## Chapter 1572 – Chronicle of the Sword Emperor – Heavenly Demon’s Rampage

Copson, who had been sobbing loudly, stopped crying. He looked refreshed after his outburst. He brought back the moonlight he had banished, and we both slumped down.

“Remarkably… breathing in the air of a gambling den seems to calm me down.”
“You’re a real psycho.”
“Aren’t you the psycho! What kind of person brings the air of a gambling den to someone in sorrow! You’re out of your mind, you barbarian! I thought you were a complete madman!”

Usually, a madman doesn’t know he’s mad and tries to pin the blame on others. Is the guy who just regained his sanity by breathing in gambling den air really the one to say that to me?

“Cut the crap. Hey, you feel better now, don’t you? More importantly, how did you guess it was gambling den air just from one sniff?”
“It has… a unique, unforgettable aroma. Did you think I couldn’t even tell that much?”

He’s the kind of guy who calls the smell of a gambling den an aroma. Of course, he’d be able to distinguish it. He’s definitely the craziest bastard in the world.

“I’m telling you, this guy’s not right in the head.”
“Don’t talk about yourself. Anyway! When did you arrive? Were you following me!”
“Following you, you idiot? I told you, I heard monster cries and came out on patrol.”
“That’s a ridiculous lie!”
“Fine. Yeah. I was curious about what you were up to, so I did a little civilian surveillance. Happy?”
“Ugh… I can’t say anything because you’re the Emperor.”

—Swish.

I opened the gate again and took out a bottle of liquor and cups. Copson was amazed as he looked at the gate.

“That’s truly an incredible power. You really are a god.”
“Of course, I’m a god. Here, take this.”
“Thank you.”

And so, Copson and I shared a drink under the moonlight.

“Ah… this is good.”
“It’s expensive.”
“So, the villagers really were trying to deceive me?”
“Yep.”
“…”

Copson closed his mouth at those words.

“My own people were trying to trick me…”
“It’s a rural village, after all.”

Rural villages in this world have a unique, insular culture of community. These communities often have very bizarre ways of thinking.

“But you seemed to be getting along well with Elma.”
“…Haa.”

A sigh.

“To think she had four children… Actually, it was to be expected… There’s no way Elma, the prettiest woman in the village, would still be unmarried.”

She’s of marriageable age, after all.

“Perhaps I was deliberately ignoring that fact. Why else would Elma not have mentioned anything about being married when we exchanged letters?”
“They started working on you from then. If she had revealed she was married, you wouldn’t have come.”

It’s obvious at a glance.

“…I see.”

The villagers, having deduced that Copson had become successful in the capital just from him sending letters to Elma, immediately tried to connect Copson and Elma with their unique, close-knit community spirit.

“But it’s really too much. How could they hide that?”
“One guy told me.”
“A benefactor, a benefactor… But having revealed the village’s secret, his life will be a little harder from now on…”
“You can solve that. Tell him to come to the capital.”
“That’s a good idea too.”

Copson nodded and took another drink. He continued to lament.

“This is… they took advantage of my feelings. When a man and woman of this age talk to each other, it means something, doesn’t it?”
“Almost always.”
“But Elma hid the fact that she had children and talked to me with a smile… as if she was interested in me, deceiving me… because she coveted my wealth and status.”

Copson’s sigh deepened.

“It really breaks my heart. Was the smile she gave me a lie? Did she mock and deceive my heart with a lie?”

Bullshit.

This guy’s become a poet.

“So what if it was a lie, and so what if it wasn’t?”
“If it was a lie, of course, I’ll leave the village. But if it wasn’t…”

He’d suddenly have four children.

“Don’t you have any advice? You barbarian.”
“You have to figure out your own problems, you idiot. Do whatever you want.”
“…”

He really has a lot of lingering feelings. Well, he looked really happy whenever he talked to Elma. It seems like the first love bonus was really strong.

“Ugh…!”

He even groaned while tearing at his hair. But his hair is seriously something else. It’s on par with Kadia’s. That was too surprising.

“No, no, even so, the fact that I have four children I don’t even know…!”
“Do you have that much lingering attachment?”
“Of course, I do! Honestly, even though I know I was deceived, I still have lingering feelings!”
“Hehehe, is that so?”

You crazy sucker.

“Well, do whatever you want.”
“Give me some liquor!”

After that, Copson drank for a long time, agonizing over it with his head in his hands. He’s like this even though he knows he was deceived. He’s a complete pushover.

Looking at him, if it weren’t for me and that friend who revealed the truth, he would have gotten drunk and slept with Elma, and then he would have been completely ensnared. Just like the villagers’ plot.

The villagers really used their heads well.

They’re truly seasoned rural farmers.

“No! Even so, I can’t raise children! They’re not even my children! Damn it! What’s the husband like!”
“He ran away, I heard.”
“Irresponsible! Anyway, I have to go to the village and get an apology! Elma…! Honestly, I still have lingering feelings, but!”

Copson, who had stood up, declared.

“It’s better for everyone to just cleanly break it off!”
“Yeah, well. You can find women in the capital too.”
“Isn’t that why I came back to my hometown, because I couldn’t do that!”
“But what about the other hometown women? There were quite a few.”
“They’re too hardened by farm work! They are!”

Copson, half drunk, raised his voice and shouted.

“Hehehe, it seems so.”

I patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. From what I see, Elma will probably remarry one of the village youths after you leave. There’s no need to worry.”

That’s what the community spirit of a rural village in this world is like. One of the village youths will remarry Elma.

“Damn it…! I don’t like that either!”

His heart is in turmoil.

“Hey. So, should I beat up the villagers a bit?”
“No. There’s no need for that.”

Copson shook his head at my words.

“I’ll handle it, so you barbarian just watch. I’m not a child.”
“A child couldn’t have such a prominent chin.”

Imagine a woman with big breasts standing at attention and walking towards a wall. Her breasts would touch first. But Copson’s chin touches first.

That’s an undeniable fact.

“That again! Anyway, you barbarian, just watch from afar! I’ll handle it!”

* * *

Copson, having returned to the village, scolded the villagers severely.

He raised his voice, asking how they could try to deceive him, and the villagers, perhaps because everything had been exposed, repeatedly bowed their heads and begged for forgiveness.

“Copson… we weren’t trying to deceive you. We were going to tell you at the end…”
“You should have told me from the beginning. That’s what I think.”
“I’m sorry… I was having a hard time… I wanted to hold onto you, Copson…”
“Ugh, ugh.”

In the midst of that, Elma suddenly started complaining about how hard things were. Of course, Copson couldn’t be harsh with her.

But he shook his head vigorously as if he had made up his mind.

“Anyway! Use the gifts I gave you well! Honestly, it hurts that things turned out this way, but you’re still my hometown people. I don’t want to part on bad terms!”
“Thank you for forgiving us, Copson.”
“I’m sorry… I think we only thought about ourselves too much.”

Still, this guy is generous.

“Copson… I’m sorry. I wanted to connect you with Elma.”
“She has four children. Isn’t that too much, no matter what?”

But some of them still seem to have lingering feelings.

“It’s for the sake of the village. If you live together, you’ll eventually be happy. The children are almost grown, and you can start a new life with Elma, right? Elma’s children can be raised in the village.”
“What?”

The children will be raised in the village.

Copson perked up his ears at those words.

This guy, seriously, ugh.

“The children… excluded?”
“Copson, you said you’re doing well in the capital, right? Just contribute a little to the children’s upbringing, and it wouldn’t be bad for Elma and you to live together in the capital. Elma can make a fresh start… and you, Copson, can have a wife from your hometown. Isn’t that perfect?”

Then, Elma chimed in smoothly.

“Copson. I was still sincere. My feelings for you.”
“But…! But why another…”
“You weren’t there then. I couldn’t keep waiting… If you hadn’t left, those children might have been your children.”
“…”

His pupils trembled.

Seeing that, a villager added.

“Take Elma with you. Elma will be a good wife. Honestly, there must be a lot of hardships in capital life. If you’re with Elma, who you grew up with since childhood… it might be good. Elma will take care of you very well. If you have a wife like Elma by your side, it’ll be really comfortable.”
“That’s…”

Copson’s anguish deepened.

It’s frustrating and he seems like such a pushover, but this is Copson’s problem in the first place. Whatever he does, I have to respect his choice.

“…Hoo.”

However, Copson decides.

“No. I can’t do that. I can’t separate a child from their mother.”

He shook his head firmly.

“Take care.”
“Co, Copson.”

Elma grabbed Copson’s wrist, but yeah.

Copson had made up his mind.

“Elma. I was originally going to give you this.”

Copson, taking out a small box from his pocket, handed it to Elma.

“This is…?”
“It’s a good ring, so go sell it in the city. You have to raise the children, right?”

A ring.

“A, a ring. Copson. I don’t deserve to receive something like this…”
“Just think of it as a gift for the children being born. Well, that kind of thing happened, and today this kind of thing happened, but you’re still my hometown friend, Elma. And we spent our childhood together. So, I won’t say anything else.”

With that, Copson turned around.

“I’m just giving you the ring to get rid of my lingering feelings. Raise the kids well.”

He walked towards the carriage.

“Copson!”

Elma’s shout.

Copson didn’t look back and simply.

—Swish.

He raised one hand and waved it.

“Let’s go. Attendants.”
“Copson-nim…!”
“Let’s go.”
“Understood.”

Copson, having instructed his attendants, boarded the carriage.

With that, Copson’s first love came to an end.

* * *

“How do you feel?”
“Please open the gambling den! Honestly, you saw everything, didn’t you! If there’s any human heart left in you, barbarian, you should at least lift the gambling den ban this time!”
“Yeah. I’m a god. I don’t know the human heart.”

God doesn’t know the human heart.

“Are you saying you don’t know the human heart because you’re a god! How can such a god be a good god!”
“You little shit, if I ban gambling, that’s what makes me a good god, you bastard.”
“Uwaaaaaaaack!”

Something sad happened, but I have no intention of lifting the ban.

“At least the aroma again…!”
“Well, something like that. I’ll bring it to you in a bottle next time.”
“I’m going crazy!”
“Hehehe.”

* * *

Anyway, even after all that, Copson was doing well as always after returning. Honestly, I don’t know what’s in his heart, but he’s an adult. Time will heal him.

Copson, who’s been rolling around as an adventurer, slaughtering murderous robbers with me, wouldn’t be broken by something like this.

But I wonder if he’ll suddenly go down to find Elma again.

He did look a little lonely.

“So.”

I decided to survey that building once to see Karin. One warp would be enough, but I just entered through the front gate with dignity. I was curious about how this bastard Copson spends his time normally.

Let’s survey Copson a bit.

“H-Heavenly Demon-nim!”
“U-Uwaaaaaaaack!”
“Don’t make a fuss and get to work. All of you.”
“Understood!”

As I was going up, stopping all those who were trying to prostrate themselves in shock.

“But, you know. About, Copson-nim, I mean.”
“Hmm?”

I couldn’t help but stop for a moment at the words I heard from above the stairs.

“What about Copson-nim?”
“Well, that’s…”

Looking, I saw female employees gathered together, whispering to each other. They were talking about Copson at that moment.

Let’s listen.

“Don’t you think Copson-nim has become a bit cooler lately?”

What the hell is this nonsense?

“What, what kind of nonsense is that?”

Another female employee seemed to have the same thought as me and called it nonsense.

“No, really. It’s like the frivolous feeling has disappeared a little. He seems a bit melancholic… and his hair seems really good too…”
“Are you kidding? Did you eat something wrong?”
“Take a look. The atmosphere has really changed.”
“It’s definitely true that…”

Is spring coming for Copson?