The emperor let out a sigh as if her enthusiasm had waned.
“Humph. So, in the end, this is all to appease me?”
“I leave that to Your Majesty’s judgment.”
“Still, it is intriguing.”
Belia was the type to meticulously analyze even trivial matters.
She would probably ponder my words deeply, even late into the night.
‘Is the woman before me mocking me? Or is she genuinely an expert in flattery?’
And that is why she was so entertaining.
“Does Your Majesty find me amusing?”
“I’m not bored, at least. It’s fascinating to see such a dramatic change from how you were as a child.”
Ah, I keep forgetting that this man lived during my first life and knows how I was as a child.
I need to be more cautious.
“It’s nothing strange. A foolish child and the person I am now are different, after all.”
“And yet you say such things so boldly before me.”
At times like this, changing the topic is the best strategy.
“What will you do with Zerato?”
“He must die. Even though I pity him for harboring a chain of hatred for 1,500 years, I can’t ignore the fact that he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings’ subordinates. Moreover, the damage he caused to the empire is significant.”
“I see.”
“Well, of course. He’s a traitor. Mercy isn’t an option.”
“On top of that, he’s a descendant of the Kart royal family. Even if his circumstances are pitiful, he could become a rallying point for anti-imperialists, which makes him dangerous.”
“Why? Do you wish for him to live?”
“No. He’s someone who’s excellent at escaping. Even though we’ve completely crushed him this time, you must ensure he is thoroughly eliminated.”
“It would indeed be unsettling to let him live.”
“Are you worried he might escape to Pastia or something?”
“It just feels off.”
“I was lucky this time, and I gained some strength by absorbing a shard, but my body is still weaker compared to Noah.”
“That’s probably why I let my guard down against him.”
“Even though the shard made me stronger, if that man had been as skilled as that accursed, I might have had a much harder time.”
“Understood. I’ll see to it personally. You can leave for today.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve fulfilled your role as my conversation partner well. I have other matters to attend to now.”
“Hah, as if someone like you would do anything but laze around.”
“Oh, right. If there’s anything the emperor would personally attend to, it could only be one thing.”
“Are you planning to deal with him right away?”
“This matter concerns the descendants of the Armen family and the Kart family. Therefore, it is only fitting for me to handle it directly.”
Well, that’s not something I need to involve myself in.
The descendants of the betrayed family and the betrayers’ family must settle this themselves.
Besides, Zerato is the one locked up, and the emperor holds the blade.
“Understood, Your Majesty. Please proceed as you see fit.”
“I’m fine with staying out of it.”
“I was hoping not to get dragged into dealing with that man anyway, and this works perfectly.”
“But does he know something about me?”
‘What if he reveals my identity to the emperor?’
No, that doesn’t make sense.
‘He’s already considered a lunatic, and the emperor hasn’t met him enough times for him to have a reason to mention me.’
“Are you leaving?”
“Do you plan to interrogate him yourself?”
“Of course. Why, do you wish to accompany me?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but I have no justification for doing so.”
“Besides, I refuse to involve myself in anything troublesome.”
“There’s only one concern left.”
“No, I was just wondering if you’d show up before him without clothes.”
The emperor looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“I still know how to differentiate such things, at the very least.”
“Got it.”
With that, I changed clothes and left the palace.
It feels like the situation is more complicated than just Syria being a problem.
In any case, I should eliminate anything that could expose my identity.
***
That night, Emperor Belia headed to the empire’s underground prison.
She was accompanied by a small group of attendants.
Though they seemed humble for an emperor’s entourage, the maidservants, former assassins from the guild, were anything but weak.
“Your Majesty! What brings you to this filthy prison?”
The jailers rushed out in a panic and bowed deeply.
“There is no such thing as a filthy place in the empire. Now, where is that traitor?”
The emperor had only one reason for coming.
Zerato’s execution.
“Let me bring him to you immediately.”
Before long, the jailers dragged Zerato into the room.
He was in poor condition, likely beaten up severely.
The jailers must have vented their anger on him, knowing he was a dead man walking.
“You’ve rendered him useless. When is his execution?”
“Tomorrow, Your Majesty. The execution is scheduled for tomorrow.”
Though she had decided to kill him, seeing him like this stirred a faint sense of pity.
After all, he came here intending to avenge 1,500 years of resentment.
“But what if all of that resentment was based on a lie?”
“Leave me. I’ll handle this alone with my skilled attendants.”
“Understood.”
The jailers left.
The emperor placed a chair in front of Zerato and sat down.
“Block your ears. This will be a private conversation between the Kart and Armen bloodlines.”
“Understood.”
The attendants covered their ears.
Zerato let out a crazed laugh.
“Well, well. Isn’t this a rare sight? The Emperor of the Empire! Ha! Olivia… That cursed woman should’ve just killed me back then. To think it would end like this…”
Barely able to open his eyes, Zerato laughed bitterly as he confirmed her presence.
Belia stared at him emotionlessly.
“To think the descendant of that bastard’s bloodline is still alive.”
“And this coming from the descendant of a family that betrayed the Holy King?”
At his retort, Belia smirked.
It was absurd.
This dying man still dared to glare and talk back.
Then again, maybe it was because he was on the brink of death.
When death is imminent, one can curse as much as they want.
“The Holy King, you say. The Holy King. Hah. Do you really think the last king of Kart deserves such a title? In the end, wasn’t that ‘Holy King’ just a tyrant?”
“Is she any worse than the queen who betrayed her husband and sided with the Demi-folk?”
Belia scoffed at Zerato’s words.
It was amusing to hear such accusations coming from him, of all people.
“If you look at the records of the time, it’s clear that if Armen hadn’t married into the Pon family of the Demi-folk, not only would the entire population of Kart have perished, but the Kart alliance itself wouldn’t have survived. Isn’t it that you’re simply bitter toward Armen?”
“Hahaha! That’s right! How could I ever forget this 1,500-year grudge? The rise and fall of a nation may be inevitable in history, but Armen, who had stood with the Kart royal family, betrayed Kart and sided with Pon!”
Judging by his words, it seemed like Zerato had nurtured hatred and a desire for revenge for 1,500 years. To Belia, this was nothing short of absurd.
From a glorified perspective, he could be seen as the descendant of Kart, sharpening his blade of vengeance against the empire.
‘But in reality?’
‘Fool. The empire’s history is nothing like the version he knows.’
Not even remotely close.
Even that ex-daughter-in-law of his, who reeks of that dim-witted mage, is no exception.
But then again, the ex-daughter-in-law couldn’t help it.
She was simply from Ashtar.
Even Ashtar knows very little about the actual truth.
“Ha… hahahaha. To think I wasted my breath talking to a puppet like you.”
“This is a waste of time.”
“What did you say?”
“No matter what the circumstances, 1,500 years have passed. Isn’t it strange that such hatred persists, even inherited through generations? Have you never once thought that this doesn’t make sense?”
“It’s strange no matter how you look at it.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You don’t even know who you are. And what’s the point of saying anything to a puppet? At that time, the queen of Kart didn’t betray Kart for power.”
“There’s no point in saying too much to someone who is as good as dead.”
“This is practically brainwashing. No matter what is said, it won’t work.”
“There’s no need to go into detail for a traitor like him.”
“Spouting nonsense, are we?”
“Nonsense? Perhaps.”
“Demons grant human wishes, but they curse them in return.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if the unification of the continent by the Demi-folk was backed by a demon?”
“A demon?”
Zerato’s face twisted in confusion and anger.
He didn’t understand.
That was enough for Belia.
The descendant of a traitor is still a traitor.
Though Armen and the Kart royal family had long intermarried, it was the royal family who ultimately broke that bond.
It’s ironic to see him so enraged about this.
But Zerato was, fundamentally, beyond reason.
“What if the people of that time have lived for 1,500 years by simply changing bodies?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s why your resentment is meaningless. Even the king who died back then understood the truth. From what I hear, you were one of Clanis’ subordinates. It seems that woman instilled this grudge in you. You rant and rave without knowing the truth, and it’s painfully shallow.”
Very little is known about the founding of the empire.
“Who… Who are you, really?”
“Who knows? That’s why I’m saying you’re a puppet. Not that it matters.”
“The fact that such an idiot is part of the Kart royal bloodline says it all.”
The kingdom wasn’t destroyed by Armen; it was the Kart royal family that brought about its downfall.
A wicked smile crept onto Belia’s lips.
“Even if you weren’t of Kart blood, I could always use you as a unifying symbol for the empire when the time comes.”
***
[Side Story: Syria]
Olivia Rapha Ashtar.
Something about her felt strange from the beginning.
She was a noble lady recently gaining fame in Atlerina.
Despite being publicly dumped by the crown prince, she had supposedly become a strong-willed woman who rose above her circumstances.
She was also known to possess remarkable divine powers.
When Syria first met her, she had only one thought.
‘Interesting.’
Her hair wasn’t the usual Ashtar golden but pure white.
If her body had undergone some magical transformation, then physical changes were possible.
Magical awakening, saintly awakening, or even turning into a demon could cause such changes.
‘But pure white hair?’ Syria couldn’t recall seeing that before.
Unless… it was mana fusion.
Mana fusion isn’t something just anyone can achieve.
It’s an extraordinary feat even among prodigies.
Attempting it incorrectly often results in complete annihilation.
There’s very little information left about mana fusion, and past records of natural white-haired mages may have led Atlerina’s nobles to misunderstand Olivia’s white hair.
“So, it wasn’t just dye after all.”
It piqued Syria’s curiosity.
Yet Olivia didn’t seem to know much about magic.
When she fell for the allure of the late Lily, she hadn’t even started learning magic.
In other words, whether her hair was due to mana fusion or not, it made no sense for Olivia to suddenly be capable of magic.
Through investigation, Syria uncovered the truth.
During a practical dungeon session, Olivia reached out toward skeletal knights and crushed them on the spot.
The skeletons collapsed, shattering into pieces.
It was unmistakably Noah’s magic—telekinesis.
Telekinesis only existed in fragmented records.
It couldn’t be learned in the empire, and even in the Magic Tower, records were sparse.
“The Magic Tower considered it inefficient and directed students to other spells instead. But for someone to wield it effortlessly… impossible.”
Her denial only confirmed it: Olivia was Noah.
-[Do kids these days not know telekinesis, Syria?]-
Utter nonsense.
There has never been a genius like Noah.
Noah had learned magic in the Wastes of Ruin.
The difference in their backgrounds explained everything.
White hair.
Telekinesis.
A unique approach to magic.
No doubt, Olivia was Noah.
A man becoming a woman wasn’t something common folk could easily accept.
But for mages, it wasn’t unheard of.
Especially in Noah’s case, as he had mastery over a wide range of magic.
The gender change was surprising but not unthinkable.
Mages have many ways of conceiving children, after all.
Discovering Noah’s true identity thrilled Syria.
She now knew the secret of the world’s only missing mage.
Noah, of course, didn’t care much about others.
Countless people indebted to the Hero’s Party searched for him, but Noah was oblivious to it all.
And now, out of all those people, Syria alone knew Noah’s whereabouts.
Nothing could make her happier.
-“Well, technically, I’m Olivia now.”-
Noah might call himself Olivia, but Syria knew better.
The soul was Noah’s.
Even if Noah changed his name to Olivia, it didn’t matter to Syria.
She had followed Noah for Noah alone.
At first, she thought about using this knowledge to blackmail him.
But risking his hatred was out of the question.
It was better to stay close and use her knowledge to grow closer to him.
Noah didn’t realize something.
One of the cursed Seven Stars had feelings for him.
Even the emperor seemed suspicious, her gaze toward Noah—now Olivia—far too suggestive.
Did the emperor, lacking a husband, suddenly develop an interest in younger people?
“Shouldn’t she just stay locked up in the palace at her age? Why does it have to be Noah… I mean, Olivia?”
This could lead to his identity being exposed.
Syria decided she needed to stay by Olivia’s side to protect her.
“Alright, it’s better if I guard her personally.”
Olivia, or Noah, probably wanted to become a mage again.
He couldn’t fulfill that dream in his past life, so maybe this second life would give him a chance.
Syria was certain Olivia would eventually ask for her help.
When that time came, she would be ready.