◈ 706. [Side Story] Emperor’s Crown
“I will embrace my partner no matter who they are or what dark past they have.”
I declared.
“No matter what darkness or ugly things you may have done in the past. “If you look in the same direction as me now under my banner, I will try to talk to him, understand him, and embrace him.”
I continued speaking to the emperor who looked at me with silent gaze.
“But that doesn’t mean it gives you impunity.”
“…if?”
“I will remember it clearly. The other person’s darkness, ugliness, and mistakes. just the way it is.”
The emperor frowned as if he did not understand.
“‘I will remember’?”
“For example, Abama.”
I stared at the emperor.
“Abama is looking in the same direction as me right now. “You are my understanding, helper, and supporter.”
The emperor gestured as if to continue.
I smirked and curled the corners of my mouth.
“But Abamama has killed many people in the name of protecting the empire. Even within the empire. “For his own purposes, he slaughtered, sacrificed, and burned people without even blinking.”
“…It did. so?”
After taking a breath.
I got to the point.
“I will record all of that history and make it public.”
“…what?”
“The names of the innocent people my father killed will be engraved in history books one by one.”
The emperor gave me a puzzled look. I was outspoken.
“The evil deeds committed by Abama. “The cruel betrayal committed in the name of protecting the empire.”
“….”
“I will record without adding or subtracting. As long as human history continues, even after 1,000 years or 10,000 years later… the world will remember it clearly.”
I whispered softly.
“Be criticized as human history continues. “This is the punishment Abamama will receive.”
“…under. “It’s absurd.”
The emperor snorted.
“There is no punishment for that!”
“….”
“Are you going to leave my evil deeds in history and have future generations throw stones at my grave? Is that all? I will sit on the throne for the rest of my life, live in peace, and live peacefully without any sense of guilt. “Even if I am criticized by future generations, what kind of punishment will that be for me personally?”
“That’s right. “Maybe this is the mildest punishment.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“But it is also the most powerful punishment.”
The emperor gently bit his molars.
“You…”
“Not just Abama.”
I raised my voice.
“All previous emperors and all neighboring countries. All the evil deeds that have been hidden and hidden will be dug up, brought out, and put into perspective. “It will not be an easy-to-read history, as it is now, but shameful and uncomfortable truths will be revealed to the world every day.”
As my intentions gradually became clear, the Emperor clenched his only hand into a fist and trembled with anger.
“Are you going to reveal with your own hands the secrets of your father and of your ancestors that have been passed down from generation to generation? Are you willing to tarnish the reputation of this country and stab yourself? Is that your purpose?”
“yes.”
“You are the next emperor. In the end, you will have to bear all the flaws of your predecessors! The whole world will curse you and bill you for past grudges. And yet!”
“I am prepared.”
“This is truly nonsense, like an idiot who doesn’t know the world or politics! “No, you know very well, but you are advocating such vain ideals. That is absolutely insane!”
The emperor pointed at me.
“A man called the emperor would reveal his own weakness and beg to be stabbed! The whole world will rush in with swords in hand. “You and this country will be torn apart and destroyed!”
I nodded.
“If a country is to be destroyed to the extent of acknowledging its past mistakes, it would be better to destroy it.”
“What…”
I didn’t back down, and a vivid emotion flashed across the Emperor’s face.
It was horror.
He realized that the son to whom he had decided to pass on the throne was truly a madman who would destroy his own country in order to carry out his beliefs. Such horror.
“I will admit all the mistakes this country has made. If there is anything left for me to apologize for, I will apologize and if there is anything I can make up for, I will make amends. And then we move on. no.”
I grinned.
“Only then will a truly new era begin.”
“ash…!”
“This is my imperial crown.”
I will hug you.
No matter who the opponent is or what mistake they made, as long as they look in the same direction as me under my flag. If there is a willingness to understand and communicate with each other. I will embrace him.
But but but.
That does not mean issuing indulgences.
I will clearly state all of the other person’s mistakes and sins. I will never atone for his sins.
Neither forgiveness nor revenge are mine. Because I am not God. Because that kind of thing is not something that can be done on your behalf.
But I will remember.
I will never forget it and will continue to write it down.
History.
Because I believe that what follows is the most powerful weapon a person can use in the human world.
‘This is the basic principle that I will lay down as emperor.’
Look straight at it.
From the world, from the past, from the future.
Don’t look away. do not turn away Don’t hide it.
Embrace it, but embrace the pain as well. If necessary, give generous rewards and punishments.
The task of correcting the distorted history of this empire, which massacred its citizens, trampled on neighboring countries, and burned other races like firewood, and of the world that tolerated this barbarism.
This must come first before we can move on to the next step… truly moving into the next era together with the people of this country, people from other countries, and people of different races.
To that end, I want to deeply reflect on all the mistakes and evil deeds of this country.
‘…Well, it’s not like I’m just going to accept it quietly.’
It is true that the Everblack Empire is the world’s greatest hegemon and has committed the most evil deeds, but this does not mean that other countries have not done the same.
It’s not like they didn’t say it was a different race.
If the empire digs into what needs to be apologized for, other countries with intertwined interests will also inevitably be exposed for their mistakes.
If an invoice is issued, there will be mistakes that can be covered by each other, and even if there is a claim that must be paid in the end, it can be replaced by a mutually beneficial agreement and treaty in the future.
‘What I want to emphasize is not this messy political story.’
It is not this kind of calculable monetary loss that the emperor fears.
Prestige.
The Everblack Empire, which suppressed the entire world by force as the conqueror of the continent, loses its prestige as a hegemonic nation.
They may be concerned because my declaration that I would reveal my weaknesses to the world even before my ascension to the throne of Emperor actually appears to be political suicide.
“I tried so hard to make you a flawless emperor…”
The emperor’s voice lost strength.
“Are you going to become that scarred emperor who shows his weakness and begs people to throw stones at him?”
“yes.”
“You’re going to admit all your mistakes? “You are going to carry all the darkness of this country, all of its ugly past?”
“yes.”
I confirmed.
“I will not hide. “I will face it even if it is painful.”
“….”
“The darkness of the people I love. The ugliness of the country I must govern. “I will embrace all of this world’s history, which is stained with shame, and take a clear look at it.”
The emperor looked at me with trembling eyes. I nodded.
“The following human history includes not only the bright side but also the dark side. entire.”
There was silence.
After a while, the emperor, who was catching his breath by the window with his back to the afternoon sunlight, finally opened his mouth.
“…I tried to cut off the dusty and soot-covered world and feed only the parts that were good to eat.”
It was a very old and tired voice.
“You can’t help but cram the entire world into your mouth and try to digest it even if it gives you an upset stomach… I can’t tell if you’re being magnanimous or simply reckless.”
“….”
“You will know better yourself. How weak your ideals are. “The world is much crueler than you think, and everyone is waiting to bite you like a wild cat.”
The emperor shook his head.
“No matter how white and clean your flag is, the moment it passes through the battlefield, it will be covered in blood and ashes. “You already know.”
“….”
“Yes, you probably want to go down that path even though you know it.”
As I stood firm, the Emperor let out a long sigh.
“History belongs to the winners. It can never be perfect. If you have looked at the current history books of the empire, you will know that there is almost no part about who is in the empire. “It’s all about praising the imperial family and praising its great achievements.”
“….”
“You may want to write history from a fair perspective, but in the end, you were born as the son of an emperor. He is born with everything. “The history you are trying to rewrite will also have to be from the victor’s perspective.”
“I know. But we can try to be fair.”
The ideal does not exist.
But there are efforts to reach the ideal.
“But we already have the right person.”
“Right person…?”
The emperor raised his eyebrows curiously. I continued.
“The only imperial soldier who rebelled against Abama. “He was the first to officially acknowledge the massacre committed by the imperial army.”
My lightning magician who served as the commander of the 2nd Division of the Imperial Magic Corps.
“Jupiter. “She has a adopted daughter.”
“…is it Jupiter Junior?”
“yes. Junior is from the Empire, but he is also from Camilla Kingdom. Although he lost his family and hometown to the bombings of the empire, he grew up as a man of the empire. “Even now, I am a person on the margins who is worried about my own identity.”
Junior is very interested in history and has been writing a diary every day and recording his life. I knew.
I don’t know if it was because he was terminally ill or if there was some other reason.
Deep down, I had targeted her as the person in charge of this project from the beginning.
“With her at the center, we will gather scholars from all over the world and establish a foundation that can look at world history from as neutral a perspective as possible. “The first project will be the history of the fallen Kingdom of Camilla.”
And it may also be the history of the imperial invasion of Camilla’s kingdom.
“A history foundation that cross-verifies events by faction and records only the neutral truth as much as possible. “The name is.”
“I will
name it the ‘Jupiter Foundation’ after the first officer in the history of the empire to rebel against the emperor .”
“….”
“In order to overcome the global crisis of the monster invasion and then move on to a new era together. The first project I will undertake after becoming emperor. “It is a project to compile world history and foster military officers.”
The emperor closed his eyes tightly, probably because he was dizzy from tea-bagging instead of my tea-bagging.
“So, Abama. We will warn you in advance. I will stain the faces of all previous emperors. Of course, as I have said repeatedly, Abama is no exception.”
“….”
“If you don’t have the confidence to handle such a future, please remove me from the position of crown prince quickly. Or pray that I will collapse and die during the remaining ten defensive battles.”
Then the emperor let out a sigh, truly devastated.
“How could I do that, you damn son…”
The emperor muttered with difficulty, wiping his face several times with his only free hand.
“…Before I gave birth to you, I received a prophecy from the guardian beast Everblack. “Half of them are definitely correct.”
Shaking his head, the emperor lamented.
“I can only pray that the other half will come true…”
I was curious about the content of the prophecy, but I decided not to ask.
Because it doesn’t matter.
Anyway, I decided to follow the path I had chosen and follow my own will.
‘Well, that’s all for later.’
He boasted and boasted about his idealism, but this also happened after he survived the war with the last remaining monster.
However, if this winter ends and the world does not perish and I survive and become emperor… many surprising things will unfold in the world.
If you die and come back to life, can’t you do anything?
‘Even if it’s just to realize the exciting ancestor-desecrating troll show of Prince Jinseong’s bastard…’
I want to win the war against the remaining monsters in the future.
No, I will definitely do that.
