Episode 194. Day 1 of the Festival (2)
The Divine Empire was in a period of stagnation until 30 years ago.
The sudden outbreak of the Demon King and the outbreak of the Demon Clan War dealt a fatal blow, and many people despaired as a result.
The reason why the Demon King appeared and why the demons and monsters became more ferocious was still a mystery.
The land was parched and the village was filled with people who had collapsed from exhaustion.
There was nothing on the ground but rotten crops left behind by the Demon King’s bugs, so they had to fight to eat and survive.
So the second war between humans was about to break out. That is, until the Emperor appeared.
Carmine Fried Divine.
The name of the new emperor appointed after the previous emperor died in a war.
He inherited the spirit of the previous emperor who risked his life to fight against the demons, and was the one who prevented a fight between the people.
Even among the royal family, Carmine possessed unique powers.
It is said that when he touches a withered flower, the flower instantly comes back to life and regains its original form.
Just a light touch can bring life to you.
Furthermore, it is possible to return even rotten and decayed land to its original state.
It wasn’t like I was casting a spell or something magical to implement it. Everything was restored just by making contact without any complicated procedures.
Emperor Carmine spared no expense in using the powers bestowed upon him.
As a member of the royal family, he inherited the pride and contributed to restoring the empire.
He went to each region to restore rotten crops, neutralize the plague left behind by the Demon King, and accelerate the healing of the injured.
The empire regained its original form, but the emperor gradually lost his power.
Because the area he had to treat was the entire empire.
Just visiting and rebuilding various places every day was incredibly tiring.
Eventually, the Emperor’s healing powers completely disappeared due to excessive force.
The sight of the treatment of sick people suddenly being cut off… was like being reduced to nothing but a drop in a water bottle.
Eventually, the Emperor lamented that his power was reduced to nothing and that he could no longer heal the empire.
However, the treatments he had done so far were not in vain, as more than half of the empire was restored thanks to his touch.
─It’s all thanks to His Majesty the Emperor.
─Your Majesty has cured all of our children!
─This is definitely a messenger from God!
─Your Majesty is truly worthy of being a king!
─Please continue to guide us throughout our lives!
The Divine Empire, which was without a saint, was completely weakened.
Moreover, when they were blaming themselves for killing the saint and being punished by heaven, the one who appeared was Emperor Carmine.
Although treatment was interrupted, the empire’s recovery was instantaneous.
The miracle he had wrought had raised a fallen empire, so now it was ready to walk on its own.
A rope lowered into a cliff filled with darkness.
A shower of rain during a drought.
A being that brings hope.
That is why Emperor Carmine was called a saint.
As befitting his sacred title, his audience room in the palace was also clean.
“Your Majesty, the installation of the magic transmission tower has been completed.”
The vassals knelt before the emperor and reported on some work.
After a while, the emperor raised the corners of his mouth as if he had heard something strange and said:
“Are the location and angle correct?”
“It was installed perfectly, without a doubt.”
“With this, we can get one step closer to the Archive, the pinnacle of magic technology.”
“I wish that were true.”
Emperor Carmine smiled, gently stroking his beard.
To anyone who looked at it, it seemed like they were trying to develop technology for the people.
Honestly, anyone who looks at it will think it is unreasonable.
The pinnacle of all magical techniques and an archive that can contain all the world’s information.
The advanced magic technique created by the great sage Dantia 300 years ago exists only at the Alighieri Academy.
‘Why do you want to monopolize that good thing?’
It was a thought that occasionally crossed the Emperor’s mind.
It is a thought that not only emperors but also people who pursue knowledge and learning have thought about at least once.
It would be highly absurd if that great technique remained the sole property of Alighieri.
However, one thing must not be misunderstood.
This is because even the higher-ups in Alighieri, including the headmaster, do not have the authority to properly use the technique.
Even though 300 years have passed since its creation, no one has dealt with it properly.
It was as if the great sage Dantia had intentionally locked it.
`If that’s the case, I don’t know why you went through all the trouble to make it. Doesn’t that go against your goal of making the world peaceful?’
The vassals spoke to Emperor Carmine, who was thinking like that.
“And today is the second day of the Magic Banquet.”
“Is there any change in your schedule for your visit?”
A grand festival held in Alighieri once every five years.
It is a large-scale event that not only the Divine Empire but also people from other countries flock to watch.
Therefore, the Emperor is also in a position to visit whenever it is held.
As has been the case since his predecessors, Emperor Carmine’s visit is scheduled for the last day.
“There is no change. This time, we will just watch the final match of the tactical banquet and say a few congratulatory words to the winner, and it will be over.”
“Yes, it’s the same as last time… but I think you should be more careful than last time. The kings of neighboring countries are also present.”
“I know.”
Not only them, but also other races are hanging around the magic banquet.
It was Emperor Carmine who granted them entry into this year’s parade.
Naturally, there were concerns among the public that an inconsiderate race would ruin the festival… but these were buried under the depth of the Emperor’s character.
In the interest of peace, we also accept people who have never experienced human society.
Those who sympathized with the emperor’s intentions outnumbered those who denied them.
The emperor, who had maintained the image of a saintly king until then, could not have unfavorable public opinion.
“Has Commander Rutis arrived at Alighieri?”
“Yes, I received a report that he arrived yesterday and met the princess.”
“If you are a princess…”
“This is Princess Mirona.”
He is the best emperor to the people, but… when you look inside the palace, there are parts that make you question whether he was a good emperor.
The child of his concubine born of his whim. Mirona Kirien Divine.
He treats his first wife’s children very well, but he is strangely cruel to Mirona.
“Is that the stray?”
Most people think that they are treated differently because they are the children of concubines, but the real reason is probably unknown to anyone except the emperor.
In a sudden change of heart, she had an affair with another maid and had another child.
Up until here, nothing really happened.
Of course, committing adultery is not a light matter, but I have absolutely no ill feelings toward that child.
But the more I watched that child grow, the more I suddenly felt a sense of disgust.
Crimson hair that flowed like silk. And red eyes.
The moment he saw that point, Carmine instinctively felt a sense of rejection.
‘She’s just like that girl. That ungrateful bitch who betrayed me so long ago.’
Only the Emperor himself knew who he was projecting upon seeing Mirona.
Because she died a long time ago.
“I heard you were elected student body president?”
“Yes, it seems like you are desperately trying to gain the Emperor’s approval.”
Emperor Carmine snorted, saying, “Even so, it’s nothing.”
His attitude of indifferently looking upon his children’s efforts made his followers feel alienated.
“Tell Captain Ruthie to keep an eye on Mirona’s actions.”
“So… you mean security?”
“Guard… Well, interpret it however you want. As long as I can hear about Mirona’s movements, that’s all that matters.”
“I will obey your orders.”
When all the reports were finished, the guests politely left the audience room.
In this place where they had completely disappeared, it seemed that only the Emperor was left, but there were knights hiding behind the throne.
The two knights who appeared on the left and right of the emperor had their faces covered with plates.
“I hope you had a nice time going out?”
As Emperor Carmine spoke, one of the knights removed his plate helmet.
“Well then, I hope you had a nice trip. Thanks to you, I was able to realize a little bit about what I did in my life.”
The resurrected King of Talema speaks, revealing his bare face.
Likewise, another knight took off her helmet, and she was revealed to be a mysterious woman with silver hair.
“….”
The woman still had no answer, but the emperor smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“I guess it’s because I was revived by RE-Union that my instincts come first.”
“I’m fine, but I don’t know about this woman.”
Talema was very talkative, but the woman remained silent and looked withered.
Still, the woman had one advantage.
“There’s no need to be so dismissive about it.”
“Why?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know? Because I was stronger than you when I was alive.”
“ha ha ha!”
Talema, who was laughing at first… suddenly became serious and said.
“I’m dying.”
The emperor, feeling the chill there, quickly changed the atmosphere.
“Haha, I’m joking. You might not have been stronger before, but you’re stronger now. You’ve been remodeled several times.”
“Thanks to that, I gained abilities I never had before. For example…”
To everyone’s surprise, Talema’s face changed to look exactly like Emperor Carmine’s.
They were so similar that it was almost as if there were two emperors in the world.
“Because now I can disguise myself like this.”
“Isn’t there more to it?”
“There’s more, but wouldn’t it be difficult to use it here?”
“….”
The emperor seemed to agree with Talema’s words and remained silent.
Because if it is used, there is a risk that the entire palace will collapse.
“Anyway, did they come?”
“I was able to get them all thanks to going out. Look.”
Talema shows off by waving a huge amount of paper.
Each piece of paper had a few sentences written on it, and at the very bottom was a blazing blue seal.
They were all diplomas from the Alighieri Academy.
“Including mine from when I was alive… I stole all of my diplomas, even my juniors’ diplomas. Since they graduated not long ago, the blue flames still burn brightly.”
“Then what about those juniors?”
A line was drawn at the corner of Talema’s mouth.
“You’ll have a comfortable night.”
To this ominous answer the Emperor said:
“Well done.”
It was a far cry from the image of a saintly king that people had held in high esteem.
In fact, only the core is a saint. The inside is something else.
“It’s fortunate that this body is a saint right now. There’s no need to get caught.”
The laughter of someone who resided in the Emperor’s body echoed throughout the audience room.
* * * * *
“That’s not the emperor?”
Lyman, who was leading the way, asked me.
This main character friend was now dragging me somewhere.
It was surprisingly inside a cave, and the deeper we went, the hotter it became to the point of sweating.
“Perhaps you haven’t noticed it yet because you’ve been so focused on the royal family. The Emperor has been suddenly replaced.”
As I walked, I was telling Lyman things he didn’t know.
It is a variable that even Lyman, who has lived for 300 years, does not know, and the bad ending route opens up because he fails to notice it.
Now is the perfect time to say that, because the time of the showdown is approaching.
“So does that mean Emperor Carmine is fake now?”
“that’s right.”
“When did it change?”
“About 17 years ago.”
At that time, the emperor was known as a wise king and enjoyed wealth and honor.
And it was about 16 years ago that he lured a concubine and gave birth to Mirona.
If it’s fake, that would explain the sudden change of heart.
Because an emperor known for being faithful would never commit adultery.
“Probably anything would have been tolerated as long as it didn’t cross the line. The status that depended on the Emperor was so powerful.”
The status of the emperor who healed the collapsing empire is now being used as a shield.
To protect the demonic being that stole his body.
“Who the hell is that guy with the ice?”
I took a deep breath and said.
“Machia. You probably know her well.”
thud!-
At that moment, the cave shook violently.
Because Lyman, who was walking down the street, suddenly stopped and punched the wall.
I felt anger at that name and my body moved reflexively.
“Is that true?”
Lyman looked at me with sharp eyes and asked.
“It’s true.”
Makia. From Lyman’s perspective, he’s a guy who wouldn’t be satisfied even if he were torn to pieces.
The father of Maya, the demon king of 300 years ago and disciple of the great sage Dantia.
And the enemy who drove his mother, Dantia, to death.
“That kid, you know.”
But Lyman smiled as if it was a good thing.
As someone who’s been piloting Lyman, I think I know what he’s thinking.
Because I was happy that I was able to kill the guy I couldn’t kill that day.
“That doesn’t mean you should attack rashly. Above all, if you transform into a demon and kill him, it will be disadvantageous for us.”
“….”
The political maneuvering he has prepared has resulted in the protagonists of this game being branded enemies of the people.
There, Lyman’s demonization is revealed and public opinion worsens further.
“I guess I’ll need you to stop that. Come quickly. We’re almost there.”
The place Lyman reached by following his footsteps was an underground place where lava was boiling.
In fact, this is the underground of Mount Purgatory, and it is a place that is unknown to people.
And in front, standing neatly, was the huge skeleton of some animal. The skeleton, which did not melt even after being showered with lava, was that of a fellow divine being of the great sage from 300 years ago.
“Greetings to the Thousand-Year-Old Lord. Please let us have a happy ending.”
Lyman clicked his tongue and urged me on as I offered my prayers.
“What are you doing? Come quickly.”
“What are you doing? I’m praying to your teacher.”
“Okay, then come.”
Then Lyman drew a magic circle in front of a cliff with flowing lava and said:
“From now on, I have to inject my power into you.”
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
