Chapter 312

Chapter 312

* * *

The search for the great magic circle is nearing its conclusion, and soon your Knight Order will be dispatched.

The Emperors study.

Derek said, pushing a goblet of wine in Cadels direction.

Is that so? Its ending as planned.

Wine. The Emperor usually served tea whenever he came to visit, but what was he doing today? Was he trying to get Cadel drunk so hed be ready for the tedious work ahead?

Cadel took a sip of the wine with unpleasant suspicion, and the Emperors gaze locked on him.

Does training pay off?

Yes. Theyve all gotten so much stronger, physically and mentally.

By the look on your face, youve had a very satisfying time, and your Knight Order will have much to do in the future. Show off your skills to your hearts content.

Haha, of course. Im already excited to prove our accomplishments.Yôur favorite novels at n/o(v)el/bin(.)com

He wasnt happy at all. It sounded like hed have a lot of places to go, and that meant hed be running around the battlefield, supporting here and there.

I guess it was a consolation wine after all.

It made him want to spit it back out. Cadel set his goblet down with a wry smile.

There was a short silence. Derek stared into Cadels lowered goblet. Cadel waited for the Emperor to get to the point, perhaps about their upcoming deployment, collaboration with the other Knight Orders, or the state of Kunra.

But what Derek said next was entirely different.

Do you remember your previous promise?

?

The promise you made when you swore allegiance to the Empire.

Yes, I remember.

If Cadel proved loyal to the Empire, if he fought well under the Emperor, the sins of his family would be washed away and he would be reborn anew.

If we win this war, Ill keep our promise.

That means.

Ill be ready to announce your identity.

As the vague promise echoed from the Emperors lips, it became clear that this war would be the final nail in the coffin of the story. At the same time, a question he had been putting off reared its ugly head.

What is the Emperor really thinking?

He showed Cadel the remaining survivors of the Lytos family. Then, without a word, he said nothing. He didnt break his silence first, and at the first sign that Cadel was about to speak, he turned away. What on earth was his intention?

Also.

Just as Cadel was debating whether or not to bring up the question of the past. Shifting his heavy gaze, Derek slowly rose from his seat.

I will announce the unjust death of your grandfather, Jenga Lytos, and thereby remind everyone of the Lytos familys sacrifice.

Pardon?

Follow me.

Unjust death and sacrifice.

It shouldnt be like that. A lot of people will get hurt.

You! What do you think will happen to you then! F*ck. Hanson and Toppier are gonna assemble a force. Theyre gonna kill us to get rid of the only witnesses. But before they do that, Im gonna expose my uncles crimes. Im gonna purge them all

I risk my life to deal with these guys.

Derek panicked and could barely breathe, but not Jenga: He had already made all the decisions, designed all the plans, and humbly accepted all the consequences.

Instead of killing us, they will tell you to give up your position and resign, and if you cant do that, they will reveal that youre in cahoots with them and give you the most humiliating death possible, Derek.

What are you talking about?

As long as Im here, theres no backing down from them. Theyll deny their guilt with all their might, theyll try to drag you down, theyll try to kill me behind your back, but without me as a factor, theyll be able to make a deal with you. It would be better to live quietly, enjoying the wealth and honor youve earned, than to self-destruct with your uncle in your arms.

Jenga, you are now.

If I sacrifice myself, everyone will be happy. You can regain power without bloodshed, and the people will have a much better life than they have now instead of rebelling.

If only his uncle hadnt succeeded in summoning the demon. If only Jenga hadnt killed his uncle. If only he hadnt discovered the sin of summoning a demon. If he hadnt spied on his uncle and Jenga hadnt spied on his uncle. If only the regime had been his. If only he hadnt been weak. If only he had been a proud emperor of an empire, able to protect everyone.

He didnt have to weigh the lives of his best friend on the scales. He didnt have to trade the lives of his loved ones for the comfort of filthy scum. So, in the end, it was all his own fault.

Im glad I died at your hands, Derek.

.

Its a shame I wont get to see Mamil. No, Im glad I didnt, because if he came back and saw this, hed be furious.

Jenga chattered, laughed, and maintained eye contact. Even when he felt the cold blade against his throat, he remained undaunted.

Derek.

.

Your Majesty.

Jenga caught Dereks distorted face with his eyes. It was the face of an old friend who had often burst into tears even at insignificant things since childhood, and who eventually could not hold back his tears until the very end.

I dont mind dying a traitorous death, because the person I most want to know of my innocence knows it. But my family, they will suffer a great deal of humiliation. So if my family loses its place in the Empire, please see to it that they do not die in vain. That is enough for me.

He didnt remember the last of Jenga. After a long hesitation, he said something, and then he heard himself let out a horrible scream, and the severed head of his friend rolled on the floor.

He cradled the head in his arms, barely able to cry out. His blood-soaked clothes were drying, and he despaired of the warmth he could no longer feel. Outside, the maddened were slaughtering Lytoss blood.

Suspecting that Jenga must have left evidence of the demon summoning somewhere, they ransacked the house in the name of wiping out the traitorous seed.

Derek was furious, but he could not stop them; to stop them head-on would be to render Jengas death useless, for he had chosen to die a traitor.

And since Derek was still powerless, the only response he could make was to send a small Knight Order to collect the surviving Jenga descendants.

As a result, Derek was freed from his puppet status. He seized the power of his dreams. Derek Osmas regime was established. He slowly implemented his secret plans and tried to address the grievances of his people.

But he lost the one person who understood. He had lost a dear friend and ruined a solid relationship.

You should have seen the blood, Derek. You should have killed all the scumbags in the imperial family, not Jenga, and made a river of blood. Why didnt you? To honor Jengas will? No, just because youre a coward. You took the easy way out. You sacrificed Jenga. It was your choice. You failed to honor it, and I will never, ever forgive you.

Upon his return, Mamil had cursed him, trashing the space hed given Jenga, resenting the empire he ruled, hating it, and ultimately abandoning everything hed built in it.

He had gained the future he had hoped for, but his cherished past had been destroyed; he had gained so much, but at the same time, he had nothing left.

He was an irredeemable sinner. He had risen to power on the back of his friends sacrifice, but he had failed to honor his dead friends wishes. Even after so much time had passed, weighing the costs and benefits, he could not clear his friends name.

Perhaps this was how he would live and die, falling at the threshold of the afterlife, bearing the curse of Jenga, and falling into hell, and so he lived a life of pessimism and self-loathing.

Until his grandson, Cadel Lytos, appeared before him, he could only foresee an unhappy end.