"A century ago, your great-grandfather requested of Dusk Bringar, the Duchess, saying we needed an invincible army."
The Emperor slowly opened his mouth.
"So, the Duchess integrated the magic and sorcery of his time, curses and taboos, and even her own dragon blood to create the Glory Knights, an undying army for the Imperial Guard."
I shuddered. Dusk Bringar...?
"Thus, for the past hundred years, the Glory Knights have protected the Emperor and the Empire. Knights have been continuously replaced, and even Dusk Bringar has stepped down from the leadership, but the curses and sorcery have been passed down through generations."
I thought of the bandages wrapped around Hecate, engraved with magical runes.
Could those old bandages be the sorcery and curses?
"Knights selected for the Glory Knights face death once right after their appointment. After all, one must die once to not die again."
"Killed... you say?"
"Yes. And then curses are cast on their dead bodies and souls to 'fix' them in place. No matter how severe the wounds, their bodies will regenerate to their state at that time, and their souls cannot leave their bodies."
Listening with my mouth agape, the Emperor continued.
"However. Even if the body revives, the soul gets eroded away. Sooner or later, the end comes. That's why we continuously search for successors to replace the generations."
"..."
"And the current generation of five Glory Knights, I have been exceptionally harsh with them."
The Emperor grimaced with a bitter smile.
"Where have I been all this time?"
"...In the spirit realm, fighting against the gods of different races."
"Exactly."
Could it be?
The Emperor nodded, confirming my suspicions.
"The Glory Knights joined that battle."
"...!"
"They fought directly against the gods of other races at the very bottom of the spirit realm. Even if the Glory Knights are talented knights, they are not transcendent beings. Yet, those five repeatedly died and revived, clashing swords with the gods, quickly being consumed."
The Emperor closed his eyes as if recalling those moments.
"That's why Hecate is broken now. A genius with the sword, unparalleled in the history of the Empire, but the erosion of the soul is a different matter."
"..."
"She reached her operational limit two years ago and should have retired then. In fact, two years ago, we expedited the graduation of the most talented cadet from the academy at that time, preparing them as her successor."
I gasped in surprise. Could it be.
"That successor candidate, Evangeline...?!"
"Yes. Lady Evangeline Cross of the Cross Family. She was also a candidate for the Glory Knights."
I clenched my teeth. So, that's why Evangeline graduated early in this game iteration...!
"But at the last moment, Hecate refused."
The Emperor leaned back in his chair.
"Upon hearing that the knight selected as her successor was sixteen years old, she pleaded with me. She said she'd try to hold on as long as possible."
"..."
"And then... an accident happened."
"An accident?"
"It's about Fernandez."
Ah.
Hearing my second brother's name after a long while, I opened my mouth slightly. That's right, around that time...
"He tricked me into a scheme, and while I and the Glory Knights entered the spirit realm, he severed the connection with Everblack."
"Good heavens."
That damned second brother, so it's all connected like this?
I recalled the time I met the Emperor in the spirit realm.
That the Imperial Guard was trapped in the spirit realm with the Emperor.
"With the connection to Everblack severed, I lost the beacon of light and couldn't return to the real world. The same went for the Glory Knights. We were scattered, and the knights drifted into the deep sea of the spirit realm."
"..."
"It was only much later after I returned to reality that I managed to rescue them... but it was too late. Those five were already broken beyond repair. Moreover, exposed to the spirit realm for too long, even the curses and sorcery were damaged. Now, it might be impossible to pass on the curse to successors."
The Emperor let out a faint sigh.
"Luckily, the battles with the gods ceased, and so... I allowed those pitiful knights of mine to choose where they would fall. That place is Crossroad."
"..."
"Seeing the proclamation you sent, Hecate requested it. She wanted to attend the festival one last time. There were people she wanted to see before she died."
So...
Dressed in a gown she never wore in her life and even wearing childish red Mary Jane shoes,
She came to seek her old classmates, all dressed up.
"They are the shadows of the Empire. Cursed to never again receive the sunlight, unable to love and be loved like ordinary people. They are just pitiful and unfortunate beings who have burnt their lives entirely for the Empire and the Emperor."
The Emperor slowly rose from his chair.
"Entrusting them to you, what do you think I, as an Emperor, a father, expect from my son?"
I looked up at my father, overwhelmed.
"Isn't it obvious? As an Emperor, as a father, there's only one thing I can bestow upon my son."
With the afternoon sun of the festival-laden city behind him, his face buried in dark shadows...
The Emperor growled like a beast.
"Nothing but trials."
"...!"
"My son. You once said you would kill monsters and save people. And I asked you, what is the definition of the people you wish to protect?"
The question and answer session we had in the palace of New Terra came to my mind.
"And you answered that question by founding the World Guardian Front. All beings that communicate and seek understanding are the ones you aim to save."
From within the shadows, the Emperor's black eyes... emitted a faint golden light.
"Then, let me ask once more."
"..."
"If those beings willing to communicate and understand harbor an irremovable evil, would you still embrace them? Would you protect even such an adversary?"
I remained frozen, unable to move.
"The Glory Knights are loyal patriots who loved their country so much they gave everything. But what is the difference between a patriot of the Empire and an enemy of other nations?"
"..."
"From the foundation of the Empire to the present, the Glory Knights have never once defied the Emperor's orders, becoming the sword that was wielded. How many innocent lives has that blade taken?"
The Emperor kept pouring out.
"The shadows created by your beloved Dusk Bringar are none other than the Glory Knights. The Duchess is a pitiful and sad being, but the darkness she harbors is as deep as the years she has lived. Could you even look away from the Duchess's grotesque aspects?"
"..."
"And I, too, am the greatest villain under heaven. Just because I treat you tenderly and have arranged everything for you - do not think of me as a good person."
The Emperor methodically confessed his sins.
"I have framed innocent citizens, turning them into the dew on the scaffold, and then burned their bodies and souls to use as fuel for my country. I have personally crushed countless neighboring countries. How much innocent blood was shed in the process, and how many tears were spilled?"
"..."
"All the darkness I have wrought, I will embrace and die with. I want to make you an unblemished Emperor. Everything that can be cleaned with my tainted hands, I will sweep away. But!"
The Emperor slowly leaned forward towards me, an irresistible force emanating from his eyes as they drew closer.
"The darkness of the world is deep."
"...!"
"Deeper than you can imagine, deeper than you can grasp, always more profound."
The Emperor spread his arms wide.
"Are the shadows of the empire only the Glory Knights? Every knight, every mage, every soldier, every bureaucrat, and patriot stands upon this bloodstained, sin-ridden land."
"..."
"Look at the people you love. Look at the loyal warriors from all over the world, who would willingly die for you. Are they purely innocent and blameless?"
I clenched my teeth.
"Even if such people exist, they too would willingly stain their hands with blood to save you. To protect your cause, everyone would willingly embrace the darkness."
"..."
"But a good name is just a pretext. Regardless of the reason, with just a slight shift in perspective, every human is stepping into the abyss of evil."
The Emperor roared quietly.
"Truly, truly - would you embrace that too? All that evil, the darkness of this world, can you truly bear it?"
"..."
"Do you truly have the courage to embrace and cherish all this? My pure son. In this boiling pit of evil named 'the world,' what does the king you want to become look like?"
A moment of silence passed.
After catching my breath, I barely managed to ask.
"Father, why do you impose such trials on me?"
"Strictly speaking, this is not a trial I have imposed."
The Emperor chuckled.
"It's a trial you chose. I'm merely awakening you to it."
"...!"
"It is you who are walking into the path of Asura in pursuit of innocent goodness. Instead of your precarious purity, I'm merely suggesting a suitable compromise."
The Emperor whispered.
"Did I not say? I intend to make you the Emperor of the empire."
"..."
"Now you are leading the front to protect the world, so you can wave that grand flag. But what about after? How long can you continue to wield the ideal of embracing the whole world?"
Facing me with trembling eyes, the Emperor presented his 'compromise.'
"Cut away from the world."
"...!"
"There's no need to embrace everything. Embrace your world, your people, just the right amount of evil that you can handle."
The Emperor slowly stepped back and tilted his head, allowing his mythical face to soak in the sunlight, humanizing his expression.
"That's the answer I desire."
"What if I can't?"
"You know."
The Emperor smirked and gestured south.
"The end of kings who harbored ideals and overreached is always the same."
At that southern tip-
Lies an ancient kingdom sunken beneath the black lake.
The Emperor, baring his teeth in a grin, whispered in a jesting tone.
"Nothing but drowning."
I clenched my fist. The Emperor slowly exited the office, passing me by.
"I will watch, Born Hater. How you will embrace and cope with such darkness of your people."
"..."
"The choice you will clench at the end of this trial. And the outcome of it."
Creak- thud.
The door opened and closed, and I was left alone in the office, biting my lip.
The darkness harbored by Hecate. The darkness harbored by Dusk Bringar, by the Emperor.
And...
The darkness harbored by the many people affiliated with this front.
If I truly wish to be a king, to be the bearer of this flag leading them, I cannot turn away.
But- how far?
Do I have the capacity to embrace and dissolve all this darkness?
'To ponder the king's path before the Black Dragon Subjugation...'
Yet, I know.
Even if I can't find the right answer, even if I reach a clumsy conclusion...
I must not stop pondering.
For I know from experience. Such torment and dilemma eventually lead to preserving humanity.
Whether it's my humanity or that of everyone at the front.
To ponder until the end, for being human, is my role.