A spark jumped from the fireplace. The sharp squeal was swallowed by the crackling flames.
“Kgggh! Kghh!”
When the queen saw me, her entire body jolted. Perhaps because of the gag, no clear voice came out—only a muffled moan. The emperor touched the tip of her nose with his index finger. As if petting a pet.
“Shhh, dear. We have a guest.”
The queen’s moan gradually faded.
It seemed she couldn’t even breathe properly.
“You must maintain your composure as a member of the imperial family.”
The emperor’s gaze as he scolded the queen was lifeless. The only thing alive on his face was the smile on his lips.
***
As the queen failed to calm down, the emperor brought a metal rod to the torch and heated it. The iron began to turn yellow.
The queen’s face turned pale.
And what happened next… The smoke rising from her thigh floated up to the ceiling.
The queen’s head shook violently. Her entire body convulsed as if she were strapped to an electric chair. The pain of a burn is the worst suffering a human can endure.
“Mmmph! Mmmmmmph!”
The head of the Imperial Guard, Oscar, seemed to suffer the torture as if he were the one enduring it.
…What the hell is this situation?
I felt reality slipping away slightly. And it’s understandable. Just by crossing the threshold of that little door, one side was comfort and the other, pure torment.
Calm down, Kang Geom-Ma. First, understand the situation properly.
‘The emperor knew about the puppet master behind the scenes.’
That, at least, was within the bounds of my imagination.
But that Oscar had such a relationship with the queen—that I hadn’t seen coming.
‘Ah.’
I let out a sigh just as—
“You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
The emperor set the cooled rod aside.
“It’s quite obvious. My young wife is pregnant with Oscar’s child. That’s why ambition was born in him. For the throne.”
The reason behind why Oscar attacked me so persistently was now clear. Even though he knew he’d lose. Even though his subordinates stopped him, he insisted.
Alright, let’s review. Oscar’s main goal was to provoke me, but the appearance of Shail and Choi Seol-Ah ruined his plan.
With those two attention-grabbing intruders, the Imperial Guards were unintentionally agitated, and Oscar’s suppressed sense of rivalry was awakened.
‘Since he was like that, he at least had to leave me a wound.’
Oscar gave it his all for that. And up to that point, that was what I had believed.
‘If he was emotionally involved with the one behind everything, then it all makes sense.’
He became childish for love.
‘But did it have to be the emperor’s wife?’
What’s disturbing is that the emperor knew all of this and deliberately ignored it.
Why did he do that? I don’t want to know.
That man isn’t sane. He’s completely insane.
“Well, was it an unpleasant scene?”
His smile remained, but it was cold.
“…I think this needs an explanation.”
“You say that even though you know the answer.”
As the queen lowered her head, the emperor fixed his gaze on me.
“Seems I had the wrong idea about you. I thought a scene like this wouldn’t faze you. But seeing your reaction, it seems you don’t like it, huh?”
“If you already know, don’t ask.”
I replied bluntly. It wasn’t a time to be courteous. And he didn’t reproach me either.
“I thought you’d like it, Heavenly Sword. I guess I ended up ruining my image. It was my attempt to win your sympathy.”
“Don’t do things that aren’t yours to do. They make me uncomfortable. Who would be pleased to be invited to watch a torture show? If you really want to fix things, start by dropping that rod.”
“Hahaha… Not long ago, I thought it was the first time someone had ever threatened me.”
“Oh right. Thanks for handling the thick blood gushing from the body.”
The emperor wiped the cooled rod with a blood-stained handkerchief.
In response, I drew my sashimi. The emperor backed up to the wall and raised his hands as if he were harmless.
Oscar looked at him dazed. Then he seemed to come to his senses and looked toward the queen, still silent and with her head lowered. Still alive. Steam from her thigh wafted gently upward.
“Well, you’ve bested me twice. I should be grateful, Heavenly Sword. You’ve let me live very curious experiences.”
“Leave right now.”
“As you wish. But remember this—those two tried to poison Victoria. If I take care of them, no one will raise a fuss.”
The emperor cast a glance at the two prisoners and assured me with a firm voice.
“And if you keep interfering… the person who knows you best will join me.”
I can clearly see the scene—nobles rising in revolt. And not just them. Even those on my side might start looking at me differently.
In short, at this very moment… The emperor has cornered me into an inescapable trap.
‘Why the hell is he doing this?’
The only semi-rational reason is—
‘He wants to talk to me.’
That I’m the same kind of person as the emperor?
When I reached that conclusion, anger suddenly overwhelmed me. What truly drove me mad was not being able to completely refute those words. Because I had the feeling I was starting to understand what kind of bastard that emperor was.
‘Damn it.’
Curses rang in my teeth. I swallowed them with a knot in my throat before opening my mouth.
“…What you want is to hear those words come from my mouth. Something like ‘Kill those two bastards already.’”
“That’s what you’re thinking, Heavenly Sword. They were my hands and feet. Like it or not, if I cut them off, there will be bleeding. That young wife also comes from a fairly distinguished noble family. If I take them out myself, I’ll get into a lot of trouble.”
The rage subsided a bit. I doused myself with cold water mentally and gave a quiet response.
“The one who caused this mess is you, Emperor. And honestly, I don’t think something like this would really get you in trouble. After all, you’re the emperor of the Great Empire.”
“Hahaha. You’re not very good at hiding irony in your words, Heavenly Sword. You can’t be completely honest, can you?”
“I do it on purpose. And to be honest, I have no intention of being honest. Because I fear becoming someone like you.”
At first, I had no clear thoughts, but now I can say it with certainty. I don’t want to get involved with someone like the emperor. To avoid that, I must stay as far away as possible from the peaks of power.
The emperor, who had been listening in silence, lowered his hands.
Then he grabbed the queen’s jaw and turned her face toward me. One of her eyes was half-closed, covered by a shadow. Oscar, bound to the same rack, had tears in his eyes. Damned pair. The same ones who tried to kill my disciple.
And yet, their faces oozed compassion and melancholy.
“People often misunderstand. They think that I, as emperor, wield absolute, unlimited power. They’re not entirely wrong, but it’s not the whole truth. Even I have to read the room and time things right. Especially with families like this queen’s, who helped found the empire.”
The emperor loosened his grip. The queen lowered her head again like a criminal.
The torch flickered to the rhythm of the emperor’s short steps. A moment later, the shadow fell over Oscar’s face.
Oscar didn’t even dare to look the emperor in the eye, despite standing right in front of him. At a glance, the emperor didn’t appear physically imposing.
And yet, that hero of Warrior level was only soaking the muzzle he wore with saliva.
If you thought about it, with his level of strength, he should’ve been able to break those rusty chains with ease.
That could only mean one thing—this posture of total defeat was Oscar’s voluntary choice. At least, that’s how I interpreted it.
The emperor crouched to meet his eyes.
“Look at me, Oscar.”
“…”
“You’re the captain of the imperial guard. You should be better at hiding your emotions. Weren’t you trained for that?”
“I trusted you. I always did.”
“…”
“I watched you from the moment you entered the palace. You exceeded my expectations and developed your talents. I felt the investment was worthwhile. That’s why, even though I knew from the beginning you had a romance with the queen, I turned a blind eye.”
“…!”
The emperor showed a bitter smile.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
Oscar looked on the verge of collapse. It was the face of someone who had just given up something vital in their life.
Maybe he thought their relationship was a secret.
But everything was under the emperor’s control. The real prison wasn’t the chains—Oscar had been bound to the emperor since stepping into the palace.
‘A life no different than that of an animal.’
Get a grip.
Heavenly Sword, you’re in no position to feel pity for anyone!
‘With this pathetic mindset, you won’t get anywhere.’
I don’t know if the emperor caught what I was thinking, but he gave Oscar a faint smile.
“Isn’t it funny, Oscar? You tried to assassinate my daughter. I’m not saying this because the Heavenly Sword is here, but I truly didn’t know about that.”
I just kept watching in silence. If the emperor wasn’t a fool, he clearly understood what I meant with my silence.
‘I won’t turn a blind eye to the corruption of the imperial family.’
The emperor does whatever he wants. I don’t want to be on his side. That’s why, here and now, I won’t “eliminate” the queen or Oscar.
“But I also don’t want to blame you. If my daughter wants to inherit the throne, she’ll have to overcome even this. It could be considered just another obstacle. Truthfully, Victoria isn’t that important to me. As you know, I have many children.”
Granting me a wish, was it? I don’t want any favor from someone who treats his own daughter like disposable waste.
I’ll take only what I must. The agreement we made still stands. I’ll face the emperor ideologically—not with senseless violence, but by following my own path from now on.
“But you know? I’ve realized Victoria has more value than I thought. I never imagined the Heavenly Sword would end up protecting her. That alone is more than enough to make her valuable.”
The emperor caressed Oscar’s swollen cheek.
“You almost took that value from my hands… but our merciful Heavenly Sword seems reluctant to execute you right here.”
He turned away from Oscar.
Clack.
When he activated a mechanism, the cuffs that bound the queen and Oscar opened. The muzzles snapped off as well. Oscar exhaled deeply, the breath he’d been holding back.
At that moment—
“Armin!”
The queen’s torso collapsed forward. Oscar carefully caught her by the chest.
“You two will be taken before the imperial tribunal.”
“Ah… Armin…”
The emperor turned coldly. Oscar wept as he held the queen.
“I’m sorry. I dragged you down with my ambition…”
“…This will be an international scandal. But I can’t let the dignity of the empire fall any further. For now, you’ll recover your health in the Tower. You’re not victims, but culprits. You’ll appear before the tribunal as such.”
“Hic…”
“There’s over an 80% chance you’ll be sentenced to hang. But since you’re a soldier I value, I’ll ask the judge to at least give you a death by beheading.”
He said it like he was reciting a script without emotion.
The emperor passed by me, leaving the two behind. In the brief instant when our clothes brushed, he looked me up and down.
“Heavenly Sword, don’t you find it strange?”
“…”
“You’ve defeated me without using your sword.”
His voice carried a chilling edge.
“Truly… you are a terrifying man.”
Ah… how long had it been since I heard such a warning?
More than the roars of Ragnarok, the Knight of the End Times, those words struck me deeply.
Then I understood clearly why the emperor repulsed me so much.
The emperor stood at the extreme opposite of me.
He was the embodiment of bottomless evil.
____
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