Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 360

360.

‘Why?’

The situation defied his common sense. He had ordered Isana kidnapped and fitted with mana restraints. Having received confirmation of the successful abduction, he was certain his instructions had been followed. He believed this would seal the Spirit King’s existence, yet it seemed to have failed. Come to think of it, the carriage that should have arrived around the time of the ritual hadn’t. He had been too caught up in the success of the banquet to notice. If the contractor had managed to escape and summon the Spirit King, it would be understandable. Yet, doubts lingered. He had invited the Spirit King’s party to the banquet the day before. After assigning guards to ensure they couldn’t escape, he received the report of Isana’s abduction, so he remembered the sequence of events clearly. In short, the contractor, Isana, was in the Imperial Army’s custody, yet the Spirit King had come to the capital alone.

Wasn’t a spirit unable to be separated from its contractor? A premise he had always taken for granted began to crumble. Perhaps he had made a wrong judgment from the start. As he followed this train of thought, he naturally arrived at one question:

Why am I alive?

“Awake?”

“……!”

At the sound of the voice, Yukarte reflexively sat up. A dark shape loomed in the dimly lit space. The figure, who had probably been there from the beginning, muttered in a somewhat husky voice.

“I thought you’d wake up around this time, so I was waiting, but I dozed off.”

‘……Who is it?’

The voice wasn’t familiar, but it had a familiar ring to it. Yukarte calmly examined the figure, still shrouded in shadow. Instead of answering, the other person lit a nearby lamp. Without using flint, light filled the glass sphere with a mere touch. Magic lamps weren’t particularly special among nobles, but they weren’t exactly common either. Possessing such a magical tool was proof that the other person’s status wasn’t low. Of course, the face that was revealed shortly after was far beyond just ‘not low.’ Startled by the unexpected identity, Yukarte soon swallowed a hollow laugh.

“Well, well. Long time no see, Your Majesty Narujen.”

“It has been a while, Grand Duke. Though it doesn’t seem like a pleasant reunion,” Emperor Narujen of the Carters Empire said, his face unmasking his displeasure. Yukarte didn’t particularly care. Ever since he had known him, he had rarely received a favorable attitude. This kind of treatment was nothing new.

“If Your Majesty is here, does that mean I’m in Carters [Referring to the Carters Empire]?”

“Just as you guessed.”

“How did this happen?”

“Someone woke me up in the middle of the night. When I opened my eyes, ‘he’ was standing before me. He threw you at me, telling me to take care of you.”

Now he understood what had happened. Karian, did he save me? The somewhat rigid heart, due to the incomprehensible situation, softened. Regaining some composure, Yukarte smiled gently at Emperor Narujen, who wore a displeased expression.

“I’m in your debt. You must have been taken aback, Your Majesty.”

“I was just about to say that.”

Narujen’s expression became even sterner as he replied.

“You and I are not supposed to know each other publicly. Didn’t we promise never to reveal this relationship, not even to our closest aides, until we die? It’s troublesome to be entangled like this. I hope this never happens again.”

“How heartless. We’re in the same boat, after all.”

“That’s only if you become emperor.”

At the sharp tone, the smile disappeared from Yukarte’s face. The once docile face exuded a chilling aura with just a change in his eyes. However, Emperor Narujen didn’t back down.

“I’ve heard the war isn’t going well. If you’ve fled here as if running away, you must know the situation.”

“So you’re changing your attitude overnight? What admirable loyalty.”

“Watch your words. You should be grateful for my generous treatment. I could have captured you and handed you over to the young emperor.”

“I doubt Your Majesty would do that.”

At the meaningful reply, Emperor Narujen’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.

“Other issues aside, have you forgotten that you entrusted the Crown Prince’s fate to me? Judging by how upset Your Majesty is, it seems I failed, though.”

“……I know nothing of this.”

“Well, I wonder if the Crown Prince would think the same. How many days have passed since I lost consciousness? By now, the spy must have been identified, and if we’re lucky, even those beyond him will have been uncovered.”

“If you had handled things properly in the first place!”

“See? You do know about it.”

“…….”

Yukarte slowly scanned the emperor, who had sealed his lips as if he had eaten honey. The middle-aged man, with a moderate build that was neither sturdy nor weak, had an ordinary appearance that could be found anywhere. Although appearances weren’t everything, he lacked the dignity or majesty that one could feel from someone well-educated and raised. Yukarte was certain that if one removed his well-groomed hair and flamboyant attire, no one would recognize him as the emperor. In fact, the Carters imperial family had always had rather ordinary looks. The first emperor’s genes were so strong that no matter how beautiful the woman he married, the offspring mostly resembled the paternal side. Partly because the first emperor was a bandit, the imperial family had a subtle inferiority complex about their plain looks.

However, Crown Prince Raonhizen was different. Resembling his mother, he wasn’t exceptionally handsome, but he was attractive enough to gain favor wherever he went, and his bearing was so good that he had the dignity of royalty. He would look like a noble even in rags. A successor with handsome looks and talents that were enviable. A son that any father would naturally be proud of, but human psychology is complex. It was fortunate that the Crown Prince was born with the gold-amaranth colored hair, a characteristic of the imperial family. Otherwise, the emperor would have surely doubted his blood relation.

‘No, perhaps he hates him even more because he’s his own flesh and blood.’

When the Crown Prince was young, he was quite fond of his son. He was pleased that he was the only one among his many children to be born with the imperial family’s characteristic hair color and magical talent. But as the grown-up Crown Prince began to stand out, he began to perceive him as a threat. Now, to him, the Crown Prince was nothing more than a competitor. Someone who had what he didn’t, and who handled what he had even better. An object of envy who had surpassed a wall that he himself could never overcome.

How ugly is the sight of someone envying what they don’t have. To someone consumed only by their own emotions, the other person’s intentions are not so important. Rather, the more virtuous their intentions, the deeper the hatred only grows. Yukarte, who had once been such a target, sympathized more with the Crown Prince than with Emperor Narujen. He wondered if he should have gently coaxed that side and switched partners. If he had, things might have become more interesting. As if sensing his thoughts, Emperor Narujen glared. As befitting the emperor of the empire, his perception was anything but ordinary. Yukarte lightly shrugged.

“What are you going to do now?”

The Crown Prince’s defection to the Swalt Empire was not part of the original plan. However, Emperor Narujen, who had always seen him as a thorn in his side, regarded it as a golden opportunity. He decided to use it as a means of the deal that had been originally promised between them.

Now, Emperor Narujen was to receive the fertile granaries of southwestern Swalt in exchange for helping Yukarte, after he became emperor. He was looking for a suitable justification to present to the outside world, and the Crown Prince’s reckless runaway had opened the way. If Yukarte dealt with the Crown Prince as if he were caught up in a civil war, Emperor Narujen would raise an army under the legitimate pretext of having lost his beloved son. Yukarte would then purge all his opponents in the chaos, become emperor with dignity, and then sign a peace treaty with Carters. If he handed over the granaries in return, everything would be perfect.

But the plan had failed, and judging by the atmosphere, the Crown Prince seemed safe. It wasn’t particularly disconcerting, as he had been inwardly anticipating it since he was certain that Isana was alive. Yukarte stroked his chin. His usually smooth skin felt rough because he hadn’t shaved for several days. The unfamiliar sensation was quite pleasing. Since it was customary for priests and unmarried men in the empire not to grow beards, he had always kept his face clean, but he thought it might be nice to grow it out.

“Are you even listening to me?”

At Emperor Narujen’s sharper voice, Yukarte gave a slightly apologetic expression. Of course, it was just an outward expression, and he didn’t actually care. To be thinking about other things in the face of a serious situation was proof that he had fully regained his composure. The more displeased Emperor Narujen’s gaze became as he glared at him, the more a plan was taking shape in Yukarte’s mind.

“It was a mistake to trust you.”

“I’m disappointed that you would say that. The plan was progressing well. The Crown Prince’s affair had an unfortunate outcome, but we can arrange another opportunity soon.”

“Another opportunity? How can you, who couldn’t even protect the imperial palace and fled here, say that?”

“That’s…….”

“Don’t even think about asking me to send troops. I have no intention of losing legitimacy in any way.”

“I wasn’t thinking of that. There’s a better way.”

“A better way?”

“Let me move Ilya [Likely referring to students from the magic academy in Ilya].”

“What…….”

“Just give me a few talents from the academy’s magic department. Then everything will be easily resolved.”

Narujen’s face stiffened as he immediately grasped the meaning.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I don’t know why you’re so averse to it. It’s what you’ve been doing all along.”

“I only chose opponents who wouldn’t cause trouble, didn’t I? But most of the students in the magic department are nobles or those who receive their support. They’re out of the question.”

“Sometimes you have to take risks for the greater good. And when have you ever seen me leave a trace? They’ll all be treated as unfortunate disappearances.”

“Still, that won’t do.”

At the firm answer, Yukarte closed his mouth with a troubled expression. Narujen glared at him with burning eyes. No matter how much they shared the same goals, he was someone who knew at least a minimum of morality and common sense. He didn’t know how uncomfortable he had been all along, giving people up whenever Yukarte wanted. But now he was even trying to cross the line. Touching the nobles! It was bound to cause an uproar that couldn’t be compared to the disappearance of a few commoner talents. There was no way the number of people he was asking for was just one or two. He shouldn’t have joined hands with this guy in the first place. Narujen belatedly regretted it. Even before things had come to this, he didn’t have a good feeling about Yukarte. He wouldn’t have gotten involved if he hadn’t heard of Empress Roahenez’s misfortune.

“Come to think of it, is that story true?”

“That story?”

“About Empress Roahenez. Is it true that Emperor Kyle killed her?”

Since the opportunity was good, Narujen asked what he had been harboring in his heart. It was also the reason that had brought him here.

Roahenez, whom he had met in a foreign land during his days as a crown prince, was the only woman who had stirred his heart. The beautiful and lovely woman knew how to return to others as much as she was loved. When he knew her, they already had fiancés, but he couldn’t easily let go of his feelings. Even after returning home and becoming emperor, he couldn’t forget her for a long time. The news that she had suddenly died greatly confused him. It was even more shocking because he had just heard that she was pregnant with her second child. He secretly sent someone to find out the situation and became connected with Yukarte. It was a natural process, as he was close to Roahenez like a sibling in those days. And Yukarte told him a shocking truth that he couldn’t have imagined. That her husband, Emperor Kyle, had murdered his pregnant wife.

“It’s true that Emperor Kyle suspected the relationship between you and Empress Roahenez. It’s also true that he tried to induce a miscarriage because he couldn’t trust the child’s bloodline. But Emperor Kyle really loved her. The man I know wasn’t someone who would harm the woman he loved with his own hands. Looking at the surrounding circumstances, there were many suspicions surrounding her death.”

“Did you investigate? You didn’t trust me.”

“I just want to be sure of everything.”

If the path had gone wrong, he just needed to correct it. He was going to find out the truth even now.

“Since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you the truth.”

Yukarte’s expression was languid as he replied. The mask of goodness was peeled off, and his true face began to be revealed. His gleaming eyes were like those of a predator staring at its prey. Narujen, tensed, unconsciously stepped back. It was then.

“That’s right, the late emperor didn’t kill her. As Your Majesty said, no matter how vile a hypocrite he was, he wasn’t someone who could kill his beloved wife.”

“Then she…….”

“I killed Roa.”

“……!”

Narujen’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just because of the shock of realizing something he had never known. In fact, he had thought about it several times. He had ignored it because cooperating with him wouldn’t be a loss for him. If he just put up with a few unsettling parts, he could naturally deal with the Crown Prince without getting his hands dirty, and he could also get the fertile land he had always coveted. It was a relationship with more gains than losses.

But that was only a means he could hold onto because there was justification. He couldn’t continue the relationship in this situation where the real killer had confessed. Rather, he would become Narujen’s weakness. His hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

“Today will be the last with you.”

The momentum he had built up in an instant clearly revealed his intentions. But Yukarte didn’t panic and smiled.

“Do you know what mistake Your Majesty made?”

“That I believed your words, I suppose.”

“Haha, you see me as quite naive. I know you were pretending to believe me.”

“…….”

“Your Majesty’s mistake is that you didn’t get rid of me while I was unconscious, even though you didn’t trust me.”

At that moment, Narujen let out a short breath. He felt intense pressure on his neck, and it was difficult to breathe. It felt like something was grabbing his neck and lifting him up. In fact, he was gradually floating in the air. The sensation of touching the ground under his feet had disappeared. Narujen desperately struggled.

Yukarte’s figure came into view in his increasingly blurred vision. Above his calmly smiling face, a black shadow flickered. Even though he didn’t have long hair, it looked like long black hair was fluttering. It was as if something was being superimposed on him. It also looked like two arms were embracing him. Sharp claws wriggled as if they were crawling out. That was the last sight he could see.

The struggling that had continued for a while subsided. Emperor Narujen, who had become quiet, had a blank expression as if he were out of his mind. His body, which had been floating in the air, slowly descended to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he knelt in front of Yukarte as if it were natural.

“Can you hear me?”

“……Give me your orders.”

Yukarte smiled with satisfaction at the desired response. Finally, he could do this much. From the moment he realized that Karian had saved him, he could naturally realize that fact. That he had become a little more detached from being human.

“We’ve gotten another opportunity.”

A low laugh flowed out. He couldn’t tell whether it was himself who was rejoicing, or a part of Karian that had taken root in him, but it didn’t matter. Either way, wasn’t he supposed to handle everything alone? No one understood him. Whether it was the woman he considered like a blood relative, or the subordinates he had raised. In the end, they were all relationships that left his side and became enemies. He didn’t know when, but a twist had occurred in his life. He had to fix that twist.

“That’s why I can’t stop, Roa.”

A low voice scattered in the secluded space. Red light leaked through the thick curtains. Yukarte unhesitatingly threw open the curtains. The sun, which had fallen to just before his eyes, was covering the sky as if exhaling its last breath. It was sunset.