novelraw Chapter 53 : The Emperor and the Elf (1)
Chapter 53 : The Emperor and the Elf (1)
Chapter 53: The Emperor and the Elf (1)
Rahan’s eyes widened. He looked shocked at the Emperor’s words.
“Th—That can’t be. There was never a god among our elves to begin with.”
“There was. A thousand years ago. How many years have passed since you were born? Fifty? A hundred? Judging by your youthful form, I thought you had not been born long ago.”
“...Ten years.”
“Ha! Younger than I imagined. I thought you looked too fresh even for a long-lived race. So your real age was small.”
I saw irritation in the Emperor’s eyes. It was natural — being addressed informally by a brat was not pleasant.
After all, she was the Empire’s Emperor. Arrogant speech and behavior would have made her uncomfortable.
“Young elves do not know that history. So I will ask again: explain your situation. My temperament is not gentle. If you question me again, I will cut off that Elbin’s arm.”
It was a chilling threat. Not something one said to a child. The Emperor’s eyes, which had reminded one of clear blue sky, darkened.
It looked as if a black cloud had crept over the sky.
Perhaps because of that,
Rahan told them everything he had experienced so far. His voice trembled, but he did not stop speaking.
He seemed cowed by the Emperor’s warning.
“So that is what happened.”
The Emperor muttered and bowed her head. Her face was dark. Perhaps that was not the answer she had wanted.
“My apologies. Matters involving demonic beasts are sensitive. I apologize in the name of this court.”
It was a formal apology. As proof, the Emperor’s gaze remained emotionless.
“I understand the siblings’ situation. Stay in my palace for the time being. I will contact Aurel. Envoys will arrive shortly.”
“Th—Thank you.”
Rahan answered with a conflicted expression. She had intimidated them, yet offered help. He could not tell whether he ought to be grateful or angry.
‘I would have been angry,’ he thought, but gratitude weighed more in him.
“Then you two may withdraw.”
Rahan glanced at the Emperor, then at Leon.
He watched Leon with concern. The Emperor was about to be alone with him; he seemed worried.
“What are you standing there for? Go on, leave.”
It lasted only a moment. At the low command, Rahan and Lenel stepped out of the room.
Leon could not help but snort.
‘Still young, huh. Lower your voice a bit and they quake in their boots.’
It was not the behavior one expected from a race comparable to dragons.
Then—
“Only the two of you remain now.”
The Emperor said. Whatever pleased her so much was unclear. A smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth.
“Zeke’s son — I was curious about you. Are you prepared to satisfy my curiosity?”
She reclined in her chair, tilting her head at an angle, and the joy on her face was plain.
Leon could not understand. He had no acquaintance with this woman. He did not know why she was interested in him.
“No.”
That was why he refused the Emperor.
“...You defied me?”
“It was not something I had to follow. I could refuse.”
The Emperor’s eyes chilled. It was not the gaze of someone filled with goodwill a moment before.
“This is the Empire.”
“I know.”
“You know I am the Emperor.”
“That I know as well.”
“Then why do you defy me?”
“Let me ask in return. Why should I obey you?”
Doubt laced Leon’s voice.
“I am not a subject of the Empire. Nor do I owe this court anything. There is no reason for me to follow your orders.”
He had always disliked people like that — those who believed power was everything, who thought one must obey even an order to die simply because it came from them.
Anger surged up.
It was not Leon’s own feeling. It was the anger Chun Gwang had felt in a past life at the absurdity he had witnessed.
“Emperor, I do not care whether you are a sage-king or a tyrant. It does not concern me.”
It was rude. The person before him was the Emperor. Even if he was not her subject, common courtesy would normally demand some deference.
Perhaps because of that,
the Emperor stared at Leon in astonishment. Shock showed clearly on her face as she stared blankly.
“Mind your words.”
Only the Emperor’s aide kept his composure in that moment.
“You barbarian, before you stands the most noble person in the Empire. Say such blasphemy again, and I will tear your mouth apart.”
Kraaaa—!!
At that instant, fearsome pressure burst from the aide’s body.
It was the bearing one could not credit from a mere aide. Truly, was he one of the Emperor’s closest confidants?
The aide unveiled the strength he had hidden; he looked like a demon. It was as if one watched a battle-torn fighting spirit returned from countless fields.
Normally, that would have cowed anyone. But standing before the aide was Leon.
“Try it.”
Kraaaa—!!
A surge welled from Leon’s whole body. It was a violent aura, like a beast born and raised in the wild.
Compared with the aide, it was but a drop. Yet Leon did not lose confidence.
“My neck is far too precious to bow before scum like you. If you want to ask something of me, bring yourself down to my level. Then I might hear you out.”
“...”
The aide did not answer Leon. He only looked at him with cold, settled eyes.
But Leon felt it — the lingering trace of killing intent that writhed within the aide’s body.
“Amon.”
Then the Emperor spoke. Her face showed interest.
“Stand down. My story is not finished yet.”
The aide, Amon, obeyed the Emperor. He offered no retort. How strong was his loyalty to move so blindly?
It was a strangely admirable sight.
“You, son of the Conqueror, you. If I asked you as a favor rather than an order, would you comply?”
“Am I a jester? Do you think I would grant every request?”
“Then what should I do?”
“Didn’t I say from the start I did not want to tell my story? The only thing that might have been possible was a request. But you issued an order. Do you need more explanation?”
“I understand well enough. That is why I am curious. Have you forgotten this is my palace?”
A chill of cold settled into the Emperor’s eyes for a moment. A cynical curl crept over her twisted mouth.
“Do you think I cannot kill you because you are Zeke’s son?”
“Let me ask you instead—do you think I’d start talking just because I trust my father?”
Leon did not yield a single word. He stood before the Emperor herself. It wouldn’t have been strange if he were executed on the spot.
And yet, Leon remained unflinching.
‘I was murdered by men of power like you even in my past life.’
Of course, that had been his choice. It was the secret manual of the Martial God—an art that used one’s own death as the price. For a third-rate ronin like him, it had been a fitting end.
At the same time, it was sorrowful—how his past life had been content with such a meager reward.
‘I refuse to be swayed by those in power ever again.’
He did not wish to show gratitude for the slop tossed to him like alms.
He did not want to live a life of being used.
Leon and the Emperor’s gazes collided midair. Neither stepped back first. It was a battle between conviction and authority.
“It seems I have no choice. For now, I’ll take a step back.”
It was the Emperor who yielded first. A smile formed on her face. The ferocious air around her had completely vanished.
It was an astonishing sight—the ruler of the Empire changing her attitude so easily.
Perhaps because of that, Leon felt suspicion creeping in.
‘The powerful people I know never lower their heads first. Does she want something from me?’
He eyed the Emperor with doubt.
Then, she spoke.
“Don’t look at me like that. I still find you detestable. I could kill you whenever I wish.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because I have a request—a favor to ask of you, mercenary.”
“You mean a commission?”
“To be brief—slay the monster that stole the name of this Empire. Your reward will be everything that monster possesses.”
“The monster that stole the name of the Empire…”
Leon’s expression grew serious. The Emperor’s request was absurd.
“You’re telling me to destroy the being known as the World Tree?”
“That’s correct.”
Leon stared at the Emperor. There was no wavering in her face—it meant she wasn’t insane.
‘Strange. No sane person would ever say such a thing.’
It was blasphemous to think so of the Emperor, but Leon was certain—she wasn’t in her right mind.
“I know my words sound strange,” she said, “but they’re not without reason. Tell me, whose blood do you think flows in your veins? I don’t mean Zeke. The blood within you belongs to the Grand Warrior who ended the Evil God’s life a thousand years ago.”
Leon’s eyes sank low. The Grand Warrior—he remembered the conversation between Luseus and Zeke.
That his very name had been taken after that ancient warrior.
‘But judging by her expression, it seems she’s hiding something more.’
Leon stayed silent and listened. The Emperor clearly knew something he did not.
He hadn’t accepted the commission yet—so for now, listening would only be to his advantage.
“As Zeke must have told you, a thousand years ago the red-haired Grand Warrior ended the Evil God’s life. I do not know his name. But I do know this—he was the ancestor of Zeke, the current King of Elphrel. That makes you, Zeke’s son, a descendant of that Grand Warrior.”
“And is that bloodline supposed to be that important?”
“It is.”
The Emperor’s voice sank low and somber.
“A god has never once bled since its birth. Naturally so. How could an omnipotent being ever be wounded? But the Grand Warrior achieved it—with the help of the One True God, Solar, he pierced the Evil God’s heart with his weapon. As a result, the Grand Warrior is said to have gained a special power.”
“A power?”
“Just as one bathed in dragon’s blood gains the dragon’s strength, one bathed in divine blood inherits divine power. In the ancient records, that power is called this—‘The Power of Godslaying.’ The power that allows a human to kill a god.”
Leon understood what the Emperor was getting at. At this point, it was impossible not to.
“In other words, since I’m a descendant of the Grand Warrior, I must carry that same Power of Godslaying—and you want me to use that power to kill the World Tree sealed in the Prison Forest Ground?”
“That’s right. Will you accept my request?”
Leon frowned. Was that even supposed to be a question? The premise itself was wrong.
To obtain the Power of Godslaying, one had to be drenched in divine blood.
But he had never received a drop of a god’s blood—nor even a dragon’s. There was no way such power could reside in him.
‘I knew the Empire placed great weight on bloodlines—but not to this insane degree…’
What was it with them and their damned lineage?
If it hadn’t been the Emperor speaking, he would have cursed outright.
Leon asked,
“Do you have any other proof? Something besides that absurd Power of Godslaying?”
“Absurd, you say…? So it sounds that way to you. But no, that’s not my only reasoning. The Prison Forest Ground was flooded with the sea to weaken the World Tree’s power. A World Tree that’s constantly soaked in seawater can’t compare to what it was a thousand years ago. By estimation, it has only about one-hundredth of its former strength left.”
“One-hundredth…”
Leon murmured. It was an unbelievable figure—but far more believable than divine power.
‘She said the power of the sea weakened the World Tree?’
That made sense. In the Prison Forest Ground, all he could see was water.
‘Since there was no salt scent, I thought it was just a lake.’
Apparently not.
That was why Leon hesitated.
‘Rationally speaking, I shouldn’t accept this.’
The opponent was a god. Power of Godslaying, weakened seals—none of that mattered.
A god was a being beyond human reach. Even weakened, he couldn’t possibly fight one.
And yet Leon hesitated—because of the Blessing carved upon his body.
‘The World Tree promised to give me all of itself. Though sealed, it’s still the body of a god. Maybe I could find a way to prevent the Blessing from being corrupted by demonic energy.’
In theory, it wasn’t impossible.
A thousand years ago, humans had already slain a god once. If the god was sealed and weakened, it should be even easier now.
Still, his hesitation remained—because he had never personally experienced divine power.
Had humans never slain a god before, he wouldn’t even have considered it.
But his ancestor had done it.
Then maybe a god with only one-hundredth of its power left… could be within reach.
Leon sank deep into thought.