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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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It was a nasty nightmare. It was a nightmare of being pulled into a deep darkness, dragged by tentacles with a horrible texture.
Even before the possession, the first feeling upon waking from a nightmare was relief that the dream was not reality. This was followed by an inexplicable feeling of unease.
“Could it be just a simple nightmare?”
Since being possessed into the body of Raymond, an extra in a novel, there were many times when I felt my intuition had improved.
This was the first time I had such a terrifying nightmare, but I could not shake off the ominous feeling that something must have happened.
I couldn’t easily dismiss the ominous feeling. This is still the frontline fortress at the border.
There was also friction with the mercenary cavalry of the Free Isiria Kingdom yesterday. So, one could consider the worst-case scenario: they might suddenly act crazy, lead their forces, and attack the fortress.
‘I should go out.’
I hastily put on my uniform and stepped outside. The gazes of the elite guards guarding the entrance reached me.
“Your Highness?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d take a short walk.”
“I shall accompany you.”
When the elite guard signaled, two other elite guards in the corridor followed.
Since it was a frontline fortress at the border, Gestain had no choice but to pay attention to security. Even late at night, a considerable number of elite guards were stationed around Raymond’s chambers.
I left the building and climbed onto the ramparts. I saw the soldiers on the watchtower, who were keeping watch beyond the ramparts, bowing their heads.
Raymond calmly walked along the ramparts. The elite guards followed silently, performing their escort duties.
It felt as if the cold wind was blowing away the ominous feeling. When I first woke from the nightmare, I hadn’t felt refreshed. But walking along the ramparts and breathing the cold air made me feel better.
“Shall we head back soon?”
It was a small voice, almost a soliloquy, but the elite guards somehow understood and moved first. On the way back to the chambers, Desia Helly slowly descended from the sky, her blue robe fluttering.
“Your Highness, you were here? I was looking for you.”
Desia Helly’s urgent voice and expression were enough to rekindle the anxiety I had temporarily put aside.
However, it was impossible to reveal such feelings in front of subordinates. So, I spoke, carefully hiding them.
“What is the matter at this hour?”
“It’s an urgent summons from the Imperial Capital.”
“From the Imperial Capital?”
The ominous premonition seems to have been somewhat accurate. The situation was unusual.
“Yes, the Imperial Capital is urgently seeking His Highness, the Fifth Prince. It seems you must move to the fortress’s secret chamber immediately and respond to the communication magic.”
“You don’t know what it’s about?”
“Nothing has been conveyed. Even when I ask, the high-ranking mage of the Imperial Capital is only asking for His Highness, the Fifth Prince.”
Just by Desia Helly’s reaction, I knew it was no ordinary matter. Raymond hurried his steps. He woke up the fortress commander, who had been sleeping, and was guided to the secret chamber.
Three elite guards strictly guarded the entrance outside. Desia Helly took out a communication crystal ball and set it up.
“I will connect.”
As I nodded, Desia Helly slowly injected mana into the communication crystal ball. Perhaps because it was long-distance communication, a considerable amount of mana had to be injected.
Soon, the high-ranking mage of the Imperial Capital, wearing a red robe, appeared in the communication crystal ball after it had consumed enough mana.
-State your affiliation.
“I am the Fifth Prince, Raymond Philios.”
Along with the answer, I showed the Imperial family ring of the Philios Empire on my right hand.
-Greetings, Your Highness.
The Imperial Capital mage bowed his head. He was courteous, but he could not hide a certain hurriedness. Seeing that, the anxiety began to creep up again.
“I heard it was an urgent matter. Please tell me quickly.”
My voice trembled.
‘Has a variable come into play? Was there an event I didn’t know about? What events from the novel were happening at this time?’
When I had painstakingly finished organizing my confused thoughts, the high-ranking mage of the Imperial Capital slowly began to speak.
-His Majesty the Emperor is critically ill.
I tightly closed my eyes. If the high-ranking mage of the Imperial Capital requested an urgent contact, it must not be an ordinary matter.
The Emperor being critically ill at this time meant that the ‘Bloody Funeral,’ which I had tried to delay by engaging in a life-or-death battle with the Shadow Emperor, the Hidden Blade, was approaching.
‘Am I truly prepared?’
In the ‘Bloody Funeral,’ which brought about a major turning point in the novel, Raymond Philios was destined to lose his life.
To reject that fate, to survive, I had done my best to gather strength.
The three talents who should have originally been with the protagonist: Gestain, the one-armed; Desia Helly, the absolute defense; and Sylvia Platier, the one who walks ahead, were in my grasp. The elite guards I had formed were also by no means weak. However, I had no certainty that I could survive the ‘Bloody Funeral.’
‘But I cannot stay in the north.’
An urgent summons meant the Emperor’s call. If I refused it and remained in the north, problems could arise later when I was to inherit the throne.
Furthermore, as I would be the only member of the Imperial family spared the blade of the Bloody Funeral, in the worst case, I could be branded as a traitor.
-His Majesty the Emperor wishes to see His Highness, the Fifth Prince, one last time.
He uttered the word ‘last’.
This meant that the magic, medical arts, and alchemy of the Philios Empire could no longer buy time.
“How much time do I have?”
-We can somehow buy time until His Highness, returns from the north, but not much longer than that.
“I will depart as quickly as possible.”
-You must act immediately. You must depart with the minimum number of personnel. The Imperial Army stationed in each province will take turns escorting His Highness, so you need not worry about safety.
“I understand.”
After the magic communication ended, my steps leaving the secret chamber were heavy.
“Your Highness…”
“Desia Helly, wake everyone. We are heading to the Capital immediately.”
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Although we departed with the minimum number of personnel, the Imperial Army that joined us at the midway point took over the escort as promised by the Imperial Capital’s mage.
When the military horses of the escort that had joined us became tired, they would detach, and the Imperial Army from another region would newly join the escort.
We rode without rest, changing military horses. The horses did not stop except for the four hours a day when I slept, which was insufficient.
I also endured by chewing on jerky and dried fruit while on horseback heading to the Capital.
And finally, we reached the Capital.
“It is the banner of the Palace Guard.”
Lysfield Dior, the Blue Tower Master, said. The one hundred cavalry approaching rapidly towards us were indeed the Palace Guard, just as he said. Their symbolic banner was fluttering fiercely in the strong wind.
“I am Ivan Rowse, Captain of the Palace Guard. I have received His Majesty’s command to escort His Highness, to the Imperial Capital quickly and safely.”
Raymond, who had joined Ivan Rowse, headed straight for the Imperial Capital. The gates of the Capital were wide open. The road leading to the inner castle and the Imperial Capital was also controlled, so we reached the Imperial Capital without any hindrance.
“From here, I shall escort you.”
The person who appeared with a calm voice was Viscount Illusion.
“I will escort you to the Imperial Palace.”
I dismounted from the horse and hurried my steps without rest. Soon, Raymond arrived at the Imperial Palace where the Emperor resided.
“You must hurry.”
Viscount Illusion urged me.
“Your elite guards must remain here!”
The Royal Guards blocked Gestain and the elite guards who tried to follow. Normally, Gestain, as the captain of the elite guards, could have accompanied me. However, this was a special situation where the Emperor’s life was in danger.
In this situation, Gestain tried to protest. Raymond looked at him and stopped his action by slightly shaking his head.
The Imperial Palace was vast. The Emperor’s chambers were also far away. I was hurrying as much as possible, but my heart was burning deeply inside. In my haste, I almost stumbled several times.
“I will stop here. Please go and see His Majesty the Emperor now.”
Viscount Illusion bowed slightly and stepped back three paces. Raymond turned his head towards the direction of the chambers. The Emperor’s chambers were just five meters ahead. Two Royal Guards were strictly guarding the firmly closed door.
I lifted my steps that had been glued to the floor. When I stood in front of the chambers, the two Royal Guards slowly opened the door.
“His Majesty the Emperor is waiting.”
At the Royal Guard’s somber voice, Raymond slowly nodded and entered the chambers.
As soon as I entered the chambers, which felt clean and restrained in its luxury, a foul odor stung my nose. Rather than frowning, my heart sank.
This is the smell of death. It is a sign that the Grim Reaper has arrived, the path to the end, to rest.
“You have come…”
A weak voice was heard. As I slowly turned my head, I saw the Emperor lying on the bed.
He was not wearing his usual flashy gold imperial uniform but comfortable white clothing closer to pajamas. It looked clean as if he had just changed clothes, but some parts were slightly stained red.
The Emperor was dying.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
I bowed my head and showed respect.
“Come closer.”
The Emperor squeezed out his voice with difficulty. When I first departed for the north, he was old, but not this bad.
Now he was so thin that you could believe he was a living skeleton.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I cannot see well.”
It seemed his eyesight had almost completely failed. Raymond suppressed the feeling of something welling up from deep within his chest.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the vanguard flag.”
I took out the vanguard flag of the Free Isiria Kingdom’s Heavy Cavalry Division, which I had folded and kept in my pocket.
I instinctively felt that he didn’t have much time left, so I wanted to give him at least a little energy.
The Emperor turned his gaze towards the vanguard flag. But he couldn’t see it.
He could only barely see the blurred outline of the flag. It was the same for his youngest son’s face. Even when he strained his eyes, his vision did not recover.
“Well done, well done.”
That was all he could say.
“Raymond, I don’t have much time left. You can see that too, can’t you?”
“That cannot be true?”
To deny all of this, I shook my head, but.
“You are poor at lying.”
“Your Majesty…”
“There is not much time, Raymond… So please listen to me.”
“I am listening attentively.”
To engrave the Emperor’s words even more deeply, I took another step forward. The Emperor spoke with a faint smile.
“Do you remember the end of your mother, the Third Empress Violet?”
I never expected the Emperor to mention the matter of the Third Empress.
“Didn’t she pass away from illness?”
Because I had seen the author’s setting notes, I knew the full truth. But I pretended not to know, so that the Emperor could speak directly.
It was difficult to control my expression as various complex emotions were mixed together. Fortunately, the Emperor had mostly lost his sight, so he could not examine Raymond’s expression closely.
“Violet didn’t die from illness, Raymond… To put it simply, she died because of me.”
The Emperor’s explanation began. Because death was so close, it was almost incoherent rambling. But it wasn’t difficult to listen and organize.
The Third Empress, Violet Philios, was poisoned in place of the current Emperor and ultimately lost her life. That was the short summary.
Because I had seen the setting notes, I knew everything, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. But I remained silent to give the Emperor time to speak of his atonement.
“I am sorry, Raymond… It is all my fault. It is also my fault that you were confined to the Fifth Prince’s palace for five years. You did nothing wrong. Thanks to Violet, I gained a new life, but you lost so much…”
The Emperor continued speaking with difficulty. Although complex setting notes exist, the novel 《Empire of the Dead》 focuses mainly on the story of the protagonist, Richard.
Therefore, the events of the Philios Empire before the Bloody Funeral were not given much importance. There is also hardly any content described in the novel.
‘No, perhaps this is also a variable?’
As Fifth Prince Raymond is no longer a rogue since being 빙의 (possessed), the Emperor’s feelings may have also changed because of that.
“Raymond, I am sorry. I took too much from you…”
The Emperor apologized once more. Just a short while ago, although he was old and sick, he had not lost his dignity.
But the Emperor before me now was merely a weakened ‘father’ facing death.
“Please do not worry too much, I have already forgiven you, Father.”
“Father… I don’t know how many years it’s been… Thank… you… truly…”
The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. He could not open those weakly closed eyes again.
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