Chapter 318
Lena was staring blankly at Chris.
Endlessly.
Her gaze held a bittersweet ache that made Chris’s chest tighten.
It was the same look she had given him before her death in their previous life.
“…Why is she looking at me like that?”
Chris wore a face of confusion.
This was only their second meeting in this life.
And the first time wasn’t even a proper meeting—Lena had been under the control of Märchen, the Puppeteer of the Four Kings’ Castle.
“…Do you have something to say?”
Chris deliberately answered coldly, trying to hide the turmoil in his chest.
But Lena did something he couldn’t understand.
Without a word, she started moving closer to him.
“What are you doing? Stop.”
Did she not hear him?
She kept approaching, staring blankly at him.
With each step, the distance between them shrank.
Finally, within arm’s reach, Lena spoke.
“…We met. At last.”
“…What?”
“Hehe.”
Lena smiled brightly.
Just like in their past life.
But Chris, who had spent so much time with her, knew better.
That smile was the one she forced when holding back tears.
“…You?”
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
A brilliant flash!
Her body was engulfed in a whirlwind of darkness. She was disappearing.
“Wait!!”
Chris grabbed her hand desperately, but it was no use.
In that final moment, their eyes met.
Lena’s face still wore that radiant smile.
She reached out to touch his cheek.
The instant her fingers brushed his skin, a single tear slipped from her eye.
“Goodbye.”
Flash!
Chris stood frozen, staring at the spot where she had vanished.
“…Lena?”
High above, in the vast sky.
A dizzying height from which the entire continent could be seen at once.
A place closer to the stars than anywhere else in the world.
There, an incongruous figure floated.
A handsome man dressed in a neat gentleman’s suit.
The Archmage Chancellor.
He sat cross-legged on a flying carpet, puffing on a long pipe, as if waiting for someone.
Soon enough, a group appeared.
[…What business do you have here? The ‘Edge of the World’ is not a place you are permitted to be.]
A humanoid figure clad in pure white, with a glowing halo above their head.
An angel.
Not just any angel, but one of the highest rank, judging by the halo’s radiance.
There wasn’t just one.
Slowly, the space around them warped, and countless angels began to appear.
Easily over a thousand.
[You’ve gathered quite a crowd. Am I really that frightening?]
The Archmage Chancellor teased, but the angels didn’t respond.
They only radiated a stiff, unyielding aura.
They were on guard against him.
[…State your purpose. Again, this place is forbidden to you.]
[Ah, I have something to say to your Celestial Realm.]
[…What is it?]
[You’ve crossed the line.]
[!!]
The Archmage Chancellor smiled slyly.
At the same time, a chilling aura spread around, draining the color from the angels’ faces.
They were overwhelmed.
[…Could it be you’re here about Christian?]
[Ah, yes.]
The Archmage Chancellor looked up at the sky.
His gaze fixed on the massive stars beyond the distant heavens of the Celestial Realm’s Fourth Sphere and above.
[The time we agreed upon hasn’t come yet. I understand your impatience, but let’s keep it fair, shall we?]
Did the Celestial Realm understand his words?
The sky trembled briefly.
The Archmage Chancellor shrugged.
[…Have you said all you needed to? Then leave.]
[Ah, I have, but…]
The Archmage Chancellor muttered absentmindedly, puffing on his pipe.
[Since you broke the rules, I’m going to give you a warning.]
[…What?]
[No more, no less—exactly half of you will die.]
[!!]
The angels’ faces stiffened.
[How dare a mere human!!]
[To the servants of our Constellation!]
The senior angels behind them shouted in anger, but the highest-ranking angel at the front gave an unexpected order.
[Everyone, fall back immediately!]
[…What? We must show this insolent one the authority of the Celestial Realm…!]
[He is not someone we can contend with! Fall back at once!]
The Archmage Chancellor raised his hand.
[Too late.]
Darkness engulfed the world.
Hell descended.
“Ugh, my back. Is it because I’m getting old? Even this is such a bother. No fun at all.”
Around the Archmage Chancellor, faint wisps drifted through the air.
Fragments of souls—shattered remnants of angels who had been destroyed.
Out of a thousand angels, not a single one survived.
[…Oh, right. I said I’d only kill half, but I ended up killing them all. Well, whatever. Haah.]
The Archmage Chancellor stretched on his carpet and looked down at the land below.
After a long distance, his gaze settled on one figure.
Christian.
“You’re safe. That’s a relief.”
The Archmage Chancellor twisted the corner of his mouth.
“Well, honestly, it wouldn’t matter if Christian died now. Actually, it might even suit the Dark Emperor’s plan better. After all, we and the Dark Heaven share the same goal.”
A startling revelation.
The Dark Heaven refers to both the Celestial Realm and Gehenna.
In other words, according to the Archmage Chancellor, the Dark Emperor, the Celestial Realm, and even Gehenna all desire the same outcome.
“But that would be boring. I’m a rebel—I hate the obvious. I’ve tried that before.”
He’s tried it before.
A cryptic statement.
“So, Christian, please do your best. I’m counting on you.”
The Archmage Chancellor chuckled and rose to leave.
But at the last moment, he looked not toward Chris, but elsewhere.
Toward a figure where the Dark Demon Lord resided.
Marie.
The Archmage Chancellor twisted his mouth again.
“You’re doing well. That’s good. Not much time left now, so make the most of your happiness.”
Another cryptic remark.
With that, the Archmage Chancellor vanished.
Silence fell.
“Long live the Hero Prince!!”
“Long live!!”
Cheers echoed across the capital.
They praised Chris for defeating the demon who had descended upon the imperial palace.
“Who would have thought the Crown Prince had made a pact with a demon?”
“If it weren’t for the Hero Prince, everything would have been lost.”
“Thanks to the Hero Prince’s preemptive action, the casualties weren’t too severe.”
Indeed, as the people said, the loss of life was minimal.
Thanks to the defensive formation activated in advance through Lanya.
The damage was limited to the faction of the Second Prince who had been threatening the Crown Prince, and the Emperor of the Great War.
Because of this, everyone shouted in unison:
“We must crown the Hero Prince as the new Emperor!!”
“Yes, exactly!! There’s no one else fit to be Emperor but the Hero Prince!”
Of course, Chris had no intention of becoming Emperor.
“Are you crazy? Why would I go through all that trouble? Once was enough.”
Having experienced it firsthand, he knew the job of Emperor was nothing but endless hardship with no time to enjoy life.
He had no desire to ever take that role again.
“Better to have others do the work while I enjoy the benefits from behind the scenes.”
The Third Prince’s mouth dropped open as he asked,
“Are you really going to hand me the throne? Is that true?”
“Yes, yes.”
“You mustn’t back down. Hahaha! From now on, I’m the Emperor! The Emperor!!”
His eyes gleamed with greed.
Chris smirked.
“Foolish. Enjoy it while you can. Soon enough, you’ll be shitting blood.”
The continent was about to be plunged into chaos.
No riches or glory awaited him. Only a living hell.
In fact, the Third Prince, Lauren, had died after endless suffering following his ascension in the previous life.
-If I’m ever reborn, I swear I’ll never be Emperor again…!
He had even left such a dying wish.
“But there’s a condition. Oh, and since you’re my slave, you know you can’t refuse, right?”
“…What do you want?”
“Raise an army and march toward the Four Kings’ Castle.”
“!!”
The Third Prince’s expression changed.
“Absolutely not! That would cause great harm to my empire!!”
Typical greedy fool.
He was determined to protect his empire, which had become his treasure trove.
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to actually fight. Just draw their attention.”
“But what if the Four Kings’ Castle goes berserk in response?”
“That won’t happen. The Four Kings’ Castle will soon kneel before our Dark Demon Lord.”
The Third Prince looked incredulous.
He knew well the power of the Four Kings’ Castle.
“That’s nonsense. There’s no way the Dark Demon Lord has that kind of power.”
“It’s possible. Because I’m here.”
He was serious.
‘This war must deal a fatal blow to the Four Kings’ Castle.’
Completely subjugating it was impossible.
But they planned to inflict a crippling wound to keep it from rising again.
“And we need to turn the heart of Changseong, one of the Seven Lords of the Karn Empire.”
“!!”
The Third Prince looked troubled.
“But Changseong has committed a grave offense against our royal family.”
“That’s a false accusation.”
“…Still, Changseong won’t easily change his mind. He might even harbor resentment toward the royal family because of past events.”
The Third Prince was reluctant to bring Changseong back.
The power of the Nine-Star Superhuman Changseong was a serious threat to the royal family.
Of course, Chris had no intention of entertaining such weak thoughts.
“Hey. I think you’ve forgotten who you are.”
The Third Prince hesitated before answering.
“…I am the noble body destined to become the great Emperor of the Karn Empire.”
“Exactly. Don’t you see this?”
The Third Prince wasn’t just bound by soul magic.
Chris waved a document in his hand.
There was evidence that the Third Prince worshipped demons.
Of course, all of it was fabricated by Chris, but as long as that evidence existed, Chris could have the Third Prince burned at the stake anytime.
“Ugh… Why did I have to get tangled up with a demon like this? And to think everyone praised him as a hero! They must all be blind.”
The Third Prince swallowed his tears.
“Who do you think you are?”
“…I-I am your slave.”
“That’s better. Let’s behave, okay?”
“Y-yes, understood.”
“Is that a quiet voice I hear?”
“I’ll do better!!”
After a brief commotion, Chris spoke again.
“There’s one more thing you need to do.”
“Again? What is it?!”
“…Why are you raising your voice? You look full of complaints. Don’t like it? Do you remember what the burning stake of the Karn Empire looks like?”
The Third Prince tried to resist timidly but quickly shrank back, his throat tightening as he stammered.
“N-no, it’s not that. I was just trying to shout out my loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!”
“Tch. Come in.”
The door creaked open, and an unexpected figure appeared.
It was Ruina.
“Aren’t you the leader of the Dear Guild? Why are you here all of a sudden? And why are you dressed like that?”
The Third Prince tilted his head in confusion.
Ruina looked different from usual.
Instead of her usual comfortable work clothes, she wore a neat suit, and her expression was stiff and serious.
“Today, she’s not here as the leader of the Dear Guild.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at the necklace she’s wearing.”
Ruina wore a gray pendant where a crescent moon and sun overlapped.
It was a famous emblem.
“Why that symbol?”
A thought suddenly struck the Third Prince, and his eyes widened.
“Could it be that you are—?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ruina bowed her head slightly.
“The last heir of the lost kingdom pays respects to His Majesty, the new Emperor of the Empire.”