Chapter 44: I Want to Be Emperor So Badly
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: I Want to Be Emperor So Badly
"If you have the time for that, you'd be better off building something practical."
Hearing this, Melos instantly understood what Thanatos meant.
"Are you saying that instead of these decorations that might never even be looked at, I should build something useful? Like buildings that can produce food?"
Seeing the look of silent approval on Thanatos's face, Melos caught on immediately.
"Thank you, Mr. Thanatos. Now I know what to do. Don't you worry—as the finest architect in Carlos Lilanka, I can whip these little things up in no time."
With that, Melos left the room.
In the blink of an eye, he gathered a group of Void Insects and began construction. Before long, the entire Void Insect Hive was buzzing with activity once again under Melos's leadership.
Speaking of which, shouldn't I go see the Master now?
At that thought, Thanatos pulled three large bags of pastries from his storage space.
I didn't pay attention to whether the Master was resting last time I went. I should knock first this time.
Thanatos flew to the top of the palace with the pastries and arrived at Xie Bai's door.
Knock.
Knock, knock.
There was no response.
Thinking that Xie Bai might still be sleeping, Thanatos decided to wait a while.
"..."
Just like that, two hours passed.
Thanatos decided to knock again.
Knock.
Knock, knock.
Still, there was no response.
*
"M-Master... Master Roland, is what you're saying true?"
Orion grabbed Roland's shoulders, shaking him with excitement as he questioned him repeatedly.
"Father... he, he, he... he sacrificed himself heroically to protect the Empire?!"
"Is all of this true?!"
Seeing Orion's gut-wrenching display of "agitation," Roland couldn't help but show a hint of disdain.
"You brat, are you really that happy the Emperor is dead...?"
Orion froze for a moment, then reacted quickly.
"No, Master Roland! I'm just too excited—no, I mean, I'm just too heartbroken!"
"You know that as Father's son, I admired him more than anyone!"
"I know full well that my brave and battle-hardened father was not just my parent, but the Emperor to millions of citizens! I saw with my own eyes how much he sacrificed for this Empire. I know how great he was, how glorious! He protected this Empire for three hundred years! Three hundred years!"
"I've only lived for a hundred and fifty years, yet Father protected the Empire for three hundred. Is that not greatness?!"
"And now you tell me such a great father is dead? That he died for the sake of the entire Empire? How... how could I not be heartbroken?"
As he spoke, Orion's nose reddened, and with a bit of effort, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"..."
Roland shook his head helplessly at Orion's performance.
"So, do you want to inherit the throne?"
Orion's breath hitched instantly.
He turned his head slowly, looking at Roland in disbelief.
"Master Roland... did you just say... inherit the throne?"
Hearing Orion's ragged breathing, Roland spoke with a forced sense of difficulty.
"What? Do you not want to?"
Almost the second the words left Roland's mouth, Orion lunged forward and grabbed the hem of Roland's robe, shouting frantically.
"I do! I do! I want to be Emperor so badly! I've... I've dreamed of this! I—I—I want it so much!"
Seeing Orion practically ready to prostrate himself on the floor, Roland quickly pulled him up.
"Alright, alright, get up. With the Emperor's final decree, the throne is definitely yours. But if you don't get up, I might just change the decree and let the Second Prince inherit the throne when he returns from his expedition."
Orion stood up instantly.
He wiped the excitement from his face, suppressed his "immense grief," and gripped Roland's hand tightly.
"Yes, yes, Master Roland, I'll listen to you! I'll do whatever you say! Just please, whatever you do, don't let that war maniac come back to take the throne. You know as well as I do that the Empire can't afford any more expeditions."
Orion let go of Roland's hand and began pacing in circles, muttering to himself.
"The throne... the throne... it's actually the throne. I, the First Prince of the Empire, have been stuck in this position for nearly two hundred years. I thought I'd never have the chance in this lifetime. And now, out of nowhere, I'm told I can inherit it. I never expected... I never expected this!"
As he rambled, Orion suddenly looked at Roland with burning eyes.
"Master Roland, when do we start the coronation? The day after tomorrow? Tomorrow? Today? This afternoon? Or right now?"
At this point, Roland finally couldn't take it anymore and delivered a sharp rap to Orion's head.
"You brat, settle down! At the very least, we have to finish the Emperor's memorial service first."
Thud!
The force of Roland's strike sent Orion stumbling into a nearby pillar.
"Right, right! Master Roland is absolutely right!"
Ignoring the pain, Orion scrambled back up and held Roland's arm.
"I'll go organize Father's memorial service right away! I'll make sure it's a grand affair—no, I mean, I'll make sure everyone knows—wait, that's not right either. Anyway, Master Roland, don't you worry! I'll handle it perfectly!"
With that, Orion sprinted out of the palace hall to begin preparations for Atoris's funeral.
Watching Orion go from acting crazed to being filled with joy, Roland sighed helplessly.
In his memory, Orion, as the First Prince, had once been a man of striking talent. Aside from being less capable in leading armies than the Emperor or the Second Prince, he didn't fall short of the Emperor in any other aspect. His governance skills had even earned the Emperor's praise.
Unfortunately, the Emperor had held on for far too long. Combined with the Emperor's terrifyingly high achievements, it had been impossible for anyone else to rise.
And so, this once ambitious First Prince, who had held bright hopes for the future, had gradually devolved into what he was now.
Now that the news of the Emperor's death had been delivered, he could no longer hide the suppression he had felt for a hundred and fifty years. If Roland, a highly respected and senior official, hadn't been there, Orion probably wouldn't have even bothered to act; he would have declared himself Emperor on the spot.
"Sigh. If only the Emperor had spared a little time each day to show that boy some affection, things wouldn't have ended up like this."
With a look of regret, Roland slowly walked out of the hall.
It was then that he saw a blonde, blue-eyed loli suddenly appear before him.
"Wait... where did this child come from?"
Roland looked down and realized that this blonde, blue-eyed loli looked more and more like the Emperor the longer he stared.
"Wait, could this be the Emperor's young daughter?"
"No, that's not right. The Emperor only had two sons. Where would a daughter come from?"
"Could she be his illegitimate child?"
Hearing Roland's speculation, the little girl's face instantly twisted in anger.
"Roland..."
BAM!
The loli, who stood barely 1.4 meters tall, suddenly whipped out a Crimson Greatsword larger than her own body and slammed it heavily into the floor beside Roland.
Before Roland could react, the loli spoke in a voice that sounded hauntingly familiar to him.
"Roland, you're still as insufferable as ever."
Roland's eyes widened in an instant.
"Wait, could you be—?!"
Before Roland could finish his sentence, a frantic shout came from behind.
"Master Roland! I just realized you didn't say where my father died! Can we find his rem—"
Orion, who had come rushing back, stopped mid-sentence. He saw Roland being suppressed by a blonde loli.
He saw the familiar Crimson Greatsword in her hands. He saw those terrifying, cold eyes that he knew all too well.
In an instant, a primal fear etched into his very bones made him realize everything.
Thump.
Orion dropped to his knees.
"Dad! You're not dead!"