chapter_0189

190 – The Emperor’s Desire…

190 – The Emperor’s Desire…

The survey… was not conducted.

I couldn’t bear to show that item to the Empress.

‘No matter how much she knows about our shop, there’s no way I can include that item.’

A phrase I always handed to customers.

– Are you a virgin? (Yes / No)

How could I possibly present this to the Empress?

She was still unmarried.

Considering the Empire’s solemn laws, it was only natural that the Empress was also without a partner, thus she would certainly be a virgin.

No, even if she were not a virgin, if she said she was, then she would be one.

The Emperor had the power to make it so.

If the Emperor pointed to a flying bird and said it was a horse, then it would be a horse.

If he pointed to a falling star and said it was the moon, then it would be the moon.

The current Emperor possessed that level of absolute power.

No noble dared to oppose her, and no one could easily express dissent against her will.

It wasn’t simply because she was the Emperor.

She was the only beloved daughter of the previous Emperor.

When the sons of the late Emperor could not fulfill his desires, she was the only one who could wield the pure power of the imperial bloodline.

Golden eyes that shone brightly.

The power that began from those eyes.

That power, which was somewhat different from Mana and Divinity, could distinguish between lies and truth, and perceive the flow of Mana.

It was well known.

And only those who could wield that power could become the true Emperor.

In the end, the late Emperor designated the current Empress as the next Emperor, and she became the Crown Princess, inheriting the throne.

Before she received the throne, her brothers set out on an expedition to the border region adjacent to the Demon Lord’s Castle under the command of the late Emperor.

– Prove yourself if you wish to survive.

Because of the late Emperor’s words.

Those who did not inherit power were not children, but merely pawns, according to the late Emperor.

He sent all her brothers to war against the Demon Lord’s Army in the border region.

Before long, all three of her brothers perished in battle.

It was said that neither the late Emperor nor the Empress shed a tear.

That only strengthened the Empress’s power.

The only heir appointed by the late Emperor.

Thus, after the late Emperor passed away, the Empress ascended to the throne and soon welcomed the Hero, leading to the defeat of the Demon Lord in her era.

The imperial authority had to become stronger, and now she had reached a position that no one dared to touch.

‘At least the Saint or the Hero, who could potentially keep her in check, have no interest in politics.’

In other words, making even the slightest mistake in front of the Empress could lead to losing one’s head.

She was a cold-blooded person who had not shed a single tear for the deaths of her brothers.

– If you are not satisfied, the next place you see may be a prison.

I must do this properly.

I sighed and looked at the Empress.

“Is there a scene you desire?”

“…Did I not say? I want to rest. It seems you take my words lightly?”

“This is a procedure to ensure clarity.”

“Is that so?”

Sitting with her legs crossed, she smiled lightly.

“By the way, why did you ask me to change my clothes? The comfort is better than I expected, but the material is not that good. I recommend a suitable product. Silk extracted from cocoons in the Bilon region is quite soft to wear. Please prepare clothes made from silk from that region. The guests will surely prefer it.”

I would like to, but I have no money.

Just one bolt of silk from the Bilon region could make two hundred of the clothes I’m currently wearing.

“Why is there no response?”

“Because I have no money. Even if I want to, it’s impossible.”

“…How amusing. The owner of a shop that receives the Hero and the Goddess of Victory cannot even afford silk from the Bilon region. With their money, you could buy plenty and still have some left over.”

The Empress grinned.

“It seems they are not generous. If they like the illusion, I will personally buy that silk for you.”

“Really?”

“I do not lie.”

Indeed.

Your Majesty.

Praise the Empire.

This is a good opportunity to stand out.

Even just one bolt of silk from the Bilon region…

“Ha… My mindset is changing.”

It seems I am still a modern person.

To crumble so helplessly before capital.

“I look forward to it. By the way, how do you plan to fulfill my desires?”

The Empress’s request to take a break from the heavy responsibilities of the Emperor.

Wanting to rest could be interpreted in two ways.

Literally, she wanted to do nothing and rest.

She wanted to go to a villa with a beautiful lake and do nothing but gaze at the illusions.

And the other meaning was.

‘I want to step down from the Emperor’s position.’

To say she wanted to be free from the heavy responsibilities meant she wished to relinquish everything and crumble.

If there was nothing to be responsible for, then she wouldn’t have to bear any responsibilities.

Whether the Empire crumbled.

Or she was stripped of her position as Emperor.

‘Perhaps it would be this way.’

The Emperor would not simply appeal to herself in such a straightforward manner.

After all.

‘If she just wanted to rest at a villa, she wouldn’t have come here but would have gone straight to the villa.’

I understood that the imperial villas existed throughout the Empire.

Mountains with streams flowing gently, snow-covered eternal glaciers, lakes and seas bathed in warm light, oases in deserts, and islands glowing with green.

If the Empress wished, she could go anywhere.

‘If she used a teleport gate, she could reach her destination in the blink of an eye, so there was no need for her to come here to see an illusion.’

I wondered if I was overthinking it.

‘But I can’t ask more directly here.’

Since she already knew what kind of business our shop was involved in.

She must have thought in that direction.

Sweet massages like those offered at resorts would not satisfy her.

So…

It would be right to show her a more intense illusion.

“Then, I will begin. Please sit here.”

“Is it enough just to sit?”

“Yes. Then this Magic Circle will activate and change the surroundings. I will prepare an illusion that allows you to relinquish all the responsibilities of the Emperor as you wish.”

“I look forward to it.”

The Empress smiled, and after giving her a glass of water, I had her sit in the chair.

I began the operation of the Illusion Magic Circle.

And I input the buildup illusion for the true rest she desired.

“Here we go.”

I recited the incantation for the Illusion Magic, and at that moment.

Pop!

The space around the Empress transformed.

The Empress was curious about the ability of the illusion magician to unveil this desire.

What kind of method could draw out a person’s desires so strongly that even knights and heroes were desperate to visit Max’s shop?

It was clear that he was an extraordinary magician.

According to the information I had gathered.

–
It is true that he recently created a special battery, but there is nothing else noteworthy.

–
I don’t know the method, but it seems they were all satisfied.

–
I tried to use divination magic to peek inside, but I failed. His ability to utilize the Magic Circle seems to be exceptional.

Those were the only pieces of information I had.

It was just a statement that there was no way to gather information.

But I couldn’t just hold the customers and ask them.

Knight Yuris.

Saint Eileen.

Hero Nikki.

Lady Helen of the Sylvester family.

And the High Elf Reina, among others.

They were all people who could not be easily touched by the capabilities of an informant.

If I touched them wrong, I might end up dead.

I didn’t want to waste precious comrades in such a way.

So I decided to take it as a joy of discovery.

‘Everyone’s expressions have brightened unusually.’

The Empress had been burdened with work for a very long time.

Since the moment she first became Emperor.

No, even long before that.

After becoming the Crown Princess using the abilities that only the imperial bloodline could wield, the Empress had lived a life where she abandoned her name and became the woman of the Empire.

–
You must become the ruler of the Empire.

–
Until you become a perfect ruler, never keep anyone by your side.

–
Remember, when you become a complete Emperor, then you may keep someone by your side.

Those were the words of the late Emperor who had crowned her as Crown Princess.

The Emperor exists for the Empire.

She had heard it until her ears bled.

It must have been from that time.

The point where she began to carry the Emperor’s duties on her shoulders.

She had strived to become a perfect Emperor.

She had never had a day of true rest, even on her days off.

Even when she finally went to a resort, she had to return at the calls of her ministers.

Even if she didn’t want to hear it, she heard it.

Even if she didn’t want to see it, she saw it.

She wanted to put down even a little and rest, but the ministers and the people would not leave her alone.

As if it were a curse laid down by the late Emperor.

It was the same even after the Demon Lord was defeated.

She had thought that peace would come with the disappearance of the Demon Lord, but new problems began to arise in the Empire.

Post-war issues.

Compensation issues.

The handling of remaining dungeons and the balance of power of the increasingly strong magical factions, etc.

The Empress’s shoulders remained heavy.

That was why.

She held a desire that was quite simple for an Empress.

She simply wanted to do nothing and rest.

For a moment, she wanted to put down the responsibilities of the Emperor and not hear what she had to hear or see what she had to see.

In the resort, voices calling for her would eventually pour in.

‘Perhaps in an illusion…’

She thought it might be possible.

The confident illusion magician vowed to fulfill her desire to rest, and the Empress stood in the center of the Magic Circle, following his words.

Others would have shouted that they could never place an Emperor on a suspicious Magic Circle.

But to the Empress, who had eyes that could see through everything, it was clear.

That there was no malice or harm in this Magic Circle.

Only.

‘Pink?’

The Mana of the activating Magic Circle shimmered in a pink hue, different from what she knew.

What is that?

Before the question of the unfamiliar energy could arise, she was drawn into the illusion.

The world twisted.

Before her eyes unfolded a landscape so intricate that even the Empress’s eyes, which could penetrate the truth, could not distinguish what was real and what was false.

And what appeared before the Empress was.

“The Great Hall…? Are you telling me to rest here?”

It was the Great Hall where she had always conducted her duties.

The twelve steps and the shining throne.

Sitting on the throne that only the Emperor, respected by all, could occupy, she looked down upon the Great Hall.

“Was he ultimately a fraud of a magician…?”

As she clicked her tongue, the Empress suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort.