He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 195

I Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor – Episode 195 (195/300)

I Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor 195

“As planned, the internal strife among the Elves is intensifying, even after the death of the Spirit King.”

“It seems our strategy of making the remaining rebels believe the Dark Elves killed him is working.”

“Yes, we orchestrated it to appear that way.”

A few days later, Hendrick and I discussed the ongoing war within the Elven Kingdom.

Although I personally eliminated the Spirit King, his death remained a secret.

No Elves witnessed his demise, allowing some to cling to the hope that he’s still alive. If it were the puppet that became his body, then it would be alive.

That’s because the Baron’s daughter possesses the Spirit King’s soul.

This fact will remain a closely guarded secret and will never be revealed to the Elves.

“Strategically, the Dark Elves will eventually suppress the rebellion.”

“But the remnants will likely side with the demons, effectively turning the Elven Kingdom into a ticking time bomb.”

In that state, they can never rebel against the Empire, not even in 100 years.

Of course, this isn’t necessarily bad news for the Dark Elves.

After all, the Dark Elves were originally despised among the Elves, but they became the ruling class under the Empire.

Naturally, our Empire intends to continue guaranteeing their vested interests, so they don’t care whether the Elves suffer or not.

“With this, we’ve permanently neutralized one of humanity’s enemies within the Empire.”

“However, the number of Elves fleeing to the Demon World will likely increase.”

“That’s probable. Well, that would have happened anyway, even without our intervention.”

The Spirit King was already attempting to bring in demons as allies.

So, even if we hadn’t engaged in this deception, the Elves would have inevitably become entangled with demons and devils.

There was no way to prevent it entirely. However, I was satisfied with eliminating the Spirit King and crippling the Elven Kingdom’s potential.

“Then our work in the Elven Kingdom is now complete.”

“Yes. However, can we truly trust them?”

“The Doppelgangers, you mean?”

Hendrick nodded at my question.

When Marionette defected to the Empire, she brought all the Doppelgangers who had been working with her in the Elven Kingdom operation.

In effect, all the Doppelgangers who had been cooperating with the demons had joined us.

On the positive side, the Empire gained a new force of Doppelgangers from the demons.

On the negative side…

“They could become potential spies.”

“That depends on how well you monitor them.”

“Mirror is cooperating in teaching surveillance methods, but how feasible it will be…”

Hendrick looked unsure. It was a task that could be burdensome for him, who had become the head of the intelligence department.

“If you rely solely on surveillance, it will be very difficult.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Treat them humanely, Hendrick.”

“…!”

Marionette pretends otherwise, but she is quite invested in human relationships.

She became engrossed in acting as the Baron’s daughter.

Part of the reason she asked to save the Baron was for that reason, though she would deny it.

“Intelligence agents need to treat their people with respect to foster loyalty. Doppelgangers are no different. In fact, they seem to crave such connections even more.”

The Doppelganger race itself has been ostracized for stealing the appearances of others.

So, they seem to crave human interaction. If that need is met, they won’t easily betray us.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“Then the work here is finished.”

It’s time to return to the Empire.

* * *

“What the Dawnlight Society was aiming for wasn’t just a few coins.”

They sold slaves to the Greenskins [Orcs/Goblins] and smuggled weapons to the Elves.

But there’s no way they were truly motivated by such petty profits.

As if confirming my thoughts, Marionette said.

“Of course, that’s a diversionary tactic, a smokescreen to weaken the Empire’s surveillance capabilities.”

“I suspected as much.”

The potential profit didn’t seem to justify the risks and effort involved.

Besides, the Western Territory of the Greenskins and the Eastern side of the Elven Territory are extremely far apart.

Perhaps this was also an attempt to stretch and disrupt the Empire’s intelligence network.

“Then what are they really aiming for?”

“Ultimately, they’re aiming to bring you down, Emperor. They might claim they’re doing it for the Empire, but that’s just self-serving justification.”

Well, that’s probably it.

Are there any secret societies that purely pursue esoteric knowledge?

Inevitably, those dissatisfied with the current system gather for political reasons.

All the secret societies that existed on Earth were like that, despite being depicted as great guardians of secrets in movies or games.

“But what means do these social misfits have to bring me down? There must be something they’re aiming for or believing in?”

“Of course. Do you remember what I said about the Creator God before?”

“I remember. You didn’t even fully explain what it was.”

I had investigated it upon returning to the Empire, but there wasn’t much information recorded.

Most of the records seemed to have been lost, with traces of intentional erasure from a long time ago.

Just in case, I asked the Empire’s guardian deities, but they didn’t provide a specific answer.

“The Creator God… is the one who throws the dice.”

“The one who throws the dice?”

“In other words, the one who plays the game.”

Game.

That word resonated strangely.

This world, when you truly understand it, is a game, isn’t it? The one I possessed.

“That’s right. He sees this world as a game, one he can manipulate as he pleases.”

“…”

Knowing that it’s potentially a game, I couldn’t help but fall silent at Marionette’s words.

Of course, even if it’s a game, it’s my reality now.

“When he throws the dice, the world gets twisted. The Dawnlight Society is trying to get their hands on that dice.”

“Where is it?”

Marionette pointed to a place on the map with a bitter smile.

“The Demon Realm. The deepest center. The battlefield from fifteen hundred years ago. The place where the emperor of that era killed the Creator God and died in battle.”

The God’s Dice was there.

* * *

“Chairman, both the Greenskins and the Elves have failed.”

Inside the secret hideout of the Dawnlight Society.

The masked members complained to Chairman Conrad.

“Too much money was spent! There were some profits, but overall it was a loss!”

“Neither operation succeeded… I wonder if we overreached from the start!”

These complaints stemmed from recent failures, with most investors suffering losses.

Some profited, but the gains were meager compared to the risks.

But the chairman didn’t seem to care as he replied.

“Those operations were distractions. Even if they failed, all loose ends were tied up.”

“Listen, Chairman. Such things cost money!”

“If you regret a few coins, leave the society. I won’t stop you as long as you keep our secrets.”

“Keugh…”

Everyone fell silent at the chairman’s rebuke.

Even if dissatisfied, they couldn’t leave the society.

Betrayal meant certain death at the hands of the society’s executioners, and the society itself was a vast, indispensable network.

“Everyone, calm down. There’s good news too.”

“Good news, you say…”

“The search for the Demon Realm has made progress. We’ve located the battlefield of the gods from fifteen hundred years ago.”

“Ooh… finally…!”

Everyone was impressed by the chairman’s statement.

It was encouraging that something they thought impossible had finally yielded results.

This meant the cost of diversionary operations would be greatly reduced, which was even more welcome.

Once the real objective was achieved, such distractions would be unnecessary.

“The God’s Dice. What the Demon King of that era tried to obtain, and what the Emperor tried to stop. When the incarnation of the Creator God was summoned, it unleashed disasters that threatened to destroy civilization.”

Pestilence, famine, endless mindless monsters, madness-induced insanity, and so on.

The rampaging dice spewed out disasters with the force to destroy the world, pushing civilization to the brink.

If the emperor of that era hadn’t killed the incarnation of the Creator God, the world would likely have been destroyed.

“We will get our hands on it.”

And the Dawnlight Society were like children fearlessly reaching for a dangerous toy.

“We will take that power and seize the Empire. We will overthrow the mad emperor and create our own world. With that power, we won’t even be swayed by the demons we’ve brought in.”

“…”

Everyone swallowed at the chairman’s outrageous remarks.

“This will lead the Empire to a golden age. Even if the Emperor is capable, how can he compare to the power of the Creator God?”

“It’s… it’s blasphemous, Chairman. The Creator God is an evil god who is being rejected.”

One member, despite being part of a secret society, expressed a deep belief in the Imperial Church.

“Haha, you weren’t meant to be a friend of a secret society.”

“I’m not mocking your faith, but it’s amusing that someone like you is in a place like this. Are you perhaps a mole from the counterintelligence unit?”

“N, no. I’m not such a person. Ahem, but it’s true that the artifact is dangerous, isn’t it?”

At the man’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

It was natural to be concerned about something that had driven the world to the brink of destruction 1,500 years ago.

“Hmph, there’s no need to worry about that. We’ve already contacted the apostle of that being.”

“Who is it?”

“That’s a secret. What’s important is… the counterintelligence unit may come after us as soon as they regain their composure.”

If we’re unlucky, they might have already figured it out, but we couldn’t dwell on the potential consequences.

“So we have to do our best. Not only financial resources, but also the people we send to the field must be the best. First of all, I, the chairman, am going to go there. Are there any who will join me?”

“Cough, cough. I’m too old to run around myself…”

“I’m worried about my family. N, no, I’m definitely not scared.”

The chairman could only laugh at the excuses of the secret society members. It was admirable that he was trying to plot something with these guys.

“Then recommend someone. Someone useful.”

“Ah, there’s one person. He showed quite a bit of talent in the Elven Kingdom’s civil war.”

“Who is it?”

“He was a man named Count Shadow. Shadow is an alias, and his real identity is said to be a collateral descendant of the extinct Karstein family.”

The chairman felt a sense of unease at the member’s words.

“Shadow? He used such an alias?”

“That’s right. Well, it’s not uncommon to use an alias. We’re all like that from the start.”

“…”

That was true. But Conrad thought it was too coincidental that it was Shadow.