He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 50

Becoming the Greatest Crazy Emperor – Episode 50

For Duke Orlant, drinking that bitter wine was just the prelude to his misfortunes.

“Kyaaaa! Your Highness! Please wake up!”

“Ugh, what’s going on? Huh!”

He woke to find his room in utter chaos, a dagger pinning a letter to the wall.

“Ughaaaa!”

The Duke tore the mocking letter to shreds.

These incidents had been happening for a while now, and each one ratcheted up his paranoia, making him feel increasingly threatened.

“What were the guards doing!”

“Well, that’s the strange thing. They were on guard as tightly as possible, but no one entered or left except for the people already in the mansion…”

“Then there must be an accomplice among them! Interrogate everyone in the mansion!”

He tried to find the culprit or accomplice, but despite the Duke’s best efforts, no clues surfaced.

It truly felt like a ghost was playing tricks on him.

“Kuh… damn it! Hey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“The Emperor… what was he doing at that time?”

There was no hard evidence, but the Duke was convinced the Emperor was behind these pranks.

The content of the letters always seemed to echo their conversations.

“As you commanded, we kept watch, but he remained in his lodgings even during the last incident.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he didn’t meet or speak with anyone in particular, just went sightseeing in the city…”

“Damn it!”

Still, there was no proof the Emperor was plotting anything.

But the Duke couldn’t shake his suspicions, constantly replaying the Emperor’s arrogant words in his head: that he could subdue everyone with his power alone.

If these incidents were truly the Emperor’s doing, then maybe his words weren’t so empty after all.

“Gritting his teeth… You think I’ll give in to this!”

The Duke desperately wanted to believe the Emperor wasn’t capable of such things, but he couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that he was wrong.

Then, an incident occurred that finally broke his spirit.

“Your Highness! Thank you so much!”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

One day, while the Duke was working, his butler approached him with a beaming smile.

Not only the butler, but all the servants seemed to regard the Duke with newfound reverence.

“Didn’t Duke Orlant give expensive gifts to us and the people of the territory?”

“What are you talking about? When did I do that?”

“Oh, you don’t have to pretend you don’t know, even with us. You personally ordered the gifts to be delivered, even visiting us directly–”

“You people!”

Realizing something was amiss, the Duke immediately investigated and uncovered a chilling truth.

Someone was impersonating him, giving away his property to people as they pleased.

These were his loyal subordinates, people who knew his face. The fact that none of them suspected a thing terrified the Duke more than any direct threat to his life.

He could have faced assassination attempts with composure, but this was different.

“Does that mean they can plot against me at any time while impersonating me?”

For Duke Orlant, a man who understood the power of schemes and plots, this realization was utterly terrifying.

It also meant the Emperor wasn’t just relying on brute force, forcing him to make a decision.

* * *

“I didn’t expect you to find me again, Duke. Well, I suppose I did. But to summon the Emperor to a place like this… you have no respect for hierarchy.”

My days of playing ‘small pranks’ on the Duke had paid off.

As expected, the man who had been merely observing me finally came to find me.

However, instead of seeking an official audience, he arrogantly summoned me to a dark back alley near the port.

This was clearly a message that he wanted a secret meeting.

“How dare you speak so shamelessly, Your Majesty.”

The Duke didn’t bother to mask his venomous anger.

Unlike his usual self, which favored calm and calculated responses, he seemed genuinely furious.

Of course, that only made me laugh harder.

“Oh dear, something bad must have happened. My deepest regrets, whatever it may be.”

“Stop it, Your Majesty. Is this the extent of your power?”

“Hmm, if that’s how you perceive it, then so be it.”

I replied with a confident smile, feigning nonchalance.

“But whatever you’re thinking, know that I’m capable of far more.”

“Ha, is that so? Then try to get away with this right now.”

At the Duke’s command, the southern knights surrounding him stepped forward.

The knights were undeniably skilled.

While not quite on par with the Wolfman Guard Captain, they were comparable to the elf assassins or the freak soldiers I had encountered before.

Such individuals were rare and valuable.

“You claim to have the power to suppress anything? Then, if I confine Your Majesty with these men, can you escape?”

The knights’ skill was considerable.

Even if they weren’t at the level of the Wolfman Guard Captain, they were at least comparable to the elf assassins or the monster soldiers I had encountered before.

Such individuals weren’t very common.

“I can’t escape.”

“I thought so–”

“Why should I escape when I can simply beat them all down?”

“……!”

I charged forward like lightning as I finished the sentence.

Pow!

“Keuheok?”

My fist slammed into the abdomen of one of the knights, the force denting his plate armor.

The knight, absorbing the full impact to his internal organs, collapsed and fainted. Even a knight couldn’t withstand that kind of damage.

“Don’t hesitate, everyone! Attack with all your might!”

“Y, you bastard!”

The remaining knights immediately drew their swords.

Normally, they might have maintained a facade of knightly honor, but there was no time for that now.

Clang!

“Kueuk!”

The knight who swung his sword at my side stumbled backward, clutching his face after a lightning-fast counterattack.

The sound of his nose breaking filled the air as he spat out blood and fell.

They were undoubtedly strong in their own right, but after fighting that monster unit alone, this felt almost too easy.

Pow!

Thud.

“That’s the end. Bringing only six people? It seems I was underestimated. Well, my warning wasn’t strong enough.”

“……”

I had made threats the Duke found difficult to ignore, but without a direct display of force, he couldn’t accurately gauge my strength.

But I couldn’t go overboard just to prove a point, could I? Of course, if I wanted to, I could destroy this entire city.

But I’m not an indiscriminate butcher, and there’s no reason to do that.

“Indeed… you are strong.”

“You realize that now? Well, judging by your reaction, you’re still not fully convinced.”

“…Well, I understand that what Your Majesty said is not entirely without basis.”

Perhaps the demonstration of force had been somewhat impressive. The Duke, who had been consumed by anger, now looked intrigued.

“Then, Your Majesty, what exactly are you going to do? Are you still planning to prevent the civil war with that power?”

He revealed his intentions by posing a question, hinting at his willingness to help.

“No.”

“…No?”

“Yes. I have no intention of stopping the civil war, Duke. In fact, I want it to happen.”

His expression hardened slightly, as if he hadn’t anticipated my answer.

I continued with a twisted smile.

“As you can see, I have the power to defeat the lords whenever I choose. Why should I avoid the civil war? It’s an opportunity to eliminate the empire’s cancer all at once.”

“…Does Your Majesty intend to use the civil war as an opportunity for a purge?”

“The word ‘purge’ isn’t strong enough. A purge implies sorting out those who were once my subjects… But honestly, why would I consider separatists my subjects?”

I am the emperor of the empire, and they are the ones trying to break away from it.

Calling their deaths a ‘purge’ would be a gross understatement.

“This is simply extermination. Removing those who are unhelpful and replacing them with those who are useful.”

And improving the constitution of the empire in the process.

Of course, given the limitations of the era, I don’t intend to create a democratic country like a modern one.

Why would I? I’m the emperor! Why would I throw away my power? What would be the point?

“Anyway, I’ve answered your question, Duke, so now it’s my turn to ask one. I only have one thing to ask.”

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

“Are you useful to me?”

“……”

The Duke froze, unable to answer.

He, who had remained unfazed even in anger, now looked genuinely frightened.

He couldn’t possibly misunderstand the meaning behind my question.

“…If I am useless to Your Majesty, will you kill me along with them?”

“Of course. In that sense, I am giving you a rare opportunity.”

Because I won’t give these other guys this kind of ‘opportunity to choose’.

I had no reason to save those who came crawling on their own.

Duke Orlant was given this special opportunity because his abilities were worth highly evaluating.

So far, Stella was the only other candidate who had received a similar offer.

“Then… I must become the most useful person to Your Majesty.”

“As expected, I appreciate that I can communicate so well with you, Duke.”

The Duke, who had been momentarily overwhelmed, regained his composure.

If he were foolish, he might have tried to test me, but he understood that such tactics were useless.

“If I prove my usefulness, will I be rewarded handsomely?”

“It depends on how useful you are and what you desire.”

“Proving my usefulness won’t be difficult. The moment I become Your Majesty’s ally, the rebellion in the Southern Territory is as good as over.”

That was true.

His influence might be diminished in other imperial territories, but the Southern Territory was firmly under Duke Orlant’s control.

Having him on our side would eliminate any concerns about rebellion in the South. It would be like having a map hack in a game.

“Then what do you want from me, Duke?”

“In Your Majesty’s empire, I want to be second.”

“You want to be the second-in-command? Well, that’s not difficult if you contribute significantly enough. As long as you can maintain that position.”

“That’s enough.”

Of course, he wouldn’t be the only one vying for that position, but the Duke wasn’t afraid of competition.

“Then we’re on the same side now.”

The Duke and I smiled and shook hands, both satisfied with the agreement.