The Benevolent Tyrant
As this voice reverberated, there came a blonde hair middle-aged man that walked toward the throne which was located at the center of the main stage. At the same time, a powerful imperial aura soundlessly spread throughout the hall.
He looked around forty years old and was extremely handsome. He was adorned in blue and gold embroidered imperial clothe which displayed his splendor as an emperor.
He was not very tall and his height was merely considered average in the Antheia World. However, his presence was like that of a gigantic insurmountable mountain.
His eyes were sharp and gave the feeling that they were seemingly capable of seeing through anything.
The Emperor's pace was not fast, but his every step gave others the misconception that a great mountain had grown feet and was moving itself over.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Arriving in from the throne, the Emperor sat casually and spread both his arms wide on the arms chair before saying in a dignified voice." You may all be seated."
Following his words, everyone returned to their seats including Mikhail and Johann.
Mikhail had always held a deep curiosity regarding what kind of person the Emperor was. As such, he was currently staring intensely at the figure which was seated on the throne
'So this is the legendary cold-blooded emperor of the Helios Empire. Also, this overwhelming presence must be so-called King's pressure.'
According to Vandal's memories, the Emperor was an extremely shrewd, ambitious, and cold-blooded person.
It's said that he had personally created a powerful shadowy organization when he was just twelve by adopting and educating children from all orphanages around the Empire and even the nearby nations.
Aside from the basic duties of a servant, he educated these children in information collection, combats, seductions, and even assassination.
And he's planted these servants from the orphanages into the homes of all the nobles throughout the Helios Empire and even the nearby kingdoms.
He used these undercover servants to get rid of anyone who stood in his way. That's how he was able to obtain the throne after the previous Emperor had passed away even though he wasn't the Crown Prince at that time.
Aside from that, he was also known as a war hero and a great commander during this time in the Great Helios Pass. He had saved the lives of countless soldiers. He was also considered a wise Emperor due to his outstanding reign and diplomacy.
Furthermore, due to his contradictory past and history, the Emperor was known as a benevolent tyrant throughout the whole Antheia World. An astounding ruler who possessed both benevolence and tyranny.
Those beneath his wings known him for his benevolence while those outside known him for his cruelty and tyranny.
'He indeed looks like both the 1st and 6th Imperial Prince.' Mikhail inwardly thought as he was looking at the emperor on the throne who looked nothing like himself. Vandal and Handal took more after their mother.
Out of the Imperial Princes, only the 1st and 6th Imperial Prince looked like the Emperor and also got his signature blonde hair and blue eyes.
However, their presence and characters were nothing alike. From the Emperor's eyes, Mikhail saw a kind of loftiness…. Yet this loftiness was not like the 7th Imperial Prince Johann's kind of senseless and haughty arrogance that abused authority, but a noble aloofness that came from deep within the soul. He was like a natural-born ruler.
[Name: Michael Zahid Hyperion. Rank: ????????]
'It seems I'm still too weak. I can't read his stats as well.' Just like his uncle, the system was unable to read the stat of the Emperor as well.
Aside from that, the Emperor wasn't alone in the main stage. He was also accompanied by eight ravishingly beautiful women. They all sat next to him, four on each side. Mikhail was extremely familiar with one of them as she was the birth mother of his body.
'This little fucker truly knows how to enjoy his life. Each one of these women is a top-class enchantress. Even those top models back on Earth could not compare to them.' He thought with a slight lecherous smile on his face.
Meanwhile, following the arrival of the Emperor, the hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop; a heavy atmosphere seemed to envelop every corner of the hall.
In the next second, the Emperor suddenly got up and stood in front of his throne before raising his hand.
Following his action, the maids who were standing not too far from the main stage hurriedly stepped forward, bending their heads as they presented a scarlet wine cup to the Emperor and the queens.
Immediately after, the Emperor cleared his throat and looked at the thousands of guests below. Everywhere his gaze passed, it seemed as if it could penetrate the world and pierce straight into the depths of one's soul.
"Today is a very important day for this Emperor as it is my 50th birthday celebration." Announced the emperor in a majestic tone.
However, the Emperor didn't stop there as he continued to speak." Today's grand celebration will begin with this cup of wine!"Having said that, he slowly raised his cup in the sky as he wore an expression of majesty.
Immediately after, the audience hurriedly scrambled to pick up the wine cups that were prepared for them. Once they had done so, they held the wine cup in clasped hands and held them out towards the Emperor.
"This cup is to first salute our Helios Empire."
"To secondly salute all the soldiers that gave their life and blood to keep this nation and the Antheia world safe from the vile Ether Beasts."
As the Emperor was speaking, no one dared to show any disrespect. Almost all of them bent their heads and silently listened; no one dared to raise their head to look directly at the Emperor, and not a single disrespectful movement was made.
Meanwhile, every word that proceeded from the Emperor's mouth was ear-splitting to the point where one might go deaf; each word contained the power to completely shake one's heart and soul.
"And to thirdly salute all of you who are gathered here today! All of you are the cornerstones, pillars, and walls of my Helios Empire and for the past twenty years, this emperor has completely relied on your strength to assist me… This emperor will make the first toast to show my respect!"
As the Emperor's voice fell, he had already raised his head high to drink the wine in his cup.
"We thank the Sun of the Helios Empire!"
Aside from the diplomats, all the people hastily drank the wine in their cups not daring to leave even a single drip.
"Now, let's the celebration begins." The emperor added he sat back down to his throne.
As soon as the emperor's voice faded away, the Imperia Hall boiled with excitement as the guests started to drink and talked with one another.
As the celebration was going, a middle-aged man in a white religious robe suddenly walked toward the main stage. However, he was stopped by one of the Emperor's Knight before be he could take another step.
After obtaining the Emperor's approval, the Imperial Knights let the middle-aged man passed. With a respectful tone, he then said."On behalf of the Luminas Empire, we wish the Sun of the Helios Empire another wonderful year of happiness and joy."
Just like the Helios Empire, The Luminas Empire was also one of the Four Great Humans Empire in the Antheia World. However, unlike the Helios Empire, they had a theocracy system of government.
The Luminas Empire was created and ruled by the church of Light with the Pope as its ruler. Aside from being the oldest human empire, It was also the most powerful of the four.
"A small token of respect, I hope the Sun of the Helios Empire will accept it." Having said that, he raised an ancient box with both hands.
Without looking at what was inside the box, the emperor ordered one of the Imperial knights to go and accept this gift. At the same time, he was looking at the middle-aged man with a mysterious smile on his face.
Though it wasn't forbidden to personally offer the Emperor a gift during the celebration feast, it wasn't something that the nobles usually do as not many people were qualified to talk with the Emperor without his permission or being asked to.
Furthermore, all of the people that brought gifts for the emperor were instructed to put them in a special room where they would be inspected by the Imperial Mages.
As such, it was impossible for someone as educated in social etiquette as an Envoy of the Mighty Luminas Empire to make such a mistake.
Hence, It was very clear that the envoy was just using that gift as an excuse to talk with the emperor in front of the guests.
After the middle-aged man gave his blessings, he respectfully said: "The Emperor's prestige is widely spread throughout the whole Antheia World and..."
"Stop with all those flatteries and speak your mind." Coldly interrupted the emperor as he was looking at the middle-aged with an annoying expression on his face. It was a well-known fact that the emperor detest the Luminas Empire.
Hearing the Emperor's words, the middle-aged man didn't get mad. He took a deep breath and spoke with a respectful yet sentimental manner:" During our Holiness's birthday, there has always been the tradition where the various Nobles Families' younger generation and Influences would perform on stage to show off their skills, strengths, and might."
"As such, I was wondering if the Noble families and Envoys present could use the same method to entertain the Sun of the Helios Empire on this joyous occasion. Of course, my Luminas Empire is no exception."
Everyone has a surprised expression on their faces after hearing the suggestion made by the envoy of the Luminas Empire.
All the guests present in the Imperial Hall were high-ranking nobles and big shots diplomats. A such, none of them were stupid and knew this matter was not so simple.
"Ohh, I see! This Emperor will allow it."Answered the Emperor with an enigmatic smile on his face as he was looking at the envoy of the Luminas Empire.