Chapter 468
Chapter 468
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 468
Chapter Title: Chapter 21. Another Solo Play (27)
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Clang! Chaaang!
“This level surpasses a mere sparring match by quite a bit. Shall we continue?”
“Huff, haa, this... this is enough, Your Majesty, heuk!”
“Already at this point? Impressive achievements for one so young, Hyde.”
“Your Majesty doesn’t seem to have lost any of your vigor despite your age.”
“I’m not what I used to be. It’s just that your level is so low, you can’t even perceive the gap.”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying. I’m tempted to commit treason.”
“Conveniently, you have a sword in hand. Go ahead and try. This sharp lump of steel has the handy function of lopping off a traitor’s head when swung.”
“Please spare me.”
“We’ll see.”
Kaaang!
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When thinking of Emperor Gaiynax Agdan V, the image that came to mind was his sword strike that split the heavens.
But when thinking of the man Gaiynax, it was always the one-sided spars we’d shared.
The system that monitored through people’s eyes, and my room, remodeled from the secret passage to the Imperial Palace that Lucilla had gifted me to evade that surveillance.
Gaiynax would occasionally visit my cramped, secretive room with an urgent look on his face, and we’d cross swords like this. Thanks to him, I learned a great deal.
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“That white aura never fails to impress every time we clash. It flickers like a flame, yet it’s sturdy and stubborn.”
“It’s useful enough. Especially handy for proving my point to those friends who don’t believe my talk of reincarnation. If it’s a legacy passed down from our Professor, then it’s a legacy, right?”
“Hmm. ‘Legacy’ doesn’t seem the right word.”
“Why? Your Majesty said it was identical to the aura Professor used long ago in the Empire.”
“Exactly because it matches without the slightest deviation. I’ve faced the auras of the Professor from the past and the current Hyde, two knights. I can say with certainty—they’re the same aura. ‘Indomitable,’ was it?”
“Uh... um. And?”
“Aura isn’t something you inherit.”
“Things like family traditions, teaching methods, lineage, or blood ties can awaken similar auras within families or groups, but never something completely identical, like what you and the Saint showed.”
“Why not?”
“Aura is the child of independence, isn’t it? Even father and son are different people. No two humans in the world are the same, and aura knights, who etch their unique names boldly into the world, are even more utterly independent. Naturally, the solitary light they emit—their aura—must differ from others’.”
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It was advice only Gaiynax could give—the knight who split the heavens with his sword, and who had faced both the Professor and Hyde.
At that time, I could channel aura into my sword.
I was fully aware that I was a different being from the Professor.
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“I’m a different person from that guy.”
“You have to be. You’ve awakened aura.”
“But you said no two people can use the exact same aura.”
“Correct.”
“You said mine and his are the same.”
“Yes.”
“Your Majesty, have you been drinking?”
“Something the two of you held together. Something that could never be divided, now in your hands—what does that mean?”
“...”
“Yes. My thought is that it’s—”
[Who the hell passed this goddamn tax reform bill—!!!!!]
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That day, the conversation with Gaiynax was buried and forgotten under the lion’s roar that echoed through the imperial secret passage.
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Boom!
“Found you! You tax-drinking bastard!!”
“Empress, how did you... No way, Hyde?!”
“...That’s how it happened, Your Majesty.”
“My direct knight Hyde doesn’t even have a single communication magic tool to contact me, and you dare hide in his quarters to avoid me?!”
“Hyde. Why? We’ve shared swords and friendship, and I have no small ties to your father—!”
“You apparently pushed through that high-level magic tool additional tax law so carelessly? Hundreds of the Empire’s top jurists drank awakening potions like water while debating through the night, and still couldn’t resolve it, yet you just signed it off and shoved it through. I was going to let it slide this time, but you’ve caused a real disaster.”
“I had no choice. Every bill for the people’s benefit is opposed by nobles foaming at the mouth, so I had to push it through under their noses! Empress, Knight Hyde—we all know the Empire’s wealth gap is widening due to rapid growth.”
“Hmph! So?”
“As the Empire’s father, I have a duty to ease their suffering. I sought a solution.”
“And?”
“I thought it through and chose the most reliable method. Raise acquisition taxes on luxury goods used by nobles—especially high-level magitech items, which make up a huge portion—and use the revenue to support commoners—”
“With all the benefits we barely kept them with, every magitech engineer left in the Empire will flee to the Teldrat Empire, followed by the small and medium factories supplying them raw materials, and even the miners feeding those factories—they’ll all go bankrupt in a chain! If I hadn’t snatched the bill right before announcement, the Empire would’ve plunged into a dark age!”
Slap! Slap!
“Ugh, Empress, Lucilla! Calm down! I meant well—”
“Don’t do it! Don’t work! Don’t even sit at that desk, you plague-ridden fool! Go tour the Empire, stabilize the public sentiment, and scare the local nobles by grabbing them by the hair!”
“I-if you come with me, I’ll do it!”
“Hic!”
.
.
.
.
“Lucilla...”
“Gaiynax...”
“...Your Majesties, there’s another imperial hideout in the eighth passage. It has bedding too.”
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My memories of the man Gaiynax were mostly like this.
An absurdly strong knight.
The Empire’s revered emperor.
A klutz who, despite appearances, got thrashed by the Empress all over the palace.
And the eternal star of the Empire—a symbolic figure in the form of a sword, Lionel, wielded at the cost of nearly his entire lifespan, leading to his early death.
He was entertaining to watch.
A respectable emperor.
Though cleaning up his dozens of major administrative blunders meant running myself ragged across the Empire and beyond, now that it’s all in the past, only good memories remain.
Crunch, graaawwl—
The sword dangling limply and dragging below right now was the very one from back then.
『The Empire... chaos has come again...』
The one gripping it, and the voice, were from that time too.
It stung quite a bit.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The vibration climbing the branches shook me down from the tree I’d been hiding in. I had no intention of facing the twelve legendary undead alone, but against undead of that caliber, hiding from life detection was pointless anyway.
“Gaiynax.”
『...』
“Your Majesty.”
I just wanted to exchange a few words in the time he had left.
“You said chaos has come to the Empire ‘again.’”
『The Empire...』
“That means you remember a previous chaos like this one.”
『Must protect... the Empire...』
The cursed mist that induced hallucinations and delirium with a single breath without holy water. A being infused with the power of the curse that turned the capital into a land of death, condensed into one spot. It was probably impossible, but.
“Do you... recognize me... Your Majesty?”
『...Open the gates...』
Still, I couldn’t help but cling to that sliver of hope.
I knew it now. What I called my ‘plan’ was forcing my way forward, using everyone I knew as stepping stones.
I’d steeled myself for it, and I’d steeled myself plenty for what was ahead.
...But at least, like all the others I’d left behind so far.
“Shouldn’t you at least say something like ‘It’s been a while’ or ‘Good to see you’... before you go?”
On the thorny path I’d chosen, shouldn’t I be allowed that much comfort?
You weren’t part of my plan, so I haven’t been able to let go yet.
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‘Hyde.’
‘You’re going to get caught anyway, so why do you keep coming here?’
‘I’m dying. Soon.’
‘It’s just my lifespan running out. A massive power like Lionel isn’t meant for humans to wield.’
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My memories of Gaiynax are all good ones.
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‘My death can’t be just personal. The Empire will quake. I wanted to curb the nobles’ power before I go, but Lucilla’s so thorough.’
‘So all your antics so far... were for that?’
‘...I wanted to clear out the jackals circling her, even if it wrecked the Empire a bit. Didn’t work out.’
.
.
.
.
‘You’re so foolishly romantic.’
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In the end, even the hardships of cleaning up his messes turned into good memories thanks to that final conversation.
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‘Take care of my wife. Lucilla.’
‘I feel bad burdening someone so busy.’
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Did I keep that promise?
The Empire declined further, the imperial family’s authority eroded bit by bit with the prolonging war. In the end, it deteriorated to the point where nobles terrorized the Empress’s palace.
I left Lucilla, who wanted to die for the future, in the crumbling palace. Did I keep my promise to the Emperor?
Gaiynax. I still owe you a debt in my heart.
“Your Majesty.”
So.
“Could you just... stay there quietly?”
I hoped you wouldn’t step onto my already sufficiently rough path anymore.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The ground trembled so fiercely that shards of broken castle stone bounced up.
『Grooo, ugh...-』
The pale, wrinkled, glazed-eyed Emperor met my gaze. His bloodless lips formed words.
Please. God. Just this once. Please.
『...Long live... His Imperial Majesty the Emperor...』
Gaiynax, like the cursed soldiers, aimed his sword while praising the long-dead Emperor.
Taking the same stance, though his form had changed.
Goddamn it, God.
God, fate, system—whatever magnificent bastard has so exquisitely and perfectly scripted my future.
“You’re telling me to abandon everything in the end.”
Truly, exceedingly.
Too much.
Thud thud thud thud thud thud—!!
.
.
.
.
The earth-shaking vibrations suddenly stopped.
And then.
Crunch!
Craaawwl!
『Bwoooooh—!』
『Grrrrraaaah—!!』
Dozens of massive earth borers burst through the churning ground toward the palace.
Under normal circumstances, impossible due to the bedrock and layers of magic around the palace, but someone had spent the last three years ripping everything from this land and stuffing it into the twelve undead before us.
The borers, several times larger than normal specimens at a glance, landed in the withered garden and gaping their grotesque maws, began spewing mutants nonstop.
Sniff sniff. Grrr.
Cauld appeared, covering his nose and growling in disgust.
“You’ve stirred up quite the mess on your own while I was a bit late.”
Good grief. A bit?
“If you’d been much later, you’d have arrived next year.”
“It was because of the knights you were supposed to face. They all came our way.”
“I had an elite squad I was supposed to join too. None arrived on time.”
“...‘As planned’ is a phrase rarely heard on the battlefield.”
I bet. If things were as planned, Cauld shouldn’t be here either.
“Empire! Over there, jeeegook!”
“P-Princess! If you rampage here, you’ll draw the attention of those unholy things!”
Behind the lion-headed mutant clutching his head appeared Bellabel and Nigmi strapped to her back. Of course. That’s why Cauld’s here too.
Reason’s obvious.
“...His Majesty wished it.”
“Did you try stopping him?”
“Why would we stop His Majesty?”
“You idiot.”
Knew it.
Cauld, who’d been eyeing Nigmi with concern, snorted fiercely and focused on the enemy. Probably figuring he’d secure her safety by dealing with the foes first, since he couldn’t fix Nigmi.
Surveying the twelve undead, Cauld’s eyes gleamed.
“Beings I’d only meet in records are walking on their own. The Emperor, I presume.”
“Sorry. Too much for me alone.”
“And the Emperor?”
“Reduced to dust and evenly distributed among those twelve.”
“The imperial army from the central front vanished in a similar way. No wonder each one feels like it could churn my guts with presence alone.”
.
.
.
.
Shing.
Click!
As the mutants’ growls grew louder, Cauld and I raised our swords.
...Click.
Gaiynax opposite us raised his sword too. As if by prior agreement, the same imperial swordsmanship starting stance.
That salute in place of a formal bow.
『Open... a new heaven...』
The great strike that thwarted the Empire’s end with one sword—the sweeping downward slash from above, paying homage to Emperor Gaiynax Agdan V’s Heaven-Opening Strike.
Kwaaaaah!
Violet aura surged skyward as if piercing the heavens and came crashing down.
Two swords charged at it, erupting their own auras explosively to meet it.
Craaaack—!
Like a giant hammering an anvil of refined metal.
Over that sound signaling the battle’s start poured the mutants’ shrieks.
Kwachaaak!
The moment the mutants arrived meant the reprieve for me and Gaiynax was over.
It meant cramming my unresolved debts of heart and sentiment roughly back into my chest again this time.
“We’ll call it even on the debts, old ties, and all the loose ends by sending this monstrous lord of ancient mockery quietly back to his grave. Your Majesty.”
I charged at the somehow hapless former Emperor.
Craaaang—!
Power-wise, he overwhelmingly outmatched me.
“...Good to see you, Gaiynax.”
But the sword’s trajectory. Feints. Target spots—identical to the past without a hair’s deviation.
Just like those spars long ago, when he’d flee here after causing trouble.
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