Chapter 38 : Millennium Height (12)

The Second Prince, Isaac Eterno, was the son of a concubine.

According to the laws of the Empire, the sons of concubines also had the right to inherit the throne.

There was little difference between them and the sons of the Empress, so Isaac lived a respected life.

A prince with inheritance rights was someone who could potentially become the Emperor.

If they didn’t live a respected life, that would be strange.

Isaac had big dreams.

He had clear goals.

Every man living in the Empire, especially those who had heard the stories of the first Emperor, was bound to get infected with that disease.

“I want to become like the first Emperor.”

Of course, unlike others, Isaac was the legitimate heir of the first Emperor’s bloodline.

He was second in line for the throne, and it was a solid claim.

This was a significant difference.

It was the difference between whether a delusion remained a mere fantasy or became a reality.

The southern barbarians had always been a problem for the Empire.

They frequently crossed the border to raid, and this caused a lot of trouble for the Empire. Isaac precisely took advantage of this situation.

He went to the southern regions of the Empire, personally led the army, and occasionally took the lead to crush the barbarians.

Thanks to this, Isaac gained the strong support of the southern army.

It was a valuable achievement earned after years of hard work on the battlefield.

Isaac, having divided the barbarian kingdom in half and ensured that the Empire wouldn’t need to worry about the barbarians for decades to come, waved his hand while mounted on a white horse.

The cheers of the people filled the streets.

This was the second parade, but every time he did it, one thought came to mind.

“I want to keep receiving these cheers.”

“Forever.”

“Isaac, you’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve worked hard too, Roderick.”

Isaac returned to the assigned palace with the help of his retainer who had been left in the capital.

Entering the room of the palace, Isaac collapsed into a chair, sighed, and then picked up an object from the pile of things in the room.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a cup made of gold. It’s also called the ‘Celestial Vessel’.”

“Everyone and their dog seems to be using the name ‘Holy Grail’. What’s its feature?”

“They say if you drink water from it, your body stays warm all day, and it glows at night.”

“How useless.”

Isaac carelessly threw the Celestial Vessel towards the pile of objects, but then gently placed it on the table.

He had recalled the intended use of the item.

After licking his lips, Isaac glanced through the items and then stopped his gaze on one particular thing, narrowing his eyes.

“What’s that?”

“That’s Star Silver.”

“Star Silver? That?”

Isaac was surprised upon seeing the color, but it was indeed Star Silver.

Isaac softly exclaimed in admiration.

“Did Star Silver like that actually exist?”

“I was surprised too.”

“Where did you find it?”

“Did you steal it?”

Isaac looked at Roderick with a look of disbelief.

Roderick lowered his head.

“Yeah.”

“Where did you steal it from?”

“I had been keeping an eye on the Alchemy Guild, and by sheer luck, I found it.”

“The Alchemy Guild? Huh.”

Isaac stroked his chin.

“You know, Roderick, even I know that if you mess with something like the Alchemy Guild, it brings significant political pressure.”

“I used the tail that I had carefully prepared over the years. Don’t worry, there’s no evidence left.”

“Well, alright. It’s an emergency situation right now anyway. If we have to be a little drastic, then so be it.”

If they weren’t using it now, there would have been no reason to make such a plan.

Isaac tapped the table and thought for a moment before quietly asking.

“What about the First Prince?”

“He’s still the same.”

“You’re saying he’s incompetent.”

Isaac gave a sharp evaluation and clicked his tongue.

Honestly, from the perspective of the First Prince, Orfin, Isaac’s assessment could be seen as unfair.

He wasn’t incompetent.

However, everything was relative.

Orfin, who was somewhere between average and a genius, was certainly less capable compared to Isaac.

“To inherit the throne just because he was born first… isn’t that wrong for the Empire?”

“If it were you, Isaac, you would make the Empire even greater.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Isaac wanted to make the Empire great.

Just like the first Emperor did long ago.

He was confident.

Though he couldn’t do it exactly like the first Emperor, he was sure he could get close.

But the world didn’t work the way you wanted it to.

No matter how talented you were, no matter how strong your will was, without the choice of the great Emperor, everything was nothing but a dream.

“I need to see Father.”

“I’ll prepare everything.”

Isaac picked up the pile of gifts in the room and left the palace to meet the Emperor.

The main palace was located at the center of the Imperial Palace.

Crossing through the main palace, Isaac passed the audience room, then the office, and finally reached a room.

Sniff.

Isaac unconsciously furrowed his brow as a sharp smell hit his nose.

“Please enter.”

At the chamberlain’s words, Isaac opened the door and entered.

Inside the very large room, there was a huge bed, and a man lying on it spoke to Isaac.

“How was the expedition?”

“I showed the barbarians exactly why the Empire is the Empire.”

“Good job.”

Isaac sighed inwardly at the weak voice.

It wasn’t good.

Isaac asked slowly.

“How many days has it been since you’ve been bedridden?”

“Not many days.”

“You’ve been lying down a lot recently. Are you really alright, Father?”

Here’s the translation of the Korean text to English:

“Of course, it’s fine. Cough.”

The people gathered around the emperor, who was coughing, and made him take the medicine.

After swallowing the medicine and water, the emperor spoke with a much more comfortable voice.

“Why did you bring so much?”

“They are items wishing for your health, Father.”

Isaac ordered the people to stack the items Rodrick had brought in the room.

Then, he personally carried a huge, noticeable ore and stood in front of the emperor.

“It’s Seongun.”

“That’s Seongun? Did you get it yourself?”

“Of course. This size must contain several times the power of a regular Seongun. There’s no need to process it, just use it as a bed.”

“Oh, oh! You are truly my son. Chamberlain! Immediately make that into my bed!”

“Understood.”

At the emperor’s command, a new bed was quickly prepared.

Amidst the luxurious decorations and wooden frames, which had been gathered and piled up in the corner—preparations Isaac didn’t know when had begun—Isaac suddenly felt like this entire situation was a farce.

The emperor knew what Isaac wanted.

He knew why Isaac had brought all these gifts.

Isaac knew the emperor knew.

He was well aware that the devious father couldn’t possibly be unaware.

They were both laying bare their intentions, both exposing their desires, and yet their conversation was not aligned.

But Isaac and the emperor were like mismatched gears, running in parallel without ever interlocking.

The emperor would not grant Isaac his wishes.

Even if the Seongun brought now were to heal the emperor, the result would remain unchanged.

The crown prince would still be the first prince, and Isaac would only be the second in line for succession.

That was so unpleasant that Isaac quickly bowed and left the bedroom.

[Who told you to be born second? If you had tried a little harder and been born about five months earlier, you would have been the first heir.]

“Shut up.”

Isaac muttered a curse learned in the battlefield and lightly tapped the sword at his waist with his fist as he walked away.

The Ego Sword was fine, but sometimes it really scraped at his insides, which was problematic.

Nevertheless, it helped clear his mind a bit.

Not everything was decided yet.

In fact, the more Isaac’s achievements grew, the more the emperor wavered.

When Isaac split the barbarian tribe in half and the capital was shaken by the news, the emperor seriously considered changing the crown prince, or so he heard.

Although the emperor didn’t seem to have much time left, that was fine.

Isaac was confident that, in about a year—or rather, six months—he would be able to change the emperor’s mind.

Six months.

Just six months.

If he used every means possible to change the emperor’s heart, it would be Isaac’s victory.

“What did you say?”

“Your Majesty the Emperor has passed on to the garden of the gods.”

Early in the morning, Isaac received shocking news from the southern commander.

The emperor had died of illness.

It was so sudden that it was almost unbelievable.

“It can’t be. Just a few days ago, Father was fine and we were talking…”

“Lord Isaac.”

The southern commander called Isaac with a serious tone.

Isaac met the commander’s gaze and realized, from the determined look in his eyes, what was about to happen.

“Could it be?”

“Just as we entered the capital to perform the ceremonial march, the emperor passed away. It’s too coincidental to be just a chance. I believe this is heaven’s will. Now is the perfect time to act.”

With the southern commander’s declaration, Isaac did not say things like, “That’s insane,” or “Why are you doing something I didn’t order?”

Instead, he quietly murmured.

“What’s the situation?”

The actions of Isaac’s subordinates were ultimately the things Isaac wanted to do.

They were bound by a strong, trust-based relationship.

The southern commander said, “We have seized control of the capital and formed a siege around the area.”

“That’s not important.”

“Of course, we are also capturing other imperial heirs. The justification is…”

“An assassination attempt on the emperor… or should we investigate the poisoning suspicions?”

Isaac stood up.

“Darim-gyeong.”

“Your command, sir.”

“Bring them all before me. Especially the crown prince. He must be brought here.”

“Understood.”

Take what you want with your own hands.

Remembering something his father had once told him, Isaac left the palace.

Now it was down to one of two things.

Either he would die.

Or he would become emperor.