Chapter 506: Jealousy is My Power (6)
Chapter 506: Jealousy is My Power (6)
A suffocatingly heavy silence descended.
The room, occupied by only the two of them, was excessively spacious. The antique furniture placed throughout the space exuded a subtle authority, and even the rattling sound of the teapot felt strangely anxiety-inducing.
I remained unable to answer the old man’s question for a long time.
It was an act of such insolence that I wouldn't have been able to complain even if my head were taken right then and there.
My opponent was no mere village elder. He was the pinnacle of the Empire, the core of the continent's power—the Emperor. There were few people in existence who would dare to remain silent in his presence.
And yet, why could I not open my mouth?
The reason was simple and clear. I simply had nothing to say.
‘A dragon hidden in a cradle, a rusty sword that cuts better than a famous blade.’
The Emperor was asking me for the meaning of that cryptic phrase. However, no matter how much I racked my brain, I had never uttered such words in front of others.
No, far from speaking them, it was a code I was hearing for the first time in my life.
If so, there was only one likely hypothesis.
In all probability, it was something the man from the future had said on his own. He must have had his reasons, but would it have killed him to share such important information beforehand?
Perhaps through the long years of war, his social skills had worn away along with his emotions.
My lips parted and closed several times.
As I stood there, cold sweat dripping down my back, a faint snort reached my ears.
The source was obvious.
As if he had expected as much, the Emperor walked with a leisurely gait and sat in a chair prepared in a corner of the room.
A teapot on the table was boiling of its own accord. And as soon as the Emperor lightly touched a teacup, it even poured the warm tea into it.
It was an artifact.
I had never even imagined the luxury of enchanting a mere teapot with such magic, but judging by the faint shimmer of mana, there was no doubt.
Without a word, the Emperor gestured toward the seat opposite him.
“Sit.”
“But, Your Majesty. How can I, as a subject, sit across from my lord…?”
“Have you not already committed enough insolence?”
It was impossible to tell if he was joking or pressuring me.
Of course, it wasn't an illogical point.
A subject remaining silent before his lord meant he was hiding something.
The blue pupils staring at me while he sipped his tea were exceptionally deep. The old man’s dignified tone continued.
“Sit. Or must I say it a third time?”
In the end, I had no choice but to give a short bow and take a seat.
It was an imperial command. As a noble of the Empire, I could not disobey.
Surprisingly, the old man showed no sign of blaming or doubting me.
He merely offered me tea and spoke in a low voice.
“There is no need to be so formal. I am a human just like you. I have simply lived a bit longer.”
“But, the prestige of the Imperial Household rests upon Your Majesty’s shoulders….”
“Who here is there to doubt the prestige of the Imperial Household?”
Swallowing a dry laugh, the Emperor even threw a mischievous joke my way.
“Is it you? Are you the one who dares to doubt the Empire’s majesty?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty.”
I replied, forcing the corners of my trembling mouth upward.
He was a man I couldn't quite pin down.
When one thinks of the Emperor of the Empire, one usually imagines an authoritative, absolute ruler, but the old man sitting before me showed a rather complex side.
Dignity? He had it in spades.
When I first faced him, a shiver had run through me for a moment. Looking into those blue eyes that seemed to pierce through me, I absurdly recalled my first meeting with the Princess.
The sensation of facing the eyes of a dragon.
His gaze delved so deep into a person's soul that the feeling was naturally resurrected. That first impression alone was enough to understand why this man was called the pinnacle of the Empire.
But on the other hand, I also sensed a hint of annoyance toward authority and etiquette.
I had no particular evidence. I didn't know why, but I found myself understanding the man known as the Emperor to some degree.
That made him even harder to deal with.
Because I couldn't fathom his true intentions.
This was also why I didn't like politicians.
I would rather face a subordinate of the Evil God with nothing but a sword.
Since one of us was hesitating, the other had no choice but to lead the conversation.
“Are you not curious?”
“……Pardon?”
At the Emperor’s sudden question, I once again failed to respond appropriately.
Despite my blank reaction, the Emperor showed no sign of displeasure. He merely sipped the fragrant tea.
“About everything… What is the Imperial Long-Cherished Wish? Why did the Emperor, who appeared out of nowhere, bring up this specific topic, and why does he say nothing even when you fail to give a proper answer?”
They were all questions that were hard to deny.
When I sipped my tea instead of answering, the Emperor burst into a hearty laugh.
“It was the same for the Imperial Household when we looked at you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it was impossible to gauge your true identity.”
As he said this, his blue gaze swept over me, settling heavily once more.
I decided not to speak recklessly.
I was at a clear disadvantage in terms of information. The fewer words, the better.
“According to the investigation, you are merely the second son of a viscount family with some talent for the sword. But from a certain point, your growth became too rapid. At times, even your personality and skills change completely.”
“Your Majesty, regarding that….”
“It isn't you.”
It was a conclusion so firm it felt cold.
And because it was a statement that pierced into the essence of the matter—something no one should have been able to guess—I was momentarily struck dumb.
“I do not know who it is, but someone else is the one shaking the board. You must have had a difficult time… getting caught up in events so suddenly and crossing the threshold of death countless times. Even so, you did your best.”
These were the feelings I had been trying so hard to hide.
Having them pointed out one by one, my mind eventually went blank.
It was a development I hadn't expected at all. Starting from the very first question, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being dragged along by the old man in front of me.
The only question I managed to squeeze out was a single sentence.
“……Do you not doubt me?”
“Why should I?”
It was a question that contained much more context, but the Emperor didn't ask for further explanation.
He merely threw back a short counter-question.
“Because you might be a mole for the Dark Cult? Collecting information no one else knows to gain trust… it’s a classic but excellent scheme to sow discord. But you’ve come too far for that.”
There wasn't a single speck of doubt in his tone.
This meant only one thing.
The Emperor had already made his judgment of me. Perhaps even before we met today.
“It would be nice to plant a spy in the Imperial Core. But the plans the Dark Cult has sacrificed to get this far are too numerous. If it were intentional, there would be no reason not to accept this foolish spy, and if it weren't intentional, you are innocent… Either way, there is no loss in trusting you.”
“You’ve already reached a conclusion, a long time ago.”
Instead of answering, the Emperor leaned his upper body against the back of the chair.
Was it my imagination that the gaze he directed at me seemed somewhat lonely?
“……I understand your heart.”
Another out-of-the-blue comment.
I gulped down my tea, my throat feeling parched. Of course, that didn't extinguish the lingering embers in my chest.
“I was the same. Born into the Imperial Family, I had to give up as much as I enjoyed… I simply chose the best move after the best move, and before I knew it, I had ascended to the throne.”
He referred to himself as ‘I’ instead of ‘We.’
In other words, he was treating me not as the Emperor of the Empire, but as a fellow human being.
There was no reason for the Emperor to deceive me. It wouldn't be a problem to take it as his unvarnished sincerity.
“In truth, I still ask myself from time to time. Was this the best way? Is the burden of being Emperor not too heavy for me?”
It was a story far too heavy to be shared upon a first meeting.
So, as I pondered what to say, I eventually let out a sigh.
The Emperor was right.
He understood my heart. Otherwise, there was no way he would have confessed such inner thoughts.
Because I was the same.
A letter from the future arrived, and my life changed completely. Had I not asked myself several times since then?
Why me?
Why did it have to be me?
It seemed that even the Emperor, who reigned as the absolute ruler of the Empire, was not free from that.
“As the ruler of a nation, I wish to lighten the burden of a young knight with a bright future.”
The Emperor spoke with a more serious expression than ever before.
“Call the one who knows about the Imperial Long-Cherished Wish. I heard he was a loyal retainer of the Empire?”
“But….”
“It might be difficult right now. That is fine.”
As if his business were finished, the old man slowly stood up.
“Contact me whenever you are ready. The Crow is everywhere.”
He meant he would try to contact the ‘me’ from the future, not me.
Because that would be more efficient.
It wasn't an incomprehensible decision. And for me, it was a decision that would put my mind at ease.
At the very least, one of the problems I had to worry about would disappear.
And yet, why?
I couldn't hold back the question that reflexively surged up my throat.
“……May I.”
At that single word, the Emperor’s figure came to a sudden halt.
His heavy blue pupils turned back toward me once more. His gaze was filled with inquiry.
“May I not hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“The Imperial Long-Cherished Wish.”
After the short exchange, the Emperor let out a hollow laugh as if it were absurd.
“It is useless curiosity… Why do you seek to shoulder a heavy burden?”
“I have often asked why it had to be me.”
The Emperor had shared his honest thoughts. So, I decided to confess a corresponding truth.
In fact, it was a resolve I hadn't held for very long.
A single conclusion reached after crossing numerous lines between life and death and resenting both god and fate.
“But now, I want to ask a different question.”
“What question?”
“Why can't it be me?”
At that one sentence, the Emperor hesitated for the first time and failed to give an answer.
Of course, his agitation didn't last long. The Emperor soon wore a bitter expression and turned his back again.
“I shall see you again.”
Thump, thump. The sound of the Emperor’s footsteps echoed in my ears.
Silence.
I sank into thought amidst the quiet.
The Imperial Long-Cherished Wish?
It was a story I had never heard anywhere. In fact, if it were information absolutely necessary to resolve the incident, the man from the future would have mentioned it long ago.
But then, another memory surfaced.
At a certain crossroads, I had once shouted at the man.
That this was my path.
Before I knew it, my hand, which had been fumbling at my waist, tightened its grip.
Snap.
A silver trajectory painted the air. It was a strike like a bolt of lightning; very few martial artists could have reacted to it.
At the very least, the Emperor should not have been one of them.
In the sluggishly flowing time, my eyes met the Emperor’s. The look in the Emperor’s wide-open eyes was clearly one of surprise.
And then, in the time that continued to flow helplessly.
Clang!
With a sharp noise, sparks flew.