Chapter 192: So Long to Regret

“……I see.”

It seemed Deon Hart wasn’t the only one who had been “ignoring” things. A bitter smile touched Eudoard’s lips.

Perhaps, he simply lacked the courage to look back. To confront the path he’d walked, the mountain of corpses piling up behind him. Regret, once embraced, would be endless. So, instead of dwelling on regret, he’d clung to responsibility, pushing forward.

Most people believed Eudoard was strong, but he knew the truth.

He was weak.

Despite clinging to responsibility, he’d failed to take responsibility for anything. He’d wished for death, yet couldn’t bring himself to die. He hadn’t shouldered the responsibility for his brothers’ deaths, nor for the Empire and its citizens. Unable to commit suicide, or even die at an enemy’s hand, he’d simply kept living.

Indeed….

“Even still,”

Wasn’t he just an indecisive human?

“I don’t regret it.”

This death, then, felt almost fitting. An undeserved end for a fool who could never choose a path.

Eudoard glanced at Deon’s questioning red eyes, a flicker of incomprehension in his own, then closed them. A thought surfaced – that he should have focused on his nephews instead of wavering – but he pushed it away before it could morph into regret.

‘……Ah.’

It was only then that Deon understood. The man before him wasn’t the ‘Emperor’.

He’d removed the crown he always wore in official settings, discarded his ever-present cloak, and donned simple attire, carrying only a sword. Throughout their fight, he hadn’t once referred to himself as ‘I’, the royal ‘we’.

Deon, his gaze complex as he watched Eudoard, who had closed his eyes, slowly raised a dagger.

“…Ah, I almost forgot. There’s one more thing I should mention.”

“……?”

“If you value your life, you’d better get out of here. Quickly. The Imperial Palace is rigged with bombs, timed to detonate in forty minutes. Which means… they’re about to go off.”

“…You could adjust the detonation time too?”

Even if it became possible, it seemed like the Revolutionary Army would develop it first. Bombs were their specialty, after all. Daniel, their former leader, was said to have developed portable bombs.

Speaking as someone no longer an Imperial citizen, honestly, the bombs from the Empire and other kingdoms were shoddy. They were too sensitive, exploding before use, or not detonating at all. That’s why bombs weren’t commonly used in wars.

Eudoard answered languidly.

“If you can analyze it, improvement isn’t difficult. A portable bomb from the Revolutionary Army once appeared on the black market, so I ordered its immediate acquisition as soon as the information came in.”

No need to guess how many developers were ground to dust. Still aiming his dagger at Eudoard, Deon wore a disgusted expression.

More importantly, portable bombs on the black market? The Revolutionary Army wouldn’t have let that slide.

‘They’re incredibly sensitive about that.’

Wouldn’t they try to self-destruct when capture seemed imminent? All to prevent bombs from falling into enemy hands for analysis.

The gutsy bastard who not only stole it but also auctioned it off must be dead by now.

“The original target was all Demon King’s army forces that infiltrated the palace, but who knew you’d come alone? What a waste.”

“……”

“What are you waiting for? Time’s running out. Hurry up and finish it.”

Eudoard still had his eyes closed.

So that no one who discovered his corpse would spread rumors about his unsightly death to his already shocked nephews and nieces, adding to their trauma.

‘…….’

Deon brought down his dagger.

And—

──On a snowy day.

A hero’s star fell.

***

The Esperance mercenaries arrived. They arrived precisely on time, but the Duke couldn’t be pleased.

The Demon King’s army had already reached the capital. Deon Hart was said to have entered the Imperial Palace. Yet, there was no news of the Emperor or royals evacuating, constantly conjuring the worst-case scenario, forcing him to quicken his pace towards the palace.

“……The Demon King’s army is at the main gate, so let’s enter from somewhere else.”

They were already outnumbered; wasting time fighting the Demon King’s army was not an option. Securing the royals’ safety was top priority. To find a suitable wall to climb over, the Duke detoured around the main gate, circling the palace perimeter.

And then, he encountered the royals emerging from a secret passage.

“If we move from here to another passage… Duke Illuster?”

“Step back.”

Nemesius swiftly pulled the two royals behind him, drawing his sword and aiming it at the Duke. The Imperial Guards also tensed, weapons raised, and the Esperance mercenaries followed suit, drawing their weapons.

The Duke was the one who eased the explosive tension that had arisen in an instant.

“Rest assured, I mean no harm.”

“As if I’d believe that.”

“Mercenaries, please lower your swords as well. Would you fight against those you are meant to protect?”

“……Protect?”

The Crown Prince frowned, disbelief etched on his face, and Nemesius’s sword wavered slightly. Ignoring them, the Duke’s eyes darted around, searching behind them.

He hoped the person he sought was here….

‘……Not here.’

An ominous feeling crawled up his spine.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“……He remained behind.”

“Remained behind, you say……”

A short sentence, yet it conveyed everything.

The Duke closed his eyes. He didn’t ask foolish questions like ‘Where?’.

He’d already anticipated it. He merely murmured, resigned. Just as expected.

“I wished it wasn’t so.”

What was done was done. Irreversible now. Thus, the course of action was clear.

Given the Emperor’s nature, he’d likely remained alone, but just in case, he inquired.

“How many troops remained with His Majesty?”

“None. He remained alone.”

No need to hear more. The Duke immediately addressed the mercenaries.

“Everyone, escort the two Highnesses safely to their destination.”

“……Everyone, you say?”

“Yes, everyone.”

“……Understood.”

They briefly questioned the incomprehensible request, but since they’d already been paid and it wasn’t a repulsive commission, there was no need to argue. The mercenaries shelved their doubts and immediately surrounded the two royals protectively.

The Duke smiled faintly at the Crown Prince and Princess, who couldn’t conceal their bewilderment.

“You seem puzzled.”

“……”

In this aspect, their inexperience contrasted sharply with the Emperor. The Duke decided to bestow his first and last lesson upon these two fledglings.

“In politics, there are no eternal allies or enemies.”

“……So, you mean you’re an ally now?”

“For now, you could see it that way. And…”

This was advice for the two who would soon navigate the treacherous waters of politics.

“In politics, there’s no absolute good or evil either. If something appears to be absolute good or evil, it’s undoubtedly wrong. Especially the side hailed as good; it’s likely rotten to the core, so skepticism is advisable.”

“Like you, Duke, whom the Salvation Church praises as salvation?”

“Indeed, Your Highness the Princess.”

The Duke’s eyes curved into crescents.

The smile didn’t last long.

KWA-BOOOOM!

A deafening roar erupted. Everyone instinctively turned towards the source of the sound, followed by a terrifying silence.

“What in the…….”

The Princess gasped, hand flying to her mouth in horror. The Crown Prince’s pupils trembled, his eyes wide with shock. Nemesius, who had been glaring, clenched his fist. Even the Esperance mercenaries couldn’t hide their unease, murmuring amongst themselves. As for the Duke, how could he be any different?

“……Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Starting with the deafening explosion, the Imperial Palace was collapsing. The magnificent, venerable palace, steeped in history and immeasurable value, was crumbling pathetically. Its sheer size made the collapse seem slow, rendering it even more surreal.

‘The Emperor remained there.’

He couldn’t waste any more time here. He promptly handed what he’d been holding to the Crown Prince and approached Nemesius.

His aim was the paper in Nemesius’s hand, presumably depicting the secret passage, but as expected of the Empire’s first hero, before he could snatch it, Nemesius jerked his hand back, asking warily.

“What is it?”

“The secret passage here will be useless after today anyway, won’t it? Just a quick look.”

“……”

No verbal reply, but no further evasion or resistance. The Duke took the paper from Nemesius’s hand, quickly scanned it, memorizing the route from there to inside the Imperial Palace, then returned it.

The Crown Prince, fiddling with the item he’d been given, called out as if he’d been waiting.

“What is this?”

“It will be of help.”

“……”

He should know that wasn’t the answer he wanted. What was so special about this note?

The Crown Prince’s face twisted at the curt reply, but the Duke paid no mind, turning away. His indifferent voice echoed lightly.

“Then, let’s part ways here. I entrust the two Highnesses to your care.”

***

Descending into the secret passage and rushing towards the Imperial Palace, a torrent of thoughts flooded his mind, only to vanish. Various hypotheses, predicted scenarios, corresponding countermeasures, and… the past. Among them, the Duke focused on his conversation with the 1st Prince in the past.

It was a conversation after the contract ended. He seemed to have asked why he was resorting to such a foolish method. What was his reply back then?

[Certainly, there might have been better ways. No, there definitely were. Perhaps even now. But I am too foolish to think of anything else.]

Indeed, foolish. His choice was leading a nation to ruin, endangering even the Human Realm. A chuckle squeezed through his lips.

The chuckle morphed into a hollow laugh as he arrived at the ruined Imperial Palace.

“……Haha.”

Amidst the completely collapsed space, finding the brilliant golden hair wasn’t difficult.

Fortunately, he wasn’t buried under rubble. ……No, someone else must have shielded him.

As if possessed, he slowly approached him. Red eyes fixedly followed his every step, but the Duke paid no mind.

……He had no time to care. He simply focused his gaze on him, approached, knelt on one knee, and slowly reached out his hand.

“I indulged you, watching you bare your teeth, claiming you’d try hard despite being consumed by guilt, finding it endearing.”

He, who had lived as Emperor and sought to die as Eudoard, yet died as an Emperor, stroked the cheek of the deceased and murmured with a sigh.

“In the end… it comes to this.”

Their relationship was bound by contract, nothing more.

An unavoidable being to protect, yet one whose position he had to usurp to protect. A troublesome, bothersome variable.

He had left him be even after the contract ended, intrigued by his wariness and resistance to his ambition for the throne, but that was all. The Duke brushed back the fallen hair from his forehead one last time and slowly withdrew his hand.

He lifted his gaze to meet Deon Hart.

“Waiting for me, how unlike you. A rare display of consideration.”

“Consideration?”

A soft chuckle echoed in the vacant lot.

“I was merely curious about your reaction. How does it feel to lose what’s most precious to you?”

“What’s most precious?”

For a moment, the Duke’s eyes widened as if he’d heard something incomprehensible. But only for a moment. His gaze then fell upon the Emperor’s corpse.

……Ah, so that’s it.

“Power is what’s most precious to me.”

“Hardly.”

Acting this blatantly, how could he not know?

He hadn’t even realized it himself. Deon chuckled.

Well, no matter. Realizing it or not, the torment would be the same. ……But realizing it would be more painful. With a touch of malice, he opened his mouth.

“Then why did you come here alone?”

“Because I have no troops.”

And bringing troops to save the Emperor would be a waste. The situation indicated that the Emperor’s death would minimize losses, and more importantly.

‘……Because he wished to die.’

The Duke respected the Emperor’s free will until the very end.