Side Story 24. Spider Trap (13)
After moving from his original room, the former emperor clicked his tongue in pity. He said to himself, "Tsk tsk, no one would have thought of trying to assassinate the emperor when I was in power, but now look at how they dare make such an open attempt.”
Talking to myself was a habit I gained from the terrible solitude I was left in after being deposed as the emperor.
The former emperor spoke to himself, but it was not like no one had ever made an attempt on his life when he ruled. The former emperor purged so many nobles that he was openly called the Blood Emperor. As such, many people had grudges toward him besides those who coveted power.
"It’s a problem that my son is so soft-hearted.”
If things had gone as he’d initially planned, he would have shouldered all the resentment and handed over the imperial authority to his son. However, the plan was ruined by Duke Asteria, his old and supreme political enemy.
"Ha, did you say you’d pull me down because I’m someone who’d never let go of my power?" The former emperor reiterated what he heard from Duke Asteria just before being dethroned.
When he was young, they were friends for who he would have sacrificed himself, but now after growing up, Duke Asteria was an old enemy who aimed for everything he had.
The former emperor had originally thought that he knew everything about himself, but he was proven wrong. He burst into laughter lightly. "I have no choice but to admit it.”
When he stepped down as emperor, giving up absolute power, an ugly side that he didn’t even know he had, manifested itself within him. The desire for power dominated his heart like a fire that would never go out until the end of his life. These flames seemed as if they would burn him painfully for eternity unless he took power again. Even if he wouldn’t personally kill his son, he wanted to escape this pain.
"I don't know who dares, but it's a golden opportunity to get rid of him."
The former emperor thanked the insolent people for attempting to assassinate his son. If there was a significant issue like an assassination attempt, it was possible to attempt a rebellion. To do this, he’d use the foundation that he had secretly built while temporarily joining hands with the former prime minister Arcanta.
"No, what do you mean rebellion? I’m the true emperor, so I should be the one in power."
All of this was due to Duke Asteria. Without him, he would not have to feel this misery or the cruelty of wanting his child to die. It was such a vicious thing to make him resign when an emperor usually only retired after they died.
"Yeah. It was such a cruel solitude.”
Perhaps what he wanted was not the power he had enjoyed all his life but a person who would stand by him. However, for the former emperor, power was all he'd ever experienced and a means of feeling another person’s warmth. After living in a position of authority for the entire time he’d been alive, it was impossible to think of any other path for him to take.
The former emperor calculated what he would do in the future, assessing how the situation would turn out if the emperor died in the assassination. Yet, at that time, from the closed-off terrace, he heard the sound of the glass window opening.
The former emperor was shocked when someone came in through the terrace. "Who are you!?"
While shouting, the former emperor quickly reached out to the emergency bell to call the knights outside.
"Argh!"
However, a throwing knife was sunk into the former emperor's outstretched hand before he could reach the bell. With his hand pierced through, the former emperor rolled on the floor, holding his hand.
"Ughhhhh!" As someone who had lived entirely separate from any physical pain, he had no tolerance for this dreadful feeling of his flesh being torn and blood flowing out.
"Don't you think it’s unbefitting of the nickname ‘Blood Emperor’ if you’re shedding tears from just a small wound like that?”
At the cold voice, the emperor looked up at the person who hurt him. The man who came through the terrace wore a brown mask, so he couldn't recognize the face.
"Arghhh! Who are you!? How did you get into the imperial palace? And how did you know I was here?!”
"Did you think that you would get an answer if you asked questions?" With an evil smile, Caesar harshly kicked the throwing knife that was lodged in the former emperor’s hand.
"Arghh!!"
"To scream from only this…. Isn't the pain you’re feeling insignificant when compared to the pain of the innocent people who died at your hands?" Caesar stepped on the hand that had been stabbed and crushed it.
"Ahhh! Ahhhhhh!!"
The former emperor screamed from the burning pain as his wounded hand was stomped on. His mind went blank from the pain, and he tried to remove the foot somehow, but he couldn't escape with his old body.
He wanted to be enraged when the knights stationed outside didn't even bother to check on in when he was screaming like this. However, as if the severe pain made him lose the ability to speak properly, he only groaned.
As he looked at the former emperor before him, Caesar clicked his tongue lightly and removed his feet. When the foot was removed from his hand, without even looking at his wound, the former emperor tried to move away from Caesar in order to get out alive. Yet, Caesar did not intend to watch him run away, and he infused his leg with mana as he stomped on the emperor's leg.
Crack!
"Argh!”
The emperor’s leg emitted a breaking noise, and the former emperor screamed. Then, as tears streamed down his face, he cried out, "Why! Why! Who sent you for you to be so cruel!?"
Caesar scoffed. "Ha, cruel? Ahahahaha! What do you mean cruel!? That's not something you can say!”
Caesar was incensed, and he began to beat the former emperor wholeheartedly. He hit everywhere except the head, heart, solar plexus, and spleen. "You asked who sent me?! Try to remember! No, remember it! Just who sent me!”
As Caesar continued to beat the former emperor, he lamented his lack of time. His goal was not just the former emperor. The prime minister was even harder to kill than the former emperor, so he had to gradually get around to dealing with it.
Caesar stopped hitting him, and he asked in a frigid voice, "Well, tell me. Who do you think sent me?"
When he was asked the same question, the former emperor contemplated how he’d respond with all he had, as if these were his last words. In order to live, he had no choice but to stall for time.
"Who are you? Howard von Asteria? No, if he were going to send an assassin, he would have sent one earlier. Huvian? Dante? Jovion? Atilante?"
The former emperor named a series of people who might have a grudge against him. He didn’t speak too fast nor too slow, trying to find a way to survive.
On the other hand, as he heard the names, Caesar was dumbfounded. How can a person have a grudge from so many people in his life? It was amazing.
Feeling that he was truly running out of time now, Caesar stopped the former emperor from talking by stepping on the broken leg. "It’s none of the people you mentioned."
It was wretched. Among the numerous names, the fact that there was no mention of the wandering people of the Imperial State meant they were not worth anything to the former emperor.
If they had so little value, why did the people of his village have to die like that? Why did Flam have to die so brutally?
"You really don't remember the wandering people of the Imperial State!"
At Caesar's cry, the former emperor looked up in surprise. "Yes… You! Are you Glont von Asilante!? Did you come here to kill me by imitating the rebels with that mask?"
The former emperor mistook Caesar for Glont. Glont was the only one who would kill him as revenge for the wandering people of the Imperial State.
"Then, you must have heard from the prime minister that I changed my room! No, it’s not just that you heard this; I'm sure Arcanta ordered it!"
When the former emperor talked about Arcanta, Caesar flinched. He didn’t understand what the former emperor was saying. Weren't they on the same side? Was there an internal conflict?
Seeing Caesar’s subtle hesitance from his sudden complicated thoughts, the former emperor continued, thinking that his guess was right. "Why? Isn’t it obvious?! That hypocrite must have ordered me to be killed!"
"Why do you think so?"
"Why do I think so? It’s obvious! Wasn't it Arcanta who leaked that information to you, Glont? To stop the extermination of those roaches?"
"What?" Caesar grew flustered.
The former emperor gave a sneaky smile as he saw Caesar’s reaction. "Don’t pretend you don't know! Howard, Duke Asteria, was aware that Arcanta was holding hands with me. Arcanta knew he’d be killed, but he still leaked the information to you. Did you think I wouldn’t know!?”
The former emperor clenched his teeth and grew angry, perhaps thinking about the past. "Ha! Is it wrong to kill children? Do the elderly and women have no sins? They are potential enemies that threaten the Empire, regardless of gender or age! To gamble on abandoning one's own life by sympathizing with the mobs who call themselves the Resistance, I shouldn’t have put him on the seat of the prime minister! He’s too weak!”
"What?"
"Are you still pretending you don't know?! You're not good at acting! If you didn't beg for the prime minister’s life, Howard wouldn't have kept Arcanta alive!"
The former emperor inferred the process of what must have happened after seeing Arcanta still walking about. His assumptions were simple. Arcanta tried to stop due to his guilty conscience, but there was no way Duke Asteria wouldn’t know if he tried to stop. Therefore, he leaked information to Glont to stop the killings and told him about the situation to protect himself from Duke Asteria.
Considering the relationship between Glont and Duke Asteria, this was a reasonable guess. In fact, on the contrary, Glont tried to kill Arcanta, and Duke Asteria protected him. Alas, there was no way for the former emperor to know what happened that day because it was kept a secret.
"Then, the prime minister and you, Glont, are working together to kill me! Aren’t you!?”
"What…?"
The confused voice did not originate from Caesar but from the door. There, a masked Glont stood blankly. Since he didn't use magic that interfered with recognition, when the former emperor looked at the masked person, he could tell at a glance that it was Glont.
"Wait, Glont? How? Then, who is this guy!?”
The Blood Emperor shouted in confusion, and Caesar was similarly confused. The two people he had to kill were the former emperor and the prime minister.
But what should he do if what the Blood Emperor said was true? Should he kill the prime minister? There was no doubt that the Blood Emperor was an enemy. Still, his thoughts grew complicated after listening. Ah, he wished he hadn't heard it.
Caesar stepped on the former emperor's chest and said, "It's Flam Dainter that killed you. Remember that name before you die."
Then, he put a sword directly into the former emperor's chest.
"Kuk!"
It was such a shabby death for an emperor who once dominated an era. Caesar pulled out the bloody sword and aimed it at Glont. "What should I do?"
Glont had overheard Caesar’s conversation with the Blood Emperor, and he could tell who Caesar was. He removed his mask, saying, "Do what your heart tells you to do. If you want to kill the prime minister, I’ll help you. If you want to kill me after I failed to kill the prime minister and the former emperor, do it. You deserve revenge."
The tip of Caesar's sword shook, and Glont continued, "If you don't know what to do, take your time. Yeah, at that time, I didn’t think it would be a bad idea to be a public official for the Empire."
Caesar slowly lowered his sword. "I... don't know. So I'll put it off for the moment."
Glont smiled. "Sure. Let me know whenever you need my help."
At Glont's words, Caesar nodded slightly and jumped out of the window. Glont left the room, looking at the cooling body of his lord, who he had once served.
* * *
Sitting in the secret conference room, the prime minister sighed and looked at those gathered: Bloody, William, and Glont. "In the end, we lost the five who wore yellow-green, red, white, and black masks in the assassination attempt.”
William nodded at Arcanta's words and smacked his lips regretfully. "I didn't know there would be another one. If it weren't for the guy who introduced himself as Libra, we could have caught everyone in the encirclement.”
Bloody put his hands behind his head and said, "But after he joined late, thanks to Glont hyung, I heard you caught Gemini."
"Oh, my, my. What do you mean thanks to me? It’s all thanks to our William. Ohohohoho!" Glont shook his hands in a cute manner and spoke humbly.
Looking at Glont behaving in such a way, Arcanta looked at him with doubt. "By the way... Did Guild Director-nim really not kill the former emperor?”
"That’s what I said. But what? What would you do if I killed him?”
As Glont showed his teeth and smiled, Arcanta shook his head in surprise. "Ah, no. I didn’t mean anything else. We’ll tell the public that it was done by an assassin who attacked His Majesty. We’ll say that the attack on His Majesty was a diversion while the original goal was the former emperor."
"Well, that old man was resented by a great number of people. There must have been quite a few who wanted to kill him,” Bloody said.
Truly, the Blood Emperor was hated by many people. Even after he was dethroned, because of his large security force, it was almost impossible to assassinate him unless there was a unique opportunity. Therefore, this reasoning was very persuasive.
"Oh, by the way, hand over the body of the man that you killed named Drok. We have to label him as a sinner and mount his head on a spike."
At Arcanta's words, Bloody frowned. "I refuse. I can't dirty the honor of a warrior like him."
In response to the firm rejection, Arcanta decided to treat it as if he’d been executed after much consideration.
"In the end, it was only a half-successful operation,” Arcanta muttered but worried about his friend and subordinate, Pelgrant. The half that failed was too agonizing for his friend.
* * *
As he was deep in thought, Caesar came to his senses in the auditorium of the training center where the imperial palace was visible. After the entrance ceremony at the training center, only new civil servants, including him, were left behind while the others left the auditorium.
At Glont's recommendation, he became a civil servant, but he sighed quietly when he did not see anyone his age. Appearance-wise, he seemed much older than new civil servants, but his actual age was much younger. As he was slightly saddened, thinking he’d spend his time being lonely, Caesar saw a boy with dark brown hair who looked to be around age.
Caesar took a deep breath and spoke carefully. "Uh, hello."
He was nervous because Flam was the only friend he’d ever had that was the same age as him.
"Yes, hello."
Despite his worries that the boy would look at him weirdly, the boy smiled and greeted him. Caesar was relieved and asked for the boy’s age and found out that the boy was a year younger than him.
"Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Flam Dainter."
At Caesar's introduction, the boy smiled and said his name. "I'm Den Mark."
For him, this was a turning point in his new life, but this was a story for a distant future. One that he would remain unaware of for now.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel