episode_0086

“I know this is rude, but I truly wish to confirm it myself. Please.”

“Ugh…”

If I were to say, ‘What’s the Mindscape Realm? Ras doesn’t know anything like that!’, the Emperor would probably smash my head in, wouldn’t he?

At times like this, it was incredibly frustrating and vexing that I wasn’t as cute and lovely as Pisces.

If I were my cute crow minion, I would have broken through the situation with immense charm, pretending not to know and throwing a tantrum!

But then again… thinking about it, according to the crazy Hero Lea Iorca, the Emperor was already a ‘man who bowed his head,’ so there was a high possibility that even Pisces’s super-special charm wouldn’t work on him.

Anyway… I don’t particularly like having my true power revealed.

In fact, I’m certain that not just me, but anyone who wields significant power would feel the same.

Boasting about one’s strength has a subtle side to it; if you don’t pick the right time and place, it almost invariably turns into an arrow that comes back to you.

That’s why, like the old adage about hiding three-tenths of your true skill, everyone makes such an effort to conceal their cards if possible.

You need to hide your true abilities well until the appropriate time when you don’t have to worry about others’ gazes. Only then will your opponents let their guard down and underestimate you, making it easier to grow stronger.

Of course, as implied by ‘you must pick the right time and place,’ someone who holds back their power even when they shouldn’t is an idiot.

In situations where there’s no turning back, where losing means death, it’s natural to use all your strength. Anyone who can’t gauge this is simply stupid, destined to die from a stray blade at any time.

Similarly, although this isn’t a life-or-death battle, it has a somewhat similar nature.

The Emperor, a warrior who has reached the Mindscape Realm, seems favorable towards me and appears to be a man of great integrity… but I’m not sure if he’ll simply let it go if I refuse him here, trying to hide my power.

If the Emperor witnessed the power I displayed in my fight against Antikrea, he absolutely wouldn’t fail to recognize it as the power of the Mindscape Realm.

Even if you scour the entire continent, there aren’t many who can wield the power of the Mindscape Realm, so those who reach that level are objects of intense scrutiny and special management at the national level.

This is because reaching the Mindscape Realm means that if this person grows stronger, they could single-handedly contend with a nation’s army.

Imagine if, from the perspective of an Emperor or King, someone displeasingly strong suddenly decided, “I seem to be the strongest, so what good is an Emperor?” and raised a rebellion.

Indeed, the downfall of the Sephiroth Empire’s imperial family occurred roughly in this manner, though the details differed slightly… when a person’s individual martial power becomes excessively strong, they are inevitably subject to checks and balances.

Leon’s discernment was so utterly useless that he couldn’t properly gauge the extent or peak of my power, which is why he ultimately shot himself in the foot. Otherwise, I should have been purged instead of being forcibly conscripted.

After all, someone with a deeply rooted and immense grudge and hatred against the imperial family and Leon, who had already entered the Mindscape Realm in his mid-twenties and taken over the back alleys of Sephir…

I had firmly established the Mindscape Realm by around twenty-five. Throughout the entire Western Continent, the only person who entered the Mindscape Realm properly faster than me was Lea Iorca.

I wasn’t a particularly talented person, but the ‘special poison’ from my Teacher Irha that entered my body and Rosalie-nim’s divine power, which kept my life clinging on, was a tremendous stroke of luck that surpassed even innate talent.

The reason I voluntarily drank that damned drug again without hesitation, despite being in immense pain, was partly for Mirha, but also partly because I had concluded that I ultimately needed power.

Besides that, Leon is another person who quickly reached such a realm… but he only wielded a half-baked, crippled Mindscape Realm that he couldn’t properly control outside of the ‘Imperial Palace,’ so he should be excluded from this discussion.

Anyway… given all that, the Emperor must be wondering what kind of person I am.

After faintly witnessing my fight in Delphi, the Emperor must have thoroughly investigated my background. But since Etgard was nothing more than a moderately successful merchant group, wouldn’t his curiosity have only grown stronger?

“I apologize for investigating your background, but I looked into everything I could: your family, your ancestors, your relatives… everywhere. But I found nothing out of the ordinary.”

Just as I expected.

True to his character as a man of integrity, the Emperor honestly admitted to investigating my background and even apologized.

Anyway… since I didn’t sense any ill will or serious caution from the Emperor towards me, I decided to reveal my cards moderately.

“Understood. It seems easier to just show you.”

I quietly drew upon the power of the Rakshasa, preparing to manifest my mindscape.

“However, to use the kind of power I did when fighting the demon, Rosalie-nim needs to be beside me. At that time, I received a ‘Divine Blessing,’ and my stats were boosted to roughly five or six times their usual level.”

“Rosalie… Yes. She is a very capable Divine Caster. You don’t need to display your full power. If it’s uncomfortable, you may conceal it appropriately; I will gauge it myself.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Nine Heavens Extinguishing Fire Art, Aelam – Mirage

I wrapped Aelam around my body with its output minimized, then activated Mirage, which often derived from Aelam.

It was a type of illusion magic that used intense heat and flames, enough to distort the surrounding air, to project powerful illusions.

And to the dance of the Mirage, the phantom of Lauraba instantly filled the large room.

Even if I manifested my mindscape with my power reduced to this extent, the Emperor, having reached the Mindscape Realm himself, would roughly be able to gauge the level of my power.

Of course, the pinnacle of power I had reached was far higher than the Emperor’s, so it would be difficult for his discerning eye or level of understanding to accurately grasp my true peak.

“……Remarkable. Truly a magnificent sight… Haah…”

After demonstrating my power through the Nine Heavens Extinguishing Fire Art for about ten seconds, I quickly withdrew my strength.

Witnessing the momentary inferno I had unleashed, the Emperor groaned and shook his head.

“….Where, and through what fortunate encounter, did you obtain such power… may I ask?”

“Am I perhaps being interrogated right now? It’s not a power I’m ashamed of.”

In the earnest eyes of the old yet dignified lion, who gazed at me, there was a mixture of sadness and anguish.

How should I phrase this to make it sound good? I pondered for a moment, but I couldn’t just dismiss everything with lies or silence.

Your son tried to harm me, and I simply gained power while trying to avoid it.

How well I elaborate on this and sugarcoat it will determine how I and my surrounding situation unfold differently.

“Very well. I will tell you how I came to obtain this power. However, it will only be meaningful if you believe that there is no falsehood in my story, so I would appreciate it if you keep that in mind.”

“There’s no need for formalities, speak without hesitation. In truth, even if you were to speak falsehoods… that would be unavoidable. I will simply filter what I hear as I see fit.”

As expected of an experienced warrior and monarch, the Emperor did not place his complete trust in me.

However, the Emperor knew that the Mindscape Realm I had demonstrated was a state not easily reached through ordinary circumstances, so he would fundamentally trust my words.

“Leontidas tried to kill me. Not physically, but socially.”

“…?”

First, the truth, then appropriate lies mixed in… From now on, I’ll adjust it accordingly.

The story of Leontidas’s true nature, who tried to disgrace me, push me into despair, and enjoy watching me suffer.

From there began my wretched, tenacious, blood-soaked… yet impossible to hear without sadness and solemnity, regression, and the twists and turns of those tears.

Finally, the story of those around me who were connected to me, sacrificed, and withered away.

To what extent should I follow the line of truth, and to what extent the line of falsehood? In truth, even I don’t know for sure.

What should I say, and what should I not say? How much truth should there be, and how much falsehood?

As one lives, it’s countless how often meticulously laid plans deviate from their intended course due to minor or major external variables.

It’s as if most of the plans I had made became effectively useless from the moment the Emperor personally came to Delphi and twisted the timeline that was unfolding, or rather… from the moment Kardmos targeted Rosalie-nim, forcing me to fight for my life.

In such a situation, Antikrea was too strong for me to fight with dignity, holding back my cards.

So, even in this changed situation, I just entrusted myself to the senses and instincts that had always kept me alive, and I simply struggled to do my best.

What should I use first?

I need to talk about Leon, and there’s no real reason to avoid talking about kids like Emma or Lizley.

Good. For now, should I just continue the story truthfully?

“About a month ago… that is, around the time of Leon’s practical evaluation. Leon instructed someone to give me an aphrodisiac. The ones instructed were Lizley de Gracia and Emma Agnelli.”

“An aphrodisiac…? Why would he give such a thing to you…? And why is the young lady of the Gracia Earldom involved with you all?”

The Emperor questioned me as if he couldn’t understand.

Meanwhile, the Agnelli Viscounty was the kind of family that would elicit a ‘what’s that?’ from the Emperor, so it was amusing how surprisingly little interest he showed in Emma.

Hey, slave, step up your game! You’re falling too far behind Lizley, you pseudo-noble!

“First… I feel a bit sorry to say this to Your Majesty, Leon’s father, and I’m not sure if I really should say it, but… I must. Leon is a severe psychopath.”

This fiery man, declaring right to the Emperor’s face that his son is a severe psychopath….

Perhaps Ras Etgard truly is the embodiment of charisma and audacity…?

This is why women fall for him.

However, this was truly unavoidable.

What I was talking about was a bizarre situation that couldn’t be judged by the standards of someone with normal common sense.

It meant that Leon was truly an unparalleled lunatic.

“First, Lizley, who appeared in this story, was my fiancée. Leon knew that and deliberately seduced her, then took her from me. And I, by chance, came to know that fact.”

“Oh dear…. I truly apologize to you. Leon, I told him never to commit adultery, but still… even someone else’s fiancée… *sigh*…”

“I thought, ‘kids’ romantic entanglements can be like that,’ you know? Besides, I had already lost affection for Lizley and was considering breaking off the engagement, so I actually just accepted it. Even if she was taken… she was taken by the Imperial Prince, so what could I do? But when I tried to ignore it and let it go, that’s when Leon really started to actively torment me.”

So, old man, your son is a bastard like this.

If he had been just a little more normal, he would have pretty much ended it when I ignored their affair.

He saw someone who stumbled and cried out, but found that too boring, so he made them stand up again and persistently tried to torment them, and that’s why trouble started.

“He called Lizley and her vassal, Emma, and instructed them to thoroughly ‘take care of me.’ In that situation, the secret weapon Leon gave them was a high-grade aphrodisiac that was hard to detect. He planned to secretly feed it to me and… live stream me raping my team member to the school officials during the practical outdoor evaluation.”

I wouldn’t reveal that the aphrodisiac he intended to give me was ‘Incubus’ Tear’.

That was a secret imperial family drug, so it could be assumed that no one outside of the imperial family knew its true nature.

In such a situation, if I were to say I knew the exact name of the drug, it might actually make me look suspicious.

Anyway, perhaps because his son’s intended atrocity was quite shocking, the Emperor let out a heavy groan.

“….For now… I will believe what you say as truth. But inevitably… that story is deeply unsettling to me. Leon has never shown me such a side.”

Before the regression, among Leon’s unsolicited rambling about his personal history, I recall him mentioning that he had worn a moderately kind and benevolent mask.

He had mentioned something along the lines of how the Emperor, Rodrigo, and the Empress… none of them could escape the traps he had set. So, it’s unavoidable that the Emperor is confused right now.

No matter how much of a complete bastard Leon was, he had always been casually kind and good-natured in front of him. Moreover, being the child born from his beloved Empress, he would have been far more favored than Skada.

No… in fact, simply by not slapping me and kicking me out, going beyond mere confusion and telling me not to speak such nonsense, the Emperor’s character score already passes.

How could a bastard like Leon be born under such a decent human being? It’s truly a mystery, how things work in this world.

“Thank you for believing me. Anyway, Leon did that for his own amusement, but… while he was at it, he probably also tried to check and mock his own sister.”

“Skada… you mean? What does your raping a classmate have to do with Skada being kept in check?”

“It does. The academic policy the Second Imperial Princess proposed and pushed for was the special admission for socially disadvantaged groups. It was a benevolent policy for commoners, and from the Imperial Princess’s perspective, she put quite a bit of effort into it, didn’t she? There was also quite a bit of opposition.”

“Ah. Yes… that’s right. I remember it somewhat, as it was before I became fully bedridden. Then….”

Well, since this isn’t a lie, I can just speak honestly without needing to elaborate further.

“Although I certainly look affluent, I am a commoner. Naturally, I am not part of the socially disadvantaged, but from the perspective of nobles who draw clear lines, it’s entirely possible to sensationally distort the incident by focusing on the ‘commoner’ aspect. Not only could it put the Imperial Princess in a difficult position… but most of all, he probably wanted to mock her. To say, ‘Your discernment and ideology are wrong.’”

“Yes… that makes sense. There was quite a lot of talk when Skada put forth that policy… and Leon and Skada don’t have a good relationship.”

“Leon is that kind of person, regardless. The kind who doesn’t particularly care what happens to those around him, as long as he’s entertained. However, an accident happened. This is actually where the real story begins.”

“A wicked story that makes one’s hands sweat. I’m sorry, but I can’t listen to this with a completely clear mind. *Sigh*…”

Just for today, Mr. Orlando, who was merely a pitiful father with a terrible son, began to drink directly from a bottle of alcohol.

“Elder… drinking alone isn’t good for your health. Anyway… how about you take a moment to breathe, and I’ll see you again in a minute?”

“Alright.”

The deep wrinkles around Mr. Orlando’s eyes, as he heavily sighed, particularly conveyed exhaustion and gauntness.