Just hours ago, the emperor who should have been alive was now a gruesome corpse lying among the bushes.
The emperor’s body bore the marks of being bitten, as if a beast had torn into him.
It was a death so terrible and miserable that I couldn’t help but frown slightly—it hardly resembled the demise of a mighty emperor.
“Did you plan to kill him from the start…?”
The old man who had escaped with the emperor was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the lifeless body of the emperor.
His luxurious clothes made of fine fabric and leather were in tatters, akin to rags, and his once pristine skin and hair were dirty with soil and dust.
In life, he had basked in all sorts of power and wealth, but in death, he appeared more pitiful than anyone else.
“No matter how much wealth and honor one enjoys, one becomes humble in the face of death.”
I clicked my tongue at the emperor, whose state was beyond shabby and now utterly miserable.
Even if he hadn’t escaped and had been executed, he wouldn’t have died like this… not like some wild beast’s meal.
I channeled magical power into the emperor’s corpse and began to examine it calmly.
Let’s see. First, the cause of death… Hmm, it wasn’t an animal attack.
Hidden among the marks of beasts, there was a small trace on the left side of his chest.
A clear mark left by something sharp and thin that pierced his heart. That was the cause of the emperor’s death.
A dagger? No, more like a stiletto. It looked like it had been thrust in from the front… Hmm, did that old man have a weapon?
It might resemble a thin sword, but since there hasn’t been any sign of such a sword yet, I’ll let it slide.
I couldn’t determine what kind of weapon it was yet, but it seemed he had been stabbed in the chest with such a sharp weapon and then abandoned here.
Then, it appeared that the beasts had gathered to chew, bite, savor, and enjoy the emperor.
Even if the corpse had been left behind, how on earth did it become this torn apart in just a few hours? Did something lure the animals here?
I couldn’t tell. Not yet.
Well, if I can’t figure it out, I could just ask. If it hadn’t been long since his death, the soul would be nearby… Hmm?
None? The emperor’s soul is missing? What is this? Why? How?
The Grim Reaper surely couldn’t have taken his soul already, could they? They usually give a little grace period, right? Why is there no soul?
I couldn’t understand. A situation where something that should naturally exist is missing. In this case… did someone steal the soul?
How on earth? How could one deceive the Grim Reaper and snatch away a soul? How is that even possible?
In the past, sure, the Grim Reapers were a bit naive and could have been tricked, and there were times when they leaked the entrance to the underworld, so I could understand that…. But now, thanks to thorough training, that kind of trickery shouldn’t happen anymore, right?
How on earth did this happen…?
“I can’t figure it out…”
I let out a small sigh. If the soul were present, I could simply ask it, but… now, I would have to recreate the past once again.
I subtly reached toward the emperor’s corpse and enveloped the surroundings in magic.
I revisited the past slowly, using my magic to recreate events leading up to the emperor’s death.
I passed by the part where a horde of beasts, or rather beast-like monsters, gnawed at the emperor’s corpse and delved further into the past.
As I approached the time when the imprisoned emperor made his escape, a shadow began to rise up from the ground, taking shape.
The old man who had spirited away the emperor. An unidentified old man.
If this magician had this level of skill, they wouldn’t be unknown, but they didn’t seem to be recognized at all…
Wait, calling them a magician is still unclear, so I’ll move past that.
The old man clearly held contempt for the emperor, as if looking down on a trivial nuisance, showing clear irritation.
As I rolled the timeline back further, the fallen emperor sprang back to his feet, and a dark thorn erupted from the old man’s finger, piercing the emperor’s chest.
Is that a weapon? No, can I even call it a weapon? Did he somehow convert shadows into material using magic? Such strange magic.
To manipulate shadows freely with form but without mass, and to even materialize them… contemplating this alongside the spatial movement they demonstrated…
They’re not human, that’s for sure.
A dragon? No, it doesn’t feel like a dragon would do this. Of course, dragons have increased in number a bit compared to the past, but… I’ve been kept updated on their general situation.
If they’re not dragons… a god? Is a god disguising themselves and pulling such tricks?
No, that doesn’t seem right either. Gods can’t just descend onto the earth due to restrictions, and if they did, it’s bizarre to think they’d just make a fool of the emperor and kill him.
Wouldn’t they rather focus on expanding their worshippers as a god?
So, not a dragon, and not a god either. Certainly not a powerful spirit, and definitely not one of their priests following the god’s directive. No, that doesn’t fit either.
Above all, the gods who could grant such skill in wielding shadows are all gods I know.
I can dismiss the god of darkness, and I know the goddess of shadows well. Nyx wouldn’t be the type to get involved in this.
Hmm. Wait. Hmm…
Could it relate to Erebus that fool?
No, it can’t be. They’ve been collecting the darkness inside mana stones through humans… and the fragments of darkness I gathered still lack self-awareness.
Even after gathering so diligently, this is the result. So, Erebus himself is out of the question.
If it’s not Erebus himself… is someone using Erebus’s power to pull tricks?
If they’re utilizing it, then who? Even if scattered into pieces, Erebus also possesses immense power. If they’re using the god’s shards, they certainly won’t be a common existence.
Who could possibly pull this off… Hmm… could it be those who were cast out from the godly realm?
This sounds to be the most convincing theory. They would possess considerable power since they were once gods.
Then… who fits that description? Who could carry out such deeds?
If they’re using Erebus’s power, a typical god might actually be devoured instead. But if they use it so expertly…
Hmm. Hmmm… could it be…? No, it can’t be.
I let out a small sigh as I observed the old man piercing the emperor’s heart.
If it turns out that some being is scheming behind this foolish emperor…
No, let’s not jump to conclusions. For now, let’s just watch.
It wouldn’t be unusual for the foolish emperor to become a pawn and get assassinated in some grand scheme, right?
If anything, from my perspective, it could turn out to be an interesting story. So…
Unless something incredibly serious happens that humans cannot handle, like a massive loss of life or a great massacre… in such cases, I would consider intervening.
But this… it strikes me as somewhat irresponsible, yet perhaps it’s time for this world to become independent from my shade.
So, for now, let’s just watch.
I focused on the conversation between the old man and the emperor, but there was no significant information to be gleaned.
The emperor grumbled about the dismal state of the room and the inadequacy of the imperial guards, while the old man’s gaze slowly shifted, filled with chilling malice.
But the emperor remained oblivious to the ominous glare directed at him.
And then, poof! The shadowy thorn extending from the old man pierced the emperor’s chest.
Having stabbed the emperor, the old man looked down with contempt at the lifeless form, before disappearing into the shadows.
In the end, I seem to have no new information. Sigh. I can’t figure out how they managed to take the soul through recreating this with magic…
I carefully placed my hand on the position where the old man vanished into shadows, but this time, I couldn’t trace that magic fully.
The faint power left behind by the old man led deep beneath the earth… only to be erased by the overwhelming power flowing underground.
That enormous power was magic I had planted in this land.
Sigh… I never thought the abundant magic I spread to enhance Romania’s land would become a hindrance like this.
Well, it’s alright. Someone moving in the shadows like that should surely show some signs elsewhere too.
As long as they don’t disappear completely and cloak themselves entirely, I’m sure I’ll see them again somewhere.
So… for now, let’s take this emperor’s corpse back to Betelgeuse.
Even if he is in this state, he was once the emperor of a nation, so I can’t just leave him behind.
Though he’s a fool who charged headlong into death due to his own folly, I should at least properly take care of his corpse.
I may not be able to give him a grand funeral, but I can certainly wish that the soul that has disappeared doesn’t suffer.
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