'What was that!?!?!?!??! The LATE Emperor!?!?!?!'
Even more concerning to Brutus than the appearance of this figure who held the very fate of the world in his hands, were the casual words that exited his mouth which implied something so catastrophic that even Brutus, who was trying to snatch the position of Emperor from Percius IV, was at a loss for words.
And yet, the young Emperor did not appear to be hearing this for the first time.
Could it be that this was one of the urgent messages which the young Emperor heard in his brief absence?
"Then, if you will allow me to explain, I would like to tell you what happened from my own perspective."
The voice of the Indeterminant was calm and soft yet the words he spoke had a tremendous weight to them.
"Then, I will allow you to explain.", the young Emperor replied calmly while sitting upwards, intrigued by this person.
"I am sure the messenger has already given a brief summary of what happened, but as you know, the Emperor was being escorted back with the unit assigned to guard him, along with myself and the hero of the Ruthobold Kingdom. The Emperor desperately attempted to convince the King to allow the heroes to gather in the Empire to fight against the monsters and the antiheroes who supposedly lead them, but this was in vain. The King held on to his own stubborn opinions to the last moment, refusing to allow the hero to leave the Kingdom, even after being offered a generous piece of territory in exchange for the services of the hero. It was then that myself and the hero were assigned to guard the Emperor on his return here to the Empire, but...."
The Indeterminant looked downwards gravely, as if he was holding in his emotions, and grabbed his heart as if he was legitimately suffering from remorse.
"I failed."
These words created a tension in the room which could not be broken.
The Indeterminant, the very savior of humanity, had failed in something.
This was enough to show the people that even this man was human.
That even this man who was supposed to lead humanity to success was a flawed human being.
"I failed to realize that from the very moment I awakened the hero in the Kingdom, that he was in line with the King in a plot to assassinate the Emperor. Right now, who knows where the hero is, but it is certain that he is somewhere plotting against the Empire as we speak. Why else would they assassinate such a great leader, if not to reduce the power of this magnificent nation?"
Percius put his hand to his head in thought, as he looked upon Oscar with a completely serious face.
He then spoke out.
"I will show this hero then, and the people of that corrupt Kingdom, that by assassinating my father, they have not succeeded in their goals. They have not removed a capable and wise ruler. Rather, they have instead accelerated the ascension of an even more capable ruler to the throne- one who will spell their end."
Oscar grinned at hearing this, but did his best to hide such a smile.
After all, his plan had been successful.
"Then, my liege, will you accept me as your loyal servant so that I may stand by your side in this war?"
Percius grinned at hearing this.
"But of course. We of the Empire welcome you, Indeterminant. Will you be seeking out the hero of the Empire as your first priority then?", he asked.
With this, Oscar's face became one filled with delight and conceit. He glanced about the room, looking at each and every individual, before bowing his head once more to Percius.
"No, I will be doing no such thing."
Confused, Percius thinned his eyes.
"And why is that?"
As a devious smiled drew itself across Oscar's face, he lifted his own head to look the Emperor in the eyes.
"Because they are already present in this very room."
----
Looking over, Oscar could see a flashing light in his eyes.
[The Hero of the Vythguard Empire]
Oscar raised himself and stood in front of the young man on his side, looking him in the eyes.
He was a rough boy who clearly had some experience fighting, but his eyes had been dulled as if he had seen something which took away his passion.
Rather than a young man, he looked more like a tired old man who was simply doing what he could, trying desperately to live a life that he could be proud of.
"What's wrong? You seem so tired. Perhaps soon a fire will be lit in your heart once more."
Oscar raised his hand and pressed some buttons on the screen in front of him, typing in a command.
[Would you like to promote Troy to rank of hero?]
[Yes/No]
[Yes]
In that moment, a glowing aura formed around Troy.
His muscles seemed to become more well defined and he seemed to grow slightly taller.
"Wha-"
Brutus stumbled back at seeing Troy transform. His previously rough face seemed to become cleaner and everyone in the room could sense a great power gathering around the man.
Percius sat back silently watching, but could not help but to smile on seeing that the hero was one who had already devoted his services to the Emperor.
[Troy Ladia](Lvl 50) Class: Warrior- Swordsman specialty
Attack: 5000-6000
Physical Defense: 200
Magical Defense: 200
HP: 200,000/200,000
MP: 0/0
Special Skills: [Master Swordsman: Your skill with a sword is unparalleled.]
[Bandit's sense: You can easily detect traps, and you can sense when others approach you with malice.]
Oscar placed his hand on Troy, looking at him with kind eyes.
"Congratulations. I can only hope that you will devote yourself to your duties as a hero far more than the false hero in the Ruthobold Kingdom."
Oscar then resumed his position, kneeling before the young Emperor.
"As you can see, my liege, this man here is the hero of this Empire, so there will be no need for me to search for him.", Oscar stated.
Percius stood up, walking over to Troy.
"So the hero shows himself.... and to think that things could work out like this...."
Looking around, Percius spoke up.
"Troy. Are you loyal to me, and to my position as Emperor?"
Troy looked up humbly, and calmly replied.
"Of course, my liege."
Percius then nodded, and continued.
"I want you to join the war against the Ruthobold Kingdom, and take revenge for my father. Even if they have a hero on their side, there is no way we could lose now. With 2 of our fine legions and a hero, our enemies are doomed. The soldiers of the Kingdom stand no chance against our trained regime."
"I will obey, my liege."
Despite his calm composure, on the inside Troy was actually worried sick, and merely agreed because that was what Oraguth had told him to do.
To obey the young Emperor so that eventually Brutus may be removed from his position.
But to be frank, too much was happening for Troy to really make heads or tails of any of it.
His body overflowed with a newfound power, and he felt like he could move and perceive his surroundings far easier than ever before, but this was not part of the plan, as far as Troy knew.
What should he do?
Should he go off script, or should he continue as planned?
No, that wasn't even a choice.
Troy had no reason to go off script.
Even with this new power, that was all the more reason to go through with whatever plan Oraguth and his masters had formed. They were not his enemies. They were people who had lend him a hand and brought him to this point, even though they were a group of monsters. He couldn't pay back that kindness with betrayal.
If the young Emperor was truly now the Emperor, then this was all the more reason for Brutus to be removed from position. All Troy had to do was obey him, and eventually his little castle would crumble.
The fact that Troy had awakened as the hero would only further increase the weight of his words.
Oscar then spoke up to the Emperor.
"But my liege, may I make a suggestion?"
Percius waved his hand, notioning for him to speak.
"Are we absolutely certain that we can win? If one hero is to face off against another, then it is likely that they will cancel each other out, but are you certain that the armies you send will be able to win?"
"What are you talking about, Indeterminant? Are you telling me that our armies would lose against the Kingdom? You barely even know of the strength of our warriors."
"I do not mean to offend you, my liege, but I would like to make a suggestion. Are you merely trying to get revenge for your father? I believe that such a goal is too low for a great man such as yourself."
Percius looked at Oscar with suspicion, but let him continue.
"Should you not aim for the complete annexation of the Kingdom?"
At hearing this, the lips of Percius curled up with delight.
"Ah, so that is what you meant to say."
"If I may make one final suggestion, there is a country to the Southwest of here which also shares a border with the Ruthobold Kingdom."
Percius resumed his laid back position as he thought out loud.
"The Asarith Sultinate...."
"What if the battle were to become two heroes against one? Would that not be enough to completely annex the Kingdom?"
"You are certainly quite the mastermind, Indeterminant. Are you truly supposed to be the savior of the world?"
At this statement, Oscar let out a calm laugh.
"Of course. But it is only through unity that I believe humanity can be saved. And I believe that there is no better man in this world for humanity to unite under than yourself."
Pressing his elbow into the neck of one of the women he now laid on, Percius grinned.
"The Asarith Sultinate is currently suffering from major famine..... if we were to offer them grain in exchange for a military alliance, that would work nicely.", Percius murmured. "Very well."
"But that is not all, my liege. What if after the war were finished, we were to cut off any supply which we provide for the Sultinate? What if we were to allow them to become dependent on us, only to cut off that connection?"
"If that were the case.... then they would have no choice but to submit to us.... very well!! We will send a messenger to the Asarith Sultinate, proposing such an alliance!"
Percius readjusted himself before looking to Oscar.
"I assume you will go with them?"
"Of course. I will now need to search out the hero of the Sultinate, after all. As a matter of fact, may I head there on my own?"
The young Emperor looked at Oscar with light surprise before shrugging it off and agreeing.
"If that is what you wish, Indeterminant. Then, be on your way. It has been a pleasure meeting you."
"No, the pleasure has been all mine.", Oscar stated with the bow of his head before getting up and leaving the room to prepare for his journey.
'But before that..... I think I should hit the brothels. After all, I cannot simply leave the Empire without having a taste of the local flavor. It's time to make some additions to my database.'
----
After the Indeterminant had left the room, Troy turned to the Emperor.
'It's now or never.'
"My liege, I will of course go off to this war as soon as preparations are made, but for now I would like to make one selfish request. Now that you are the one in power, would you have people look into the case which I brought up regarding Senator Brutus?"
On hearing this request, Percius stood up and began walking up to Troy, who was kneeling alongside Brutus- who seemed to be gritting his teeth at hearing this.
"Ah, you're right, Troy. Now that I'm the Emperor, I suppose I don't have to put the decision off and await for my father's return. Isn't that right, Brutus?", the Emperor said while glaring at Brutus with confidence.
"My liege, if I may...."
"You may not."
Brutus tried to speak, but the Emperor cut him off, preventing him from doing so. At this, Brutus cut back, just barely holding in a sound of his own displeasure with the circumstance.
"I hereby deem Senator Brutus guilty of all charges, but most particularly, treason against the Emperor through plotting and hiding information."
The Emperor stepped over to Brutus, his sandals tapping the ground as he walked.
With his arms behind his back and a face of complete confidence, the Emperor looked down on Brutus and spoke to him in a sarcastic manner.
"I won't force you out of your home, but if I so much as hear a single whisper about you doing any shady business behind my back, then I will have an entire legion on your doorstep. As of right now, you no longer hold the position of Senator. Why would we need a Senator for the capital anyways? I'm good enough."
"My liege!!! You have no evidence of the things I am accused of! Even if these men have claimed that I was involved in such things, there is absolutely no-"
"Are you telling me that I need evidence? I am the EMPEROR. I am the evidence. If I say that something is true, then it IS true. If I say that black is white, then it IS white. IF I say that you are GUILTY then you ARE guilty. I don't have time to play these little games. My father would always sit back and waste time trying criminals, desperately attempting to prove their wrongdoings while the families of the victims suffered. Some were even let free because of a lack of this evidence. Why is evidence needed when something is so painfully obvious that none should even need to be presented?"
"My liege!!! Such a precedent would create a scenario where many people are wrongly accused-"
"Are you telling me that I would wrongly accuse someone? That's pretty treasonous, don't you think, Brutus? Perhaps I should have you executed on the spot?"
The young Emperor had the once powerful Senator dancing to his tune, completely unable to so much as make a remark against him.
"In the new Empire I create, we will not only be the most powerful nation in the world, but we will be the greatest. Not a single criminal will escape without punishment. Not a single citizen will have the right to complain about anything. I'm going to go far beyond the radical policies of my father!! I will make it so that other countries shake in terror at the fundamental yet ludicrous practices which have been uprooted in the Empire, and while they may complain at first and mock us, we will be leaving them in the dust. Of course, before that even happens, we will have annexed them."
Looking around the room, the Emperor smiled.
"Is that acceptable, Troy?"
"Of course, my liege. I could not have wished for a better outcome."
While Troy was unsure about convicting a man without evidence, there was a truth to the Emperor's words.
There were many who did not go punished even after committing crime due to the lack of evidence.
While letting the Emperor decide on his own whims so freely was nothing short of allowing tyranny, he had the power to do so, and Troy could not say anything against it.
Most importantly, if this man went mad in his rule, Troy would have Oraguth and his masters to fall back on. Allowing this was the only option he had, especially since it benefited him this time around.
Brutus bowed to the Emperor, clearly aggravated, and stormed out the room.
The guards were unsure about what to do or where to go.
Technically speaking, they were assigned directly under Brutus, but they were still soldiers who were serving underneath the Emperor.
It was by the Emperor's orders which they served Brutus, and while they were members of the faction of Brutus, now that he was no longer a Senator, they were unsure what to do.
"Go on. I don't need any of you all. If you wish to follow Brutus, then do so.", the Emperor stated while returning to recline.
Many of the men genuflected before the Emperor before leaving.
Turning to Troy, the Emperor spoke once more.
"So long as I have you, Troy, we cannot lose. I will be counting on you to work with the armies of the Sultinate and defeat the hero of the Kingdom. You are free to go now. Return to your quarters if you wish."
With a salute, pumping his fist to his chest, Troy bowed his head and shouted "Thank you, my liege!", before standing and exiting the room.
Now, completely alone aside from the women underneath him, minster Longitudinas, and a few guards who remained, the Emperor now finally laid all the way down as if to take a nap.
"So my father is truly gone..... I will show the people around the world just what type of country a genius like myself can create."
----
Storming out of the palace, Brutus was furious.
'How!?!? How could this have happened!?!?! That shitty brat..... how could he do this to me!?!?!? How much power does he think I have!?!?!? Does he think he can just get away with removing my position as a Senator????'
His hands were balled up into fists as he walked down the grand halls, passing column after column.
'Ah, but he wasn't smart enough to kill me! He may be a hotheaded child, but he made a clear mistake in allowing me to live!! I have contacts all over the country who will support me. All I need to do is gather them together and we can form an uprising.... we should have enough strength to at least form a claim to the southern part of the country and break away. That young Emperor is nothing more than a fool who does things without thinking, so I'll use that against him. He'll regret crossing me.'
With a smirk, Brutus made his way through the halls.
'But wait.... what about Slith!? I've completely forgotten, haven't I!! If that young Emperor sends off the hero on a campaign to the Ruthobold Kingdom, then Slith could slip in and assassinate him easily!! If that happens, I could take over as the true ruler of this country!!! I need to head to Porta then. Slith has likely already arrived, but I will need to take some time to prepare and travel. After I meet him there, I will give him his next job request.'
And so, Brutus made his way back to his own home, and prepared to set out to the town of Porta.