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0% The cheers echoed for a long time. Heroes were born at this glorious moment when the empire conquered the North, a thorn in the Empire’s side, and the Emperor became the ruler of the nomads. Moreover, six noble heroes were born, each granted the honor of using the imperial family’s name.

Of course, most people shouting those cheers probably didn’t even know who the six heroes were.

To them, the Great Northern Expedition was just another assured victory for the Empire, and those heroes were merely commoners, not aristocrats.

People might know that the Invincible Duke led the Great Northern War, but they wouldn’t know the name ‘Six Swords.’ That was natural unless they’d seen the recently revised textbooks.

And so, their cheers would be closer to excitement about new heroes being created rather than congratulations for heroes’ sacrifices being rewarded.

But it didn’t matter. From this day onward, the names of those heroes would live on in the minds of every citizen and every soul in the Empire.

Even if the world forgot me, it would never forget you.

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”

I shouted again, for who knew how many times. It was loud enough to reach those guys in the sky and the Emperor in the imperial palace.

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the six heroes!”

Penelia and the Masked Unit near me joined in the chant. They knew the Six Swords well, and they knew exactly what they meant to me.

Seeing that made me smile even more.

See this? The 4th Division of the Prosecutors’ Office that I raised, those guys who are like our juniors, are paying their respects to you.

Today was a joyous day.

“Long live Livnoman!”

It truly was.

***After the victory ceremony, I wiped my eyes with the handkerchief Penelia hesitantly handed me. I guess I cried a little without realizing it. No wonder my eyes felt hot.

“Thanks.”

I pushed away my embarrassment and hugged Penelia, who hugged me back. It felt awkward seeing the Masked Unit watching us with fond expressions, but I didn’t break the embrace. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, after all.

But that didn’t mean they had to clap. Even if there was nothing to hide, attracting everyone’s attention was a bit uncomfortable.

“Now we just need to report to the Special Service Agency, right?”

“Yes. Once we submit our report, we’ll likely be put on standby. It’s basically a vacation.”

Anyway, I asked Penelia while still hugging her and got the answer I wanted.

Right. No matter how hard the empire worked its civil servants, it wasn’t to the point of forcing someone fresh off the battlefield back into work immediately. The entire Masked Unit could probably rest comfortably for a while. Besides, with Dorgon dead, there was no need to deploy them.

“After the report, take everyone back to the mansion.”

Penelia nodded at those words. The mansion’s staff were incredibly worried when they heard about me and the Masked Unit joining the war. Everyone thankfully returned alive, so it would be nice for them to share a meal and relax together.

“Then, Master—“

“I have something I need to take care of. Don’t worry, I’ll be finished by sundown.”

“Ah, yes. I understand...”

Seeing Penelia’s gloomy expression tugged at my heart, but I had no choice.

Just before entering the capital, I received a summons from the Emperor via the communication crystal, summoning me to the palace after the celebration. Ignoring a summons from the Emperor himself was out of the question.

Moreover, having received such a grand gift from the Emperor, I should visit first to express my gratitude even if I wasn’t called. Even if I wasn’t a fan of my superior, any decent person would show gratitude to their benefactor.

“I’ll get going, then. If Father visits while I’m gone, tell him I’ll be home soon.”

Penelia nodded with a determined expression when I left instructions, just in case.

She looked ready to personally fetch Father if he didn’t show up on his own, but I pretended not to notice.

***The distant cheers had finally faded by the time I reached the imperial palace. The excitement of the victory ceremony lasted quite long, probably because I granted the Livnoman Count titles to six people at once.

And not long after, the Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office arrived.

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor. Carl Krasius, a servant who received Your Majesty’s grace, greets the noble and great sun of the empire.”

Entering the throne room, he immediately dropped to his knees, bowing deeply. He seemed more respectful than usual, and it wasn’t just my imagination.

Indeed, granting them the Livnoman Count titles was the right choice. This gift was probably more effective than giving titles or territories to the Executive Manager himself.

“Rise. It pains me to see a servant who has achieved such great deeds bowing so low.”

“You honor me, Your Majesty.”

The Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office carefully rose, but this time bowed his head in respect, as if he dared not look at the Emperor’s face since he received permission to rise but not to raise his head.

The effect was so certain it was rather disconcerting. Saying he could rise surely implied he could raise his head too, but how did he become such a conservative subject?

Indeed, he has his father’s blood.

Remembering Count Tailglehen almost made me smile. Right, as the Count’s son, it was only natural for him to show such behavior. Blood truly doesn’t lie.

So, there was no choice. I’d have to treat the Executive Manager like Count Tailglehen.

“I have orders for you. Raise your head.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As he finally raised his head, I pointed to the table. Following my finger, the Executive Manager’s eyes briefly widened.

“Allowing a subject to use Livnoman’s name means that such subject’s merits and devotion were truly worthy of being called a pillar of the imperial family. The six heroes I granted Livnoman Count titles to today were such individuals.”

“They’ll undoubtedly be overjoyed by your heavenly favor.”

I shook my head as he immediately responded.

“It is not I who favored them, but they who favored the imperial family.”

“Y-Your Majesty.”

He stammered in confusion, but I didn’t mind. Rewarding living servants excessively could be dangerous, but ignoring those who sacrificed their lives for the Empire was disgraceful. True empires valued devotion and sacrifice.

No devotion was trivial, and no sacrifice was insignificant. That was the will of the Great Emperor Amanca, who established the Mandate of Heaven.

“It is customary for the Emperor himself to present wine to those who receive the Livnoman title, honoring their sacrifice. This beautiful tradition has been kept since the Great Emperor’s time, and I will uphold it.”

At those words, the Executive Manager’s gaze returned to the table where seven leather wine pouches sat—wine to be given to the six Livnoman Counts.

“However, when a deceased person receives a Livnoman Count title, it is also customary for their bereaved family to receive the wine in their stead.”

I walked towards the table after saying that, picking up one of the pouches on the table and holding it out to the Executive Manager.

“I believe you are the only one who can represent them, so you should rightfully receive it on behalf of the heroes.”

After a moment of silence, the Executive Manager bowed his head. Then, as if squeezing out the words, he spoke.

“...I will certainly repay Your Majesty’s grace.”

“I look forward to it.”

He would know whom the wine truly belonged to, and deliver it accordingly.

***My eyes grew hot for the second time today. It was funny since I wasn’t normally this emotional.

How embarrassing.

I sighed while roughly wiping my eyes. I might have really cried if I’d waited a moment longer.

That would be troublesome. It’d be ridiculous if a guy who came to deliver good news was crying ugly tears.

“I’m back again.”

After clearing my throat, I spoke to the six who had been waiting—the true heroes of today’s victory ceremony.

“The whole capital’s buzzing, so you’ve probably heard already. We won. This time, we won perfectly.”

We really won perfectly. All forces that rebelled against the empire had disappeared. The North had embraced the empire, and the Emperor gained the right to rule the nomads as their Khan. And lastly, the bloodshed to achieve these brilliant results was relatively little. Not none, but still little.

“Dorgon’s dead, too. Maybe it’s because I killed him with my own hands, but I have no regrets.”

Dorgon, who symbolized an uneasy peace, was finally gone. Although Dorgon’s death was essentially suicide—by killing him in this war, unstable peace became complete peace.

The peace you wished for, and the peace we dreamed of, has arrived.

“...I think I can finally stand proudly before you now.”

A chuckle escaped me. After they died and Dorgon disappeared, I lived like half of a person. A half-baked stranger from another world who had stolen someone’s body, yet hadn’t even fulfilled his purpose.

But it now felt like I could say that I was now a proud whole, not a half. Like I’d become a resident of this world and not a foreign species.

“So, I brought something nice to celebrate. It’s a gift from His Majesty, so savor it as much as you want.”

Saying that, I poured the wine from the leather pouch onto the tombstones.

“This is more precious than Boyar wine, so drink slowly, you drunkard.”

First, to Count Gerard Batna of Livnoman.

“I know you don’t drink much, but this is good stuff, so at least give it a try.”

Next, to Count Oliver Krobien of Livnoman.

“You drink while savoring the taste as much as possible. Like you said, you can’t taste it if you’re drunk, right?”

Next, to Count Drake Schiller of Livnoman.

“There’s one for each of you, so don’t just sit there blankly. Let’s drink together.”

Next, to Count Walter Frenaz of Livnoman.

“If you’re having a hard time there too, drink this and cheer up.”

Next, to Count Idrid Reden of Livnoman.

“I love you. If we meet in our next lives, I’ll make sure to confess first again.”

Lastly, to Countess Hecate Larid of Livnoman.

After distributing each drink, I sat down in front of the tombstones. Since the Emperor gave me seven, I had something for myself. It was time to raise a toast.

“Take care. Don’t worry, I won’t come here to whine anymore.”

Come to think of it, I’d been quite a nuisance to these guys, too. Coming here drunk in the middle of the night, then falling asleep and spending the night here.

As the youngest and the only survivor, my pathetic behavior must have worried and troubled them a lot.

For that, I’m really sorry.

“...I’ll be fine, too. I’ll be happy, so just you watch.”

So, I said that with all my heart.

I’ll live so happily that you won’t have to worry anymore.

With that resolve, I held out the pouch as if they were standing right there in front of me.