Emperor Hyphen van Handman.

A man praised as one of the top five greatest rulers in the history of the Empire.

To receive such praise while still very much alive and active meant that his achievements were highly regarded.

He was probably the most renowned figure on the continent right now—aside from me and Kaeld.

Instead of looking down at us arrogantly from a throne, he received us in a modest sitting room.

The Emperor, offering tea in an unpretentious manner, began speaking with a gentle smile.

“It’s not a private audience this time, I see.”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind.”

He waved a hand dismissively, but I immediately understood what he meant.

‘Right, Offense mentioned it. Kaeld met the Emperor before.’

[Hmm. I guess he requested a private audience back then. Left the others outside.]

‘Sounds just like him.’

The Emperor continued.

“Before we speak further, there’s something I need to address first.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“I apologize for burdening you with the Empire’s dirty work, Neril Slane.”

His unexpected words left us puzzled.

Neril tilted her head.

“What do you mean, sir?”

“Haha. No need to use honorifics with me.”

“But still… you’re the Emperor.”

“Heroes and champions are more noble than any emperor.”

He calmly continued.

“Every royal child receives certain teachings drilled into their heads from a young age.”

“……”

“That the Demon King may arise during my reign. That I might one day meet the Hero.”

“Ah.”

“And what attitude an Emperor must take toward a Hero and their companions. No past Emperor ever insisted on formalities or honorifics toward a Hero. So speak however you please.”

With a casual smile, the Emperor sipped his tea.

“Anyway, I don’t know if this sounds like an excuse, but I was never informed about the slander against you. Still, as the ruler of this Empire, I can’t just let it slide—so I offer my apologies.”

“Oh, uh… it’s fine. I’m not really attached to my name or reputation that much.”

“I said you can speak casually.”

“You deserve to be spoken to respectfully.”

The Emperor smiled gently.

Adwin nodded and spoke up.

“Looks like my mother placed the right person on the throne.”

“And you are?”

“Ah. My mother’s name is Mariana Ayn.”

“Oh!”

The Emperor instinctively reached out and grabbed Adwin’s hand.

“To meet you like this—how delightful! So, is Mariana well?”

“Yes, I mean…”

Adwin cheerfully chatted for a while.

I quietly listened to their conversation, my gaze shifting slightly upward.

I had seen the Emperor’s blood writing before, at the coronation ceremony.

Back then I was too focused on Patrick’s secrets to pay much attention, but now I could see—his blood writing was noteworthy as well.

— Sinned against Vetra van Handman and 580 others.

I covered my mouth with my hand.

I felt a twisted smile forming.

[Why so sceptical? He’s got the vibe of a nice guy next door.]

‘He sinned against Vetra van Handman.’

[Who’s that?]

‘The previous Emperor.’

Trail fell silent, seemingly trying to piece things together.

I spoke again.

‘I mentioned that the previous Emperor passed away suddenly, right?’

[Yeah. And it was Adwin’s mom, the necromancer, who was summoned to figure out if it was poison or disease. Then Mariana summoned the previous Emperor’s soul and resolved it.]

‘Right. The soul testified that it wasn’t murder—it was just a worsening illness he had kept hidden. That’s how this kindly gentleman here ascended the throne without issue.’

But now, the Emperor’s blood writing says otherwise.

It says the current Emperor sinned against the former Emperor.

In other words, the murdered Emperor himself had been thoroughly deceived.

The victim ended up defending his own killer.

A chill ran down my spine for the first time in a while.

Trail spoke too, voice slightly trembling.

[Should we use the Eye of Omniscience?]

‘Yeah. Let’s take a look.’

<The Eye of Omniscience has been activated.>

<Current level: 3. You can access secrets up to Grade B.>

<Chosen condition: “Secret between Hyphen van Handman and Vetra van Handman.”>

<Secret level: Grade C. Accessing…>

I closely reviewed the Emperor’s secret.

It was exactly as I had expected—nothing surprising.

The Emperor had poisoned the previous one.

But the poison had been specially made.

So subtle that even the victim didn’t realize it was poison.

Even the finest priests and physicians couldn’t identify it as such.

The Emperor administered it slowly, bit by bit, making it look like a natural illness. This update is available on noᴠelfire.net

‘He even killed every subordinate involved in carrying out the poisoning. Seems like no one else alive knows the truth now.’

[Sheesh. Just goes to show—you can never judge a person by their appearance.]

I agreed.

And since I was on a roll, I decided to dig deeper into more of his secrets.

I figured having some leverage over the Emperor could come in handy someday.

‘Let’s see…’

As I focused on the Emperor’s blood writing, the display expanded.

The names of the victims were listed one by one.

And then—fifth from the top.

I froze at the name I saw.

It said:

— Serein Magnus.

‘Serein?’

[Huh? The priestess from Kaeld’s party? What’s her name doing there?]

‘The Emperor wronged Serein in some serious way.’

[What?]

‘Serious enough to make murdering the previous Emperor look trivial in comparison. We need to see what happened between them.’

[O-Okay.]

<The Eye of Omniscience has been activated.>

<Current level: 3. You can access secrets up to Grade B.>

<Chosen condition: “Secret between Hyphen van Handman and Serein Magnus.”>

<Secret level: Grade C. Accessing…>

A scene appeared again.

In the darkness, the Emperor sat across from someone.

Light from an oil lamp illuminated only his side—his companion remained in shadow.

I first checked the timestamp in the top-right corner.

‘That time frame would be…’

I folded my fingers and counted carefully.

Roughly the period when Kaeld was staying in the capital.

The time he supposedly brought the fake Hero’s sword from Padania’s tomb and had an audience with the Emperor.

That had to be it.

The Emperor spoke.

“There’s been no progress.”

“What, you think this is easy? Our party has a legendary assassin in it!”

“Bright Death?”

“You have no idea how sharp that old man’s eyes are. How is a sweet little flower like me supposed to slip past Offense and kill Kaeld?”

My skin erupted in goosebumps.

That voice—there was no mistaking it.

It was Serein’s.

But what did she just say?

‘Killing Kaeld?’

[What the hell. From the look of it, it seems like the emperor actually hired Serein to assassinate him.]

‘Let’s keep watching for now.’

The emperor nodded and began to speak.

“Still, you must hurry. Kaeld has already acquired the Hero’s Sword. And what’s more, he’s figured out it’s a fake.”

“So what? That’s what heroes are supposed to be like.”

“No. I don’t believe the Demon King will descend. Which means I don’t see Kaeld as a true Hero, either.”

Both Serein and I, watching the scene unfold, were caught off guard.

Serein asked:

“What? Why not?”

“Because there’s been no prophecy.”

The emperor continued at a leisurely pace.

“Every imperial heir is educated from childhood on matters regarding the Hero and the Demon King. And the most important lesson is this: If anyone claims to be the Hero before the prophecy arrives, eliminate them for the Empire’s stability.”

“……”

“Do you have any idea how many frauds in history have claimed to be heroes before the prophecy? Every one of them stirred unrest and plotted rebellion.”

Serein folded her arms, thinking hard, and then said:

“But Kaeld has truly achieved many great deeds.”

“I’m not saying he’s without talent. On the contrary, that’s what makes him all the more dangerous. A capable man weaving a lie is worse than any common fraud.”

“……”

“If the Demon King truly descends, the prophecy will appoint the real Hero. Anyone who tries to act before then is, by definition, a fraud.”

“Hmph… If you’re so certain, why not just arrest Kaeld by imperial decree instead of asking me to assassinate him?”

The emperor replied as if it were obvious.

“Just as heroes cling to their reputations, I too don’t want to tarnish my name. Kaeld has gathered a following as vast as clouds. Striking him openly would be reckless.”

“……”

“These things must be handled more… ‘elegantly.’”

“Telling one of his party members to kill their leader is elegant now? That’s a fresh take.”

“You owe me, do you not?”

Serein burst out laughing.

Click.

But she quickly stopped and spoke quietly.

“I do appreciate what you’ve done. But don’t get the wrong idea.”

“……”

“I didn’t take your request because of that debt. I have my own reasons for dealing with you, Your Majesty.”

“You mean that matter. Don’t worry. As long as Kaeld is dealt with, I’ll grant your request in my name.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. What does a priestess know about assassination anyway?”

“You’re far too unconventional to be called a priestess. I believe you’ll come up with a clever solution using that cunning mind of yours.”

“Tch.”

She rose from her seat. But just before leaving, she asked as if it had just occurred to her:

“How are my parents doing?”

“They’re alive.”

“That’s enough, then.”

“Do you want them dead?”

“No!”

Serein shouted loudly.

Then, seeing the emperor’s faint smirk, she clicked her tongue in irritation—regretting she had shown weakness.

The emperor spoke again.

“You truly are a strange one. I utterly destroyed your noble house and stripped your father of his title, and yet you seem to welcome it.”

“……”

“Yet you panic at the idea of your parents being killed. I don’t know how to match your rhythm.”

“Don’t get on my nerves. And… please take good care of them.”

She added sharply:

“Just let them live like that for the rest of their lives.”

And with that, the vision ended.

When I dismissed the Eye of Omniscience, Adwin was still happily chatting away with the emperor.

I sat deep in thought.

‘Even before regression, Serein clearly wasn’t fond of Kaeld.’

But who would’ve thought she had been secretly tasked with assassinating him by the emperor?

[But she didn’t actually kill him, right?]

‘She couldn’t. Even if she’s called the “God’s Monster,” how could she possibly kill Kaeld alone?’

[God’s Monster?]

‘That’s Serein’s title. Quite the contrast to Xenia’s “God’s Agent.”’

[Well, her divine power was freakishly strong.]

‘That’s not why she got the title, though.’

I stopped there. That wasn’t important right now.

‘Serein is hoping to get something in return from the emperor. What could it be?’

[Why ask me? You know what to do.]

‘Right, I’ll check it with the Eye of Omniscience. But first—’

Let’s wrap this meeting up.

I didn’t want to spend more time face-to-face with this two-faced emperor.

Tap, tap.

As I drummed my finger against the armrest, Adwin finished his conversation.

The emperor laughed heartily.

“Haha. What delightful news. I’m glad to hear Mariana is in good health. If the opportunity arises, please pass along my regards.”

“I’ll be sure to.”

“Now then, where were we?”

I interjected with a shake of my head.

“I believe we’ve covered everything, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s about time we take our leave.”

The emperor looked surprised.

Even if I was called a Hero, he probably didn’t expect someone to excuse themselves in front of him first.

Xenia, flustered, cut in.

“Mr. Mide. We’ve only talked about trivial matters so far.”

“We’re on a tight schedule.”

“You haven’t even said what that schedule is.”

“Well, anyway.”

I turned to the emperor.

“May Your Majesty enjoy a long and prosperous life. And…”

I added with a grin:

“Please also wish me a long and prosperous life, Your Majesty.”

Read advance chapter on Patreon. Click here.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep