Published: January 4, 2026
"…?"
The girl looked dazed beside us, appearing somewhat frightened.
She probably didn't understand what Shirley and I were saying, and feared she might have offended me.
"Relax. We're praising you."
"Huh…"
"More importantly, what's your name?"
"My name is Kate."
"Kate, huh? Do you have a surname?"
"No."
"I see."
It's not uncommon for commoners to have no surnames.
Out in the frontier regions, the concept of a surname often doesn't exist. People are usually referred to as so-and-so from such-and-such family.
That "such-and-such family" usually refers to the name of the head of that household.
For example, in my case, 'Sem of the Noah family' is my eldest son.
In places where only such forms of address exist, when a surname is forcibly needed, the father's name is used as the surname.
Moreover, some customs don't have the concept of surnames at all, and instead list the names of the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on.
People whose surnames seem like given names usually fit into one of these two patterns.
Since this is a common situation, I didn't bother to probe any further.
Right now, I was more interested in Kate herself.
"You are—"
Bang!
The door was violently flung open, revealing the village chief and several villagers.
All of them wore sullen expressions.
"What are you doing here?"
"Leave the village immediately."
Whether out of anger or just their usual demeanor, the village chief trembled as he spoke.
"How rude! Do you even understand what you’re doing—"
Before a riled-up Shirley could respond, I raised a hand to stop her.
"Understood, let's leave. Come on, Shirley, Kate."
"Wait, that girl stays behind."
"…What?"
"She may have incurred the wrath of the Kara God. Just in case, Kate must remain here."
"What are you talking about! You saw that monster get defeated!"
Shirley’s anger reached its peak. Her face flushed as she shouted at the village chief.
"God does not die from something like that."
"That's right, that's right."
"What will you do if the resurrected god is enraged?"
"Leave that girl behind!"
"…Shirley."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Exchanging glances as I called her name, Shirley understood and stepped outside.
The village chief and villagers, who had come to hold Kate back, did not stop Shirley as she left alone.
Outside, Shirley fired a signal flare.
Although we parted, the fact that I, the emperor, hadn't yet returned to the palace was known.
Sheryl and the others were waiting nearby.
A few minutes later, a rumbling sound approached like thunderous footsteps.
"W-What’s going on?"
The village chief was stunned.
Another villager rushed in.
"This is terrible, Chief! Soldiers—regular soldiers—have arrived in great numbers!"
"What!?"
The village chief was even more astonished, unable to comprehend the situation.
Meanwhile, Sheryl—
Wearing full knight’s regalia, she dashed into the house and knelt before me.
"Did you summon me, Your Majesty?"
"Umm…"
"Eh…?"
The village chief and all the villagers were left speechless.
"Hold your head high in the presence of Your Majesty!"
Shirley, returning late, shouted angrily.
Startled, the villagers glanced between the soldiers surrounding the village and me, eventually kneeling before me.
"W-We were unaware it was His Majesty the Emperor; please forgive our disrespect."
The village chief trembled with clear fear and kowtowed before me.
"This is a covert journey; even if you oppose me, it is not a crime."
It is clearly stated in the imperial law. Having been the Minister of Justice, I had no intention of breaking it.
"Ha, ha… thank you."
"However—"
I changed my tone.
At the same time, I used Leviathan to issue a mild threat.
The room’s temperature dropped nearly ten degrees in an instant, causing all the kneeling villagers to shiver.
"Extrajudicial punishment is not permitted."
"N-No!"
"We had no choice!"
"R-Rebelling against the Kara God would doom the village!"
"Kara God, huh. I can understand fearing and obeying such a monster. Then I will give you a chance."
The villagers who had been kowtowing suddenly lifted their heads.