28

*

From the highest point of the amphitheater, the emperor was watching everything.

That seat was prepared just for him in the empire.

It is nothing more than a chair, and anyone who sits on it, except the emperor, is subject to capital punishment.

It's not because this chair is more valuable than life.

Because he dared to challenge the authority of the emperor.

Why is that person sitting there?

What is so different about that author from us that he leads us all?

Strength, bloodline, sacredness.

Although the answer and name may be different in each era, the king has always existed.

Ultimately, this is because the common people are a weak people who want someone to lead them.

It is the king who listens to their wishes.

Drich von Oxburg does not think that is wrong.

Even when Björn's subversive ideas spread throughout the capital, and even after reading that book for a long time, it did not change.

In the end, the common people only create a new type of emperor.

The legitimacy of command may not be relied upon through lineage or religion as it is now.

It might be less authoritarian than it is now.

But how is that essentially different from the emperor?

So, is there any need to just cause confusion?

However, I remember hearing a similar story in the past.

He thought of his sister for the first time in a long time.

'I don't think you're wrong, but you never know. Even if he is not necessarily an emperor, as long as he can lead the people well, there is no need for him to be obsessed with it, right?

Something I heard from my sister when I was young.

Neither then nor now has it ever felt right.

But Bjern's actions kept reminding me of his sister.

'Your Majesty, please become a saint and lead the empire.'

The last words his sister left behind as she changed his clothes and took his younger brother out of the palace have stayed with me ever since.

Drich worked hard to keep her will.

The imperial power was strengthened to prevent nobles from running wild.

Their private armies were called up in the name of war, and civil wars no longer broke out in the empire.

In this way, we ensured that no citizen of the empire was unfairly sacrificed.

If the war with the Kingdom of Junta ends successfully, there will be no nobles in the empire that monopolizes military power who dare to persecute the people of the empire.

The emperor ran only for that purpose.

'Your majesty! The princess left a message for Her Majesty to lead the empire to the right path! Are you planning to abandon that wish?!'

As he was looking at Björn with indifferent eyes, a different voice rang in his ears.

Helga Sentle.

He was his sister's bodyguard, and was once active in the shadows for the empire.

The emperor closed his eyes at the sound.

The stadium was filled with shouts.

Even though the proceedings were halted due to the intrusion of Beaget Soran, the excitement did not go away.

The emperor knew that he had been tricked by Viern.

Björn returned the declaration of war he had given in style.

There is no sexual union.

Let's come to a conclusion.

The emperor read Viern's message clearly.

In the end, Drich must be killed.

Merchants and wizards.

And the people of the empire who followed him.

When everything is done, you will be branded a tyrant.

"Still, an empire is an empire."

The emperor's eyes twinkled with madness as if he had made a decision.

◈ Chapter 147 - 18-Eve Festival

*

Have you ever been hurt like this?

There have been times when I almost lost my life, too many times to list them in detail.

But I never remember being rolled around like this in rags.

There was no mercy in Runea's hands, and I had to hit the waves with her entire body without a single breakwater.

Indeed, a sword master.

I painfully felt the fear of a powerful person in the world.

I didn't want to feel like this how much Canniel cared for me in Stemwind.

I attacked him with a passenger plane when I didn't know, but I will never do something like this again.

'No, now that I think about it, I can't fight like this again.'

As I walked out of the stadium, leaning on Jin, my body was consumed by the fatigue and pain that washed over me.

Sick-

There was no other way to describe it than that. The shock was going through my nervous system and burning my brain.

Normally, I would have told Jin nonsense such as saying that he was soft or that he had a nice scent because he was a golem with a lot of expensive materials invested in it, but right now I didn't even have the energy to do that.

Still, the goal was achieved.

Festivals are a double-edged sword.

Eating, drinking, and enjoying festivals means that people gather together.

The unvarnished conversation that takes place on the spot is itself a threat to the empire.

I brought speculation there.

The courage to rally their dissatisfaction and fight against the culprit through their fierce struggle against Runea.

The people are mean as individuals, but when they come together, they become brave.

Soon, unrest would break out throughout the empire.

Because Yeomhwagyo will move to do that.

You would think that the Emperor would tie me and my limbs together in a festival and stop moving for a moment, but that would be a misjudgment.

The emperor's plan to buy time with alcohol and meat will only backfire.

The scars were painful, but an achievement of this magnitude was worth the price.

Also, the conversation with Runea went in a good direction.

The doubts she planted in her by sharing her sword will grow and soon bear fruit.

So far, everything has gone smoothly.

Except for Jin, who suddenly invaded.

Her unexpected behavior ruined my plan to cause a small disturbance in the amphitheater.

Her appearance not only stopped the game.

A play about a tragic revolutionary group and the revolution turned into a romance about an aristocrat at the end.

Thanks to this, the unrest that had originally started at the stadium was brought to a halt.

It was also like giving Duke von Lorraine a part to bite.

"Weren't you busy preparing for your debut...?"

I rebuked her.

If it were original, I would have said it more firmly.

However, regardless of my will, a rough, cracked voice came out.

A hissing sound came out, as if her throat couldn't hold the breath that was being forced from her lungs.

She gave me her shoulder to lean on without saying anything.

Her actions were warm, but her expression, glimpsed through her orange hair, was uncharacteristically cold, like winter.

"...If you had pushed yourself just a little harder, she would have died on the spot."

Jin remained silent for a while, then she pursed her lips and spat out evenly worded words.

Her dress became soaked with blood from my body.

"You know better about your condition. But why did you do something like this?"

Jin's voice, mixed with regret, tickled my ears.

I had a rough guess as to why Jin broke in.

Even if no one else knew, Jin knew my physical condition well.

She couldn't watch the day when her body was broken to pieces.

If she hadn't intervened at that moment, my dantian would have reached its limit and broken.

She vomited blood from her regurgitation, and she may have died on the spot.

It was an unfortunate incident that occurred because the emperor reacted later than expected.

However, due to unexpected circumstances, the Danjeon virtually lost its function.

It has barely been able to maintain itself until now, but now it will shrink by the day.

And when the dantian shrivels up, it conflicts with the mental techniques she has learned to receive mana, and she dies from regurgitation.

As of today, she has been given a life-limiting sentence.

"But...How can I possibly endure it for a few years?"

If she puts down her sword and stops using her mana, she will be able to live for ten more years.

When she regains Jin's body, she uses her powers for 5 to 6 years.

Since he was strong enough to be called a swordsman genius in the first place, we can probably expect even more than that.

Still, it's enough time.

There is plenty to enjoy by immersing yourself in the main forest.

I can be satisfied with that level of compensation.

"It was definitely... Necessary..."

No regrets.

Rather, it is a Danjeon that will soon be destroyed anyway.

It was better to use it as efficiently as possible.

However, Jin did not seem to understand the results I had accepted.

"If you were going to do something like this, you should have at least consulted with me! If you had, I could have stopped it before it happened!"

Worry mixed with anger overtook me.

I answered harshly on purpose.

"It's my body. I have no obligation to ask you for permission. I just did it because it was necessary."

"...Really? Is it absolutely necessary to increase distance from me like this?"

Jin seemed to have noticed that I was increasing the distance between him, and spoke as if considering my intentions.

When it comes to Danjeon, it was right to get Jin's help.

However, it seemed like he read my thoughts through the fact that he excluded himself.

Squeezing out her remaining stamina, I responded to her scolding.

"You and I are under a contract. What's so strange about returning to our respective places before the end?"

"Is that the way you chose? Hurt my feelings by saying harsh things? What do you have to gain by doing that?"

Jin pushed me into the wall.

Grabbing her shoulders, staring at me with her blazing pupils.

I could feel the boiling heat burning through my skin.

"Say it straight! It's not like you to suddenly push yourself too hard or to distance yourself from me! There must be a reason for this! If you keep your mouth shut, I'll get your answer even if it means beating me to death!"

Her threats were not scary.

However, Jin will eventually find out the answer.

No, to be honest, it was impossible to hide it any further since it was discovered this far.

I had no choice but to confess my feelings.

"...Don't you know yet? That I will soon become useless?"

After hearing my words, Jin's hand holding her shoulder loosened.

Unable to control his burning emotions, Lee Chae looked young in his twinkling eyes.

It was clear sympathy.

That pity.

That's why I distance myself from you.

"If I meet a terrible end, can you abandon me?"

"..."

Jin, who had been longing for an answer from me, actually avoided her eyes when the situation turned out to be the opposite.

It was as if she had no intention of hiding the fact that her vote had been stabbed.

With that, I read her mind.

Jin is weak to affection.

If it were her, she would definitely not be able to concentrate on preparing for the invasion by the devil and would find a way to return my body to normal.

I just didn't say it, and maybe I'm still doing it now.

Do not do that.

That is not the way for humanity.

"Soon my journey will end."

What I said before.

The difference from back then is that I became a complete loser.

As I grew weaker day by day, I could no longer hope for anything from the coming invasion by the devil.

There was no way Jin didn't know that fact.

"I have no regrets. It was what I wanted to do. But you have to go further. You shouldn't be tied down by me."

Unlike me, a loser, Jin is a god.

The Absolute One who descended to lead humanity.

I couldn't tie her feet.

In the future, she must save countless people from Moloch.

As if that was her fate given to her, I too, as her helper, must fulfill her mission and leave.

In that case, I will do my best to help her until the end.

Before the Danjeon dries up.

That's the way for everyone.

A path for everyone.

Those words were annoying.

It kept rattling around in her head so she had no choice but to deny it.

Is it.

At least this time it wasn't for everyone.

It's only for Jin.

Maybe I wanted to continue my journey with Jin further.

The reason I destroyed her body on purpose was to get rid of the vain dream of being able to be with Jin any longer.

So, to crush my desire to hold her back.

Yes, I ended up admitting it.

"Biern..."

With watery eyes, Jin tried to say something to me.

But her mouth didn't fall in the end.

Many words would have come to mind.

False comfort, hope that just rolls around in your mouth, an ending where everyone is happy...

But none of it made a sound on her tongue.

The only sound was the sound of the blood soaking her dress and dripping down the hem.

Leaning my head against her, I uttered words similar to her promise.

"But I will definitely get your body back. That was the contract, right?"

My stamina, which I forced myself to exert, is now at its lowest point.

Against my will, my body leaned towards Jin.

Even in my dark consciousness, I was able to read the emotions swirling around Jin.

It was clearly helplessness.

◈ Chapter 148 - 18-Eve Festival

*

There are no coincidences in history.

However, the waves of human history sometimes turn in places that seem more coincidental than coincidence.

Amber thought this was exactly the case.

Pub.

In Octantium, the capital of the empire, this is an ordinary store that can be found at least once in every five blocks.

Brandy and whiskey, perfect for eye-catching, tempt customers on the shelves.

The poor who are collapsing, finding comfort in beer and gin after a hard day,

A place where middle-class elites gather together in chalk-and-dust-stained corduroy jackets.

Even the sticky tables and floors looked cozy when alcohol was added, and the history of the empire could never have been known to those who lived in such a place.

The beginning is trivial.

It was just a slight crack in the emperor's unreasonable festival.

To commemorate the unification of the empire, the emperor provided free alcohol and meat to the imperial citizens in Octantium for a week.

So where did the alcohol and meat come from?

At this point, when supplies to the front are tight, there is no way there will be any supplies left in the imperial treasury.

By issuing bills to the private sector, they were seizing supplies by force and distributing them.

For the owner of the tavern, it was something that would make him vomit blood.

They distributed free alcohol to the people of the empire and did not receive a single penny.

I wanted to lock the store during the festival period, but since the royal family was gone, I had to give the beer to the customers as they wanted.

Whose money will buy back the alcohol that has run out?

Even though it had only been two days, the money in hand was drying up.

The president, who was holding the unfinished bill in his hand, felt like his blood was rushing to his stomach.

In the end, the tavern owner had no choice but to apologize to the imperial official who came to observe the situation.

"I can't survive like this... I will receive less than the bill you promised, so if you distribute cash first..."

Despite the president's circumstances, the bureaucrat looked down at him with dry eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, business is all about trust. Isn't it so easy to overturn a contract? You signed it knowing everything. Everything will proceed according to the contract, so I won't listen to you."

The tavern owner's face turned red when he heard that he knew and signed.

Wasn't this a contract that was obtained by bringing in the imperial army and threatening them?

From the beginning, the tavern owner had no choice.

The thug who collected his rent wasn't this vicious.

Still, if you want to do business in the capital, you must not be recognized by the government officials, so the owner bowed down as much as possible.

"With taxes, we can't get alcohol from distributors because we don't have money. If things continue like this, customers will have to drink only water at the store, even today."

"Didn't you give me a note in preparation for something like this? Do I have to accept your foolish behavior?"

"The distributor says he won't accept the bill, so what should I do..."

In fact, the normal way was for the imperial family to distribute alcohol to stores by dealing directly with large distributors.

However, the distributors taking root in the capital are largely affiliated with large guilds with connections to nobles.

In the end, it was the small townspeople who ran small taverns that were left to dry.

"I can't hold on any longer! Either the store will fail and I will die anyway, or I will die because I disobeyed the Emperor's orders! If you don't give me cash, I will immediately lock the store starting tomorrow!"

"What?! Are you now going to disobey the imperial decree?!"

Struggling to survive.

At the tavern owner's last spit before his death, the bureaucrat's face, which had always been cold, became stained with irritation, as if pricking his fingertip would not result in a single drop of blood.

Perhaps he would react the same way when a trivial bug bit his leg.

"Yes, if it is your will, I will take you to prison for violating the Emperor's command! Look! Arrest this man right now!"

An imperial soldier who was creating a hostile atmosphere behind the bureaucracy moved to arrest the tavern owner.

Driven by unbearable anger, he ended up picking up a bottle of alcohol.

"You bloodless, tearless bastard! Okay, let's just die together!"

-Wow!

The bottle drew a beautiful trajectory and struck the official's head.

The sound of a bottle breaking and the official's temple being crushed filled the tavern.

The people of the empire, who were quietly watching the situation, cheered at the tavern owner's spirit.

"Yeah, kill him! You punk! Kill him!"

As the situation became more serious, the tavern owner shouted loudly as he confronted the imperial soldier with his sword drawn and a bottle in hand.

Seeing that, the people in the tavern threw everything they could at the Imperial Army.

Normally, people would have ignored me and walked out of the store.

However, after seeing Björn's desperate struggle in the amphitheater, a spark flew in their hearts.

A speculation that will disappear with one night of swearing.

The rudeness of the officials poured fuel on it.

"Get out of the store right now! You imperial bastard!"

"Doesn't your mother know that you're doing this?! You're like a shameless bedbug!"

The imperial soldier was eventually forced to run away from the store and call for support due to the pouring of swear words and drinks.

However, the unrest that started in the tavern soon grew beyond the reach of a few nearby soldiers.

"I can't live like this! We're all the same!"

"Give me my money, you bastards! If you borrowed money, you have to pay it back! If you're the emperor, that's it?!"

"We are the masters of the empire! Let's kill all those usurpers!"

The commotion led to the commotion.

People came out to see what was going on, and criminals took advantage of the opportunity to loot.

The cries of the people filled with anger were heard among them.

"Take up arms, citizens! Let us fight the oppressors!"

Their anger, which had budded like pus, eventually exploded.

After hearing the report about the unrest that lasted from yesterday evening to this morning, Amber rubbed her eyes, tired from working all night.

It was the morning of the third day of the festival.

"I thought the students of the Magic Tower would take the lead, but this also went in a different direction than expected."

"It happened faster than planned and without our involvement. Perhaps the revolution that will soon take place may be more violent than we predicted."

Asili, who had also heard about the situation outside as told by a Buddhist believer disguised as a maid, seemed somewhat surprised.

No one would have known that it would be the weak people, not the magicians, who would start the revolution first.

"It would be hard to even call it a festival anymore."

Amber could clearly see what the state of the capital was like.

The official was attacked, and the instigator was executed in the square.

There was no way the people of the empire could enjoy the festival in such a bloody atmosphere.

Asili added as if reading Amber's thoughts.

"Yes. The unrest has been roughly resolved, but the imperial family will strengthen its guard to prevent something like this from happening again. If soldiers roam the capital, the people of the empire will become more rebellious."

Even though it was a fragrant tea, Amber could not taste any flavor, as if his senses were numb.

Because of the sweat from my hands, the teacup slipped before it touched the table, making a dull sound.

The unrest that began yesterday evening has been suppressed.

However, like a tank that is already full of water, blocking one side will only cause the other side to burst.

No matter how many soldiers we increase, when night falls, the people of the empire will rebel against the empire once again.

And since it had already begun, the Magic Tower and Yeomhwagyo had no choice but to ride the momentum.

Neither the emperor nor the revolutionaries had any way to return to the way things were before the unrest.

The situation changes rapidly.

At this time, Björn lost consciousness.

She felt like her blood was dry.

"Sorry to keep asking, but when do you think Bjorn will regain consciousness?"

Asili, who was supposed to be at odds, came to Bjern's place in the name of treatment.

The emperor himself ordered that the leading figure of the party should not lie down in pain.

Indeed, as befits a long-lived dragon, Asili treated Bjorn well.

Fortunately, his life was not in danger.

The problem was consciousness.

"Bjorn's body was overworked. Considering his current condition, it would not be surprising if he was in a coma for at least three days."

Asili, who knew Björn's condition, said that even three days was a very understatement.

"Why..."

Amber barely swallowed her words.

Just before the empire falls into chaos.

At this time, the person who needed it more than anyone else was Björn.

Since he lost consciousness after sparring, the atmosphere among the revolutionary group was chaotic.

In just one day, the situation in the empire changes 180 degrees.

What if he loses consciousness and is absent for three days?

It was a bad news that I didn't even want to think about.

In addition, there was another person who was as worried as Bjorn.

"...What about you, Jin?"

Asili waved his hand as if telling him not to say anything.

"It's the same. He just sits there and keeps looking at Bjorn."

Sitting next to the bed where Bjorn was lying, she just stared at his face.