Chapter 327

Hermai Merhes was a peculiar man.

Even to the three Man-Gods who had lived for one thousand three hundred years, he certainly appeared so.

Deballo Debius is a god.

Kerenneus Cansella Caseptus is also a god.

Continua, needless to say, is a god.

However, Hermai Merhes was a human.

This fact made him very peculiar.

The point is that he had lived for nearly 400 years, that he was a six-star mage, and that while being human, he stood alongside three Man-Gods without being intimidated….

“Hermai Merhes.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I have lived for a very long time.”

“I already know.”

350 years ago when Sen Sorti left, the ‘Last Emperor’ summoned her two assistants.

Their names were Hermai Merhes and Ma-aya.

The Emperor revealed an old secret, regarding the Hotus Eight Gods, to the two mages.

“However, I have never seen anyone like you.”

“Undeserved words.”

“Do you consider it a compliment?”

“Even if it were criticism, coming from Your Majesty, it is sweet to me.”

Hermai Merhes strung together words that sounded like flattery at first glance.

However, those words close to flattery were his sincerity.

Continua was well aware of Hermai’s loyalty.

“You asked what you should do, Hermai.”

“Yes. What should I do?”

“There are many things I wish to ask of you, but first, I want to ask for your opinion.”

The Emperor jerked his chin.

It was a gesture telling him to speak comfortably.

“Then, may I dare to ask a question?”

“By all means.”

“Is this war truly happening because of just a single person?”

“Ultimately.”

“It is difficult for me to understand Your Majesty’s will.”

Hermai continued speaking carefully.

“…I wonder if I could hear more details.”

“Good. Let us do that.”

The Emperor had no hesitation in revealing old secrets.

Strong trust toward Hermai could be felt. Kerenneus inadvertently ended up sending a look of jealousy.

As if he couldn’t understand why the Emperor favored Hermai more when he himself had served for one thousand three hundred years while Hermai had only served for barely three hundred years.

“Half a century later, my son will begin his life.”

“You mean His Highness Zionis, correct?”

“Yes. Zionis. My first son and true son….”

He glanced sideways toward the inner part of the throne room.

Even deeper within this already secretive room, there is a place for a newborn baby.

Shion lived there as a newborn baby for a thousand years.

Even though he himself does not remember it.

“That child carries the destiny of a judge.

Therefore, he must be fairer than anyone else.

I will release that child into the world.

I do not know where he will go or what kind of life he will live.

My heart is such that even if the judge waits for a thousand years, goes somewhere and dies in vain, it cannot be helped.”

“…….”

“I decided not to know, just like that.”

The Emperor’s voice was calm.

However, he was not calm from the beginning.

The decision to throw his own son, who had been with him for one thousand three hundred years and remained a newborn no matter how much time passed, into the absurdity of the world could not have been easy.

“However, a little tidying up should be fine. So that he does not get caught up in overly childish ideological games or overly light malice….”

“…If the war is for that, Your Majesty is a terrible doting parent.”

“Me?”

Continua ended up laughing bitterly.

Sen Sorti used to always snap at him, saying he was heartless and not even a father.

Perhaps Sen Sorti was just the doting parent among doting parents, and he might have been just an ordinary doting parent.

“So what do you desire for His Highness Zionis? Do you wish for him to make such a judgment… that the Empire Your Majesty strove so hard to build is truly magnificent, truly right?”

“No.”

The golden pupils were still beautiful as if gold dust had been sprinkled on them, yet fierce.

“It is the opposite.”

Continua’s face was in a strange state.

Inside the lively face from switching to a new body, a golden soul that had endured immeasurable time and proportional suffering could be glimpsed.

“I hope that Zionis will come to hate the Cordis Empire, and also me.”

“…….”

Hermai could not bring himself to ask a question immediately.

“…Why….”

The other two Man-Gods were the same.

It was the first time Deballo and Kerenneus were hearing the Emperor’s true feelings as well.

“……Will you allow me to ask why that is, Your Majesty?”

“Because that child is Cordis more than anyone else.”

Continua’s voice did not waver even an inch.

It was because his mind had concluded this long ago.

“If that child is to affirm my Empire, and me, he must hate it once. If not, it is a lie.”

“…It is difficult.”

“It is indeed difficult. Life is originally difficult.”

It was not something that could be easily said unless one was a man who had experienced forty-eight deaths and entered his forty-ninth life.

“Since he was born in the highest place, may he flow down to the lowest place. May he struggle to escape the lowest place but fail to escape. So may he hate the high place that he cannot reach even if he wants to reach it, just once. May he realize life in that way, and be truly fair.”

“…….”

“Now answer me, Hermai.”

The Emperor demanded an answer to the question he had thrown earlier.

Hermai was speechless for a moment.

“Tell me honestly.”

Continua’s tone was as if he was seeking a young person’s new perspective.

In fact, it wasn’t wrong.

Although Hermai was an old man who had lived nearly 400 years, he was the youngest among the four, and there was a gap of a whopping nearly a thousand years with the others.

“I also spoke honestly to you.”

“If so, Your Majesty….”

Hermai bowed his head.

“…Really, I will speak without adding or subtracting anything.”

“Go ahead and do so.”

“…To me, all those stories….”

The old mage’s eyes flashed.

“Sounds like nothing but crazy talk.”

“Hermai.”

Deballo Debius cut in quickly.

He glared very fiercely at Hermai with his arms crossed.

“How do you want to die?”

Up until just now, he was in human form.

However, now Deballo is in the true form of the ‘Last General’, the appearance of a steel lion walking on two feet.

Kerenneus is also poised to transform into an eagle-headed giant at any moment.

It was only natural since he dared to call the supreme ‘Last Emperor’s’ grand plan crazy talk.

“Debius… no, did you say Deballo now.”

However, Hermai did not shrink back at all.

Light blooms from behind his head.

The focal points are six, a Six-Origin Halo.

He is one of the few men who can face a god while being human.

“Deballo, what are you daring to do? His Majesty is conversing with me.”

“Mmm.”

“Since when did you become His Majesty’s spokesman?”

Deballo stopped.

He withdrew the hand that had reached near his sword.

Since Continua did not show any signs of displeasure, it was overstepping for Deballo to get angry.

“That is also true.”

“Oh, Hermai. Hermai Merhes.”

Kerenneus also regained his laughter.

He giggled and tried to put his hand on Hermai’s shoulder.

“I really like your nerve.”

“Don’t act friendly, Kerenneus. I really hate that gaze of yours… eyes looking down from above.”

“What can I do about being above? Still, it is a pity. It would have been good if you were there too, back then a thousand years ago. If it were you, you would have certainly become a Man-God.”

“Should I have tried harder to be born a little earlier? Well, sorry about that.”

Despite the brusque answer, Kerenneus is still giggling softly.

Not a trace of the previous weak-hearted noble youth remains in him.

Kerenneus was the most cold-hearted even among the Hotus Eight Gods.

“Anyway.”

Continua spoke.

Deballo and Kerenneus hurriedly shut their mouths.

“Why is my story crazy talk?”

“I wonder if explaining it in detail would be rude to Your Majesty.”

“It is fine.”

“If so, Your Majesty.”

Hermai asked without hesitation.

“What is the population of the Empire?”

Even at the somewhat unexpected question, Continua turned his head without being flustered.

“Kerenneus.”

“Yes, I will answer.”

The hook-nosed Man-God smiled. As the ‘Last Minister’, he was positioned at the core of the Empire’s administration.

“Hermai. Do you want the most recent data, or do you want the most accurate one? Tell me whether to include slaves or not as well.”

“Everyone if they are people. And a rough estimate is sufficient.”

“Even estimates vary. By what standard shall I estimate for you? The Keshulei model? Or the Labang-Henson statistical analysis….”

“Don’t show off that you have no friends, Kerenneus. You understood everything, yet you are pointlessly nitpicking.”

Ugh. Kerenneus, who was hit where it hurts, flinched.

“Hermai is right, Kerenneus.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“How much is the Empire’s population right now? I know it to be around the mid-800 million range.”

“…Yes. You know correctly. For the last 3 years, we are adjusting it to stay around 860 million people. It is a figure including the vassal states.”

“It is a lot. Very many. Enough that in the old days, one couldn’t even imagine….”

“Since times have changed a lot, very much.”

He recalled the days of the Hotus Kingdom.

Back then, no matter how powerful a country was, it wasn’t easy for the population to exceed ten million.

No, they didn’t even want such a large population in the first place.

However, after a thousand years passed, humans had no choice but to develop.

Numerous technological and magical revolutions changed their lives.

“If we hadn’t held the reins, perhaps several times more humans than now might be living.”

“Or perhaps the species called humans might have disappeared.”

“That is also true.”

Hermai asked again.

“If we combine the whole continent, how many people would there be, Kerenneus?”

“About 1.2 billion?”

The mage nodded his head as if he understood.

“If so, how many people is His Highness Zionis?”

“He is one person.”

Kerenneus’s eyes narrowed.

It was because he noticed what Hermai was trying to say.

“1.2 billion and 1. Which side is better?”

“1.2 billion is 1.2 billion times larger. But Hermai, that one is not just any one, but His Majesty’s son…….”

“Shut up.”

Hermai spat out.

Kerenneus realized only then that Hermai had been angry the whole time.

“1.2 billion and 1. I asked which side is larger.”

“…1.2 billion is larger.”

Continua’s eyes turned fierce. He grasped Hermai’s intention, and for the first time, was expressing displeasure. However, Hermai concluded his words without hesitation.

“But why does one decide?”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

There were three silences.

Deballo and Kerenneus only watched Continua’s reaction.

Even in such an uncomfortable atmosphere, Hermai did not stop speaking.

“If His Highness Zionis judges that this era should not continue, what becomes of the 1.2 billion lives?”

“Ha.”

It was Continua.

He let out a short breath while touching his chin.

“Ha, ha!”

Then he soon began to laugh out loud.

“Hahahahahaha-!!!”

“It has been a while since I saw you laugh like that, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? Hahaha!”

Continua laughed until tears flowed.

“Ah. There was room for misunderstanding. Mmm, understandable.”

“You must have thought we consider all people as flies’ lives.”

“If that were so, we wouldn’t have strived for a thousand years to make a good country.”

The three Man-Gods exchanged words.

Hermai gazed blankly at the three.

“Did you think we would destroy the whole world based on Zionis’s judgment?”

“…It sounded like that.”

“No. Hermai. It is not like that.”

Continua is still laughing.

“What Zionis decides is only for us eight… no, seven if we exclude Zionis.”

“…….”

“Only the fate of us seven. Depending on that child’s judgment, we will disappear without ruling anymore. There will probably be chaos. We don’t know whether there will be anyone to rule as well as us or not. However, 1.2 billion is 1.2 billion. They will remain as they are.”

“……That is also irresponsible.”

“Please understand at least this much.”

We are also tired.

We have strived for one thousand three hundred years.

The General and the Minister nodded at the Emperor’s words.

“But I agree with your words that it is crazy talk. It is indeed an overly preposterous plan.”

“Is that so?”

“That is why a judge is needed even more. Weren’t we unknowing even while spouting crazy talk ourselves? Just as we had worried.”

The Emperor lifted his eyes.

“Let us stop and leave the room. It is time to wage war.”

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