Chapter 188: For You – Chapter 11

A pillar of light blazed so brightly it could be seen from anywhere on the continent.

That meant everyone in the Human Realm now knew a Hero had been born.

The Hero’s birth was dramatic, appearing just when the Demon King’s army had pushed the Empire to the brink. It was natural to feel a surge of hope, even without knowing who this Hero was.

The King of Sanguo felt the same way. Or so it seemed…

But something else weighed more heavily on his mind right now.

‘It really won’t connect.’

Did he just scrap the communicator entirely?

To just notify me and cut off communication unilaterally… what kind of disrespect is this to a nation’s king? Does being the Emperor mean he can get away with anything?

Even so, she could only glare at the communicator, unable to fully unleash her anger. Because she understood the meaning behind his actions.

“…That infuriating man… impossible to truly hate.”

For a foreign monarch to feel this way about him, his decision must be far from ordinary.

“He’s really something else.”

How should they face the Demon King’s army now? Was their only hope to rely on this Hero?

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

***

Naturally, the King of Rweche also heard about the Hero’s emergence.

While hope bloomed in everyone else’s hearts, in his curtained room, he murmured quietly, recalling the face of his brother who had departed without even leaving a portrait behind.

“Forgive me, brother, it seems the Empire’s lifespan will be longer than I anticipated.”

The Hero’s identity was still unknown.

He even entertained a selfishly personal thought: *If only the Hero were Deon Hart, maybe he’d avenge me against the Emperor.* But someone like Deon, who rampaged alongside demons, would never be chosen as a Hero, not with so many humans in the Human Realm needing salvation.

If he were to voice such thoughts, anyone would surely be horrified. They might even ask why he wasn’t taking revenge himself, given the depth of his hatred.

“I was foolish.”

Naturally, his heart yearned to take direct action and avenge his brother… but as a king, he was bound by a promise to an Imperial knight.

Thinking that far, he let out a choked laugh.

“In the end, I’m just a powerless king.”

He deserved to be cursed as a useless older brother, unable to even avenge his brother’s death.

His self-reproach was brief. He gathered the overflowing emotions, buried them deep in his heart, and stood up.

He couldn’t handle state affairs while drowning in emotion. It was time to resume his duties as king.

***

The Hero’s emergence left the Emperor unmoved.

Even if the Hero came to help, the Imperial Palace would likely be in ruins by then. He himself would probably be long gone.

He recalled the constantly shifting positions of the demons.

‘Their advance was practically relentless, as if they didn’t need to sleep.’

He’d thought they’d diverted their path to buy time, but they were still arriving sooner than expected. He frowned slightly when he recalled their detour had been towards Illuster territory, but the expression quickly vanished.

Everyone along the path to the Imperial Palace had been evacuated long ago. That left only the capital’s population: Imperial citizens, and the nobles who had holed up in the capital seeking safety.

The plan was to evacuate the Imperial citizens first, then the nobles, but the resistance was fierce. It wasn’t about *why* Imperial citizens were being evacuated first. No, they were protesting *why they needed to evacuate at all*.

Relocating the capital now? Unthinkable! Proceeding unilaterally without a word of consultation? How could he be so callous? Was he truly intending to abandon this palace, steeped in history? And did he even know Deon Hart was the Commander of the 0th Legion? And so on.

Some of their points were somewhat reasonable, others completely missed the point, but ultimately, their resistance didn’t last long.

[I’ve already set everything in motion. You’re the only ones left to move. In other words, even the troops have been relocated. Staying here is suicide. But if you’re so determined to remain… ]

[We’ll go.]

See? The Emperor chuckled.

‘Long history, my foot.’

It was still absurd, even upon reflection. Using ‘long history’ as a reason not to abandon the palace? Many of their arguments weren’t worth the breath to refute, but that one stuck with him the most. Did they really think of *this* Empire as a continuation of the previous dynasty?

Laughable. He hadn’t elevated the previous dynasty into an Empire; he’d swept it away entirely and built the Empire anew. And they dared to think such things just because the monarch’s bloodline continued?

This palace might have a long history, but that didn’t translate to a long history for the Empire. ‘Long history?’ What did the dynasty *before* his ascension have to do with anything? He’d used this palace as is, not out of respect for its history, but because he didn’t want to waste tax money building a new one.

“…However…”

His beast-like golden eyes flicked towards the knight standing before him.

An unexpected—or perhaps, expected—figure stood before him, eyes firm with resolve. The Emperor gave a wry, internal smile.

“Why haven’t you evacuated? Why are you here seeking me out? I ordered you to relocate.”

“Please, Your Majesty, permit me to stay behind.”

Lien Riner, the knight who once served Deon Hart, lowered her head.

“I understand Your Majesty deliberately assigned me to positions that would keep me away from him. I deeply appreciate your consideration, but I have reasons why I must see him.”

“Those are words easily misconstrued. Don’t you value your life?”

It was a precarious situation where her head could easily roll, but having observed the Emperor and formed her own understanding of him, she replied calmly.

“I know Your Majesty isn’t the type to do that.”

……

The Emperor, momentarily speechless, slowly quirked his lips into a smile. It was a wry, almost bitter expression as he finally spoke.

His words weren’t a response to Lien’s statement, but to her earlier request.

“Even if I invoked Imperial orders to force your evacuation, you’d just go looking for him again, wouldn’t you?”

If she never got to see him, she’d spend her life consumed by guilt and regret.

There were already too many people living with suffering; there was no need to add another to their ranks. And so, he had no choice but to nod.

“Do as you wish.”

And then.

After his brief audience with Lien Riner concluded, the Emperor massaged his throbbing temples as another visitor was announced.

“You…”

He didn’t care about the Duke, who hadn’t even bothered to enter the palace, let alone evacuate despite the orders. As long as the Duke didn’t die because of him, he couldn’t care less. He even understood why Lien Riner wanted to stay. He knew her feelings.

But not them. The Emperor spat the words out, his voice low and laced with a growl of fury.

“Why are you still here? Haven’t you evacuated?”

“How could we possibly flee when Your Majesty remains here? That would be the height of disloyalty.”

The Crown Prince and Princess, who should have already evacuated, stood stubbornly before him.

***

The Emperor’s movements were strange. Paul, who had been watching the Empire with growing suspicion ever since the Emperor poured troops into Miller, made a decision as soon as he heard all territories leading to the capital were being evacuated.

‘Stop thinking about helping the Empire. Start thinking about how to survive *after* it falls.’

The Emperor had abandoned the Empire. Or perhaps just the capital. Either way, it was clear the Empire’s full strength could no longer be relied upon.

The capital’s population hadn’t been evacuated yet, but at this rate, they soon would be.

He needed to conserve his forces. Paul immediately pulled back the Revolutionary Army troops deployed within the Empire. He held his breath, waiting to assess the situation and decide his next move.

– Help me.

The Duke had contacted him.

– I know it was you who’s been hampering the Demon King’s forces in other regions. Making them lose their way, wander aimlessly—you’ve been diligently slowing them down with all sorts of sorcery, haven’t you? Thanks to you, the Empire could focus all its attention on the critical battles.

Thank you.

Words he never expected to hear drifted faintly, almost lost in transmission. Paul stared down at the communicator, delivered via the Salvation Church.

The sincere gratitude was unexpected… but Daniel had died because of him. Caution was only natural. He spat out the words, his voice hard.

“You asked for help. Help with *what*, exactly?”

– The Demon King’s army will reach the capital soon. I need you to delay their arrival… no more, no less, for exactly three hours.

The Duke surely understood that wasn’t a question, but sarcasm. Yet, his response suggested a desperate urgency.

He considered the speed of the Demon King’s army advancing towards the capital. Reports indicated they were driving themselves relentlessly, not even stopping to sleep. It seemed they were determined to shorten the travel time as much as possible. He’d heard Deon Hart, who usually insisted on Human Realm horses, had switched to Demon Realm steeds, swapping them out as soon as they tired. And with unbelievable confidence, they were even abandoning stragglers at each new territory, in a situation where every soldier should count…

The latest intelligence placed them at the territory closest to the capital. At this pace, they’d arrive within half a day, maybe less.

“…Is this a trade you’re proposing?”

– It’s a plea. I’ve already given away all my assets.

The Duke’s family wasn’t just any family; they had accumulated wealth for generations. He’d given it *all* away…?

Was this connected to his request to buy just three hours? He tilted his head for a moment, pondering.

‘What the Duke did with his wealth wasn’t his concern.’

What mattered was his attempt to get help for free.

Paul snorted.

“After killing my predecessor, now you come crawling back, expecting me to work for free?”

For the Duke, asking for a ‘plea’ rather than a ‘trade’ must have been incredibly humiliating. Especially to the Revolutionary Army, whom he once controlled and looked down upon. His once-towering pride must have been utterly shattered. Fully aware of this, Paul grinned and laid into him with sarcasm.

“How shameless of you.”

– …….

“But… just this once, I’ll humor you.”

Considering how much pride the Duke had to swallow to make this plea, it was a decent enough price. When else would he get another chance to trample the Duke’s pride like this?

It wasn’t like he was being asked to kill Deon Hart or defeat the Demon King’s army—just to buy three hours. That was easily achievable with sorcery and arrays, minimizing troop losses. Paul accepted with a smug grin.

Before cutting off the communicator, he thought he heard the faint sound of teeth grinding, but he ignored it.

***

With a Hero’s constitution now bolstering his stamina, Deon Hart ran without sleep. Ever since leaving the Demon King’s castle, nightmares plagued him every time he slept. Being able to function without sleep was one of the few perks of being a Hero.

Demons, unable to keep up, cried out in exhaustion, but Deon trusted their robust physiques.

‘They’re demons for a reason, after all.’

Skipping sleep shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Pushing forward at top speed, they finally reached the outskirts of the capital… but what in the world?

They were lost.

His suspicions solidified when a demon cautiously spoke up.

“Sir Deon, I think we’re going in circles.”

“…You think so too?”

“Yes, sir.”

No wonder—no matter how far they went, the path never seemed to change. He hadn’t been sure in the forest, but that tree… that looked like the same tree they’d passed earlier.

‘…Sorcery.’

Deon was certain it was space-warping sorcery. He vaguely remembered hearing about it from a sorcerer during the Salvation Church suppression.

“With this kind of sorcery, you usually have to find and destroy the core of the array, or find your way out through the maze. But there’s no way we’ll just stumble upon the right path…”

“…Well, it *is* a forest. Should we just burn it all down?”