I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor - Chapter 53
Episode 53. Maybe this is the battlefield (4)
Episode 53. Maybe this is the battlefield (4)
Dugdak! Dugdak! Dugdak!
Dozens of warhorses galloping fast under the blue sky.
Me, Estill, and Silene completely concealed their identities by pressing down on the hoods attached to their cloaks. It was because his appearance stood out.
And the Duke of Shade disappeared for a while, then joined right away.
In that short time, the duke’s army was dispatched, but I’m not sure how they did it.
Fulgor and the Imperial Knights also took off their cloaks and followed closely behind.
When they left the palace, they divided into teams and came out through different entrances, so no one would have known that the emperor had left the palace.
Since Duke Shade said he would take care of the emperor and empress’ doubles, he just had to return to the Aegis without any worries.
Of course, there were some difficulties.
It was really hard to bear the heavy silence that hung over me every time I took a break.
Estill didn’t pay attention to me even once, as if her broken feelings were still unresolved, and Silene shrank in surprise whenever her eyes met Estill’s.
And the Duke of Shade kept away, saying he would scout the surroundings and come back.
Even during breaks, Fulgor continued to rehabilitate himself by lighting up his aura and swinging his sword.
Then the night came.
We ended up sleeping in an empty field.
In the first place, I had chosen the shortest distance to the Aegis, so I foresaw that it would be like this.
That’s why we already had everything we needed.
A bonfire between Baal that burns and crackles.
Estill, I, and Silene lay down with a blanket around them.
Even though the knights were already taking turns standing guard, Duke Shade hurriedly left, saying that he would look around and come back.
Since I was very tired, I fell asleep.
Page-
Then, I suddenly felt a soft touch on my cheek, and my eyes opened slightly.
I looked around her to see if it was Ethyl, but there was no one there.
…… Did you have a dream
Looking at Estill, she seemed to be soundly asleep.
I was lying on my back across the campfire, perhaps because I was quite angry with me.
I’m not familiar with being homeless.
I felt sorry for her because she seemed to be having a hard time following me.
I got up from her seat and approached her.
Estill was asleep with her frown on her face.
The necklace I had given her was still hanging around her neck.
Actually, all of her anger at me must have been because she was worried about me.
I watched her close her eyes and muttered her small voice.
“I’m sorry for making you worry all the time.”
Since he’s sleeping, wouldn’t it be okay to kiss him once?
Page-
When I kiss her on the forehead, her expression slowly softens.
Gaaak-
At that moment, I heard a crow cry.
For some reason, I felt sad.
*
The emperor went back to his seat and fell asleep.
Duke Shade watched him hiding in the dark.
She was very uncomfortable right now.
Should I have answered honestly to the empress’ question?
I’m a woman, and this is what I look like right now.
And I love you as much as you do.
So please, I want you to see me as a lady from time to time, no, just once.
Empress Estill. The affection that remains after loving you.
I don’t care if it’s just a small piece of it, so please give it to me.
But I couldn’t.
It was because he was afraid of being rejected by the emperor when he revealed everything.
The contempt in his eyes was also so frightening that he couldn’t even speak the truth.
In fact, if she was going to die, she had already overcome countless times. That’s why she never felt afraid.
Because she was the one who overcame many of her lines and her rigorous training.
Even if she felt fear, her cool-headed reason was activated and she was confident that she had always made the best choice.
But once she made up her mind to stand before the emperor as a woman, she would become a fool.
Her reason naturally stopped and only her fear remained, which made her keep walking backwards.
So cowardly, I bumped my lips against the sleeping emperor’s cheek.
That wasn’t enough, the moment the emperor woke up, he quickly turned into a crow and even ran away.
Her body trembled at her shame as she felt infinitely humbled.
‘Would it be different if I had been raised as an ordinary duke’s daughter like the empress?’
Gaaak-
But when she thought about it, the empress also seemed far from normal.
‘Blessing of Mana. Silver hair is proof of that.’
The level of her magic that the empress showed was very great.
The snakes were roaring, emitting hot heat.
The murderous spirit that spewed out of it was amazing, but the empress’s mana infiltrating into herself and Silene’s body was even more impressive.
If the empress had only her heart, she might have suffered a fatal blow to her mana circulation.
Of course, Duke Shade was the type that didn’t rely too much on mana.
Besides, since he had absorbed a lot of fear while massacring the family of Duke Bios, he was certain that he would never die even if the situation went to the worst.
Nevertheless, the empress’ display of mana and her ability to control was not enough to instill deep fear in her.
At the same time as she used her magic, her mana was moved out of her body, and she tried to break the cycle by inserting it into someone else’s body.
From noble mtl dot com
She was great at handling multiple things at once, but her fine control was never a human ability.
Of course, it would be difficult to harm a sword master or a high-level wizard with just that.
However, if it was an elf, Silene or Duke Shade, the damage could have been quite large.
Besides, the empress had only recently learned her magic, so it seemed obvious that she had done it.
It was a very frightening skill.
No, maybe later, she was a fearsome talent to the point of being terribly afraid that the empress herself might become a disaster.
That’s why the duke couldn’t stop the sweat on his limbs and had no choice but to block his movements.
She turned back into a human and sat down in front of the fire.
She then held out her hands in front of the dying embers.
It was to comfort her aching heart even in her cooling warmth.
At that moment, Silene’s sleeping face came into her eyes.
‘Did you do it for Shilen…… She used spirit magic in that situation.’
She didn’t have any achievements, but her courage was astounding.
She used mana until she was prepared to break the cycle.
*
Sylene.
Actually, she was awake now.
‘Crazy b*tch.’
Of course, the curse was directed at Duke Shade.
She was because suddenly she appeared from the darkness and smacked her lips against the emperor’s cheek.
I must have been out of my mind.
It was because the empress was also watching the emperor while not sleeping.
If she hadn’t summoned the spirits, Sylene would never have noticed either.
But she told the spirits in detail in a voice that only elves could hear.
The empress is definitely awake.
‘Crazy, I’m giving up my mind starting today. I’m going to fold it anyway If that is impossible, at least I will never do anything, even the slightest attempt, in front of the empress.’
At that moment, excitement in her mind! Her snoring reminded her of herself.
‘I was crazy, I didn’t know that the empress was such a scary b*tch and acted so rudely… ….’
Esteel.
Contrary to what she looked like, she was by no means easygoing.
The empress’s mana penetrated deep into her own body.
It was hard to believe that that hot thing had penetrated her body, and it was right at the weakest part of the mana cycle.
The horror she felt then was indescribable in words.
Moreover, before and after she used her elemental magic, she just stood still.
That was an unmistakable warning.
– I can kill you anytime. So, don’t mess with my man.
Although no sound came out of the empress’s mouth, it seemed that such a voice could be heard vividly in Silene’s ears.
So even now, I was so afraid of the empress that I couldn’t sleep.
And above all.
Little Witch.
It was very similar to the terrifying witch who had a notoriety that will go down in history quite a long time ago.
Silver hair blessed with mana. And blue eyes.
But since she is an empress, I thought she was far from her magic. She was only similar in appearance, which she thought lightly.
However, it was a bright red flame and a smile.
The silver hair fluttering along with the red flame also looked similar to the little witch I had only heard about.
Of course, she can’t really be a witch in the slightest.
She had already met her death at the hands of Kratus I a long time ago.
*
“At this rate, everyone might die at the hands of the emperor!”
Tak!
The one who spat out the harsh voice was Duke Merkes, a member of the six wings that support Kratus.
What he threw onto the spacious table was the imperial morning paper.
Duke Merkes compressed all his anger and screamed loudly.
“In this f*cking newspaper, Duke Bios, he is one of the six wings supporting Kratus! It is written that he escaped because he was accused of treason overnight. Do you really think this makes sense?”
This is the basement of Duke Merkes’ residence.
Originally, it was a space created for secret entertainment, but now it has been turned into a speech hall.
Aristocrats, estimated to exceed ten, were seated in the audience of Duke Merkes.
“Nonsense!”
“That can’t be!”
“Imperial morning news must be stopped!”
Numerous nobles who were listening enthusiastically agreed, and the proud duke continued his speech in a louder voice.
“Besides, I will accuse a noble who has broken the law. Who? They are called commoners and slaves. Do you think it really makes sense that the emperor would even hold a trial himself?”
The duke shouted passionately as if he had become an independence fighter.
“Who is it that makes Kratus today possible? Isn’t it all because our nobles did their best in each region to run the estate?”
“That’s right!”
“Your Excellency’s words are true!”
“Recently, the bastard son of the Marquis of Carso set an upper limit on taxes collected from the people. Is this all there is to it? Sooner or later, the Emperor will tighten the breath of the nobles even harder. Maybe we can confiscate the privates.”
“I can’t just sit still like this!”
The excited attendees jumped out of their seats, each clutching the imperial morning cup tightly.
The duke lifted his hands and bobbed them up and down, seated the audience back, and continued in a calm voice.
“Perhaps Duke Bios has already been eliminated by Duke Shade.”
Then another nobleman hurriedly asked a question with an uneasy face.
“Then what should I do now?”
Duke Merkes continued with a confident smile.
“Nobles from all over the empire must come together to replace the emperor. However, you will have to be extremely careful.”
“But isn’t Duke Shade a master assassin? How many people have died so far…….”
“But it is not omnipotent.”
“Yes. Hiring two sword masters will suffice as a defense against Duke Shade.”
“But wouldn’t there be an Imperial Knights?”
“Recently, a vice-captain called Pulgor was created.”
Duke Merkes continued his words with a grim face like a general ahead of battle.
“Then we will have to further expand our forces. And if you do well, Fulgor could be made into the Emperor’s weakness.”
“By the way. Where will the emperor’s next move be headed?”
“The next target, of course, would not be the Duke of Tessela if not the Merkes family here?”