He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 147

The ballroom instantly descended into chaos. Beautiful music was replaced by screams that filled the hall.

“Seize the sacrifices! Don’t let them escape!”

“We don’t need the women! Men! Seize the men!”

“For the Sea Queen!”

As if on cue, the Sea Wraiths, revealing their true forms, began killing women and abducting men. It was unclear how many had been hidden amongst the guests.

“Let’s hurry. Dealing with the Count is one thing, but we can’t let the nobles gathered here all die.”

The nobles were now transitioning from traditional feudal lords to local administrators. Their deaths would create administrative voids, throwing the region into disarray.

I couldn’t let them die or be abducted.

Even in death, they must work as my subjects, my slaves!

[Multiple Shadow Blade Deployment]

Shushushuk! Shushuk!

Shadow blades scattered throughout the chaotic ballroom.

The shadow blades stabbed and slashed at the Sea Wraiths, who were focused on abducting men.

“Gheuk? Deal with that one first!”

“Enemy of the Sea Queen!”

Ah, these guys weren’t very susceptible to physical attacks.

Even with their heads cut off, they didn’t die, like separated seafood.

But setting the place on fire with people mixed in was inappropriate.

Taang!

Shuung! Shung! Peoheok! Puhek!

“What’s wrong? Are you already tired?”

Meanwhile, Sarah freely fired silver magic bullets, eliminating the Sea Wraiths. Even those who showed resistance to the shadow blades were helpless against the silver magic bullets imbued with divine power.

“As if. Silver Rose Transformation.”

[Divinity Deployment]

[Transforms into Blade Whip Form]

“Here I come again!”

Whiririk, Thwack!

Unlike the shadow blades, the Silver Rose in the form of a blade whip, infused with divine power, danced wildly.

Of course, a single whip wasn’t enough to deal with so many enemies.

[Transforms into Multiple Whip Form]

Then, all I had to do was increase the number of whips.

The form of the Silver Rose soon split into several blade whips made of shining silver divine power.

Of course, the more there were, the harder they were to control, but it wasn’t a problem for me, with my genius-level calculation ability.

Chwararak, Seokeok!

“I don’t have time to deal with these small fries [잡것들 – japgeotdeul, Korean slang for insignificant people], where’s the Count?”

“He’s over there!”

Sarah pointed to where the Count was being dragged away by the Countess, who had transformed into a terrifying form with over ten octopus legs.

“Honey, I love you! Let’s be together forever now!”

“Ughaaaa! Let me go, you monster!”

……A remarkable marital relationship was on display, but it was his karma. But I had to save him first.

[Light Wings Deployment]

Shuuuuuuuu-

“Hey, lady, why don’t you put that man down?”

“You can’t stop my love!”

“What a terrible love.”

Shyaaaak!

Activating the Light Wings, I immediately flew there, and octopus tentacles, sharpened like awls, flew at me.

I lightly swung the Silver Rose imbued with aura, cutting them down.

Chyuwaaaak!

“What?”

But ink splattered from the severed tentacles. A deadly acidic ink!

I hurriedly turned my wings, dodging with evasive maneuvers. The ink instead splattered on some of the Sea Wraiths.

“Kkeuaaaak! My flesh is melting!”

The ink was also fatal to the Sea Wraiths, burning them with a foul odor.

Kkulmeulkkulmeul-

“Just cutting them off isn’t going to work either.”

And the severed tentacles grew back in an instant. However, unlike the Sea Wraiths, the regenerative power was maintained even though the previous attack was clearly imbued with divine power.

As a strong entity, it meant that it had some resistance to divine power.

Then, it was necessary to kill it in one go so that regeneration couldn’t keep up.

“Silver Rose, back to its original form. Gather power and strike at once.”

[Transforms to Basic Form]

[Silver Rose, Energy Concentration Rate 30%…….]

“Die!”

While I was gathering power, the Countess stretched out more legs.

Tentacles stretched out, completely eliminating any blind spots, as if to envelop me.

Shushushut, Chyuaak!

“Your Majesty!”

Eventually, the tentacles pierced from all directions. Everyone who watched it was shocked.

Chwaaaaaak!

But of course, it wasn’t me who was hit.

“Ki, Kiyyaaaaaaaak!”

With a flash of light, the octopus legs were instantly chopped and severed.

After all the legs were chopped off, the Countess’s body and neck were also severed.

“I guess I can’t make octopus skewers.”

I muttered quietly, looking down at the woman, who was more like a monster than a person except for her head, which was also chopped up.

Hwareureureureuk-

“That was the last one. Is His Majesty safe?”

“Fortunately, it seems he is safe.”

“……It’s only natural, but that was a close call.”

I could see Stella looking at me with relief after receiving a report from Hendrick.

I also made eye contact with Igritt, who was beating down the Sea Wraiths with her bare hands because she couldn’t bring her axe in advance.

It seemed that the two of them had fought hard as well.

“Hmm, not many people died. It seems to have ended well. Don’t you think so, Count?”

“Hi, Hiiik! Wh, who are you people?”

“Hey, we saved you, and you’re surprised? You should be thanking us instead?”

“Th, thank you…….”

It was an arrogant remark, but it wasn’t wrong, so the Count immediately expressed his gratitude to me.

Of course, I had no intention of receiving gratitude with words alone.

“Count, it’s nice to meet you like this.”

“Yo, you are Sarah Orlant……! Why are you here!”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m not here for a smuggling crackdown today. Of course, I came because of a more serious problem.”

Seeing Sarah, who was also a naval officer in the Southern Territory, the Count revealed his guilty conscience.

Of course, it was obvious what the more serious problem Sarah was talking about was.

“Your wife…… well, she’s in a terrible state, but tell me everything you know about her.”

“I, I don’t know either. I didn’t know she was such a monster!”

“You wouldn’t have married just anyone, would you?”

“Th, that’s…….”

The Count hesitated as if he was having trouble speaking.

“Looks like you haven’t tasted enough bitterness yet. If we can’t track down these cultists, who do you think will lose out? Do you think you’ll be safe?”

I rebuked him as if threatening him. Then the man’s face turned blue.

Even he wouldn’t want to dream of Sea Wraiths coming to abduct him every night.

“I, I’ll tell you. Th, so…… actually, I joined a somewhat…… strange gathering.”

“A gathering? Did you go to some kind of cult gathering?”

“Ah, no. It was definitely not that. It was just an ordinary noble social gathering. No, it wasn’t ordinary, but…….”

The Count was rambling, but he continued to speak.

“Th, there were business-related discussions, but there were also…… somewhat *eomhan* [엄한 – strict, but here implying risqué] parties.”

“…….”

“D, don’t look at me like that! Well, the purpose was actually *geonjeon* [건전 – wholesome, sound], you know. We pirates didn’t have any connections, so we wanted to gain connections and arrange marriages…….”

“So you made connections with nobles who didn’t have money.”

“That’s right. She…… was the same.”

“Then where is her family from?”

“That’s…… I don’t actually know exactly. You know? A significant number of noble families during the last civil war…….”

“……Yes, they either fell or were destroyed.”

Many nobles were swept away by the civil war. Because they were rebels, or because they were killed by rebels, or because their existence was denied by the *gongmyeongcheop* [공명첩 – blank official posts sold during times of crisis] that Sarah and I had spread.

There were many reasons why fallen nobles were created. The gathering that the Count had approached was probably a gathering of such fallen nobles.

“It’s a headache. But you must know more. Hendrick, investigate the Countess further. If necessary, interrogate the Count further.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Hendrick used the term “my lord” instead of “Your Majesty” because there were other people present.

After finishing the initial interrogation, I turned my head. Sarah, who had been watching the interrogation with me, was already somewhere else.

“You two are here too. It’s my first time seeing you in person. Stella, the Apostle of Purification, and Igritt, the Duchess of the North.”

Sarah was facing Stella and Igritt.

“……You are the granddaughter of Grand Duke Orlant.”

“That’s right. Ah, unlike you two, I don’t have a title. I haven’t done anything that great.”

“It’s not that you haven’t done anything.”

Igritt’s eyes sharpened as she looked at Sarah.

“You, and your grandfather, prefer to plot rather than step forward.”

“……Oh my, have I already made a bad impression?”

“My father just told me to be careful of such people.”

“Oh dear. I’m actually a good person if you get to know me.”

……It seemed like a tense conversation was going on.

“Archbishop Stella, you don’t see me that way, do you?”

“……Of course, I don’t. However, there is one thing that bothers me.”

“What is it?”

“You are…… a sixth cousin of His Majesty, right? Then when did you first get to know His Majesty?”

“……Why are you asking that?”

“Hmph, just curious. It seems I was the first to get to know His Majesty among us.”

“…….”

“…….”

Oh, this time it feels like Stella has gained the upper hand in the conversation?

Sarah should have more eloquence than Stella, but this is a rare occurrence.

“Hey, are you all already getting along?”

“……Hmph.”

“Maybe we are getting along.”

“‘Maybe’? That’s an ambiguous answer, Stella.”

I approached them and joined the conversation.

It seems rude to join a conversation between women, but the matter was more important, so I couldn’t help it.

“Seeing the three of you together, I think I know why Mother called everyone.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“It’s about the cult. The members gathered here are just right. Sarah is needed to track down the guys who might be hiding on the island.”

I pointed to Sarah first and said.

“And a great warrior is needed to wipe out the guys on that island. Like Igritt.”

Next was Igritt, and last was Stella.

“If there is an excellent priest like Stella, she will be able to deal with the cult’s curses well.”

“……That’s true.”

“Mother, really, there’s no need to make you guys suffer. But since we’ve started together, let’s all do well together.”

I patted them on the back, encouraging them.

Of course, it would be a heartless thing to exploit them for free, so I’ll have to think about what rewards to give them later.

…….

…….

“……He doesn’t notice at all.”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

“The reason Her Majesty the Empress Dowager brought us together is not that at all…….”

After the Emperor left, the three lamented the Emperor’s incredibly insensitive perception.

“Well, now that it’s come to this, let’s compete with each other slowly.”

“Okay.”

“No using cowardly tactics.”

Sarah, Stella, and Igritt said in turn.

That the war of flowers for the Empress’s seat had begun was a secret only to the Emperor.