Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Contract with the Emperor
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Kang Hyun-soo made his way toward the imperial palace of the Saklant Empire.
‘Charles XIII, huh.’
In Kang Hyun-soo’s memories from before his regression, Charles XIII had been an emperor with no real presence.
‘By the time I was active in the Saklant Empire, he was already dead.’
That meant it was safe to say he had almost no information on Charles XIII.
‘I don’t even know how old he was or how he died.’
The Saklant emperor Kang Hyun-soo knew in detail was Charles XIV, who ascended the throne after Charles XIII.
‘I even met that guy in person.’
He wasn’t incompetent or anything.
‘But his lust for power was way too strong.’
He was a cold-blooded man who constantly drove his political rivals into ruin to bolster imperial authority.
‘It was ultimately self-destructive.’
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Even if it meant reducing humanity’s overall strength, as long as he could strengthen his grip on power?
‘He didn’t care.’
No matter how much he strengthened imperial authority.
‘If the country falls, it’s all worthless.’
Charles XIV’s selfish actions ultimately led to the Saklant Empire’s downfall.
‘And he became the empire’s last emperor.’
He lost his country, his throne, and his life.
‘Judging by his actions so far, Charles XIII seems to have a similar temperament. That’s worrying.’
The Rokto Empire had overcome all its pre-regression misfortunes thanks to Kang Hyun-soo’s efforts.
But the Saklant Empire, on the other hand?
One of its vassal states had collapsed, and its elite forces had been wiped out—a massive blow.
From Kang Hyun-soo’s perspective?
It was like fixing one useful chess piece only for another one to break.
‘Might as well fix up the Saklant Empire properly while I’m at it.’
That way, he could make good use of both.
“Welcome.”
The imperial guards opened the doors to the throne room.
Kang Hyun-soo entered the grand hall where the Saklant Empire’s emperor and nobles were seated.
‘Huh?’
Kang Hyun-soo was quite taken aback upon seeing the face of Saklant Empire’s Emperor Charles XIII.
‘What’s this? He’s just a kid?’
The Emperor Charles XIV in Kang Hyun-soo’s memories had been a man in his seventies.
Since a current emperor was almost never younger than the previous one, Kang Hyun-soo had naturally assumed Charles XIII, the former emperor, was older than Charles XIV.
But that wasn’t the case.
Charles XIII looked like he had just turned fifteen—a mere child.
‘It wasn’t a normal succession.’
The throne typically passed from father to son.
But if the next emperor, Charles XIV, was older than the previous one, Charles XIII?
‘He died without an heir.’
Which meant the throne had likely passed to his father’s brother.
“You must be the leader of the Dark Knights, the Demon-Subduing Blood God?”
Charles XIII asked, gazing at Kang Hyun-soo with eyes full of curiosity.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Thanks to you and the Dark Knights’ exploits, countless imperial subjects were saved. For that, I wish to bestow upon you a title.”
At Charles XIII’s words.
“Your Majesty, a title?”
“He is already a duke of the Rokto Empire.”
“How can Your Majesty speak of granting a title to a duke of the Rokto Empire?”
The nobles rose up like a swarm of bees.
‘What the hell?’
Kang Hyun-soo was quite flustered too.
He had thought he’d just be called in, given some praise, and handed gold or items as rewards. A title?
“Silence! The Demon-Subduing Blood God and the Dark Knights achieved great merit by repelling the undead legion that attacked the capital! How can you call that excessive?”
“However, he is a duke of the Rokto Empire.”
“It’s just an honorary position without any granted territory, isn’t it?”
“There’s no territory, but he holds real power like inspection rights and military authority!”
“That’s only usable during Demon King army invasions or monster attacks, right?”
“That’s true, but...”
“This is an imperial decree! You will not argue further!”
At Charles XIII’s command, the ministers instantly fell silent as if their mouths were sealed with honey.
‘This guy really goes all out.’
Being young, he could certainly throw such tantrums.
But.
‘He’s the emperor.’
You could scold a child for whining.
‘But you can’t stop an emperor who does it.’
In Kang Hyun-soo’s eyes, Charles XIII was brimming with the qualities of a tyrant.
“Remove your helmet and kneel.”
At Charles XIII’s words, Kang Hyun-soo removed his helmet and knelt.
At the same moment, his face—disguised as that of a wanderer race boy—was revealed.
“Oh, he’s a beastkin?”
“More importantly, he looks too young?”
“Such a child is a named player with a divine title and the leader of the Dark Knights?”
The ministers buzzed in shock.
On the other hand, Charles XIII’s face lit up.
“Oh ho!”
Charles XIII sprang up from his seat.
And then.
Step by step.
He strode boldly toward Kang Hyun-soo.
The imperial guards were quite flustered by Charles XIII’s sudden action.
But Charles XIII paid not the slightest mind and approached right up to Kang Hyun-soo’s nose.
“In the name of Charles XIII, Emperor of the Great Saklant Empire, I bestow upon you the surname Darklord and the rank of grand duke.”
At Charles XIII’s declaration.
“Your Majesty!”
“That won’t do!”
The ministers rose again like a swarm of bees.
Kang Hyun-soo was dumbfounded too.
‘Grand duke? What’s that?’
Among the five noble ranks, duke was the highest.
Grand duke was above duke.
It was a title usually given to kings of small nations or imperial royalty.
If Kang Hyun-soo became a grand duke of the Saklant Empire?
All Saklant nobles would have to bow to him.
‘This is ridiculous.’
The title bestowed by Cecilia, the female emperor who was Kang Hyun-soo’s puppet and held real power in the Rokto Empire, was duke.
Yet here was the Saklant emperor, with whom Kang Hyun-soo had no prior connection, granting him the much higher rank of grand duke.
“I clearly said this is an imperial decree and to hold your tongues.”
At Charles XIII’s words, the ministers ground their teeth.
‘Stubborn and reckless.’
At this rate, it was a wonder he wasn’t remembered as a tyrant in Kang Hyun-soo’s pre-regression memories.
Moreover...
‘It’s no wonder I sensed the scent of civil war and rebellion brewing.’
However, in Kang Hyun-soo’s pre-regression memories, there had been no civil war or rebellion in the Saklant Empire.
‘Maybe he was assassinated?’
That seemed plausible.
“Darklord Grand Duke, why don’t you join me for lunch?”
At Charles XIII’s words.
“Understood.”
Kang Hyun-soo readily accepted.
He was a young emperor thick with tyrannical tendencies.
‘But he’s favorable toward me.’
Kang Hyun-soo couldn’t figure out why.
For now.
-From now on, gather as much information as possible on Charles XIII. And tell me everything you know about him right now.
He had no choice but to grill the Golden Lord Saemaal.
-Charles XIII is...
Information on Charles XIII came in immediately.
‘The previous emperor died, and he ascended the throne at just nine years old...’
Until recently, his mother the empress dowager had ruled as regent.
‘And this year, at fifteen, he’s come of age and started ruling personally?’
Nothing else particularly notable.
‘And the chance of rebellion is near zero.’
That was a bit surprising.
‘He’s the legitimate eldest son of the previous emperor’s direct line.’
His legitimacy was rock-solid.
The military pledged loyalty.
And his mother the empress dowager’s family was a prestigious house with great renown in the Saklant Empire.
‘The orc legion invasion caused the problems.’
The subjugation force, following the emperor’s orders, tried to reclaim Frank Kingdom’s territory and suffered near-total annihilation.
It had happened right after Charles XIII began ruling personally as emperor.
‘No wonder his authority is shaken.’
On top of that, the subjugation force’s heavy losses wiped out much of the military faction loyal to the emperor.
In such a situation, the capital faced an undead legion invasion too.
‘If I’d been late, things could’ve gotten really bad.’
The palace might have been seized, and the emperor killed.
‘If he’d fled, he’d have been vilified for abandoning the people.’
But something felt off.
‘I can understand the orc legion invasion route changing.’
But the undead legion, which should have appeared much later, showed up early.
And.
‘Right at the Saklant Empire’s capital.’
They had suffered unexpectedly heavy losses because their main forces were away.
‘Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been impossible.’
The demons from another dimension had attacked as if they knew the Saklant Empire’s troop deployments.
‘The Demon King’s minions definitely intervened.’
And the Demon King’s minions.
‘Are opposed to Charles XIII.’
If he played this right?
‘After the Rokto Empire, I can take the Saklant Empire too.’
One problem though?
‘I don’t know who the Demon King’s minions are.’
He had solid info on the Demon King’s minions lurking in the Rokto Empire.
‘But nothing specific on those in the Saklant Empire.’
That was a shame.
“Sit.”
Charles XIII gestured to a seat.
‘Not afraid of me?’
Kang Hyun-soo was a named player with a divine title.
One with the fearsome title of Demon-Subduing Blood God.
Even with guards present.
‘He’s showing no wariness at all.’
It was as if he had the Marionette skill cast on him.
“I’ve known of your exploits for a while. You crushed Demon King army invasions in the Rokto Empire multiple times, right? How was the Dragon Karas? Was it really that terrifying? The Doppelganger Legion...”
Charles XIII’s eyes sparkled as he bombarded Kang Hyun-soo with questions like a machine gun.
‘Oh?’
Kang Hyun-soo got a feeling.
He calmly spun tales of his battles with the Demon King army.
Of course, loaded with plenty of MSG.
And yet.
“You fought like that and...”
“Ooooh!”
Charles XIII’s reactions were extraordinary.
“In the end, we took down the dragon at great sacrifice.”
“Amazing!”
“And after that...”
Every time Kang Hyun-soo spun his MSG-laden tales, Charles XIII got excited as if he’d been there himself.
‘This guy.’
Now he was certain.
‘He was my fan?’
Like a teenage boy obsessed with an idol.
Charles XIII was obsessed with the secret organization called the Dark Knights.
Especially their leader, the named player with the Demon-Subduing Blood God title—Kang Hyun-soo.
That was why he’d given him the surname Darklord.
‘It might work out easily.’
If his favorability was that high?
Things would be smoother.
At that moment.
“I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“Would it be alright if we date your receipt of the grand duke title back to three months ago, instead of today?”
Three months ago?
That was when the orc legion invasion began.
‘So that’s why he gave me the grand duke title.’
He had ulterior motives to use Kang Hyun-soo.
“I’ve heard the orc legion’s activities have nearly ceased. That must be your and the Dark Knights’ doing, right?”
No need to deny it.
“Yes.”
“Thanks to you, our retreating forces suffered fewer losses.”
“Correct.”
“If you receive the title today, all your past merits go to the Rokto Empire. But if it’s dated three months ago, that changes things.”
It wouldn’t be aid from a Rokto Empire duke.
It would be the Saklant Empire grand duke who shone and overcame the crisis.
Holding dual titles from Rokto and Saklant Empires could be an issue.
‘But I’m a named player with a divine title.’
A being with power even emperors couldn’t touch.
Plus, they were so proud they’d refuse titles like grand duke or duke from Rokto or Saklant emperors.
Once you accepted a title?
You officially became the emperor’s vassal.
‘That’s why he gave me grand duke, higher than duke.’
A form of dilution.
As the latecomer, give a higher title to.
‘Subtly cover up that I’m a Rokto Empire duke.’
He wasn’t just some emperor who lucked into the throne via ‘bloodline power.’
Rather.
‘He’s using his youth to his advantage.’
This.
‘Isn’t bad.’
If he was that sharp?
Kang Hyun-soo’s prepared cards had a good chance of working.