episode_0087

The Emperor, no, Mr. Orlando, finally emptied a whole bottle of strong liquor.

One might ask, wouldn’t drinking so much make him incapacitated and unable to converse?

In truth, there’s no such concern. For those who have reached the Imaginary Realm, ordinary poisons have no effect. Thus, the alcohol poison in strong liquor can be burned away as easily as breathing.

However, I strongly sensed that the Emperor wished to soothe his troubled feelings, even if by means of alcohol, so I simply left him to his own devices.

With a sigh, His Majesty the Emperor closed his eyes tightly once, then opened them again.

“Forgive me for showing such an unseemly display…. Well, that’s enough. Shall we continue our discussion?”

“Of course. If you’re very tired, you can rest a bit more. We’re already too late to return to the dormitory anyway.”

“No… if I prolong this any further, I feel like I’ll run away. I’m fine, let’s continue.”

I glanced at the Emperor with a slightly pitying look, then continued my story.

“Well… though this is where the real story begins, in a way, it can be summarized as a simple accumulation of mistakes and coincidences. Your Majesty must be curious. It’s not easy to connect aphrodisiacs with the Imaginary Realm, is it?”

“That’s true… In fact, I inherited the legacy of my predecessors and ascended to the Imaginary Realm with unparalleled ease compared to others. That’s why… it’s even harder for me to grasp.”

The greatest reason the Sephiroth Imperial Family has continuously reigned as the pinnacle of this nation is due to a unique ritual called ‘Power Succession,’ which only those with imperial blood can perform. Through this ritual, the previous Emperor could bestow martial power befitting the Emperor’s position upon the heir to the throne, whose strength and cultivation had not yet been fully developed.

The story of someone becoming stronger by consuming a strange poison that no one in their right mind would ever take, would likely be akin to a horror story the Emperor, a born gold spoon, had never even once imagined.

“The process of feeding me the aphrodisiac was done quite carefully, through a series of subcontracts… Leon to Lizley, Lizley to Emma… and the final victim Emma used was my friend, Irha. She’s a very poor friend from an orphanage. She was admitted thanks to the policies of the Second Princess….”

I continued Irha’s story in this manner.

A sibling who would surely die without money for surgery… Irha, caught in such a harsh situation, and Emma, who approached her to exploit her predicament. Even the detailed process of how they had calculated in advance that the naive but foolish Irha would hesitate and refuse the offer, and then boldly deceived her.

And so, the step-by-step process of how Irha, mistaking the drug for a simple mana-disrupting agent instead of an aphrodisiac, willingly walked into the trap, was gradually revealed.

“It was a cruel thing for me, but it must have been equally harsh for Irha. She had to administer with her own hands a drug that would make one’s eyes roll back and lead to rape, to an innocent me who knew nothing. Naturally, they had no intention of willingly giving her the promised reward. That’s how a tragedy typically completes itself, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“But my poor, foolish friend seemingly couldn’t bring herself to administer the entire suspicious bottle of medicine to me… so, as if to simply complete the formality, she mixed a trace amount of the aphrodisiac with a large quantity of low-grade healing potion, created a bizarre concoction, and handed it to me.”

“…?????”

Since I couldn’t tell him that I had known the situation in advance and still walked into the danger myself, I embellished the truth slightly here. In truth, before my regression, neither Irha nor I knew anything about ‘poison,’ and we had both unknowingly inflicted and suffered harm… so this wasn’t exactly a lie either.

Anyway, the Emperor’s tired-looking expression turned slightly foolish with surprise. The dignity of a purely malicious person who could even fluster the Emperor. Truly, being too ignorant is undoubtedly a form of evil, Irha…!!! It seems I really need to catch this foolish fellow soon and make them study, even if by force…

“She hasn’t learned much, so her basic common sense is severely lacking… Anyway, that mixed drug caused a terrible transformation. It is presumed that the drug, once inside my body, greatly amplified my constitution, which was already very close to extreme Yang. I don’t have extensive knowledge of medicine or mana… but this is a fact that Rosalie-ssi vouched for.”

“That’s something I never would have imagined…. Yes… there are those born with a precarious physical balance. So, that… poison…? It seems to have caused your precarious constitution to rampage.”

“That’s right. My body tried to shut down due to overload, but my brain and mind rampaged endlessly, soaring into realms I couldn’t perceive. The feeling was quite… extraordinary. Of course, I still felt the pain. If Rosalie-ssi hadn’t taken charge of me then, I would have died. Absolutely.”

And after that, based on my past experiences, I spoke a bit deceptively about how I gained the clue to my Imaginary Realm and entered that state. Since the details were somewhat tiresome, I will omit further explanation.

“Anyway… all of this is actually thanks to Rosalie-ssi’s grace… my angel, my goddess, my…”

In the midst of this, I tried to seize a niche opportunity and conclude the conversation by boasting about my girlfriend, but the Emperor coldly cut me off.

“I saw last time that Rosalie and you are in an affectionate relationship…. The circumstances of your meeting were quite unique. In any case, that’s not what’s important… I understand that you entered the Imaginary Realm through a very rare accident and coincidence.”

Of course, while the Emperor was cold about my romance, he did acknowledge that my story itself was plausible. However, there are significant blind spots in this belief and acknowledgment, and I already know what they are.

“All of this… if what you’ve said is true. Frankly, I don’t believe you’ve told me nothing but the unvarnished truth. Of course… it would be truly grateful if you had told me only the truth…”

That’s right. From the Emperor’s perspective, there was no reason to completely trust Ras Etgard in the first place. And even if he could trust me, the fact that I was a potential threat to Leon, and by extension Sephiroth, remained unchanged. This is because my personal martial strength is too great for the still-fledgling Leon to handle, and it’s only a matter of time before I become stronger than the Emperor himself.

Furthermore, whether my words were true or false, even the Emperor, who didn’t fully understand our relationship, must have keenly felt that I was very much at odds with Leon.

“It’s the same for me. I am truthful, but I know Your Majesty cannot fully trust me. As Leon’s father, Your Majesty cannot accept my negative opinion of Leon without Leon’s confession or clear and undeniable evidence. And one more thing, I know that Your Majesty ‘still’ holds the hilt of the sword.”

Hearing my words, ‘still,’ the Emperor’s expression subtly contorted.

“…Are you saying that the moment you become stronger than me, you will kill Leon…?”

“The logic of the powerful might be that, but I am not so rude as to lack common decency to that extent. How could I say I’d kill a child in front of their parent, no matter how much I despise them…”

I chuckled, calmly confronting the Emperor as he tried to exert his dominance. Though the Emperor is indeed stronger than me, I am confident because I don’t fear him even an inch.

“Rather, I realized why Your Majesty summoned me from the moment you did, and felt like I was in a checkmate. I know that those who enter the Imaginary Realm become subject to national control, and there’s no way to evade the situation with mere avoidance or lies. I decided to face the situation with truthfulness, and that’s why I dare to propose a negotiation.”

“Negotiation… Yes. You are a man in a position to negotiate with me. As Emperor, I restrain excessive strength, but as a warrior, I respect and honor it. Moreover, if you spoke only the truth, then Leon has committed an unforgivable sin against you, even more so. As a father, I cannot be free from that child’s transgressions.”

The Emperor smiled bitterly, retracting the dominance he had attempted to assert.

“However, also because I am Leon’s father, even if he has committed a sin worthy of death… please understand that until I verify it myself, I cannot punish him based on someone else’s word.”

“I didn’t speak with the expectation of punishment. I hate Leon enough to want to kill him and seek revenge, but I have no intention of resolving it by tattling to Your Majesty.”

“Then what is it you want? What terms are you thinking of for this negotiation?”

Terms, huh…. As the son of a distinguished merchant family, I know that the basic principle of a deal is to make the first offer. So, shall I try it according to the trading manual I learned from my father?

“You make the offer.”

“…???”

“Sigh….”

A sigh naturally escaped me, as it seemed His Majesty the Emperor did not understand the charm of making the first offer. I had already vaguely guessed what kind of shackles the Emperor intended to put on me anyway.

“I actually already know Your Majesty’s condition. You intend to place a Geas on me, don’t you?”

“I’d believe you were a ghost. You are… truly a very frightening and intelligent man.”

Geas, one of the highest-level magic spells that enforces absolute binding through a contract. This magic, which can only be activated through pre-made scrolls, is originally such advanced magic that it’s difficult for even ordinary noble families to glimpse its tail. Although I don’t know much about magic, to create a perfectly functioning Geas scroll, it would take three or four renowned mages diligently working for a full two years to produce even a single quality item.

Naturally, the price of a scroll is so high that it’s whatever they name it, but since there’s little use for it compared to the effort of creating it, the supply of this magic is absurdly insufficient. Surprisingly, the place where such Geas spells are most prevalent and enacted is the lair of the Black Mages in Delphi. Black Mages’ contract guarantee magic is usually enacted through such Geas, meaning that roughly only dukedoms and above can properly enact such guarantee magic with Black Mages. This implies that those below them risk getting severely hurt by Black Mages and being scammed if they meddle carelessly.

However, in the Emperor’s case, he naturally possesses Geas scrolls, even if not in abundant quantity. After all, if one is the Emperor’s exclusive mage, a ‘Sage,’ they can create Geas scrolls even by themselves, though it takes some time.

“Perhaps Your Majesty intended to place a Geas on me that prohibits treason or rebellion against the nation. But… now you’re conflicted, aren’t you?”

“…….”

The Emperor is moral, benevolent, and also very compassionate. Therefore, he must be significantly wavering and conflicted about whether he is a warrior, a father, or a ruler. Firstly, he needs to bind me so I cannot betray the nation, and at the same time, if everything I said is true, he would feel too much guilt towards me, and yet he also wants to protect his son, Leon….

Because his emotions and psyche are contradictory, he is human and therefore so vulnerable. If he were the King of Kashmir next door, Semere’s father, he would have tried to cut off my head without a second thought, but this man simply cannot bring himself to do that. I could somewhat understand why the Emperor’s later years, before my regression, had been stained by turmoil. That is the inevitable end that weak rulers face like a destiny.

“Are you conflicted about whether to focus the Geas to strengthen protection for ‘Leon’… or to set the condition as ‘the nation’ for Sephiroth’s grand scheme…? Geas isn’t omnipotent, after all.”

“You are far more intelligent than I anticipated. I’m starting to truly fear you.”

I seized the initiative and pushed the Emperor into a flow that I controlled.

“No matter what Geas you try to place, I likely have no way to avoid it. But please, do not too hastily shackle me. The reason I face Your Majesty today, truthfully laying out all my cards, is also because I trust Your Majesty. It is Your Majesty who holds the greatest power of restraint over Leon. My truth was spoken with the meaning that Your Majesty should ‘properly’ judge that fellow, Leon.”

In any case, I have no intention of killing Leon right now, and frankly, rather than killing him, I’d prefer to see him suffer a bit. Similarly, I have no desire to necessarily rebel against Sephiroth, overturn the country, and become Emperor. That, it turns out, isn’t very fun.

Rather, the opening move I’ve made points directly to ‘purging.’ Even if the Emperor feels guilty towards me, his arm will naturally bend inwards [blood is thicker than water]. If I truly come into sharp conflict with Leon, the probability of the Emperor siding with his son is currently one hundred percent. So, I merely gave the Emperor a hint: “I’ve told you your son is an unprecedented scoundrel in this world, haven’t I? Think about it carefully.”

Even after Leon has acted heinously towards others, and when he actually tries to harm himself, and by extension his family including the Empress, will the Emperor still be able to protect Leon?

“Your Majesty. There’s a saying, ‘Cultivate oneself, regulate one’s family, govern one’s state, then bring peace to the world,’ isn’t there? While lying in ‘bed,’ you must have felt it firsthand… next is a family matter. And then the Empire… Bringing peace to the world isn’t an option. It’s better not to do that.” It might sound like I’m saying, “Emperor-mister, your family, especially your in-laws, have a lot of problems, don’t look away.”

“Your Majesty, no matter what anyone says, you are a special individual who reached the Imaginary Realm. To ignore and overlook such an obvious conclusion… you must already know that your responsibilities and authority are immense.”

The Emperor exhaled deeply, replying to my words with a bitter tone.

“Well… I’m truly being scolded by someone much younger than me. I understand everything you’re saying. You claimed to be a commoner, yet your way of speaking is no less than a noble’s…. Then I won’t place the Geas immediately. I will think about it further. So, what is your proposal?”

“So, my proposal is this….”

And so, the negotiation show of the merchant family’s eldest son began. That night, Friday evening at Lemon Garden, was exceptionally long.

*

“Awwwn…!”

Saturday morning, cute Pisces woke up from her deep sleep with a cute yawn. Her appearance upon waking was akin to the most adorable baby crow in the world.

“Today~ somehow I feel like something good will happen♪”

She hummed a song, and as was her habit, turned on her communication magic tool to check for messages from her beloved Master-nim.

[Pisces. Come out to the fountain in front of the house by 11:50.]

“Yay! As expected, our Master-nim is also floundering in the swamp of charming Pisces…!! Rosalie Unnie couldn’t beat young, cute, and pretty Pisces after all~”

Our Pisces, who had completely forgotten that Rosalie was on a long-term business trip, cheered in triumph, but since she’s cute, it was fine.

[Hehe!! Got it. I’ll dress up pretty and head out ><]

Knowing her Master liked cute replies, she gave a little display of aegyo, then soon began to hum as she got ready.

"11 o'clock? Only 50 minutes left, but… hehehe… it's just the right amount of time to get ready to look effortlessly styled!"

Some say that a woman's preparation generally takes two hours, but that doesn't apply to the cutest and most lovable Pisces in the world. Pisces quickly went into the bathroom and started washing herself, scrubbing cleanly.

Today's soap was lavender scented. It was a scent Ras had recently praised as a good one.

*

"Ugh, I'm tired."

The Emperor wasn't a bad person, but he had a somewhat indecisive side, so it was a bit frustrating leading up to the negotiation. He actually said he'd readily grant what I wanted… but people who have long preambles are truly tiring.

In any case, after our conversation yesterday, the Emperor gained an opportunity to confront another aspect of Leon. Of course, there's a high probability that old man will just waffle, so I've properly devised a plan to attach a smart kid to him from my side.

I hadn't actually told the person involved about it, so I was meeting her today for a discussion (which was actually a notification).

"Minion… I actually should have discussed this with you first… but this won't be bad for you."

Until now, I had hoped my minion wouldn't get entangled with the imperial family, but to use the Emperor as both a sword and a shield, it's better to establish connections. And right now, I have an all-rounder minion who's good at everything except fighting. It was definitely time to entrust capable Pisces with important responsibilities, explaining various situations to her.

At 11:50 AM, I arrived at the fountain where I was scheduled to meet Pisces. There she is. Pisces was indeed well-dressed, standing there in a supremely cute manner, waiting for me. Oh, look how pretty she is.

Our Pisces has many strengths, but her greatest strength is being beautiful and lovable.

"Pisces, have you been waiting long?"

"Hehe, no~ I just arrived too. But Master-nim, I have something to give you…!"

Pisces, playfully displaying her usual aegyo, was even cuter today.

"Oh? What is it? Shall I receive a gift for the first time in a while?"

"My heart♡"

Chuckling, the gift she gave me was one that truly pleased my heart. It seemed I would have to raise her salary.