Chapter 60: Home Visit (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Home Visit (3)
The Emperor looked up at the stars.
Doing so brought back memories of his youth fifty years ago, lying in a cradle and watching a mobile sway in the night sky.
He had been a mere infant back then, yet every single memory remained vivid.
“There are things in this world one would rather forget.”
Memories fade with the passage of time. That was why people worked so hard to preserve them, taking photos or recording videos.
For the Emperor, however, such efforts were entirely unnecessary. His entire life was being recorded like a film—by virtue of heredity.
The Owl's Blessing.
Its power did not merely stop at digging up personal memories. The true strength of the Owl's Blessing lay in inheriting the memories of his ancestors as well.
‘The knowledge humanity accumulates over ages will one day become truth.’
It was a favorite saying of the Previous Emperor, and also his final dying wish.
Only years after the Previous Emperor’s passing did the current Emperor truly grasp what those words meant.
The Emperor was exceptionally brilliant by nature. Coupled with the Owl’s Blessing, he had been granted the qualification to knock on the door of the 'Truth' that the Imperial Family had dreamed of generation after generation.
“Your Majesty, the night wind is chilly.”
The Royal Steward (Designate) approached silently and spoke. She had been waiting about a hundred meters away while the Emperor conversed with the Heavenly Sword.
“How did he seem to you?” asked the Emperor, tearing his eyes away from the cosmic hues of the night sky, eyes that resembled the midday sun.
“Are you referring to Lord Heavenly Sword?”
“Asking when you already know the answer is a bad habit. Have I not repeatedly said that ancient imperial etiquette ends with my generation? It is precisely because of such wasted time that the imperial court and high society are rapidly declining. It lacks practicality—unlike Heavenly Sword Kang Geomma.”
The Emperor scolded softly. The Royal Steward raised her bowed head.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Enough.”
Her eyes were covered with bandages, in the dead center of which was drawn a large red single eye—resembling a Cyclops.
“So, your answer?”
“…As Your Majesty surmised, he does not appear to be a pure human. His breathing technique is entirely different.”
The Royal Steward came from a lineage that had served the Imperial Family for generations. She could detect the sound of breathing even through walls.
Her family's hereditary powers were sensory-type blessings: the [Blessing of Mind's Eye] and the [Blessing of Telepathic Transmission].
Before a child's eyes could open, her clan would tightly bind them with bandages, intentionally depriving them of sight.
Through grueling training, the Royal Steward lost her eyesight in exchange for awakening a transcendent sensory sense. Thus, she heard, discerned, and reported what eyes could not see.
Furthermore, the [Blessing of Mind's Eye] could capture the form of a specific individual's soul, which she then transmitted to the Emperor using the [Blessing of Telepathic Transmission].
The Royal Steward played a major role in making those who granted audiences to the Emperor mistakenly believe—and fear—that His Majesty possessed mind-reading capabilities. She was both the ears and mouth of the Imperial Family.
“It seems my guess was mostly correct.”
Faint lines of amusement formed around the Emperor's mouth.
“The Heavenly Sword is a demigod imitating a human.”
“I agree with Your Majesty's assessment.”
“Perhaps the Heavenly Sword is the primary cause of the recent instability in the Human Realm.”
“While there may not be a direct link, he is almost certainly involved.”
“Hear me, Garyeon.”
The Royal Steward, Garyeon, placed a hand over her heart and dropped to one knee.
“I listen to the words of the Sun.”
“The Heavenly Sword made a certain deal with me. He will stay at the imperial palace for three days before leaving.”
Garyeon instantly caught his drift.
“I shall tail him discreetly and keep watch over him.”
“It must be from a distance where you will not be caught. If discovered, the palace will disavow all knowledge. Should you be caught... you know what to do.”
“I shall take my own life.”
Garyeon answered with indifferent lips.
“I hope I do not lose my ears, Garyeon.”
“I shall do my utmost, Your Majesty.”
“Then leave. I wish to have some time to myself tonight.”
* * *
Buckingham Palace, the residence of the Imperial Family, possessed a quiet, understated charm.
It was not blindingly extravagant like Parsi, but the traces of time etched into its walls were far more elegant than any luxury goods. Overall, furnishings were sparse. Only the bare necessities were present.
An excessively spacious guest bedroom.
I was lying on a solitary bed sitting in the middle of that vast space, staring up at the ceiling.
“Mmm...”
Because there were so few objects in the room, my hum echoed.
‘I just want to go home.’
I couldn't, of course. All because of the deal I struck with the Emperor.
‘The Emperor doesn't just want a single line in history books—he wants an entire page.’
The Emperor touted the distribution of subspace as if it were his life's long-cherished ambition. That alone was an achievement grand enough to leave a massive mark on world history. But...
Humans were naturally greedy creatures.
Furthermore, someone like the Emperor had already been inoculated beforehand thanks to the Archery Saint. Once people like him achieved a certain level, they naturally aimed higher as if it were their birthright. In short, they were a breed whose greed knew no bounds.
‘Given my personality, keeping someone like the Emperor at arm's length is usually the smartest move, but...’
Suddenly, a ceiling painting filled my field of vision. A piece depicting the moment just before the fingertips of a naked man and God touched.
The title was The Creation of Adam. A famous painting even an art illiterate like me recognized. Looking at it, I thought to myself:
‘There are definitely areas where our interests align.’
I was afraid of the Apocalypse.
It wasn't physical injury to myself that scared me. It was the ripple effect that would follow. It was scaring me to death, especially with Chae Lina constantly dropping ominous hints.
That was why I needed even one more ally. Experiencing the Ragnarok incident made me realize that to the core. Trying to overcome the coming Apocalypses all on my own was impossible—completely impossible.
I slipped one hand out from behind my head, pulled out my smartphone, and tapped on the screen with just my thumb.
[Made a deal with the Emperor just now. Wyt?]: ┤┘
The recipient was Yoo Se-in. Sensing there might be eavesdropping ears nearby, I sent a text instead of calling.
Ding-ling!
She must have been awake, as an instant reply arrived.
[Yoo Se-in: How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me what the deal is, you otaku?]
Ah, right.
“…Otaku?”
[Am not.]: ┤┘
[Yoo Se-in: Wow, totally triggered. You really are fun to mess with.]
“...”
Anyway.
I quickly used both hands to text back. I summarized the core points into a modern-style '3-line summary' before sending it.
[Yoo Se-in: (Sighing emoticon)]
[Yoo Se-in: What's the point of telling me after you've already done it? That's not consulting, that's just an announcement.]
[Couldn't pull out my phone in front of the Emperor, could I?]: ┤┘
[Yoo Se-in: Oh please, since when did you care about manners?]
[Yoo Se-in: Anyway]
[Yoo Se-in: I think it's fine for now.]
[3-line summary for your reasons:]: ┤┘
[Yoo Se-in: ...]
[Yoo Se-in: 1. With the Emperor's personnel and material support, you don't have to suffer doing other crap.]
[Yoo Se-in: The End]
[Yoo Se-in: Go lie down and sleep, bye.]
I sought advice in the middle of the night just in case, and sure enough, she delivered. But she called it a 3-line summary and only sent one line?
“…Is she watching me from afar?”
How did she know I was lying down?
Then again, everyone close to me knew I was almost always doing that anyway.
“Takes one to know one.”
In any case, just as Yoo Se-in said, as long as I had the support of the Imperial Family, I could completely erase minor factions from my mind. In technical terms, the Imperial Family was the ultimate 'backer' in existence.
Refusing to make use of that would make me a complete idiot. You strike while the iron is hot. By societal agreement, hesitating means refusal, but the Emperor's offer was far too much money to refuse...
‘Wait, that's not the right line.’
It was a remarkably efficient approach.
After tucking my smartphone away, I drew my EX-rank Sashimi. The moonlight streaming through the large windows that looked out over the sprawling palace glinted off the blade.
I aimed it toward the ceiling. From my perspective, the ceiling painting was split in two—right along the narrow gap between the perverted naked guy and the old man.
“If he tries any funny business...” I muttered, swinging the blade downward. “The Emperor won't be decorating history—he'll be erased from it.”
By the way, I was wondering when I should settle on a name for this sashimi knife. Partly because no suitable name came to mind, but also because there was no need to rush into naming it.
I had blurted out 'Ten-Thousand-Year Frost' only because the owner of Korean Sushi kept nagging me about what I was going to call it.
‘I don't really have a habit of naming objects, though...’
That was something my Master did—someone who couldn't cure his Eighth-Grader Syndrome even in his fifties. For now, I'd just call it the EX-rank. If I was going to give it a name, I wanted to choose carefully.
I believed that everything lived up to its name. Just as I was Kang Geomma, making me the Sword Demon.
“I'll let it slide for today.”
I sheathed the sashimi knife completely and tried to sleep. It was a delicious, dreamless slumber.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a building directly opposite the guest bedroom.
The Royal Steward, Garyeon, pulled her ear away from the window pane while holding her breath. In the next moment, her lips trembled pale and weak.
“…The Heavenly Sword…”
The entire world knew he was a monster.
Which was why she hadn't let her guard down. That was why she had gone out of her way to monitor him from another building.
A warrior who had transcended boundaries like the Heavenly Sword would have an extremely heightened sensory perception. If he were a demigod, it went without saying.
Yet he was still fundamentally a living creature. Being a demigod was merely an assumption, not a confirmed fact.
No matter how developed his sensory perception was, Garyeon had devoted her entire life solely to honing her 'hearing.' Combined with her blessing, even bats could not hold a candle to her.
Up until she began executing the Emperor's command, Garyeon had been fairly confident. But that confidence crumbled in an instant.
—…Is she watching me from afar?
The moment she heard those words:
‘H-How...?!’
Garyeon felt a chill in her chest that quickly turned to ice.
—Takes one to know one.
‘...!’
Cold sweat burst from her pores. Had she unconsciously activated her [Blessing of Telepathic Transmission]? No. She had placed a [Constraint] on that blessing so it would only work with His Majesty.
‘D-D-Does that mean he can read minds...?!’
Oh no! He would read this thought too!
While Garyeon leaned against the wall trembling, the Heavenly Sword's voice continued.
—If he tries any funny business...
An ultimatum followed.
—The Emperor won't be decorating history—he'll be erased from it.
Garyeon collapsed onto her rear.
“…In the end, we were dancing in the palm of your hand all along.”
She could not report this to His Majesty the Emperor. Having already been caught, the only option left to her was...
Garyeon pulled a hairpin from her high braid. Pushing lightly with her thumb, a hidden blade of steel slid out slightly.
‘Suicide...’
The Heavenly Sword would certainly speak of this to the Emperor and express his displeasure. His status stood on equal footing with—or perhaps even above—His Majesty's.
Garyeon hesitated. Faced with actual death, she felt hollow. To be caught on her very first attempt, on the very first day, and forced to take her own life... She had long given up hope of dying of old age, but she wanted to decline dying such a meaningless death.
It was a split second.
—I'll let it slide for today.
“...!”
With those final words, the Heavenly Sword turned away and showed his back. It was a clear gesture telling her to leave while he was still offering mercy.
“Lord Heavenly Sword... I owe you my life...”
Garyeon leaned against the wall and staggered away.
—Home Visit. End.