Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

Chapter 265: High masters

"For my father to call at this time…" Etaria muttered as she hurried past the small alleys of her legion's camp.

"What are the chances he is calling just to check up on the progress?" Zanba asked, pretending to struggle to follow up after the princess in their mad dash across the legion's camp to a very, very specific place.

Contrary to what one might think, it wasn't the princess' tenet that made up the very center of the legion's camp. She might've been the most important person in the field…

But just like anything and everything else in the empire, the emperor himself always kept the role of the single most important role in everything.

That's why, at the very center of the Golden Legion's camp, it wasn't the princess tent that was located.

It was all a massive tent designed with no one else but the masters of the high tower in mind.

"Make way for the princess!"

The two men standing guard at the tent's entrance stood at attention and shouted the very moment they saw the golden princess appear.

The two of them raised up their chests and shook the ceremonial spears they held before taking a step to the side each, opening up a path just wide enough for the princess to squeeze through and get inside the tent.

"I hope it will all go smoothly," Zanba muttered before giving Etaria a slight, gentle pat on the back. "All the best!"

Even if the two of them didn't need to hide with their special relationship within the camp fully taken over by the golden legion… The tent of the high tower was the one special place where not even Zanba dared to act too much out of the line.

"Thanks," Etaria gave Zanba a quick smile before moving past the two guards and making her way inside the massive tent. "I greet the high masters of the tower!"

Out of the total of seven men inside of the tent, only three bothered to turn their heads and nod them to acknowledge the princess' presence.

'Those fuckers…'

In spite of how much Etaria hated to be anywhere near this tent, she had no other choice but to grit her teeth and let this display of arrogance pass.

No matter how important Etaria was as the heir apparent and an accomplished military leader… She still had to act all polite and courtly around the high masters.

They represented the only force within the empire that eluded the imperial authority to a great degree. And as much as Etaria hated it… she had no other choice but to ignore their attitude, all to receive the blessing of convenience that came from all sorts of artifacts their presence allowed the princess to use.

And right now, picking up her father's call was far more important than something such as her pride or personal likes and dislikes.

"I'm here to receive the summoning call from his imperial majesty," Etaria announced, finally finding an angle that brought some sort of reaction from the overly prideful high masters.

"The artifact is all ready," one of the masters approached the princess before coldly informing her.

He offered no word of courtesy nor showed the princess any respect.

'You just wait,' Etaria gritted her teeth while pressing her fingers into fists. 'Sooner or later, you will turn into a feed for worms to enrich this ground's fertility!'

As much as the all-self-important masters hated to be out in the field, separated from their lovely and overly important experiments, so did Etaria hated every second she was forced to interact with this arrogant bunch.

But when the emperor called, even the golden princess herself would drop everything and rush to answer the call, regardless of what she was doing when she received the summons.

And if one were to trust the rumors spread by the anti-imperial faction, such rule included activities like leading the battle or even fighting for her life!

"Lead the way, respectable master," Etaria muttered the official formula out, only for the man to turn on his heel and guide the young woman deeper into the tent, to where a massive, silver platter filled with nothing but an extremely thin layer of some sort of liquid stood on a small, pretty ordinary pedestal. Enjoy new adventures from mvl

The high master reached his hand out and hovered it over the see-through liquid's surface.

For but a second, the mana of the world swirled around not only the platter but the entire pedestal it was placed upon. The swirl of energy grew stronger and stronger, only to suddenly collapse onto the silver platter, sucked in by the infused silver it was made from.

And as the spell settled, the surface of the liquid started to change, forming the insides of the Imperial Chambers of the holy capital of the empire… And forming the glorious profile of the emperor himself, currently busy studying some sort of papers as he awaited the call to activate.

"Respectable Father," Etaria called out, already bowing her head in a sign of honest respect and obedience.

The man on the other end of the artifact was not only her father… but also the emperor of the entire, known world.

"Etaria," the emperor's profile shifted as he turned his eyes towards the surface of the liquid on the exact copy of the artifact that the princess was currently using. "What are the news?"

Hearing those words, the princess couldn't help but smile a bit.

'It seems my time here won't be as bad as I thought it would be!'

"Just a moment, father," Etaria requested before raising her face from the artifact's surface and glancing over at the total of seven high masters paying their utmost attention to the events at the artifact.

They might pretend they couldn't care less about the empire and its politics or the emperor's thoughts… But they couldn't mask the curiosity and vivid interest that flashed in their eyes, only to vanish when Etaria threw her inquisitive look around.

"I'm sorry, high masters, but I will have to have you vacate this place."

The news only served to further the rift between the imperial family and the high masters of the high tower. Still, the procedures for this situation were perfectly clear.

If the princess so desired, then with all the respect but they were to fuck off right this instant.

After some more hateful stares, the high masters obliged, leaving the princess alone with the artifact in the entirety of the massive tent.

"Okay, it should be safe to talk now," Etaria announced right as she coated her surroundings with such a degree of the world's mana that none of the words spoken inside would ever make it beyond this makeshift barrier of pure energy.

"Good," the emperor nodded his head right as his face took on a more serious look. "How are things going?"

Etaria took a second to catch a breath.

"A bit differently than we initially assumed, but things are on the right track. The mercenaries lost half their men, and Duke Salvador opted to commit assisted suicide by refusing to follow expressed commands while his army was routed and lost close to half of its numbers."

Etaria finally allowed a small hint of a smile to appear on her face.

"All things considered, things are only starting to gain traction, but I should be able to complete my task within a fortnight."