Chapter 95: Deceiving and Being Deceived, Exploiting and Overcoming

The chancellor struggled to speak.

He opened his mouth to speak several times but closed it again, repeatedly running a hand over his face to process the shock.

He didn’t know where to begin. Should he point out the talk of his own death, or the fact that he referred to the Emperor’s very flesh as a ‘lump of meat’?

The Emperor was assuming his death wouldn’t be natural. He probably had in mind the scenario of his head being severed on the battlefield.

‘What… should I say?’

Many words surged to his throat.

Your words are too harsh. Why are you considering your own death? Didn’t you proclaim yourself the Empire? And so on.

However, the words that finally escaped his lips after the silence were of a different nature.

“At least… leave your cloak behind. It’s not a combat cloak, is it? It will draw attention and hinder your movement.”

The Emperor chuckled. He toyed with the edge of his red cloak, emblazoned with the Empire’s insignia, before effortlessly mounting his horse and saying casually,

“I can hardly discard one of the few symbols of my position so easily.”

…….

Riding alone, with only a sword at his hip, the Emperor exited the Imperial Palace and skillfully navigated the forest. He glanced sideways, his eyes flickering towards a certain spot. A sneer touched his lips.

He slowly tightened his grip on the horse’s reins.

Sensing its master’s intent, the horse gradually slowed down before coming to a complete stop. The Emperor jumped down, patted the horse’s flank, and leaned against a nearby tree as if to rest.

He crossed his legs and gazed at the sky for a few moments. Then, resting the back of his head against the tree, he closed his eyes and spoke.

“Have you ever heard the warning against forgetting the past?”

…….

“Those who forget the past are bound to repeat their mistakes. Though my life hasn’t been long, I only understood this intellectually. But lately, I’ve begun to feel it in my bones.”

He ran his hand lightly over the wildflowers blooming on the ground, muttering in a detached tone.

His empty voice dissipated into the trees.

“It’s truly astonishing. Even though those who directly experienced the Eight-Year War are still alive and well, there are already those devoured by the monster of forgetfulness.”

The generational shift hasn’t even happened yet.

The Emperor pressed his fingers against his eyes, using the example of the presumptuous Ireon Kingdom. Then, he uncrossed his legs and placed his sword on his lap. His left hand, wrapped in a white bandage, rested on the grass, and his right hand reached inside his attire, pulling out a dagger.

The suddenness of his natural movement caught ‘them’ off guard.

Thunk!

……!

Silence was broken by a ripple of unease.

Confusion flickered in the eyes of those watching the dagger pierce not one of their own, but the Emperor’s own hand.

Regardless of his enemies’ emotional state, the Emperor simply pulled out the dagger with an impassive expression, muttering,

“…That’s better.”

The pristine white bandage, meticulously applied, was stained red once more.

Pain was an afterthought.

The dark specters that had been bothering his vision were gone, and a subtle satisfaction touched his face.

He sheathed the dagger and rose. Ignoring the blood dripping from his left hand, he held his sword hilt in his right and strolled around as if on a leisurely walk.

Red marks bloomed on the ground, a trail left by his footsteps.

“Where was I? Ah, yes, discussing the dangers of forgetting. So, let me ask you this—do you know how Eudoardo Deserte ascended to the throne?”

He stopped walking. Raising his bleeding hand, he gently touched a flower on a tree.

Blood stained the delicate petals.

The questions continued.

“Do you know who was one of the key figures in leading the Eight-Year War to victory?”

Who is the nameless hero who possesses a fragment of the Hero?

“Do you know… why I don’t have a secret escort?”

Behold, how terrifying forgetting can be.

If they knew the Emperor from the time of the rebellion, if they remembered the Emperor from the Eight-Year War, or at the very least, if they had investigated the current Emperor on the battlefield,

then they wouldn’t have dared to target the Emperor so clumsily.

The Emperor chuckled softly, caressing the flower that had drunk its fill of blood, losing its original color.

“This one or that one.”

His hand, which had been touching the petals, moved down to the stem connected to the tree.

What color was this flower originally? Violet.

…Yes, violet.

He snapped the stem cleanly, as if severing someone’s neck. He brought the flower to his nose, as if to smell its fragrance, but only the strong scent of blood filled his senses.

The Emperor, who had been looking down as if smelling the flower, slowly shifted his gaze. His golden eyes, vividly sharp despite the dark circles beneath them, fixed on a point directly ahead.

In the heavy tension, a voice like a growling beast rumbled softly.

“—Do you find me amusing?”

Thud. The falling flower was the signal for the battle to begin.

Drawing his sword with lightning speed, the Emperor stepped forward, crushing the fallen flower. The empty scabbard clattered to the ground, and blood spurted from somewhere in the forest.

One of the enemies’ heads fell.

Those who were caught off guard hastily raised their weapons to retaliate, but that only delayed their deaths.

The blood-red cloak billowed. Or perhaps it was truly blood itself. Every time the color red flashed in his vision, someone’s head was sure to fall. Then, more red would stain his sight, and a scream filled with terror would erupt.

“W-wait a moment….”

“Those clothes, that insignia. I know it well. You’re from the Revolutionary Army. If I remember correctly, your leader wasn’t this foolish. Was this a solo decision? The Revolutionary Army won’t be a concern anymore.”

Shing.

“Ah, ugh, ahhh….”

Only then did they remember.

His talent, obscured by the titles of ‘Emperor’ and ‘Tyrant’. The name of the one with exceptional talent among those who possessed fragments of the Hero.

“Ah….”

“S-spare me….”

His swordsmanship was relentless, fierce, and yet, exhilarating.

The ease with which he wielded the long sword with one hand. A powerful aura as if he could cleave a mountain in two.

Each time the sword moved, a part of someone’s body was cleanly severed, and blood sprayed into the air. He moved lightly as if riding the wind, yet every motion to strike down an enemy was imbued with immense power. The sword, having cut down so many, remained clean, not a single drop of blood staining its silver blade.

If one were an observer, they might even feel catharsis at the sheer spectacle. But those who were facing the Emperor now were all his enemies.

“I think I understand why the Duke said those words today. Was he also involved with the Revolutionary Army?”

A plan that didn’t seem to be orchestrated by the leader. Yet, they had the Emperor’s schedule.

It’s the Duke. Only the Duke could have given these inept individuals the Emperor’s schedule.

Even so, the reason they risked their lives to provoke him must be….

‘It must be because he didn’t want me to die by the hands of the Revolutionary Army.’

Despite the contradictory nature of his actions, the Emperor somehow understood his intentions.

To achieve his goals, the Duke couldn’t allow the Emperor to die at the hands of the Revolutionary Army. The Duke seeks a higher position and more power, not a world where everyone is equal.

Therefore, the ‘revolution’ must never succeed. And to control the growing power of the Revolutionary Army….

A hollow laugh escaped him.

“…Dare to use me?”

But there would be no concrete evidence of that either.

He grinned fiercely and swung his sword again. Despite his cumbersome attire, the Emperor moved with agility.

Someone mustered the courage to reach out and grab his cloak, but instead of staggering or being pulled back, the Emperor pulled the attacker forward and thrust his sword into them.

As he pulled the deeply embedded sword out, blood splattered, and the cloak fluttered up and down with his movements.

“I don’t need the mastermind. I think I know who it is without interrogating them.”

There was no reason to keep them alive, and he had no intention of doing so. Even if they fled, he had no intention of letting them escape.

Therefore, their only way to survive was to kill him.

──Though it was unlikely.

That day, one-ninth of the Revolutionary Army’s forces was annihilated.

Daniel, the leader who received the news late, quietly pressed his forehead, realizing that their painstakingly replenished forces had been reduced to square one.

[There’s no way that guy obtained the Emperor’s schedule on his own. He’s not capable of that.]

[Investigate. Find out who he met before carrying this out.]

[…Sareen?]

He had suspicions, but no definitive proof.

This incident concluded with Daniel’s personal suspicion, lacking any concrete link to the Duke, and was attributed to the rash actions of a foolish officer.

As a result, this incident served the Duke’s desire to hinder the Revolutionary Army’s progress.

***

“Demon-nim, look at this. I got it during my travels; it’s a fishing tool from the Human Realm. Is it real?”

“Yes….”

“The thread is so weak it breaks easily. I don’t understand how they catch fish with this. Why would they use such a weak thread?”

“It might be weak in the Demon Realm, but in the Human Realm, it’s considered quite strong and durable.”

“Why?”

“Because the Demon Realm and the Human Realm are different.”

“How are they different?”

“Sigh….”

This is why I didn’t want to run into the 5th Corps Commander.

5th Corps Commander Oel isn’t particularly threatening physically, but she’s incredibly threatening in other ways.

Just looking at this situation, she’s inflicting significant damage to my mental state and stress levels. What more explanation is needed?

It got so bad that even the Demon King sent her out of the Demon King’s castle under the guise of ‘patrolling the entire Demon Realm.’ It’s all because her curiosity is too much to handle.

This isn’t a wild guess. When the Demon King said he would send the 5th Corps Commander to greet me, he clearly said this before ending the communication:

[Finally, some peace and quiet.]

…What about me?!

“Ah, and Demon-nim, look at this too. It’s a communication stone from the Human Realm, called a ‘communicator’.”

“Ah….”

“You knew about it. Isn’t it fascinating? It’s clearly a mana stone, but it’s used in the Human Realm. Why is that?”

A communicator, a communicator… how did she even get that?

It’s a big misconception to think mana stones are only used in the Demon Realm. Did you think the Emperor sent hero candidates to the Demon Realm for no reason?

Mana stones are highly valued in the Human Realm as sacrifices and tools for sorcery. Communicators are one of the Human Realm’s tools that utilize these mana stones.

‘Think of it as the Demon Realm’s communication stone. Though there are some minor differences.’

In the Demon Realm, you can just pick up any mana stone and cast a spell, but in the Human Realm, a single mana stone has to be split into several pieces and enchanted to be used for communication.

If you split a mana stone into two pieces and cast a spell on them, only those two can communicate. If you split it into three, only those three can… and so on.

Moreover, if it gets too small, the spell won’t work, so splitting it haphazardly can lead to the cost being wasted.

Mana stones themselves are hard to come by, and sorcerers are also rare, making communicators inefficient. Therefore, only a handful of people in the Human Realm possess them.

‘It’s quite something that she got her hands on that….’

Did she kill some high-ranking noble and take it? I eyed Oel suspiciously.

Actually, I have one too.

‘My source is definitely legitimate. The Emperor gave it to me.’

I made a sour face, thinking about the communicator carefully stored in my mansion.

Perhaps misinterpreting my expression, the demon with wolf ears who had been standing silently behind Oel spoke quietly.

“Oel-nim, I think you should stop now.”

“Why?”

“Demon-nim seems annoyed.”

“Really? Why?”

“Constantly asking questions that require constant answers can be a burden for some people.”

“Why?”

Was it because of his position as adjutant, or was it just his personality….

The wolf-eared demon, Derniban, answered Oel’s tiresome questions meticulously, without showing any signs of irritation.

Come to think of it, didn’t they say those two were dating?

When I first heard it, it didn’t seem to fit at all, but seeing them now, they look surprisingly compatible.

Of course, even he seemed to have trouble continuing to answer, as he fixed his gaze straight ahead and said something else.

“We’ve arrived.”