He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 41

Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor in History – Episode 41 (41/300)

Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor in History Episode 41

A war broke out!

…Or so it could be said, but in reality, there weren’t any dramatic changes.

Strictly speaking, even calling it a civil war would be an overstatement; it was essentially a territorial dispute between the Imperial Family and the Karstein family.

One might wonder if it makes sense for a mere feudal lord to wage a territorial war against the emperor of a nation, but the current state of the empire was so deteriorated that it allowed for such a thing.

“Good heavens, they’re really fighting the Karsteins?”

“Rumors of a fight were already circulating, what’s new?”

The Imperial Central Army.

Separate from the Imperial Guard, it was essentially the regular army possessed by the Emperor.

Unlike the conscripted soldiers of the feudal lords, who were dominated by feudalistic customs, these were all volunteers, but their quality was appalling until the enthronement of the current Emperor.

The previous Emperor had been stingy with military spending.

“I had my doubts. Damn it, why did I enlist? I thought things were finally getting better.”

However, after the new young Emperor ascended the throne, he made bold attempts that differed from his predecessor.

He actively developed the Demon Realm, which had been causing various problems, and stimulated the economy while conducting military training.

It was tough at first, but the treatment improved, and soldiers received decent salaries and sometimes additional bonuses, improving their circumstances.

Naturally, morale rose, but… a conflict erupted between the Emperor and Karstein, and now they were on the verge of war.

Naturally, those who were destined to go to the battlefield weren’t so motivated now.

“Don’t talk nonsense. At least we can make a living in the Imperial Army; do you think you’d even get proper bread under other feudal lords?”

“That’s true… It’s a hundred times better than being a mercenary.”

Of course, the soldiers knew that their current treatment wasn’t common, and they hated losing these benefits as much as dying.

“If you don’t want to lose it, fight like you’re going to die.”

“……! Centurion!”

“S, sorry, Sir Forest.”

While the soldiers were arguing about the war, Jack Forest was standing behind them before they knew it.

Originally a royal gamekeeper, he was officially granted a knighthood for his contributions to reorganizing the Central Army.

In this war, he was also given the position of Centurion, a high-ranking officer.

His rise from a commoner to success was a source of admiration and envy among the soldiers.

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s true that soldiers who have to fight on the battlefield need to be motivated.”

And because he was a soldier himself, he listened to their grievances, making him popular.

“Sir, Centurion.”

“Is there something you’re curious about?”

“Is… is the rumor true? That Karstein… is colluding with cultists and using monsters…?”

At that moment, one soldier asked, looking very nervous.

Other soldiers were giving him the side-eye, but they were all curious about the same thing, so they couldn’t stop him.

“You asked at the right time. We’re going to confirm that now.”

“I see… Oh? Wh, what do you mean…!”

Jack answered too nonchalantly, and the soldiers were belatedly surprised.

“What’s with the reactions? You guys were already chosen as reconnaissance scouts, weren’t you?”

“Ye, yes, but… I didn’t know we were going to confirm something like that.”

“So what? You guys faced trolls in the Demon Realm, are you ashamed to be afraid of something like that after all your experience?”

“……”

Jack’s rough but undeniable words silenced the soldiers.

Of course, that didn’t completely dispel the fear influenced by the bad rumors.

“Well, I understand what you’re worried about. But you don’t have to worry. We’re not going alone.”

“Then who else is joining us?”

“…We’re going with that person.”

“That person? Uh, uh? Since when were they there….”

The soldiers could finally see the knight in black full-body armor leaning against a tree in the slightly shaded area that Jack was pointing to.

The oppressive figure of the black armor and helmet made it seem like a shadow was walking, but the silver hair flowing from the helmet created a contrasting feeling.

“Who is that person?”

“I can’t reveal their real name for personal reasons; call them Sir Shadow. Anyway, that’s enough chatter. We’re moving out now.”

The soldiers were more curious about the identity of the black knight, but their attention naturally dispersed as they prepared to move out at Jack’s command.

“…It seems the soldiers don’t recognize you, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm. Of course, they wouldn’t.”

I was worried they might recognize me, but my face was completely covered, and even though the armor was a bit luxurious, it wasn’t uncommon among nobles, so there was nothing to identify me as the Emperor.

They’re all people who have seen my face from afar during the Demon Realm expeditions, so if they don’t recognize me, I might be able to deceive the enemies as well.

“But I don’t know if this is really a good choice.”

“Why? Do you think hiding my identity is a bad thing? That’s unexpected.”

If I hide that I’m the Emperor, they won’t target me, so I thought Jack, who has strong loyalty, would agree.

“Of course, I feel the same way. But that doesn’t change the fact that Your Majesty is on the battlefield, does it?”

“That’s true.”

“I just thought it might be better for you to personally lead the campaign as the Emperor.”

Indeed, that was the kind of thought Jack, who is skilled in tactics and strategy, would have.

Certainly, if I personally led the campaign as the Emperor, the soldiers’ anxiety would decrease, and conversely, the protection around me would increase, so it was understandable that he thought that would be better.

“That’s true, but I can’t do that with this operation plan.”

I had dispatched the army, appointing the Commander of the Imperial Guard as the general, in addition to Jack.

And ‘I,’ the Emperor, was officially staying in the Imperial Palace and not personally leading the campaign.

“It’s to make them mistakenly believe that the Commander of the Imperial Guard is the supreme commander of the army.”

Naturally, the enemy’s attention would be focused on the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

At that time, my plan was to lead a detachment or move alone to strike at the enemy’s weak points.

“It’s a deception, then.”

“That’s right. I happened to find a good replacement for me, so it’s a good strategy to use.”

I had gone to the trouble of making Karstein believe that the ‘fake Emperor’ was on his side, so there was no reason not to use it.

I was already feeding Karstein a lot of misinformation.

“However, even if Karstein believes it, the enemy commander might act differently.”

“He seems to be more cautious than I thought. He acted as if he was reconfirming several times.”

“Yes. That’s why we’re going on this reconnaissance mission now.”

Leading the soldiers now is partly to actually scout, but it’s also a bait to deceive the enemy.

It was to give the enemy commander the conviction that the information we were leaking was true, so we were sacrificing a little bit of ourselves.

Of course, there was also the purpose of directly confirming the enemy’s ‘enhanced monster soldiers’ with our own eyes.

“Centurion, we’ve discovered a village ahead. But… it’s as quiet as a mouse.”

…Because of that purpose, the accompanying soldiers, though it’s half a setup, don’t know the fact that they ‘have to fall into a trap on purpose.’

Like the saying that you have to deceive your allies to deceive the enemy, it was difficult to tell the soldiers about this in advance.

No matter how much I told them it was a deception, the soldiers couldn’t be indifferent to something that could hurt them.

“…Hmm, I see. Everyone, maintain vigilance and search the village.”

“Yes, did everyone hear that? Move out immediately.”

Jack seemed reluctant to put the soldiers in a situation where they could be driven to their deaths, but he acknowledged the necessity of the operation and calmly gave the order.

Fortunately, the soldiers were all trained in ranger tactics by Jack.

They had attacked goblin villages hundreds of times in the Demon Realm, so they quickly began searching the village while maintaining vigilance.

“There are too many corpses. The enemy is nowhere to be seen.”

“Those Karstein bastards….”

The villagers were all murdered and abandoned.

The soldiers gnashed their teeth in anger at the sight of the mutilated corpses.

“Alright, they’re not here. Next, that-”

“Watch out!”

Shaaak!

“Ugh!”

The soldiers who were searching the entrance of the village were attacked when they were momentarily careless.

A soldier was attacked suddenly from a dark alley.

He was scratched by sharp claws like blades, but fortunately, he managed to avoid serious injury by falling backward.

“Grrrr….”

“Th, that’s really a monster.”

A monster soldier revealing himself from the shaded darkness.

The shape of leather with iron pieces embedded in it, covered with fur like a beast, was grotesque enough in itself.

It was more refined than the monsters I saw in the cultist’s hideout, but the refined ferocity was more dangerous.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Ugh!”

It was the moment when the fallen soldier was about to be attacked again without a chance to escape.

Kakang!

“Kruk?”

I jumped in front of the soldier like the wind and deflected the monster soldier’s claw, which was no different from a sword.

“S, Sir Shadow!”

“Take the wounded and retreat.”

“Ye, yes!”

The soldiers who received the retreat order immediately began to retreat, taking care of their wounded comrades as much as possible.

The attack itself was allowed as planned, so there was no need to increase the damage any further.

“Let’s see what you’re capable of.”

I readjusted the Holy Sword and increased the output of Manaheart [A magical energy source].

[High-Speed Movement Deployed]

[Nerve Acceleration Activated]

[Current Manaheart Output 95%]

Feeling Manaheart fluctuating, I ran towards the monsters like a car making a sudden start.

“Kyaaaa!”

The monster also charged head-on, as if releasing the ferocity it had been suppressing with its weak reason.

Chwaaaak!

By a narrow margin, my sword cut through the monster’s torso first.

The sword imbued with Aura left a fairly deep wound, and for an ordinary person, that alone would have been enough to knock them down.

“Kruk!”

But it didn’t seem fatal to the monster, which had tenacious vitality, and it swung its claws in retaliation without any concern.

Thanks to my experience dealing with similar guys in the cultist hideout, I had already guessed that much, so I dodged it lightly.

While dodging, I even aimed for other monsters instead of the one in front.

It was to draw the attention of the other monsters who were still chasing the soldiers.

Shushushuk!

“Krreung!”

I couldn’t cut them all with just one sword, so I actively used Shadow Blades as well.

But the monsters withstood the attacks of the Shadow Blades with their thick hides.

“Retreat quickly in this gap!”

“But Sir Shadow is!”

“…Don’t worry about Sir Shadow and follow the order!”

I had already told Jack in advance, so he retreated the soldiers without hesitation.

He didn’t want to abandon me either, but he knew that with a reconnaissance squad that wasn’t even a proper combat squad, it would only increase the soldiers’ casualties, so he followed my orders.

“Now it’s just us left.”

“Kruk, krreureureu….”

Soon, only the monsters and I were left.

The monsters stopped chasing and began to surround me, realizing that they couldn’t target other prey if they didn’t kill me.

“Then shall I get a little serious too?”

I muttered that and took out a small vial containing a potion and drank it.

[You have consumed the Manaheart Enhancement Potion.]

[The output of Manaheart temporarily surges.]

The effect appeared quickly as soon as I drank the potion.

My heart slowly began to beat faster, and before I knew it, it was running wild like a locomotive.

[Current Manaheart Output 250%]

“Come.”