A Very One-Sided Negotiation

Alteon's memories and knowledge were absorbed into Lee Taepyeong's mind.

If Taepyeong had moved solely on the "instinct" of the Heavenly Slaughter Star until now, from this moment on, Alteon's legacy would back up that instinct.

How to handle various weapons, strategies for defeating all kinds of monsters, and even tactics to dominate any battlefield.

The progenitor king, Alteon, who was powerful enough to overthrow the wild and chaotic world of the elves and found the Elf Empire.

Everything he was became nourishment for Lee Taepyeong.

"A-Alteon?!"

As the completely unexpected name slipped from Taepyeong's mouth, the Emperor's face turned pale.

If it were the blood of generals or sages who had left their mark on history, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that would be one thing.

But the blood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the progenitor king, Alteon, in a mere human?

"Say that again. Did you really say Alteon...?"

"Yeah."

Taepyeong was smiling even as blood poured from his nose.

With an overwhelming, massive amount of information flowing in—far beyond what a human could comprehend—his body could no longer withstand the strain.

Cough!

Ultimately, Taepyeong spat up blood.

"T-That cannot be..."

The Emperor muttered in disbelief.

Until now, those who inherited the memory of the blood, no matter how outstanding an elf they were, would inevitably be bedridden for days.

Just like an electronic device that can do nothing while upgrading.

The backlash was even more severe for those who inherited rarer memories.

For a human like Taepyeong to inherit the memories of the progenitor king Alteon was akin to cramming the functions of a smartphone into a pager.

It wouldn't be surprising if his brain overloaded and exploded.

However.

"Hehehe..."

Heavenly Slaughter Star.

The powerful trait optimized for killing, combined with Taepyeong's sheer willpower.

These two greedily devoured the memories of the blood.

Even filtering out all the unconditional loyalty toward the Elf Empire!

It was practically like picking only the meat out of a kimchi stew.

The Emperor's plan to make Taepyeong his sword was not just derailed; it was shattered to pieces.

"..."

Only one method remained: kill Taepyeong and retrieve the blood.

Doing so would mean losing a talent like Taepyeong, who was equal to—no, surpassed—any elf, but that was a risk he had to accept.

If he allowed such an 'irregular' to exist, the Elf Empire itself might be destroyed by him.

Fortunately,

"Ugh..."

Taepyeong's body was already at its limit.

The Emperor drew his sword without hesitation.

A warrior skilled enough to sweep away the elves in the promotion match. A successor who inherited Alteon's blood despite being human.

It was a waste. A maddening waste.

But it was safer to kill him now, before he was fully complete.

With cold, calculated judgment, the Emperor aimed his blade at Taepyeong's heart.

"I intended to make you my sword."

"..."

"But you are a blade strong enough to cut your own master."

"..."

"I shall retrieve the blood of memories once more."

Whispering in a regretful voice, the Emperor thrust his sword toward Taepyeong's heart.

Squish!!!

Or rather, he tried to.

"...!!!"

What the Emperor stabbed was a transparent droplet of water.

A spirit...!

The Emperor turned his head to look toward where the droplet had flown from.

There stood Nairin, battered and bruised.

Drip.

As Nairin released the spell, the droplet pierced by the sword burst, spraying a glittering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠liquid over Taepyeong.

And at the same time,

Whoosh...

Taepyeong's body healed in an instant.

...An Elixir!

Realizing this, the Emperor swung his sword once more.

However,

Grab!!!

Taepyeong was faster.

As Taepyeong grabbed the Emperor's arm, the sword narrowly missed its mark.

"...!!!"

Of course, his strength couldn't even compare to the tip of the Emperor's toes. The same went for his agility.

Yet, the reason Taepyeong could be faster was that he already 'knew' the Emperor's movements.

Indeed. Taepyeong had already perfectly inherited Alteon's memories.

Too late...!

The Emperor froze, realizing his mistake.

"Seriously, these elf bastards and their shitty personalities..."

Taepyeong looked at the Emperor, grinning through his blood-soaked face.

Is he in a state of madness?

The Emperor quickly scanned Taepyeong's eyes.

But far from madness, Taepyeong's eyes were perfectly clear.

Not madness...?

Paradoxically, that made him look even crazier.

"I'll let it slide this once."

"T-Taepyeong..."

"So, while I'm still being nice."

"..."

"Bring out the negotiation table."

Wow. I feel like I'm going to pass out.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

I began devouring the snacks laid out on the table.

Things like thin cookies topped with sugar decorations.

Things like chocolates filled with various fillings,

and things like delicately carved fruits.

I stuffed my mouth with things that looked more like works of art than snacks—things that seemed a waste to eat just by looking at them—and swallowed.

Chew, chew, chew.

I didn't have the luxury to appreciate them.

My brain was overloaded, so I had to consume sugar quickly.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

I downed the fragrant juice-like drink in one shot.

"..."

"..."

The elves refilling the snacks and pouring the drinks glanced at me with disgusted looks.

So what? What are you gonna do about it?

"Phew."

Anyway, now that my stomach was full, I felt like I was regaining my senses.

Wipe.

I wiped the dried blood from my face with the back of my hand, leaned back comfortably in my chair, and...

"Shall we get started now?"

I looked at the Emperor.

"...Very well."

At the Emperor's word, the servants withdrew.

It was obvious the Emperor had a lot on his mind.

To a human who seemed useful.

He had intended to bestow either the blood of memories or the blood of elves as a reward, have me inherit the memories of some decent elf, and turn me into a fanatic.

Decent elf, my foot.

He had been mugged of the memories of the first emperor who founded the Elf Empire.

Of course he had a lot on his mind.

"...Tell me what you want."

The Emperor, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

"If you return Alteon's blood, I will grant you anything."

He seemed calm, but it was the exact opposite.

Right now, the Emperor's mind was filled with the thought, I'm screwed.

How did I know?

Because the memories and experiences of Alteon I obtained from inheriting the blood included the elves' 'political arts.'

This 'blood' of memories, which allowed one to inherit the 'memories' of outstanding elves, was the most precious legacy of the Elf Empire.

It was a kind of cheat key that transmitted thousands of years of accumulated experience.

To put it simply, it was like continuously reincarnating while inheriting the memories of great historical figures like King Sejong or Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

That was why the Elf Empire could be so powerful.

But why did he hand something like this over to me?

As I said, the Emperor didn't expect me to inherit Alteon's memories.

Because blood also has compatibility.

An elf talented in swordsmanship would get the blood of the greatest swordsman, and one talented in magic would get the blood of a sage.

The Emperor probably thought the blood of an assassin would react with me.

He couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that the blood of the first emperor, Alteon, would react to a mere human.

He was arrogant. That was why he made a mistake.

Of course, it was a massive win for me.

Since I could now pull the Emperor's strings using Alteon's blood as a hostage.

How?

Unless I voluntarily shed my blood into the Holy Grail, the Emperor had no way of retrieving Alteon's blood.

If he killed me out of anger, it meant Alteon's blood would disappear with me.

So he had no choice but to grovel like this.

I mean, who told him to feed me the blood in the first place? Did someone force him?

"Just three things."

"Three?"

"Yeah."

"...Speak."

"First."

I held up one finger toward the Emperor.

"..."

"From now on, killing humans is forbidden."

The Emperor's eyebrow twitched.

To elves, humans were like bugs—no, worse than bugs.

An elf killing a human was no different from a human killing an ant.

Meaning, it was an act without any real significance.

But to 'forbid' it?

The Emperor was someone who killed his fellow elves at a whim. So this was beyond absurd; it was downright offensive.

"...Very well."

However, it wasn't an unacceptable condition.

Thus, the Emperor nodded.

Okay. The first one passed without a hitch.

"Second."

I held up a second finger.

Not knowing what kind of nonsense I would spout next, the Emperor watched me with a tense face.

"Present me with an elf servant."

Was it a better condition than he expected? The Emperor, seeming to relax, nodded.

"Fine. I shall select the most beautiful and healthy virgins to present to you..."

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"...?"

"What the hell would I use elf virgins for?"

I looked at the Emperor with a scowl.

"What I want is someone 'useful.'"

"What?"

"Nairin."

I pointed at Nairin, who was hanging upside down in the air.

"She is a traitor to her race. As soon as this matter is concluded, she will be summarily executed..."

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"..."

"I said, present me with an elf servant."

The Emperor's face cracked.

"If you wish, I will select and present the most outstanding elf warriors. That creature is..."

"Tsk."

I don't know why he always makes me say things twice.

As I continued to point at Nairin,

"Why..."

the Emperor muttered in disbelief.

"Obviously, because she's the only useful one among the elves."

Well, by the Emperor's standards, she might be an inferior specimen.

But the only thing I look at is loyalty.

That surpasses all other abilities.

Snap.

Ultimately, the Emperor snapped his fingers.

Thud!

Nairin, who had been hanging in the air, fell straight to the floor.

"Th-Thank you, Lord Taepyeong...!"

Battered and unable to even open her eyes properly, Nairin thanked me, not the Emperor.

Thanks to that, the Emperor's face cracked once more.

Whether he did or not, I didn't care.

"Now, the last one."

I held up a third finger.

"Third."

"..."

I could feel the Emperor tensing up, wondering what kind of crazy thing I would say this time.

Look at him, getting scared.

"Listen carefully, because this is the most important one."

I looked at the Emperor with a bright smile.

"I'll let you adopt me."