Chapter 236
Chapter 236
The Real and the Fake (2)
The chances that the Emperor had escaped long ago after leaving behind a stand-in were low.
‘He must have stayed here the whole time.’
However, the moment Kairus started striking the blast door, the Emperor must have realized everything had gone wrong and attempted to flee.
If Kairus had simply failed to suspect anything, immediately cut off the stand-in’s head, and shed tears of joy believing his revenge was complete, there would have been more than enough time to escape.
Because Kairus would never have pursued him in the first place.
“Now then….”
Kairus did not do that. Before the enemy he had sworn to kill one day without fail, he succeeded in maintaining his composure and calmness, if only for a moment.
That was why he sensed something was strange, and when he demanded that the imperial seal be brought out, the Emperor’s stand-in naturally failed to produce it.
“Listen carefully, stand-in friend. It probably hasn’t even been a few hours since the Emperor attempted to escape, right?”
At Kairus’s words, the stand-in gave a small nod. Naturally, he knew the Emperor had left only a few hours ago.
“After all, there’s no difference between the stand-in and the real one besides the imperial seal anyway.”
The Emperor’s stand-in felt an intense temptation at Kairus’s words. The throne of the Empire’s Emperor. A man who had been nothing more than a fake acting as the Emperor could actually become the real Emperor and stand above all others.
“It won’t just be you becoming Emperor, friend.”
Kairus’s voice was subtle yet sweet.
“You’ll become Emperor and surround yourself with a beautiful Empress and countless charming concubines. And one of the children you sire will become the next Emperor.”
The bloodline of this fake would replace the imperial family of the Valorn Empire.
“Your bloodline will become the imperial family of the Valorn Empire and continue on for generations. That is, if you promise me just one thing.”
“And… what would that be?”
Grinning, Kairus answered.
“You’ll draft a document stating that you were merely a stand-in created in place of the Emperor, and that the real Emperor has already died.”
“…And then?”
The stand-in slightly shrank back at Kairus’s cold hand brushing across his cheek.
“You’ll stamp the imperial seal and your fingerprint on it. I’ll keep that document.”
The stand-in before him would become the real Emperor. Of course, if Kairus wished it, he could drag him down from the throne once again.
That alone was the contract.
“If… I ever go against your wishes?”
“Then the document will be revealed. The document bearing the Emperor’s seal and the fingerprint proving who you are.”
That would mark the end of the stand-in’s game of pretending to be Emperor. The man before him would continue acting as the real Emperor.
As long as Kairus allowed it. By this point, the stand-in roughly understood the situation.
“Rather than dying here as a stand-in… I’d like to try being Emperor at least once.”
It was an offer he had neither reason nor ability to refuse. If the stand-in rejected Kairus’s proposal here, Kairus clearly intended to kill him.
“Excellent.”
Kairus rose from his seat and spoke toward Irena.
“Irena, keep an eye on this friend for me.”
“Sure. What are you planning to do if you find the Emperor? It doesn’t seem necessary to kill him.”
Rather, keeping him alive would likely inflict even greater pain upon the Emperor. If his face were ruined and the imperial seal taken away, then the Emperor would no longer be the Emperor.
The imperial bloodline that had continued for generations would be replaced by the stand-in’s descendants, and he would spend the rest of his life watching the stand-in act as the real Emperor from the throne that had originally belonged to him.
“Irena, look at me.”
However, Kairus thought differently.
“My family was destroyed, I rotted away in the Carlson Labor Correctional Facility for years, and after being released, I drifted into Bennett City and spent my time working as a restaurant employee.”
But now, Kairus had reached the point just one step away from exacting revenge upon the Emperor.
There was only one reason all of this had been possible.
“If you’re alive, then there’s still a possibility.”
When countless coincidences and inevitabilities overlap and intertwine over a long period of time, eventually, possibility itself might bloom.
In other words, several years from now, Philip IV might one day drive a blade into Kairus’s heart.
“So I’m going to kill him.”
Death meant a state where one could no longer do anything. What Kairus wanted was the Emperor’s death.
Suffering? Despair? The thought that since I suffered this much, you should suffer too?
He had no intention of leaving behind even a spark of danger for such childish sentiments.
“…That’s true too.”
Unlike Kairus, whose family had been destroyed long ago, the annihilation of House Kellogg had not happened very long ago.
What Irena wanted was for Philip IV to suffer.
Her grudge had not matured as deeply as Kairus’s hatred, but that also meant it remained fresh.
Even so, Irena agreed with Kairus’s words. After all, Kairus himself was living proof that nobody knew what could happen as long as someone remained alive.
“Thank you.”
Kairus intended to persuade her as much as possible. He held a grudge against the Emperor, but the same was true for Irena. Since they had moved together toward the same goal, he believed it was right to proceed with mutual agreement.
“What are you thanking me for? Come to think of it, I’m a real traitor, aren’t I?”
“I joined in on it too, so I’m the same.”
After finishing the conversation, Kairus moved the wind and swept through the inside of the shelter. Naturally, there had to be a secret passage for escaping from here.
And the wind would not overlook the gaps of such a passage.
“Here.”
After confirming the faint flow of air leaking out, Kairus easily located the wall that likely concealed the secret passage.
“The way to open it is….”
“We don’t need one.”
Kairus wildly swung his sword toward the wall. Soon, the metal wall shredded by countless slashes collapsed, revealing the hidden passage behind it.
“I’m going. Keep a good watch on the stand-in.”
At Kairus’s words, Irena waved both hands dismissively, gesturing for him to go already.
Kairus immediately sprinted into the passage.
“He probably never imagined it even in his dreams.”
The Emperor likely never expected Kairus to see through the stand-in and begin pursuit immediately. After all, if Philip IV had been Kairus, the moment he saw the Emperor’s face, he would have crippled or killed him without hesitation.
That was precisely what the Emperor had trusted. And just like the countless failures that had continued until now—
This time as well, Philip IV failed. Kairus had begun the pursuit, and Philip IV was now fleeing.
Originally, pursuit was far more difficult than escape.
“Try your best to hide. Let’s see if you can stay hidden from the sky.”
The problem was that Kairus was not pursuing from the ground. After rapidly crossing the hidden evacuation route and emerging onto the surface, Kairus immediately soared into the sky.
From high above, he swept across the surroundings with his exceptional senses.
‘There’s no way the Emperor escaped alone.’
There would be guards. Normally, Guardian of the Nation Denver Hudson should have been protecting him, but….
Now that the attempt to secure Liriana had failed, Denver Hudson no longer had any reason to protect the Emperor. He was probably receiving protection from others instead.
It seemed Denver Hudson did not even know a stand-in had been prepared.
‘Likewise, the others probably don’t know about Denver Hudson’s wife either.’
It was not especially surprising. Those above always concealed information from those beneath them.
After several hours of searching, Kairus discovered a place where a fire had been lit and glided through the sky while observing the area around it.
‘Found you.’
There were many skilled individuals gathered there, the kind rarely found among civilians. At least five. And he could also sense presences hiding nearby.
Having made his decision, Kairus immediately plummeted toward the campfire.
“….”
The moment he landed, the people silently drew their weapons. Smiling faintly, Kairus spoke.
“So you’re not even going to ask who I am. Don’t throw your lives away like dogs and surrender. I have business with the one you’re guarding.”
“That bastard? You crazy son of a bitch…!”
One of them shouted furiously, but Kairus paid him no mind and raised his voice loudly.
“Hey, Philip IV! Get your ass out here!”
In the history of the Empire, there was probably no one besides Kairus who had ever called the Emperor like this.
“Seriously, do I have to drag you out myself? What a troublesome bastard.”
As he spoke, Kairus walked toward the tent.
“Taking another step further is…!”
The men holding weapons immediately rushed forward to stop Kairus, but at that instant, a flash of swordlight burst forth.
The head of the one who charged rolled across the ground.
“I’m in a good mood right now. I don’t want to spill pointless blood, you know? If you quietly stay out of my way, you won’t die here.”
Giving that warning, Kairus threw open the entrance of the tent.
“….”
“Isn’t this tent a bit too large for one person to use alone, Philip IV? This thing was originally meant to house twenty-four people together.”
The Emperor silently stared at Kairus.
“I think this is the first time we’ve actually met face-to-face and talked.”
Those who belatedly tried to enter the tent were instantly hacked into pieces by Kairus’s swinging blade.
“…How.”
“How did I figure it out? The stand-in didn’t have the imperial seal.”
Kairus slowly approached Philip as he spoke.
“Even with me standing before you, you still had the composure to verify something like that?”
“You have to be cautious and thorough. It was important.”
There was only one reason the Emperor was still alive. Normally, this would have been Kairus’s revenge alone, so he would have cut off the Emperor’s head immediately without exchanging words like this.
However, Irena also had unfinished business with the Emperor.
‘Simply telling her, “I cut his head off and killed him!” wouldn’t be enough.’
She would want to witness his death herself. Irena had agreed with Kairus’s decision to kill the Emperor without making him suffer. If so, then Kairus likewise had the duty to consider her feelings.
“What are you planning to do with me?”
“Well? I’m still thinking about it.”
Whistling lightly, Kairus examined the inside of the tent. Philip IV trusted no one, and someone who trusted no one would never leave something important in another person’s care.
It had to be inside this tent. As Kairus surveyed the surroundings, he suddenly approached the Emperor and stripped off his clothes.
“….”
“Cold? Endure it, bastard.”
At an age well past middle age, the Emperor’s body trembled with fury as he stood naked before another man.
‘The imperial seal is large.’
It was the symbol of the Emperor’s authority. Its size alone was completely different from the small ordinary seals commonly used. In truth, there was no way he could have hidden it inside his clothes.
Kairus had stripped him simply to mock him. While searching through the tent, Kairus finally discovered a suspicious box.
“…!”
Immediately, the Emperor’s expression stiffened. Proof that Kairus had found the right thing.
“It’s locked.”
And on the box was a small groove capable of receiving blood. It was probably something similar to the Featherwing box. Kairus immediately cut the Emperor’s hand and let blood drip into the groove.
With a click, the box opened… and inside was a large imperial seal carved entirely from jade.
“What do you plan to do with that?”
Taking only the imperial seal from the box, Kairus tucked the Emperor under one arm and walked out of the tent as he answered.
“I’ll tell you once we return to the underground shelter beneath the Imperial Palace.”
And there, together with Irena, he would deal with the Emperor.
Once the Emperor learned what would happen to this Empire after his death, he would surely fall into despair.
At the very least, that would probably be enough revenge for Irena as well. In his own way, Kairus showed consideration toward Philip IV as he flew, eventually succeeding in reaching the underground shelter beneath the Imperial Palace.