Chapter 93: Michael #1

Chapter 93: Michael #1

“Hoo, huff.”

Droger hurried his steps.

His aging body, which had only managed short evening strolls for the past few years, was struggling.

He was out of breath and his knees ached, but this was no time to dawdle.

“My Lord, you seem to be overexerting yourself. A little slower…”

“Don’t say such idle things, huff. My feet are on fire.”

Droger gasped for breath, taking in the sights of the Imperial capital’s streets.

Though everyone called it the most glorious and prosperous city under the heavens, to Droger’s eyes now, it looked like a fiery hell destined for annihilation.

‘It’s irreversible now. Soon, the Empire will be torn into a thousand pieces.’

Droger had several options. However, no matter how much he calculated, most of them were bad moves.

Even if he sided with Michael, Michael had no intention of embracing the existing power structure, including Droger.

The moment Michael revealed his true colors, Droger would lose his head without even a proper chance to resist.

Nor was it a good idea to directly oppose Michael. There was no guarantee that Estel would defeat Michael.

Even if she won, Droger would remain a sinner in the eyes of history.

The infamy of betraying humanity and siding with the monstrous Lich would forever follow him for generations to come.

Thus, there was only one answer.

‘I will prepare for the aftermath of the Empire’s destruction.’

Whether it was Michael or Estel, the victor would ultimately devastate the Empire.

The wheels of the era had already begun to turn uncontrollably. Droger decided not to forcibly stop that flow.

‘A new Emperor, a new order. The old must be discarded.’

There was a nephew of the Emperor whom he had been observing for some time.

Though young, he was intelligent and understood instructions well. Unlike the current lazy Emperor, he showed promise of becoming a great ruler in the future.

‘The new Emperor, whom I will personally support, will bring order to this chaotic era and establish a greater Empire.’

An ambitious blueprint, too grand to fit on a single canvas, was already unfolding in Droger’s mind.

General Julius was also a part of that plan.

Though a somewhat rigid warrior, he was someone who considered the greater good over his own safety. Droger was sure he would accept if persuaded.

‘I must hurry as much as possible. I need to safely transfer all assets I can secure to my territory and secure soldiers and equipment.’

Normally, Droger’s suspicious movements would have been immediately detected by Michael’s surveillance network.

However, the current situation was favorable. Remnants of the Lich’s forces were causing unrest on the borders.

This provided the perfect excuse to move troops from the Imperial capital.

‘How fortunate. …Or perhaps not. This whole situation might have been orchestrated by the Lich from the start. It’s quite infuriating.’

Droger, a seasoned schemer who had lived his life amidst court intrigues, could guess Estel’s intentions.

While Michael controlled the ministers through force and coercion, Estel was far more intelligent.

She set up an unrefusable situation and made everyone dance to her tune.

‘It doesn’t matter. From now on, everyone is on a gambling table. What matters is who the final winner is.’

Droger braced himself again and quickened his pace. There were mountains of work to be done.

***

“It’s quiet.”

Michael rose from the bed, completely naked.

Under the covers of the bed, Anna, also in her primordial state, was lost in the lingering afterglow of ecstatic pleasure.

“Well, it’s night.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

When Michael chided her, Anna pouted.

“It’s too quiet. Like the eve of a storm.”

Everything had proceeded smoothly according to plan.

Lately, the Emperor rarely seemed to be in his right mind.

He spent his days alternating between sleeping and waking under the influence of drugs. He even needed to be fed and his waste managed by attendants.

Everyone sensed that the Emperor’s remaining lifespan was short.

Then, who would inherit the throne?

The Emperor had no children. Or rather, he had sown many seeds, but there was no successor with legitimate authority.

The eldest son, who had been frail since childhood, had died young from illness, and the rest were children of concubines who were not recognized by the ministers.

A vacancy in the throne.

Those in the know whispered that the vacancy would be Michael’s. In the past, they would have been cautious, lest the Emperor overhear, but now they were uninhibited.

“The flies aren’t buzzing. The old men in the back rooms who always argued with my words have been quiet lately.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? I guess they’ve finally realized their place and bowed their heads in submission.”

“How foolish. What concerns me is that this change wasn’t brought about by my will.”

Michael narrowed his brow and paced the room.

The room he was in was the Emperor’s private chamber. Naturally, the bed Anna was lying on was also the silk bed where the former Emperor had embraced his concubines.

Michael had long since crossed the line, using the Emperor’s possessions as he pleased.

There was no one to point it out, so that line had become virtually meaningless.

“The ministers who were thorns in my side have been leaving the capital one after another over the past few weeks. They claim it’s to subjugate the Lich’s forces on the border, but I find it suspicious. It’s clearly an excuse.”

“Let them all go. It’s good for us.”

Currently, the only troops remaining in the capital were Michael’s soldiers.

Anna’s words were not entirely wrong.

With this, the Empire was effectively in Michael’s hands.

All the central facilities responsible for the Empire’s core functions were located in the capital. Their abandonment and flight meant they had no intention of checking Michael.

‘Are those old men planning to cultivate land in some backwater village with a handful of soldiers?’

Michael scoffed.

There is no paradise in flight. If they intended to gain strength in the border regions and attack Michael, they were greatly mistaken.

‘They will only be defeated one by one, in individual battles.’

Michael had no intention of tolerating the defeated powers scattered in the corners of the Empire.

Not a single rat would survive. By then, it would be too late to regret.

‘If you were going to act, you should have done so earlier, when the Emperor was still lucid. That’s why you lose, and I win.’

Michael was confident of victory.

The ministers had fled with their tails between their legs. The Lich, having made a fatal miscalculation, had also fallen into his hands.

All variables had disappeared, and all that remained was Michael’s coronation.

“Anna.”

Anna’s eyes perked up like a loyal dog’s, immediately responding to the call.

The night was long. The passionate couple still had plenty of stamina and time left.

Anna’s face clearly showed the expectation of being embraced once more.

“The new sealing device has been prepared, hasn’t it?”

Immediately, expectation turned to disappointment. Realizing that Michael had called her for work-related matters, Anna’s lips drooped.

“Yeah. This one is completely different from the shoddy sealing device from before. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to escape.”

Anna’s words were true.

The sealing device that Estel, the player character, knew was the previous version.

The sealing device Anna had created now was entirely new, unknown even to Estel. With her existing game knowledge, there was no way to escape.

If Estel were present, she might have broken out in a cold sweat and her face might have turned pale in an instant.

The world of “Nine Stars” was organically evolving.

As a veteran player, Estel boasted an overwhelming knowledge advantage unmatched by anyone in this world, but that advantage would not last forever.

“Can it be used immediately?”

“It’s being moved to the prison now.”

“Don’t delay, and seal the Lich immediately. Then all variables will disappear.”

“Yes, yes- I understand-“

Anna gave a playful salute.

***

The next morning.

Anna yawned and descended to the underground prison.

Yesterday, Michael seemed to be in a good mood. Unlike his usual sharp demeanor, like a well-honed sword, he showed a relaxed side.

‘It’s understandable. Now that there’s no one bothering him.’

Anna praised her decision to follow Michael once again.

Michael was perfect. As a party member, as the new Emperor, and as a man.

‘So, does that mean I’m the Queen now?’

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Of course, Michael had never made such a guarantee. It was merely Anna’s unilateral expectation.

However, Anna prided herself on being Michael’s most intimate partner.

‘Besides, Michael is head over heels for me.’

Anna strode towards the underground prison.

She just wanted to quickly seal that persistent Lich and then go back to sleep.

But then.

“Hey.”

Knights lay sprawled all around, catching her eye.

“What are you guys doing?”

This was a bit too much.

Anna knew that working the night shift was difficult. She would have turned a blind eye if she saw them dozing off briefly against the wall.

But sleeping so openly like this was unacceptable.

Anna squinted and poked the knights with the heel of her high-heeled shoe.

“Aren’t you going to wake up? What are you really doing?”

A knight, who finally managed to open his eyes, recognized Anna. He sputtered like a goldfish and said in a faint voice.

“Medication… medication…”

“Oh, now you want medicine too? Sure, what do you want, medicine for a hangover? Or medicine to wake you up?”

“Th-that’s not it… In our meal… sleeping pills…”

The knight mumbled with difficulty and pointed to a corner of the prison with a trembling finger.

“Huh?”

By now, Anna should have realized that something was amiss.

Leaving the knight, she hurried to the prison where the Lich was held.

“No way.”

The prison was empty.

As if no one had ever been imprisoned there.

No, had they even properly imprisoned her? The underground prison, which seemed impenetrable even to an ant, might have been meaningless from the start.

A small note lay on the bed. Anna picked up the note with trembling hands and read it.

-Had a good rest.

Beneath the note, for some reason, a nail clipper lay alone.