded them about the banquet that was supposed to be held later to welcome them.
Eren didn't react to the Emperor's offer. If anything, he himself was not interested in talking more with the Emperor since he was extremely sleepy, only wanting to give rest to his body. His mind was also quite hazy.
Despite that, the moment he stood up to leave, he used his identification skill on the Emperor, simply out of caution. Even though he wasn't in the right mind, he was still able to feel that something was going on with the Holy Emperor.
The moment Eren read the description, it was as if he immediately woke up. His eyes momentarily widened before his expressions recovered.
Smiling, he bid the Emperor farewell before leaving with the others.
The Cardinal appeared like he wanted to stay behind and talk with the Emperor but the Holy Emperor swiftly left the hall as well, saying that he was having a minor headache and needed some rest as well.