Chapter 328: The Emperor’s Last Wish

Demon forces finally breached the city gates.

It was fortunate, perhaps, that infighting broke out among them immediately afterward. These brutes, who seemed poised to storm the Imperial Palace at any moment, suddenly turned on each other, delaying their advance and eventually causing them to retreat altogether.

“Makes sense.”

The Empire’s downfall was obvious to anyone. They probably didn’t even feel the need for a tedious cleanup operation. Dealing with threatening allies who had turned into enemies would have been a higher priority.

“Because… a rebellion has broken out in the Empire.”

The rebellion erupted as soon as the city gates fell. It was something I’d anticipated to some extent.

Elpidius Deserth had been even more autocratic and stubborn than his uncle, who had styled himself a tyrant. Rebellion would have been inevitable, win or lose this war.

The current Emperor of the Empire, the last of his line, quietly poured himself a glass of alcohol and sneered.

“My uncle, when faced with disagreement, would engage in debates and force others to understand, but I haven’t even bothered to exchange words.”

He ignored the nobles’ opposition. Even when some, unable to bear it any longer, came to him directly, he crushed them with his imperial authority.

The special circumstances of wartime must have limited their tolerance. And now that the outcome was decided, they must have risen up, resolved to take the head of an incompetent tyrant even if it meant their own deaths.

If you were to ask why I’m still sitting here calmly despite all this…

[Your Majesty, you must flee!]

[…It’s fine. You all should flee.]

It’s because those who wanted to evacuate the Emperor came precisely when I was clutching the severed communicator. If they had come just a few minutes earlier, when Aletea was still alive, I might have tried to evacuate somewhere.

Whether the rebels are at my doorstep or the demons have breached the city gates, I no longer care. Pushing the unresponsive communicator out of sight, I slowly swirled the glass in my hand.

“…Chancellor.”

My lowered eyes, contrary to their composed demeanor, were bloodshot red.

“Do you know why people fear death?”

I called out to the chancellor standing before me, but in reality, this was a soliloquy.

Words that didn’t demand an answer flowed out, imbued with excessive calmness.

“Because it’s an unknown territory. To delve deeper into the explanation, it’s because death means eternal farewell to all that is precious, wouldn’t you say?”

Because they know nothing. Not knowing the possibility of an afterlife, they conversely consider the possibility of ‘eternal farewell’ and fear it.

“That’s why people fear not only their own death but also the death of a loved one. The sense of loss, of never being able to meet again, is more impactful than you might think.”

“…”

“But they usually have something they hold dear in their hearts. It could be a person, or it could be a belief. The sense of loss I mentioned earlier can usually be endured by filling it with this…”

…Chancellor.

Glass in hand, I turned my head and looked at Ardal. My gaze met that of the man with a complex look in his eyes.

“What I held in my heart was a single wish. ‘To be with family’. That’s…”

“…”

“…Was that, so difficult?”

The voice that emerged with difficulty carried dry resignation instead of tears.

Having lost my uncle, I endured by filling the void with my brother. And now, having lost even my brother, what am I supposed to endure with?

There’s nothing to fill the sense of loss. Moreover, Elpidius had no confidence in living on in this sense of loss.

‘My uncle’s death, Aletea’s death, it’s all my fault.’

Because I didn’t alleviate his guilt, because I couldn’t stop him properly. All sorts of irreparable past mistakes flashed through my mind. Facing the guilt surging like a tsunami, I calmly tilted the glass.

Cool liquid flowed down my throat. Soon after placing the empty glass on the table, Elpidius leaned his upper body against the backrest and spat out the words that still remained.

“You take care of this country. You can even mess around with my head if you want.”

“…Not clinging to your body after death, you and the late Emperor are the same, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? That’s actually pleasant to hear.”

“…”

Drip, drip. Blood trickled down.

The chancellor’s gaze, which had been on the empty glass that was just called a poisoned cup, instantly landed on Elpidius’s lips.

The frail young man, who wiped it away with the back of his hand a few times, seemed to realize it was futile and closed his eyes as if bothered. After a brief silence, a voice, noticeably smaller than before, flowed out like a whisper.

“Whether you take over the country, or completely destroy it and build a new one, I don’t care, just leave my uncle’s name in history. As a worthless nephew who ruined the country, I should at least do this much atonement, shouldn’t I?”

Eudoardo Deserte said that just thinking about being completely forgotten and disappearing into the annals of history without even a line to his name was horrifying.

Certainly, he is not a person who should be forgotten so vainly in this way. So,

“Even if I am forgotten…”

The founding Emperor of the Empire, who led its golden age, only to be brought down by incompetent descendants. I just hope he’ll be remembered to that extent.

The chancellor, who had been listening quietly, finally opened his mouth.

“…Atonement is something you must do yourself. Vicarious atonement through others, you’re selfish to the very end.”

“…”

“Your Majesty?”

“…”

“…Your Majesty.”

No answer returns.

…Unlike the previous Emperor who had blazed brightly and faded, this Emperor seems to be going more quietly than anyone else. This point is also different from his predecessor, perhaps.

‘…From beginning to end, he only looked at his family. In a way, this could also be said to be consistent.’

The royals are all stubborn in their own way.

…My mouth tastes bitter. The chancellor finally closed his eyes tightly.

The sound of knocking came from behind, and the door opened, but he didn’t turn around. He simply lowered his gaze and mumbled quietly.

“It was Your Majesty who said it’s okay to mess around with your head.”

Lindel Riner flinched at the shocking statement that struck his eardrums as soon as he entered.

“As you wish.”

“Excuse me, Chancellor, but that remark just now…”

“…Your Majesty has taken his own life.”

“Such…”

I had anticipated it since I held the extinguished communicator and ordered the soldiers to retreat. My eyes, confirming the empty glass on the desk and the Emperor who had closed his eyes with a peaceful expression, and the blood on his lips, sank with a heavy heart.

The young man who answered ‘Is that so?’ with an expression that seemed to say he couldn’t do that at all, in response to my statement that the living must live, flashes into my mind.

And Lindel was able to grasp the context of the statement he had heard as soon as he entered.

“…Your Majesty ordered you to use his head to quell the rebellion, I see.”

“Yes, and the intention to seize power using it is also implied. Because he entrusted this country to me.”

Elpidius Deserth was the worst Emperor, but not the worst human.

He could have become a wise ruler. If he had just inherited the position normally, it would have been so. Honestly, it’s not entirely incomprehensible that he went astray like this. Because he became Emperor in his early to mid-twenties.

‘It’s not to be compared to the late Emperor, but he was excessively young to become Emperor.’

‘In the most chaotic times’, ‘at an excessively young age’, ‘hastily’ he ascended to the Emperor’s throne. Moreover, even the capital had been moved, and the core figures of each power had died, so the information he knew became useless.

‘If only there had been a little more time.’

Chancellor Ardal sighed, recalling the brilliant young man from his days as Crown Prince.

Just then, Lindel Riner, who had been watching his expression, asked.

“Do you intend to become Emperor?”

Using the Emperor’s head to seize power means becoming a new ruler.

“…I ‘Emperor’ I don’t know, but for now, I intend to maintain this country somehow.”

“The name of this country is ‘Empire’, and you say you want to maintain it but you ‘don’t know’ about ‘Emperor’… Could it be that you intend to find another distant relative and raise them to the throne?”

“Of course not.”

Currently, no royal bloodline remains.

Even if we painstakingly find a distant relative whose bloodline is so diluted that they are practically strangers, they would not have received proper education and it would be difficult for them to endure the current chaotic times.

“I will establish a country to succeed the Empire.”

“Ah, you intend to become ‘King’, I see.”

“Even if someone of the ‘Deserth’ bloodline were to call themselves ‘Emperor’, in a situation where the country is already in ruins and people would attack saying, ‘What Empire are you talking about?’, someone who is not a ‘Deserth’ recklessly calling themselves Emperor would only invite focused attacks.”

Almost all countries except Esperance have collapsed.

Perhaps because the conquest of the Human Realm is imminent, even the petty kingdoms that had sided with the Demon Realm have been abandoned. The main forces, including the legion commanders, are absent, aiming for the Three Kingdoms, but I heard that other demon soldiers took advantage of the chaos to trample them.

“New nations will be established centered around new figures, and land grabs will begin.”

“Yes. I know. Countless countries will be established, then collapse meaninglessly, and the cycle of merging and splitting will repeat.”

The Human Realm has returned to a time when nations were just beginning to be established.

In such a situation, recklessly proclaiming oneself Emperor of the Empire would immediately invite a concentrated attack from all powers. For Ardal, who intends to maintain the country and leave Eudoardo’s name in history, as Elpidius wished, it is a situation he would like to avoid.

…Well, before that, the war of the demons on the stage of the Human Realm must end well.

‘Judging by appearances, it seems internal strife has broken out. I hope they destroy themselves like this.’

If not, the Demon Realm will swallow up the Human Realm, and we will have to start fighting in a different direction.

It’s absurd why they’re fighting amongst themselves on someone else’s land, but anyway, it’s not a bad situation.

Recalling the last report that some of the demons who were fighting each other were heading to where the Hero and Deon Hart were clashing, and the rest were following behind, Ardal predicted that a second round would break out there and let out a hollow laugh.

‘Because we lack power, we even experience such absurd things.’

If they’re going to fight, they should fight in the Demon Realm.

Thanks to this, I newly realize that the essential element for maintaining the country and protecting peace is indeed power, that is, military power.

While I was racking my brain to find ways to increase military power, Lindel cautiously opened his mouth.

“By the way… it seems you intend to operate based on this country, but no matter how much you cut off the Emperor’s head, will the nobles really follow you? I know it’s an impolite remark, but Chancellor, you are…”

“I am a commoner. But I am the Chancellor. I stably operated this country even during the Eight Years’ War. If I use this point, Imperial citizens and some nobles who desire stability will support me. After all, if you trace back upwards, all the founding kings and emperors were commoners, weren’t they? It’s just that incompetent descendants divinized the achievements of the founders by attributing them to bloodline to protect their positions.”

“…”

It’s not wrong, but the nobles’ ‘blue blood’ story didn’t come about for no reason.

Nobles with hardened perceptions won’t accept it so easily…

“Lord Lindel.”

Ardal reached out his hand to Lindel Riner, who still had a worried look on his face.

“Will you help me?”

“…”

“I hope you will fill my shortcomings.”

Lindel Riner is the heir of a prestigious noble family. He is scheduled to inherit the position soon, so if he supports me, it will be of considerable help.

“…”

Acknowledging my shortcomings and asking for help.

At the biggest crossroads of my life, gazing down at my hand silently with an unreadable gaze, for a moment.

“…Gladly.”

Lindel clasped my hand.

Ardal gently squeezed his hand and softly curved his eyes into a smile.

“I’m glad you accepted. Thank you.”

“The living must live. Being by your side, Chancellor, seems to offer a higher chance of survival than being with other incompetent people, so why would I refuse?”