Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Remnant
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Kalrag Drvolash remembered the day he first met Damian Renekht.
An ugly illegitimate child who hadn't received the world's blessings.
No matter how much heavenly beauty he possessed, what good was it when his very foundation was twisted?
It wasn't uncommon for nobles to have bastards. Kalrag's own father, the previous head of House Drvolash, had one too.
But they weren't accepted as family members. They weren't officially acknowledged. The proper way was to give them enough money to live quietly.
Emperor Lucas hadn't done that. Not only had he let Damian and his mother live in the imperial palace, but he'd also bestowed the family name Renekht upon them.
On top of that, he hadn't hidden his affection for his concubine. Even with Empress Abigail still alive.
Kalrag didn't hold any particular fondness for Abigail. She was a woman consumed by greed, unfit for the role of empress.
Even so, Abigail's situation was unjust.
The imperial palace, which should serve as a model for all the empire's people, couldn't harbor a concubine and her bastard.
Kalrag had advised against it, but Lucas wouldn't listen.
A few years later, the concubine died, and Lucas was no longer fit to sit on the throne.
It was only natural. Unlike his younger days, he had become a flawed man.
Damian was the same. Even with half the imperial blood in his veins, he showed no talent in aura or magic.
As a result, he cowered, trembling and overly conscious of others' gazes.
That pathetic sight combined with an appearance that entranced even men was all the more repulsive.
He genuinely wished the boy would vanish from his sight.
"It was meant to imply that you'd feel no shame in having the chairman's seat taken from you."
And yet, that boy was now lecturing Kalrag about shame.
No, he was no longer a boy.
He was now an undeniable powerhouse whom no one in the empire could treat lightly.
Kalrag couldn't suppress the itch tugging at the corners of his mouth.
If the sight before him was mere 'arrogance,' he could have laughed it off.
Belittling the established order was the privilege of talented youth, wasn't it?
"Hahaha."
But Damian's demeanor wasn't arrogance.
It was 'certainty.'
Certainty that he would resolve any problem if Kalrag just made the decision.
He wanted to see it. Whether that confidence ended in reckless bravado or solid results.
"Oh, of course, I'll return the chairman's position to Chairman Kalrag once this is over. I don't have the spare time to manage Enrica Chamber as well."
Damian joked with a grin. Kalrag shook his head in response.
"……."
"……."
The others could only remain silent.
Was it because they'd been trapped in Enrica Chamber for hours, or were they overwhelmed by Damian's confidence?
"While we're at it, let me ask the rest of you. Does anyone else want to participate in the trial for the next chairman?"
Kalrag scanned the room, but silence reigned.
"Withdrawing midway isn't allowed. The trial ends only when Enrica Chamber deems it impossible to continue."
Death. Or critical injury. The older members stroked their chins, as if realizing something.
There had been cases in the past of sudden deaths or departures due to injuries from Enrica Chamber.
They had taken the trial to become the next chairman—and failed.
The chairmanship of Enrica Chamber wasn't merely an honorary position.
It was a seat one ascended only by proving one's worth with their life on the line.
"Normally, this trial isn't conducted so publicly. But given the circumstances, it seems right to give the other members a chance too."
They eyed one another warily.
Being trapped in Enrica Chamber was frustrating and frightening, but they hadn't yet felt the terror of death.
There was still a chance of escape from within or rescue from outside. No one wanted to stake their life on it lightly.
"Damian. Do we really have to do it this way?"
Erewin tugged at his sleeve. Her eyes were misty.
She was genuinely worried for him—and that made it all the more repulsive.
"Just a little longer. You don't have to risk your life for this. Even if it's the last resort, there are plenty of other powerhouses. Like, like Dallas oppa?"
Dallas's expression hardened at the mention of his name.
He took good care of his own people, but above all, he prioritized his own survival.
He had no desire to risk his neck in something like this.
"No. This is the best way."
Damian patted the back of Erewin's hand to calm her.
"Please trust me."
With him saying that much, Erewin could only swallow her tears and let him go.
For Damian, the prospect of being apart from her even briefly was another joy.
"Then, with no objections, I'll assume we're settled. Those remaining, please pray for Lord Damian's victory."
Kalrag extended his hand again. Damian took it.
"I too pray for Lord Damian's victory."
The two vanished without a trace.
* * *
Thud. Thud. The pair walked down a dark corridor. Enrica Chamber had various facilities beyond the banquet hall.
"It's fortunate that movement on this scale is still possible. If even this weren't, we'd have been stuck waiting helplessly."
Kalrag led the way, a note of enjoyment in his tone.
"For your information, the trial you're about to face will be visible to everyone in the banquet hall."
"That works best. Better than leaving them anxious without any information."
He was incurring a debt to them either way.
He had no intention of turning them into his people like Erewin, but if he could use them, it would help in many ways.
Of course, broadcasting the fight imposed some restrictions.
He couldn't use undead or death knights, for starters.
Other black magic was fine, but necromancy would invite questions about where he'd learned it.
If that led Michael to connect him to Xenon's disappearance, things would get messy prematurely.
He couldn't use sword union either. He had no intention of showing it off, and he hadn't brought Derek's sword anyway.
The reaper shadow was best kept hidden too. No one but Ramsay had seen that power. It needed to remain his trump card for now.
"So, what's the real reason you want to become Enrica Chamber's chairman?"
"……."
He didn't answer. Even if he'd noticed, it was too late to shut it down now.
Damian's reason for coming to Enrica Chamber was to prevent the terrorism that would occur here in advance and to fully secure Kalrag's influence.
He wanted to stay distant from the civil war like in his previous life, while also controlling Enrica Chamber.
But now, there was another reason he needed to become its chairman, at least temporarily.
"How did you know?"
"Your eyes. Your eyes."
Kalrag spun around, pointing to one of his own eyes with a finger.
"When you spoke of the challenge, your eyes held a firm goal. Not the ordinary aim of saving those trapped here. You were clearly gunning for the chairmanship."
"As I said, I'll return the position to you once this crisis is resolved."
"Let's be precise. I'm the one giving you the chance to take the trial. If something happens to me... please take good care of Enrica Chamber from now on, Lord Damian."
"You're talking like I'll pass the trial as a given."
"Yes. Exactly."
Damian couldn't help tilting his head at that. He had confidence.
But there were no absolutes in the world. Variables always existed.
Yet Kalrag's certainty surpassed even his own—and they weren't close enough for that.
"There was one other person who spoke similarly to you."
—Would you feel no shame in having the chairman's seat taken from you?
That was part of why Kalrag was so pleased. It stirred a fond, long-buried memory.
"Who was it?"
"Before that, let me tell you an amusing story. Truth be told, I once stepped down from the chairmanship for about a day mid-term. A new chairman was quietly elected in my place."
The man who had said something similar to Damian.
With Kalrag's consent, he took the trial and was elected chairman.
Then he returned the seat to Kalrag.
"It was His Imperial Majesty the Emperor."
Lucas von Edbalt. The current occupant of the throne Damian aimed for—and the man least suited to it.
He hadn't expected that name to come up.
'So that's the trial he mentioned experiencing.'
Lucas had told Damian about Enrica Chamber's trial.
Knowing that intel had allowed him to make this proposal so readily.
"The Emperor in his youth was truly remarkable. Not just his prowess as a mage, but his ability to lead people. He embodied the very word 'emperor.'"
It wasn't flattery. There was no reason for it, and Kalrag wasn't the type.
He genuinely admired Lucas and felt sorrow for his current state.
"It's embarrassing to confess now, but... that's why I resented you."
It was no surprise. After Marian died, Lucas became a shell of himself. The once-radiant emperor had turned to ashes.
Someone had to bear the resentment. And that someone was only Damian.
"Not anymore?"
A massive door appeared at the corridor's end.
Kalrag opened it, revealing a translucent barrier.
From here, only Damian could enter alone.
"I'm not sure if these words are disrespectful to someone."
He showed no intention of answering the question. So Damian brushed past him and stepped into the trial space.
"You're more like His Imperial Majesty in his prime than I expected. Both of us are fortunate you were already past the barrier when you heard that."
If not, Damian would have challenged Kalrag to a duel before even starting the trial.
* * *
Passing through the barrier, Damian entered a vast space. There was no light source, yet it wasn't dark.
Reflexively, he cast black magic—Gaze—to scan the area.
It exuded a strange aura, but there were no notable mechanisms.
"There it is."
In the distance sat two chairs and a table. One already had an occupant.
With their head bowed, Damian couldn't see their face from where he stood.
'I wonder who it is.'
Lucas had already told him about Enrica Chamber's trial: battling the thought body of a former chairman.
He had no idea who the opponent would be. Kalrag's experience offered little insight.
But in the end, it was just a thought body. A degraded copy of the original.
"Damian Renekht. I participate in the trial to become Enrica Chamber's chairman."
He sat in the remaining chair and addressed the thought body. That would start the trial.
Swoosh. The thought body raised its head.
'Well, this is...'
Seeing that face, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He'd considered the possibility after Kalrag's words but hadn't expected it to actually happen.
It didn't bother him. It might even be the greatest gain from this incident.
Even as a thought body, smashing it would provide vicarious satisfaction.
"……."
The thought body before Damian was Lucas von Edbalt.
His father, whom he loathed beyond measure.