Episode 649
Everyone gulped.
But, I’m serious.
“Those filthy bastards in the Taoist temple are no different from the filthy bastards of Gunnar who are dead over there. And you are no different. Why did you, as those who belong to the Taoist temple, just watch?”
“… … .”
“I understand. It’s also a question of your identity. What you follow, what your purpose is, because you have rotten eyes that are so entangled with the past and the present that you can’t properly distinguish what’s true. Antonio, answer me. Am I wrong?”
“… … Not at all, not wrong.”
I looked around for a moment, carrying my luggage on my back. Some people were talking, while others were silently listening to me. At least these people were just watching, not agreeing. It means that they are somewhat sane.
“Let me be clear here. Your goal is to protect the imperial power. You follow not ‘blood’ but the empire. The only one who gives you orders is the emperor and the next emperor, that is, the crown prince.”
There is sincerity in his voice.
“Those who are supposed to protect the imperial power are being played around by mere dukes. It’s truly a sight to behold. Aren’t they no different from insects?”
“……sorry.”
“Should you be sorry to me? You should be sorry to yourselves.”
“… … .”
“Heed my words. You have been given another chance. The one who gives you orders is not ‘blood’, but ‘imperial power.’ Do not listen to any orders from anyone other than imperial power. If you don’t like it, just kill yourself here. Or disappear forever to a place where the Empire’s eyes cannot reach.”
No one took action.
He continued speaking, looking down at everyone.
“If you don’t like that, then brace yourself like a guard unit that protects the imperial power. If you fall, the already powerful ‘imperial power’ will lose its way. Don’t you really know where that powerful power will go when it loses its way?”
“No, Your Highness!”
My father’s power and my power are, frankly, powers that can destroy the world. However, it is almost impossible to look down on the entire world and figure out and manage everything that happens in the world.
There has to be someone to give advice and someone to give information. That’s the Tao.
The role of the conduit is very important. It is an organization that must not collapse and must not be shaken.
Those present were clearly not fools. They clearly understood what I meant.
“You must have heard. This morning, Thanos, the second ruler, stepped down from his position.”
This is also true. This morning, Thanos formally submitted his resignation. His father approved it.
“From today, the third leader of the Dojo is Antonio Senada. Is there anyone who is dissatisfied?”
Some may ask whether I can decide that. However, as I said before, it is the Emperor and the Crown Prince who give orders to the Taoist officials.
I can give orders to the magistracy. I can even appoint them. My father has declared that I am in charge of everything. My opinion is the opinion of the Empire of Milos.
“I guess not, Antonio.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Give the first order to the third lord of the Taoist temple.”
“I will listen, Your Highness.”
Although he had previously given Antonio several orders, they were orders to an individual named ‘Antonio Senna’ and not to the governor.
Now it was time to give orders to the governor. My orders were simple.
“Execute the families of those who betrayed the Taoist order.”
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“… … Yes, Your Highness. I will do so.”
“And find any illegitimate children of Duke Gunnar. Kill them all if you find any.”
Antonio bowed his head deeply on the spot.
Not only Antonio, but all the officials bowed their heads.
Antonio answered on behalf of the group.
“Your name-!”
* * *
The officials of the Taoist temple vacated their seats like an ebb tide.
It was a short time, but it was also a very long time.
I climbed back up the cliff and looked down at the ruined Gunnar’s mansion.
About a minute had passed like that.
I slowly turned my head.
My father was there.
“When did you come?”
“It’s been a while. About two hours?”
Honestly, I didn’t notice.
I could sense it because my father had revealed his presence like this. My father said.
“You speak well. I think you’ll be good at giving speeches later on.”
“……thank you.”
My father came to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and asked in a soft voice.
“Son, are you okay?”
I couldn’t understand the meaning. What was it that was okay?
“They are blood relatives. Gunnar’s blood is mixed in my son’s blood.”
“Blood is just blood.”
“okay?”
“Yes. No matter how important bloodline is, it does not take precedence over sin.”
Father laughed.
“You’re not organizing it in advance because you’re afraid it might bother you later?”
“… … That was true, but they crossed the line.”
“okay?”
“Yes. He ordered the assassination even though he knew that I was the crown prince. If a duke of a country, and a duke who cannot be free from bloodlines, ordered the assassination of the crown prince, then no matter what he was thinking, can we not look upon his intentions favorably?”
“That’s right.”
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I looked at my father for a moment, who was still smiling.
Why are you doing this? What are you thinking?
“son.”
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“yes.”
“Are you satisfied?”
“… … I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Just, everything overall.”
I was quiet for a moment. My father’s question about whether I was satisfied overall felt strange.
I guess I should say there seems to be a different nuance.
“The order to clear the Taoist path was carried out perfectly. Those who stood in my way when I became the Emperor were also cleared out. Yes. Overall, I am satisfied.”
My father’s hand, which had been resting on my shoulder, moved down.
I looked at his shoulder for a moment. It felt warm. It felt like there was warmth lingering on it.
Only then did I realize.
What is my father thinking right now?
I asked my father.
“Are you worried?”
“what?”
“I’m afraid I might harm my aunt.”
Father nodded. Judging by my actions now, I have destroyed the Gunnar family.
My father was not a fool, and as I said before, I made a choice to protect the imperial power.
This is really a what-if, what if, what if, what if, my father dies, my mother dies, and I die too?
Duke Valantier of the Valantier Dukes, my aunt Elizabeth Valentine, and Dennis Gunnar of the Gunnar Dukes will fight for the throne.
Other dukes cannot get involved in this situation. They can help, but not more than that. Because of the blood.
Yes, because the blood is mixed.
A force capable of challenging imperial power.
That’s where the problem comes in.
And now that House Gunnar has disappeared, the only power left that can challenge the throne is the Duke of Valanti.
My father is asking me.
Should I exterminate the Duke of Valanti like the current Duke of Gunnar?
Of course, if a situation arises where I can bring down the Duke of Valanti, my relationship with my father will change from what it is now.
“father.”
“Speak, son.”
“I had no intention of harming Duke Gunnar.”
“……okay?”
“Yes. I have always been wary of the Gunnar and Valantier dukes, but I have never for a moment sworn to take them down.”
I’m serious.
“Father, I believe that the position of emperor should be lonely.”
“Loneliness… … . That’s not a wrong word.”
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“You must not give in to loneliness. Even if it is a choice that the world will reject, an emperor must make it. Even if you have made an enemy in your heart, you must not show it. Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer. The Milos Empire is not small. The emperor who rules that vast empire must be more ruthless and more resolute than anyone else. Father.”
“huh.”
“The Gunnar family has crossed the line. If they had not tried to kill me, I would have kept the guard up in my heart. If I had just stayed true to my role as the Emperor’s Guard, this would not have happened. I had to act, and I had to strike down those who dared to kill the rightful heir to the Empire.”
He continued speaking silently.
“If my aunt, although it is unlikely, shows any sign of challenging the imperial power and puts it into practice, I regrettably have no choice but to turn her into my enemy.”
Rather than just talking nonsense, I chose to speak my mind.
To be honest, I have absolutely no intention of antagonizing my aunt here, she is my father’s older sister, and I know for sure what my father did to protect her, so I would never do that, even if Harvey Valantier gets greedy, I will just lightly shake him off, I will never use force to do anything to the Valantier family.
If I had said that, the atmosphere wouldn’t have been like this and this uncomfortable conversation might have ended a little sooner.
But I want to be honest.
So that’s all said and done.
My father, who had heard everything I said, looked at me silently and without saying a word.
The gaze was strange.
Why are you looking at me like that?
“You’ve grown up well.”
“… … .”
“You have grown up so well as a crown prince and as an emperor. I would like to abdicate right now.”
The expression on my father’s face as he said that was still not good.
What should I say?
I guess I should say it’s a bit sad.
The more I look at it, the more convinced I become. My father is very sad right now.
Why? Why on earth?
Could it be that the Gunnar Dukes have fallen? That can’t be. My father doesn’t feel sad about ‘things like that’.
“I say this because I don’t have a Valentine’s Day, but sometimes I think about this.”
“What do you think?”
“Thinking about what it would have been like if I had not been the emperor.”
“… … .”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t you have lived a more ordinary life instead of striving to become emperor like you are now?”
My father was serious now.
“I’m not saying this because I’m disappointed in you now or because there are many things I don’t like about you. On the contrary, you’re so good. You’re so good, I feel sorry.”
My father ran one hand over my face.
“I have a feeling that I sacrificed you for my and Valentine’s greed.”
“… … .”
“Do you know what I feel?”
“Yes, I am fully aware of this. That is why I am telling you this, Father.”
“Yeah, tell me.”
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“You don’t have to be sad.”
“why?”
“Even if my father was not the emperor, I am still his son. And I am also his mother’s son. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. In the end, I would have trained in some way to gain strength, and I would have tried to stand above everyone else. If my father had not been the emperor, I would have founded a nation. So, you don’t have to be sad. I am satisfied with my current role. My father saying that I am not lacking as an emperor is the greatest gift in the world for me personally. So, you don’t have to worry.”
My father smiles. I’m sure he can tell that I mean it. But even so, his sadness doesn’t go away.
Of course, as my father said, if my father had not been the emperor, things would have been different.
If my father had intended, I could have lived a really ordinary life.
In a village like that, they live an ordinary life, farming and growing fruit.
Maybe I could have lived like that.
The position of crown prince was created by my father. It was not I who made me the emperor, but my father.
“Father, do you regret it? Like you did in the ‘past’?”
Father shook his head.
“It’s the same. I don’t regret anything either. In all the years I’ve lived, I’ve never regretted a single moment. So, don’t worry about it.”
My father laughs. I laugh too.
My father asked.
“Son, can I hug you for the first time in a while?”
“You speak as if you had asked and hugged me.”
My father hugged me without saying a word.
We were like that for a while.
Patting me on the back, my father said:
“Did you ask me to abdicate when the reconstruction of the Eastern Continent is finished?”
“yes.”
“I would like to abdicate right now, but it’s a shame.”
Slowly, my father pulled me away.
“Go ahead. Cell will be waiting.”
He nodded.
I was about to cross over to the Eastern Continent, but I paused for a moment.
He looked at his father again and said.
“I will finish the work on the Eastern Continent as quickly as possible.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“No. I’ll finish it quickly and let your father and mother rest in peace.”
My father burst into laughter. I laughed too.
Blood is thicker than water.
I laugh a lot.
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My father also laughs a lot.
“Okay, let’s go, Father.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
I went straight to the Eastern Continent.
Yeongwol, Thanos, Yuseolha, etc. welcome me.
Sorry, I couldn’t see it.
I headed to the building that was used as the Eastern Continent Inspectorate.
The Master is seen ordering something to dozens of dragons in the yard.
I approached him. The master noticed me and turned his head. It seemed like he was trying to say something, but it was meaningless.
I couldn’t even hear it.
I just hugged my teacher.
closely.
He whispered softly into the Master’s, no, Cell’s, ear.
“I’m back, Master.”
