He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 116

The soldiers marched in perfect unison, full of vigor.

The citizens showered flower petals on the knights riding on horseback.

“Long live the Emperor!”

“Long live the Empire!”

And at the end of their march stood the supreme ruler of the Empire.

It was me, the Emperor, holding a triumphal return parade.

“Wow! The civil war is over!”

“I heard His Majesty crushed all the nobles who rebelled.”

“Weren’t they all corrupt and rotten bastards anyway?”

“That’s right. Plus, I heard His Majesty is going to implement various reforms in the future.”

“He’s truly a wise and virtuous ruler!”

“The Empire will rise again!”

With the civil war over, the citizens’ expectations were at their peak.

My popularity was, of course, immense, but high popularity was a double-edged sword.

If I made a mistake here, the disappointment would be just as great.

Of course, it’s not like a big problem would arise just because the citizens were disappointed in the Emperor, but either way, it wouldn’t be good.

“Your Majesty, congratulations. The civil war is finally over.”

“This is just the beginning, Mother.”

I waved to the citizens from the palace terrace, talking to the Empress Dowager beside me.

The Empress Dowager’s help in the civil war was considerable, so she could be considered a meritorious subject, but she seemed more interested in something other than receiving recognition for her contributions.

“Now that the civil war is over, you’ll stop wandering outside the palace, won’t you?”

“Well… that’s…”

Unfortunately, that was closer to a mother’s nagging, worrying about her child.

To no longer wander outside… that would be throwing away 80% of my strengths.

As someone with munchkin-like powers [overwhelmingly powerful abilities] who has been solving difficult problems with them, there’s nothing as inefficient as being stuck in the palace.

“I think that would be difficult.”

“Your Majesty, your safety is also a concern, but now you must also take care of your dignity.”

“Dignity… Wouldn’t I have to be even busier to do that?”

“Your Majesty…”

I decided to vaguely appease the Empress Dowager.

However, as the Empress Dowager said, to create the ultimate absolute monarchy system that I wanted, I needed to show a dignified appearance in the palace.

Until now, the Empire had declined to the point where it was almost feudal, so there weren’t many nobles residing in the capital.

But if I crushed the feudal nobles and concentrated power in the hands of the legal nobles, things would change.

They would know that I am the center of power and try to please me, so they would frequently visit the palace.

It would be problematic if I were absent every time.

“But my mother’s words are also correct. I can’t ignore dignity.”

“Then from now on-”

“I should give Mira more authority. Now I should have her attend audiences and court meetings. No, I should even allow her to approve documents. Of course, in a way that she gets approval from the Prime Minister and Mother…”

“…Your Majesty, do you dislike being in the palace that much?”

“It’s not that I dislike it, but I can’t just stay here.”

It wasn’t a joke; it was really like that.

Even though the civil war was over, the Empire still had many enemies.

To the west were the Greenskins [Orcs or similar humanoid creatures], to the east were the Elves, and to the north were the Demons. All of them were hostile to humans.

At least the Beastmen across the southern sea were only lukewarm. Some of them were also hostile.

“I have to conquer or defend against those people. But the Empire is still unstable to leave it to my subordinates.”

There weren’t many people I could trust, and even if I could trust them, their abilities would be insufficient.

In the end, the most effective thing to do was for me, with my strong power, to solve it directly.

“…I understand, then I won’t say anything more.”

“I’m sorry for being stubborn, Mother. Then I’ll be busy and go in first.”

I left as if running away.

“…Should I get him married so he can be a little more serious?”

…I left in such a hurry that I didn’t hear the words behind me properly.

* * *

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to raise an army and conquer some place right away.

Now that the civil war had just ended, it was time to catch my breath.

Clang! Kaang!

Thwack!

“Kugh!”

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm, the level of the Imperial Knights is very high. Thanks to you, I can rest assured.”

I offered a hand to the knight who had fallen while sparring with me, and I gave him generous compliments.

The knight bowed his head with a look of awe.

“Commander of the Imperial Guard, the level of the applicants is sufficient.”

“These are the ones who have been strictly selected from the Imperial Guard. They will be superior to the applicants from the Western Territory.”

“Well, they had many Rangers, so they weren’t that far behind.”

The reason I sparred with them one by one was not simply for sparring, but for a quality check.

It was to check the qualifications to become the Emperor’s Legion.

“More important than that, do you recognize the price? As I have already said, are you all prepared? Once you become a Legion, there is no turning back.”

To that question, the Commander of the Imperial Guard replied with determined eyes.

“I will abandon everything and dedicate myself to the Empire.”

The Commander of the Imperial Guard spoke on behalf of everyone, and all the knights behind him likewise expressed their determination with a military salute.

“Good. Then I will gladly use you as my sword.”

Whoaaa-

At the same time as those words, the Spirit World unfolded.

And the spirits of the Empire appeared, and they would be tested to see if they could truly dedicate themselves to the Empire while facing them countless times.

[Please name the new Legion.]

“Emperor’s Sword.”

[Legion – Emperor’s Sword has been created.]

[Current Legion Status]

[Legion – Rangers]

[Legion – Emperor’s Sword]

[Characteristics of Owned Legions]

[Legion – Rangers: Ranger Tactics Specialization, Regional Administration Specialization, Security Stabilization Specialization]

[Legion – Emperor’s Sword: Knight Tactics Specialization, Knight and Soldier Training Specialization]

The new Legion, centered on the Imperial Guard, was specialized in knight troop types.

Of course, the Legion Rangers can also fight like knights, but things will change if they specialize in their own characteristics over time.

While making them a Legion, I thought about other things to do.

“Then I need to build up my internal affairs for a while…”

I can just leave the small and large reforms and internal affairs to the Prime Minister and vassals without me stepping in.

Then it is better to do what only I can do to build up my internal affairs.

[Activate the Mystery Search Function]

[Searching for Mysteries that can be searched for.]

[The maximum range of the search is currently limited to the territory of the ‘Empire’.]

[If you search for a Mystery, you may gain beneficial effects or benefits for the Empire or the searcher himself.]

I used the ability I gained after obtaining Kalibal’s legacy in the north last time.

“A Mystery… Does that mean something beneficial will happen, like the north becoming warmer?”

Of course, an amazing Mystery like the north becoming warmer wouldn’t be common.

Anyway, I looked for a suitable Mystery that wasn’t too far away and was displayed on the status window.

[Explore the Ruins of the Prospera Temple]

[Location: Magic Zone in the Central Territory]

[Reward: ???]

“This will be appropriate.”

Thus, as soon as the civil war ended, I decided to start an adventure.

* * *

“Monsters are coming. Prepare for defense!”

“Another attack. They never get tired.”

At the hunting camp in the Magic Zone, which has now developed into a frontier, the Magic Zone patrolmen and hunters were preparing for defense.

They had already become skilled in combat, having repelled the periodic monster attacks hundreds of times.

“Leave the small ones alone! Crossbowmen and archers, aim for the medium-sized monsters! Make the barricade more solid!”

“Yes, Sir Forest!”

And the one commanding them now was Jack Forest, a knight from the Rangers who was recognized for both his popularity and ability.

He, who had also been a gamekeeper of the Imperial Palace, was now the de facto head of the Magic Zone Development Team.

Most of them are currently made up of mercenaries, so he doesn’t have a formal position, but he is close to being the commander-in-chief in terms of role.

Thanks to his skillful command, the mercenaries were not afraid even though they were outnumbered.

“First row back! Second row forward, archer squad fire!”

“Kobold Shaman is coming!”

“I’ll snipe him!”

Pooshung! Kehek!

Even while commanding, he eliminated dangerous enemies with near-miraculous snipes in between.

Every time he did, the morale of the mercenaries rose.

“As expected, the captain is amaz-”

Churururuk-

“…Huh? Ugh!”

“Giant Spider!”

“Everyone be careful!”

But today was a little unlucky.

A large monster, a threatening monster that kidnaps people with spider webs—a group of Giant Spiders had appeared.

“Save me!”

“Oh no…!”

The mercenaries who were caught in the spider webs screamed.

Jack shot an arrow, but it was impossible to rescue them because the tough spider web could withstand even an aura-infused arrow.

Shashashashak! Chwaak!

“…! I, I’m alive!”

At that time, a silver flash occurred, and the spider web that had been catching people was cut and released.

“Disgusting spiders.”

A man in black armor and a helmet—it was me disguised as Shadow again.

Seeing the spiders, which were much larger than people, I felt a slight feeling of disgust, but I put aura [magical energy] on my sword.

-Chuaaaaak!

The spiders felt threatened by me and concentrated their spider webs on me.

Shashashak! Chwaak! Seokeok!

But I swung my sword and cut them all off.

-컹! 컹!

In the meantime, Silver ran in and bit one of the spiders.

I also broke into the spiders and gleefully sliced them up.

“A, amazing! He’s so strong!”

“Black armor! That must be Sir Shadow!”

“Don’t just watch, let’s counterattack too!”

Soon, the tide of the battle, which had been leaning towards the spiders, was reversed.

The mercenaries immediately began to push back the monsters with swords, spears, bows, and crossbows.

“We won!”

“Yoohoo! There are a lot of spoils too!”

The mercenaries cheered as the monsters eventually began to retreat.

Even after becoming a frontier and creating farmland or mines, the monsters that periodically attacked were a threat and an opportunity to make money at the same time.

This was because they could sell the materials they left behind for money.

For this reason, mercenaries resided there, and farmers and merchants were protected by them and provided accommodation or did business.

Thanks to that, it was more lively than a safe village.

“The Magic Zone development project seems to be going smoothly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty – no, Sir Shadow.”

Jack glanced at the others and corrected his title for me.

“Excuse me, but what brings you here? Without… without an escort.”

“Is it just one or two days that I go around without an escort?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Jack looked disgusted, but with an expression of ‘I can’t help it’.

I smiled and said.

“I need a guide. How much progress has been made in exploring the deeper parts of the Magic Zone?”

“If you only talk about the speed of progress, the truth is that not much progress has been made. This is because we are busy digesting only the area we have secured now.”

Looking at the monster wave just now, it was understandable.

“But we periodically send out expeditions to scout.”

“Then do you know the location of the abandoned Prospera Temple?”

“Ah, that place… I know it.”

I smiled, thinking that I wouldn’t get lost with Jack’s words.

“However, the expedition that found the temple was wiped out except for one person.”

Jack’s following words were not particularly good news.