"Just how desperate is the Emperor?" Claud wondered out loud as a palanquin — an honest-to-Moons palanquin — stopped in front of the two of them. "Or is this some kind of humiliation play that's directed at us?"

"I'm beginning to regret it now, really." Lily gazed at the sight of four people bearing an open-air carriage on their shoulders. "What the heck? I've never heard of this being a custom before."

"Maybe he's trying to make us famous," Claud muttered. "And then attempt to use moral coercion to tie us down here after hyping us as heroes."

"Sounds like what a good Emperor would do. I'd say we bounce, but we can't." Lily folded her arms. "Let's just turn the palanquin away."

She swept a piercing gaze at the rest of the officials that had been, for some inane reason, sent to pick them up, and the vibe around her changed. Without any warning, a man in exquisite red robes appeared in front of her, his body clearly incapable of moving under the influence of mana.

"So, you're the leader, yes?" Lily asked. "This thing does not fit our sensibilities. Kindly send it away. There's no need for a lavish reception."

"You are honoured guests—"

"Precisely. And it is very uncomfortable to be paraded up and down like statues or something moments after we reported our identities. If it pleases you, we can turn around and walk out," Lily replied. "And then come back in without you people knowing it."

"O-Of course, if it makes you two uncomfortable, we can do away with the fanfare…"

There was a trace of regret in the old man's words, but that was his problem, not Claud's.

"Nicely done," Claud whispered. "You're a pro at this, eh?"

"Yeap!" Lily started to emanate a 'Pat me!' aura, so he patted her head twice, and a smile blossomed on her face. "Anyhow, we're not going to be emotionally blackmailed."

Claud nodded in agreement, before watching as the palanquin and its bearers vanished into the distance. At the same time, any show of ostentatiousness faded away, and before long, only the old man, who was now wearing a dull cloak, remained.

"I hope this is to your liking," the old man uttered.

"Yeap. That's how this should be," Lily replied. "We know as well as you do what the intention of that procession was supposed to be like."

"Mhm." The old man bowed his head. "I apologise for that."

"You were the one who chose this method?" Claud asked, picking up a few hints from that apology.

"His Eminence believed that you two would not want to board something so flashy. It was at my insistence that we used such a set up," the old man replied.

"Who are you, really?" Claud asked, looking at the old man. The fact that this man could actually change the Emperor's mind meant that he had to be someone of importance.

"I am the Minister of State, Cicero." The old man smiled. "At your service, legendary heroes."

"Legendary?"

"Heroes?"

Lily glanced at Claud, who saw the stupefied expression on her face, and then said, "We are neither legendary nor heroes. We're just ordinary people trying to eke out a living in this cruel world."

Claud could sense some rather intense emotions in those words.

Of course she would. While Lily didn't say anything much about her so-called predestined fate, Claud knew that she too, felt a sense of dread at the fact that she had died in every single iteration thus far. How could she not? People feared death, and for the two of them, even more so.

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He held her hand and squeezed it once.

"You two do not understand your status in a world where Distortions happen randomly," the old man replied. "There are thousands and thousands of people who owe you their lives, not just for breaking that Distortion, but also for proving that Distortions can be overcome. If not, we would have eventually abandoned the people lost in these Distortions, and the despair everyone felt would have grown. As it stands now, the Distortions have weakened in intensity and frequency…"

"What's that got to do with us?"

"The mental state of people is integral to determining the strength and frequency of Distortions," the old man replied. "You two lit up the torch of hope for so many other people. Now, Distortions aren't despair-inducing events, and are treated as solvable disasters…this change of perception is key."

"Is that so?" Claud looked around at the city. Indeed, the Distortions were no longer visible, with no purple sphere dominating the skyline. He hadn't cared that much, since these Distortions hadn't affected too much of his life to make a permanent impact, and it also helped that they had been living in relative seclusion for some time.

The fear of being caught in a random Distortion had long passed from his mind.

"Indeed." The old man nodded sagely. "But let this old man not bore you with the details. Now, then, let us head to the palace with little fanfare."

The three of them avoided the crowd, which had gathered due to the earlier formation of a very scary procession and made a beeline to the centre of Grandis. Grandis was huge, with twenty-seven sectors, and the centremost sectors were where the Emperor worked in.

And it showed.

Rather than the usual palace that Claud expected, the Grandia Palace was actually something quite in line with his own personal preferences. The "palace" was actually a solid black cube, and there was only one clear way in and out of the place.

Granted, the chances of there being a few secret ways in and out of the palace was not really that high, but this was the stronghold of Emperor Grandis. If he really had a few secret escape routes, this would suggest that he had other redoubts somewhere…either that, or he was a pragmatic person.

Once that last thought flashed through his head, Claud nodded.

Emperor Grandis definitely had a bunch of secret entrances and exits to his palace.

The guards standing around the only entrance to the palace nodded at the old man, and to Claud's surprise, none of them made a move to investigate Claud and Lily, even though it would be fair for them to do so.

"Is this wise?" Lily asked. "Letting us through like this."

"Yeah. For all you know, we might be smuggling someone like Lesser Half into the palace," Claud added.

"The fact that you two are very concerned with this possibility is proof enough that there is no need to be too cautious about you two," Minister Cicero replied. "Now, then, I will conduct you to the Emperor's personal quarters. The original court that I suggested to receive you with has been dismissed, the people within doubtlessly thankful to you for this early dismissal."

"They can give us more lifestones if they're this…thankful," Lily replied. "No need for visits or anything. We're quite inward-looking in that regard."

"Very well."

The three of them, plus three meeplings and a black cube that was hidden in Claud's pocket, proceeded on to Emperor Grandis' personal quarters. The staff that came across them bowed as the old man nodded at them, and Claud began to feel a little awkward at the number of respectful gestures directed at them.

It was fine that they were being directed at Minister Cicero, but why the heck did the passing staff also bow at them?

"Rare," the old man abruptly said. "Most youths desire recognition, fame. You two seem to abhor it."

"Fame are shackles that bind one's behaviour," Claud replied. "And as for recognition…what does the recognition of strangers and people not important in my life matter to me?"

Lily nodded. "We don't need that all. To hanker after these two things is to make yourself mentally vulnerable to a thousand evil words."

"You two probably won't work in the Grandis Court, I suppose?"

"Nope."

"Never."

"Figured." The old man chuckled. "We're almost at His Eminence's quarters now. Be not afraid. He is a very kind person. And lonely."

Claud nodded. "We talked to him before. He does seem like an old man that needs a child on his lap, to be frank."

A bubbling warble shook the air, and Minister Cicero covered his mouth. "An old man that needs a baby on his lap…well. I wonder what his expression will be like when he hears your evaluations of him."

"Do keep it as a record for history, then," Lily replied. "Future generations will be very grateful to learn about this part of Emperor Grandis."

"Indeed." The old man guffawed, and then patted his chest. "Laughing isn't good for someone this old, though. Hahaha!"

The old man didn't seem to treasure his own life and health all that much, but who was Claud to judge.

"Anyway," said the old man, after laughing heartily for a few more seconds, "His lonely Eminence is just right ahead."

"O-okay…"

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