Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Promise
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The emperor still hadn't wiped the smile from his face.
The knights gripped their swords tightly, ready at any moment to harvest the necks of those young lives upon the emperor's command.
But nothing of the sort happened.
The ministers and advisors held their tongues, wary of incurring the emperor's wrath, as he continued his conversation with Karen.
"You want me, the emperor of Montara, to die?"
"You told me to say what I want..."
"That's true. But I'm curious. Why? Why do you desire my death?"
The emperor of the Sun Empire Montara.
He believed himself beloved by the masses—and indeed, he largely was.
More people admired him for shunning corruption, lust, and extravagance to devote himself solely to the empire than despised him for it.
That said, it also meant there were those who hated him.
"I wish Montara would just crumble to dust."
"Y-You...!"
"How dare you! Who do you think you're talking to?!"
"Quiet. If you shout louder than a child's voice, how can the conversation continue?"
"Forgive me! But..."
"Anyone who interrupts this child's words from now on will be punished."
Those who had spoken bowed to the emperor, and he turned his attention back to Karen.
"Why Montara? It shelters the continent's destitute within the empire's embrace."
"You wouldn't understand. Hunger. Cold."
"You're right. I don't know such things. I ascended to this throne before I could comprehend them."
"If it weren't for the empire... our village... sob..."
The elven village where Karen and Karuna had lived was trampled by the empire's army. The twin children who survived it began their lives as slaves, without even names.
That was Karen and Karuna's story.
Hearing their plight, the emperor furrowed his brow.
"An elven village? Ah, you mean that incident during the territorial dispute with Woongkid."
The human empire of Montara shared a border with the troll empire of Woongkid and clashed endlessly. Naturally, there were many victims in the process.
"Haha... At this rate, it seems I have no choice but to grant your request."
"......"
"Very well. I shall grant it."
Fearing punishment for intervening, everyone held their silence, awaiting the emperor's words. If he truly lost his mind and tried to end his own life, they were prepared to jump in regardless.
Fortunately, the emperor maintained his smile and uttered the next sentence.
"But not right now."
"Not... now?"
"Wouldn't that be too unfair? Once you become the empire's strongest knight someday, then we'll talk."
"...A knight?"
"Yes. Then, I shall gladly offer my life. The chance to destroy this empire... with your own hands."
"But slaves can't become knights."
"From the moment you stood before me, you are no longer slaves. I will remove every obstacle in your path, one by one—status, money, systems, prejudices, even your livelihood. With this, I prove my benevolence to you."
It was a shocking declaration.
The emperor of the empire vowing unstinting support for a slave boy and girl.
"Why?"
"In return, you must prove yourselves. That you can bear the weight of those words you spoke."
"...Fine."
"Sir Marcus!"
"Yes!"
"See to these children."
"It would be my honor."
Sss...
Czzzzt...
Once more, the scene Kang Seol and Karuna were watching distorted. Each time, Kang Seol felt a wave of unease.
Like reminiscing on a memory only for it to crumble to dust.
"Karuna, what is this?"
"It seems like my past. Strangely, everything is coming back to me clearly."
"Why..."
"It looks like we've entered the mental world of someone who shares my past."
Karuna, by contrast, grew calm and composed.
Kang Seol took comfort in his demeanor, steadying his own surprise.
Czzzzt...
The next scene they witnessed was on a far grander scale.
"Waaaaah!"
"Sir Karen!"
"Lord Karuna! Look over here!"
Their childhood forms were gone; both now stood fully grown in pristine white armor.
On a towering platform the masses had to crane their necks to see, eight knights stood before the emperor.
The eight human weapons known as the Guardians of the Imperial Family.
The Eight Guardians symbolized the empire's might.
Eight was a sacred number in the Sun Empire Montara, laden with meaning. Since Montara's founding, their number had never changed.
Yet now, the impossible was unfolding.
The emperor approached Karen and Karuna, who knelt on one knee.
Their beauty was otherworldly, fit for the heavens.
Of course, the emperor's own unchanged allure, despite the apparent passage of much time, was equally uncanny.
The emperor spoke.
"Do you remember that day fifteen years ago?"
"I do."
"You wanted to kill me. Has that changed?"
"No."
The crowd murmured.
"Wh-What?!"
"Blasphemy!"
"Drag them out!"
"Silence!"
One of the Eight Guardians silenced the assembly.
With a death sentence possible, all fell quiet.
"I made a promise with those children back then."
"I remember."
"That if you became the empire's strongest knight, I would yield my neck."
"Yes."
"Do you believe you now possess that qualification?"
Karen answered.
"Not yet."
At some point, Karen had come to understand the empire's contradictions.
The emperor was no god. He was insufficient to rule this vast empire perfectly.
Even now, his abilities surpassed any mere human's—yet as emperor, they fell short.
No, anyone in his place would be the same. And yet, he strove endlessly toward perfection.
Before long, Karen understood him.
"Even after giving you so much time... It's a pity. I'm worried I might pass from old age before the day of our promise arrives."
"I will do my utmost to honor it. No matter what."
"But the era waits for no one. Vast powers still threaten the empire. My head could roll at any moment in these times."
"......"
"Karen. And Karuna."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Become my knights. So that someday, you may fulfill your promise to kill me."
To kill him, they would protect him.
A contradictory era. A contradictory world.
And twins who embraced the contradiction.
"We accept."
"We accept."
"Swear it."
Karen and Karuna.
Their words matched perfectly, without a single deviation.
"Karen and Karuna shall become knights of Montara's emperor, Jin Audem Montara. We swear this upon the sun and the stars."
"From this day, you are Guardians of the Imperial Family. Strive for the empire's prosperity."
Dooong— doooong—
A massive bell tolled across the capital.
And an even greater roar of cheers drowned it out.
Those who became the emperor's knights to kill him.
They shattered the rule that the Imperial Guardians must number eight, becoming the ninth and tenth.
It was unprecedented in the great empire's history.
Karuna, beside Kang Seol, spoke quietly.
"Yes. I was a knight of Montara."
"Montara..."
Regrettably, Kang Seol didn't know where Montara was or its grandeur.
'Montara doesn't exist in Pandea now, does it?'
An empire implied vast territory. Yet, as far as he knew, only two such powers dominated the continent.
And neither was named Montara.
'What the hell happened?'
Whoooosh...
Czzzzt...
The scene warped once more.
Karen and Karuna were arguing.
"You're really leaving, Karuna?"
"I told you already. I want to see the world. To confirm if what Jin showed me is truly everything."
"...Okay."
"Sorry, Karen. I couldn't stay till the end."
"Still, a promise is a promise, right? The people of Montara must keep them, no matter how much time passes! Remember that."
"I will."
A promise.
Before parting, Karen and Karuna made one.
"If you come find me, I'll return to Montara anytime."
"Not too late, though!"
"Right."
"Keep the promise."
"When will you let me go?"
"Now."
Karen gripped Karuna's hands tightly—a reluctant gesture.
Lowering her head, she said to him.
"Stay healthy. Live well. We went through so much together."
"...Yeah."
"You bastard, go!"
Czzzzt...
The scene shifted.
This time, only the emperor and Karen appeared in the grand hall. No one else was present.
"Karuna?"
"Yeah, Jin."
"So rude. When will you ever show some respect...?"
"Hehe... Cut me some slack. Besides, you hate stiff relationships more than anyone."
"How long since your last letter?"
"Hmm, three years?"
"Karuna can be so heartless."
"He's probably just busy."
"Or maybe... the world is that vast."
Montara's emperor Jin gazed wistfully at the night view beyond the window.
"Jin..."
"Ruling such a vast empire, I've scarcely ventured beyond the capital. Isn't it strange?"
"Oh dear! Want some pity? Need it?"
"Haha, don't you need pity? You've cried yourself to sleep every night since Karuna left."
"Shut up! Want me to fulfill our promise right now?"
"Sir Rain of the Sun is still around, isn't he?"
"Urgh... True."
"It won't be long, though. The old man spoke of you two."
"What?"
Jin said it casually.
"In about ten years, you might surpass him."
"Really? That stubborn geezer said that?"
"His next ten years are just growing old. Yours will be different."
"Heh... So that day will come after all."
Suddenly, both fell silent.
Karen scratched the back of her head and asked Jin.
"Jin."
"What."
"Why did you take us in? Mercy? Curiosity? Collector instinct?"
"Because you were special."
"What?"
"Twin elves sharing the power of the moon and the power of flame. Even without me, someone would have taken you in. Of course, you'd have ended up in my arms anyway."
"Why were we born with these powers?"
"Well... Sir Rain said something. Hypothetically, if—just if—you two had arisen in the empire during his absence, the vanguard captaincy would have been yours, Karen."
"That's high praise."
The vanguard of the sun.
In Montara, which revered the sun, it was the most honored position.
"Anyway, how'd you hear from Karuna?"
"I contacted him recently."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? I missed him. Can't siblings do that? You damn emperor?"
"Who said otherwise? Embarrassed?"
"Shut it!"
"Hahaha! So?"
Karen scratched her head and grinned.
"He's coming back. A promise is a promise."
"It's been so long... I miss him too, Karuna."
Whoooosh...
Czzzzt...
Scene change.
Kang Seol felt Karuna's breathing grow ragged.
"Karuna?"
"Haa... haa..."
"What's wrong?"
"I... I..."
The new scene lacked the prior beauty.
Roar—!
"Usurpation! It's usurpation!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Sp-Spare... me..."
Pfshk...
The imperial capital had become a sea of flames.
The city once bathed in light now shuddered in scorching heat.
"Sir Rain!"
"Karen! Be careful! There's a traitor among the guardians!"
Traitor.
The blade of betrayal struck from the closest place.
"Don't let these vile scum into the palace!"
"Haa... haa..."
Claaang—! Claaaang!
Pssshk—!
Swords clashed, drowned by countless screams.
Karen had reached her physical and mental limits.
Grinding her teeth...
Ignoring the blood surging from her mouth, she swung her blade of fire.
Roar—!
"Filthy usurpers! As long as I'm here, you'll never enter the palace!"
"Karen, open the gates."
"...Liona, it was you."
The woman who had worn a veiled headdress and advised at Jin's side.
She now sought entry under the traitors' protection.
"Montara is finished. Jin will step down as emperor today. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"...Don't mess with me."
Roar—!
Karen's sword carved a line into the ground.
"Cross it, and die. You cowardly wolves."
"Such confidence."
"...Karuna will come. He promised."
Uneasy glances passed among the usurpers.
Karen and Karuna grew twice as strong together—a unique constitution.
Even Karen alone made breaching the palace difficult; with Karuna, it could spell disaster.
Yet Liona laughed at Karen's words.
"He won't come. Abandon hope, Karen."
"Shut up! He will! He promised to return!"
"Drag her out. Kill her if you must."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Kaboooom—!
Karen's form erupted in flames like an explosion.
Her red armor and flowing crimson hair turned ashen gray like cinders.
Pfsh... pfsh...
"Kek... heh heh..."
"What a monster..."
Karen had slain countless foes and burned even more.
But it wasn't enough.
Collapsing to the ground, she twisted her neck to gaze into the distance. Letting the usurpers pass into the palace, she murmured.
"You promised..."
Czzzzt...
"You'd return..."
Czzzzt...
Zzt... craaaack...
Cracks began spiderwebbing through the world where Kang Seol and Karuna resided.
Karuna muttered blankly.
"I didn't make it. I... I..."
"Karuna!"
Sss...
In the darkened space, a gray silhouette appeared.
Slowly, ever so slowly, approaching Kang Seol and Karuna.
"Why..."
Step. Step.
Craaaack...
"Danger!"
As Kang Seol shouted, the ash-gray woman spoke.
Betrayer
"Did you betray your promise?"
Kraaaash—!
Finally, the world collapsed.
[The Crystal of Death Verdict takes effect.]
[Exiting the corpse's mental world.]
[Rewards are being tallied.]
[Linked adventure continues.]
[Rewards can only be claimed after all adventures conclude.]