The Palace—
“Your Highness Keith, you have returned.”
The maids in the palace trembled as they watched the prince walk into the main hall with a terrifying smile on his face.
Seeing the maids so utterly terrified of him, Keith, for once, didn't feel a surge of anger in his heart today.
Once he stepped into this place today—as long as he set foot inside—he would obtain the position he had dreamed of for so long.
At this thought, Keith's steps toward the main doors couldn't help but quicken.
The deputy waited until Keith had walked completely inside before hurriedly waving at the maids who were still frozen in place.
He signaled for them to leave the area immediately.
At the thought of what would happen once that prince actually sat upon that throne, the deputy swallowed hard. He took a few deep breaths before finally stepping into the main hall.
The Main Hall—
By this time, a crowd of nobles had already gathered inside the main hall.
Watching the figures crowding around Keith with obsequious smiles, the deputy grit his teeth and squeezed his way through.
“Excuse me, let me through.”
“Sorry, pardon me.”
“Whose child are you?!”
...
The nobles who were pushed aside wore expressions of clear displeasure.
During a royal succession like this, being seen by the next emperor and striking up a brief conversation was their ticket to a meteoric rise.
Even if this emperor's ascension was incredibly theatrical.
When the deputy finally pushed his way through the crowd, he froze at the sight of what was unfolding in the center.
Keith was surrounded by the crowd, and the person standing opposite him... seemed to be Count Cary?
The count didn't look to be in good shape. After all, he had handed over his trump card, the Silver Legion, to this prince just so he could take a nice step forward at a time like this.
Even though supporting those guys had nearly drained Cary of all his funds.
But now, it seemed he had invested in the wrong person.
“Your Highness, you still remember me, right?”
“And you are?”
“This humble one is Cary. Surely you still remember the Silver Legion I sent to you?”
Keith sized up the completely gray-haired man in front of him, taking in his fawning expression.
This immediately brought Keith's mood back to how arrogant those damn Silver Legion soldiers had been not too long ago.
“Oh, right, Count Cary. It really has been a long time.”
“Y-yes, indeed.”
Seeing this count, who had been so high and mighty just a short while ago, now reduced to such a pathetic state, the smile on Keith's face grew even more savage.
“My, how have you fallen so low? I recall you mocking me, the future emperor, not too long ago, calling me nothing but an incompetent prince.”
“That is a grave misunderstanding! You are the Sun of the Empire. How could a mere count like me ever dare say such things about you?”
“Is that really true?”
“Of course! I can't even find enough words to praise the Sun of the Empire.”
Watching the old count bow before him, Keith did something that left everyone around them utterly stunned.
He grabbed the count by his hair and slammed the noble violently onto the floor.
“My dear Count, I see you aren't trying to flatter this incompetent emperor of yours. You're acting like this because you miscalculated.
“You thought your damn army could intimidate this prince, and you were incredibly confident that those pieces of trash would return safely.
“But you were wrong. Those trash died completely at the border.”
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Watching the count on the floor grow more despondent with every word he spoke, Keith felt his heart pounding wildly.
This was power. This was the power that allowed him to do whatever he pleased.
Keith's eyes flushed with a blood-red light.
“Oh? Isn't this our Sun of the Empire? Please forgive me for being late. Truly disrespectful, truly disrespectful.”
Just then, a rather disgusting laugh echoed from the back of the crowd.
Upon hearing this voice, the crowd quickly parted to make way.
“Oh, thank you all so much for showing such respect to Duke Rozaku.”
The fat man, whose face was plastered with a genial smile that still couldn't mask his disgusting, scheming nature, waddled on his short legs straight toward Keith.
As he passed Cary on the floor, the duke went as far as to step directly on Cary's leg.
Crack, crunch—
“Aaaaaaaah!”
As Rozaku and his guards trod over him, Cary's leg was utterly crushed beneath the heavy armor of the soldiers.
Ignoring Cary's agonizing screams on the floor, Rozaku opened his arms and walked toward Keith in the center.
“Oh, my Sun of the Empire, Rozaku has come to offer you some blessings.”
Rozaku gestured to the heavily armored soldiers behind him, and one of them stepped forward with heavy strides to present a letter sealed with a magic contract.
By right, nobles were not allowed to bring their own soldiers into the main hall. Yet not only did Duke Rozaku bring them, but Keith didn't even dare to utter a single word of protest.
The nobles who had initially acted as neutrals began to back away toward the entrance.
As nobles, they knew whether they were permitted to witness certain things, or if they even carried enough weight to watch.
Sensing an intense pressure from the heavily armored soldier, Keith quickly took the letter from his hand.
He rapidly scanned the contents.
Exempt Rozaku's territory from taxes for ten years—
Allow Rozaku's territory to station more magic soldiers—
The above is purely a joke.
Upon reading the final sentence, Keith snapped his head up, staring at the contract he had once signed to secure the help of this disgusting noble.
“Oh, Your Highness, please do not look at me with such eyes.”
“As a duke, and with you having just become the emperor, how could I possibly enforce such a contract? This is exactly when you need money the most.”
Hearing the fat man's words, Keith's sense of his own power as the new emperor inflated even further, reaching a point of blind delusion.
“Also, is Your Highness satisfied with the heavily armored soldiers I brought? This is the first congratulatory gift Rozaku has prepared for you.”
Hearing this, Keith's laughter echoed throughout the main hall.
“You mean these soldiers are all mine now?”
“Of course.”
A gleam of secret delight flashed in Rozaku's eyes. This fool took the bait the moment he threw it out.
Keith beckoned, and the soldiers immediately came to stand behind him.
“These are top-tier soldiers that the Rozaku territory spent a vast amount of fortune to train. Even if you ordered them to commit suicide on the spot, they wouldn't hesitate for a second.”
“No need, Rozaku! I am in an exceptionally good mood right now. As for your territory, I decide to exempt it from taxes for five years!”
“But, Your Highness...”
“Say no more, do as I say.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. In that case, let us quickly begin your imperial coronation.”
Rozaku glanced at the disbelieving Cary on the floor and squatted down.
Cary, oh Cary. Look at that. It only takes a few sweet words to make this fool bite, yet you risked everything you had.
Don't worry, I will take all of your territory.
Rozaku shook his head with a mocking smile, then waddled on his short legs to catch up with Keith.
As for Cary on the floor, he had completely lost all will to live. He was hoisted up like a dead dog by the soldiers.
Following the sweep of a blade, a splash of red seemed to seep through the burlap sack on the coachman's carriage...
Rate on N.U.
