Ch.11939. Shadow of Dawn. Or Shade. (2)

“Six months. No, three months will be enough.”

The Omnipotent Princess.

A girl who demonstrated overwhelming capability beyond mere competence at a young age, making countless foreign powers nervous by her mere presence.

The crowning achievement among these was when she became the first to acquire the Dark Lord’s legacy and make it her own.

Known to the world as absolute power, few understand its true nature.

And those who acquired such power but were deemed unable to control or restrain it were called Dark Lords in the continent.

Nezerius.

This being of unknown origin and background was the first to be called such, cementing both the term and its meaning.

He devastated an entire nation and swept through battlefields where thousands clashed, building his fearsome reputation.

Truly, he was calamity incarnate.

And the one who directly confronted him and displayed overwhelming power?

The one who drove him away like a defeated dog?

It was the Empire’s princess, incredibly young at the time.

A preposterous monster had been born in the Empire.

And that monster grew strong and healthy, becoming an unstoppable force.

Those who once designated the princess as a hostage harshly criticized the rulers of each country, saying “I told you so,” but it was already far too late.

The Imperial Family.

Among them, the flaming red hair and eyes blue as the sky and sea, characteristics of the golden bloodline.

Some whispered that even Alesius’s dark blue eyes, resembling those of Empress Melineos rather than the pure blue of the golden bloodline, proved his diluted heritage.

Similarly, there were discussions about who had been granted legitimacy and which descendant the ancestors had chosen as the true successor.

But some lamented that she, simply by being herself, carried the most fatal flaw.

“El.”

Elhermina Berk Enzul.

He resembled her—or rather, she resembled him.

Hailed as the savior who rescued the world and now upheld the Empire.

Before this hero-emperor, she was persistently pushing her own opinion.

The Emperor, though clearly understanding her feelings better than anyone, wore a regretful expression.

But this was a separate issue.

“Now is the time to build our foundation.”

“What more foundation do we need to build? We’ve done enough. All that remains is to move forward. Isn’t everything proceeding according to plan? Are you so afraid of variables that you must constantly keep a watchful eye?”

“Are you overlooking that such variables could cause errors spanning years or decades?”

“Are you not seeing that even greater errors could arise?”

“You…”

The Emperor paused there, closing his lips and exhaling deeply.

“Do you think your involvement can resolve this situation? When we don’t even know the whereabouts?”

“It’s not that the Empire cannot find it. Is it not because there isn’t enough support and resources to do so?”

“So you would directly involve yourself to resolve this. Is that what you’re saying?”

“If you have a more certain strategy, I humbly request that you share your sacred wisdom now. I will gladly listen and immediately implement it without delay.”

“……”

The Emperor fell silent again.

He usually stood while attending to his duties, but now he sat uncomfortably to one side, occasionally glancing at the piled documents.

More importantly, the person who should be helping with those mountains of paperwork and important matters sealed with layers of parchment or exotic skins was saying such things.

Of course, he fully understood what Elhermina wanted to say and her intentions.

However.

If mishandled, this issue could expand into an irreversible incident.

“The suspicion regarding Kariel hasn’t been completely resolved yet. No, nothing has been resolved yet.”

“……”

“The Empress’s prophetic dreams are absolute. How many crises we’ve overcome because of them… I won’t bother explaining that separately.”

“Are you saying that leaving things as they are will solve the problem? According to that prophecy, Your Majesty will die at Kariel’s hands—is this a future you’re willing to accept?”

“We must resist, of course. But if it’s the price I must pay for my sins…”

“Do you think Her Majesty could endure that?”

“……”

“If we focus only on building sandcastles without properly constructing dams, what meaning will it have if a great flood comes?”

“Did you not hear the latest report?”

Though details were unclear, Kariel had obtained an unknown power.

Moreover, with that power, he even neutralized another inheritor who carried the Dark Lord’s legacy.

This came from a boy who had newly become a hero in a distant land, so it must be true.

“He might be completely different from the Kariel you knew. If the Dark Lord has truly intervened…”

“Do you think he might have possessed Kariel’s body to seek revenge?”

“I consider it one possibility.”

The Golden Beast, who even managed to seal Melineos’s dreams.

The question is, how was that even possible?

There are several speculations, but Melineos and her teacher Geornia reached one conclusion:

Perhaps the Golden Beast’s soul has taken residence in Kariel’s body.

He might not have lost control of his body yet, but…

…who knows what might happen later.

“Even if he hasn’t lost his body, as long as he listens to the Golden Beast’s whispers… everything will move according to her will.”

Hatred for the Empire.

For the Emperor and the Imperial Family.

And even for his parents.

The Emperor had long ago confirmed the contents of the letter Kariel left behind.

By the time they realized how twisted things had become… it was too late.

“He wasn’t the Kariel we knew.”

There wasn’t a trace of the exceptional insight and discernment that had marked that extraordinarily gifted child from a young age.

The letter contained only the gloomy confession of a boy crushed by expectations, frustrated, despairing, and broken.

Thinking about it this way, all the circumstances surrounding Kariel’s apparent helplessness began to make sense.

The idea that he had isolated himself—or pretended to isolate himself—out of betrayal, shock, or disappointment in humanity while waiting for a chance to rise again…

That had become merely their delusion.

No, even if that had been his intention.

He had perceived movements targeting him from all directions, and those with other forces and intentions behind them couldn’t touch the Imperial Family, Lueld, or Ermina, so they targeted the child.

Even if he hadn’t deliberately made himself a target to catch these despicable culprits…

…wasn’t that too severe a trial for a child of that age?

“The previous Count Esdina wasn’t aware, but in the end, he was pushed by someone’s advice.”

The casual advice of a rare visiting merchant.

After investigating the suspicious rapid growth of this merchant’s guild…

…they finally discovered the Knights Hospitaller’s involvement.

And currently, the imperial intelligence agency concluded that they might be the ones hiding Kariel’s whereabouts or disrupting efforts to find him.

But identifying the problem wasn’t the same as solving it.

Moreover, there was another issue.

“Some countries were lending a hand to isolate him, either to continue their lineage or to facilitate his defection. In other words, the malice directed at Kariel came from multiple sources, and he was continuously exposed to these covert schemes.”

For example, several countries offered special privileges under the pretext of study abroad.

Even in Geornia’s homeland, the Empress’s teacher’s country, there were unsettling movements to arrange a marriage for him.

…Though most were blocked by the Emperor and Lueld, so Kariel probably never knew.

The Emperor clicked his tongue.

“Yes. Those foolish individuals believed that by having Kariel, their country would gain a powerful ally and guardian.”

The Empire, the Knights of Radiance.

And the support and cooperation of the Irenis Order led by Ermina…

“But I simply cannot understand how they thought such shallow schemes would work.”

“It’s not about having a brilliant plan. What matters is that it was executed.”

Even a stupid plan, when executed by those in power, gains weight and meaning.

The underlings are the ones who implement it anyway.

And if those below are competent, things get done one way or another, even if those above are foolish.

In this case, such schemes were layered upon each other, creating a perfect storm.

…The key factor was probably the decision and action of the previous Count Esdina.

That’s what pulled Alesius in too.

…Or perhaps Alesius was the one who handed over the key.

His decision to isolate Kariel essentially facilitated everything.

“Twisted affection ruined everything.”

Elhermina’s love for Kariel.

Alesius, who knew this better than anyone…

…couldn’t accept that she seemed about to be paired with Eras.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or not didn’t matter to Alesius at the time.

What mattered was that he felt that way.

And so, disaster struck.

The Emperor smiled wryly and said:

“Once water has been spilled and soaked the ground, no amount of digging will bring it back.”

Blood is thicker than water, as they say.

The Emperor had pondered long and hard about how to handle this situation.

Then, he confessed the matter to Lueld.

But even that was too late a response.

Above all, despite being the all-powerful Hero Emperor now,

just a few years ago, he still had to be mindful of the nobles and local lords.

…Though it might not seem so, he was still just a precarious ruler barely holding onto unstable imperial authority.

Of course, to neighboring countries, he appeared superhuman.

Several major neighboring countries.

Even if dozens of small countries were combined, the Empire was still vastly larger.

“Lueld’s excessive trust in Kariel was… problematic, if anything.”

No, it definitely was a problem.

He was the type who thought his son was too brilliant.

So, conversely, he worried that the child might become too easily disappointed and frustrated.

Additionally, as he traveled throughout the Empire, organized imperial guards and important escort missions, went on expeditions, handled secret missions, and even trained talented individuals… even having two bodies would have been insufficient.

If there was a problem, it was probably Ermina.

“She was in an insecure position as well.”

Moreover, unlike Lueld, Ermina wasn’t privy to quite a bit of information.

Perhaps that’s why.

Her characteristic strictness and stubbornness, her near-obsessive habits—all aimed at preventing Kariel from going astray—began to manifest.

Of course, some might argue that such behavior was rather normal for noble families…

‘It depends on the person.’

Education, guidance, even learning that some can endure as if it’s natural…

For others, it can be an unbearable ordeal.

To push this despite that…

It’s essentially abuse.

…Like forcibly pushing a body into a box it doesn’t fit into and sealing the entrance.

The result is predictable.

Either the body reconfigures itself to fit the box, even if it breaks…

Or it struggles and endures until it truly breaks.

The Emperor himself had been such a case.

That’s why he tried not to do the same when disciplining his children, but…

“……”

The problem was that the Hero Emperor’s son and daughter were both exceptional.

So if their temperaments were left unchecked or neglected, they might seriously deviate.

Therefore, discipline had to be established early.

To prevent deviation.

The wayward heirs and deviants of the upper class.

How much damage and harsh experiences had they endured due to these twisted individuals during their journey?

And look.

As fate would have it, both were born with the most noble bloodline in the Empire.

If either of them deviated, if they harbored twisted hearts…

Another nightmare could sprout in the Empire.

Ermina’s repeated cautions to Kariel, her desire for him not to stray—these were likely influenced by such concerns.

“If things go well according to your wishes, there could be no better outcome. But in the worst case, if you get hurt or something worse happens?”

“…If you believe in the prophecy, don’t you know that I will never die?”

“Instead, your body won’t be intact. I… no, I cannot guarantee how you will change because of that influence.”

“……”

“The way people look at you will also change a lot by then. And… there’s no absolute in power. When Alesius wanted to treat you differently than before, did you want to treat him as you did before?”

At that point,

Elhermina didn’t continue for a while.

This was a different kind of impasse.

In truth, if Elhermina was determined, how could the Emperor dissuade her?

However, both the Emperor and Elhermina herself knew that it wouldn’t be easy for her.

“Isn’t entrusting this to Lueld or Geornia enough?”

“It’s been almost a year since we entrusted it to them.”

Originally…

…Elhermina thought.

Originally.

After his return through various twists and turns.

After he gloriously displayed his existence in the jousting tournament.

After confirming their engagement.

Only then would she take measures, whether purging or restoring honor.

She had intended to normalize everything and completely overturn the situation, returning it to its rightful flow.

But suddenly, this Dark Lord or whatever appeared.

Kariel in league with a Dark Lord?

Kariel acting under a Dark Lord’s instructions?

What nonsense.

…But.

Her Majesty happened to have such a dream.

And the one who sealed that dream was the Golden Beast?

…If it’s not a mistake, if it’s true, what can be done?

Then another doubt emerged.

When Elhermina herself confronted him.

That unidentifiable divine rank he displayed… was certainly beyond understanding.

Yet, because it was him… she had let it pass.

Little did she know it would be the beginning.

The problem worsened when the ministers and officials learned of this.

In fact, they were the ones who initially requested sending a representative to the Papal Office.

However.

Even this had been anticipated, and later Elhermina scoffed as she turned it to her advantage.

Eventually, the situation developed rapidly, reaching a point where delay was impossible.

So she executed the plan ahead of schedule.

No, because of that, she could create the situation more firmly and harshly.

Accusing them of being the masterminds and accomplices who made him collude with the Dark Lord.

Creating a non-existent cult for the Dark Lord’s revival, selecting those who would confess and expose it.

Confirming this and matching the crimes to those whose names were written in the register.

But while suppressing rumors about Kariel as much as possible, she fanned the flames of anger against the traitors’ crimes, inflating their sins even more.

After decisively cutting off these sprouts, she quickly filled the vacancies according to plan.

Do you know how long this plan had been in place?

It was meticulously prepared to push forward his intentions if Kariel ever harbored revenge or any intention to oppose or punish them.

Perhaps he would move after graduating from the academy.

So she waited patiently.

That was the biggest mistake.

Kariel… was so different from what she remembered.

His all-out efforts were genuine and sincere.

Despite being expected and demanded by those around him.

Yet we were still young, so we couldn’t neglect preparing for the future, and surely we could endure that much together.

…It was a complete misconception.

I could endure, but Kariel’s circumstances were apparently quite different.

…Why didn’t I find that strange?

She still couldn’t shake the suspicion that such a misconception might have been forcibly implanted by some absurd curse.

“I understand.”

“……”

“Did you think this father wouldn’t know why you brought this up now and showed such a resolute attitude?”

“I am humbled.”

“Haah….”

The Emperor sighed openly.

“Life truly has no end.”

If this were a fairy tale.

After defeating the Dark Lord, everyone should have lived happily ever after.

“……”

Today especially, he missed his departed comrades.

If just a few of them had survived.

Such a situation would never have occurred in the first place.

How did it come to this?

Why?