episode_0011

Karsten Leonhart.

Born as an illegitimate child, he was the one who killed the incompetent emperor and ascended to the throne himself.

He possessed the ability to recover the empire, which had been ruined by the previous emperor, at an incredibly rapid pace, and also military power, having personally killed the emperor and the crown prince.

“Are you not going to answer? I asked where you learned Shadow Step.”

Every single word from the Emperor felt like it was directly piercing my brain. It was the same characteristic as Lucas’s: Dominance.

However, it couldn’t be compared to Lucas. I felt as if I needed the Emperor’s permission just to breathe.

When I remained silent, the Emperor spoke again.

This time, I felt a little more at ease, realizing the Emperor had stopped his dominance.

Perfect control over his characteristic. That showed the gap between him and me.

“At first, I tried to remove your mask. But it wouldn’t come off.”

Of course, this mask would never come off unless I took it off myself.

“I even tried to cut it with a sword imbued with aura, but I stopped. My son’s friend shouldn’t get hurt.”

He spoke with a smile, and I replied with a smile as well.

“I nearly got a scratch on my handsome face.”

“It’s just as Lucas said.”

“Lucas-nim also said I’m handsome? That’s a bit embarrassing.”

While speaking playfully, I didn’t stop thinking.

‘The Emperor clearly said “Shadow Step”.’

As far as I know, the only person who uses Shadow Step is the phantom thief Cardinal, who has now disappeared.

It’s a known fact if you play Croaca that the Emperor recovered the national treasure from the phantom thief Cardinal.

Assuming that the Emperor saw the phantom thief Cardinal use Shadow Step when they clashed.

I understand that after watching my test video, he might think my movements are similar to the phantom thief Cardinal’s.

But if that were the case, his question wouldn’t be “Where did you learn Shadow Step?”.

Unless the phantom thief Cardinal explicitly stated that his movements were Shadow Step, it makes no sense for the Emperor to know the exact name “Shadow Step.”

‘What did I miss?’

“Have you thought enough? This time, it would be good to answer. Where did you learn Shadow Step?”

The Emperor already knew that I was thinking while speaking. If he knows, then it might be okay to be a little bolder, right?

“Excuse me, but could I think about it a little more?”

“…How astonishing. Go ahead and think to your heart’s content.”

The description for the Shadow Step skill book in Croaca contains this sentence: [No one other than the phantom thief Cardinal has mastered it.]

If there’s no lie in that sentence, did the phantom thief Cardinal truly explain Shadow Step to the Emperor directly?

‘Why on earth?’

What the phantom thief Cardinal stole was the officials’ money and the national treasure. The Emperor himself recovered the national treasure. So where did the officials’ money go?

After killing the previous emperor, the Emperor distributed countless amounts of food to the distressed citizens of the empire with his own private funds. With what money?

Although not much about the Emperor’s past was revealed in Croaca, I know that he didn’t live a wealthy life.

Could it be?

“Excuse me, Your Majesty?”

“Have you thought it all through? Then let me hear your answer.”

“Your Majesty, are you perhaps the phantom thief Cardinal?”

The Emperor, still seated with his arm propped, spoke leisurely, as if it didn’t matter if he was exposed.

“Hmm, why do you think that?”

At first, I thought that the phantom thief Cardinal and the Emperor might have been in a collaborative relationship. But then the phantom thief Cardinal would gain nothing.

If the Emperor took everything he stole, what would he have gained?

My next thought was that the phantom thief Cardinal was a subordinate who had sworn loyalty to the Emperor.

In this case, it makes sense that the phantom thief Cardinal dedicated everything to the Emperor.

But this hypothesis also has a problem.

In Croaca, the Emperor eventually dies. The phantom thief Cardinal didn’t appear then.

If that’s the case, there’s only one possibility left. The Emperor *is* the phantom thief Cardinal.

It was an absurd thought, even to me, but there was no other scenario I could think of.

“Shall we call it a handsome man’s intuition?”

But I couldn’t explain all of this, so that was all I could say. In any case, I had no intention of letting the Emperor die.

“I haven’t denied your words. Do you know why?”

“Because nothing would change even if I knew.”

Even if I ran around the empire shouting that the Emperor was actually the phantom thief Cardinal, no one would believe me.

“What about the thought that I might kill you to silence you?”

“Oh, come on~ No way. Didn’t you just say I’m your son’s friend?”

‘I even tried to cut it with a sword imbued with aura, but I stopped. My son’s friend shouldn’t get hurt.’

“Is that why I can’t kill you?”

“There’s another reason besides that.”

“What is that other reason?”

“Why, of course, it’s because I am a talented individual of the Empire!”

“What? Hahahaha!”

The Emperor laughed for a long time, then stopped and looked at me. His gaze was like that of someone who had found something they liked.

“You are truly fascinating and to my liking. If you had been there when I attended the academy, I would have definitely recruited you right after them.”

This was the highest compliment the Emperor could give.

When the Emperor attended the academy, he carefully and secretly gathered his allies. The “them” the Emperor referred to were Duke Adelien and Duke Freya.

It might be an exaggeration, but this meant the Emperor valued me highly enough to say he would recruit me right after them.

“Haha, thank you for the compliment. A compliment from Your Majesty, I’d want to pass it down for generations. So, may I leave now?”

“Stop.”

His voice was so cold and his expression so serious, one couldn’t imagine it was the same person who had just been laughing.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Where did you learn Shadow Step?”

Tsk, as expected, he wouldn’t just let it go. Just as I was about to tell the truth.

“As a reward for entertaining me, let’s make a bet. Just once, if your attack touches me even once, I won’t ask about Shadow Step anymore.”

What, attack the Emperor? There’s no way I’d do something so crazy. I should just tell him the truth.

“A bet should have a reward, shouldn’t it? If your attack touches me, I will give you a potent elixir.”

I drew my staff, rushed at the Emperor, and swung it. I couldn’t resist a potent elixir.

Still seated in his chair, the Emperor merely tilted his head slightly, evading my attack.

This time, I attacked from top to bottom so he couldn’t dodge by tilting his head.

*Slam!*

My staff was embedded in the empty chair.

The Emperor was already standing behind me.

I used Shadow Step and lunged at the Emperor.

Anyone else might have missed the unusual movement, but the Emperor merely evaded it with ease.

The Emperor’s movements weren’t extraordinary. He simply moved one step at a time.

Yet, that alone kept my staff from reaching the Emperor.

“I saw it in the video the principal sent, but the way you wield your sword is similar to Duke Adelien’s.”

*Whoosh.*

The Emperor evaded my sword while speaking leisurely.

“Speaking of which, I once contacted the Duke. He said his wife’s illness had been fully cured.”

*Swish.*

“The Duchess regaining her health is a very good thing for both the Empire and myself. The Duchess was close to the Empress, you see. So I sent her a gift too.”

*Swish. Whoosh.*

“I heard that the one who cured the Duchess, whom no one else could treat, was younger than expected. The Duke said he would grant that person any one wish.”

*Whoosh. Swish. Whoosh. Swish.*

“The Duke said he was teaching the person who cured his wife how to fight. Although the Duke doesn’t use a sword, he is unmatched in combat, so there would have been no problem.”

*Swish. Whoosh. Swish.*

“He also told me a lot about the child he was teaching. He said the child was like a fierce beast. He even said he wished he could adopt them as his own son.”

*Swish.*

The Emperor spoke while lightly dodging my continuous attacks. My attacks didn’t even graze him.

“Seeing you now, a beast doesn’t come to mind, though.”

“Hah hah. A beast, you say? That’s a story from my naive youth.”

Thinking about it now, my appearance back then was a dark history I’d rather not recall.

Anyway, the Duke said he wanted to adopt me as his son, so I should tease him about it when I meet him later.

“Stopping your attack? Are you giving up now?”

“Giving up? I still have many trump cards left!”

Like when I fought golems, I created nine clones through illusion.

Along with my clones, I used Shadow Step and charged at the Emperor.

“I saw it earlier too, it truly is a fascinating unique magic. But it’s still far from enough.”

The Emperor, who had been retreating until now, moved forward just one step.

However, the impact was not small.

Before I knew it, all my clones had vanished, and the Emperor’s sword, drawn at some unknown moment, was stopped at my neck.

Anyone else might not have been able to grasp the situation, but I could.

The Emperor used the same Shadow Step as me.

But the level was vastly different from mine.

The Emperor didn’t discern which was real like Johanna.

He simply sliced through every clone once, and then his sword stopped before my neck.

“I lost.”

In the quiet place, only my declaration of defeat echoed softly.