It was easy to persuade people with power. It would take me some time to impress the princess, but impressing the dying old man next to her was a piece of cake. How he ruled the empire when he was still young, or what he had achieved throughout his rule was none of my business because I knew his current condition very well.

‘A lame duck.’

Since it seemed like it was about time they declared a new emperor, the word suited him. There were actually some talks about a successor and the people who originally served the emperor had either changed their master or were looking for a different path. This was a so-called power leak. Of course, the emperor in front of us was still powerful because the old man was still the emperor of this empire. He still had a fixed number of people supporting him, and he still had the power to decide on his successor. Basically, he could keep his position for another three to five years, but the problem was how he felt about it. Even if this wasn’t the case…

‘I’m sure he feels like his power is weakening.’

If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have called us here. His nature was a Timid Man of Power and it suited him pretty well. Powerful people like him pretended to dislike brown nosers, but they actually loved them. After all, no human would dislike people fawning over them.

‘But I shouldn’t be too obvious…’

If I just flattered him here and there, he would like me even more! And since a candle could still burn bright before it went out, I could still make a profit off this old man before he died.

“Hahaha. That’s… a funny story…”

Despite it being a simple compliment, he already had a big smile on his face, and I could tell that I had made a good first impression.

“Now that I think about it… you’re an alchemist, right?” the Emperor asked.

“That’s right, Your Majesty,” I answered.

“I have heard a lot about you. I understand that you own many titles… Hm… I remember them. You’re also the person who helped in the development of alchemy in the empire… You also got chosen by a dragon, were you not? If I remember correctly… I’m certain of it… Charlotte?” he asked the princess.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Lee Ki-Young was selected as one of the Eight Seats and is the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild from Lindel. He’s also the first person on the continent to get chosen by a dragon. And I was told that he was the first summoner to obtain an honorary position at the Vatican and is very close to Father Basel,” Charlotte explained.

“Yes, that’s right… The Vatican’s honorary bishop…” the Emperor nodded.

“I was just lucky that I managed to get in contact with Father Basel. Haha. Father Basel may have a short temper, but he’s worried about the future of the Holy Empire more than anyone else, so the fact that I was able to get in touch with him makes me very lucky,” I told him.

“Yes… I know that as well,” the Emperor responded.

“To be honest, I enjoy meeting new people, so I’m very close with the other nobles within the empire,” I continued.

“Oh, is that right?”

“I have a good relationship with people like Count Castlerock, Lady Caitlyn, and Lady Elise,” I added.

I had been maintaining a good relationship with the nobles from the emperor’s faction.

“And Mr. Victor Hart as well…” I said.

Victor Hart standing guard near the emperor looked at me as if he was asking what I was talking about, but I looked away from him and continued talking.

“It’s because he’s close to Miss Cha Hee-Ra…”

“Ah, is that right? Hahaha. Good. By the way… you said that the red-headed foreigner was like a daughter to you… right, Victor? Looks like my old friend has finally gotten a very good son-in-law…” the Emperor commented.

“E-Excuse me, Your Majesty,” Victor Hart muttered.

Victor Hart seemed like he didn’t really want anything to do with me, but he and I had a relationship that couldn’t be broken.

“Ahh, yes. That’s good…” he commented.

Now that he knew I was close to the people from his faction, it seemed that he liked me even more than before. However, when I recalled that the woman named Charlotte had told the emperor that I had connections with the Vatican, I guess I wasn’t really her type. I had to think about whether my bootlicking was too obvious or not. The emperor was important, but the princess was just as important as him. Of course, she seemed happy when I mentioned that I was close to the nobles from the emperor’s faction, but she still seemed wary of me.

‘I have a lot of time.’

As long as I focused on the emperor in the meantime, what she thought of me shouldn’t matter that much, and I guarantee that the time when the princess needed me would come, as I was already at the center of the Holy Empire’s communication group. Everyone would agree that being wary of me would only be a loss for the princess and if that woman was interested in becoming the successor, she would need me even more.

“By the way, the princess’s beauty has blinded me. Seeing that she’s full of radiance, I’m sure anyone can tell she inherited your blood, Your Majesty,” I commented.

“You’re right. My Charlotte is beautiful,” the Emperor agreed.

“It’s all thanks to you, Your Majesty,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, you’re right…”

It was funny how he immediately agreed to my compliment. Even though my compliment was for the princess and not for him, it seemed like she wasn’t used to this kind of praise, and I was starting to understand what type of person she was.

‘I’ll have to invest some of my time to get close to her…’

The problem was if I would be able to see her again after tonight, but I thought that I should have some time left.

As the dinner continued, we exchanged different conversations, and obviously, I wasn’t the only one who received questions because to the emperor, all eight of us were subjects he had to take care of. The others answered the emperor’s questions sincerely and this nice atmosphere was maintained throughout the dinner, but the emperor himself seemed more interested in me.

The Eight Seats of the continent were basically the leaders of each group and it was natural for them to be on top of others. The level of praise they were giving the emperor was different from mine since I was born to be a brown noser. I had to think about whether I should be proud of it or not, but I wasn’t embarrassed because this type of worldly wisdom was necessary to survive in society.

Anyway, even after having a decent amount of conversation with the others, he expressed that he wanted to continue talking to me. Even the other seven members seemed like they wanted me to entertain the emperor. Cha Hee-Ra, Suzumiya Ibuki, and Cheon Kwan-Wi especially looked like they didn’t care about becoming close to the emperor. Seeing that they were quietly thanking me, I guess there were people who didn’t like this kind of meeting.

Surprisingly, Kim Hyun-Sung seemed like he was focused on the princess and since it was difficult to read his expression, I couldn’t tell what the princess was like in his past life.

‘Will she be the next empress?’

It was very likely that it would happen, and it was evidenced by the fact that the emperor had brought her here.

Anyway, as time passed, the tense atmosphere loosened up and when the emperor gave the order to talk comfortably, everyone naturally started talking. Of course, the sick old man focused on me as he started talking, so I didn’t need to think of topics to talk about. He was actually the one asking me questions, so it made it easier for me to answer. Usually, when the old man told stories about his days as a young man, people would exclaim and praise his greatness. As such, the emperor happily laughed as he continued to talk about topics that could confirm his greatness. However, being a good talker alone wasn’t enough. Even while sympathizing with the emperor’s story, I had to find topics so he would remain interested in me. That was how you could win someone’s favor, and it wasn’t that hard to do. Even my one-year-old Smartie would know exactly what people like him wanted.

“Elixir. Hm, did you say an elixir?” the Emperor asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I don’t know much about it yet since I still haven’t achieved that much in this field, but to those who study alchemy, it’s a potion that has been told for generations along with the Sage’s Stone. In addition to curing all sickness and injuries, it’s also a gift from god that will help one find their youth,” I replied.

“Haha, I see. Have you… made any progress in your research?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s an item only known in stories and to be honest, achieving results in a short period of time is almost impossible,” I answered.

“Hm, thank you for being honest with me,” he said.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up,” I told him.

“No, it’s not that. I actually like the fact that you’re being honest with me. You’re, hm… kind of different from the other nobles,” he added.

“I apologize,” I said.

“I’m not scolding you, so no need to apologize. Hm… so this elixir…”

This was what I meant. I didn’t need to give him false hopes about the elixir. Rather than him telling me later that I had been trying to fool him or whatever, coming out clean and telling him that it was impossible would give me a better advantage. People like him would usually show interest despite knowing the impossibility.

“If I had to guess, I believe the elixir is a potion that can turn the Sage’s Stone into a catalyst. Of course, we still don’t know much about the Sage’s Stone, and naturally, it’s one of my long-cherished wishes,” I informed him.

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m sure creating an elixir or seeing the Sage’s Stone is the dream of every alchemist, and I believe it’ll come true someday. I had never even imagined that I would get chosen by a dragon just a few months ago, so someday…” I paused.

“Hm, you’re right. By the way, you mentioned that you got chosen by a dragon… I have never seen a dragon before in my life, so I had been hoping that you’d come with the dragon, but it’s a pity,” he mentioned.

“I understand. I’m sure you’re aware, but a dragon is a being I cannot control…” I explained.

“You’re right. It’s not an exaggeration to say that they’re above humans,” he said.

“However… there is something I can show here. Of course, it’s not a full dragon,” I warned.

When I threw the bait, the emperor looked at me with eyes full of curiosity. Victor Hart tried to intervene, but when the emperor reacted sternly, he quietly sat back down.

“Please don’t do anything foolish…”

“No, Victor Hart… the Honorary Bishop Lee Ki-Young isn’t that type of person,” the Emperor told him.

“I apologize,” Victor Hart said.

I wasn’t sure why the emperor described me that way when this was our first meeting, but the sudden increase in his confidence in me wasn’t something for me to be sad about.

“So… how can I see a dragon?” the Emperor asked.

It was better to show him than to explain.

“I’ll take that as permission. Excuse me for a moment, Your Majesty,” I said.

When fireworks crackled from my hand, a dragon’s face slowly started to appear from a wall in the spacious living room. Along with a crackling sound, the dragon’s head gradually took form, but anyone could tell that it looked a bit unrealistic.

“Rooooooar…”

Even though I had downgraded it so it could fit the room, anyone could still tell that it was a black dragon based on its large eyes, intimidating teeth, and large horns. The emperor, the seatholders from the other cities, and even Charlotte watched with their jaws on the floor.

It was a childish show. It wasn’t even necessary to mention that Jung Ha-Yan’s magic was more useful than my skills on the battlefield. Moreover, if Kim Hyun-Sung swung his sword genuinely, then I was sure the dragon’s head would get cleanly severed. Still, it was undeniable that the alchemy skill I had just revealed was visually appealing.

“Ha… haha…”

The emperor quietly laughed.

“H-How did you d-do something like this…” the princess stuttered.

She was at a loss for words.

“It’s alchemy,” I answered.

This was just a small show to prove my worth.