<543 – Daughter of the Dark Shadow>
The previous emperor voluntarily abdicated, and the crown prince who claimed to be the emperor fell to the warrior and the Revolutionary Army’s purge after attempting tyranny.
The Empire, having lost two emperors overnight, felt the weight of the void left by the supreme ruler even more heavily.
“Well, now we can’t mock the mediocre warrior anymore~? Pfft. You really stirred up something amazing♡”
“If you’re looking to burden someone, you’ve got the wrong address. No one could be more burdened than the Empire’s Second Princess, the number one in the succession line.”
“That’s true♡”
The attempt at personality destruction using the [Book of Mental Suppression], which was feared just by its existence, was barely stopped, but the Empire awaited the task of tending to the now vacant governance.
Since it was a position that followed the previous emperor and the purged crown prince, the authority of the emperor would decrease, and the enemies seeking to test the Empire’s capabilities would increase.
The next emperor to take the throne would need to face a weighty burden.
“Still, someone has to do it. It’s far too harsh to leave such a heavy responsibility to cowardly Yayoi or the Foundation’s misfortunate Oknodie~?”
Masugaki had resolved to sacrifice herself.
“I can’t return to the Academy until the state affairs stabilize. From today on, I’m on a leave of absence, so keep that in mind♡”
Having passed a crucial hurdle, Masugaki Princess rose to the throne, supported by the Revolutionary Army, the Empire’s nineteen nobles, and the appointed Eungchilgeom.
The great army belonging to the Revolutionary Army naturally dispersed to attend to their livelihoods, but the work that remained was as high as a mountain, from handling the monster army to stabilizing the devastated Kanelle City, dealing with the treatment of former crown prince’s faction nobles who were purged, and even the defense army, who were just waiting around the capital, all still had to be sorted out.
“Oknodie still hasn’t woken up~? Jezel… go call Zelji and ask♡”
“Your Majesty. There’s someone you need to see first.”
Katarina, the assassin maid of the Foundation and Head Maid of the court, was once again dispatched for the Masugaki Princess, who lacked a support base within the court.
Masugaki sensed something strange.
If Katarina had been a maid serving Oknodie, she wouldn’t be lacking in awareness, but putting forward a meeting schedule after ignoring the Emperor’s request was an abnormal sign.
“It’s been a while, Masugaki.”
“Hmm~? Hello?”
“Should I thank you for being a friend to my daughter first?”
Curious if she knew this person, Masugaki rubbed her tired eyes and looked again, but the result was the same.
Despite the high-end formal attire giving off the image of a refined young businessman, a terrifyingly powerful magic response could be sensed from him.
The mention of being a parent of her friend ‘daughter’ made her eyes go wide.
“You… could it be…!”
“Hahaha. I was wondering if you had forgotten me already. You finally caught on. That’s right. I am Masugaki’s classmate…”
“Titosso’s Papa!”
“… Oknodie’s Papa.”
“That’s a joke♡ There’s no way Titosso’s Papa would come here when he’s busy fixing the wreckage of Kanelle City~? We’ve seen each other before.”
“Haha. This new emperor is just as mischievous as the previous one. I can’t even wonder whether it’s family background or not.”
Pfft. “Just a little teasing and you’re making such a sad face, Oknodie’s Papa is just as cute as Oknodie♡”
While she casually bantered on the surface, Masugaki was tightly wound with tension inside.
She felt the greatness of the Three Great Evils painfully at the headquarters of the Thief Guild in Kanelle City.
She could almost feel it, how the wraiths they spat out would engulf the world, along with their master, the Revolutionary.
Without Oknodie, even the former warrior Destroyer would have to consider that place a tomb due to its horrors.
The Three Great Evils.
She understood too well the feelings the previous emperor must have had in calling them that.
Another great evil likely classified alongside that revolutionary was the [Director] of the Wahyhiemhai Foundation.
Right in front of her, a man so handsome it felt refreshing like cleansing her eyes stood.
‘I’ve thought about it before, but with such looks, I can’t help but call him Titosso’s Papa even as a joke♡’
If she’d met Titosso before Oknodie, the fourth princess to be adopted by a Papa might have very well been Titosso.
The beauty of the Foundation’s Director was remarkably attractive enough to consider him a Papa.
“First of all, to celebrate your ascension to emperor, I brought a gift. Would you like to receive it?”
“Good kids receive rewards. I’m a good kid who defeated my bad brother, so I certainly have the right to receive that gift♡”
With Masugaki’s confident outstretched hand, the Director beamed and presented her with a Mana Block containing a mana technique.
Masugaki, puzzled, inserted the Mana Block into the Mana Board, and her smile froze on the spot.
━━━
[Collection of Crown Prince Faction Corruption]
1. Marquis Mirdium Steak (See details)
2. Count Ordookie Mayonnaise (See details)
3. Count Codecore Choco (See details)
4. …….
━━━
She had no intention of retaining the officials who flattered her brother and wagged their tails.
Time passed, and her intention to discard them one by one was fervent.
If there was justifiable cause to chase them out, that would be even better.
But this was the Foundation.
And not just any information, but one built upon the authority of the emperor since the previous emperor’s era, considered the strongest in the Empire’s history.
‘There can’t be any secrets in front of this guy…♡’
The Director smiled and asked Masugaki, who was tense.
“Is the gift to your liking?”
“Quite♡ Does Oknodie also receive gifts like this at home?”
“If you’re curious, feel free to come visit again sometime. I’ll invite you to the [Main Building] rather than the [Annex] where we had the other students over during vacation.”
“I’ll think about it♡”
“And next, this is a gift to ask that you continue to get along with my daughter.”
━━━
[List of Demon King Army’s Betrayers]
1. Free Knight, Spicy Puree Baron
2. Sword Demon, Naderik Alberto
3. Chief Court Magician, Obern Tremont
4. …….
━━━
Masugaki’s smile became increasingly strained.
To think they were even keeping a list of humanity’s spies who allied with the Demon King Army and the betrayers who changed their race to demons.
At this point, her fear of the Foundation was tipping into awe.
“And this is a communication magic tool so you can get in touch with me. If you want more ‘special gifts’ in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out anytime.”
“…Oknodie’s Papa seems to know everything♡ I may want to rely on you often in the future♡”
“Haha. You can rely on me as much as you need. There’s a saying about love, ‘a child of the heart.’ If you want, you can even call me Papa. The previous emperor adopted my child, so there’s no reason I can’t do the same.”
Masugaki felt relief at the Director’s silly remark despite the unmatched information network invoking her awe.
This person is human after all.
Was he feeling jealousy or competition towards the previous emperor?
Could it be that his affection for his daughter was genuine?
She suddenly had that impulse.
Such a wonderful Papa.
He’s definitely a much better father than the previous emperor.
Then… I want a Papa like that too.
Such thoughts crossed Masugaki’s mind, mixed with a silly imagination.
– Hmph. Masugaki stole Papa!
With cheeks puffed out, Oknodie would whine like a child.
For a moment, it was a silly thought that made her forget the heavy duties of the emperor and facing the Foundation’s member of the Three Great Evils.
Sure, no matter how terrible the previous emperor was as a father, taking another’s father was not something a person should do.
It’s not just the wife stealing away the husband that’s wrong.
A daughter stealing her father is also indeed wrong.
Infidelity.
Not just a bad notion, but infidelity in the sense of transgressing duties.
The same goes for a daughter committing infidelity.
Above all, Oknodie was her best friend.
Taking her best friend’s dad would be as much of a sin as taking her friend’s husband.
“There’s no way I’d do that♡ I’m Oknodie’s best friend. Best friends don’t steal each other’s papas♡”
“Hahaha. I never thought I’d be rejected for such a cute reason. I guess I’ll have to hope the two of you grow distant.”
Grow distant.
Masugaki and Oknodie?
That’s impossible, but you never know how life will turn out.
In a day when the previous emperor abdicated and her brother was defeated, the possibility of her growing distant from Oknodie might not be entirely out of the question.
But that should never happen.
If Oknodie were to cease being her best friend…
‘How tempting♡’
Masugaki might unknowingly commit infidelity by reaching for another’s Papa.
“By the way, do you have any idea where my daughter might be?”
Pfft. “What would a Papa who knows everything do if he didn’t know where his daughter was~?”
“I feel the same. It’s rather uncommon to have this situation, yet I can’t sense her anywhere. I also want to ask, do you happen to have any guesses as to where the previous emperor has gone?”
“Papa abandoned the throne and ran away freely♡ He’s someone you can never pin down, so it’s hard to imagine where he would be… Why do you ask?”
“In this era, I can count on one hand the number of people who can evade my sight. And conveniently, there is a previous emperor that has disappeared from nearby.”
Masugaki’s eyes went wide.
Hearing the Director’s words, she began to realize how serious the situation was.
“I’ll ask again. Do you have any guesses as to where the previous emperor has gone?”
It wasn’t the time to be fantasizing about stealing Oknodie’s Papa.
Her Papa was currently busy kidnapping the Director’s daughter in real-time!
