Chapter 264

‘What does this mean?’

Ferbias Caseptus was perplexed.

‘He is the youngest of the three? Even though he said he is over 400 years old? Even though he said he has lived since the time of the Golden Emperor or Sen Sorti! If that’s the case, then the other two must be….’

He unconsciously bit his lip.

‘…As if Grand General Deballo and my maternal grandfather are even older than 400 years…. Then perhaps…?’

A bizarre anxiety welled up.

It was truly strange, so he could not find words to describe it.

As if the world he had known was not the real world, as if it was merely something crudely woven together with thick paper or the like, as if he had lifted up that clumsy illusion and exposed it….

‘Imperial Father, could Great Emperor Continua also be…?’

“……Oh…….”

Hermai let out a lament.

He was experiencing even greater perplexity and astonishment than Ferbias.

Although he was a powerful mage strong enough to bring down Secundus Debius with three spells, he was now trembling while covering his mouth.

“…Oh, oh, oh, Your Majesty….”

“What is it, Grand Dean? Why on earth are you trembling like that?”

“…What did I say? What did this senile old man just babble…?”

“You said you are the youngest of the three. It’s fine. It’s fine! Why are you acting like this!”

“Forgive me, please forgive me…….”

“Where on earth are you looking…….”

Ferbias shut his mouth.

A painful silence followed.

“…….”

He realized that Hermai’s eyes were not directed at him.

“……You are not listening to me.”

“…Your Majesty, forgive me, Your Majesty….”

“…….”

Also, he realized that the ‘Your Majesty’ Hermai was addressing was not him.

Then whom is he calling Your Majesty?

He is the only Emperor in the entire continent.

Then, toward which Majesty is Hermai Merhes, the great Imperial Chief Mage, begging for forgiveness and trembling in fear?

The answer was obvious.

Hermai’s two eyes were directed toward the Sobel Mountain Range.

It was the direction where Great Emperor Continua’s villa was located.

Ferbias Caseptus suddenly felt a severe sense of inferiority, defeat, and disappointment gouging between his ribs.

His breath was choked off and a groan leaked out, but Hermai did not pay any mind.

“Your Majesty, I have made a slip of the tongue…. Your Majesty….”

The old mage just continued to bow his head repeatedly toward that far place where Great Emperor Continua was.

“Yes, yes…. I will listen….”

Hermai muttered repeatedly.

“…Please give your command….”

It was impossible to know whom he was talking to.

The only thing certain was that he was talking to someone.

“……Yes……?”

Hermai, who had been bowing toward empty air, stopped moving.

He trembled his lips with a bewildered face.

“…That is… Your Majesty, no matter what, that is….”

The old mage strung words together with difficulty.

“……No, Your Majesty is correct.”

However, soon he dropped his head deeply.

“……Yes, I will do so…….”

Soon silence came.

Because it was a silence that had left once and returned, it was even more painful.

Deep remorse could be glimpsed in Hermai’s eyes.

They were the eyes of an old man who had realized that living was disgustingly weary, positioned exactly opposite to the will to live.

“………….”

The silence was long.

Even the Emperor, Ferbias Caseptus Cordis, could not easily open his mouth and just watched Hermai.

The half-destroyed Great Imperial Palace, men collapsed and groaning, crushed swarms of iron chariots, dead Secundus, the silent mage, and the Emperor confused as if trapped in a nightmare.

“…Ah….”

Hermai Merhes looked at the sky and lamented.

A life of 400 years is arduous.

Although he is like a thunderbolt—booming, dignified, and powerful—he is merely a single human being, so there were frequent days when he was truly weary day by day.

“…Hermai Merhes, this crazy old man… There are things to babble and things not to….”

“……Grand Dean, whom were you talking to?”

“Your Majesty Ferbias.”

Hermai did not give the answer Ferbias wanted.

He felt annoyed, wondering why he was asking when he obviously must have noticed.

Because there was only one man whom Hermai would truly call Your Majesty.

“Please forgive my discourtesy.”

“What discourtesy…?”

“…It is nothing.”

The mage of six stars looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor saw fierce lightning sparks flying inside the mage’s eyes.

His hair stood on end and he felt a deep chill.

“I will kill everyone here.”

“……?”

Even Ferbias was dumbfounded.

He wondered what he was saying.

He wanted to shout, asking what on earth he meant.

This is the Great Imperial Palace of Cordis, the heart of the entire continent.

However, because the perplexity was too immense, he couldn’t even shout like that and his breath was choked.

The old mage took that opportunity to brazenly continue his words.

“There won’t be a need to kill everyone in the Great Imperial Palace, but at least those who were in this fight… those who were near the detached palace… yes, if they are someone with the possibility of having heard my slip of the tongue, I will kill them all.”

“……Look, look here, Grand Dean…….”

“Of course, excluding Your Majesty.”

“…No…!!”

Ferbias was astounded.

What was that statement?

How heavy and scary was the statement that he was the youngest of the three, that he would kill hundreds, thousands of people?

Because he spat out some secret?

Then soon he was afraid.

Among those Hermai said he would kill, there were even two of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire.

The other men were also, without exception, key figures of the Empire.

It was natural since they were skilled individuals Ferbias had personally gathered to catch Secundus.

Yet Hermai’s tone was, my goodness.

Was he not speaking as if he must definitely do the overdue room cleaning today?

Perhaps to him, it might really be as simple as room cleaning, not much different.

That point was also terrifying.

“…Do I….”

The Emperor asked carefully.

“……Do I have a choice? Is it something that can be stopped if I stop it?”

“You do not, Your Majesty.”

“……Just now, was it the Imperial Father?”

“Yes.”

Damn it. The sense of powerlessness was severe.

His marrow seemed to freeze as he glimpsed what kind of monster a Great Mage aged 400 years was, and he felt hopeless because he couldn’t even guess what kind of existence Great Emperor Continua was to make such a Hermai bow repeatedly and tremble.

However, Great Emperor Continua is his father.

To him, Great Emperor Continua looked like a god beyond a monster.

He looked like an existence that was just inexplicably powerful, enough to make one wonder if he even had a heart, and Ferbias was the eldest son of such an existence.

This point was the most creepy.

“…Fine, if he says to do it, it must be done. If my great father says to do it, what can this worm-like Ferbias say….”

He muttered quietly and stepped back.

The old mage nodded his head slightly as a gesture of gratitude.

Although he spoke calmly, his heart was not at ease.

It was natural since he had to take away thousands of promising lives due to his slip of the tongue.

“…….”

Hermai Merhes floated into the air.

He closed his eyes.

Then, everywhere became visible.

It wasn’t that he cast any particular magic; it was because the soul that had aged for a long time had become overly sensitive.

He used to see more things when he closed his eyes than when he opened them.

His soul counted the lives in the area.

The number of people who flocked to catch Secundus was about eight hundred.

Eighty percent were souls tempered enough to have realized Ars.

Adding the lives in the area of the detached palace to that, the number was one thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

That was the number of lives he had to erase now.

“I felt sorry for you all….”

One thousand three hundred and twenty-two, a number to remember.

What changes even if he remembers the number while taking lives.

It is merely an act of self-consolation to lessen the guilt.

However, because it was a guilt hard to endure without lessening it, Hermai had to become brazen.

“Blame this old man’s frivolous mouth….”

Magic of the six stars,

‘Great Thunderbolt of Reviving Blade Wheels’.

Lightning strikes.

It strikes in thousands of strands.

Each one became a blade.

Then they spun round and round and became wheels.

The number of lightning wheels mincing whatever they touched was exactly one thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

There were those who had lost consciousness, and those who were still awake.

But regardless of which side, they were ground by the lightning wheels and became piles of ash.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times, one thousand three hundred and twenty turned to ash and disappeared.

“Still, Ten Great Generals of the Empire, huh….”

One thousand three hundred and twenty died.

Two remained.

It was the Nine-Lines General and the Ten-Vigorous General.

“Indeed, since Prince Secundus withstood thousands of lightning wheels, it would be unreasonable to kill with just one lightning wheel….”

The two Ten Great Generals rather came to their senses after being hit by lightning and grounding their teeth.

Knowing they were abandoned, they were raising voices of protest saying blah blah.

They even spat out curses toward Ferbias.

However, it was a matter of no concern to Hermai.

Magic of the six stars,

‘Great Thunderbolt of Screaming Roars’.

Skewers appeared in Hermai’s both hands.

They were made of lightning, and the number was two.

He threw them at the two Ten Great Generals.

Since lightning was lightning, they could not dodge.

The two lightning skewers pierced from the mouths to the groins of the two Ten Great Generals in a single breath.

The Nine-Lines General and the Ten-Vigorous General trembled fleetingly and lost their lives in vain.

“…….”

Ferbias felt awe anew.

More than the fact that two Ten Great Generals of the Empire died horribly without guilt, his heart was drawn to Hermai’s power that cleared the two away like insects.

It was to the point where he questioned how on earth Secundus withstood against such a Hermai.

“Still, if you think positively, it is a good thing for Your Majesty Ferbias.”

Hermai muttered.

“Didn’t one thousand three hundred and twenty-two people who remember Your Majesty’s disgraceful behavior all disappear?”

“…Do you call those words, Grand Dean…?”

“It is crazy nonsense. I know too.”

Remorse clouded the old eyes.

Feeling remorse for lives cleared away by his own hands is also a funny thing.

He fell silent in guilt. However, even silence felt sinful, so he opened his mouth.

“By the way.”

The old mage said.

“The Great Emperor summons you.”

***

“I heard.”

Great Emperor Continua spoke calmly.

Even though the Great Imperial Palace was half-destroyed and over one thousand three hundred people died, and among them were even two Ten Great Generals of the Empire, his attitude was as if such things happen every day.

Great Emperor Continua seemed more interested in savoring the aroma of the wine held in his hand than the lives of the Ten Great Generals.

Even more than Ferbias who was in front of his eyes.

“I heard you killed your brother.”

“…….”

Ferbias had come a long way very urgently.

Shaking off the half-destroyed Great Imperial Palace and all the urgent voices of subordinates looking for him, he came like this, but the Great Emperor did not give him a glance even once.

Instead, he continued speaking with his nose buried in the wine glass.

“Why did you do it?”

“…I do not want to say.”

“Do so.”

Great Emperor Continua sipped the wine.

“Then let’s just drink wine. Come here and sit.”

“…Did you call me just to drink wine?”

“No. I intended to listen to the story. But you said you don’t want to talk? Then we should just drink wine.”

Saying so, Great Emperor Continua held out a small tin.

It was tobacco.

The sweet scent of Parnad tree spreads even without lighting it.

The highest quality product from Volmark mountains.

It was the item Ferbias had mentioned the other day.

He was secretly happy thinking he remembered his preference.

However, the fact that he felt happiness hurt his pride greatly.

Ferbias realized he was still craving his father’s recognition.

It was incomparably unpleasant, but an unchangeable fact.

“…I will not drink wine. I will decline the tobacco as well.”

“Do so.”

“…More than that, before you used honorifics to the point of being uncomfortable, but your tone has become comfortable.”

“Did I.”

The Great Emperor sipped another glass of wine.

“I must have been in such a mood at that time.”

“…Do you really not ask further?”

Ferbias felt anger rising.

So he asked as if growling.

“My brother means your son. I killed your son…! Yet one word! Can you move on with just one word…!?”

“Why get angry?”

Great Emperor Continua tapped his forehead.

“Since you said not to ask I didn’t ask, and since you seemed to have thoughts, I didn’t particularly rebuke you either. Didn’t you always want that? Didn’t you want to become free from me?”

“…….”

“But if you really want to hear one more word, I will humor your childish whining. Since today I am in such a mood again.”

His eyes are golden.

Resembling Ferbias but incomparably vivid and beautiful, and thus holding a golden radiance even less human.

“I heard you killed your brother again?”

Words flowed from the Great Emperor’s lips.

It was very similar to before.

However, it was different. Just a single letter was different, but with just that, it pierced Ferbias’s old secret.

Ferbias Caseptus ended up trembling involuntarily.

However, the Great Emperor finished what he had to say regardless of whether his eldest son trembled or not.

“Now it’s the second one.”

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