<538 – Emperor's Declaration>
No one really knows how long the previous Emperor’s lifespan was.
He fathered numerous Hwangtaeja, but not a single one inherited the throne.
“Hoho. It seems there’s quite a commotion happening outside. What will you do, Your Majesty?”
“What fear should impede my steps? I am the Emperor.”
The Emperor boldly stepped before the public.
With his crown and paludamentum covering his half-body and face, no one could consider him a coward in the face of his confident stride.
Who could mock an Emperor walking through the air, leaving the podium behind?
Kugung!
As powerful enhancements poured forth, the dark clouds that had receded returned around the Emperor, heralding his presence akin to a being instilling transcendent fear that brings forth terror in the world.
“The Hwangtaeja shall step forward.”
“…”
Pake Hiuqmag gazed up at the sky with a dumbfounded expression.
How could he follow a command to rise to the heavens instead of stepping to the podium?
For the disoriented one, the current chief sorcerer quickly used magic to float the Hwangtaeja into the air.
[Flight Magic]
[Support Magic: Levitation, Sustained Flight]
Warrior Ishtar, General Son Ohchun, and the second revolutionary Jezel all stared at the scene in awe.
The level was different.
Without even discussing the ability to walk in the air, just witnessing the existence was enough.
If the Emperor wished, no one could bring him down.
That was no being that could be pulled down by human strength.
“Quite the interesting uproar has occurred.”
“Your, Your Majesty…”
“Yes, it’s true that Oknodie barely escaped with his life, the Forbidden Research Institute was destroyed, and the External Enhancement Facility was raided.”
“…Yes.”
“Which of these was your doing?”
“None were according to my will. Oknodie caused a ruckus and brought about his own demise. If anyone’s intentions were behind this, wouldn’t it be yours, Your Majesty?”
“Oh? I harmed Oknodie?”
“Otherwise, that child wouldn’t have been able to freely enter the External Enhancement Facility and destroy the Forbidden Research Institute shortly after visiting the palace. There’s a copy of that there!”
The Emperor nodded without hesitation.
The Book of Mental Suppression.
Even the Emperor understood its value.
It was the first weapon that the Hwangtaeja obtained by risking everything for enhancement, the reason for his current status.
The mere copy was a tremendous threat that the Emperor was clearly aware of.
“I roughly understand.”
“Then—”
“Your incompetence.”
“-?!”
The Emperor grasped it.
This was an yangpaegusang.
Oknodie fell victim to the Hwangtaeja’s taboo, and the Hwangtaeja, failing to realize Oknodie’s abilities, had let his research facility be entirely looted.
Just by observing the containers occupied by the fake souls lurking around Son Ohchun, who had just allied with the Revolutionary Army, one could tell.
Foolish.
Not realizing that his plan benefited the enemy, and audaciously eyeing the Emperor’s position.
It became clear once again why he didn’t hand over the Emperor’s position to Pake Hiuqmag.
“In your will, an invasion occurred, in your will, a tragedy happened, and an opportunity was granted without your intention. You’ve drawn none of them your way.”
“…!”
“Why should I pass the throne to a Hwangtaeja so lacking?”
Pake’s mouth fell open, but before he could speak, one of the high officials guarding him burst into a mist of blood.
“As always, slow to learn, aren’t you? If you weren’t my child, how many times would you have lost your life?”
“It’s, it’s unjust…!”
“What do you mean?”
“Your Majesty possesses power beyond humans, but I do not have that strength. Thus, it is impossible for me to produce the results you require!”
“True. Is that the extent of your excuses for losing to a newly adopted daughter?”
As the Hwangtaeja fell silent, another high official burst forth, drowned in blood.
The members of the Imperial Nineteen Offices, along with the high officials, could not muster the courage to speak, forced to bear witness to the brutal slaughter.
-It’s not a killing that will end with just one.
-If it’s not the Hwangtaeja, anyone must hang.
-With just a thought, how many humans could he turn into a handful of blood in an instant?
The limits of abilities were unknown.
But the end of mind-reading had become visible.
Everyone.
The Emperor spared none of his retainers.
He spared none of the citizens either.
If he wished, all living beings within the imperial system could cascade down as blood at any moment.
“I dare to report to Your Majesty!”
In a square where the Imperial Nineteen Offices halted in fear, one person raised his voice.
“Oh? There are valiant people among the crowd. Who are you?”
“I am Jezel, the duel envoy presiding over the duel between Your Majesty and all subjects.”
“You just said a duel between me and the populace?”
“Indeed.”
“How strange. The relationship between me and the people has long been unharmed; how could a duel arise between the parent of the populace and the child of the nation?”
Jezel. No, Jezel.
His desperate cry terrified Son Ohchun and Isabel.
Was he planning to die?
He should bow down and show submission even now.
Casting aside all those thoughts, Jezel pulled back his fist, blood dripping, and struck his chest with the other.
“Upon the declaration of Your Majesty accepting the Fourth Princess as an adopted daughter, the people reflected upon the value of bonds that surpass blood relations. We realized that what is thicker than blood is the value of effort, dedication, and loyalty.”
“That trust has been broken. The Fourth Princess fell into a critical condition due to an unfortunate incident in the palace. We, the people, trusted Your Majesty, but we were engulfed in a massive shock as if we had been cast aside, and we worry, even if just a little, about the safety of the Princess and, on a larger scale, the trust between the ruler and the subjects.”
He’s quite eloquent.
If the Hwangtaeja learned from him, it would’ve been good.
The Emperor thought so, crossing his arms.
“I was unaware the people’s struggles ran this deep. So, what do you wish from me?”
“In order to restore the lost trust, we have initiated a revolution. Your Majesty has lost the people’s trust, yet if your heart remains unchanged towards the Empire, it is only right that the throne should be passed to a successor whom the people can trust.”
Even the citizens looked at that fellow, aghast, wondering how many lives he thought he could risk.
The Emperor also cast an interested gaze toward him.
“Indeed a brave statement. You lack someone to die in your place, yet you do not fear invoking my wrath?”
“If I were to harbor fear, the bond with the citizens, which is more precious than the relationship between ruler and minister, would shatter, leading to the collapse of the nation’s foundation and shaking the thousand-year Empire’s history and humanity’s future.”
“What a bold figure. The previous revolutionary was also a man unafraid of death, much like you.”
As the Emperor recalled the past with joyful amusement, he gazed into the distance.
“That man told me. Gather a hundred thousand comrades and return to kill you. If you are afraid, kill yourself here as you did your father.”
“…!”
“Isn’t that a ridiculous tale? Where his father died and what he was doing, how could it relate to the Emperor?”
As the Emperor’s blatant ridicule hit Jezel, he trembled his fist behind him.
This was mockery.
Even if one got close to the unvarnished truth, it was ridicule implying what could you do?
Jezel lacked power.
He was missing something to lead the discussion forward.
“Of course, it can relate. I guarantee it.”
“Oh? You are…”
“The current Hero Ishtar, blessed by the one true god, Sofemia of the Sun. You wouldn’t say her chosen talent’s words lack credibility, would you?”
Warrior Ishtar.
Jezel’s eyes widened at her emergence.
‘You should have been an enemy. Why are you helping us, comrades of Oknodie?’
‘Let’s sort out those petty matters later. This isn’t the time to exchange pleasantries, is it?’
In a single moment of eye contact, thoughts were exchanged.
There are times when even those who have been wary of each other through Mind Link can connect their hearts.
“I shall not disregard the national religion I have chosen. If there are concerns, it would be the very skill of the Hero. An adolescent Hero, still in development, might be easily swayed by someone’s whisper and gather foolish words.”
“Then let me show you. I possess at least the qualifications to speak with you at the same height!”
Stepping onto the holy sword, Ishtar laid it across.
“The sword has risen into the air!”
“Ohh! A Magic Swordsman?”
“But what does that mean?”
Ishtar stepped onto the holy sword and rose.
Up into the air, before the citizens’ eyes.
With no trickery involved, solely through skill.
The Flight Magic honed through battles against Oknodie’s bizarre magic had succeeded in practice.
“Wowaaa!”
“The Warrior is flying in the sky!”
“Just like the Emperor!”
She did it.
Now her statements would hold at least an equal authority to the Emperor in the eyes of the public.
“The first revolutionary committed many sins, but no one among the people knows the reason he started the revolution. It was due to the death of his father, and the person responsible for that death was you, Emperor!”
Once again, the people’s hearts stirred with anger, which had been bent by the Emperor’s overwhelming strength.
She had succeeded in employing the method of the Dark Princess, gaining an advantage through wisdom without contesting physically.
Now they could not set aside their hatred towards the Emperor, no matter how strong he was.
The first revolutionary, who led many ordinary citizens to death.
They now realized that his birth was due to the Emperor.
“This tale is the backstory of the Hero’s journey as recounted directly by the previous Hero, Destroyer. And a story the entire populace must know—the birth of the Three Great Evils. No matter how strong you, the Emperor, may be, it is a blatant error that cannot be erased, even if you trample upon human lives like mere insects!”
Today, the Emperor of the Empire loses the opportunity to reign through fear.
