261. To kill (5)
Before the king of the Mountain Kingdom made the communication, the current emperor of the empire, Elpidius, was fighting with the chancellor.
It was worth it.
“All nations unite to kill Deonhardt…!”
Because the Prime Minister heard this news too late.
Even this was announced early because he was the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Ardal, who was pressing his temples to calm himself down when he heard that no one knew except the emperor and the crown prince, had no choice but to raise his voice in the end.
“It’s a plan on an absurd scale! How can you make such an important decision without even saying a word!”
“It’s just that the scale is large, but it’s not a bad plan.”
“What do you think I am saying about that now? Your Majesty, I am talking about an important plan that could change the fate of the country being carried out without any word to your subjects.”
This is a decision that must be made after putting it on the agenda at a meeting and discussing it. Even if opinions were pushed, it should have been done at the meeting.
They should at least be able to prepare their minds. Didn’t the nobles end up being struck by lightning without knowing anything?
furthermore.
“And can you confirm, Your Majesty, that no housemaster was involved in that decision?”
“….”
The plan is to prioritize killing Deonhardt. There’s no way the housemaster wouldn’t have gone in.
Their uncle, Emperor Edoardo, died at the hands of Deonhardt. It was just yesterday that I was fighting and shouting with my whole body that I would take revenge, but there is no way I have already sorted out my emotions.
It’s good that the royal family has a close relationship, but it’s because they can’t distinguish between public and private affairs. Ardal let out a dull sigh.
“Still, the Emperor maintained the minimum standards that must be maintained as the ‘Emperor’ of the empire.”
No, now that I see it, I see that he was more like an emperor than anyone else.
“He personally recognized him as the successor and handed over the position, but if His Majesty does this…”
“You.”
I stopped speaking.
Alethea, who had been watching the situation while leaning on the window sill, straightens up and Elpidius, who was resting his chin crookedly as if he is tired of the nagging, lowers his hand. The golden eyes contained coolness and shone fiercely.
“Is Jim funny?”
“….”
“The Emperor is the Emperor and I am me. How dare you compare the Emperor and Jim?”
You probably don’t know that comparing people to others is itself a huge disrespect, but how on earth should we accept this since they pressured the emperor by doing such a thing?
Does this mean I’m that funny? Elpidius’ voice became even colder.
“I don’t condone belittling the former emperor, but that doesn’t mean I allow him to belittle me. Of course, you are from the emperor’s generation and have seen me since the time of the crown prince, so I can see the throne supporting my back like this now. I understand that it doesn’t come across well, but….”
“….”
“You shouldn’t show it outwardly, right?”
“…Excuse me.”
Once he realized his mistake, he was quick to apologize.
Elpidius, who was glaring at the Prime Minister who immediately lowered his head, sighed deeply. The hand he held out as if he was done showed signs of fatigue.
“If you weren’t so talented, your head would have been blown off long ago.”
Thanks to a capable prime minister, the empire, which was chaotic in many ways, is now operating in its own balance. The speed at which things change stably is also quite fast.
‘If he wasn’t competent to begin with, he, a commoner, wouldn’t be in this position.’
The Prime Minister bowed silently, apologized again, and silence came.
With this, we have passed a critical juncture. It was a little unpleasant, but thanks to that, we got over the awkward topic, so let’s put an end to the Prime Minister’s rudeness. In an atmosphere that had regained its warmth, Elpidius leaned his upper body against the backrest.
“…It’s something I often think about.”
At the end of the silence, a soft voice, almost like talking to oneself, rang softly.
“My family might have been happy if we hadn’t been born into the royal family.”
“….”
“Prime Minister, you seem to think that your uncle was an emperor, but in reality, that was not the case at all.”
Is there a saying that a place makes a person?
These words are perfect for Edoardo Desert. A look of ridicule passed through my eyes as I looked up at the ceiling.
“Because, regardless of his nature, my uncle was just using his energy and cutting himself to fit his position.”
Even though he knew that the crown was pressing down on him so much that it was constricting his breathing, he held on, mocking himself that it was the leash and not the crown. So…
Elpidius, who had been watching the scene closely, quietly closed his eyes.
“It occurred to me that neither my father nor my uncle fit in with the royal family.”
“….”
“And even me.”
Even if my father had become king, he would have followed a similar path to my uncle.
By nature they were not suited to the position of monarch. That was the same for Elpidius. The only difference is…
‘I can’t be like them.’
I have no intention of cutting myself down just because I don’t fit into this position. I was not confident that I could bear the weight of the yellow crown.
So the yellow crown was not worn.
‘I am not the emperor.’
He behaves like this because he is not the ‘real’ emperor.
I swallowed the words I couldn’t say out loud and opened my eyes. Elpidius smiled at the Prime Minister, who was looking at me with an indescribable expression.
“Please just overlook the union issue. It’s not the wrong way to go, and it’s something that needs to be done anyway, regardless of the housemaster, isn’t it?”
“Haona.”
“Jim will take care of everything.”
I was going to be the one getting criticized anyway. Since I did it in the first place, there is no need to criticize me.
Not only Aletea but also the Prime Minister has no intention of letting people criticize him for not telling him why he knew, so they have nothing to worry about.
Ardal sighed after reading Elpidius’s determined expression that there was no room for persuasion.
“…It already happened anyway.”
I’ve already gone beyond what I can do.
Elpidius raised his eyebrows at the indirect permission mixed with resignation to do as he pleased.
“That’s right.”
“….”
“Then let’s go out now.”
A communicator blinks on one side. Knowing full well who he was connected to, he naturally extended his hand to congratulate the guests.
As soon as the Prime Minister left and the door closed, the communication was connected and a voice rang.
– May I ask how Rweche’s persuasion is going?
The voice sounded a bit childish.
***
The young emperor appeased the king of Shan State.
“Even if that wasn’t the case, I was planning on sending someone.”
– ….
“I’ve already written the entire letter. I’ll send it to you as soon as I choose the right person.”
The King of the Mountain Kingdom said.
– I will join the coalition. So please proceed as quickly as possible.
Now that I’ve heard this, I can’t help but notice. Elpidius was sure. Something happened. And that too, time is running out.
The advantage has changed. Now the Empire has gained the upper hand over the Shan State. If you take your time and let go of your sorrow, you will be able to get what you want.
but.
“All right.”
It would be difficult to do such a thing from the perspective of hoping for the union of as many countries as possible, but if the country actually collapses. And that’s what a ‘monarch’ does for the benefit of the country, not what I do.
Instead of making a useless deal, Elpidius obediently agreed.
And I was worried.
Who should I send?
“If you send anyone, they will reject you…”
“You will be lucky if you don’t get your head cut off. I just happen to have someone suitable.”
How long has it been since I stopped communicating and became worried?
Alethea, who had been quietly listening to the low muttering, opened her mouth. A relaxed voice continued under Elpidius’ questioning eyes.
“He is intelligent enough to serve as an advisor to the Emperor, and is easy to win King Rweche’s favor.”
“…Was there someone like that here?”
“Her younger sister has already survived against the angry king in Rweche and has even received a promise. If he looks like her, wouldn’t the king of Rweche be able to get angry easily?”
“ah.”
I know who it is.
A soft exclamation was followed by the subject’s name.
“Lindell Reiner.”
Lien Reiner’s older brother.
answer. Alethea finished her sentence with a smile.
“Yes, he’s probably smarter than her, so it wouldn’t be impossible to convince the king of Rweche.”
***
While playing Chess with the King of the Mountains – right before the last day – Deonhardt was attacked.
As usual, I finished the game and came out.
As I went to a remote place, taking turns to avoid unnecessary distractions, the ground beneath my feet sank and a small flame fell from above my head.
Although it was a dark night, I could clearly see the eyes of the warrior who was not limited by the environment. It was not just a flame, it was a fiery arrow. The sparks falling against the pitch-black night sky, filling the field of view, are quite beautiful, but…
‘What can I do with just a few fire arrows?’
I don’t know who is behind it, but it doesn’t seem to be Sanguk. On the first day he came here, he went on such a rampage and showed such an overwhelming display, there is no way he could have thought that he could kill a hero with just this.
─ While thinking about such things, he suddenly thought.
‘Underfoot…’
──Was this how it originally felt?
There are a lot of things rustling under your feet. It’s too big to be a pebble and has an unnatural feel.
I bowed my head. And what I saw was….
“…Ha damn.”
All of this is a bomb. I don’t know who it is, but it looks like they are very determined.
All the things that are as black as pebbles in the stream are bombs. A bomb here, a bomb there. bomb. bomb. Bomb….
‘I let my guard down.’
Now it is too late to catch or throw away the fiery arrows.
In order to get out of the pit belatedly, he tries to jump through the rain of arrows, covering only his head… but…
wow!
It was not enough to escape the explosion’s impact area.
‘Fuck.’
My vision turned red along with the intense heat.
***
On an unseasonable moonlit night, a red light illuminated the world as if the sun had shone on its head, and as it faded again as if it had never happened before, a group of people appeared around the pit.
The black ground, which is still full of the smell of burnt coal, emits steam and makes a ‘chiik’ sound every time you step on it. A man who was snooping around inside the pit opened his mouth as he saw a scene that looked like hell had come to life.
“As expected… he’s dead, right?”
“Don’t you know that’s a taboo word?”
“But he’s definitely dead. No matter how brave he is, there’s no way he could survive an explosion of that magnitude. Finding the body would be a miracle…!”
Wow.
As if it were a lie, a hand came up from inside the hole. Gray hair appears after a black hand touches the ground.
“also.”
A gloomy voice rang out.
“I thought if I waited here, someone would come.”
Then, bright red eyes sparkle under the moonlight. Everyone was shocked and took a step back at the sight, which looked like something out of a ghost story.
Deon didn’t care and raised the corner of his mouth.
As he came out of the pit, his appearance was clearly exposed. His clothes were tattered and his entire body was stained black and charred here and there, but there were no visible wounds.
“I let my guard down.”
As someone said, he became a hero and became arrogant. I paid the price well this time.
In the explosion, the body was torn and repaired countless times. The skin melted due to the heat and then recovered. The recovery progressed almost as soon as the injury occurred, so there was no permanent damage such as a body part falling off, but the pain was uncontrollable, so Deon was angry at himself for letting down his guard and at the person who did what he did, and he pondered the situation over and over again.
“And I thought, who could wake me up from my slack?”
Who did something like this?
