Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Faithful Butler
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"Hah!"
I bolted upright in a convulsive fit.
Cold sweat poured out of me like mad.
It felt like I'd just had a horrific nightmare.
"L-Lord Reinhardt. Are you all right?"
A man rushed in, flinging the door open.
It was a familiar face.
A frail old man, now well into his sixties.
"...Germin?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Germin is here. Are you in a lot of pain again today?"
Are you in a lot of pain today?
Are you all right?
It had been so long since someone had worried about me like this.
No one had asked if I was okay after I ascended to the throne as emperor.
I'd heard pleas for mercy and curses until I was sick of them.
But why was Germin here in front of me?
—It's all right, Your Highness. I know better than anyone that your true nature is kinder than most. So please, don't blame yourself.
Are you in a lot of pain today?
But why was Germin here in front of me?
Are you all right?
—It's all right, Your Highness. I know better than anyone that your true nature is kinder than most. So please, don't blame yourself.
It had been so long since someone had worried about me like this.
No one had asked if I was okay after I ascended to the throne as emperor.
Germin was dead.
I'd heard pleas for mercy and curses until I was sick of them.
I'd killed him myself.
By the time my madness cleared and I came to my senses, he was already dying.
I'd never forgotten that moment, not even for an instant.
'If this hell after death isn't so bad, it's not half terrible.'
The one person who'd truly believed in me and worried for me.
My sole ally, fretting over me until his last breath.
A pang of guilt and joy washed over me.
"Seeing your face makes me feel energy I didn't even have before."
"Y-Yes...?"
A strange look crossed his face, as if he'd seen a ghost.
But I really did feel invigorated.
For some reason, my head didn't hurt.
Ah, of course it wouldn't. I was dead, after all.
"I'm sorry. I've been sorely lacking."
"N-No, not at all. But are you really all right?"
"I'm so fine that even if you cursed me out, I wouldn't mind."
"H-How could I ever curse Your Highness...!"
What a fuss.
But I wasn't just saying it.
My mind was perfectly clear right now.
No headache, no worms crawling in my brain.
A refreshing sensation I'd never felt in my life.
I should've died ages ago if it felt this good.
"Go on, give it a try. You must have one or two things you've wanted to say to me."
"I've never once had such irreverent thoughts!"
"Come now, it's fine. When else will you get the chance?"
"...You seem a bit different from usual today."
Usual?
Well, it had been twenty years since Germin had looked after me.
Back then, I'd been nothing but a spoiled crown prince dissatisfied with everything.
I'd lived even more wildly than during my reign as emperor.
After becoming emperor, I'd waged war on neighboring countries like a madman.
A glint appeared in Germin's eyes.
"Very well. You won't hold it against me?"
"Of course not."
"No taking it back later?"
"Naturally."
Germin drew in a deep breath.
I watched him half in anticipation, half in worry, wondering what grand curse he'd unleash.
"...Lady Versailles of the Countess of Versailles is on her way. You should prepare and head down soon."
"Versailles?"
"Oh dear, you'd forgotten, hadn't you?"
"No..."
I hadn't forgotten.
I remembered having lunch with the daughter of the Countess of Versailles.
It was a horrific incident from my childhood, no doubt, but it was over twenty years ago.
'Not hell, but reality?'
If this was reality, it meant I'd returned to the past.
Regression to the past—something straight out of a novel.
No self-respecting emperor would believe such nonsense.
Yet this maddeningly vivid realism suggested it was neither a dream nor hell.
'Did I return to the past after dying to Malfiel?'
I had no idea how it was possible.
I pinched my cheek.
It hurt.
I couldn't believe it.
If I'd truly gone back twenty years...
This would be before I became emperor, back when I was the mad crown prince plagued by mania.
The worst of times.
[Brain activity 6.3%]
[Commencing biological scan...]
[Decomposing waste products and resynthesizing into proteins...]
A voice echoed in my head.
"Who's there?"
"Pardon?"
Germin didn't seem to hear it.
Maybe my mania was flaring up again.
[I am '[Nano Machine Zero].']
But contrary to my fears, a reply came.
'[Nano Machine Zero]?'
I'd never heard of it.
No one in the empire bore that name, at least.
"A mage? Who's speaking to me and from where?"
[I am located between your frontal and temporal lobes, Master.]
Between the frontal and temporal lobes?
I hadn't a clue what that meant.
All I knew was it was coming from inside my head.
It felt closer than any magic.
It might even be those worms that had stirred my brain for decades.
"...Your Highness."
Germin looked at me with concern.
I shook my head quickly.
Sigh. That look still hurt my heart.
"Don't worry. I'must've been half-asleep and heard things."
"Shall I postpone the appointment?"
"No. More importantly... how much time until lunch?"
"Two hours remain until lunch."
"Then prepare in thirty minutes. I want to be alone until then."
Thirty minutes would be enough.
Germin nodded, reading the seriousness on my face.
"Understood. I'll send the maids in thirty minutes. If anything comes up..."
"Yes. I'll let you know right away if there's a problem."
Germin turned with heavy steps.
Only after confirming he'd closed the door behind him did my expression darken completely.
"...Are you the thing inside my head?"
I asked in a voice cold as ice.
[That is correct.]
The thing answered.
Insane.
A chill ran down my spine.
The presence that had tormented me for decades was suddenly speaking to me.
"Why show yourself now?"
It hadn't appeared even when I'd begged it to stop.
Yet here it was, out of nowhere, after I'd returned to the past.
I couldn't say I didn't resent it.
Even trying to stay calm, my voice kept wavering.
I couldn't contain my agitation.
This was the moment my mania—the worm in my brain—proved real, not delusion or madness.
[Charging is complete due to powerful electrical stimulation.]
Powerful electricity. The image of Malfiel's final attack came to mind.
He'd unleashed arrows of lightning like a thunder god, and that had charged it.
[However, it had been left discharged for so long that it was compressing your nerve fiber bundles. But don't worry. '[Nano Machine Zero]' has regenerated your nerve cells even stronger than before!]
It boasted, but every word was a mystery to me.
Still, I grasped the intent.
"What happens if it compresses those nerve fiber bundles?"
[Damage to the temporal and frontal lobes heightens sensitivity to stimuli, potentially impairing cognitive and memory functions.]
"So, I could kill someone or make wrong judgments without meaning to? Regardless of my true nature?"
[Yes. It can lead to irrational decisions and even symptoms of schizophrenia at times. For more details, refer to relevant papers on 'Changes in Brain Neural Pathways.']
"Ah..."
I was speechless.
This could all be my delusion, a rationalization.
But if it wasn't?
If the worm in my brain had influenced my judgments?
If my mania, my madness, wasn't entirely my own?
My vision blurred for a moment.
I wanted to kill it.
I'd imagined splitting my skull open and crushing the worm countless times.
And yet.
Hearing it speak filled my chest with unfamiliar emotions.
—You're a devil. Should've killed you at birth!
—Cursed crown prince!
—You should never have been born!
The curses rang as vividly as if they were right beside me.
After the mania consumed me, all I remembered were those resentful words.
Whenever my mind cleared, I could only regret what I'd done—nothing more.
So I swallowed hard and asked.
"You're saying I don't have to go mad again?"
[Yes! '[Nano Machine Zero]' will support your mental and physical health with full dedication for life.]
"You're saying... I can live again?"
Even if I'd returned to the past, what right did I have?
Could a tyrant who'd killed millions just live as if nothing happened?
As if to dismiss my doubts.
[Yes!]
The [Nano Machine]'s answer rang out clear as day.