Chapter 55 – Two Champions – 3

Barimletter.
My hometown

Prison.

And, the place where I love her most in the world.

I had to leave the land just because she loved her. All the things I’ve achieved in my hometown, the things I’ve barely embraced and endured, leaving behind everything. I, who lost everything in an instant in front of my eyes, made up my mind to go out into the big world.

Now, I will get everything I want.

Whatever I decided to have, I would definitely put it in my hands.

So decided.

I decided so…

After you have everything, thieves appear.

Parasites that eat away at my honor. Trash trying to get me down somehow.

Now, the demon lord is outraged. Incompetent knights who couldn’t even block them.

And, the Myler guys made it up. An unknown warrior.

…

Everything sucks

I feel like I’m going to go crazy because I’m annoyed.

“Welcome, Leo-sama. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for you.”

As soon as the chief chamberlain saw me, he lowered his head and said, I asked, frowning even after hearing the story, which was not a big deal.

“Is that rhetorical? Or is it literal?”

It was a question that would be embarrassing to stupid subordinates. However, the chief chamberlain cleverly grasped my meaning and answered right away. But his answer, far from satisfying, caused only displeasure.

“He said he wouldn’t start until Leo-sama came.”

“Incompetent fucks.”

I spat out a swear word without hiding it. It didn’t relieve my anger, but I didn’t think I could bear this stuffiness without spitting it out. I stood still and let go of my anger, then went into the meeting room a little rough.

Thud.

“…”

The moment I opened the door and entered, everyone’s eyes were fixed on me. I purposely stood by the door and looked around. An old and powerless emperor. And equally incompetent servants. It has been a long time since the lips of those who looked this way with anxious eyes were locked in silence.

“Ha…”

The fact that this silence melted into the air did not come instantaneously, but had lasted for a long time, scratched my nerves. I approached the emperor without a sign of hiding my anger and lowered my head roughly.

“It’s late. Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ah… No, I was just about to start.”

“Looks like you’ve been waiting a long time for that.”

Without warning, I cast my gaze at one of the knights. Then he shook his head in amazement as if he had been stabbed.

“Oh…No! That’s…”

He opened his mouth hastily, but his voice cracked because he had been silent for too long. It looks like your lips are dry. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and took my seat.

“Okay. Let’s just start. Is there anything you’d like to see first?”

I asked politely, but I didn’t expect an answer to fly. These puppets don’t know how to do anything except what they’re told to do. It didn’t matter if I did what I was told to do, but their incompetence always exceeded my expectations.

Eventually, when the silence grew longer than expected, I shook my head and opened my mouth again.

“Okay. Then let’s talk about the most important thing. How far have the demons come?”

Even though it was a simple question, they looked at each other and avoided answering. In the end, one of the young knights who always felt responsible in such situations spoke up.

“I am Aiden of the White Tiger Knights.”

“I’m not interested. Go ahead and talk.”

“Ah…Yes.”

His pride must have been hurt, but he bowed his head once more. Then he continued his speech in a rather downcast voice.

“Despite Leo-sama’s genius tactics and the brave struggle of the Imperial Army, the demons are advancing rapidly with only numerical superiority.

“Tell me the gist.”

“…Looking at this speed. It seems that it will reach the capital within three days at the longest.”

Fuck.

I only spit it out in my heart, but everyone in the meeting room, including the emperor, bowed their heads and made miserable faces as if they had heard my swear words. I opened my mouth, frowning.

“No matter how powerful the Demon King’s army is, to think that the entire empire has been overrun in such a short period of time. Do you think this makes sense?”

“But that…”

“I’ll make an excuse here. I’ll listen. What do you want to say?”

“Because mages who should be deployed on the border are concentrated in the capital…”

“It is also true that we were able to successfully defend the capital thanks to that.

“…Sorry.”

The guy twisted his lips as if he had something left to say, then forcibly cut off his words. But I could imagine what he wanted to say. Bringing the wizards to the capital wasn’t a personal matter. And as for dealing with the Four Heavenly Kings, shouldn’t you, a hero like the mysterious young man in Milere, have handled it alone?

Isn’t it because the demons came in in the first place because you didn’t put an end to it properly?

Words I hadn’t heard forced their way into my head, causing irritation. In an instant, the desire to rip off the young knight’s head soared. But then the emperor opened his mouth in a weak voice.

“…So. Are there still refugees outside the walls?”

“…”

No one answered the somewhat bittersweet question. But in this situation, silence was no different from affirmation. The emperor looked at those who couldn’t open their mouths easily, then turned his head to me.

“It seems that way. Shouldn’t we take them inside?”

“Didn’t I tell you that’s not possible?”

“But aren’t they my people too? How can I leave those who cry out for me and your name to be saved?”

“My people…”

A word full of hypocrisy made me unknowingly laugh. Despite being an incompetent puppet emperor, he pretends to be good by himself. I looked at him without erasing the cynicism on my lips.

“But Your Majesty, the situation in the capital is poor right now. Due to the sudden invasion of demons, all supplies are in short supply. Do.”

“What do you mean? The capital is not that poor…”

“You have to look at it in the long term. The war will probably last for a long time. If you blindly accept refugees as pitiful people, even those inside the castle will die. And, how many useless people like that should die to harm the empire?”

The last word came out involuntarily. It was worth refuting, but unlike the young knight from before, the emperor was still as wise as an old man, so he immediately shut up.

And the silence made me annoyed.

Don’t they have their own subjectivity? Are you not capable enough to be swayed by the words of a mercenary who has been killing and repeating for years? Of course, I liked their incompetence at first. Because I could wield and dominate everything. However, when the crisis came, the whole of the weak aspects of the empire were shaken and began to attack me.

“Damn it…”

This time, he spat out curses clearly audibly. But no one stopped after anyone stopped. Because I’m the only one they can rely on in a situation like this. Without such an ignoramus, this country, which had already begun to crumble, would soon perish.

Wooddeuk.

I suddenly heard the sound of something crunching in my hand, and when I looked there, I saw that the handle of the chair I was holding was breaking. Like, like this fragile empire shattering in my hands.

Okay.

Like this country that collapses no matter how hard you try.

“You’re tired.”

I mumbled that one word and got up from my seat. The violently pushed chair tipped over and fell backwards with a thump.

“I’m going to be resting for a while, so I hope you guys can do something about your thoughts. Don’t think that I’ll do anything for you, please work at least as much as you’ve been given.”

After exhaling coldly, I looked around again, but no one raised their heads. It was obvious what they could do next. What are you going to do with these guys?

“Ha…”

I decided to have everything I wanted.

And in the end, I had it all.

Everything flows in your hands little by little.

As if it wasn’t something I could have in the first place. Like please get the subject right or get it right. Everything that could not be contained in the palm of your hand crumbles like dust and disappears.

…No.

I definitely deserve it.

‘Cause I’m the chosen one

Because I am the hero who will save the empire.

In the end, I will be a winner with everything.

As always.

I thought so and kicked out the door.

Bang!

The door slammed as violently as when they entered, and a loud sound rang out. While I was thinking about spitting out swear words in that state, a small hand suddenly grabbed my collar. I averted my gaze with irritated eyes and momentarily flinched and stopped.

“Eric.”

“Ah… Father…”

I hurriedly corrected my expression as I called my son’s name. The child, who resembled her mother to the point of cruelty, looked at me with her teary eyes and said,

“Are you… Angry?”

“Ah…No? Angry. Me? Does Dad look angry?”

“I think I hear a loud noise from inside…”

“No. It’s not like that at all. What’s there to be angry about? My Eric came to see my dad.”

I forced a smile and held Eric in my arms. An anxious, quivering breath burrowed into my arms.

“So. Why did you come all the way here? You should stay with Mom and Elina. Dad said. Dad has to protect the world, so you have to protect them.”

“I know. But…”

Eric said, rubbing his face a little and pushing me away with his small hands.

“But I’m afraid that my father will get hurt too. The monster hurt me a lot last time too.”

“Dad? No, not at all. Who said that? Which…Some guy did that?”

Unbeknownst to me, there was life in my voice. Eric seemed to have sensed it as well, and answered with a little hesitation.

“Uh…Mom…”

“Did Mom say that? Dad got hurt in a fight?”

“Yes. Daddy was hurt a lot. Then he cried a little. He said that even Daddy couldn’t protect everything. Now he said he wanted it to stop.”

“I see.”

I tried to speak calmly, but I couldn’t help but feel agitated. She was the most beloved woman in the world, but it was also true that she sometimes got into her fucking mood.

“No. I didn’t get hurt a lot. My dad is a warrior. The one who defeated the demon king. This time, that kind of bug… No, I’ll defeat that guy in an instant.”

“Is it so…?”

“Of course. Dad… He’ll kill them all.”

“…”

Her child’s pupils instantly flickered in fear. I found it too, but I didn’t want to pay attention to it now. I already had too many things in my head.

“You must… Do you have to do it?”

Then Eric asked me in a trembling voice. I didn’t understand the meaning of the word itself, so I asked again.

“Do I have to?”

“You don’t have to do it only for your father. Can’t you make someone else do it?”

“Have someone. There’s someone else besides me. Are there any knights under my father? They’re much weaker than my father, so I can’t.”

There was a momentary laugh, and his voice became dry. Sometimes I forget that my son is only a child. Sometimes we forget that being naive and pure is a natural age. When I look at times like this, I always think of that bastard. He’s the idiot who thought he’d be a knight someday. No, actually, these days, I think of him often. That stupid, innocent Lorenheim country boy…

“Not those people. The one who defeated the Minotaur.”

At that moment, Eric’s voice harshly penetrated the complicated tangled brain. I stared blankly at the front, then slowly lowered my gaze.

“…What?”

“Huh…His Majesty the Emperor told me…Dad doesn’t have to do everything. Another…Another…Appeared…”

“What did the emperor say?”

It was a voice full of life that I could hear. Eric hesitated a lot before replying with a look that looked like he was going to cry again.

“A hero…Another…Appeared…”

…

“What the fuck.”

In the end, I couldn’t hold back my anger and spat out curse words. Then he jumped up from his seat and said.

“Go back to your room, Eric.”

“Yes?”

“Such an incompetent emperor to my son…”

I kicked the conference room door with my foot, leaving Eric alone, who was frightened and hesitant. With a crackling sound, the hinges became tattered and the huge door collapsed with a bang. I stepped on the door where not a single speck of dust rose and rushed inside.

“Your Majesty the Emperor!”

A rumbling voice filled the conference hall. I strode towards the emperor without showing any signs of being polite. And with the momentum to grab him by the collar, I stood in front of him.

“Le…Leo…”

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

I grabbed the throne he was sitting on with my hand. I didn’t apply much force, but I felt the fragile chair slowly crushing. I vomited the anger that I had been chewing in my mouth without hiding it.

“Fuck. What nonsense are you talking to my son?”

“Leo…”

“What happened to the hero? I told you not to talk nonsense like that. There’s no such thing. It’s just nonsense made up by those idiots, Milere, there’s nothing like that! Neither the demon king nor the new hero. There’s no such thing in this world! It’s all mine I killed it with my own hands so damn it!”

“Leo.”

After entering the palace, he vomited his anger with unprecedented ferocity, but the emperor’s eyes showed no sign of fear of me. No, to be precise, it looked like she was afraid of something that wasn’t me. He looked at me with his lips quivering, then slowly turned his head to his side.

“What…”

I turned my head to follow his gaze. Then, a jobber I hadn’t seen before was staring at us with his knee on his knees. As soon as he saw me, he collapsed flat on his face and said,

“Leo-sama…”

“What the fuck?”

He forcibly raised his head even in the midst of my bloody killing spree. But his mouth didn’t come off. For a moment there was silence in the meeting room.

And then, suddenly, something started to ring.

…

“What…”

Sensing the slight vibration that made the ground shake, I got up.

“What… What!”

…! …! …! …!

For the first time, an ominous aura enveloped his entire body. Something unknown. Something was strangling me. Like Rick, who lost contact for no reason. Like barbie. I felt like something unknown was approaching me.

“Damn it…”

I traced the air with my eyes and suddenly grabbed the sword at my waist. And I screamed at the knights who were staring at me stupidly.

“What are you doing, idiots! Get out of here!”

“Yes…Yes!”

They hurried out like whipped horses. I giggled amidst the noise and dust they caused, then looked at the emperor.

“Leo…”

“Fuck…”

He just called me by my first name. I finally shook my head and moved on.

“Fuck…”

My heart started beating. The unpleasant echo continued.

“Fuck…Fuck…!”

Suddenly I was running. I didn’t know what it was, but this echo was definitely calling me. I felt even a strange sense of fear in that unknown call, so I just ran. But that didn’t erase the ominous feeling.

“Fuck!!!”