“Emperor Carlos, you have impoverished countless people by imposing harsh taxes under the pretense of supporting warriors.”
“That’s not true! You must be the one embezzling! I know nothing about it!”
“Is that all? You also defamed and dismissed me, a legitimate warrior, devaluing my abilities. How can we forgive such an incompetent emperor?”
“Ha! Hahaha!”
The emperor laughed, but it was a forced laugh.
“So, what are you going to do? Punish me, the emperor?”
“I might as well.”
“Guards!!”
At the emperor’s command, about 30 soldiers, including General Jack Grave, rushed in.
“If that man so much as lays a finger on me, arrest him immediately! How dare he threaten the emperor?! I am the emperor! I am the emperor!! No one can harm me! Not even a great sage, not even the Pope, not even a warrior! The emperor is the supreme existence in this world! Nothing… absolutely nothing… can harm me!!!”
“How shameless, Your Majesty. Even with your crimes laid bare, you think you’ll escape unscathed?”
“Crimes? What crimes?”
The emperor shamelessly played dumb.
“The crystal ball has already identified you as an embezzler, and you still deny it?”
“Where’s the proof that the crystal ball is right? Besides… even if it is, so what? Ordering tributes as the emperor is not wrong! Running an empire as large as this requires money. Increasing the national budget—how is that a crime?”
“Utterly shameless.”
“What I’m saying is, even if by some one-in-a-million chance I misused the warrior support funds for personal reasons, no one can harm me. Hahaha! That’s the privilege of being the emperor! This is what power looks like, boy! You wouldn’t understand. As long as I wear the crown of an emperor, I am protected from everything! You can’t touch me!”
“Urgh…!”
It’s true… accusing him of embezzlement alone might not be enough to depose him.
After all, he is the emperor.
The problem was that no institution had the authority to punish him.
The current laws offered no way to hold an emperor accountable, and there was no one to impose punishment.
What should I do?
Should I just rush at him recklessly?
—That’s when it happened.
The emperor groaned in pain.
No one had touched him, yet…
“Ughhhhh!!!!”
“What’s happening? What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
“Could it be… now…?! Of all times?! No!! At least when no one’s around… when I’m alone…!! Not now!!”
“7.”
What nonsense is he spouting?
The emperor’s back began to emit smoke.
Not only that, but his clothes tore apart, revealing a strange brand on his exposed back.
“That’s…!!”
The great sage exclaimed in shock.
“That’s a demon’s brand? Why is there evidence of demonic affiliation on the emperor’s back? And it’s a seal only high-ranking demons can create!”
Everyone was thrown into turmoil at the sage’s words.
“What? There’s a demonic seal on the emperor’s back?”
“What’s going on?”
“Does this mean the emperor is a demon?”
“No way… if that were true…”
“If that were true? What then?”
“It would mean he has no right to the throne.”
“But he doesn’t look like a demon.”
At that moment, the great sage’s expression turned pale as he shouted…
“Wait! Everyone, be cautious! I sense an ominous magic!”
The smoke emanating from the emperor’s back began to coalesce, forming a shape.
The process of the gas turning solid was eerie to behold.
“This…!! A high-ranking demon…! No, wait…! The Four Heavenly Kings! At least the power of a Four
Heavenly King or greater!”
The great sage was drenched in sweat.
The banquet hall buzzed with tension.
<HahahaHAHAHA!!>
“Please, not now! Not here! I beg of you, come to my chambers instead! This isn’t the right time or place! Please, I beg you!!”
The emperor, more than anyone else, seemed to recognize what “that” was.
<Silence! Why should I heed the orders of a mere worm like you?!>
“AAAHHHHH!!!”
The emperor’s agonized screams echoed as the smoke solidified into a demon.
Even I, who had spent a year relentlessly fighting demons, had never seen anything like it.
This demon—its overwhelming power dwarfed even the Four Heavenly Kings.
There was only one being with power of this magnitude.
The Demon King.
<HahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!>
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who realized what we were dealing with.
Despair was etched on every face in the room.
“No… Surely not…”
“Is that… the Demon King?”
“How could the Demon King be here…?”
“Impossible…”
“This is the end… We’re doomed…”
“We’re all as good as dead…”
The Demon King, the most fearsome entity in the world, stood before us.
Even my legs trembled.
But something felt off.
Why did this feel familiar, as if I’d encountered it before?
I couldn’t quite place it, but it was clear we were in grave danger.
Especially the emperor, who was trembling like a leaf, utterly terrified.
<Hahaha!! A pleasure to meet you, insignificant humans. I am the Demon King. No need to share my name, is there?>
“Demon King!!”
The great sage stepped forward.
“Why are you here? No—how could you even be here? There’s a barrier protecting the human continent! It’s impossible for you to appear so suddenly!”
<A great sage, eh? And you think yourself worthy of speaking to me as an equal? How amusing! HAHAHA!>
“Stop evading the question! Answer me, Demon King!”
<I did not break the barrier. Heh… I was summoned. Though to be precise, the summoning happened decades ago. Back then, I left behind a seal to return here. I merely used that seal to travel. Any complaints?>
“Summoned? Who in the world would summon you? What lunatic would do such a thing?”
The Demon King extended a clawed finger toward the emperor, who was still writhing in pain and drenched in cold sweat.
He muttered in a desperate voice.
“No… No… Please… Please, no…”
What did he mean by “no”?
What was he so deathly afraid of?
No one could guess yet.
“The emperor… summoned the Demon King?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why would the emperor do that?”
“Wait a minute. The Demon King mentioned it happened decades ago.”
“Then… this must have been before he became emperor?”
“That makes even less sense. Why? Why would he do that?”
The confusion among the people only deepened. I, too, was overwhelmed by the unfolding events, unable to take any action.
The Demon King spoke.
<Heh… What’s wrong, Emperor? The people are asking… why you summoned me.>
“No… Demon King, please…”
Demon King?
The fact that the emperor was addressing the Demon King so deferentially was shocking. He was utterly servile.
“Demon King… if you have something to say to me, let’s discuss it in my chambers. Not here…”
<Hmm? Not here? Is there something inconvenient about this place? Kehaha!>
The Demon King, in contrast, seemed like a mischievous child enjoying a cruel game. Did they share some kind of secret?
“This is suspicious…”
“Why is the emperor speaking so respectfully to the Demon King?”
“Highly suspicious.”
“Could there be a secret between them?”
No doubt about it.
“We need to uncover this.”
“This is serious, very serious.”
The dignitaries from various nations gathered there looked increasingly alarmed.
<Kahaha! Emperor! Emperor Carlos! You’ve truly become the picture of an emperor now! No one would ever believe you were once a street urchin! Right? You’ve done well for yourself. I’m almost proud of you!>
“Stop! That’s enough! Please, stop!”
<Hmm? Your tone’s gotten quite sharp. Ah… Hearing that sharp tone reminds me of a story I’d like to share with everyone here. A story about a beggar and a crown prince.>
“No, no… Demon King… Sir… Wouldn’t it be better to speak quietly in my chambers?”
“Emperor Carlos!”
I couldn’t take it anymore and shouted.
“What are you doing? Requesting a private audience with the Demon King? What are you planning to conspire about in secret with him?”
“Silence, Victor! This is none of your concern!”
“What else are you hiding from us? Isn’t it time you came clean?”
<Heh. That’s impossible. If he were honest, it’d be the end for him.>
“Demon King! Please!”
<But I don’t care. All I want is a rematch with the mighty hero. Whatever happens to this wretch of an emperor doesn’t concern me.>
“How… How could you? I upheld my end of the bargain! Why would you do something so cruel?”
<Heh. Are you seriously asking me that? Asking the Demon King? Kehahaha! Watching the despair on humans’ faces is my greatest joy! Now then, let’s reveal it to everyone! The emperor’s biggest secret!>