Whenever someone is chosen, there are people who are not chosen.
“I cannot accept this! Why is a child like that going to become a Five Emperor……become that Ivaal-sama’s successor!?”
“It was decided by Ivaal-sama. And Nanaki’s strength is recognised by all of the Five Emperors.”
“But that Nanaki girl is too ridiculous! Destroying the palace, making fun of Silver-sama! I have even heard that Envy-sama has been through a lot of hardship dealing with her! For such a problematic child to become a guardian of this capital where talent gathers……is just strange!”
Five Emperor candidates all have a lot of pride with no exception. In this place which is known as the final destination of talent, the ones that have knocked down many other talents and climbed this far have a corresponding amount of strength.
It is probably something all of them thinks.
That they are special.
“There’s nothing strange about it.”
But that is wrong.
In this place, special is defined as only those chosen as the Five Emperors. It is a sad and cruel thing, but even the talent of Five Emperor candidates are not recognised as special if they cannot become a Five Emperor.
But recently, that exception has appeared.
“Why!? Certainly that child has the strength, but she is lacking common sense! She does not think of us Five Emperor candidates as comrades! A few have even sustained injuries too heavy to completely recover from!”
It is not rare for complaints about Nanaki to come to me. After all, I am in charge of Nanaki. There are about ten or twenty of these conversations every month. Normally, most of them are from Silver, but this time it is from a female Five Emperor candidate whose name I do not even know.
A polite greeting and then a strong assertion of her own thinking. My impression of her was not bad for being able to confidently speak up to me, one of the Five Emperors.
That made me feel it was a shame all the more.
“You can’t even understand that.”
“……eh?”
Showing a foolish expression as if she could not understand what she was told, she looked me.
“I am saying you are stupid.”
“Wh……why……?”
When I said it again, she asked that question with a bit of anger mixed in her tone. The strength of her will is magnificent, but she really is stupid.
“Haa……”
A sigh leaked out.
Coming to complain about Nanaki is fine. That is my responsibility and I was already prepared to go through a lot because of her. But this is something else that is happens to be similar to a complaint.
She just doesn’t like Nanaki.
“Who is the child here? Unable to understand such a simple thing, are you really a Five Emperor candidate?”
“Wha……!?”
“Nanaki is problematic? Aah, she really is. That’s right. As you said that child is ridiculous. Never mind the Five Emperor candidates, she doesn’t even think of the Five Emperors as comrades. So? You said that is strange? Are you an idiot?”
That might have had my personal feelings included. At that time, I thought of Nanaki as a little sister, while feeling like I am spoiling her, I still doted on her. That’s why I think it would likely be a lie if I said there was no personal feelings.
But that is unrelated. Because even if personal feelings were not included, the words that came out of my mouth would not have changed at all.
“It’s something you can understand if you think a little. As you said she lacks common sense. All of the Five Emperors knows that. Yet why do you think she hasn’t been removed from the Five Emperor candidates?”
As she said, normally it would be proper to remove that ridiculous child from the Five Emperor candidates. But this is that Nanaki. There is no way she fits within the framework of normal.
“It’s because she has talent. She has enough talent for such a ridiculous child to be allowed.”
“Bu, but even then……!”
“But even then?”
“Will someone who hurts her allies……her allies in protecting the Empire beyond recovery!?”
Her point is very human-like.
Nanaki is certainly very hard to control. With just one mistake she will kill many. Currently, all that made fun of Nanaki and picked a fight with her are in serious conditions beyond hope of recovery. They will never be able to wield a sword again and will eventually be chased out of the capital. It can’t be helped that the cause of that, Nanaki is blamed.
“You should know. This is the capital.”
But despite that, the Empire will choose Nanaki.
“…………then”
And she muttered that.
The words that are coming are not hard to imagine, I shook my head silently, intending to stop her. As mentioned before, Five Emperor candidates have a lot of pride. They overestimate themselves and believe they are special. To add on, Nanaki’s appearance is not good. I have seen them go in a frenzy many times after being told they are inferior to a child.
“If I obtain victory against that child, can I become a Five Emperor?”
And this time too.
This is the capital, neither age nor gender is important. Yet everyone lets their guard down because of Nanaki’s appearance. Without realising how much of a monster she is.
“Do you intend to fight Nanaki?”
“If I could have your permission!”
“Permission or not, the one that decides is you.”
It not like there is a rule that Five Emperor candidates must not fight. For the Empire, even if one is crushed, the other is better than the one crushed so that is fine. In the end, if there is enough talent left to reach the Five Emperors, it’s fine.
“Can you promise me, Envy-sama? That I can become a Five Emperor if I obtain victory against that child.”
“I do not have that authority. But if you were to defeat Nanaki, you would probably become a Five Emperor whether you like it or not.”
“It is enough to hear those words.”
She showed a brave smile.
In contrast, I was looking at her with the cold feelings of ‘why is she smiling?’
“Then come and tell me when the date of the duel has been decided. I’ll tell the other Five Emperors to bear witness.”
“All of the Five Emperors!? Th, thank you! Envy-sama!”
“No need, it’s nothing.”
Raising a hand in answer to her proper bow, I left. And then of course, I headed to the office where Silver is.”
“I’ll be intruding.”
“I don’t mind. Something troublesome?”
“Not sure. Rather than troublesome, it feels more like it is pointless.”
“I’ll hear it just in case.”
When I knocked on the office door two, three times and opened the door, there was the usual figure of Silver working on paperwork. Silver’s wisdom is valued and he has a say in politics. I feel bad for talking to him about this when he is so busy, but it can’t be helped.
“One of the Five Emperor candidates wants to have a duel with Nanaki. And she wants an active Five Emperor to watch.”
“I see, a waste of time.”
“I think so too.”
I nodded to Silver as he immediately rejected it.
“Just that, well, I would also like to request it. I want all of the Five Emperors to once again properly evaluate Nanaki. Whether the five……no, the four of us can restrain her. How we can restrain her. I want to discuss that.”
“Four, huh”
“Yeah. Four.”
“I see, you already think that Ivaal-sama will lose to her.”
I didn’t say anything in response to Silver’s words.
“Alright. I will tell Salia and Raicou. So, what’s the name of that Five Emperor candidate?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You didn’t ask? That’s not like you.”
‘What’s the point of asking for the name of someone who will fight Nanaki?”
“……that’s true.”
Whenever someone is chosen, there are people who are not chosen.
“I cannot accept this! Why is a child like that going to become a Five Emperor……become that Ivaal-sama’s successor!?”
“It was decided by Ivaal-sama. And Nanaki’s strength is recognised by all of the Five Emperors.”
“But that Nanaki girl is too ridiculous! Destroying the palace, making fun of Silver-sama! I have even heard that Envy-sama has been through a lot of hardship dealing with her! For such a problematic child to become a guardian of this capital where talent gathers……is just strange!”
Five Emperor candidates all have a lot of pride with no exception. In this place which is known as the final destination of talent, the ones that have knocked down many other talents and climbed this far have a corresponding amount of strength.
It is probably something all of them thinks.
That they are special.
“There’s nothing strange about it.”
But that is wrong.
In this place, special is defined as only those chosen as the Five Emperors. It is a sad and cruel thing, but even the talent of Five Emperor candidates are not recognised as special if they cannot become a Five Emperor.
But recently, that exception has appeared.
“Why!? Certainly that child has the strength, but she is lacking common sense! She does not think of us Five Emperor candidates as comrades! A few have even sustained injuries too heavy to completely recover from!”
It is not rare for complaints about Nanaki to come to me. After all, I am in charge of Nanaki. There are about ten or twenty of these conversations every month. Normally, most of them are from Silver, but this time it is from a female Five Emperor candidate whose name I do not even know.
A polite greeting and then a strong assertion of her own thinking. My impression of her was not bad for being able to confidently speak up to me, one of the Five Emperors.
That made me feel it was a shame all the more.
“You can’t even understand that.”
“……eh?”
Showing a foolish expression as if she could not understand what she was told, she looked me.
“I am saying you are stupid.”
“Wh……why……?”
When I said it again, she asked that question with a bit of anger mixed in her tone. The strength of her will is magnificent, but she really is stupid.
“Haa……”
A sigh leaked out.
Coming to complain about Nanaki is fine. That is my responsibility and I was already prepared to go through a lot because of her. But this is something else that is happens to be similar to a complaint.
She just doesn’t like Nanaki.
“Who is the child here? Unable to understand such a simple thing, are you really a Five Emperor candidate?”
“Wha……!?”
“Nanaki is problematic? Aah, she really is. That’s right. As you said that child is ridiculous. Never mind the Five Emperor candidates, she doesn’t even think of the Five Emperors as comrades. So? You said that is strange? Are you an idiot?”
That might have had my personal feelings included. At that time, I thought of Nanaki as a little sister, while feeling like I am spoiling her, I still doted on her. That’s why I think it would likely be a lie if I said there was no personal feelings.
But that is unrelated. Because even if personal feelings were not included, the words that came out of my mouth would not have changed at all.
“It’s something you can understand if you think a little. As you said she lacks common sense. All of the Five Emperors knows that. Yet why do you think she hasn’t been removed from the Five Emperor candidates?”
As she said, normally it would be proper to remove that ridiculous child from the Five Emperor candidates. But this is that Nanaki. There is no way she fits within the framework of normal.
“It’s because she has talent. She has enough talent for such a ridiculous child to be allowed.”
“Bu, but even then……!”
“But even then?”
“Will someone who hurts her allies……her allies in protecting the Empire beyond recovery!?”
Her point is very human-like.
Nanaki is certainly very hard to control. With just one mistake she will kill many. Currently, all that made fun of Nanaki and picked a fight with her are in serious conditions beyond hope of recovery. They will never be able to wield a sword again and will eventually be chased out of the capital. It can’t be helped that the cause of that, Nanaki is blamed.
“You should know. This is the capital.”
But despite that, the Empire will choose Nanaki.
“…………then”
And she muttered that.
The words that are coming are not hard to imagine, I shook my head silently, intending to stop her. As mentioned before, Five Emperor candidates have a lot of pride. They overestimate themselves and believe they are special. To add on, Nanaki’s appearance is not good. I have seen them go in a frenzy many times after being told they are inferior to a child.
“If I obtain victory against that child, can I become a Five Emperor?”
And this time too.
This is the capital, neither age nor gender is important. Yet everyone lets their guard down because of Nanaki’s appearance. Without realising how much of a monster she is.
“Do you intend to fight Nanaki?”
“If I could have your permission!”
“Permission or not, the one that decides is you.”
It not like there is a rule that Five Emperor candidates must not fight. For the Empire, even if one is crushed, the other is better than the one crushed so that is fine. In the end, if there is enough talent left to reach the Five Emperors, it’s fine.
“Can you promise me, Envy-sama? That I can become a Five Emperor if I obtain victory against that child.”
“I do not have that authority. But if you were to defeat Nanaki, you would probably become a Five Emperor whether you like it or not.”
“It is enough to hear those words.”
She showed a brave smile.
In contrast, I was looking at her with the cold feelings of ‘why is she smiling?’
“Then come and tell me when the date of the duel has been decided. I’ll tell the other Five Emperors to bear witness.”
“All of the Five Emperors!? Th, thank you! Envy-sama!”
“No need, it’s nothing.”
Raising a hand in answer to her proper bow, I left. And then of course, I headed to the office where Silver is.”
“I’ll be intruding.”
“I don’t mind. Something troublesome?”
“Not sure. Rather than troublesome, it feels more like it is pointless.”
“I’ll hear it just in case.”
When I knocked on the office door two, three times and opened the door, there was the usual figure of Silver working on paperwork. Silver’s wisdom is valued and he has a say in politics. I feel bad for talking to him about this when he is so busy, but it can’t be helped.
“One of the Five Emperor candidates wants to have a duel with Nanaki. And she wants an active Five Emperor to watch.”
“I see, a waste of time.”
“I think so too.”
I nodded to Silver as he immediately rejected it.
“Just that, well, I would also like to request it. I want all of the Five Emperors to once again properly evaluate Nanaki. Whether the five……no, the four of us can restrain her. How we can restrain her. I want to discuss that.”
“Four, huh”
“Yeah. Four.”
“I see, you already think that Ivaal-sama will lose to her.”
I didn’t say anything in response to Silver’s words.
“Alright. I will tell Salia and Raicou. So, what’s the name of that Five Emperor candidate?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You didn’t ask? That’s not like you.”
‘What’s the point of asking for the name of someone who will fight Nanaki?”
“……that’s true.”
