Ch.286Side Story: Emperor?

As humans and demons grew more accustomed to each other, something else was approaching.

“…Not much time left now.”

Final exams.

“Isn’t it ironic? I’ve experienced graduation countless times before, yet this final graduation pains my heart uniquely.”

Laura, who had received the exam schedule, muttered with a somewhat bitter expression.

For Laura, a third-year student, these would be her last final exams. After taking the finals, spending winter break, and attending the graduation ceremony early next year, she would no longer be able to remain at Bellium Academy as a student.

In the past, graduation would have meant nothing to her, but now it was different. There were too many memories built here to end it all indifferently like times before.

“Can’t you still come visit after graduation?”

“It’s not that simple, Leona. Once I leave this place, I must begin preparations to formally ascend to the throne.”

That was true. Graduation itself wasn’t really the problem. Someone of Laura’s status could visit whenever she wanted. The real issue was the existence of imperial studies that everyone had forgotten about.

After graduating from the academy, she would begin studying imperial governance in earnest, and when that happened, freely making time like now would be practically impossible. Even if she could make time, it would be just brief respites.

“Have you ever been an emperor—”

“I probably have. The problem is that it’s in my diary, not in my head.”

Unfortunately, knowledge of the original story was useless in the current situation. In the original story, Laura was killed by the Demon King Eliciere before she could even ascend to the throne.

“Once, it was a position I strived so hard to obtain, yet now it has become a burden.”

Laura laughed self-deprecatingly. Since becoming aware of being a transmigrator, the emperor’s throne probably didn’t matter much to her. In fact, she likely didn’t care whether she ascended to it or not.

Yet she was still trying to find a solution instead of running away, largely for my sake. Because I didn’t want this world to fall into chaos. That’s also why Nika ended the war.

Understanding her feelings, I tried to think of solutions, but nothing promising came to mind.

“Um… special human.”

As time passed idly, the Celestial God suddenly peeked out and called to me.

“If you don’t strongly desire the position of human ruler, how about trying a different approach?”

“A different approach?”

“Could you spare me some time, Your Majesty?”

“You visit the imperial palace as casually as your own home. I didn’t expect to meet you again like this.”

That night, after learning the method from the Celestial God, I quietly visited the Emperor. He was wearing comfortable clothes, lying in bed reading a book when he welcomed me. He seemed to be truly relaxing.

“Should I be pleased that you’ve finally decided to follow my request to treat me casually?”

“I apologize. But this matter requires discretion, so I had no choice.”

Coming to the Emperor uninvited, entering his bedchamber, and having a private audience with him at night while he was defenseless—each offense alone was a capital crime deserving execution.

That would be true for an ordinary person, at least. Since it was me who came, the Emperor didn’t seem to mind at all, propping himself up on his elbow. He even yawned widely, mouth gaping open.

“Very well. Let me hear about this confidential matter. I trust it’s worth disturbing me at this late hour. I was just getting to a very interesting part of my book.”

“Would you be interested in becoming younger, Your Majesty?”

“Becoming younger?”

His upper body, which had been lazily lying on its side, sat up. His eyes transformed from those of a middle-aged man annoyed by everything to those of an emperor bearing the weight of an empire.

“Explain in more detail.”

“I’ll take that as interest and proceed with my explanation.”

I explained Laura’s situation—that her academy graduation was approaching, and she was sad because the imperial studies she would undertake at the palace would reduce the time she could spend with us.

After hearing this, the Emperor laughed, somewhat deflated.

“That child has truly changed so much. She used to be someone who wouldn’t hesitate to stain her hands with the blood of her own kin for this position.”

I know. Despite her connections with demons, she had disposed of her own brother who competed for the throne just last semester. It must be quite a revelation to see such a daughter now saddened about parting with friends.

The original Laura would have been different. The only person close to her would have been her bodyguard, who was now away escorting the Grand Magician, and her sole life goal would have been ascending to the throne.

Naturally, she had been obsessed with the emperor’s position.

“Do you dislike how she’s changed?”

“You see me as too terrible a father. Of course not. For someone in such a lonely position, having friends to open one’s heart to is a wonderful thing.”

The Emperor, with a somewhat lonely expression, looked at me again.

“Let’s return to what you were saying. When you ask if I’m interested in becoming younger, are you suggesting that I should continue to occupy the throne instead of my daughter, who no longer wishes to become emperor because she’s found something more precious?”

He seemed to have grasped exactly what I meant from our brief conversation. The Emperor was truly an emperor. Since there was nothing to hide anyway, I nodded obediently.

“That’s correct.”

“Interesting. Please continue.”

Seeing is believing.

I drew a magic circle on my hand to manifest a minor illusion spell, and amid the flashy effects, I subtly extended a sacred spear. As brilliant light enveloped his body and strange sounds echoed, the Emperor gasped.

His body began to grow younger under the light of the sacred spear.

This wasn’t my doing. It was the Celestial God’s. While it couldn’t affect beings connected to the world’s time itself like Aria or manipulate the world’s time directly, reversing the flow of time for a single human was entirely possible.

‘Even so, it’s still technically a god.’

While I had these irreverent thoughts that would have made the Celestial God puff its cheeks if it heard them, the light faded. The sounds diminished as well. The Emperor, who had closed his eyes, opened them and lowered his head with a slightly surprised expression.

“…This is.”

Through his loose nightclothes, his chest, which had regained its elasticity, was visible.

The Emperor stared at his body, now restored to youth with the traces of age erased, for a long while before suddenly throwing off his top. Muscles that could rival Priscilla’s father’s bulged impressively.

In terms of sheer muscle mass, he far exceeded me. I could now see where that boisterous personality came from.

“It’s true. So this is what it feels like to have a light body.”

The Emperor swung his arms around. He also tried flexing with a “hup!” sound. The muscles of his upper body swelled to their fullest. Not satisfied with that, the Emperor went to a mirror placed in one corner of the room and observed his rejuvenated body for quite some time.

“What happens if I refuse? Will you take it back?”

“That would be nothing but blackmail. As a subject of the empire, I cannot blackmail the Emperor, so please consider it a small gift presented to Your Majesty.”

“Hahaha! You must be the only person in the world who would call this a ‘small gift’!”

A hearty laugh came in response. Well, youth had returned to him, so it was something a bit too significant to simply call a gift. Rejuvenation was a concept impossible even with magic.

“Having received such a precious gift, I cannot help but consider your proposal positively. However, if I maintain the throne, we must also think about how to explain this to the outside world.”

“That’s something we need to consider from now on. You as well, of course, Your Majesty.”

“So you did have ulterior motives. Using the Emperor of the Empire—you should be prepared. I’ll be postponing the day that child sits on this throne for quite some time.”

As he was putting his clothes back on, the Emperor stopped me. His expression suggested he had a good idea.

“I can’t send you away empty-handed after receiving something so wonderful. Wait a moment.”

“Pardon?”

The Emperor disappeared briefly and returned with an elaborately decorated bottle of liquor in his hand.

“This is alcohol made from refined elixir. Annual production barely reaches half a bottle. Would you like to try it? Given how pathetically you lost to me last time, it’s obvious you won’t last long with this either.”

“…”

“What did he say?”

When I returned to the club room, Laura, who had been anxiously waiting, quickly approached.

“He gave his permission.”

“That’s a relief. One less worry.”

She sighed with relief. Then she nestled against me and sniffed here and there.

“I smell alcohol. Come to think of it, you’re a bit late too. Did something happen?”

“Oh, that? He was underestimating me too much. I just showed him how wrong he was.”

The reason I passed out first during my previous drinking contest with the Emperor was because succubus pheromones had been mixed into my drink. It was absolutely not because I had a low alcohol tolerance.

Not knowing this, he challenged me without fear and paid the price.