“The Empire has made peace with the Western Kingdom Union, a long time nemesis, and contributed greatly towards defeating the Outsiders . The continent is now in a state of unprecedented peace . ”
Lena Donner .
This was a place that only opened for events of the highest historical importance within the Hebrion Empire .
The marble floor shone brightly under the glittering light, and the ornate marble lions seemed so vivid that they could practically leap down and maul anyone who passed .
The walls were adorned with portraits of emperors past, each highlighted equisistely by their respective golden frame .
“There was someone who has given a great deal of dignity and serves as a spectacular source of pride for this empire due to his outstanding achievements . He has saved the lives of countless soldiers as a result of his outstanding capability, and his contributions were a large factor in the swift end of this war . ”
In Lena Donner, there was an unusually large crowd of people . No matter where one looked, they would be able to recognize numerous famous people .
Vang Zar from Ayuls News was one of them .
‘The capital of the Empire, Dresden, had fully returned to normal within two weeks of the war ending . ’
As the Empire regained normality, the imperial family opened Lena Donner to hold an awards ceremony .
Opening Lena Donner for the sake of just one person meant that the imperial family valued this young hero enormously .
Vang was busy taking in as much of the happenings around him as possible, vigorously scribbling down every minute detail with his pen and paper .
Ayuls News, the news house he was here on behalf of, was the most famous media house in the Empire . And he was one of the most talented reporters they had .
His hyper hand, which had been furiously put to work filling his notebook with ink, came to a dead stop when a certain person passed by .
“That’s Desir Arman!”
A thunderous applause sounded .
‘Our Shy Hero has finally arrived . ’
The Shy Hero .
Reporters loved to overhype the people they reported on, and Desir was no exception . Everyone they reported on received a tagline, though Desir’s situation was different from most .
Desir Arman was the largest contributing factor in the Allied Forces’ victory over the Outsiders, and the publicity value of featuring a piece on him was enormous . He was a proper celebrity now .
However, he had remained hidden, refusing to show his face after the war ended . That is, until today’s ceremony .
It was no surprise that many journalists were climbing over each other to get an exclusive interview with him .
But he was nowhere to be found . He had concealed himself to such an extent that it was almost as if he had vanished from this world .
Numerous reporters were getting anxious as the hero of the century refused to show his face .
‘I thought he was trying to increase his worth by drawing this out… ’
The Desir who had appeared in front of Lena Donner looked nothing more exceptional than any other boy who couldn’t hide their excitement . He was the very image of an ordinary boy, the exact opposite of what Vang had been expecting .
His very demeanor betrayed any theory that he was deliberately manipulating the media by being coy with them .
‘His injuries must have been bad . ’
Vang made an assumption and decided to drop the issue .
“The great Sun of Hebrion, Guiltian Zedgar F Rogfelas . His Majesty the Emperor is here . ”
Everyone stood up .
Guiltian stepped into the room, his majestic and extraordinary aura immediately filling it to the brim . His broad shoulders betrayed his diligence in training . It was clear that despite maintaining the responsibilities of an Emperor, he still found the time to keep at it .
Vang’s pen started gliding across his notebook once again .
‘The guardian of the Empire, Guiltian Zedgar F Rogfelas, is still hale, hearty, and able to continue protecting the Empire . ’
It took just a moment for Guiltian to begin his speech .
His speech was filled with glorified expressions, dripping with sophistication and grace . However, the meaning behind them was simple .
It was praise for Desir, with added emphasis on how his achievements would not be forgotten as a nation . He piled on the pathos to highlight just how loyal Desir was to this country .
He finally concluded his speech, expressing his high anticipation towards Desir’s growth .
It was now time to award the medal .
Guiltian himself pinned the medal, inlaid with silver and rubies, onto Desir’s chest .
The Silver Lion medal was amongst the upper echelon of prestigious awards; it was the kind of honor that could only be presented by the Emperor himself .
Another round of applause filled Lena Donner .
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Guiltian disappeared shortly after the conclusion of the medal ceremony .
The attendees followed his lead, and started to trickle out too . Desir was no exception .
Vang tried to approach Desir quickly, but was a step too slow . Desir was already surrounded by a hoard of reporters and admirers .
“Mr . Desir, could you give us a short interview… !”
“No, do it with us… !”
Multiple reporters were screaming for interviews, some going as far to physically block him from leaving .
Even though causing such an uproar over a mere boy in his late teens was a bit much, securing an interview with Desir was well worth it .
Vang skillfully burrowed into the crowd and approached Desir .
“… !?”
However, it was all unnecessary . Desir instead approached him through the crowd .
Desir spoke to Vang .
“Are you the reporter Vang Zar, from Ayuls News?”
“… Do you know me?”
“I am very interested in your articles . The feature article you wrote last time about me was quite impressive too . ”
Vang was embarrassed, but he wouldn’t be a pro if he missed an opportunity that fell into his lap like this .
“I’m honored, but there’s still room for improvement . I’d like to have an interview to rectify this . ”
“I see . Sure . Come this way please . ”
Desir led him to a private room .
Vang internally cheered as things appeared to be going so smoothly for him .
The two people left, leaving the remaining journalists deeply disappointed .
“What would you like to drink?”
Vang flipped open his notebook and took out his pen .
“Ah, I’m okay . I’d rather do the interview as soon as possible . ”
He put his hand into his bosom and pulled out a recorder .
“Is it okay if I record our interview?”
“No . Not yet . I’d like to say something before we start the interview . ”
Desir clasped his hands together and smiled, sitting across from Vang .
Vang shrugged his shoulders .
“All right . ”
He was a veteran journalist . He wasn’t about to do something like putting his interviewee in a bad mood, and spoil his hard-earned opportunity .
Desir started talking first .
“I knew you’d be here . ”
“It was as if you were waiting for me to approach you . ”
“Yes, that’s right . ”
Desir’s answer flustered Vang .
“There are loads of reporters who want to interview you . But why me… ?”
“Yes, there are . But I don’t have the time to sit through interviews with all of them . I have a lot to do . So, I’m going to have an interview with one news corporation . And I thought it should be the media with a reporter who knows me very well . ”
What he said, in a nutshell, indicated that he was offering an exclusive interview .
It was an amazing opportunity for Vang .
‘It’s a scoop . ’
Interviewing the Shy Hero, Desir Arman, was already a huge boon for his career, but now he would also be landing it as an exclusive!
A smile broke out on his lips .
“Right . I understand thoroughly . ”
“In that case, I hope you understand what I’m about to do . ”
“What? Gah!”
Vang’s pen dropped out of his hand . It had suddenly increased in temperature, lightly scalding him .
*Thud*
*Bang*
There was a small explosion from the fallen pen . A small amount of mana escaped the pen and scattered before disappearing .
Vang’s face stiffened . His dilated pupils stared at Desir .
Desir returned his gaze in the same manner he had before . That of a naive boy’s face .
Sweat ran down Vang’s back .
‘How did he know?’
That pen was a piece of magical equipment that had recording magic enchanted into it . Vang had been covertly attempting to record using it .
Before Vang even had the chance to process his newfound joy, the seemingly-innocent boy sitting comfortably in front of him had easily detected it and destroyed it .
“… ”
Vang finally realized just who he was dealing with .
‘… a hero . ’
An individual cunning and strong enough to identify the enemy’s plan and deflect their attempted sabotage on a critical supply route . The person who had dominated the enemy commander in The Bloody Battle of Mahayu . The hero who smashed the homunculus, the Outsiders’s secret weapon, and crushed their organization in a final raid on Jormungand Citadel .
These were all the achievements of one individual . The boy sitting right in front of Vang’s eyes .
His naive face could lull you into a false sense of security, but he was not one that you could afford to ever underestimate .
Vang asked Desir calmly .
“What is it that you want?”
The exclusive interview with Desir Arman, the most popular celebrity right now .
He had been offered the sweetest fruit for journalists, so Vang was sure that he wanted something in exchange .
“According to your articles, your take on the relationship between the Empire and the Western Kingdom Union is very positive . ”
Vang Zar nodded .
“Well, that’s obvious . The war with the Western Kingdom Union is something that happened long ago . I think it’s time to normalize peaceful relations with them now . ”
“Yet, there are still a lot of people that remain antagonistic towards the Western Kingdom Union . ”
The Hebrion Empire and the Western Kingdom Union had been enemies for such a long time, people naturally harbored negative feelings towards them .
When the alliance against the Outsiders was formed, there was a fair number of malcontents .
Desir spoke with a bitter smile .
“It’s not easy to quickly change someone’s viewpoint on a situation . It’s like breaking an old habit . People who had fallen for the Empire’s chauvinism opposed sending troops without realizing just how serious the war was . They insisted on using this opportunity to attack their ‘sworn enemy’ while their military was preoccupied elsewhere . ”
“They cannot foresee the true threat . For example, if we didn’t assist the Western Kingdom Union this time, the entire continents would have been engulfed in flames by now . ”
Desir nodded to Vang’s opinion . A smile broke out on his lips .
“I agree . I am going to advance a view supporting the alliance between the Hebrion Empire and the Western Kingdom Union through this interview . And I would like your editing direction to be the same as my idea . ”
Vang opened his eyes wide . He said in a very excited tone without hiding his feelings .
“Of course . I’ll do my best to write a good article . ”
Desir held out his hand .
“I look forward to your help from now on . ”
From now on .
Vang did not realize the full weight of what this phrase entailed . He grabbed Desir’s hand without any trace of hesitation .
Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .
???: …
ED: Purplemen101
TLC: N/A
QC: Nhan
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