Alec marveled at the sheer beauty of the woman. Her clothes were modest and he suspected that those were made with the finest material they didn't know of. Her silky hair seemed smooth to touch. Her rough hands that held years of battle experience were also beautiful. He didn't know he could find a woman beautiful yet masculine at the same time.
"You…!" Renove stood up from his throne and drew curses from his breath. "This insolent woman! Capture her!"
However, no one moved. Renove looked around desperately when his orders fell to deaf ears. He couldn't believe it. These were the same people that cheered on him at his Coronation day. What has changed now? He was furious that he almost wanted to throw his heavy crown against the floor. However, he thought that once he threw his crown, he would admit that he wasn't fit to be king. Suddenly, something moved from his vision. He turned to look at Alec being carried by that woman who brought this disaster to him. First, it was Augustus. Then, it was Gaius. Now, it was this woman. When he succeeded in claiming the throne after years of grueling hard work, he could finally enjoy his time as a ruler who held absolute authority over his country. He defeated Augustus and Gaius, so, he thought, he could also defeat this woman before him. However… no one listened to him anymore. Everyone was so meek and obedient when she wasn't here, but when she appeared, they acted like stupid dogs who thought they got freed from the shackles of their owner.
"Renove, I believe?"
Even her hateful voice was melodious.
"That would be 'King' Renove Ishael es Lasirion to you, fiend."
"Hm? Did I hear something just now?"
"This bitch…!"
"Sure, sure. Anyway, my only job is to take whoever I could take from you. But, man… you only have this many people in your capital? What a shame...," she grinned as she flicked her fingers and the people sank in their own shadows. Now, no one was left besides Alec, her, and Renove. "I still hold a grudge against you, but I will leave it to someone else. Well then, 'King' Renove Ishael es Lasirion, I will be going. Ciao!"
Renove's face turned red and his expression became grimmer. His eyes landed on the corpse of the executioner that the woman just killed. He also looked around the hall with burning eyes. He threw away his crown as the jewels on it shattered. There was no one that could receive his wrath, and no one to lord over.
***
Alec was prostrating before Gaius.
However, Gaius only looked at the back of his head.
"I trusted you, Alec," he coldly said as he crossed his legs. He was currently in a garb that didn't show his authority before Alec who was dressed in a fine but dirty suit. However, his presence didn't diminish at all. Even when Alec knew that Gaius had been immature when dealing with problems regarding the kingdom, he knew that it was his best intention for his people.
"I am sorry, my lord."
"What is there to be sorry for?"
"...."
"I just wanted to tell you that I trusted you. I never admonished you, did I? I hold no authority over you now and I am not the king either. The country has fallen, and they would need another strong foundation. However, the King is still alive and well. What do you want to do, Alec?"
"..." Alec didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what to feel. Even though he had served Gaius for years and served Renove for a few weeks, his loyalty to his employer was still there. He couldn't possibly do any harm to his current employer. However, he realized that he was thrown away by Renove and was sentenced to death. The desperation of the pleas of his innocence to the King was palpable, yet it was ignored altogether. Again… however… he just couldn't hold any grudges against Renove.
When Alec was conflicted, Gaius heaved a sigh and nodded.
"That's what I like about you, Alec. Even after all that Renove has done to you, you still won't take the sword to kill him or even incapacitate him. How admirable, and naive."
Alec bit back the words that almost leaked out from his mouth.
"However, that is what this kingdom needs. I am extremely lacking and I just knew of it. I know you can do a better job than mine, Alec."
"Pardon?"
"Whether you like it or not, I will assign you as our coup leader. Once this coup succeeds, then you'll be crowned king."
"Please wait!"
"What is it?"
"Me… me?! Why would I- why would I do that?!" Alec stuttered and his eyes spun.
"You know that this country is dead now, right?"
"... yes," he meekly answered.
"What are your thoughts?"
"We have no more hope to rebuild this country…."
"Do you want to let it stay dead?"
"..... this is my hometown… many of my memories are here… I grew up here when King Augustus was reigning…. He was a great king. I idolized him. He was the one that made me put more effort into my studies until I was hired by the palace. He… loved this country even before his death…."
"That's the problem with me. I didn't have enough compassion for the country and ignored those around me. All I did was listen to complaints and do something about them. When the same problem arises, I have to ask my aides and my council to think of a problem. I just… functioned as a king that doesn't have any will on his own. I didn't strive to be better. I didn't even notice that someone loved me before her death. I wasn't there for her… before she died…."
"... Your Majesty…."
"Stop, Alec. I am not the king anymore."
"..."
"Meanwhile… You love this country wholeheartedly, and you still do. Even if you haven't learned human compassion, you'll get there in no time and will find a wife that will support you and love you until her last breath."
".... where will you be going, my lord?"
"I am leaving Strevalia for good. I need to unwind myself and find my purpose that I didn't manage to find here. Before that though… I will have to visit my wife's grave and apologize. Emersyn already promised me that she will take care of me in her world. I will be able to be free there, just like how I wanted my life to be."
"Do… you like this Emersyn?"
".... what makes you think that?"
"Your expression softened considerably when you mentioned her name."
Gaius laughed and nodded.
"You can say that."
"I see… I give you my best regards, my lord."
Gaius smiled then stood up. He opened the door of the room and there, he saw Emersyn smiling at him.
"I closed my ears, so there wouldn't be any leaks," she said with a thumbs up.
"What's the point? You'll be joining the rebellion, right?"
"I had enough of joining, you know? Besides, I have something to do in my world for now. If the important jobs there are finished, I'll be going back here to go through the other worlds. I finally found the planet of my parents, so I will be collecting gods and goddesses of the Light."
"... wait."
"Yeah?"
"What is your job in your world?"
"The Emperor, of course. It's my planet."
"....."
"Hm? What? You thought I was the one working for the Emperor? That's understandable. By the way, we still haven't talked about what you will be doing in my domain. Once you get there, I will give you temporary residence in my guest's palace until you can buy your own place. It wasn't that expensive since we have only just started developing the Empire."
"..."
"What? Don't tell me you don't have any plans?"
"I do have a plan! But that was when I didn't know that you are the lord of the planet! Why didn't you tell me that first?"
"... my subordinates have been calling me 'My Lord' a lot of times, and you still didn't notice?"
"I…."
"It's fine. Let's talk about it then. What do you want to do in a new world?"
"I wanted to be free from my duties as a king… I want to be an adventurer, really."
"Hmm… adventurers in my world will do menial to heavy duties, and go adventuring in the time that they will be needed. Our monsters are stronger than in Strevalia and you still haven't even gotten used to our atmosphere. Draven will give you the specifics–"
"Just a moment, please," Gaius interjected.
"Yes?"
"Can… can I also assist you?"
"What can you do for me?"
"If you will, I want to serve you."
"Hm? But I already have a butler. Well, I was going to make him an aide, but he chose to be the head butler. Well, I still don't have any trust in you to assign you as my aide, so you will have to study under Draven. Will that be okay with you?"
"That will be perfectly fine. Thank you very much, my Lord," Gaius said as he prostrated before Emersyn.