Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Am I Still Dreaming?
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- Am I still dreaming?
Glen Scarlett couldn’t definitively deny the question lingering in his mind.
In a room on the third floor of Building 12.
He sat alone in the empty space, staring blankly at the blood-red moon.
An overwhelming sense of unreality gripped him.
The scenery before his eyes, the situation he was in, even the faint sounds of battle echoing from the hallway beyond—it all felt detached from reality.
It was as if he’d been cast into hell itself.
Glen attuned his ears to the sounds of combat.
The special task force, the leader, and the cadets were no doubt pooling their strength to fend off the encroaching puppets.
How was the battle going?
‘Marco must be worried.’
He always insisted on staying where I could see him. Only then could he protect me with his life.
The face of his loyal retainer, stern as he spoke those words, floated into Glen’s mind.
He had ignored him.
If the third floor was breached and they had to evacuate to the fourth, Marco might not escape in time...
And yet, the thought of dying to one of those puppets didn’t seem like such a bad end.
‘Is this what madness feels like?’
The academy’s enrolled students.
He had witnessed the pathetic displays of those without innate resistance to demonic influence.
Those whose brains had been eroded by madness showed exaggerated emotions and seemed to have lost all normal reasoning.
They had abandoned their human dignity, rampaging like wild beasts.
If that was the typical state of the mad...
Unfortunately, Glen hadn’t descended into madness yet.
His mind remained cool, his emotions subdued. Amid it all, only his thoughts raced quietly.
If he had to put a name to it, it was a calm sort of insanity...
...But Glen knew this detachment wasn’t due to his own resilience.
It was the power of his bloodline.
Among the Great Families, the most noble lineage—the imperial blood—carried such power.
Innate resistance to demonic influence.
Because of it, Glen couldn’t simply rejoice.
He saw even this innate blessing as no different from a curse upon himself.
‘If only I could go mad too.’
Glen viewed his inability to lose his mind as a misfortune.
In a situation like this, madness could serve as an escape.
How easy it would be to cast aside everything and surrender to insanity—the most irresponsible form of avoidance in the world.
So how should he describe his current state of mind?
The maddening realization that he couldn’t go mad?
And atop that, his sharp intellect was still analyzing the situation.
‘...Did Perist really do this?’
He wasn’t sure.
It could be some misunderstanding.
Or it might just be the truth.
Though they shared blood, Glen knew almost nothing about Perist. They’d barely spoken.
They shared the academy’s grounds as students, but their encounters during enrollment could be counted on one hand.
What Glen knew about Perist was this:
Unlike him—who pretended to be a loner while quietly forming his own faction...
Princess Perist was truly alone.
Honestly, Glen Scarlett had even felt a twinge of envy toward such a Perist.
Pitiful as he was, unable to embrace true solitude, Perist always appeared aloof and dignified, standing by herself.
It would have been impossible without immense mental fortitude.
‘However...’
If Perist was truly a follower of the Dark Cult, he wanted to speak with her at least once.
The existence of the Dark Cult, diametrically opposed to the empire, had always piqued Glen’s interest.
It was only natural.
Knowing the ugliness of the imperial family better than most, he was curious about the ideology of those who stood against them.
What was the Dark Cult truly pursuing after the empire’s fall?
If he learned their goal and found himself in agreement...
Glen was prepared to cast aside the Scarlett name at any moment.
It was a rather dangerous thought for the third prince.
Bang!
“......!”
The door flew open roughly.
Glen assumed it was Marco finally coming for him, but the figure standing there was unexpected.
“Huh...?”
At first, he didn’t recognize her.
It was a familiar face, no doubt, but the dissonance in her appearance was too great.
Her usually neat hair was disheveled.
The eyes that had once gazed languidly upon the world trembled violently.
Her torn clothes, bloodstains, and ragged breathing distanced her from any sense of grace.
Yet they couldn’t fully erase her inherent traits.
After all, there was only one cadet in the academy who wore a jet-black dress.
“...Perist?”
No. A puppet?
It was natural for Glen to suspect.
Anyone would, if the mastermind behind it all suddenly burst through the door.
Princess Perist strode forward and seized Glen’s hand.
Glen could have reacted in time, but he didn’t.
He sensed desperation in her movements and demeanor.
“There you are, Glen.”
“What in the world is going on? Why are you here—?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s just escape together.”
“......”
Glen blinked.
“What do you—”
“I know the exit!”
Her scream-like shout cut him off.
Startled by her own voice, Perist continued in a lowered tone.
“...A place that leads out of this reverse world. Only I know it. Not everyone can go. At most two people. But if we make it there, Desberry—the Demon King—won’t be able to pursue us anymore.”
“What in the...”
Glen’s eyes darkened.
He didn’t know the full situation yet. Nor what this sudden appearance by Perist meant.
Yet for some reason...
Watching her behavior made his head cool like ice.
Glen shook off Perist’s hand.
It was a subtle but clear statement of intent.
“Ah...”
“Explain it in a way that makes sense.”
“There’s no time for that!”
Was this how Perist spoke?
He didn’t really know.
They’d never been close enough for him to know her usual tone.
“...Is that so? Then go on your own.”
Glen conveyed his will in a slightly trembling voice. It wasn’t from fear.
The prince was still unaccustomed to conversing with others.
“You’re serious? You’ll die if you stay here.”
He answered the question with silence.
He had never feared death to begin with. He even sincerely thought it wouldn’t be so bad if this place became his grave.
Perist’s attitude suggested she’d leave alone if offended, and he didn’t care.
“......”
Perist trembled slightly as she read Glen’s expression.
He still seemed frail, but there was a grim resolve unique to those who had accepted death, emanating from his eyes.
“...Fine. But we’re short on time, so I’ll make it brief.”
“I’m listening.”
And so Perist told him everything.
“......”
As her story unfolded, Glen’s expression shifted constantly.
But outwardly, the changes were faint compared to the storm raging inside.
When her explanation finally ended...
“So you’re saying...”
Glen’s voice no longer trembled.
“You dragged everyone into this mess, and now you want just the two of us to run?”
His unwavering gaze fixed straight on Perist.
Startled by her brother’s unfamiliar face, Perist tried not to show it.
“...I thought it was all a dream. Looking back, it was Desberry’s deception. You—you could never understand. How long that devil meticulously brainwashed me. I fought you cadets dozens, hundreds of times in this reverse world...”
“......”
The more he heard, the colder his chest grew.
Glen realized the emotion was anger and felt bewildered.
What am I angry about right now?
“So let’s use this chance to get out fast. I’m still ‘connected’ to this world. If I focus, I can go anywhere. So we escape first, then request aid from the imperial family—”
“Why me?”
“...Huh?”
“You could’ve left alone. We’re not close, so I’m curious why you came specifically for me.”
They were imperial kin, but there was no bond or exchange. No familial affection either.
And Princess Perist Scarlett...
“We’re imperial family, aren’t we?”
Gave the answer Glen despised most.
“If two members of the imperial family die at the hands of the Dark Cult? Right in the heart of the capital... The imperial family—no, the empire—would have to react. Whether it’s a declaration of full war or just a political show of fury, the empire’s politics will be thrown into chaos afterward...”
Perist’s words no longer reached him. Her points were undoubtedly valid.
But words change depending on the moment and the speaker.
Even identical phrasing could differ.
So it wasn’t unreasonable for Glen to see all of Perist’s words as disgusting excuses.
Glen’s head began to ache.
‘...An imperial who thinks like this?’
Right then.
“......!”
His body shuddered as if struck by lightning.
It pierced through his thoughts, beliefs, identity—all of it—in one massive shock.
At the same time, he grasped the source of his inexplicable anger, and was even more stunned by its nature.
“Glen?”
“......”
He took in Perist with his eyes.
He beheld the pathetic figure who had caused this disaster, let it spiral out of control, and now spoke of flight.
Her state was so shabby and repulsive it was unthinkable for an imperial princess.
Yes.
Glen now felt profound disappointment toward Perist.
‘Why?’
He loathed the imperial family and despised being imperial. Seeing Perist’s true nature should have brought joy.
It didn’t. He couldn’t allow it.
In that moment, Glen recalled the sister from his memories.
Among the hundreds of imperials raised like lab rats, there had been one noble woman who shone as their beacon.
If she were here now.
Deceived by the Demon King’s crude tongue, causing a great calamity, and realizing it was all her sin...
How would she have acted?
“...Ha.”
A laugh escaped through his lips.
It was self-mockery.
In that instant, Glen finally recognized the true feelings he had long ignored.
He had always known, deep down.
Imperial family.
The demeanor, speech, attitude, beliefs, responsibility that such exalted beings must uphold—
They were all indelibly stamped in his heart, modeled after the sister he had once admired.
That’s why he hated himself.
He thought someone like him was unworthy of being imperial. Only someone like his now-deceased sister—who embraced and led everyone—befitted the role.
He had thought it hundreds, thousands of times.
I should have been the one to die.
“What are you doing? We need to hurry.”
Glen didn’t listen further and slapped away Perist’s hand.
“Huh...?”
Discomfort flashed across Perist’s face.
“Is my understanding correct?”
“What?”
“...After causing all this chaos, your true intent is to abandon everyone and flee alone.”
Glen growled it out.
It felt like the nerves in his head were snapping.
Anger was an unfamiliar emotion for Glen.
Expressing it purely was even stranger.
Perist spoke in a choked voice.
“It wasn’t my intention! Did you even listen? The Demon King deceived and toyed with me personally. I—I was just tricked, manipulated like a puppet, that’s my only sin...”
“I know the Dark Cult’s methods. They string along the ignorant with honeyed words. You’re right. Ordinarily, the sin lies with the deceiver, the fraudster. Blaming the duped for their ignorance is harsh.”
“R-Right?”
“—If you weren’t imperial.”
Perist flinched.
“Even the same mistake carries different weight for us. Our errors tie not just to the imperial family’s authority and honor, but to the people’s pride. Do you understand? Those at the top must never show disgrace.”
I thought you knew this far better than I do.
Glen didn’t voice that part.
“That’s why we receive lavish support, elite education, luxuries the common folk can’t dream of—to avoid such mistakes.”
“I—I never indulged in luxury...”
“Didn’t you? Then answer me. How many times did you eat at the academy cadet cafeteria during your enrollment?”
“......”
“That dress you wear, the accessories, the black tea you often drink—even Desberry’s clothes changed every time. While commoners played with straw puppets, you dressed yours in fabrics they couldn’t even imagine. If that’s not luxury, what is?”
Perist was speechless.
This brother she’d never paid mind to.
He had a frail impression, couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, always stammering.
Yet what was this boy showing now?
“...Feel shame.”
Glen muttered lowly.
“What does being imperial matter? I won’t deny our status and blood are noble. In most cases, our lives take precedence over others’. But doesn’t that mean our sense of responsibility should weigh even heavier than theirs?”
“I—I...”
Perist unwittingly stepped back.
Soon, her heel bumped against the door.
“If you want to flee, go alone. But before you do, think one last time. What it means for an imperial to abandon innocent citizens and run.”
Without the people, there is no empire, no imperial family.
He stopped himself from adding the clichéd line.
Glen walked past Perist and left the room.
Click.
The moment he closed the door, an inexplicable sense of liberation and refreshment washed over him.
“...Ha.”
A laugh even slipped out.
Had he finally gone mad? He hadn’t expected to feel this unburdened in such a situation.
The Dark Cult that deceived, manipulated, and ultimately killed.
The imperial family that raised and discarded humans like lab animals.
What was right, what was wrong.
Glen didn’t know.
He didn’t want to know.
The imperial blood he had so vehemently denied—the loathsome red of the imperial lineage.
But he couldn’t deny it.
No matter how he denied it or thrashed about, some things didn’t change. Like tearing open skin to reveal the red blood beneath.
- Hey, Glen. You know...
Suddenly, Ruan Bednicker’s words from right before he left resurfaced.
- Remember what I told you before?
- Which one?
- That Bednicker is a tool to me, not a brand.
Of course he remembered.
He’d never forget it, even on his deathbed.
- Think about it yourself sometime. Still, the imperial title shines brighter than Bednicker.
- ...Why are you advising me?
Glen hadn’t trusted Ruan Bednicker.
He’d misunderstood his intentions and nearly made a grave mistake.
If Ruan’s personal power had been weaker, it might have left a serious wound that day.
But the response was astounding.
- Kids our age usually bond by scrapping.
- ....
- Sure, I’ve got motives. Your imperial status could be useful to me.
- Useful?
- Once all this blows over... Show me the Nameless King’s Tomb. As a friend perk, Your Highness.
He had chuckled.
‘...Friends.’
A word unrelated to him, but still.
If he survived this.
If he could get out alive, that might not be so bad.
Glen removed his hat.
He tossed aside his glasses.
His red hair, untainted even by the blood-red light, was revealed. His crimson eyes stared straight ahead.
Step...
The third prince of the Nameless Empire walked the hallway.