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Shio frowned as he looked at the Emperor.
Seeing the sight of that fellow striving to maintain a peaceful attitude even at a time like this, he was utterly dumbfounded. On the inside, it must be boiling over, yet pretending as if nothing were wrong like that is truly unchanged, both past and present. Shio shook his head.
“Give up now.”
The Emperor smiled, curling his lips upward into a round shape.
Shiosen. He always made himself appear as a slacker living with a smile and to be regarded as an easy opponent, but in truth, he was also the strongest existence among us. When he grew angry, the world shook as if earthquakes arose in the entire world, and when he grieved, rain flowed enough to melt the snow on the snow mountains.
He was a person that strong, and so the Emperor too had feared him, but from a certain day onward, he changed. It was likely while watching every aspect of the human world.
Therefore, the Emperor did not understand him well.
Just why on earth an existence this strong was hiding his power, not revealing it.
Because Shio acted like that, the Emperor was able to spread his wings, but at any rate, it was difficult for the Emperor to accept him fully.
“Give up what?”
“Everything you are doing right now.”
Shio spoke, taking one step closer to the Emperor. On his face, not a trace remained of the gentle smile he had shown until now, and only rage was smeared upon it. He glared with wide eyes.
“Stop interfering in the human realm and go back. Can you not understand the meaning of my words?”
The Emperor looked at Shio while still harboring a smile as ever.
“If I go back.”
He slowly opened his mouth.
“What happens?”
Then he placed his hand on his own chest. Thump, thump, the beating heart was something that informed him he was alive, but at the same time, it also made him feel deep lamentation. Because his heart was gradually slowing down.
“Are you not feeling that our lifespan is coming to an end?”
Shio, who knew very well the meaning contained in his question, replied firmly.
“It is not our lifespan, but our power that is coming to an end.”
“That is soon lifespan itself.”
The Emperor faced Shio directly with slightly narrowed eyes.
“What is the point of prolonging life in a state where one is no longer strong, but a weakling?”
He actually thought so. Having reigned as the top strong person in the world all along throughout his entire life—that is, from the time God created the world until now—he could not possibly accept that his power was weakening.
“I cannot accept such a life.”
Then, this time, Shio burst out laughing. He ran his hand through his hair, which was mixed with darkness and light, and said:
“The value of your life must be worth only that much.”
“Is there a value greater than that?”
“There are many things far more valuable than that in the world. Things you have not seen yet.”
“Well. Seeing as I still do not know even after living for such a long time, it seems it is not a proper value.”
“Let us stop the word squabble.”
Shio said firmly and approached the Emperor once again. Now it is a single step difference.
“Black magician.”
“……”
“Did you send him to me? To take my power?”
The Emperor did not answer, but Shio already knew. The fact that he intentionally sent the black magician to kill him and extort his power.
When he first came to know that fact, he was greatly shocked. How could he do that, were we not friends, he seems to have suffered from a sense of betrayal, thinking so.
However, now that time has passed.
Now he knows.
The existence before his eyes is not my friend, nor is he one who shared joys and sorrows. He is merely a madman who attempts to greedily prolong life by holding on to his scattering power by all means.
“Even if you put strength into your eyes like that, there is probably nothing you can do right now.”
The Emperor said as he looked at Shio.
“Why, are you going to fight here or something?”
Then he pointed outside the window. In that place, there were Daphne and the people.
“The calamity you cherish so much will end up getting hurt, though.”
Shio took a deep breath. And slowly raising his eyes, he watched him closely.
“Frege.”
The Emperor’s real name, Frege. Shio recited that name and opened his mouth again.
“Must we really part ways like this?”
“Was my name that easy? It seems it was not like that in the past, though.”
The Emperor, Frege, burst out laughing.
“Hehehe ,Go back now.”
Whoosh!
A rough wind arises. The wind made Shio step backward, and backward again. Their distance, which had drawn near with long strides, widens once more.
“For war will break out.”
***
“Denounce the Emperor who drives innocent people to a dead end, denounce him!”
“Explain yourself, tyrant who announces war at will, explain yourself!”
Listening to the shouts of the people, Daphne wore a broad smile. Ah, how would the Emperor who is listening to this be right now? He is probably filled with rage. He must be angry. Whispering, *’That crazy dragon,’* to himself.
Just imagining that, she felt as if her stomach that had been settled went all the way down smoothly.
“E-Excuse me, excuse me, Lady Daphne.”
Right then, there was someone calling Daphne. It was Count Imperial.
“I-Is it okay to do, do this? No, honestly, this is no different from completely opposing His Majesty the Emperor, except for just not raising a rebel army.”
“You could say it is a matter no different from rebellion.”
At Daphne’s nonchalant reply, the Count’s face turned white. He spoke while his lower lip trembled violently:
“What we spoke of was stopping the war, not a rebellion—”
“How is shouting opposition to the war any different from shouting opposition to the Emperor?”
Daphne said with a soft chuckle. Seeing the nobles act like such cowards when it came to parts where their own interests were at stake, they were truly ridiculous. Daphne tilted her head and looked up at the Imperial Palace.
“However, the war will break out anyway.”
“Pardon?”
“Looking at the Emperor who remains silent even while doing this bullshit, is it not an obvious matter?”
“T-Then does there not remain no reason for us to step forward like this! We are just getting on His Majesty the Emperor’s bad side for nothing!”
Daphne clicked her tongue inwardly as she watched the buzzing nobles.
No, why do these fellows not know what even I, who know nothing of human affairs, know? How did you do politics being this stupid?
Daphne, who swallowed down the words that rose to the tip of her throat with effort, answered slowly:
“It is important that we stepped forward.”
“Yes?”
“Since we have already assumed the shape of strongly refusing once, we can refuse draft and go into seclusion, can we not?”
“……Ah!”
Daphne’s words were as follows.
Since they gathered people to this extent and showed a stance of opposing the war, even if they expressed their intention not to participate in the war, the common people would not be able to offer any opinion. Furthermore, watching them not participate, they would probably be able to think that their own lives are precious as well. At any rate, for them, it was not a bad situation.
As if only now understanding the situation, the others, including the Count, nodded their heads.
“Yes! That is good!”
“As expected of Lady Daphne. I mean, your sinister scheme is truly mind-boggling.”
“The fellow who said sinister scheme, step forward.”
“Oops.”
Teiti, who walked out with heavy steps, quietly bowed his head. Daphne crossed her arms while riding on Teiti’s back.
“I will not go out to war.”
Still looking up at the Imperial Palace, she says as if muttering:
“There is no good among them anyway.”
***
Heros is surrounded by people.
“No, so then? Are you saying that Your Grace also will not go out to war?”
“Does that make any sense? If the person called the continent’s strongest Sword Master does not go out to war!”
“From when did you disobey His Majesty’s orders like that!”
Because he was Heros, who had always lived prioritizing the Emperor’s orders, his declaration that he would not step onto the battlefield was sufficient to give shock to everyone.
Therefore, the pro-war nobles grabbed Heros and spoke as if pleading:
“Do not do that, and think it over again. Yes?”
“We will win the war anyway! Those mere fellows of the temple!”
“So if you would just step forward for now!”
However, Heros was firm.
“I told you several times that I am not doing it.”
Heros glared with his eyes wide open. A fierce and cold energy fills the room in an instant. The pressure is so great that one cannot even breathe properly. The nobles barely breathed while making gasping sounds and read Heros’s face.
Could there be another reason? Because there is another matter we do not know? Is that why he acts as if
threatening us like this? The nobles spread the wings of their imagination.
Heros, looking over every aspect of those nobles one by one, slowly opened his mouth.
“My daughter told me not to do it.”
……Pardon?
