Chapter 61

Chapter 61

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 61: Would You Marry Me If I Ripped You Limb From Limb? (1).

Emperor’s Audience Room.

The space became extremely quiet after the 1st Princess left, and the holy grail in the air tilted silently. The apple wine that spilled out soon disappeared.

At the same time, part of the space was pulled back like a curtain.

A figure wearing a mask that did not show any features, Ilaref, the Emperor’s retainer. She slowly knelt on one knee and paid her respects.

“Your Majesty.”

“I am listening.”

“It is hard to understand why you let the 1st Princess go like this. Even though she grew up with such tendencies, there are limits…”

“Tendencies?”

“Yes. Although she grew up with a free-spirited nature and a full competitive spirit, it seems she needs correction as it has gone too far. Just letting her go like this…”

“Hmph.”

The Emperor snorted.

“Ilaref. Are you still not fully awake? Or have you become dull?”

“Huh?”

Ilaref, though her face was hidden by the mask, showed a quite surprised expression. An apple was thrown into the air.

Crunch!

“My retainer, Ilaref.”

“Yes.”

“Am I a weak emperor?”

“Impossible.”

“Or perhaps, am I an incompetent emperor?”

“You are the most capable. There is no better leader than you anywhere on the continent.”

“Hm, I think so too.”

“Then why did you…?”

“Step aside.”

At the Emperor’s command, the entire floor of the Audience Room began to shake, and the retainer quickly retreated.

“And watch closely.”

A gigantic rock, shaped like a blackboard, rose from the floor. Its well-polished surface started to form and crack into a picture in real time.

…Ilaref understood. It was like a map.

“First, the continent looks like this.”

Crack.

Cracks formed on the surface, showing the power distribution of the continent.

“The empire I rule, the northern snowfields, the southern desert, the central Great Forest… This much for now.”

The holy grail in the air swayed for a moment, as if pondering.

“Yes, we can’t leave out the Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm.”

The Emperor smiled as he looked at the detailed stone map, which included other realms besides the continent.

“Hmmm.”

“…Your Majesty?”

“Ilaref.”

“Yes.”

“It’s really strange that there’s a day when I have to explain this to someone. It’s proof that the world is becoming more enjoyable.”

Rumble!

The surface of the Demon Realm part protruded, emphasizing it.

“You must know that the Demon Realm has been unusual these days. Even if the entire continent united desperately, we couldn’t guarantee victory. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“At a time when even uniting is insufficient… the continent is so divided. Even the empire can’t be considered one. The Imperial Tower alone is divided into six factions competing against each other.”

“Yes.”

“Is there no rotten corner in this empire, on this continent? Are there no factors hindering perfect unity?”

Ilaref quietly bowed her head.

“There would be countless. Many prioritize immediate benefits and survival, and not many have as grand a vision as you, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed.”

The Emperor drank from the holy grail.

“Of course, it’s not their fault. They were born with insignificance, so what can you do? Well, solving such matters is the mission of the great.”

“That is correct.”

“Good. Then, these rotten parts must be entirely resolved. Who will accomplish that?”

“Could it be…?”

Ilaref tilted her head.

“Are you saying Jaekiel can get rid of it all?”

“Get rid of… Tsk, Ilaref. You are wrong.”

The holy grail in the air drew a circle at the end.

“You still don’t understand my words at all. You need to see the whole forest, not just the trees.”

“I apologize. It is because of my boundless insignificance.”

“Ilaref, fix this flower.”

A flower was thrown under the throne’s hem. At first glance, it was not in good condition. The stem was visibly decayed in places.

“I will follow your command, Your Majesty.”

Ilaref immediately set out to resolve it.

The method was extremely simple. It was merely cutting out the decayed parts, including the petals and stem.

“As expected, it turned out this way.”

The Emperor examined the flower presented above the throne.

“Most think of resolve and remove as synonyms. It’s not wrong. Simply getting rid of the problem—how easy and convenient a method that is.”

“I apologize.”

“No. Even I use this method. But the world is something where countless gears interlock and work together. If you blindly remove something, problems arise.”

The flower that was hanging in the air was thrown.

“Now then. What if I resolve it myself?”

Rumble.

Part of the stone surface distorted, and soon, part of the map disappeared entirely.

“Ah, indeed…”

“Getting rid of it is too easy, but you can’t say it’s resolved. The continent just loses that part entirely.”

Another apple was thrown into the air.

Crunch!

“Of course, the chaos that unfolds when something disappears is enjoyable. There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a fire.”

“Yes.”

“But you must know that’s exactly what the Demon Realm wants. We must not handle things by removing and cutting them out. We must fix them.”

“Is Jaekiel different?”

“Different. Look at this.”

Another flower with a decayed stem was thrown under the throne. But that wasn’t the end. Another flower was thrown, none other than the Jaekiela flower.

Shhh.

The Jaekiela flower slowly purified the decayed flower.

“Breaking, erasing, and removing are surprisingly easy. But who can achieve purification?”

“…”

The Emperor’s voice was oddly excited.

“The barbarians in the north who only grow strength? The proud elves of the Great Forest? No, no one can!”

Bang!

The stone slab shattered entirely.

“But Jaekiel. He can purify. I saw a possibility in him that I had never seen anywhere else.”

Ilaref bowed her head respectfully.

“Thank you for sharing your deep thoughts. I, insignificant as I am, did not know such intentions at all.”

She then slightly lifted her head.

“But, may I ask two questions? There are parts I have not understood.”

“I permit it.”

“…In that case, shouldn’t we have not let the 1st Princess go even more? Jaekiel is such an important asset. Is it okay to assign a woman to him?”

“It’s interesting.”

“…Excuse me?”

Crunch, another apple disappeared.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I left it alone just for fun. It’s something Jaekiel brought upon himself. He must bear the consequences.”

“Consequences?”

“That fellow proposed to all five princesses.”

“…?”

At first, Ilaref didn’t even understand the meaning.

And then the next moment.

“…!”

She was greatly surprised. No, she was beyond shocked.

“Someday, the princesses will find out about it.”

“…”

Ilaref immediately understood the concept of consequences the Emperor spoke of. Happiness turning into disaster with just a slight difference in truth.

“Ilaref, look at this flowerpot.”

The Emperor threw two flowerpots with Jaekiela in them. The flowerpots rolled down the steep steps under the throne and broke with a crack on the floor.

They looked the same, but the difference was clear.

“…!”

The weak Jaekiela wriggled like a worm and died, whereas the relatively sturdy Jaekiela began to gather soil by itself.

Not only its own soil but also all the soil the weak Jaekiela lost. Eventually, it became several times stronger.

“You never know. It might become a chance to become even greater.”

“…”

Ilaref could only sweat coldly.

A chance to become greater. A chance to become greater. As long as his back doesn’t break from the princesses’ fights, a chance to become much greater…

It meant practically taming all the princesses.

…Was that even possible?

She soon cleared her thoughts. It was something to watch and see.

“Your Majesty, now the last question.”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it somewhat excessive to give three drops of Sun Water? It goes against the way of raising…”

“Ah, that is a separate matter.”

The Emperor’s robe spread out a picture.

“It’s the price for giving me a satisfactory picture.”

The Emperor’s form, which couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

Jaekiel painted it with his own discretion.

A handsome man resembling the first’s eyes, the second’s mouth, the third’s nose, the fourth’s hands, and the fifth’s ears.

Of course, the Emperor didn’t look like that. It wasn’t Jaekiel’s reasoning ability that was impressive.

Blood. Fresh blood.

While proceeding with the match, Jaekiel painted the Emperor with blood.

“…It means I am an emperor made with my own blood.”

“Excuse me?”

“The meaning is clear. Someday, he plans to challenge me.”

Ilaref sweated coldly. When someone said they would challenge him, the Emperor found it bothersome, never welcoming it.

But now.

The Emperor was more delighted than ever.

“Hahaha!”

The Emperor laughed loudly.

Even the retainer, Ilaref—it was a sight she had never seen before.