Life Doesn't Go Your Own Way, After All (3)
"Abraxas...."
I never imagined that name would come out of Kali's mouth. Caught off guard just like before, I muttered to myself without thinking, and Kali's eyes flashed as she asked me sharply.
"Why? Have you heard that name before?"
"No. I just thought it was an unusual name."
I shook my head at her probing question and quickly added an answer. But inside, my thoughts were entirely different.
'To think she already knows that name. As expected of the princess.'
Abraxas. To me, who knew the original story, it was a name I couldn't possibly not know—and shouldn't forget.
Humans forget favors but never grudges. They might not remember allies, but enemies? Crystal clear.
To sum up Abraxas in one word: the black behind the scenes. Most of the disasters in this world were their doing.
"At some point, they began revealing themselves in the empire's darkest corners. And slowly extended their wicked influence."
"We haven't pinpointed their exact goal, but it looks like overthrowing the empire."
Similar, but not quite. Same path and direction, but different destinations, I suppose?
Overthrowing the empire wasn't what they truly wanted. No, they aimed to reset the world itself back to a primitive state.
Toppling the empire was just a necessary stepping stone to achieve that extreme end, so it wasn't entirely wrong either.
"What would they even do after overthrowing the empire?"
"Who knows? Even I don't."
I played dumb and asked, but she just shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off my question with a smile. Her lips curved, but her eyes weren't smiling at all.
"We haven't figured out their numbers, structure, bases—nothing. Or rather, we couldn't."
That was only natural. They rarely moved directly themselves.
"They operate in a special way."
"They seduce or incite people, bend them to their will, and reap the results they want from the shadows."
They weren't frontline chargers sweeping enemies or hunters slipping through gaps. They were commanders—masters at rolling the pieces in their grasp to perfection.
The pawns they manipulated knew next to nothing about them. That's why the empire kept failing right up to the original story's endgame.
"Impressive skills."
"It's more than that."
Kali frowned and sighed, then spoke to me in a self-deprecating tone.
"You might not know this, but I do similar things myself sometimes. A crown princess has no choice."
"So I know how difficult it is."
The butterfly effect isn't just a saying. No one knows how a tiny event might ripple back massively. Especially not with something as huge as what they were plotting—trouble could erupt anywhere.
Controlling others while accounting for everything? Impossible without extraordinary power.
"So Abraxas has the intelligence network to grasp every major and minor event across the empire. At least comparable to mine as crown princess."
An information edge bold enough to rival the princess's all-seeing gaze over the empire. For a mere organization to possess that was astonishing in itself.
"That's dangerous. That kind of power."
Knowledge is power, as they say. Intelligence covering the empire's every affair could outmatch raw strength at times.
From her position, she couldn't ignore a hostile force wielding that.
"I must stop them. I have no choice, and it must be done."
"But from behind this desk, it's no easy task."
They excelled at manipulating people. Fighting them by pulling strings from a desk wasn't straightforward.
"That's why I want your help in stopping them."
That's why she needed me—a blade to infiltrate enemy lines, sever the commander's head, and return.
'And of course, I'm the one who caught her eye.'
She could go herself, but the risk was too high. She was a Swordmaster, but as crown princess, any peril meant instant checkmate.
So she wanted a sword. Unshakable by the enemy, strong enough to match them.
"Now it's your choice."
Her story done, she sat still, gazing intently at me. Those golden eyes gleamed, urging me to answer quickly.
I met that heavy stare and carefully opened my mouth.
"It's a truly gracious offer. Wielding this sword for the empire would be a great honor."
"However, I must decline your proposal."
I had to refuse.
"I learned the sword just to survive this harsh world."
"Now, I only want a peaceful life somewhere quiet."
"Fighting unknown enemies indefinitely doesn't appeal to me."
The reason was clear. It clashed completely with the life I wanted. Plus, as a fake Swordmaster, walking that path meant certain death.
"It's no different from aiding the north or saving that woman."
"The scale's different. I hate complicated stuff."
I shook my head firmly, making my refusal plain. Kali, who had listened silently, spoke cautiously once more.
"Ian. I will soon become emperor."
"......!!!"
Her becoming emperor meant the current one's death was imminent. Even a crown princess wouldn't lightly mention the emperor's passing.
Yet she continued calmly, matter-of-factly.
"Yes, it's indefinite. Even dangerous for a Swordmaster."
"But if you become my sword, on the day of my coronation, I'll promise you much in return."
Much. Vague, but literal: land, honor, power—whatever I desired.
Tempting for most, but I listened impassively. Big rewards usually meant big risks.
"The old mages in the Magic Tower are mad and unreliable; the Church stays out of imperial affairs by unwritten rule."
"Most of the few Swordmasters are tied to their territories; one's with the Church."
"Even excluding you, one remains—but that woman's no ordinary lunatic."
Kali ranted about no other candidates but me, shaking her head before fixing me with a final plea.
"I was at a loss when you appeared."
"No one but you can stop them."
She gave a wistful, regretful smile. But such things didn't sway me.
Why not? Even if Abraxas rampaged...
"Ah."
In that moment, pushed aside by the situation, a buried memory resurfaced.
"......"
This world had no heroine.
Meaning no one left to thwart the villains' schemes.
".... Your Highness."
So who steps up? Who on this land stops Abraxas?
Few could handle a secret group like them. But I knew all their plots—and their true nature.
I was one of those few.
"I ask for nothing else. Just a moderately prosperous, peaceful life. That's all."
Nothing changed. I wanted only peace, nothing more.
The state of the world just forced me to shelve that dream temporarily.
"Until the day you become emperor—just that day. I'll do it."
When Kali became emperor, everything would shift. She already wielded near-imperial authority, but then she'd hold absolute power—controlling the entire empire like cards in hand.
Unruly Magic Tower mages, silent Church, wayward Swordmasters. All would obey her.
Then I wouldn't be needed anymore. I just had to hold out until then.
"That's more than enough. Then...."
Her face brightening, she rose to continue—but no, the risks on my end were too high.
And as a fake Swordmaster, I'd need luck too. Charging in unprepared was reckless.
"But on one condition."
So, I'd take everything I could get.