I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 82

At Leonardo's smile as he said he would find a 'way,' many thoughts came to Elly's mind.

'Your Highness... you're smiling as if nothing is wrong, but you seem to have a lot on your mind.'

Elly wanted to ask Leonardo what was troubling him. But she did not. Because she knew that he would not answer even if she asked.

Leonardo had always been like that. He would stay up all night worrying alone, find the answer in a book, and then come to a conclusion on his own.

And he would tell that conclusion to his vassals, including Jereuth and Heinshtangl, and ask for their opinions. Elly, who had always been near Leonardo, knew him too well.

'His Highness is not someone who shares his burdens with others. On the contrary, he is someone who takes responsibility for the burdens of others as if it were natural.'

Elly thought that if she were in the same situation as Leonardo, she would not have been able to endure it.

'It may be a disrespectful thought, but... how can someone younger than me be like that? Is royalty really different?'

While Elly was having these thoughts, Leonardo was still smiling faintly. The sunset light coming through the carriage window made Leonardo's golden hair and appearance dazzling.

Leonardo's originally beautiful appearance had become almost mystical as he had recently regained his health considerably.

At that, Elly blushed and asked Leonardo.

"Your Highness, if there is anything I can do to help, please tell me. I don't know what you are worried about, and I don't think I can solve it... but they say that just speaking your worries out loud helps a lot."

"Just speaking your worries out loud helps a lot... haha, that's right. There is such a saying."

Hmm—.

Leonardo let out a light sigh through his nose. Then he asked in a casual voice, a normal voice as if he wasn't expecting much.

“Do you happen to know a monster called the ‘Minotaur’? It’s a mythological monster that is said to appear once every 1,000 years.”

“The Minotaur… are you talking about the monster that is sealed in the 'Minotaur's Dungeon'?”

Leonardo did not know that the Minotaur was sealed in a dungeon.

However, he did not think there would be two kinds of terrible monsters called the 'Minotaur,' so he nodded his head.

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm...?"

Elly thought for a moment and then tilted her head slightly and asked back.

"I heard that dungeon was conquered by Commander Jereuth and his other comrades when he was young...?

***

...Jereuth sealed the Minotaur with his other comrades?

At Elly's words, I couldn't maintain my expression for a moment. I didn't know what kind of expression I was making, but it might have been a rather foolish one.

When Elly subtly bowed her head and avoided my gaze, I immediately chased after her and asked again.

Thud—!

In my haste, I had grabbed Elly's shoulder without realizing it.

"C-Commander Jereuth sealed the Minotaur?"

"Y-yes? Yes. Th-that's what I heard! The Commander conquering the dungeon with his comrades was before I was born, but it's a very famous story, so I know about it!"

What in the world was this?

'If Jereuth conquered that dungeon and sealed the Minotaur when he was young, it would have been about 30 years ago. But the <Future Diary> clearly said that the Minotaur is a mythological monster that appears once every 1,000 years. Then there's no way the Minotaur would appear within a few years... so why is it appearing?'

The information in the <Future Diary> is not wrong. So, the fact that it is a mythological monster that appears every 1,000 years is correct information.

But if the Minotaur is said to appear, there are only two possibilities.

The first possibility is that for some reason, someone is breaking the Minotaur's seal...

And the second possibility is...

'That Jereuth did not actually conquer the Minotaur's dungeon, and he could not seal it.'

It's a common story. The story that a great hero, scholar, celebrity, politician, etc., was said to have achieved something, but it was actually a lie.

That was a common occurrence not only in the Republic of Korea where I was originally from, but also in other countries.

However, what was bothering me was... if the King, Jereuth, and his other comrades did not seal the Minotaur—

'...Then that means Jereuth is a fraud.'

Jereuth could not be a fraud. Because he was one of the few people I could trust in this world.

Besides, Jereuth was a 'hero.' A hero whom all the people of the kingdom could trust and rely on.

What if such a person was actually a liar and a fraud? I could not even imagine what the repercussions would be.

As I was having these heavy thoughts, Elly barely managed to raise her head and look at me, asking.

Elly's face, looking up at me, was beet red.

"...Y-Your Highness?"

"Ah, my apologies."

I let go of Elly's shoulder, which I had been gripping tightly without realizing it, and sat back in my seat. Then I looked out the window again and fell into thought.

'For now, let's not have any unnecessary suspicions. There's no guarantee that Jereuth lied to the kingdom. As I first thought, it's possible that someone broke the Minotaur's seal.'

For now, I decided to think that way.

But in the end, I was just an ordinary person, so I could not easily erase the suspicion that had once arisen.

'Jereuth might have... told such a lie.'

***

After returning to the Misty Port castle.

Elly escorted me to my room. However, Elly's face had been beet red since the carriage.

Elly couldn't look at my face and mumbled.

"Th-then, Your Highness... I will also go back to my room and rest."

"Yes. You've worked hard today."

"Yes, yes...! I will be leaving!"

Elly, who usually always stayed in my room, said she was going to rest because she was tired today. It was good for me because I could read the <Future Diary> comfortably, but I was also a little concerned about Elly, who was not her usual self.

'Anyway, what's important right now is not Elly.'

As soon as Elly left the room, I erased all thoughts of her and immediately opened the <Future Diary>.

'First, I'll have to call Jereuth and ask him about the Minotaur's seal. Before that, let's reread the part of the diary about my ending for sure. There might be some information I need when I talk to Jereuth.'

Flip—.

I opened the last page of the <Future Diary>, the part with my ending. I read it calmly from beginning to end.

As I was reading my ending over and over again like that, there was a part that kept catching my eye.

...

"Your Highness! Get a grip!!"

“...Vice Commander Hagen? Where is Commander Jereuth?”

“The Commander died while facing the Minotaur alone!”

“Ah...?”

“His last words were, 「”This is all my mistake, my responsibility, and my fault. I should have led the army and advanced to the Monster Mountains first. No, if I had made a firm decision when I was young, I could have prevented this situation. I fought for His Highness, but it is a regret that I cannot smile as I die. More than anything, I regret disappointing His Highness.”」— they were!”

"...Ah?"

Jereuth is dead?

The Jereuth who was so strong?

But what did he mean by this is all his mistake?

What did he mean by he could have prevented this situation if he had made a firm decision when he was young?

...

'This part keeps bothering me.'

I don't know whether Jereuth lied about sealing the Minotaur or not. But in any case, Jereuth is a hero recognized by himself and others.

It's unlikely that such a person would have said just anything as his last words before he died.

It must be related to the war with the monster army and the Minotaur.

'What does he mean by this is all my mistake, my responsibility, and my fault? And what does he mean by he could have prevented this situation if he had made a firm decision when he was young... Ah!'

As I kept reading, I realized. What Jereuth's mistake, responsibility, and fault were that he left as his last words.

What Jereuth regretted before he died was the 'Minotaur' itself.

'So Jereuth didn't seal the Minotaur after all. But he lied that he did... and because of that, the Minotaur appeared, so he said it was his responsibility.'

A conviction came to me as if a puzzle was being solved.

Then, what I had to do now was to interrogate Jereuth.

Hooo—.

My heart grew heavy as I became convinced that Jereuth had lied to the kingdom.

'Well, it's late today, so let's talk to Jereuth tomorrow. Jereuth will also be attending the party for the knights and soldiers today—.'

Just as I was thinking that.

—Knock knock.

—Your Highness, it is Jereuth. May I come in?

I heard Jereuth's voice from outside the door.

I was going to talk to him tomorrow, but it seemed like it was destined for me to talk to him today.

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Click—.

Leonardo's door opened. Jereuth naturally thought that Elly had opened the door. Because Elly had always opened the door.

But today was different. Jereuth was somewhat surprised to see the person who opened the door.

“...Why is Your Highness opening the door? Where is the Head Maid?”

"Elly went to rest because she was tired."

"The maid went to rest because she was tired... hah."

“It happens.”

Leonardo gave a short reply and guided Jereuth into the room. When he personally offered him a chair, Jereuth sat down awkwardly, as if he were sorry.

Leonardo looked at Jereuth silently for a moment before speaking first.

“I heard there is a welcome party for the Ingrid Island Pirates. Are you not attending, Commander?”

"I thought everyone would be uncomfortable if I were there, so I just paid the bill and came out. I also have something to report to Your Highness."

Jereuth handed Leonardo a few documents he had brought.

“Your Highness. I intend to appoint Ronak, who was the leader of the Ingrid Island Pirates, as a senior knight, and Rollo, who was second in command, as a junior knight. Before that, I would like to receive your permission.”

“...”

Leonardo took the documents that Jereuth handed him without a word. Then, he silently scanned the documents for a long time.

Jereuth felt that something was strange, as Leonardo was looking at the documents for an unusually long time compared to usual.

'Does His Highness not want to appoint Ronak and Rollo as knights?'

For Jereuth, Leonardo's hesitation was somewhat unexpected. Since Leonardo was the one who had first suggested accepting the pirates into the kingdom's army, he thought that there would be no particular objection to appointing them as knights.

"Is there any problem—"

Just as Jereuth was cautiously asking, Leonardo's words overlapped.

“Commander. I heard that you sealed the Minotaur in the past. Is that correct?”

“...”

At Leonardo's unexpected question, Jereuth was momentarily speechless.

'The Minotaur's seal...? Why is His Highness suddenly asking about that?'

The Minotaur. It was a being that Jereuth did not particularly want to think about.

Because he had tried to seal it with his comrades when he was young, but for a 'bad reason,' he had not been able to seal it—no, he had 'not' sealed it.

Among Jereuth's comrades at that time was Leonardo's father and the king, 'Philip.'

'Come to think of it, after we decided not to seal the Minotaur, Philip said to me in the dungeon. That someday, one of his sons would ask about the Minotaur's seal, and to answer in a certain way at that time. ...Is that now?'

As the conversation he had with the king—Philip—long ago came to Jereuth's mind,

another memory came to him.

'Philip and His Highness Leonardo have something in common. The fact that they can mysteriously predict the future well and that they like books.'

After thinking for a moment, Jereuth organized his thoughts. Then, he began to answer Leonardo just as the king—Philip—had told him to at that time.

"My comrades and I have conquered the Minotaur's dungeon. However, we did not seal the Minotaur."

“...You conquered the dungeon but you did ‘not’ seal it?”

“Yes. We did not seal it.”

“What do you mean? You conquered the dungeon but you did not seal the Minotaur!”

Leonardo was dumbfounded.

'It's like saying I drank and drove, but I didn't drive drunk!'

Leonardo's voice rose in his utter disbelief. It felt as if his trust in Jereuth was about to shatter in an instant.

However, Jereuth continued to speak calmly.

"Your Highness. I certainly conquered the Minotaur's dungeon. However, conquering the Minotaur's dungeon and sealing the Minotaur were separate issues, so we did not seal it."

“...Separate issues? You mean that conquering the dungeon did not seal the Minotaur?”

"You are correct. To tell you about what happened then, I tried to seal the Minotaur, but—"

Jereuth was speaking, then he shook his head slightly and changed his words.

"After conquering the Minotaur's dungeon, my opinion and that of one of my comrades were divided on whether to seal the Minotaur or not. That comrade and I could not narrow our opinions... and in the end, we decided not to seal it by a majority vote in a meeting. His Highness' father, Philip, and mother, Victoria, were also present at that meeting. My giant comrade, Barut, and my dwarf comrade, Grombrindal, were also there."

“...”

“As for why we did not seal the Minotaur, I think it would be better for you to hear it directly from King Philip rather than from me.”

"...Hah."

"But, Your Highness, I can say one thing for sure. I wanted to seal the Minotaur at any cost. To save this kingdom from a crisis that might come someday. I still regret that I could not make a firm decision at that time, even if it meant ignoring the opinions of my comrades."

***

Jereuth had said a lot of things, but the conclusion was that he had 'not' sealed the Minotaur.

'But Jereuth's tone is as if... he could seal the Minotaur right now.'

I don't know if it was just a feeling, but it really felt that way. Jereuth's voice was filled with dignity, confidence, and a spirit that showed no shame.

So, I asked Jereuth just in case, to confirm.

"Then, Commander. If you 'did not' seal the Minotaur at that time, not that you 'could not,' does that mean you can seal the Minotaur if you have another chance?"

I asked with a little hope.

Then, Jereuth nodded calmly.

"That is correct. I do not know why Your Highness is suddenly asking about the Minotaur, but if we enter that dungeon in the Monster Mountains again, we can seal it at any time. I can guarantee it."

I really didn't expect him to answer so confidently.

'...You can seal the Minotaur?'

That mythological monster that could devastate the kingdom, so easily?

As I was having a blank thought and staring at Jereuth, Jereuth spoke.

"However, there is something we need."

...I knew it.

—was what I was thinking.

“Giants. We need their help, who are in the ‘Wasteland of Ruin’ beyond the kingdom’s northeastern border.”

Giants?