21st Century Archmage - Chapter 191

“What could be going on with His Majesty…”

“Sigh, a sudden lockdown, followed by summons…”

There were many imperial nobles living in the Imperial Capital of the Laviter Empire. Even if they were lords of small, rural territories, many of the capable ones lived in the capital for most of the year. Their lord titles were inheritable and wouldn’t disappear as long as they didn’t commit treason, so all that was left for them to do was live the country lifestyle the nobles didn’t like. There were few who would dare to take action against the Laviter Empire, so even if it didn’t suit their means, the regional lords purchased mansions in the capital and went to party after party, trying to expand their influence so that they might one day be granted a higher title.

However, due to the lockdown ordered by the Emperor, the hundreds of capital nobles were restricted from parties and other similar activities. Upon receiving sudden summons from the Emperor, they chatted with the people they knew as they entered the palace hall, not realizing that despite the sweltering weather, the Imperial Knights standing under the faintly shining magic lamps in the darkness of the hall were still wearing their helmets.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

Once all of the nobles had entered the massive palace used by the Imperial Family as a place to host parties, the Grand Chamberlain’s booming voice resounded through the hall.

The Emperor had last made a formal appearance about one month ago. The nobles quieted as they swiveled to look at the doors in the back of the palace where the Emperor would appear.

There, a man appeared. The man with height that was neither too short nor too tall and a head of curly golden hair was donning a crimson, gold-embroidered wyvern cloak that suited him with natural grace. The crown upon his head fit him perfectly. This was the Emperor of the Laviter Empire, Hadveria von Laviter the Third. Wearing a broad smile, he stopped in front of the throne.

“We are humbled to be in thy presence!”

When the Emperor stopped before the throne, the nobles bowed low. Even though the Emperor had such a full smile on his face, most of the nobles knew that he had erased countless people he didn’t like through the Imperial Guard. Particularly in the last few years, he had blatantly carried out many bloody acts.

“Haha, it has been a while, everyone.”

Emperor Hadveria sat on the throne with a good-natured smile. The dignity flowing from his body filled the hall to the brim with more to spare.

“Your Majesty, we humble servants are truly happy to see that Your Majesty has been in good health since we last met.”

They were the typical flattering words that were used to greet the Emperor. Marquis Pesocanian, the highest ranking noble among those gathered, spoke with a glitter in his beady eyes.

“Huhu, does it look like that to you?”

“I-It does, Your Majesty.”

For a ceremonial greeting like this, the Emperor would normally respond with something along the lines of “It’s all thanks to you, my knights,” or “Thank you for your concern.” However, for some reason, Emperor Hadveria seemed a bit more prickly than usual today. He was leaning one arm on the throne as he cast a crooked gaze on the nobles and Marquis Pesocanian.

“In your eyes, do I look completely and perfectly healthy?” asked the Emperor to the nobles.

“…”

The hall quieted immediately. The nobles knew very well that the Nerman invasion the Emperor had been earnestly pushing forward was delayed due to Kyre’s blitzes. Everyone realized their lives could be forfeit if they said something wrong and closed their mouths.

“Why isn’t anyone answering me? You were all so talkative outside moments ago.”

The nobles paled at his fluid string of words. They immediately became stricken with fear that the Emperor might have heard what they had said amongst themselves while coming into the palace. Despite being an emperor, Hadveria was a skilled knight who had reached Blade Master level. Considering a Blade Master’s sensitive hearing, it was certainly possible he had heard them. And even though they thought they were being careful, if Emperor Hadveria was looking to find faults with them, they could be consigned to death on the spot.

“Your Majesty! If we have dissatisfied Your Majesty in any way, may Your Majesty please forgive us with a generous heart!”

“May Your Majesty please forgive us!”

They hadn’t committed any crimes, but the nobles scrambled to ask for forgiveness out of fear.

“Puhahahahahahahahahahaha!”

Hadveria burst out in a resounding guffaw at the nobles’ request for forgiveness. The nobles who had been called by the Emperor but were given no places to sit and were thus standing stiffly within the hall felt that something was off from the Emperor’s laugh. Even the Emperor couldn’t treat nobles, the roots of the Empire, this way. Considering the current situation of the Laviter Empire, the Imperial Family would not be able to regain their former authority without the nobles’ cooperation. And yet, the Emperor had called them to ridicule them.

“Your Majesty… May I ask if there is something Your Majesty wishes to command us to do?”

A count came forward. He wouldn’t be able to say a thing if it were just a few of them here, but all of the nobles residing in the capital, down to the rural lords, were here, which bolstered him.

“Of course. Why else would I have called you all away from slacking off at home while slapping the butts of women?”

“…!”

At the Emperor’s insulting words, the nobles that had been trembling in fear turned red in the face.

“What, am I wrong?”

“…”

The Emperor provoked them, an unsavory smile on his lips. A frosty aura suddenly spread through the hall. The particularly prideful nobles were biting their lips as they glared at the Emperor.

“Y-Your Majesty, is that not perhaps too excessive a thing to say to us?” asked a young baron. A baron like him wouldn’t normally have the chance to have an audience with the Emperor, but in his anger, he accidentally blurted out the question.

“Excessive? Hardly. Trash like you who can’t even earn their keep should be grateful that I’m being so generous. Kukukuku.”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“Ah…”

An empire without nobles was unimaginable, yet the Emperor was pushing them to the end of their patience. Most of the nobles were gasping as rage filled them. The military power the nobles had in their territories was greater than the power the Emperor had right now. Moreover, most of the nobles within the imperial army were close relatives with the lords. The nobles held power that even the throne could not deny, that much was clear.

“Why? Are you so galled and humiliated that you wanna become emperor yourself? Then try it.”

Fwiiiip. Clink, clank clank, clatter.

The Emperor tossed the crown on his head onto the marble floor.

There was no doubt. The Emperor had gone mad. He had thrown off the crown, the symbol of an emperor’s authority.

“Ah, this is too boring. There’s no reason to keep mucking about with you bastards anymore. Kukuku.” Hadveria burst into a mocking laugh after explicitly calling the nobles “you bastards”. 

“Your Majesty, though the Empire belongs to you, it is also ours! The words you have just said are absurd remarks we nobles truly cannot bear to hear!”

“May Your Majesty please retract thy words!”

“Please retract thy words!”

When the Emperor continued to scorn them, the nobles began to exude murderous intent as they echoed a chorus of pleas. Even the emperor faction that actively followed the Emperor was joining in.

“You idiots. You bastards still don’t understand my words. Do I still look like Emperor Hadveria in your eyes? Kukukukuku.”

“Wh-What are you—ah!”

“That’s—!”

The nobles bowing down as they pleaded with the Emperor heard an evil voice. When their heads whipped up in alarm, their faces blanched. A thick black aura was rising from the man on the throne. The person who had been their Emperor up until moments ago was changing. His whole body was exuding an energy so evil the nobles could not dare to look, and bright red eyes were glaring down at them.

A devil. A devil was on the throne.

Thuddddd!

The moment they heard the doors closing behind them, the nobles felt fear so intense it made their hearts drop.

Imperial Knights appeared from all over the palace.

“What are you doing?! Do you truly intend on killing us all?!”

“Y-Your Majesty, please come to your senses at once!”

Like Altakas said, there were still nobles who hadn’t realized what was happening. The hapless nobles shouted out in alarm upon sensing the killing intent aimed towards them.

“I am no longer your emperor. I am the master of the great Dark Empire that is approaching. I am not the master of this lousy, measly empire, but a mightier one that shall rule the entire continent. Kuhahahahahaha!”

A laughter full of madness echoed throughout the hall.

“Uwahhh! His Majesty has gone insane!”

“Everyone, run away! Hurry!”

The moment they entered the Imperial Palace, they were all forced to remove their swords because only those who had received permission from the Emperor were allowed to carry weapons in the inner castle. Many of the nobles were knight-level in strength, so even without swords, they all ran towards the doors.

Schwiiiing! Splurt!

“Gugh…”

Around a hundred Imperial Knights appeared out of nowhere near the doors and mercilessly cut down the nobles flying towards them like moths to a flame.

“D-Dark Blades…”

“D-Death Knights!”

They recognized the evil mana imbuing the swords the Imperial Knights were swinging. Only then did they realize that the Emperor’s words were not a deluded fantasy.

“Kill them! Kill them all! Kuhahahaha! I shall carry out a rite to the mana of darkness using their blood and hearts, so kill them all!”

The Emperor’s booming laugh swept through the hall. At that moment, all of the Laviter Empire’s nobles closed their eyes. The reality before them was something they could never, ever believe.

“Oh, gods above…”

Someone sought the gods. But no god could stop the blood festival that was descending upon them.

Because this was their predetermined fate…

* * *

* * *

“May you return safely…”

“Aramis…”

It was early dawn. I was about to leave the cover to enact the plan I’d dubbed ‘King Wedgie’, a plan I hadn’t even told Derval about. Only the beastmen who rode the Gold Wyverns that were the mount of choice for the Laviter’s Imperial Skyknights would be coming with me. But just as we were departing, the Saintess who had been devoting herself to prayer out of anguish for the disasters and disease plaguing the Continent as of late appeared to send me off. 

‘She’s lost a lot of weight.’

I hadn’t even told the beastmen the destination, but Aramis came and wished me a safe return.

“Lord Kyre…!”

With a tearful voice, Aramis threw herself into my embrace.

“Why’re you crying, dummy…”

I hadn’t hugged Aramis in a long time. Her thinness was immediately apparent. She had been devoting herself to atonement prayer to God without eating properly, all for the suffering masses. Feeling how thin she was made my heart pang for her.

She sobbed in my embrace, deeply saddened by something I didn’t know. My heart ached. She didn’t say anything, but I could feel her noble love for me.

She knew that I was going somewhere dangerous.

“I’m sorry. You’re going on a long trip, yet I can only cry…”

After crying for a long time in my arms, Aramis wiped away her tears as she looked up.

‘Sigh, what a beautiful woman she is.’

Though we lived in close proximity, her body was not mine alone. There were many people other than me that Aramis had to love in God’s stead.

I gently stroked the silverish blue hair cascading down her white robe. Aramis’ fragrance filled the air.

I left a light kiss on her forehead. The paladins who guarded her like her shadow were watching from afar, but I paid no heed to them.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes… have a safe trip,” said Aramis, her white cheeks turning a bashful pink.

“Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

I caressed her soft cheek with the hand that had been stroking her hair. I was wearing my airplate, so I couldn’t feel her skin directly, but her feelings reached me. 

I had to drop my hand, feeling regret. It was time to leave. I’d left a letter with a few instructions for Derval in my office.

Whumpf.

I jumped onto Bebeto’s neck with a silent leap.

Guoooooooooooo!

When I jumped on, Bebeto let loose a roar. I wanted to leave quietly, but he was about to wake up the whole damn castle.

Kuaaaaaaaa! Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

The Gold Wyverns followed Bebeto in cries of their own.

‘I’ll be back soon, my land.’

After taking one more look at Aramis, I gazed at the expansive covert and my castle.

“Fly, Bebeto!”

Guooooooooooooooooooo!

Flap flap, flap flap, flap flap flap.

With powerful beats of his wings, Bebeto kicked off the ground.

At the end of the 7th month, the sweltering season overseen by the Goddess of Victory, Ormion, I left Nerman.

My goal was to give the Laviter Emperor a wedgie so hard he would never be able to bother my paradise with pointless threats ever again.

And so, I departed, leaving those I loved and my paradise behind me.

* * *

“L-Lord Kyre… Sob!”

He left.

Last night, a divine revelation was passed down to her in the form of a dream. An intense, murky darkness swallowed the man Aramis loved. It was a dream, but each detail of the nightmare was vivid. Aramis woke up screaming, and she left the temple, praying to her goddess to grant Kyre mercy.

As she prayed, she sensed Kyre’s presence. Without realizing it herself, she headed to the covert and came face to face with him as he was about to depart.

“Even if I must offer my life, I will save thee. I shall deliver thee from any of the world’s evils, filth, and death. My beloved…”

After watching Kyre fly far, far away, she drew a cross and knelt where she stood, praying to Neran.

Flash.

A faint silver aura surrounded her body, as if a god had promised to not forsake her feelings…

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