The imperial guard escorted Sam towards the stage, Sam still stood below, while the imperial guard who has the spatial ring and the documents in his hands he said the gist of it in a low voice, and the emperor took a deep look at Sam before he turned to look at the Minister in charge of the preparations.

The minister felt something is wrong and he had a bad feeling, he walked towards the emperor and asked.

"What happened? Your Grace." His voice was low and subservient.

The emperor still didn't speak and looked at the imperial guard who passed all the documents including the battle reports and the golden scroll.

He immediately understood that he fucked up because the writing on the scroll was his. He was the one responsible for sending invitations to the war heroes and it is tradition and a show of respect to sending the invitations with the minister's own hands.

He remembered something and glared at Sam coldly, only the glance is extremely brief. But neither Sam nor the emperor missed it.

"It must have been a mistake your grace, but that doesn't mean he can just barge out and that doesn't explain his pretentiousness and disrespect towards the Emperor and the imperial palace. He could have asked us after the event was over."

Minister said in a soft voice. He did remove one person's glory in this event, but he never thought that the person who was excluded will do something like this. He just thought that he would suffer in silence.

After all, if his action enraged the emperor he would slay him and no one would dare question him.

That is what the minister would have done. If he was in Sam's position, he would have stayed put and if he was in the emperor's position he would have slain him.

That is just a classic example of someone judging others based on their personal standards. It is not just humans who do that, even the Nagas who feel that they are superior themselves are also the same.

Even though he said it in a soft voice, Sam who is near the stage and the people in the first row can hear it.

Sam just took out the small slip that was given to him by the attendant and gave it to the imperial guard next to him.

They passed it to the guard on the stage and it also reached the emperor and all of a sudden his aura raged.

He looked at Sam and asked.

"Who gave you this?"

"An attendant that is trying to escape just now?"

Sam said as he pointed at the attendant who is slowly moving towards the back.

The imperial guard standing on Sam's right made a move and brought him.

The emperor looked at him and said.

"Who gave it to you?"

The attendant couldn't speak, his whole body is shivering.

Meanwhile, the audience slowly understood the situation and the news is reaching the rear lines slowly and gradually.

Everyone has a different expression, some considered Sam as gutsy and some considered he is an Idiot because someone who can manipulate things in the imperial ceremony is not someone who has low status, they might even be people from the imperial palace itself. If they were in the emperor's position, they would understand this and slay Sam right here and be done with it.

They don't understand what the emperor is doing trying to ask the attendant.

Sam could guess what they were thinking and there is no way that he didn't understand that logic. But he knew what the emperor was thinking and how he should think if he really is the emperor he thought he would be.

He is taking a gamble, but his odds to win are high.

All these people and the minister on the stage have almost the same opinion that is to kill Sam if they were the emperor, but only the emperor, Sam, and some of the soldiers know that is the difference between them and the real emperor.

Because, they don't know the situation and they don't know what Sam has done, only a few people knew and they only heard stories and rumors, but the soldiers, commanders, and the generals knew about it. They knew what is happening exactly.

Sam is the biggest war hero in the whole ceremony, they didn't acknowledge and deliver the honor and respect he deserves and there was clear evidence that someone with power has intentionally done it, if Sam was slain, will there be another soldier loyal to the throne.

Will there be another soldier thinking that it is their honor to fight for the nation? Will there be another soldier that would step up when the nation truly needs them?

All the people who watch the world through the lens of their sense of superiority will never understand.

The matter is not just Sam making a scene, it is a critical situation where the emperor should prove his word that he values the soldiers as much as he said he did. It is to prove that the whole ceremony really has meaning.

Sam guessed that the person who did this is extremely immature but scheming, they also thought that Sam is a mere commoner and that too a human wouldn't do this.

The attendant still didn't speak, the emperor became impatient and his aura raged.

"Ch... Chief attendant your grace."

The attendant stuttered. The emperor looked for the Chief attendant whose face contorted into different shades.

'He is lying your grace, I don't have anything to do with this situation. He is slandering me."

He kneeled and said in a panicked voice. But his eyes are looking at the minister pleadingly.

The emperor understood immediately, he is looking at the minister coldly, but he couldn't do this here. This is a tough spot. He only gave one gesture to the minister. It meant that the minister should resolve this mess now.

As for Sam, the emperor didn't show any hostility or malice, he didn't blame him nor did he desire to kill him.

He just took a second glance at Sam, there is a faint trace of interest in his eyes.

The minister didn't dilly-dally and looked at Sam.

"There has been some mistake with the management and you will receive your rewards. But due to you will also be punished for your act of disrespect later. You can take your seat now."

His voice had a hint of authority and threat. But Sam only smiled.

"I desire neither reward nor an excuse, I want a reason, My lord."

"Reasons. I wouldn't talk now, but I would need a promise from the emperor that he would resolve this matter in the form of a trial in the palace court after the ceremony is over."

"How dare.."

The minister is about to say something, but the emperor beat him to it.

"You have my word."

With that, Sam went back to the seat and looked at the minister smugly.

Sam might not be interested in politics and ruling, but that doesn't mean he doesn't understand it. All these numbskulls can think what they want, but he knew how the people in the position such as an emperor should behave and how they should deal with the situations such as this.

So he deliberately made a big deal out of this situation.

The rest of the ceremony was bland and it was finished in a hurry. After the ceremony was over, Sam was called into the Palace court, escorted by the Imperial guard. The ministers and other court officials all came in.

At this moment, Sam is standing right before the emperor, while the chief attendant and the attendant are standing to one side and the minister standing to the other side.

The emperor looked at Sam and asked.

"What is the outcome that you desire?"

"With all due respect, your majesty. I care little about what these rewards could bring me. The glory, honor, and rewards might be hard for others to achieve, but for me, they are just there for me to grab it.

But I do have a habit of not letting go of what is mine and I would try to earn what I want with my hard work.

Even though, the battle was easy for me to change, I did work for it and I do desire what I deserve for that work. From my experience, I learned that anything a person is good at, they should never do it for free.

I am not a person from this nation or any other nation that you would know. I am from far away.

As soon as I came here, I was a slave in the Arena once and fought to create a great show to the people, Yodha the battalion commander bought me and told me about the army and I joined, only to realize that it was completely opposite of what I was told.

I endured, I did every impossible mission that was thrown at me due to someone's prejudice, I was tricked, punished unjustly and all the army offered is some extra credits and they wouldn't count as military honor, they would only be used as currency.

I still endured because the war that was coming is something bigger than me and just kept it to myself. I went to the most dangerous camp of enemies and brought the most valuable information, I warned the commanders and general repeatedly, but they didn't listen to me.

Because of that they lost and they tried to put that blame on me, the one who warned them.

I even endured that, I was threatened that I would die in their hands and I couldn't take it anymore.

I snapped and warned every single one of them. Because they are not the first transcendent stage cultivators or the consummate stage cultivators that threatened to kill me. I might not look like it, but I am sure I can become the nemesis of them anytime I want.

I made it clear and once again offered my services, but this time I demanded compensation because I lost trust in them. I don't want to be taken for granted once again.

I asked for two hundred horse type beasts when I helped them kill the first fifteen hundred mutants, I asked for two families of pigeons and ravens and the rest of the contribution to be added to my military credits when I conquered them a city and killed the rest of the mutants.

I came back and now I received this letter to attend the ceremony, to receive my reward. But what I received was humiliation and disrespect.

I never betrayed the nation once, but why is the nation betraying me time and again. I want the reason. Why am I suffering? Why did a high-born targeted me and made me suffer on a day where I should have received my honor? I want that reason. I want a reason why I shouldn't betray this nation? I want a reason why I should respect the emperor who is letting all of this happen. I want a reason on why me or any other soldier should risk their life when all we receive is constant betrayal. Today I want those reasons."

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