Chapter 202

Taking cover behind a boulder, Kim surveyed his surroundings. The mountain road is deserted. The snow is scattered with animal tracks, but there is no sign of human life.
After checking the safety, I released the holster.
“Everything looks fine.”
“Oh, okay, I’m coming up now.”
Maximilian emerged from his burrow at the sound of a somewhat echoing voice, and he looked around awkwardly as he brushed the dust from my body.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
“After all, how many imperials have ever ridden in a dungeon?”
“Wouldn’t that be surprising if they were alive or dead?”
That’s right.
“Hmmm. Maybe it would help if I practiced it on a regular basis.”
“Are you going to make up your mind and run away again?”
“Oh, no, I mean from a contingency perspective.”
Maximilian excused himself, but inwardly chastised himself. Kim had a point. He wasn’t saying that Bae’s gin was always good, but he needed to stop looking for a corner to run to.
He decided to move back to his home country.
Kim didn’t have to be persistent. He had always thought that this was not the way things should be, and from the moment he heard the emperor’s truth, he felt a sense of mission.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“That’s a question. I don’t think I can answer anything, but tell me.”
“Don’t you feel like you should stop them?”
“What do you mean, block your plans?”
Kim nods at the question.
“I know you have feelings against the Emperor, but Xuran is doing just fine, and if you put aside personal feelings, he’s an excellent monarch.”
I’ve been a little curious about this for a while now.
By default, the Emperor is set up as a villain, but the game doesn’t show him as evil. There are subjects of the Empire who live a comfortable life under the Emperor’s rule.
To an outsider, the Emperor is a wise and great monarch, and yet Maximilian chose to antagonize him. In game and in real life.
“I’m bothered by your reasons for cooperating with us. Do you want the throne, or to avenge your father, or to protect what’s left of your family in the palace?”
“That, hmmm. You’re being blatant.”
“I’m the odd man out.”
Not long ago, the mask of civility was slipping. It’s kind of funny now that we’ve revealed everything, including the terrorist warnings.
“Well. I’d say all three are correct to some extent.”
Maximilian cleared his throat, as if to say, “I’m sorry.
“If your plan works, Xuran will be shaken to its core, and I may not even be able to clean up the mess. I’m not a very strong man, and I’ll probably hit the ground and regret it.”
“So why?”
“I’m sorry if you were expecting a plausible answer, but I don’t have a lot of faith.”
In stark contrast to his weak words, a gleam flashed in his eyes.
“Man’s world is only right when it is ruled by man.”
“Yes.”
The answer was enough to convince Kim. Why Maximilian cooperated with Rap in the game but didn’t like Rap. Why he was often contradictory in his attitude.
“It’s like they don’t see you as a human being.
Apparently the Emperor and Kushan are not “human,” at least by Maximilian’s standards, and by the same token, neither are Leila and the Professor.
“Me too.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
“We’ve had a long chat. Let’s get going.”
“Is this coming from the person who asked the question? That’s chilly.”
“There’s no guarantee that it will be secure forever.”
“Neither does he, and he’s downsized to the bare minimum.”
This is already outside the borders of Bastitera.
Since we can’t cross the checkpoint blatantly, we recycle one of the tunnels used by the Legion in the past. We move in small groups to avoid being seen by the spies.
Until now, it’s been a bit of a tailspin.
“As I said before, I’ll be back halfway through.”
“I hear you, but what if I just disappear?”
“I’m not following you because you sound weak.”
“ugh….”
If Maximilian cares about Shiran, he has no choice but to go the other way. He can either tell the Emperor or go on as planned. He’s just afraid of the journey home.
“I’m feeling a little off. I guess it’s because there’s been a lot of buzz around here for a while.”
“It’s going to get noisier from here on out. Think of it as a quiet drive.”
“Drivrani…….”
“I made sure you were properly escorted.”
Kim shifted her gaze to the back of Maximilian’s head. A man with brown hair. An agent from the Cellbrox Labs.
“Steen. Take care of him.”
“Yes or no.”
5-Star Agent Steen. Unlike the other agents, he is more of a spy for the director of the lab. Ostensibly unconnected to the lab, he has a variety of fake identities.
His lack of combat skills is nothing to worry about. Maximilian himself is a better fighter than most Pekatums, so at least he won’t get mauled to death by a beast.
Identify yourself, even in the nearest foreign country, and you’re protected. Even if you are discovered by the ubiquitous Xuran spies, they are unlikely to attack you.
It’s not as dangerous a journey as Maximilian fears.
You’ve traveled a short distance and arrived at your predetermined point. A pickup truck was parked in an abandoned garage. It was a clean car, manufactured at the Harenthal factory, with no history of dents in the back.
“I’m going to leave it at that.”
That’s the end of the farewell. They were on their way out the door.
“Can I trust you?”
Maximilian said.
What his ‘faith’ meant, Kim couldn’t tell. Was it confirmation that he could indeed kill the Emperor, or a plea not to break Xuran more than necessary?
I didn’t make a big deal out of it.
“Well, I’ll see you again sometime.”
Now all that’s left is to act.
* * *
There’s nothing to write home about the journey.
It was much more comfortable and safe compared to the wandering life. The agent, Steen, is a bit reticent, but he’s skilled in many areas, including cooking and camping, which makes him a great companion.
Leaving Bastitera, traversing the ruins, stopping in several cities. I managed to reach the Republic of Filnes safely, where Shiran’s embassy still stands in modern times.
From there, it was a smooth sailing.
“……That’s awkward.”
Maximilian looked down at my body. He was dressed in formal robes. It was modern, but uncomfortable. The musty odor made me long for my van’s coat.
I lifted my head again, looking straight ahead.
“Three years.
You just entered the palace yesterday. There was no grand welcome ceremony. In the first place, the prince’s disappearance was a matter of great secrecy within the court. The perception was that he was suffering from an illness or something.
This place still hasn’t changed.
Quiet and majestic. It was a particularly suffocating sensation, perhaps because I had experienced the outside world so deeply. The royal palace of Bastiterra was also splendid, but it was not the same.
Circular pillars on either side of the road, leading straight up to the realm. A luxurious but plainly patterned carpet. A huge space devoid of unnecessary decorations.
The temple that supports the Emperor.
“How was your trip, Your Majesty?”
“Godfather. I’m offended.”
“I’m glad you’re back in one piece.”
Standing in the doorway, Lord Ho smiled warmly. A man he had once admired almost as much as his father. Maximilian smiled back, forcing down the nausea he felt.
“Let’s talk about things that build up slowly.”
Hokukyung turned his back and began to push the door. The heavy doors of the Realm opened. Maximilian led his shrinking body inside.
Up thirteen flights of stairs.
The Emperor, clad in human form, looked down on Maximilian from his throne.
“Yes, did you enjoy the deviation?”
“…… has no comment.”
“Of course they will. Especially since you’ve come back with shame.”
He reprimanded me with his mouth, but his eyes were emotionless. As if unmoved. A father’s face, looking at the prince like a tool with a substitute.
A few words, a glance.
That was it.
“Go away.”
Without answering, the emperor rose from his throne.
Maximilian bowed his head deeply. Footsteps echoed at regular intervals, and when he raised his head again, the emperor’s figure was nowhere to be seen, not even his collar.
Nothing but an empty throne.
Maximilian couldn’t take his eyes off it for a long time.
* * *
Return to the Imperial Palace.
“That was faster than I thought. What did His Majesty say?”
A woman with red hair and eyes that looked exactly like Maximilian’s approached him from a distance. Maximilian’s expression immediately softened at the sight of the familiar face.
“Nothing, really.”
“I thought so. You’re still there.”
“Still the same.”
“Well, it can’t be like the old days.”
2Princess Meiana sighed, “Ugh,” she said. She sat down haphazardly on the base of the pillar, not even bothering to dust herself off. She looked like her sister, the one who used to walk.
“I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, and I don’t know about you, but there’s been a lot going on lately.”
I know what the mood is in Shiran right now. Since Maximilian revealed his identity, he’s heard a lot about Rap and Dustborn, their actions and the conflict between them and Xuran.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel bad for you, but I admire you. Why, they say that position makes the man, and I was worried about you because you’re stupidly nice, but you’re doing a better job than anyone else.”
Meiana doesn’t know the truth. She’ll be lucky if they don’t dismiss her as a lunatic for her ramblings.
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought of the problems ahead.
After a brief conversation, Maximilian headed for my bedroom, while Meiana’s words echoed in my head. Regardless of my feelings, I could sympathize with her assessment of the emperor.
Compared to other nations that have declined or even fallen, Xuran has remained strong. Even if he doesn’t regularly incite public opinion, his subjects praise his rule.
But, nevertheless.
“An empire was always an empire, even if it didn’t have to lay waste to continents.
I have seen the world outside the Empire. There is happiness and sorrow on every continent. The Empire cannot trample on continents to become greater.
‘Isn’t that the way to be human?
Maximilian pulled a small stone from his bosom. It was a special mineral from Bastiterra that Kim had handed him. I’ve heard that it comes in pairs, so if one is destroyed, the other is interlocked and destroyed.
It was a light bulb moment for him.
* * *
December 5, 3:13 AM.
In the middle of the night, before the sun had even risen, a large number of agents gathered in the royal ballroom of Bastitera Castle. Each with a bayonet in hand, each dressed in hazmat suits. They were ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
“……You all look nervous.”
“That’s to be expected, it’s the first time they’ve ever done anything like this.”
“Actually, I’m still on the fence, wondering if there’s a better way.”
“If you look for it, it’s there.”
Kim didn’t deny what Leila said. It is indeed a radical measure. It would be an uncomfortable tactic for the Lab’s operatives, if not for Dustborn.
“But it’s all I can think of.”
“Sometimes guns are the only answer, I guess.”
The heavily armed Chelsea shrugged, followed by Edwin.
“But how did it end up being today?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been told that the nachal stone has been broken for some time.”
“I guess so.”
Kim thought back to a few days ago. In the morning, Westcreek had come to tell him that the Nachal Stone had been destroyed. It had been used by the Pecatum hitman Negrum in the past.
This means that Maximilian broke his own nachal stone.
“Nonsense. It could be a trap, and we can’t just go on cue.”
“Then why the nachal stone?”
“That way, we’ll know that the prince has arrived in Xuran.”
“Ah.”
“Oh, ugh. This guy’s a real piece of work.”
“Reason: Chelsea’s right, don’t worry about the date.”
Chelsea gasped when I answered straight away.
“You must be crazy. You’re going to decide something this important by lot?”
“We didn’t see it coming, so they didn’t either.”
“Bitter. How… is that… possible?”
Kim frowned, as if he didn’t want to admit it. Clearly, the Dustborn were less nervous. Except for Leone, who was getting her second taste of the real thing.
We chatted for a while.
Self-!
Black slime gushed from the ground. A tall woman emerged from the churning slime. Amidst a small commotion among the agents, Kim approached her.
“Sooner than I thought, Mr. Hyun.”
“Really? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“They have different standards.”
For a witch who lives for hundreds of years, less than five years is a blink of an eye.
That’s probably a good thing. The important thing right now is that Vidia kept her promise. Kim removed the necklace from around her neck and handed it to Altayre.
The ‘right to help’ that was half-extorted from the priest.
By scratching a gold Chapter, he summoned Altairé.
“Let’s get right to the point.”
Kim raised his thumb and pointed behind him.
Agents in combat readiness and armored vehicles lined up.
“Open the door. Direct access to the Xuran Imperial Palace.”