Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Defeat
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Emperor Kies bellowed so loudly with rage that it filled the entire room.
"Do I seem like the type who'd do that?!"
"Shut up."
"You bastard, you bastard! Ugh..."
Emperor Kies's mouth clamped shut on its own as he tried to order Darsi's death.
What was this?
He couldn't say the words to kill Darsi. It was as if he'd been brainwashed.
Emperor Kies soon realized what had happened.
The words Darsi had muttered to him moments ago.
'You can't kill me.'
Those words had taken full effect.
But how?
"Searching the whole room was for nothing, huh? I knew you'd been eyeing the clock for a while now."
The curse embedded in his heart had vanished.
He no longer had to obey Emperor Kies's commands. But Emperor Kies didn't know that.
He had no idea that the clock in this room was thirty minutes slow compared to everywhere else.
The moment Darsi regained his power, the first thing he did was brainwash those who had come to kill him.
He cast silent brainwashing while calling their names.
The conditions for brainwashing: make eye contact, call their true name, have the target respond to Darsi's words, then release mana. He executed it perfectly.
All conditions were met.
Now, they couldn't move from their spots while Darsi's brainwashing was active.
No one could move for Emperor Kies. Not even Emperor Kies himself.
Once started, brainwashing continued until the caster stopped it.
It was a perfect defeat for Emperor Kies, who had underestimated Darsi.
"...Haha. Haha!"
Emperor Kies laughed like a madman. Darsi twirled the gun in his hand and stood before him.
His eyes blazed with hatred as he stared at Darsi, who spun the gun around his finger hooked through the trigger guard.
"You're going to use me like a puppet now, aren't you?"
Darsi stopped twirling the gun, aimed it squarely at Emperor Kies's forehead, and shook his head.
"As if. You have to be in your right mind to feel pain raw, don't you? Of course, I'll have to set some limits..."
"You're no different from that lowly bloodline. Deceiving me and—"
Darsi cut off the usual rant about status with an irritated grumble.
"You've been using that line all this time, and pulling it out now just makes you look pathetic, you know? My first demand is..."
Darsi grinned.
"You'll acknowledge me as a prince. I thought up a newspaper headline already... [The Man Always by the Emperor's Side, the Illegitimate Son Who Never Dared Claim the Prince's Seat] or something like that."
Now that he'd decided to stay here, his position had to change. This was the first step toward making that happen.
"I'm going to take back every accomplishment you've stolen and put them in front of me."
"...I absolutely can't do th—"
Darsi grabbed Emperor Kies's chin and pointed at the people staring blankly at them. Their eyes were unfocused.
"Want to get brainwashed? With all these people watching, wouldn't it be better to stay sane? Who knows when I'll release you."
The perfect revenge wasn't death. Something that happened in a fleeting instant would be a refuge for Emperor Kies. Darsi wanted his revenge to drag on for a very long time.
"If you want to end up like that, it's not so bad."
The perfect revenge for Emperor Kies was to trample the life he'd lived his entire life.
The throne he was so proud of. The seat where he could massacre people, oppress mages, and still earn respect. The seat where he'd used Darsi to the fullest without a shred of guilt.
He had to be ousted from the emperor's throne. And the current crown prince candidate had to be removed from that position as well.
Darsi could no longer stand by while Ryan, Emperor Kies's son and his half-brother, used his status to marry Marso or torment her.
"Postpone the crown prince investiture ceremony."
From the conversation between Marso and Marquis Etwar, Emperor Kies had already dangled bait to Marquis Etwar.
There were two reasons he wasn't outright telling Marquis Etwar to make Ryan the crown prince.
First, he wanted to see Ryan's face twist in real time—the man who had lived gracefully as a prince while Darsi slaved away his whole life.
Second, simply taking control of the imperial family wouldn't make him an emperor respected by the people (which Emperor Kies would despise).
Darsi would become the crown prince first, then the emperor.
He would create a situation where a sane Emperor Kies had no choice but to appoint him to the throne with his own mouth.
He planned to make Emperor Kies writhe in agony after crowning him, forcing him to relive that fact for the rest of his life.
He'd make a proper mess before leaving.
He had no intention of remaining emperor forever, but he also had no plans to let Emperor Kies or Ryan inherit the throne.
Just as Emperor Kies had enjoyed watching Darsi struggle, Darsi would enjoy watching Emperor Kies flail.
'Bad habits are contagious.'
His entire life had been under Emperor Kies's yoke, but brainwashing made everything too easy.
He'd let them scheme for at least a few months. So they'd realize it was futile and despair even more.
Falling into endless despair. That was what Darsi wanted.
The emperor's seat was killing two birds with one stone.
'This should let me see Marso happy.'
An emperor surely qualified for that. He could make anything flow the way Marso wanted.
Of course, even before then, he planned to keep meeting Marso and contribute to her happiness.
Actions that others might call overly sentimental didn't feel that way to Darsi at all. To him, everything he'd done so far was utterly rational.
He was even thinking one step further.
'Even after revenge ends and I achieve my goal of seeing Marso happy, maybe I should stick around a bit longer.'
The thoughts spiraled.
'Just like the lie I told at first, become a real merchant.'
Darsi, seriously pondering, pictured Marso's face and sighed. The current situation made things feel bleak.
'I won't see her for a while.'
He could teleport in and out of the mansion, but he had no intention of sneaking around illegally for the time being.
When he visited again, it would be with a proper status, officially.
'Before that... I should check on the theater troupe too.'
Xrair saying she wants to become prime minister? He had no plans to kick out Marso's favorite troupe, but he ought to at least warn her not to spout such vulgar nonsense anymore.
Even if it involved a bit of bloodshed.
As a friend, this much was the least he could do.
After that, at the dinner with Ryan, he planned to crush him completely.
"W-what are you thinking?"
Darsi snapped out of his reverie at Emperor Kies's terrified voice. A bitterness lingered in his mouth, which had been smiling until moments ago.
'Before that, I should indulge in some pettiness.'
Ending it with just a backhand was too lenient for his deep grudge. The resentment he'd thought dulled over time poured out endlessly once the dam broke.
Ancient hatred and rage he hadn't even known existed filled his body and overflowed.
Darsi dusted off his hands. He furrowed his brow and lowered his voice.
"On second thought, killing you now might be better."
Darsi spoke nonchalantly as he drove another Magic Crystal into Emperor Kies's thigh.
Bang! Smoke rose from the barrel with a crisp sound.
"Arghhh!"
It was larger than the last one, so Emperor Kies screamed in agony.
But no one moved.
Darsi ran a hand through his hair, caught his breath, then whispered languidly into Emperor Kies's ear.
"Now, next up is your head..."
Bang. The moment he mimed the sound with his mouth,
"You can't do this to me..."
Emperor Kies collapsed in terror and fainted.
What a lame ending.
'This is enough.'
Darsi tucked the gun back into his waistband and narrowed his eyes.
This was undeniably his space now. Emperor Kies had to be removed from the room.
'Trouble to move him.'
After some thought, Darsi began disarming the people standing there with unfocused eyes.
Guns were handy, but pointless fights were a headache.
The brainwashing was about to wear off, so he needed to leave them weaponless in time.
Once they learned his main magic was brainwashing, they wouldn't rush in so easily.
That wasn't the only reason for releasing the brainwashing.
'It's dangerous not to have a single ally in the palace.'
No matter how great a mage he was or how strong his brainwashing, the palace was vast and there was much to do. He needed a few people who shared his goals if he didn't want to be tied to the palace every moment.
Among them were those who, even in combat clad in armor, had doubted if he was really Emperor Kies.
Examining them one by one, Darsi stood before the Knight Commander whose breathing had synced well during the fight. A former slave, if he recalled.
"Kaisen Hopen."
Darsi called his name.
Like waking from a dream, Kaisen blinked his hazy eyes.
"...You."
The moment Darsi released the brainwashing, Kaisen remembered his face and murmured.
His gaze sharpened gradually.
Finally, Kaisen faced Darsi as a true person for the first time.