The Emperor's Adopted Son
"...Adopted son?"
Perhaps the shock of the proposal was simply too great.
The Emperor stared blankly at Lee Taepyeong.
An adopted son?
The Emperor was an elf, and Lee Taepyeong was a human.
Yet, an adopted son?
Had the human lost his mind upon inheriting Alteon's blood?
"Do you have any idea what you are saying right now?" the Emperor asked, his voice laced with genuine concern that the human's mind had shattered.
But Taepyeong merely nodded, meeting the Emperor's gaze with the same clear, unblinking eyes as always.
"I'm saying I'll let you adopt me."
"We? Adopt you?"
"Yeah."
A heavy, lamenting sigh escaped the Emperor's lips.
Had this human gone mad after inheriting the blood, or had he been out of his mind from the very beginning?
Why did Alteon's blood have to go to a lunatic like him...?
From the Emperor's perspective, this was an absolute tragedy.
In his hundreds of years of life, the Emperor had never known regret.
Yet, for the first time, he deeply regretted coveting a human's talent and forcing him to drink the blood of memory.
But who could have predicted this?
Who could have foreseen that the memories of Alteon would be inherited by a mere human?
That a mere human would teach the Emperor the meaning of regret!
"Don't worry," Taepyeong said.
"..."
"I don't mean I'm going to slaughter all your children and take over the Empire."
Taepyeong offered a reassuring smile, completely oblivious to—or perhaps ignoring—how much more terrifying that made him sound.
"Besides," Taepyeong added.
"..."
"I have no reason to do that."
"..."
"At least, not yet."
Taepyeong was highly pragmatic.
It was true that he had inherited Alteon's memories.
However, he did not yet possess the power to surpass the Emperor.
If he did, he would have killed the Emperor the very moment the ruler tried to stab him.
Not yet.
Taepyeong assessed the situation with cold objectivity.
He knew that if he pushed the Emperor too far, the ruler would eventually write off Alteon's blood as a loss and simply kill him.
There was no way he could defeat the Emperor right now.
Taepyeong had not yet transcended the limits of a human body.
Furthermore, this was the Elf Empire, not Earth or the Babel Tower.
If they were inside the tower where titles and status didn't matter, it might be a different story.
But here, where all the contribution points earned from the tower were at the Emperor's beck and call, defeating him was impossible.
Picking a fight with the Emperor under these conditions?
That would just be stupid.
So, what was the alternative?
The answer was simple.
He just had to exploit the current situation—a situation where he held all the cards.
"If I become your adopted son," Taepyeong said.
"..."
"You won't have to face the public outcry of standing by and letting a human steal Alteon's blood."
"...!"
"And for me, as the bearer of Alteon's blood, my safety will be guaranteed. Win-win, right?"
"That is..."
"Come on, let's be real. We both know your zealots will throw a fit and try to reclaim Alteon's blood by force," Taepyeong pointed out.
"..."
"Just so we're clear, I'm not dying alone."
"..."
"If it comes to that, I'll commit suicide and take your precious legacy straight to the grave with me."
Taepyeong grinned, dragging a finger across his throat in a slicing motion.
It was a statement bordering on absolute blasphemy, but the Emperor couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
I've already got the goods. What are you going to do about it?
Because everything Taepyeong said was absolutely correct.
"Think about it carefully," Taepyeong urged.
In truth, there was barely anything to think about.
Adopting a human would undoubtedly cause a backlash, but the Emperor possessed more than enough authority to suppress any dissent.
Losing Alteon's blood, however, was a different story.
Losing it was equivalent to losing the future of the Elf Empire.
Making an enemy of Taepyeong now meant making an enemy of a future powerhouse empowered by Alteon's blood.
Even now, he is strong enough to easily sweep aside most elves...
What would happen if he grew even stronger?
The Emperor's mind raced, calculating the possibilities.
And when his thoughts culminated in a vision of the Elf Empire engulfed in the flames of ruin, he made his decision.
"...Very well."
The Emperor had no other choice.
There was no path forward except the one Taepyeong had laid out.
"However, the throne..."
"Oh, I have zero interest in that," Taepyeong immediately waved his hand in disgust.
His blatant dismissal of the throne as if it were utterly worthless actually made the Emperor feel a surge of irritation.
"...We shall announce you as Our adopted son shortly."
There would be backlash, of course.
But it was far better than losing Alteon's blood.
Moreover, if he could cooperate with Taepyeong to foster the growth of the Elf Empire...
It wasn't a losing deal.
A human who had cleared the promotion match with unprecedented performance, who had even inherited Alteon's blood.
If Taepyeong, who was destined to grow exponentially stronger, was the Emperor's "adopted son"...
In the future, this decision might actually be praised as a stroke of genius.
The Emperor had already calculated that far ahead.
If he hadn't, Taepyeong's head would have rolled the moment he brought up the adoption.
"From this moment forth, you are Our adopted son, granted authority equal to that of the other heirs."
"Hmm."
"There will always be a place for you in the Empire. Should anyone dare despise you for being human, I, your father, shall be the first to cut them down."
"Mm, mm."
Taepyeong nodded in satisfaction.
"Sounds good, 'Father'."
Taepyeong offered a shameless grin and extended his hand to the Emperor.
"...Indeed, my son."
The Emperor had no choice but to take it.
◈ Token of the Elf Empire's Heir (x3)
— Proof of status as an heir of the Elf Empire.
◈ Sword of the Elf Empire's Heir (Incomplete)
— Grows alongside the owner. (Current State: ?)
◈ Garments of the Elf Empire's Heir
— Defense / Strength / Agility Boost (Large)
◈ Resonance Stone
— Allows communication when infused with mana. (Limited to Resonance Stone holders)
◈ Return Stone
— Allows teleportation to a designated location. (Current Location: Elf Empire)
◈ Highest-Grade Recovery Potion x 1,000
◈ High-Grade Recovery Potion x 3,000
◈ Mana Crystals (High-Grade) x 50,000
◈ Mana Crystals (Mid-Grade) x 100,000
A massive deluge of items and mana crystals flooded into his inventory.
Whoa.
This many mana crystals? Is my inventory going to burst?
He probably couldn't earn this much even if he cleared the Babel Tower a hundred times.
And they were just giving all of this to him?
Taepyeong glanced sideways at Nairin.
Sensing his gaze, she quickly explained.
"This is by no means a large amount, Lord Taepyeong."
"What?"
He had been thinking about selling them because there were so many.
Not a large amount?
"The Heir's Sword requires a vast quantity of mana crystals to 'grow'."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. The Heir's Sword grows alongside its master, and the stronger you become, the more mana crystals it will consume."
"Ah."
"The Emperor must have anticipated that your sword would require a massive amount of crystals to grow, so he bestowed this amount to ensure you would not run short."
I see. So depending on how he handled it, this sword could end up devouring all his mana crystals.
"Isn't the cost-performance ratio a bit terrible, then?"
Taepyeong clicked his tongue, examining the sword with a dissatisfied look.
Nairin stared at him, her face turning pale.
She looked utterly dumbfounded that he was complaining about cost-efficiency while holding a legendary weapon reserved only for the imperial heirs.
"T-That is..."
"I'm joking, just joking."
"Ah, hahaha! I knew you were."
For the sake of Nairin's mental health, Taepyeong tossed out a casual lie to smooth things over.
Then, he threw a Highest-Grade Recovery Potion to her.
"L-Lord Taepyeong!"
"Drink it."
"Thank you so much...!"
Nairin looked at him with eyes full of deep emotion.
Taepyeong clicked his tongue inwardly.
Her face was still swollen up like a balloon.
She looked more like an orc than an elf.
Gulp, gulp.
As she drank the potion, the swelling on Nairin's face rapidly subsided.
She then busied herself organizing the tribute for him.
She even finished setting up the Resonance Stone for communication.
"You can now call upon me at any time."
"Even inside the tower?"
"Yes. Dimensional travel is also possible, though it consumes mana crystals..."
I see.
Well, this worked out perfectly.
While his team members were resting to recover their stamina, he could just summon Nairin and grind the tower floors.
In other words, he had just acquired a tower-clearing slave he could work to the bone without worrying about her stamina.
What a massive win!
"Are you done sorting everything?"
"Yes!"
"You separated the ornaments and jewels like I asked, right?"
"Yes!"
In the corner, a pile of glittering sculptures and accessories lay stacked high.
They were supposedly masterpieces crafted by legendary elven artisans, but to Taepyeong, they were completely useless.
Elven clothes? Accessories? Jewels?
It wasn't like he could wear this stuff around in the real world.
"You can have those."
"...Pardon?"
"I have no use for them, so they're yours."
"Excuse me...?"
"Sell them if you don't want them."
"B-But those were all bestowed by the Emperor..."
"Tsk."
Thud!
Nairin dropped to her knees and bowed deeply, her forehead touching the floor.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Lord Taepyeong!"
She was making a huge fuss over nothing.
Though, he supposed it made sense.
He hadn't cared enough about elves to know before, but apparently, by elven standards, Nairin was dirt poor.
Reaching the promotion match without any backing was considered a miracle in itself.
Poor kid.
Since she had been willing to lay down her life for him, the least he could do was become her backer.
"Get up. You're making it weird."
"Yes!"
"Now, I just need to say goodbye to the Emperor... I mean, my father, and then I can leave, right?"
"Yes. I am told he is already waiting for you."
"Let's go."
Guided by Nairin, Taepyeong headed toward the audience chamber.
The elven servants stole glances at him along the way.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief, but what could they do?
The Emperor had already acknowledged him as his son.
There would surely be pushback from the nobles and elders, but that wasn't Taepyeong's problem.
The Emperor could deal with that headache.
"...You have arrived."
The Emperor was waiting for him inside the audience chamber.
"Did you find Our gifts to your liking?"
"Yes, Father."
Having grown up as an orphan, Taepyeong had never uttered the word "father" in his entire life.
To think he was now calling the Emperor of the Elf Empire "Father."
Life truly was unpredictable.
"Though our beginning was fraught," the Emperor said.
"..."
"We consider it a blessing to have gained a son like you."
Had he finally come to terms with it?
The Emperor's voice sounded surprisingly sincere.
"We feared that a successor to Alteon's blood might never appear..."
"..."
"Yet, in the end, you have come to Us like this."
"..."
"This, too, must be destiny."
Snap.
The Emperor snapped his fingers.
With a strange, low hum, space itself began to tear open.
"We shall now return you to Earth."
Finally, he was going home.
He was absolutely dying for a home-cooked meal.
"Even if you dwell among insignificant humans..."
Maybe Do Sangjin's kimchi stew.
"Never forget that you are the son of this Emperor."
With Spam and fried eggs!
"Keep this in mind."
He would ask Sangjin to make it the second he got back.
"...Are you listening to Us?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. I'm listening to every word."
Taepyeong swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and looked up at the Emperor.
"Take care of yourself, and don't worry about..."
"..."
"...Actually, you take care too, Father."
Taepyeong grinned and waved at the Emperor.
With those final words, he threw himself into the rift in space.
Whoosh!
Time to go eat some home-cooked food!