7.

Despite the continent’s shifting mood, the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace remained largely unchanged.

Such was the composure of an absolute ruler.

Even though divine authority had risen and royal authority had fallen after God’s intervention, the Emperor was still confident. He could take back control of the continent at any time. And that was not mere bravado.

In reality, the Empire had suffered no real damage from the current situation. Even with Han Simin as his son-in-law and Kenji as the new Pope, not a single kingdom on the continent had dared to be the first to tell the Emperor that his demon-kin son-in-law should be killed.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to. It was probably the first thing on everyone’s mind: the fall of the Emperor who had conquered and ruled the continent as a dictator for so long. Most people believed that in the world that followed, they would at least get a bigger piece of the pie.

However, the reason they couldn’t act was the same reason Kenji didn’t make a move.

The Empire was simply too solid to be challenged on those grounds alone. It had won the war against the warlocks, contributed greatly to the war against the demons, and had remained neutral in the affair with Han Simin. They lacked both justification and strength.

Above all, they knew that if they pushed too hard, they might get stabbed in the back by the demons. No one was willing to draw their sword while bearing that risk, especially when the scattered demons were now causing more damage than when they had been a unified army.

All these complex factors combined to let the Imperial Family maintain its peace, like the eye of a storm.

Until he arrived.

“...”

“Father-in-law, long time no see.”

“Hmph.”

The Emperor wasn’t particularly displeased with the current situation. As mentioned, he had leeway, and it wasn’t a bad state for the continent. It was better for the demons to be wiped out under a stronger divine influence than for them to run rampant while humans and demons fought for control.

However, he did not appreciate this encounter with the uninvited guest who had just appeared before him.

“What’s with that look? As if you’ve just seen the Demon King.”

“It’s just surprising to see a man who should be on the run standing right in front of me.”

“Come on. Only the guilty run.”

“...”

And still, he tossed out brazen lines that would justify getting his teeth knocked out ten times over.

“You joined hands with the Demon King, deceived me, deceived the Imperial Princess, deceived the Temple, and deceived the entire continent, and you dare say that?” the Emperor demanded.

He was being sincere. He didn’t feel any particular anger. Rather than seeing him as the man who had plunged the continent into crisis, the Emperor was more struck by the true nature he had seen in Han Simin while working with him.

It didn’t change the fact that both sides were distasteful, but at least Simin wasn’t utterly beyond the pale.

The essence of a human. His obsession with money. His collusion with the Demon King for that money. How pure was that?

It wasn’t something the Emperor, who had brought peace to the continent through dictatorship, should be saying, but from a similar position of power, he could understand.

“So, did you profit much?”

“Profit? I lost my entire foundation and I’m on the run. I just came here to squeeze out one last drop and then look for another way to make a living.”

“And the Demon King?”

“I came alone. Why would I drag around a Demon King who can’t even use her power? I’m not trying to ruin my life.”

“...Why did you do it?”

Because he could understand, he could ask a more honest question. In truth, it was the most pointless question in the world, no different from asking a villain why he was a villain. Everyone had their own values and convictions.

Just as the Emperor ruled the continent as a dictator, Han Simin was simply acting according to his own beliefs. As history had proven, the victor decided everything, so no one could say who was right.

He could only ask because Han Simin was currently on the path to defeat. In a way, it was a sensitive question.

But Han Simin answered calmly.

“Because it’s fun. The Demon King’s pretty, too. If this were real life, I’d probably side with whoever looked stronger, but this is just a game, so I do whatever I feel like. In practice, the Demon King’s side had way better terms. And somehow, because of some damn money, I sent Kenji to Heaven and ended up like this. Ah, some money is an understatement.”

Even now, his expression was one of amusement. The same composure the Emperor showed was visible in Han Simin as well. It was probably thanks to the immeasurable assets he had in reality, even if he lost everything in Fantastic World. He was brimming with confidence that even if he went under, he could just start over from scratch.

“I see,” the Emperor said with a nod.

The answer was so ridiculously insincere, yet somehow, it was convincing. Having his long-held question answered, the Emperor’s expression softened slightly, though he was still uncomfortable sharing a room with Han Simin.

“Why have you come?”

“Where’s my baby?”

“...”

There was no way he could enjoy spending time with a man who would pull that kind of joke and then smirk at the way his own face twisted like he’d just swallowed something foul.

“Just kidding. I’m here to propose a deal.”

“A deal, you say.”

Only after teasing him to the very end did Han Simin finally get to the point, his expression turning serious and earnest. The Emperor also relaxed his scowl and stood before Han Simin as the ruler of the continent.

“You can predict that Kenji and the allied kingdoms will attack the Empire soon, can’t you?” he began, diving straight into his proposal.

The Emperor nodded, but he didn’t give the answer Han Simin wanted.

“I know, but I am not afraid.”

“Of course not. The Empire is still the Empire, and many kingdoms still support it.”

“If I lack the strength to rule the continent, then clinging to it by force would be absurd.”

It was a conviction that would never change. An unshakable iron wall.

Han Simin’s expression didn’t change either.

“And how long do you think that will last?”

“...What?”

“A year? Two? Do you think you can keep holding them off as time goes by? Just a year ago—no, two years ago, when the adventurers first appeared—could Your Majesty have imagined they would come to threaten the Empire’s position like this? Yet now, that adventurer sits in the Pope’s seat, has driven out the demons, become the continent’s hero, and is trying to threaten the Empire itself.”

“He actually has the power to do it, too. In that situation, what if he slowly builds his forces without rushing? What if he grows the adventurers’ power even more? Do you really think the Empire will still be the Empire one or two years from now?”

The facts he presented were heavy.

The future.

For now, the Empire was still an unassailable fortress that no one dared to touch, but no one knew how long that would last. Just as Han Simin had said, even a year ago, no one had imagined that the kingdoms would ever dare to challenge the Empire. Back then, they had trembled at a single word from the Emperor.

An era where adventurers moved the continent was coming. The people of the continent now had to worry not about how to stop the adventurers, but about how to develop themselves so they wouldn’t be left behind and forced to hand the continent over to them.

At those words that struck right at the heart of the matter, the Emperor asked, “So how do you propose to help? The moment I side with you, the Empire will be set on an irreversible path to ruin.”

“Yes, but what choice do you have? Isn’t it better to lose now and be remembered as a cool side-villain with a line or two in the history books, rather than be trampled miserably a year or two from now while everyone calls you a washed-up relic?”

“...”

“I think the Imperial Princess would agree with me.”

“Let us hear it, then.”

As always, asking once was the hard part.

The Emperor had taken the bait.

*

Han Simin had thrown down what was, in his own way, a trump card. His last hope, you might say.

All those lines he had tossed out as if he knew everything about the Emperor’s situation were, in truth, nothing more than a plausible story he had spun by piecing together the conjectures in his own head.

Of course, it had enough plausibility, and when judged against past information, it sounded reasonable. That was why the Emperor had been taken in. And who knew?

It might actually turn out that way.

A hint of sincerity in Simin’s words had made the Emperor waver. But the true masterstroke was mentioning the Imperial Princess. Simin had forced the Emperor, a man who showed no weakness to anyone on the continent, to think of the one person to whom he was vulnerable.

“Speak,” the Emperor commanded.

He had fought to create this opportunity; all that remained was to persuade him.

“I’ll be blunt. As Your Majesty knows, I don’t care about the Demon King or the Heavenly King. I’m the kind of person who only cares about making good money. Of course, as an adventurer, it’s far more profitable for me if humans rule the continent, rather than selling it out to the demons. You know that, which is why you’re even speaking with me now.”

“And?”

“So I’ll stand with you, Your Majesty, and wipe them all out—no reservations. I’ll sweep away the demons and the Great Temple alike and restore a world where the Empire rules the continent.”

“How?”

“I’m always prepared. I drew up the entire plan while I was in hiding, and I even have a trump card. What I need is a power base to support me. I have no desire to fight the entire continent, nor do I have the strength to do it alone.”

“Hm.”

“As for the demons, we just need to crush them whenever they rear their heads. Unlike with the Great Temple, it’s actually better for your rule if the demons aren’t completely exterminated but continue to exist somewhere on the continent.”

“That is true.”

“I’m sure you’d love to crush the Great Temple, but you can’t do it yourself. Just leave it to me. You’re already in league with the Demon King; what’s there to lose face over now?”

“And what of the people’s loyalty?”

The persuasion proceeded smoothly.

After all, if the Emperor hadn’t been considering this already, he never would have granted Simin an audience in the first place.

That was why this final question was the most critical issue.

What Simin proposed was a deal.

So far, it was a deal where Simin stood to gain more.

He had listed the benefits for the Emperor, but those were all secondary gains that would follow naturally.

What the Emperor needed was a direct reward.

Or rather, for the Emperor, the best reward might be one that came with no risk.

To achieve that, one final problem had to be solved.

It was a thorny problem, one that seemed nearly impossible to solve.

Cooperating with an adventurer who had joined forces with the Demon King.

The subsequent downfall of the Great Temple.

He didn’t yet know if that was even possible, but what would the world look like after it happened?

Would the Emperor still be able to rule the continent under the banner of justice?

If not, then this conversation was utterly pointless.

“Don’t worry about that.”

On this most important issue, however, Simin gave the simplest and most confident answer.

“From now on, Epia will still be the Demon King, but she’ll present a friendlier face to humanity than the Heavenly King ever did.”

*