Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Boyhood ~Unmask the Mastermind~
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'What in the world is going on?'
Why was he in the imperial palace?
The Grand Chancellor couldn't make sense of the current situation.
He had received an imperial edict summoning him to the palace just yesterday.
'I naturally assumed it was for the grand tournament this month... but what the hell is this...!'
Given that even the Emperor himself was attending this major conference, the Grand Chancellor had fully expected as much. But the reality exceeded his wildest guesses, leaving him utterly flustered.
'Did they uncover the plan? But how? They shouldn't have figured out that I'm the one behind it.'
'There's not even any evidence to begin with. Or could it be... no, is this just a trap investigation?'
If they were banking on him making a mistake in his panic, he would tell them it was a terribly misguided approach.
'Foolish child. I'm not the type to show an opening over such childish tricks!'
How many political schemes had he orchestrated over the years?
His decades of life weren't so sloppy that he'd fall for such a shallow ploy.
Regaining his composure, the Grand Chancellor rose from his bedchambers. As if waiting, a maid opened the door and appeared.
"His Majesty awaits you. The imperial edict commands you to come at once once preparations are complete."
"...I'll be there shortly."
"Allow me to assist with your preparations."
He didn't voice any complaints about suddenly being kidnapped here.
Right now, such trivialities were the last thing on his mind.
With the maids' assistance, the Grand Chancellor finished preparing for the audience. He straightened his robes and stepped out of the room.
'What's the reason for summoning me so urgently? Dragging me here by force means it's something pressing. Could it really be...?'
Hiding a faint unease in his heart, he headed toward the throne room.
As he walked, mentally reviewing the cards he could play before the Emperor, a door adorned in gold soon came into view.
"Please enter."
"...Very well."
Without even announcing him, the maid gestured inside.
The ornate door swung open on its own, revealing the interior. The Grand Chancellor swallowed hard and strode in without hesitation.
Thud—!
"...!"
The door shut?
As he entered, the door closed immediately behind him. The Grand Chancellor whipped around, his face paling in surprise.
"Come in, Grand Chancellor."
But the voice that followed right after drew his gaze away from the door. He quickly bowed his head.
"I pay my respects to the sun of the Empire."
"Mm."
Seated upon the resplendent jade throne, the Emperor gazed down at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Surprisingly, he looked no different from usual.
Seeing the Emperor as always, the Grand Chancellor's tension—which had spiked—began to ebb. A relaxed tone slipped from his lips.
"Might I ask why Your Majesty summoned me so urgently..."
"Ah, my apologies. It was such pressing business that I brought you here without your consent."
"If it is Your Majesty's summons, I would rush here even in the dead of night. Pray, think nothing of it."
The Emperor let out a hearty laugh at his response.
"Hahaha! You always cover for my shortcomings, Grand Chancellor."
"Shortcomings? Perish the thought, Your Majesty."
What was this? Had he really been summoned for something utterly trivial?
As his tension slowly melted away at the Emperor's unchanged demeanor...
Suddenly, the Emperor spoke.
"Grand Chancellor."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I believe there is a hierarchy among humans as well."
"A hierarchy... you say?"
"Not one based on status. What I mean is a hierarchy based on talent."
After those words, the Emperor rested his chin on his hand and continued leisurely.
"People have different uses depending on their talents. Those skilled with swords become soldiers guarding the Empire; those adept in magic become mages advancing it. Even those unskilled with weapons are assigned roles fitting their talents."
What was this sudden tangent?
"In that sense, I cherish those with talent. Be it martial arts, magic, shamanism, intellect, divinity, politics—I see hierarchies in them all."
"Y-Yes... indeed..."
"And in that sense, you are one of my most valued retainers."
Retainer.
That was when the Grand Chancellor felt an inexplicable unease.
Gazing down at him languidly, the Emperor continued with feigned pity.
"No one has excelled at handling people quite like you. You know it too, don't you? Placing the optimal person in the optimal position sounds simple, but executing it is incredibly difficult."
It was true.
In reality, even second-best appointments were rare.
"That's why I've made considerable concessions to keep you. Not just you, of course—I've accommodated my talented retainers as much as possible."
"What do you... mean by that..."
And the tales that followed from the Emperor's lips were utterly unbelievable.
The Minister of the Inner Palace had cheated with another woman.
A General from the Military Affairs Department preferred men.
One of the Ten Emperors, the Flight Emperor, had a taste for children.
The eldest son of a certain noble was a madman who killed women after sleeping with them.
One shocking, unheard-of story after another poured out.
"Grand Chancellor, I have a bit of an obsession with those I've recognized."
A bit?
If the man before him weren't the Emperor, the Grand Chancellor would have screamed it at him.
"I got curious, you see. What sort of conduct does he show in private? What face does he wear at night? How does he differ at work versus home?"
"M-Mad..."
At this point, the Grand Chancellor couldn't suppress the voice leaking out.
This was a complete lunatic!
Perhaps reading his reaction...
The Emperor leaned back on the throne and continued.
"Your dividing the palace administrators into factions? I let that slide. Sowing discord between the military and internal affairs? Overlooked that too. Your value far outweighed such trifles. I even ignored your designs on the Imperial Princess."
But this time, you've gone too far.
Only then did the Grand Chancellor realize things were grave, his expression hardening.
"To think you'd abduct nobles' children at a banquet held in my name."
"......"
"Heh heh heh. It was amusing after so long. But you rampaged too much, Grand Chancellor."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Commoner brats? For your sake, I wouldn't have minded their sacrifice. Poor stock yields poor results anyway. But nobles are different. Especially those I've personally vetted."
Madness had now crept into the Emperor's eyes as he spoke.
"My retainers, composed of exceptional talents! The children I've raised myself! And you dare use future pillars of the Empire as discard pawns?"
"I am innocent, Your Majesty! I truly know nothing of this!"
To the Grand Chancellor denying it to the end, the Emperor growled lowly, anger flashing.
"Brigand Group."
"......"
"The bandits you raised for your slave trade. Ah, you used ordinary merchants as middlemen. Now they've grown and call themselves great traders."
Ridiculous.
The Grand Chancellor was inwardly aghast at how flatly the Emperor stated it.
'How in the world...? I took every precaution during contacts with the middlemen! I never even met them personally once!'
"Even so, linking them directly to you might be a stretch. I understand. I saw your subordinate meet the middleman, but it could have been coincidence."
"......"
"And your plotting the abductions with your close aide at the banquet? That could be my misunderstanding too."
It was all exposed.
Staring at him with a deathly pale face, the Grand Chancellor soon bellowed in fury.
"Evidence! Do you have evidence! Proof that I was involved!"
"Hm..."
"Without evidence, not even Your Majesty can punish me!"
Letting out a sinister chuckle, the Grand Chancellor shouted at the Emperor.
"That's right! Not even Your Majesty can punish the head of internal affairs without evidence!"
"Heh heh, go on."
"Let's make a deal!"
Cornered, he laid out every card that came to mind.
"I'll join Your Majesty's faction! If I align with the royalist side, the shaky Crown Prince's foundation will solidify further!"
"The Crown Prince's position isn't exactly weak. But continue."
"And I'll offer the slaves I gathered to Your Majesty! Collected from across the continent—I guarantee their talents!"
"Ho."
The Emperor, who had seemed bored, suddenly showed interest at his words.
"Hm. How many?"
"A pair of adult male and female, plus one girl! The man hails from the Viheight Kingdom, the woman from the Liam Kingdom and a forest elf from the Great Forest!"
"Great Forest, eh. Quite the prize."
The reclusive forest folk rarely ventured beyond their borders.
And an elf, not just any beastkin—that multiplied the value several times over.
Reading the keen curiosity in the Emperor's eyes, the Grand Chancellor inwardly cheered.
'I'll throw him some decent stock like this and slip away. I'll have to lay low for a while.'
The fact that all his actions had been read meant there was a traitor in his midst.
Deal with the internal traitor, lay low, and bide his time.
The Grand Chancellor realized this alone had set his plans back a decade.
'To have this much intel, it has to be one of my close aides. Those bastards! Betraying me of all people!'
But such thoughts didn't last.
"Thanks for the info. Anything else to offer?"
"...Pardon?"
The Emperor brushed it off so casually.
The Grand Chancellor blankly parroted back, uncomprehending.
"What's wrong? What you've offered so far holds little appeal for me. Propose something that might truly tempt me."
"...What do you require?"
Power and talent rejected, all that remained for the Grand Chancellor was a vast hoard of gold and jewels.
But mere money couldn't sway the Emperor, who controlled the Empire's entire wealth.
Thus, he decided to offer a blank check instead.
He resolved to accept whatever the Emperor demanded. But the words that followed left him dumbfounded.
"Can you make my heart race?"
"What do you... mean by..."
What kind of nonsense was that?
No matter how he racked his sharp mind, the Grand Chancellor couldn't grasp the Emperor's intent and scowled.
How much time passed?
The Emperor, eyes closed, finally looked at him and spoke.
"That was a slip just now. Answer this instead, and I'll consider your deal favorably."
"Wh-What is it...!"
"Do you know how you got caught by me?"
"Th-That is..."
How did he know that!
He had planned to root out the traitor starting now, but shock overwhelmed him, and he couldn't speak easily.
He wished it were a joke, but the Emperor's face was dead serious.
Finally, after mumbling, the Grand Chancellor forced out words.
"It... couldn't be Advisor Yu Sa Hon..."
"...Is that your answer?"
"N-No! It's Vice Minister of State Affairs, Ching Shun!"
The Grand Chancellor rattled off every close aide's name he could recall.
But as the list grew, the Emperor's expression only grew more bored.
How much time passed?
Stopping him as he recited even lowly subordinates' names, the Emperor spoke.
"Enough. That's it."
"Y-Your Majesty!"
"Pathetic. And these were talents I handpicked. This is all you have?"
"Ugh...!"
As the Emperor's interest fully waned, the trembling Grand Chancellor screamed in hysteria.
"I! I did nothing!"
"...Heh."
"Evidence! I said, evidence! Without it, you can't punish me!"
The Emperor shook his head at the Grand Chancellor, veins bulging in his neck as he ranted endlessly.
"Pity."
"Show me the evidence, Yeongnakje!"
"When did I need permission?"
"Evidence...!"
"I am the law, Grand Chancellor."
That was the end.
The Emperor gazed at the spot where the Grand Chancellor had vanished in an instant, then murmured lowly.
"...Search the Grand Chancellor's residence. Strip it bare of anything that could serve as evidence."
"......"
"And bring the slaves he mentioned to the palace. I'll inspect them personally to see if they please my eye."
Ignoring faint noises from around him, the Emperor slowly closed his eyes.
Seated atop the jade throne with eyes shut, he recalled the boy who had boldly proposed a deal.
.
.
.
{Your Majesty, let's make a deal.}
In the middle of the banquet hall, the boy had approached him out of nowhere, cleared the surroundings by force, and said that.
{A deal? With me? And you?}
The Emperor, who had met him privately in amusement, gladly played along at the boy's audacity.
{As Your Majesty knows, there's some insolent fool targeting the nobles' children around the venue.}
{Mm.}
He had already heard that young nobles strolling the banquet hall were vanishing one after another.
The Emperor waited silently for him to continue.
Unfazed by the lack of reaction, the boy said gravely.
{I'll rescue all the abducted children.}
{Hmm?}
The Emperor showed great interest at the boy's words.
{Of course, I'm not charging in blindly. With some of the Ten Emperors already searching, I'll focus on rugged terrain around the capital.}
{For search efforts, the Ten Emperors are already on it, as you said. And how could I send a child like you into danger? Not even for your father the Martial Emperor.}
To the Emperor's logical refusal, the boy persisted.
{Naturally, I won't act alone. Besides, this concerns my family's safety. Father would surely allow it.}
{Hmm... family's safety...}
The Emperor pondered, hand on chin.
He was quite curious how family had entered the picture, but the boy's resolve was clear.
Still, sending a mere 12-year-old alone was out of the question.
The Emperor considered available forces.
The boy's father, the Martial Emperor, was already searching with other Ten Emperors.
Remaining were the Flame Emperor patrolling the venue and the Sword Emperor, who had come with his young child.
{Only the Flame and Sword Emperors remain. Go with one of them.}
{Thank you, Your Majesty!}
Gazing at the lightly bowing boy, the Emperor eyed his eager gaze.
{So, what do you demand as recompense from me?}
{Capture their mastermind.}
{Hmm. The mastermind...}
The Emperor pondered gravely.
{That's tricky. I haven't identified them yet either.}
{No, Your Majesty.}
But the boy's firm words reached his ears.
{You know.}
{...Why do you think that?}
Suppressing a leaking laugh, the Emperor asked back.
{You have eyes that see what others can't, don't you?}
{...Heh. Eyes that see what others can't?}
Grinning deeply, he regarded the boy.
Unbowed by the imperial gaze, the boy met his eyes squarely and continued without hesitation.
{The first talent Your Majesty gathered. Not among the Ten Emperors, but you wouldn't have passed them over. Keeping them secret, perhaps?}
{...Do you know who?}
{Well, I first thought Dark Chancellor, but the gender didn't match. So, probably Shadow Chancellor?}
{Kuhahaha!}
What kind of child was this!
To so easily unmask the one he, the Emperor, had painstakingly hidden!
{Haha! Excellent! I accept your deal! To think you'd notice my eyes!}
{...I felt the gaze the other day. Pure coincidence.}
The boy tried to brush it off amid the extraordinary reaction, but it fell on deaf ears.
{Indeed, I know their mastermind through the Shadow Chancellor.}
But there, the Emperor changed expression.
{However, I won't punish him.}
{...Why not?}
{I value his talent immensely. The nobles sold on the market would be recovered quickly once my search parties move anyway. A few unlucky misses at worst.}
Harboring him as the mastermind outweighed that.
Smiling brightly, the Emperor watched the boy's reaction.
Visibly annoyed, the boy took a deep breath before blurting out.
{Is that mastermind better than me?}
{Hm?}
{Does the mastermind have more talent than me?}
'This kid.'
Amused by the boy now dropping all decorum, the Emperor grinned.
{No, not at all. I guarantee no one in the Empire surpasses your talent.}
{Then capture the mastermind.}
{But that's... difficult...}
{I'll leave the Empire.}
{...Pardon?}
{Abandon Empire and clan alike, flee to another country.}
{Wait, hold on.}
It was quite disconcerting even for the Emperor.
So flustered, he stared at the boy with trembling eyes, unaware his own face had paled.
{Why? Think I can't? I've got options. Liam next door, Viheight, or even cross the continent to Lukidus if needed.}
{W-Wait! Let's talk! Talk this out!}
But ignoring the Emperor's pleas, the boy plopped down on the floor.
{Won't capture the mastermind? Then I'm defecting.}
{...For real?}
{Real.}
{Urgh...}
Clutching his head at the boy's antics, the Emperor sighed inwardly.
'Tried to tease him lightly, but it backfired spectacularly.'
Showing weakness to such a precious child.
Deeply regrettable, but unavoidable.
He had planned to deal with the boy over this anyway—might as well rack up some debt.
{Fine. Deal.}
.
.
.
The Emperor couldn't hold back his laughter and let out a chuckle.
"Pffft. To think someone would try blackmailing me. What audacity. Utter audacity."
Speaking alone in the empty throne room, he then addressed the air.
"Shadow Chancellor."
"Thinking about it, this is the first time your stealth has been pierced, isn't it?"
At the same moment, the space behind him rippled.
"Amusing. To think he'd see through even your stealth."
Though not among the Ten Emperors, a figure of exceptional skill bearing the title 'Shadow Chancellor.'
Leader of the Emperor's direct intelligence network, the Jebi Flower—a master of stealth and disguise.
A loyal retainer who had served him faithfully even before ascending the throne.
'To detect the Shadow Chancellor known only to me. Truly no ordinary child.'
Feeling his fondness for the boy swell further, the Emperor formed a deep smile.