Chapter 69: Malice (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: Malice (2)
Thump.
The Emperor left the cabin.
Crack, crack.
Soon, the sound of wood splitting echoed from beyond the wooden door. Even after committing such an atrocity, the Emperor was casually chopping firewood as if nothing had happened.
Listening in silence, I felt a wave of dizziness.
'Human malice...'
The Emperor was a living testament to just how dark a human being could become. I had surrendered complete godhood just to pursue being a 'person.' The Emperor was the exact opposite of me.
Before long, members of the Royal Guard entered the cabin. The Emperor must have summoned them through the Royal Steward, Garyeon. With her superhuman hearing, Garyeon had likely already deduced the situation.
'Cruel to the very end.'
The Emperor intended to thoroughly humiliate Oscar. The blow Oscar would feel when his subordinates caught him in the middle of a scandalous affair...
Unsurprisingly, they were utterly shocked.
"Y-You are..."
First, it was because of my presence—Kang Geomma. Finding me bold as brass in the Emperor's personal sanctuary was enough to put the Royal Guard on edge. But the hostility they sharpened against me dissolved cleanly due to the second factor.
"...?!"
Indeed.
"Ar—Armin."
It was because of their captain and the Queen.
The bloodstained Queen, and Oscar murmuring her name in a complete daze.
Unless one were a total fool, it was impossible not to realize the relationship between the two. The only sounds filling the cabin were the crackle of firewood in the fireplace, suppressed groans, and weeping.
"...Captain."
Samseok, who possessed a warm and gentle demeanor, stepped forward as a representative and placed a hand on Oscar's shoulder. Through his touch, the captain's overwhelming emotion was transmitted directly.
"..."
Samseok shook his head slowly. The Royal Guard members lowered their eyes in grim sorrow. The narrow-eyed Second Officer narrowed his eyes even further.
"So that's how it is."
Quick to grasp the situation. It seemed the Second Officer was the brains of the Royal Guard. Turning his back on Oscar and the Queen, he bowed to me.
"Thank you, Heavenly Sword."
The narrow-eyed man lifted his head just slightly. "You are the one who saved our captain."
"I didn't save him. I merely granted a stay of execution."
"...That alone is enough. Giving us time to share a final farewell with him... On behalf of the Royal Guard, I offer my sincere thanks."
"If you look at it that way, sure."
Let's make one thing clear.
"Regardless, Captain Oscar will have to pay for his crimes. Having an affair with the Queen is one thing, but... I assume you understand what I mean."
"..."
The Second Officer paused to choose his words before finally nodding.
"Yes. Not only our captain, but the entire Royal Guard will accept punishment for our transgressions."
"The Royal Guard itself might be disbanded. Perhaps..."
Execution for all.
I swallowed the rest of the words.
"We are prepared for that."
At that, Samseok interjected into the conversation. Though he looked soft-spoken, his tone was surprisingly dignified.
"Before we are heroes, we are soldiers. Staking our lives on every matter is natural. ...Since we forgot the essence of being soldiers, we hold no resentment over paying for our sins with our lives. However..."
After a brief pause, Samseok continued.
"...I wish to apologize to you, Heavenly Sword, and to Princess Victoria. From the bottom of my heart. If our captain was blinded by love, then I suppose we were blinded by honor and desire..."
"As long as you understand."
I replied with feigned indifference and opened the door.
"Haaah."
A sigh escaped me as I prepared to leave. It felt as though the gazes of the Royal Guard were pinning my feet in place.
Did crossing swords once forge some unearned camaraderie? I'm not that soft of a person, though.
I closed the door that I had opened a few inches and scanned their faces. As the Royal Guards stood stiff with tension, I spoke.
"I'll tell you how to avoid the worst-case scenario."
A collective gasp escaped them. I continued.
"Act in the exact opposite manner of how you've acted until now. If you do, while I can't work magic for you, I at least won't speak ill of the Royal Guard or anything like that."
"The opposite, you say... You mean we should protect the Princess."
As expected of a narrow-eyed character, the Second Officer was quick-witted.
"Besides your faction, there must be other forces in the Imperial Court targeting the Princess. And they've likely contacted you multiple times. Am I wrong?"
"..."
They kept their lips tight. Yet, the Second Officer and Samseok affirmed it with their eyes.
"Make a gesture of protecting Victoria from them. Then they'll crawl out on their own, like cockroaches. I'll take care of wiping them out. Induce them that way. If you do, the chances of things spiraling into the worst outcome will diminish. You understand what I mean, right?"
"...Will that really be enough?"
"I don't know what kind of person you took me for, but I'm more merciful than I look."
"...Pardon?"
The Second Officer snapped at Samseok. "Samseok, keep your foolish mouth shut."
"Ah, yes sir."
Though, for someone saying that, wasn't he looking pretty flustered himself?
Anyway.
"I think we should sit down and talk for a bit."
As I walked toward the sofa, the Royal Guard members parted to both sides. Seeing that the tea in the cup had gone cold, Samseok boiled water in the kettle. Steam billowed from the kettle's spout, spreading a faint warmth through the room.
"That's right," I said, clicking my thumbnails together. "I have been extreme up until now. I thought that was for the best, given that the opponents were demons."
"...We thank you once again for saving humanity."
"I'm not looking for compliments. Anyway, that's what I believed. But after getting into a verbal spat with your supreme leader, my mind shifted a bit. The thought suddenly struck me—I really don't want to become like that guy."
Everyone's expressions were... well, how to put it? It looked like words were itching at the tips of their tongues. Sure enough, their eyes darted back and forth toward the outside of the cabin.
"So," I downed the tea Samseok poured for me, "from now on, as long as I judge that someone has genuinely repented, I'm willing to turn a blind eye to a mistake or two."
Kang Geomma is a divine being.
If I believe in them, that belief itself becomes a Blessing. The very purpose of existence for the Miracle Blessing M—which I loved so dearly—was also a Blessing. Only when I, an Outer God, give my affirmation can this world endure.
As dark as human malice is, the value of good intentions grows proportionately greater. I intend to place my bet on that.
* * *
Before taking full action, the Royal Guard held a meeting. The Heavenly Sword showed them consideration by simply quietly drinking his tea. Samseok called out to the narrow-eyed officer to probe his thoughts.
"Second Officer..."
"Don't look so dismal. We avoided the worst-case scenario."
"Yes."
A recruit asked, his pale lips trembling violently.
"W-What will happen to us, Second Officer?"
"We will be court-martialed. Prepare yourselves mentally."
"B-But...! Wasn't this all the Captain acting on his own?! Who could have guessed he was in that kind of relationship with the Queen! Did you know about it, Second Officer?!"
"Knowing my personality, do you think I wouldn't have stopped him if I knew?" the Second Officer snapped, dismissing the notion.
Coming back to his senses, the flustered recruit cowered back down.
"...No, sir."
"And another thing. A member of the Royal Guard trying to wiggle out alone in a situation like this? Have some shame. Do you think the term 'collective responsibility' exists for nothing? Huh? Before committing to this, the Captain called us in one by one and asked if we were in. Everyone who refused was discharged. The reason you are standing in this room right now is because you agreed to it—isn't that right, recruit?"
Silence was his only reply. Even if the recruit had ten mouths, he would have had nothing to say.
An uncomfortable silence settled over them for a moment. Samseok lightly scolded the recruit to break the tension, then turned to the Second Officer.
"What matters is that we avoided the worst outcome."
"Correct."
"And the Heavenly Sword has already handed down our orders."
"I know."
Oscar was out of his mind. A heavy responsibility pressed down on the Second Officer's shoulders. For the first time since joining the guards, he faced a moment where he had to make a decision that would decide the fate of the Royal Guard.
"What is the Royal Guard's First Code of Conduct, Samseok?"
"'Absolute obedience to the Voice of the Sun,' sir."
The Second Officer nodded and spoke once more.
"As of this moment, yesterday's sun has set. It is time to welcome a new morning."
"..."
"Does everyone agree?"
The Royal Guard members were indeed men of few words. They simply removed their fur caps without a word, tucked them under their arms, and bowed their heads.
* * *
Escorted by the Royal Guard, Oscar and the Queen were quietly transported to the hospital. Their faces were tightly wrapped in blankets like cocoons. If they caught the attention of any assassination factions, things could get complicated.
Until the Royal Guard moved far away and I departed, the Emperor tirelessly did nothing but chop firewood. It served as mutual confirmation that he and I were hardly on cozy farewell terms. I returned to my room immediately and spent my final night at the Imperial Court.
I heard later that the Royal Steward, Garyeon, stayed up for several nights straight. After all, the Imperial Court had almost been flipped upside down overnight.
Regardless.
I even skipped breakfast. Having finished my business at the Imperial Court, I quickly boarded the private jet with Victoria. Because our departure was sudden, the send-off party was humble. Just a few servants and Samseok of the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard coming was an unexpected surprise. I hadn't expected them to see us off amidst such chaos. Just yesterday, we were having a light(?) scuffle(?), after all. It brought back strange feelings.
Amidst a somewhat chaotic atmosphere, Victoria, Choi Seol-ah, and I embarked on our journey back to Korea.
Except...
"Why are you following us, Shail...?"
We had acquired an extra tag-along.
"The duration of the mission assigned to me by Milady lasts until Master Geomma safely reaches home. Until then, I cannot leave even if I wanted to."
Shail shook her head and feigned a sigh.
She was just wrapping up the fact that she was here to keep an eye on me in fancy words.
"It seems like a bit much for Charon to attend to the Sword Emperor all by himself. I'm fine, so please go back."
"It is fine. I have received leave."
"Pardon?"
"Both Charon and I were granted vacation."
At Shail's words, Choi Seol-ah's eyes widened in surprise.
"Gasp! A maid gets... gets vacation?!"
"We get ten days off every quarter, though?"
"Waaah, I'm so jealous! Ever since I became the Principal's secretary, the longest break I've ever had was three days..."
From the seat next to Choi Seol-ah, Victoria chimed in nonchalantly.
"As far as I know, the Principal never takes off more than a single day. So how does a secretary get two more days of rest than her boss?"
A mere subordinate taking days off? That was undoubtedly the sentiment behind her words.
Choi Seol-ah protested, sounding aggrieved. "Forgive my audacity, Your Highness, but I earn a much lower salary than the Principal!"
"That is only natural."
"...?"
Attagirl. Well spoken, Victoria.
"I do not know if I am in a position to say this, but please serve the Principal well. If I were Instructor Kim, I would have surrendered my days off as well."
"...Yes, Your Highness..."
Choi Seol-ah reached behind her head as if her blood pressure was spiking. She grumbled with sulky eyes, "Even modern-day slaves don't work like this."
Modern-day slave, huh? It was such an anachronistic phrase that it barely registered. Besides, I was out of the loop when it came to modern memes. At the time, I didn't understand what she meant.
However, I would come to realize it soon enough.
After a lively journey home, we arrived safely at our destination: Joaquin Academy.
"You've worked hard."
"I missed you."
"Blegh... I really can't get used to My Lord saying stuff like that."
"Ryozo. Could you cut that guy's salary a bit?"
"Sure. Of course."
"Excuse me?!"
Bathed in the warm welcome of Abel and Ryozo, I washed away the fatigue of my travels. Having witnessed the Emperor's malice, my heart had been left exhausted, making this ordinary yet cozy home feel uniquely precious.
However... I saw it. A 'true malice' that surpassed even that of the Emperor.
And from none other than my beloved Ryozo.
"I'm thinking of establishing a 'graduate school.'"
It was only my second day back home.
— Malice. End.