Ch.158The Return of the First Emperor (2)

Victoria squinted, gauging beyond the ridge.

“How many enemies?”

Charlotte asked, standing beside Victoria.

“Two hundred thousand.”

“That’s impossible. They should have been completely annihilated.”

Charlotte gave a hollow smile.

“Did they rise from their graves?”

The imperial army that Ruide had annihilated was perfectly intact.

However, they didn’t seem to possess any vitality.

Their pupils were empty, and their equipment and formations were all outdated.

“So this is the First Emperor’s power that I’ve only heard about. Did Irene anticipate this far?”

“The captain is smart.”

Charlotte was perhaps the Windsor closest to Irene.

That’s why she was the most heartbroken when she heard Irene had changed.

But—

Charlotte was, after all, a Windsor.

Windsors never forgive anyone who threatens the North.

“They won’t be easy to kill.”

Charlotte, who never lost her cheerful smile, spoke with a serious expression.

Whether the edge of her sword was meant for the Emperor or Irene remained unclear.

Victoria raised her sword and shouted.

“All troops—follow me!”

**

“Move aside.”

“No.”

“I cannot allow that.”

Two maids blocked Ruide’s path.

“Why are you stopping me?”

“By Lady Irene’s orders.”

Ruide was confined to the mansion.

Naturally, it was Irene’s decision.

With Victoria absent, priority went to Irene as the heir.

Or rather, it seemed she had already taken complete control of the Windsor family.

“Do you think you can stop me?”

“You cannot warp without Ruby’s permission.”

Unlike Rosalie who was quite strong, Ruby had no combat abilities.

But Ruby possessed abilities beyond mere combat.

Specifically, “spatial dominance.” Without Ruby’s permission, no one could use space-related abilities.

“Then I’ll walk.”

“We won’t just stand by and watch.”

“You think you’re a match for me?”

“I can at least stall for time. Until Irene arrives.”

“Do as you please.”

Ruide turned his back.

He had no intention of staying put when his only parents in this world might be in danger.

“Young master. You mustn’t move.”

Ruby’s voice stopped Ruide in his tracks.

“If we lose our strongest young master, Windsor has no hope left. So please, don’t go.”

The First Emperor’s power—mind control.

He could control anyone as he wished, regardless of who they were.

Ruide knew this well.

There was no solution to this ability. Being a “power” rather than magic, it couldn’t be dispelled.

That’s precisely why he couldn’t stay put.

“…Is Victoria alright?”

If the First Emperor took Victoria from them, they couldn’t hold out any longer.

“I have a plan too.”

Ruide said coldly.

“He can’t use his power unless we make eye contact.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

Of course he knew.

Ruide had read the entire original novel, all 1,000 chapters.

The First Emperor’s power had a limitation.

Namely, he had to make eye contact.

‘As long as I don’t get close, I’ll be fine.’

The amount of magic recorded in Ruide Christopher Windsor’s brain was immense.

If used fully in war, no one could stop him.

“Trust me.”

When Ruide spoke with strong conviction, Rosalie flinched.

Ruby also seemed surprised. She sensed that the usually indecisive youngest lord had changed somehow.

Ruby soon smiled. Then, she bowed respectfully.

“I’ve released the spatial barrier. Ruide can warp anywhere he wishes.”

“You…!”

Rosalie grabbed Ruby’s arm in panic. But Ruby’s gaze remained unwavering, and Ruide could feel the spatial restriction that had confined him being lifted.

Ruide immediately cast warp. As his vision blurred, he said to Ruby:

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Now, it was time to go and fix everything.

Even if it was too late, he had resolved not to waste time wallowing in regret in this life.

After this was over, he needed to ask Victoria.

Why Irene had changed her heart.

And whether Irene could ever return to her former self.

**

Countless people falling.

At the center stood Victoria.

As if proving her status as the head of Windsor, hundreds perished with a single gesture from her.

Who could dare speak in the face of such an overwhelming sight?

‘This… is Windsor’s power.’

Gulp. Ruide, watching everything from atop a cliff, swallowed hard.

The scale was different. Enemies who no longer felt like living beings were dying once more under Victoria’s strikes.

There were still many enemy troops left. But it wasn’t worrying.

Windsor knights worked in perfect harmony around Victoria. Among them, Charlotte was particularly remarkable.

Her face, usually smiling, showed not a trace of humor as she swung her sword at invisible speeds. She didn’t allow a single enemy to approach Victoria.

The knights of Windsor, sometimes thought foolish, were truly monsters when they entered battle with seriousness.

He had hurried to help, but no—

The very thought that he had come to help them was a form of arrogance, he realized in that moment.

‘Thank goodness. Windsor knights are stronger than I imagined.’

He had planned to cast a powerful spell if they seemed to be losing. But fortunately, that wasn’t necessary.

If he cast a high-level spell, the First Emperor would inevitably notice his presence.

Assassinating him while he hid like a rat would not have been easy. This was good. Now he could focus on his primary mission.

‘Let’s find the First Emperor.’

Ruide closed his eyes. He spread his mana as thinly as possible, concealing his presence. Only a mage of his caliber would be able to detect him.

‘Neither the Mana Heart nor the Three Sacred Treasures have left this world. That means he used another method.’

He suspected the Crown of the First Emperor. The cornered Emperor might have used it.

‘It’s not perfect for resurrection. A medium is definitely needed.’

The necessary medium was bloodline.

A pureblood who inherited the First Emperor’s blood.

In other words, the medium was Lucius.

The First Emperor was dwelling within Lucius’s body.

‘Found him.’

Ruide opened his eyes. He looked at one specific location.

He had thought the Emperor would be nearby. Like in war, information was crucial for the First Emperor’s power.

Seeing with one’s own eyes was most reliable. But he was quite far away.

‘He can’t see the battlefield from there.’

What was his intention? Was he simply a coward? No, a coward wouldn’t have invaded Windsor in the first place.

What mattered was that Ruide had only one task.

He cast an invisibility spell and flew through the air. He arrived shortly and landed carefully.

It was a temporarily erected tent. This tent looked familiar.

It was the kind used for subjugating monsters.

‘How dare he use Windsor’s tent.’

Grind. He ground his teeth. Ruide approached the tent. He heard rustling sounds.

He reached out his hand. He intended to blow away the entire tent.

But as he channeled his magic, he realized someone else was there.

‘Who?’

There were several possibilities. If it was the Emperor’s servant, he wouldn’t hesitate, but the Emperor’s power was at stake.

He might have taken someone prisoner.

‘It’s a bit risky, but I have no choice.’

He warped into the tent using magic. He would need to be careful about facing the power, but he decided to trust his magical skills.

As he approached the tent, he heard someone running urgently.

“Your Majesty!”

It was a knight covered in black plate mail. Black smoke rose from him, making it easy to tell he was connected to black magic.

The black knight stopped in front of the tent.

“Your Majesty, urgent bad news!”

The rustling inside the tent stopped momentarily.

“There’s something you must check immediately!”

The tent door opened. A man with disheveled clothes emerged. Lucius. However, it was instantly clear he was a completely different person.

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty, Windsor’s resistance is stronger than expected. We need reinforcements…”

Thwack-!

“…!”

“I was just enjoying myself, and now the mood is ruined.”

The Emperor’s sword was somehow embedded in the black knight’s body.

He hadn’t done it himself.

‘An artifact?’

He saw the sword move on its own. It seemed to have similar capabilities to Winter that Ruide possessed.

No, it was superior. Ruide merely manipulated his sword with telekinesis.

‘This is no time to be surprised. I need to seize this opportunity.’

Ruide organized a formula in his mind. It was magic that would erase not just life but the soul itself.

‘You’re finished now.’

But at that moment—.

“Hmm?”

“…!”

His eyes met the First Emperor’s.

How? Surely he shouldn’t be visible to him.

Ruide’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.

The Emperor threw his sword into the air and approached.

It was a moment of extreme tension.

“What a cute little child.”

The First Emperor lowered himself to eye level and patted Ruide’s head.

“Sorry, sorry, I showed something cruel to a little one. If I’d known you were here, I would have restrained myself.”

‘He… doesn’t recognize me?’

That was perhaps natural.

There were few nobles in the Empire who didn’t know Ruide’s face.

But the First Emperor was from a thousand years ago.

He couldn’t possibly imagine that a mere 12-year-old could be a great mage who had reached the 5th Magic.

In other words, there was no need to fear his power.

“By the way, you’re incredibly cute. What’s your name?”

“…Ruide Christopher.”

Ruide swallowed before the word “Windsor” could escape. Instead, he added something else.

“…sir.”

“Oh, a noble? Was there a Christopher family… Well, naturally I wouldn’t know. So, why are you here? Where are your parents?”

The First Emperor didn’t look like an emperor at all.

Just an ordinary person.

From his past life memories, he seemed like a typical older brother from the neighborhood.

‘…Is he not evil?’

Come to think of it, the notion that the First Emperor was evil was merely a preconception.

He hadn’t done anything bad yet.

‘Perhaps if I speak well, he might listen.’

It was then that he had this thought.

The Emperor stood up.

He glanced at the tent, stroking his chin.

As if he’d thought of something interesting, he said to Ruide:

“Actually, I’m not that curious. I just thought of something fun. Want to play with big brother?”

“…What?”

“Come with me.”

The Emperor showed a deep smile.

He pulled back the tent flap.

Inside was a woman.

“……”

Disheveled clothes.

Empty pupils.

…Blonde hair and blue eyes.

A woman who looked exactly like Amelia lay sprawled on the bed.

But it wasn’t Amelia. Though very similar, she was a different person.

Ruide felt like he knew the name of this woman he was seeing for the first time.

“Isn’t she pretty? She’s my toy. But I’m getting tired of just having her.”

The First Emperor smiled.

It was the most disgusting smile Ruide had ever seen.

“You try her. I think that might make it more exciting.”

Ruide regretted ever thinking, even momentarily, that the First Emperor might be a good person.