The truth that those who have mastered the Energy Accumulation Technique do not become monsters. The Emperor’s golden eyes seemed as clear as a flawless crystal, showing no hint of falsehood. Because they were so clear, I found myself doubting whether she was lying to me.
“You must have seen the Greater Demon Beast with the imperial flag on its shoulder. It was a Sword Saint from that era who participated in the Second Subjugation.”
So the knights who died at Erebeon during the failed subjugation became demon beasts? A fact I had firmly believed was suddenly rendered false, making me feel as if I had been struck hard on the back of the head with a golf club, leaving me dazed.
“…Is it true?”
The Emperor nodded. As if it were an undeniable truth. The meaning of the Emperor vouching for it was not lightweight. At least for now, I was more likely to believe that it was the truth.
“Edelgard Selania, Kalvrad. You would find those names familiar.”
The woman who was the head of the Bureau and the man who was the head of the Northern Mercenary Alliance. All had been killed instantly by Erebeon.
“I confirmed their physical mutations. Had we been even a little late, they would have appeared again as Greater Demon Beasts on the Northern Front.”
As the Emperor’s words sank in, the special agents briefly crossed my mind. The name of the one man who had followed me to the end stood out vividly. Pianel.
“Then, what about the others…”
“Don’t worry. Aside from the completely vanished corpses, most of the remains have been taken care of.”
I thought of the Sword Saint, Franz Eldin. That handsome man, whose face was covered in tattoos, was not undergoing the demonization process as it did in the original story. I had thought that it was happening without being apparent at the time, but perhaps he truly was not undergoing demonization at all.
Irene was the same. What if the sword she held in her left hand when I saw her that day was not demonization but a real injury?
Dramatic physical changes in characters, the disappearance of symptoms of demonization. The possibility arose that the world I was inhabiting was not a Souls-style game but an elaborate secondary creation based on that universe. No, perhaps that might actually be the truth.
‘If it’s not a Souls-style game, then what is it?’
If there were no symptoms of demonization and the Empire was not concealing it—
‘-Then there really is no Red Star, is there?’
I felt as if the meaning of the eleven years I had spent on the front lines had vanished. A sense of lethargy. Perhaps a feeling of emptiness. The thought that everything I had done until now might have been pointless. The Emperor smiled as if he understood.
“So, have you resolved to stop distributing the Wave Device?”
“…No. I intend to continue distributing the Wave Device.”
The absence of symptoms of demonization did not make the distribution of the Wave Device useless. Since I began distributing the Wave Devices, the mortality rate on the front had been decreasing. Replacing mana with the Wave Device to prevent demonization. That might have meant that distributing the Wave Device was equivalent to reducing people’s mortality rates. Still, it was true that something felt empty.
“Then, I would like to offer you the position of Academy instructor. There is no one who can teach the Wave Device in both the Imperial Palace and the Academy. What will you do? You can refuse. If so, I will find someone suitable from the Northern Front.”
Even if this world followed the original setting of a different work, the possibility that what the Emperor said was not the truth still remained.
‘Why has the Emperor not revealed why only those who die by Erebeon become demon beasts?’
This meant that if other demon beasts had the conditions that Erebeon possessed, then those demon beasts would also cause demonization. Just because leaves fall does not guarantee that new leaves won’t sprout if the tree remains healthy, right? Or perhaps the demonization process was progressing at an extremely slow pace. I would have to learn about those things from now on. After a brief hesitation, I conveyed my intentions to the Emperor.
***
“How could you have sent him like that? He is a person with unclear motives.”
Gernhardt thought of Ian.
He was surprised once at the fact that Ian held information beyond his imagination, and twice at the nonchalant way he spoke about it. His tone was as if he had no relation to it. A provocative demeanor, as if daring someone to interrogate him.
He was a man of unclear motives. Initially, Gernhardt thought he had fled to the North due to a drug cartel. It made no sense for a madman enjoying a party with prostitutes to suddenly go commit suicide at the front due to a broken engagement. Not even someone suffering from severe depression would do that. Why would he take two years to get to the Northern Front when he could just cut his wrist?
However, his thoughts slowly began to change as he investigated Ian’s whereabouts there. Not only did he intentionally distribute the Wave Device, but he also managed to subjugate the first demon beast. Could a person change so drastically in an instant? Gernhardt did not believe it.
Through his experiences, Gernhardt concluded that humans do not change easily. Unless there is a catalyst or event that completely alters their life, a person does not change unless they radically replace their entire personality. Therefore, Ian looked all the more suspicious.
Did the Emperor sense his suspicions?
She rested her chin lazily on her hand. Looking at her bitten thumbnail, she responded. The thumb had somehow healed completely.
“Lord Gernhardt, do you know who the easiest group to handle is?”
“…Those with overly extravagant desires for mediocre abilities, perhaps.”
“Your words are correct. The more mediocre a person is, the easier it is to read their inner thoughts. But there is an even easier group than that.”
“What kind are they?”
“Those who know one thing but do not know two.”
Suddenly, the Emperor burst into laughter. She seemed to think of someone as she tapped the throne.
“Are you saying that some lunatic would throw the savior who rescued his daughter into hell? Still, human beings tend to show their true worth only when they are driven to extremes.”
Gernhardt remained silent, while the Emperor’s eyes shone coldly.
“The Duke was right. If you become complacent in peace, even the wisest can become foolish. That is why I expect all of the Empire to become wise.”
“…”
At that moment, Count Roen entered the palace with two Intelligence Bureau agents. Count Roen, thrown directly in front of the throne, looked up at the Emperor. Fear and confusion, along with a strong anger buried behind them, were evident in his eyes. The Emperor chuckled slightly, as if amused by that.
“W-Your Majesty…!!”
“Count Roen, I truly admire your loyalty. The ‘Land’s Pride’ certainly suits you.”
Count Roen’s expression went blank at the Emperor’s cryptic nonsense. The Emperor rose from her throne and continued speaking.
“Because your loyalty is so profound, you saved my reputation and authority during the banquet, I must repay you justly. That is the duty of a rightful ruler, is it not?”
With a flourish, the Emperor threw off the veil that covered her face and stood before Count Roen. The fact that she was finally revealing her face after having concealed it for so long was significant. Count Roen’s complexion turned pale as he understood its meaning. He began to gasp for breath.
“Count Roen, I will give you two choices.”
As the Emperor extended her hand, Gernhardt, who had been standing silently besides her, handed her a sword. She ran her fingertips across the blade to check its sharpness.
“Your son and daughter. Choose one.”
“…!!”
Count Roen had two children. Both were dear to him. There was no way he could choose one suddenly. Count Roen bowed his head repeatedly at the Emperor’s feet.
“Your Majesty! I must have been out of my mind then! If punishment is necessary, then I would rather be—”
“You are truly a devoted father. In honor of your will, I shall make both of your children the vanguard for the impending Southern War. Who knows? With luck, they may become war heroes like him.”
At the moment the Emperor lifted her golden eyes, Count Roen’s limbs went numb. The Emperor plunged the sword into Count Roen’s leg.
“Ahhhh! Y-Your Majesty! Please, have mercy! O-Other nobles will fear Your Majesty!”
“You are a loyal subject. Even before dying, you worry about me. But do not worry. Your virtue will ensure that I am known as a fair Emperor who enforces just rewards and punishments.”
“Guuaaah! This has no justification! If a Count is killed without justification—”
“Oops.”
The Emperor sadistically smiled as she stabbed the sword into his spine. Even Gernhardt, who had become accustomed to that sight, felt a chill run down his spine.
“There is justification. You embezzled pensions meant for retired soldiers. And that you participated in the Red Star. Could it be that you intended even this as justification? You are truly a loyal subject.”
“Guuaaah!”
“I expect white blood to flow from your neck.”
Somehow, Count Roen no longer screamed. The Emperor murmured as she handed the sword she was holding to Gernhardt.
“The Northern Front has been extinguished, so let us move on to the next.”
“…The next, you say.”
“Expand the Academy. Time it in a way to deal with the traitors as if by accident, while also solidifying internal unity.”
The Emperor smiled ominously.
“It is time for those Southerners, who have only been protected for over 400 years, to pay the price.”
The Emperor added, as if she had forgotten.
“Manipulate that unfortunate corpse leak incident. Ensure that he can be found in the South.”