Chapter 16: Princess Maker Part 2

‘I had thought it was suspicious from the start.’

The famous Huangli Academy—how many big shots would have the power to place someone in such a position?

It was clear they had to be some high-ranking figure.

That much, I already knew.

‘But this is way too high.’

I never expected it to be the Emperor of the Empire.

My plan to avoid any involvement with the royal family had apparently failed months ago.

Maybe that’s why the crystal ball had given me advice on the royal family.

The crystal ball wasn’t warning me to avoid them; it was telling me to run because I was already entangled with them.

My head started spinning, but despite the dizziness and headache, the conversation flowed smoothly.

“Father? Have you met him before?”

The first prince of the Empire, with white hair and golden eyes, gazing at the Emperor, asked the question.

The white-haired old man gave a playful smile.

After a brief moment of thought, he made an unexpected declaration.

“He’s the young man who saved my life once before.”

At those words, everyone’s faces turned to shock.

No matter how I looked at it, my reputation was skyrocketing—a terrible omen.

I had to stop it.

I had to, but I couldn’t.

After all, it was true that I saved the Emperor.

“When the young man I encountered suddenly told me I seemed cursed, I dismissed him as a lunatic and didn’t engage. But he persistently followed me.”

My life is my most precious possession.

That’s a fact I can’t deny.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t value other people’s lives.

If I can save someone, it’s better to save them.

If a few words can save someone, letting them die out of laziness would just make me a madman.

That’s why I followed the old man.

“A suspicious spell, similar to a protection spell but entirely different in nature, had been cast on me. He spoke so seriously that I decided to check, just in case.”

I’ve memorized all the components of spells, from the meaning of runes to how their placement alters formulas.

Though I have barely any magical power, making it nearly useless, for some reason, I excel at deciphering and modifying spells.

“There was just one stroke’s difference. Out of tens of thousands of runes, only one was different. Kingdom sorcerers must have spent decades developing that assassination spell.”

The “one stroke’s difference” was an exaggeration.

The third rune had rotated about 30 degrees more than it should have, and some of the runes were arranged incorrectly.

But I kept my mouth shut, knowing that correcting him would only cause more misunderstandings.

“That young man saw through the spell in an instant and destroyed it. I was shocked and offered him a great reward, but he refused.”

…It wasn’t out of kindness that I said those things.

The old man looked like a beggar, but no one would cast such an intricate curse on an ordinary beggar.

I figured he had to be some wealthy noble, so I played hard to get to wring out a better reward.

“He said that helping others is only natural, and refused any reward. I had to stop him as he turned to leave. So, in my haste, I offered him a teaching position…”

And now, here we are.

The Emperor concluded his lengthy explanation with those words.

He added a remark to his children, as if he were teaching them how to choose successors: ‘You should never let go of such talent.’

“Enough lecturing for now. Riyan, I knew we would meet again, but I didn’t expect our reunion to be so soon. To think you’d achieve so much in such a short time.”

I wished he would leave me alone to chat with his children.

But, unaware of my thoughts, the Emperor continued to list my accomplishments—the well-known events at Lyon Academy, and even the more hidden ones.

The defeat of the 72 Great Evils.

The killing of Karon, one of the leaders of the End Bringers.

As each feat was mentioned, the gazes of the nobles and royal family members shifted.

Respect, awe, and greed—all kinds of emotions and ambitions mixed together, making my head spin and causing dizziness to wash over me.

But my actions remained steady.

My policy of behaving as blandly as possible hadn’t changed.

A desperate nod.

‘Thank you. I’m truly honored.’

Repeating such empty phrases, time passed quickly.

***

“You may choose any item from the royal treasury. Even if it’s a national treasure, I’ll allow it to be taken.”

“Y-Your Majesty, that’s…”

“…I’m deeply offended. Do I need your permission to reward this young man?”

Please just fire me instead.

That thought almost slipped from my mouth, but I held it back.

The Emperor saw me as an invaluable talent he couldn’t afford to lose.

If I tried to quit the academy, he would surely offer me a position in the royal court.

But that royal court is doomed.

I had no intention of leaving one hell only to step into an even worse one.

“Now, you may be dismissed.”

After continuing to act as modestly as possible, the Emperor finally brought up the topic.

With that, the incident with the royal family somehow came to an end.

How I would deal with the aftermath of all this was something for future me to worry about.

For now, I just needed to get out of here quickly.

With that thought in mind, I stood up.

“Please wait a moment, Father.”

‘I was forcibly seated.’

For some reason, just as the Emperor was about to let me leave, the First Prince stepped forward to stop him.

“It’s not right to let someone who has achieved such great feats leave just like that. Surely, we must hold a grand banquet.”

Cold sweat dripped down my back. ‘Please reject it. Get angry and tell him to stop spewing nonsense and reject that ridiculous suggestion.’

I prayed silently, but the Emperor didn’t even hesitate and nodded his head right away.

…A bad feeling started creeping over me.

The suddenly arranged banquet.

My goal was to quietly eat in a corner and slip out unnoticed.

But everywhere I went, royal family members kept appearing.

Some even came up to me, a mere commoner, trying to strike up friendly conversations and establish connections.

The sight of royals bowing to me was unsettling.

At the balcony, where I had finally managed to escape, Sylvia was already waiting for me.

She summarized the situation in one sentence.

“You’ve gotten yourself caught in the middle of the imperial succession battle, Professor.”

It seemed that while I had been swept up in the original plot, I had finally reached the point of being entangled in a new development that wasn’t even part of the original story.

“You must’ve already known that Father is slowly dying, right?”

‘I had no idea.’ But I nodded calmly, pretending I knew. ‘Even professors can learn from their students, right?’

“Thanks to you, we found the curse. But, it was too late. Even with a miracle, half a year would be the maximum.”

‘I was sure I had dispelled it in time.’

Something felt off, but I doubted Sylvia was lying to me in this situation.

“At this rate, Father could pass away as early as tomorrow, so the succession must be decided soon. But he’s in denial about his impending death, which is only causing more chaos.”

Even the great Emperor of the Empire couldn’t accept his own death and had succumbed to senility.

‘I will never die.’ He deceived himself with those lies, claiming that choosing a successor could wait.

It would have been more surprising if chaos hadn’t erupted.

“If someone who enjoys the Emperor’s favor suddenly appears in this situation, you know what will happen, right?”

I nodded immediately.

I knew because I had experienced it firsthand.

Under the guise of a banquet, they would try to cling to me and make me one of their own.

My presence would be a massive advantage in the fight for the throne.

“Honestly, I would like to ask you to support me, but for your own safety, I must advise you to remain neutral.”

Sylvia, subtly advertising herself, said this with a caring expression.

Despite her intentions, her words were true.

There was no guarantee that the person I supported would win.

If I gambled and lost, the outcome would be disastrous.

“They won’t kill you for backing the wrong side. But they will make you wish you were dead. You’ll lose all prospects and end up farming in some remote village.”

To lose everything and live quietly in the countryside…

…Wait a minute.

‘Isn’t that the happy ending I’ve always wanted?’

I never had any desire for power in the first place, and farming actually suited me well.

It would definitely be more peaceful than staying at the academy.

This was an opportunity.

A perfect opportunity to aim for dismissal.

“But I know you are a noble person, Professor. Surely, to stop someone as shady as my eldest brother from becoming Emperor, you would take the risk to support me…”

Leaving Sylvia muttering to herself, I walked away.

Returning to the banquet hall, I was met by a swarm of silver-haired, golden-eyed royals rushing toward me like a pack of zombies.

Some promised me vast wealth, others offered me limitless power, and some painted grand ideals.

But I chose none of them.

In the corner of the banquet hall, there was a child, awkward and on the verge of tears, unable to fit in anywhere and completely isolated.

Without any allies or a faction, this thoroughly abandoned girl stood alone, and I was the only one to bow before her.

“I pledge my eternal loyalty to you.”

The imperial princess.

That girl would be my savior.