Chapter 228: The Melancholy of RoFan Protagonists (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: The Melancholy of RoFan Protagonists (3)
Sword Emperor Aren.
Every swordsman on the continent knows that name, and he is treated as a symbol of the Empire itself...
However, contrary to public perception, he isn't particularly cooperative with the Empire.
Those aware of this fact believed it was because the Sword Emperor wasn't bound to a nation, but had instead dedicated his entire life solely to the sword.
But the few who know the truth know that isn't the case.
"It’s because he faced a hell of a lot of pushback before he became famous."
"What? No way."
"It’s true."
At the words of McGregor, one of those few people, a teaching assistant wore an expression of pure disbelief.
"But he’s the Sword Emperor."
"That’s just an image the Empire cooked up. You have no idea how petty and thin-skinned that bastard is."
It wasn't that he was a bad person.
In fact, he was a magnificent human being who had done many good deeds befitting his reputation.
"But being magnificent doesn't make you a big-hearted man."
If asked whether the Sword Emperor was a hero, McGregor would nod without a moment's hesitation.
However, if asked whether the man named Aren was a "big-hearted man"...
McGregor would shake his head just as quickly.
He was a man who would head into dangerous places without a second thought to save people, holding back swarms of monsters all by himself. He had been that kind of person long before he was called the Sword Emperor—even before he became a Sword Master.
"But even after becoming a Sword Master, even after being hailed as the Sword Emperor, he still remembered the nobles who looked down on him for being a commoner."
"......"
"He probably still remembers them now."
"Surely not..."
"Want to bet? If you win, I’ll promote you to professor immediately."
"Really?"
"But if you lose, you’re a TA for life."
"...I’ll pass."
It was something they could joke about now, but in his youth, Aren had suffered immensely simply for being a commoner.
In fact, "suffering" was an understatement; his life had been threatened on more than one occasion.
Because of that, Aren had lived as a wanderer, even refusing titles of nobility, stating he had no intention of becoming like those nobles.
Although he had accepted the professor position at the Academy to save his youngest granddaughter—and was actually finding it quite enjoyable because of the surprisingly promising youngsters there—he only handled matters related to the Academy. He tended to reject any other requests, even those from the Empire.
His visit to the Leon Kingdom was also driven more by his own will than by the Empire's request.
And that fact remained unchanged.
"Even if the Empire requested it, he never would have moved if it wasn't his own choice."
Seeing the tragedy that had unfolded at the Academy...
For the first time in a long while, Aren stepped forward—not as an Academy professor, nor as the world-renowned Sword Emperor, but as a single human being.
And his fierce momentum was utterly crushing the enemies he discovered.
"Therefore, the Empire won't miss this opportunity."
The Sword Emperor’s image among the common people was so positive that even if he were to cut someone down in the street, the public would assume he had a good reason for it.
With such a man leading the charge, the Imperial Family, who already had plenty of justification, could mete out judgment in the name of the Empire without any hesitation.
The Empire, the Sword Emperor, and a Holy War recognized by the Holy Kingdom.
Who could possibly stand in the Sword Emperor's way?
McGregor thought as much, but...
"One more step and the boy dies!"
"......"
Seeing the look of utter absurdity on his old friend's face as he stared at his kidnapped grandson...
McGregor realized that there was, in fact, a way to stop him.
??? - I’ve Become a Kidnapper.
Dark Mages are elusive.
They only crawl out like cockroaches around the Academy when they're bored.
Normally, a Dark Mage is someone you wouldn't see once a year—in an ordinary country, you might not see one in a decade.
And naturally, many people were deceived by that secrecy.
"What? The Parast family was a front for Dark Mages?"
Count Moleste of House Machell was one of the victims.
The Parast Baronial family had grown rapidly within the Count's sphere of influence.
They had offered bribes of their own accord and invited him to invest in lucrative opportunities. He had, in fact, been seeing good returns...
"It appears those investments were businesses run by Dark Mages."
"This... this can't be..."
Being associated with Dark Mages could lead to three generations of a family being executed.
Thus, Count Moleste, the head of the Machell family, tried to explain himself to the Imperial Family in a panic, but...
"My Lord, disaster has struck! House Basten has been annihilated!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Suddenly, a neighboring family had been wiped out.
Furthermore...
"It was the Imperial army, led by the Sword Emperor himself!"
The messenger's words were shocking.
House Basten had been destroyed on the grounds that they were in league with the Parast family.
"......"
Thinking coldly, one could assume House Basten had also been a den of Dark Mages.
However, unlike the Parast family, House Basten had been active in the area for quite a long time.
Of course, considering the nature of Dark Mages, they could have been undercover for a very long time.
'But they might have just been disposed of simply for being related to Dark Mages.'
No matter how large the Empire was, it had its limits.
Every year, many nobles were born and many disappeared, but naturally, the number of those being created was higher.
Even if not all newly created nobles received territories, land was limited.
It wouldn't be strange for the Imperial Family to seize this opportunity to eliminate everyone involved.
Therefore, Count Moleste had no choice but to agonize.
Should he trust the Empire and plead his innocence?
Should he flee?
Or should he resist and fight!
"Father!"
"You? Why are you here?!"
Just as the Empire's judgment was falling on several nearby families, Count Moleste was horrified to hear that his son had returned.
He was his proud son, the apple of his eye, who had enrolled in the Imperial Academy.
That was why, as soon as trouble arose, the Count had contacted him and told him to leave the Empire just in case.
So why was he here!
"How could I live for myself while leaving my father and family behind!"
They were words full of filial piety, but parents were those who wished for their children to live even if they themselves died.
Count Moleste intended to send his son away before the Sword Emperor and the Heresy Inquisitors arrived.
However, his son appeared before him carrying a massive burlap sack, as if he had packed his bags in a hurry.
But then.
"For the sake of our house, I have brought a hostage!"
"...What?"
Count Moleste could only blink at the words of his proud son.
'What did I just hear?'
A hostage.
His kind-hearted son would never use such a word.
Unless the Academy's education had gone completely insane, there was no way his son would suggest kidnapping someone to use as a hostage!
"I have brought the Sword Emperor's grandson!"
"......"
The Academy's education must have gone completely insane.
Count Moleste could only think that as he watched a person tumble out of the sack his son had brought.
??? - Do You Desire Power?
Asran opened his eyes and thought.
'What is this?'
He opened his eyes, but his vision wouldn't focus.
His mind was hazy.
His entire body felt drained of strength.
As he twisted his body slightly, he began to feel something foreign against his skin.
'Am I tied up...?'
He took a moment to organize his thoughts.
What had he been doing before this?
Right, a senior from the Swordsmanship Department had offered him a drink while looking just as slumped as he was.
Since it was the weekend and there were no classes, he hadn't refused like usual and remembered gulping down the alcohol he was given...
And when he woke up, he was in this state.
This was definitely...
'A Dark Mage?!'
If it were the Dark Mages he often saw at the Academy, they could certainly pull something like this off.
It was at that moment.
"Father! This is the only way for us to survive!"
A rough voice reached his ears.
It sounded agitated, yet strangely familiar.
'I know that voice...'
It was the voice of the senior from the Swordsmanship Department he had been drinking with just moments ago—or so it felt.
At the same time he realized this...
Slap!
"You fool!"
The sound of a loud slap echoed.
The angry voice of someone he didn't recognize followed.
"Is this how I raised you?! Or is this the kind of thing you learned at the Academy!"
"F-Father..."
At the senior's confused voice, Asran instinctively twisted his body and turned his head toward the two of them.
He squinted his eyes, barely managing to bring the blurry figures into focus.
What met his gaze was the familiar face of his senior and a middle-aged man who looked remarkably like him.
"Regardless of the circumstances, it is a fact that we interacted with a family associated with Dark Mages!"
"It was just a normal interaction between noble houses!"
"Yes, that’s all it was. That’s why we must explain the injustice to His Majesty and accept whatever punishment is due!"
"You say that because you didn't see it, Father. The Dark Mages' terror was too horrific, and the Empire is furious. It’s impossible to persuade that rage with logic!"
"Even so, to kidnap someone! And the Sword Emperor’s grandson at that! I would rather die than survive by using an innocent person as a hostage!"
"Father!"
Listening to the conversation, Asran could roughly piece together the situation.
'So, a family they were close with was actually a hiding place for Dark Mages, and because my grandfather is coming here, they kidnapped me?'
It was an absurd situation.
However, it wasn't entirely bad.
From what he heard, this family seemed quite wronged, and the senior wasn't usually a bad person.
This was just the result of a misguided sense of filial piety to save his father.
If he just stood up and cleared things up, there wouldn't be any problem.
Just as Asran was about to get up and settle the situation...
"By the way, how did you manage to bring the Sword Emperor's grandson here? Our estate isn't that far from the Academy, but it’s still at least a day’s journey by carriage... No, before that, shouldn't it have been impossible to subdue him in the first place?"
"Ah, about that..."
The son began to explain to his father what had happened.
"So, the guy was feeling depressed and started chugging booze..."
"Even so, it makes no sense for someone called the Minor Sword Emperor to stay passed out for a whole day just from drinking. Did you use some kind of drug...?"
"No, he’s just incredibly bad at holding his liquor. For proof..."
Asran seriously contemplated something as he heard the words coming out of the senior's mouth.
'Should I... kill him?'
Had he been speaking his "drunken truths"?
The statements coming out of the senior's mouth weren't in Asran's memory, but they sounded like shameful and pathetic inner thoughts that might actually exist in the deepest corners of his heart.
"...I see. The title of Minor Sword Emperor must have carried quite a heavy burden."
Asran shed a silent tear at Count Moleste's attempt to take his side as much as possible.
He didn't care about that damn senior, but he would make sure to save Count Moleste.
As for the senior... well, he saved his father even if he died, so wouldn't that be a "good death"?
As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt his body being lifted.
Unless he had unconsciously awakened magic, someone must have picked him up.
Was the senior going to use him as a hostage?
Or was the Count going to release him?
Asran opened his eyes slightly and realized it was neither.
"Butler?"
"Mr. Butler?"
The two men were standing in front of him with expressions of pure shock.
"......?"
Asran tilted his head and shifted his gaze.
There stood an old man who looked like he would normally have a very kind impression, but he was currently wearing a smile that felt undeniably evil.
"To think I could obtain such a fine sacrifice in a place like this."
Click.
With those words, Asran felt something being fastened around his neck.
And at the same time...
"Butler, you!"
"That’s right. I am a spy sent from House Basten!"
He heard lines he really shouldn't be hearing, but Asran couldn't pay attention to them.
—Do you desire power?
A will, on a completely different level from the practice Magic Swords, was echoing inside his head.