Chapter 180 : Secret Room (4)
Secret Room (4)
"What is this?"
The more she read the diary, the more it seemed as if the story was going off the rails.
After the phrase, 'Because of that monster unleashed by the Imperial Court,' only periods continued for lines and lines.
[Isaac, that guy. What on earth happened?]
[Still, we can learn at least one thing from this.]
According to the diary, isaac could be seen as a person whose spirit had been broken by his father—the Emperor's—excessive demands.
Based on this, Mirianne had come to a conclusion.
[As I thought, the Emperor at that time was out of his mind.]
[He was definitely a madman who forcibly dragged the war onward.]
He had captured a lizard that looked like the Chaos Dragon, forcibly injected that power into his own child, and then when the Chaos Dragon was revived, that catastrophe occurred.
In the end, the root of all evil had been the Emperor of that time.
"Is there no next page?"
"This is the end."
The last words were along the lines of 'It wasn't my fault.' There were no more pages after that.
Then Pram pulled out another book.
"There are other books here! What if these were also written by Isaac?"
When they opened those books, as expected, there was another barrier.
Once again, when the pair imbued in the Bloodline broke the barrier, the invisible letters began to show.
―It took time, but I was finally able to regain my senses. Even if I insisted a hundred times that it wasn't my responsibility, I couldn't just do nothing.
―Apparently, the Holy Church in the east of the continent was being thrown into chaos by the monster. Thankfully, they didn't seem to know it was because of us. Should I be relieved by that?
―Of course, I led troops to support them. When I visited the Holy Church, I proposed an idea.
―The Holy Church agreed to my proposal to create powerful weapons with the power of the World Tree. But my power alone wasn't enough. I needed comrades to fight alongside me.
―The weapons were completed quickly, and four comrades joined me in the battle. Would fulfilling my responsibilities by dying in this incident be enough?
―Fortunately, I survived. Though there were many near-deaths, I was able to make it thanks to these weapons. Uniquely, the weapons made from the World Tree's design could weaken the monster's power.
―But the monster's power was not completely gone. When my comrades suggested banishing it to another dimension, I had no choice but to agree.
―I wondered if it was really over. I barely survived... Maybe now my father will praise me?
"That's the end."
[Hurry up, open the next volume.]
Frederick, like a fan eagerly awaiting the latest installment, demanded the next book.
Again, the book was opened and the barrier was dispelled.
―I was a fool to trust my father. He had caused another incident in the underground of the Imperial Castle, where he had once created the beast.
―He had drawn a magic array on the ground, suspended a black crystal in the center, and was conducting a bizarre ritual.
―Unable to hide my sense of doom, I asked:
'What are you doing here?'
'My son, it seems you were quite useful this time. Something very unusual came from the corpse of the Chaos Dragon you defeated.'
'What is that crystal?'
'This? It's a device that connects us to a great being. I just finished a trade with them.'
―When I asked who they were, I felt my soul leave my body.
'Have you heard of the Great Devils? I just handed them something amazing and completed our deal.'
'What... did you give them?'
'The blueprint for the weapon you made using the World Tree's power. Since it was used to defeat that dragon, they were quite pleased!'
'Are you in your right mind? Do you have any idea what you've done?'
―For the first time in my life, I spoke informally to my father. And then, unable to hold back the rage that burned inside me, I exploded at his next words.
'You talk as if I've committed a crime. Congratulations, my son. With this, I can reincarnate again!'
'Reincarnate?'
'Yes! The family that is able to reincarnate is our descendants! In short, it means I can be part of the royal family in my next life too!'
―I was utterly appalled at the crazed look in my father's eyes.
―That could not be called a human face.
'Do you have any idea what the Great Devils are? If you interfere with them, who knows what might happen to the continent? In the worst case, this entire place could become a demon realm where no human can live!'
'So that's the power of the Great Devils?'
'The ancient texts warn us not to interfere with them for a reason! Your needless deal might bring about the end of the world!'
―Yet, despite everything, I still tried to convince the Emperor—my father—no matter how much of a piece of trash he was, even if he'd abandoned me because I was a concubine's child.
'Hahahahahaha!'
―But that person never gave up his stubbornness to the very end.
'Well said! You say the demon realm will flood the continent? If it happens, there are plenty of ways to clean it up.'
'What gives you that confidence...?'
'Just use people! There are plenty of expendable things on this continent, aren't there?'
'.......'
―It was from that moment.
'Why do you not answer? Have you acknowledged my words?'
―That was when I began to see this person not as a human, but as a monster.
'Huh?'
―In the end, I cut down the monster.
'Ah... Isaac... you...'
―The cursed monster wearing my father's face grotesquely called my name.
'How dare... you... your father... the Emperor...'
Even if I am a concubine's child, the fact that I had been born from the womb of such trash filled me with disgust.
'What did you say you gave the Great Devils?'
―What had been passed on was none other than the blueprint for the weapon that would later be called the artifact.
―Since those blueprints, created using the World Tree's power, had been handed to those monsters, who knew what might happen to the entire continent?
'No human in history has ever succeeded in making contact with the Great Devils.'
―What made the impossible possible was this crystal, which had fallen from the monster's body.
―I wanted to destroy it immediately, but it was so absurdly hard that I couldn't break it.
―Since no one must discover this, I had to seal off this room.
'The barrier code... I'll set it so only someone at their level could open it...'
―At the very least, only someone at Mirianne's level would be able to open this room. Of course, that person won't exist in the future, so realistically, it can't be opened.
"That's the end."
The second book also came to an end.
As soon as the last page was turned, Pram brought out the next volume.
"Here! Quickly, break the seal! I am dying to know what happens next!"
[Do you think you're the only one? We're even more curious!]
[At least now we know, indirectly, how the empire became like this.]
The reason for the appearance of the demon realm that threatened the continent was the Emperor of that time.
If he had not made that deal, the world would not have become as it was now.
[I never imagined the blueprint would disappear in that way.]
"We heard that the Emperor at that time supposedly hid it somewhere unreachable to prevent it from falling into dangerous hands..."
[Ha! That's obviously a lie!]
To the Emperor's doubt, Frederick answered with a bitter smile.
He had merely come up with a plausible excuse to hide his own crime.
[And Isaac also didn't reveal the Emperor's misdeeds.]
[Because if he did, it would only have caused panic.]
"Still, I suppose he did hide it somewhere no one could reach."
Not everything in that excuse was a lie.
"If he handed it over to the Great Devils, then technically, that's hiding it, isn't it?"
Louis admired it as a convincingly crafted lie.
And then he turned the next page.
―After that, sudden changes began to happen to my body. Even without using magic power, my physical ability improved and I could emit black fire from my hands.
'What is this?'
―It was naturally bewildering, but after some practice, I was able to control it with some ease.
―But what was it actually? After killing that trash wearing my father's face, a strange power had appeared within me.
―Everyone had questions, but since no catastrophic event had occurred, I simply continued my lineage as before.
―A new family was formed. I welcomed a wife as a concubine and had two children. No matter what, they were people I could never part from.
―But those children also began to experience similar changes.
'Father! My body isn't obeying me!'
'I can see your underwear, father!'
―What in the world was going on?
―Surprisingly, what happened to my children had nothing to do with magic power.
―Exactly, just like the black flames I emitted from my hands.
―But after much research, I discovered the true nature of this power.
'To think the monster's power would remain...'
―The root cause was that the monster, now known as the Chaos Dragon, had lodged its power in me.
―That monster, which should no longer exist, still had its power lingering within me.
―In short, the blood of the monster flowed within me, and was passed on to my children.
'If this is discovered...'
―The Imperial Court might collapse from within.
―In the end, I had no choice but to announce to the world that this was a special power possessed only by the royal family.
―Because I ascended to the throne as a hero, people believed it easily.
―In the world, it became known as 'supernatural power' and became widely recognized.
'Just because we possess the monster's power... there's no reason why we must die for it.'
―There is no reason for us to be sacrificed.
"That's the end."
Louis turned to the last page of the remaining book.
As there was nothing left to read, Pram ran around looking for the next volume.
"Why does it have to stop here! Next volume! Where is the next book?"
"There is none."
"Why not!"
"This is the end."
It's finished, you know.
"I have to bring the author here immediately!"
"How are you going to do that? The person is long dead by now."
Being a person from hundreds of years ago, there was no way he'd be alive.
"Why dead? There's always a chance he's alive like these two over here."
[Kid, we aren't alive either.]
[Only remnants of our thoughts remain, imbued in these weapons.]
"That's just as good as being alive! So maybe we'll find him if we search!"
Perfect!—
"Don't pay any attention to what she says."
As Pram kept whining, Silia gave her a flick on the forehead to calm her down.
"By the way, is Isaac really not in this world anymore?"
[Logically speaking, of course he wouldn't be.]
[Unless, like us, only his lingering thought remains and his mission is not complete, it can't be.]
You stay until your mission is complete?
Silia thought deeply, looking at the two heroes imbued in the blade.
"So if there is a mission left unfinished... he could still exist in this world."
[Maybe.]
"Anyway, now we know what supernatural power the royal family has."
The Emperor lifted a book using telekinesis.
"I never imagined our ability came from the power of the Chaos Dragon."
[That's why your power weakens when you come into contact with the World Tree.]
"But wait a second."
Just then, a question occurred to Louis.
"What about Orbel, the guy who was once Crown Prince?"
Despite inheriting the same blood, Orbel didn't have supernatural abilities.
When you think about it, that didn't make sense.
"Now that you mention it, that is strange."
Was he the only mutant among them?
****
In the pitch-black underground, someone was muttering to himself.
It might look strange for a person to talk to himself, but it would look even more bizarre with one person talking as if he were two.
"I remember now... I remember...!"
Amazingly, the man was Crown Prince Orbel, who was believed to have been dragged into the demon realm.
Apparently, he had managed to survive, as there were no particular wounds on his body.
"Damn it... I definitely reincarnated as a member of the royal family..."
He mumbled, still seeming somewhat insane.
"Why... Why did I reincarnate in the body of a trash without any power!!"
The moment he screamed, his demeanor suddenly changed.
"What's the matter? Isn't this everything you wished for?"
He spoke as if he had become a completely different person.
It was as if he was speaking to himself, yet someone else entirely.
"How does it feel to enjoy reincarnation as a royal family member, just as you wished, dealer?"
"Great Devil... Why—WHY?!"
Two people sharing one body carried on a conversation that no one could understand.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
This fucker Orbel is like a cockroach...
【(⩌_⩌ )】