Wait, are you serious???
Durin's mouth twitched violently.
Before him, the old mage displayed an obsequious smile.
"Your Majesty, you may not remember me, but I am Kafka—you may call me Kaf!"
"Now that you have awakened, I doubt those shadewhite will pose any threat at all!"
Durin gave a casual response while secretly gathering information about this world.
Five thousand years ago, shadewhite suddenly appeared. No one knew where they came from, nor their true purpose. But ever since their arrival, they had waged relentless war against humanity.
The four great kingdoms of mankind had once ruled the land as its strongest forces. But after centuries of shadewhite invasion, three of the four had fallen.
Now, Ilan Kingdom was the last remaining stronghold of humanity—its final hope.
"The shadewhite have been pressing us harder and harder. We were barely holding on before. But now that Your Majesty has returned, eliminating them will be but a trifle!"
…Wait.
What do you mean?
Durin was dumbstruck. Was this Kaf implying that he, alone, was supposed to deal with the shadewhite?!
No way. You're overestimating me!
Nope—running away was the only logical option!
With that thought, Durin shut his mouth, playing the role of the silent and wise Emperor. After all, the less he said, the fewer mistakes he could make.
Once he returned to the kingdom, he could find an excuse to shake off these ministers!
Fight the shadewhite?
Yeah, right.
Finally, after some careful maneuvering, Durin managed to get some time alone!
Now's the time to run!
Durin immediately snuck through the palace's back gate, sprinting away.
But after a while, he suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.
Wait… I have no money.
Even if he escaped, how was he supposed to survive?
With the shadewhite at the gates, the cost of living in Ilan Kingdom was probably through the roof.
But… that wasn't a problem!
"I'm the Emperor now, aren't I? It's perfectly reasonable for me to dip into my own treasury. I'll just take a few treasures and sell them for a fortune. Then I can live out my days in peace!"
Even the shadewhite had taken four thousand years to conquer three kingdoms. He only needed a hundred years of comfort—no big deal.
As for the rewards from playing the Emperor…
What kind of idiot would take on a mission like that?!
Before he could even complete the mission, he'd probably already died trying!
With his mind made up, Durin, using his status as the Emperor, made his way to the royal treasury.
Outside, the palace guards were staring at him in amazement.
"His Majesty is truly a master of ancient shadow magic! I can't sense even the slightest magic fluctuation from him. If I didn't recognize him, I'd think he was just an ordinary man!"
"Shh! Show some respect! If you offend His Majesty, he might erase you with a flick of his hand!"
Ha.
Durin laughed bitterly to himself, utterly speechless.
If only I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be so terrified right now!
The treasury was massive. The moment Durin stepped inside, he was stunned.
So. Many. Treasures.
Which one was the most valuable?
Durin rubbed his chin in thought—then quickly snapped back to reality.
Everything in here is priceless.
Whatever I take will be enough to make me rich for life.
Without hesitation, Durin grabbed two easy-to-carry treasures, stuffed them into his pockets, and made his way toward the back door.
As he passed the palace guards, they looked a little puzzled by the Emperor's actions, but none dared to question him.
Thus, Durin made it all the way to the palace gates without trouble!
"Freedom, here I come!"
His heart raced as he stepped across the threshold—
But just then, his vision blurred as three figures suddenly appeared before him!
"Shadewhite lurk at every corner, Your Majesty. Might I ask where you are headed?"
…Oh no.
Durin's heart dropped. His gaze swept across the three dukes standing before him.
These three were among the strongest warriors in Ilan Kingdom.
I'm dead.
They found out.
They saw through his disguise after all. These old foxes had finally seen through his act.
Durin opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.
Tell them he was just a normal guy and not actually the Emperor?
That would only make him die faster!
As Durin's mind went blank, one of the dukes suddenly snorted coldly.
"Hmph! Your Majesty need not explain. We understand everything!"
"???"
Durin was utterly baffled.
You understand what, exactly?!
Before he could process what was happening, the duke abruptly turned—
And pointed his staff straight at the palace guards behind Durin!
"Attack!"
The other two dukes immediately followed suit.
Raising their staffs, they chanted incantations, and in an instant, three powerful magical blasts erupted!
BOOM!
The palace guard let out a miserable scream before being blown to pieces!
"What are you… what are you doing?!"
Durin was horrified.
He stared at the three dukes, completely confused.
They weren't here to catch him?
They were here to… silence someone?
But why kill the palace guard?!
"Your Majesty, do not be alarmed!"
"That guard had been taken over by the shadewhite!"
"We only just discovered it!"
"Shadewhite?!"
Durin's heart skipped a beat.
Was the guard really a shadewhite?
But…
How did they find out?
"Hah! I didn't expect you to notice!"
Just then—
The shattered guard began to move.
His body twisted and writhed like malleable clay, contorting into a grotesque, monstrous form!
"You damned humans! How dare you ruin my plans!"
"But it doesn't matter. If I kill you and devour your souls, I will grow even stronger!"
As he spoke, an immense aura erupted from his body!
"Stellar rank level 9!"
Duke Kafka's face paled in shock.
"Damn it! A stellar rank level 9 shadewhite?!"
The other two dukes wore similarly grim expressions.
They had never expected to run into an enemy this powerful.
In this world, power was divided into hero rank, supreme rank, ascension rank, sage rank, stellar rank, demigod rank, and god rank.
Each rank had nine levels, and only the shadewhite overlords and the Emperors of the four great kingdoms could reach demigod rank.
Outside of that, a stellar rank level 9 warrior was practically invincible.
Moreover, this shadewhite had remained undetected for years—meaning it must have been using a demigod-rank concealment artifact.
"We are truly fortunate, Your Majesty. Thanks to you, we have uncovered this hidden threat!"
Duke Kafka sighed in relief.
"If Your Majesty hadn't guided us to this traitor, we might have never discovered him in time!"
"Your Majesty truly possesses a terrifying level of foresight!"
Durin looked at the tense standoff before him.
For a moment, he was utterly dumbfounded.
Did I… just stumble upon a shadewhite by accident?!
The three dukes were stellar rank level 7 at most—they were no match for this enemy.
"Ahem."
Durin cleared his throat, adopting a mysterious demeanor.
"I trust you know what to do next."
A statement full of authority.
Surely, they'd call for reinforcements now?
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
"Now, please, demonstrate your strength and obliterate this wretched shadewhite!"