I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor in a Romance Novel

“No… NOOOO!!!”

Heuk— Heuk—

Duke Eustia’s eyes opened with a flash.

He abruptly sat upright and looked around with bewildered eyes.

It was a strangely familiar place.

It was as if he had been sitting in the chair just a moment ago.

“…Where… Where is this…the Imperial Palace?”

Before his eyes, people lined up on both sides were bowing down.

All of them were wearing veils that covered their faces.

“…Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”

The one closest to him asked, raising his head.

His face was also covered, making him unidentifiable.

No, more than that, the words he had just heard bothered him.

“…Me, Your Majesty?”

“…Yes, Your Majesty. You suddenly shouted no…”

As Duke Eustia asked back, the servant immediately bowed and answered.

At his words, the Duke’s brow furrowed.

“…Me, Your Majesty…?”

And then memories flooded in, so many that he couldn’t understand why he had forgotten such an obvious fact.

“…Ah, right. That’s right. I finally became Emperor.”

Thump.

Duke Eustia sank into the large golden throne.

“Um… Is there anything bothering you…?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just had a ridiculous nightmare.”

“Should I call the personal doctor?”

“No. It’s fine. I’ll be fine if I rest for a bit, so don’t worry about it.”

He said, rubbing his throbbing head.

In his dream, he had gone out to deal with the strange beings who dared to target Eustia, only to be met with a harsh lesson.

He had encountered strange beings with unbelievable powers.

And a girl with black hair and black eyes reached out to him.

‘Hmm? Black hair…? Black eyes?’

It felt like he had forgotten something important, but it was just a dream.

It would soon disappear into a faint memory.

‘Right, it was all just a dream. Honestly… To think I even shouted at such a ridiculous dream, I really made a fool of myself.’

He let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

That’s right.

He had finally succeeded in swallowing the Empire after a long time.

He had ordered the Blood Squad to completely destroy that thorn in his side, Yohaiden.

He had devoured their fertile land and power, gaining power comparable to the Emperor’s.

And he had immediately pressured the Emperor to marry Iriel, who had graduated from the academy, to the First Prince.

Soon after, Iriel gave birth to a son.

His grandson was chosen as the next Emperor after the First Prince.

However, Duke Eustia could not be satisfied with that.

As long as the Emperor and the First Prince were alive, his grandson becoming Emperor would obviously happen after he himself was dead.

So, less than two years after Iriel gave birth to the prince, he used the shadow he had planted in the Imperial Knights.

‘Ji… Hmm, what was that bastard’s name?’

Anyway, he couldn’t remember the name well, but through that spy, he assassinated the Emperor, the First Prince, the Second Prince, and even the Third Prince.

He assassinated everyone who was qualified to challenge the imperial power.

After the purge, only his three-year-old grandson remained.

Everyone suspected Duke Eustia as the cause of the fierce bloodbath in the Imperial Palace.

However, no one dared to speak out against him, who had devoured the power of Yohaiden and the Imperial family.

Thus, Duke Eustia became regent in place of the young Emperor, and based on the power he had built with blood, he came to call himself Emperor.

The Ira family in the north was an eyesore, but they did not react at all, as if they were really determined to cut ties with the Empire, even though he had seized the throne by force.

As everything was sorted out in his head.

“Khehehe…”

Suddenly, a small laugh escaped his lips.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

The small chuckle grew louder and louder, echoing through the grand hall.

He had finally gotten his hands on the world.

The throne of the Emperor, which he had longed for so much.

The status of the absolute ruler, reigning at the highest point of the Empire.

He had finally achieved that dream.

Now all that was left was to use this power to enjoy all sorts of luxury, pleasure, and beautiful women in his arms for the rest of his life.

“Yes… You… I am the Emperor. No longer Duke Eustia, but His Majesty the Emperor!”

“““Yes, Your Majesty.”””

The servants answered in unison.

Now, there was no one above him.

Everyone trembled in fear and bowed their heads before him.

What a satisfying sight.

Then suddenly, he felt something strange and asked.

“But why are you all wearing veils over your faces?”

He clearly remembered the process of becoming Emperor, but he couldn’t understand why they were covering their faces with veils.

“…Veils, Your Majesty? What… What do you mean?”

The servant asked back, puzzled, at his words.

Duke Eustia frowned.

“That thing you’re wearing over your face! Take off your veils. Show your faces to the one and only Emperor!”

At that, all the servants strangely brought their hands to their faces.

However, it seemed that none of them noticed the existence of the veils covering their faces.

Duke Eustia’s face frowned even more fiercely.

A vein stood out on his forehead.

“Are you daring to… joke with the Emperor…? I am the Emperor. I am not someone you can joke around with…!”

He turned his head towards the nearest servant.

“You! Come here!”

As if frustrated with the servant’s hesitant and awkward approach, Duke Eustia jumped up from his throne and strode towards him.

“…Uh, uh…”

Whoosh!

He reached out and pulled off the veil covering the servant’s face.

Unlike before, when it seemed like they couldn’t take it off themselves, the veil came off easily when Duke Eustia touched it.

“Look at this…! It came off…?”

Duke Eustia gasped.

The face revealed after the veil was removed.

It was a face he knew all too well.

A face that should never have been seen here.

“Brother…”

The face that had been hidden under the veil quickly rotted away, turning into a mummy-like form as if all the moisture had evaporated.

A horrifying sight, as if the flesh was half stuck to the bone.

Thud. Roll—

The eyeball, barely hanging from the socket, rolled down to the Duke’s feet.

A mouth opened black.

A dry, raspy voice, something inhuman, flowed out from within.

“Why did you do it? I told you I wasn’t interested in Eustia or anything. So why did you do it? Why did you kill Yuli too?”

He reached out with both hands towards Duke Eustia’s neck.

“Gahk!”

Duke Eustia, stunned by the sudden appearance of his brother’s face, was caught by the neck without a chance to react.

He grabbed the hands that were strangling him.

His trembling hands tightened with all his might.

“Why did you do it? I told you I wasn’t interested in Eustia or anything. So why did you do it? Why did you kill Yuli too?”

“Ugh…”

Then he saw the sword at his brother’s waist.

Swish.

Slice—

Duke Eustia reached out, grabbed the sword, and swung it at his brother’s neck.

Gasp. Gasp.

His sword sliced through his brother’s neck, and the head fell to the floor, still repeating the same words.

“Why did you do it? I told you I wasn’t interested in Eustia or anything. So why did you do it? Why did you kill Yuli too?”

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!”

A scream erupted from the maid who had been standing behind him.

“““Yo- Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this…!”””

All the servants’ gazes turned towards Duke Eustia.

Their faces were covered with veils, but he could tell that they were horrified.

Duke Eustia bit his lip and grabbed the hair of the head that had fallen to the floor, lifting it up.

Drip. Drip. Blood dripped from the severed neck.

“…L-Look!!! Look at this! Isn’t this my brother!! Someone is trying to frame me!”

“…..”

The servants avoided his gaze, glancing at each other and gauging the Emperor’s mood.

Duke Eustia glared at their reaction.

“You! You’re all wearing veils too!! Aren’t you!!”

“Yo- Your Majesty!!”

“Show me your faces! Show me your faces right now!! Who are you all!!”

“Your Majesty, please have mercy!!!”

Duke Eustia felt his head getting hotter with rage.

It felt like they were all collectively ignoring him.

With a crazed look on his face, Duke Eustia strode down to the floor, his hand still clutching the blood-dripping sword.

He stood in front of the maid who had screamed earlier.

“You, what are you hiding under that veil!”

“Yo- Your Majesty, p-please forgive me.”

“Forgive? Why should I forgive you when you’re deceiving me?”

Whoosh!

“Was it such a grave sin that I couldn’t bear you a son!? Iriel is not your plaything!”

Whoosh!

“Heavens! Your Grace! The Duchess of Eustia!”

Whoosh!

“Your Grace, how could you do this to me…!”

After that, Duke Eustia went around the servants, ripping off their veils as he pleased.

Each time, the faces of those he had killed in the past emerged from under the veils, lunging at him with resentment and hatred.

And each time, Duke Eustia’s sword moved.

Slice.

Slice.

Slice.

The inner chambers became a sea of blood after he killed dozens of people.

Silence fell.

Heuk— Heuk— Heuk—

In the center of it all, Duke Eustia, covered in crimson blood as if it were his own hair, breathed heavily.

His face was twisted like a demon’s.

Even those who had been screaming earlier now kept their mouths shut and trembled in fear.

“Veils… Take off your veils! Who are you all!!! How dare… How dare the dead set foot in my sacred Empire!”

No longer did lofty power, pleasure, women, or anything else matter to him.

All that remained was the blind urge to kill those he had killed once more.

“Khahaha… Y-Yes… Yes. You bastards. You pathetic losers… Yes! You want to take revenge on me! You can’t stand that I became Emperor and refuse to acknowledge it! But I am the Emperor now!! I am the Emperor!! Do you think you can hold me back?!”

He could no longer believe anything.

“Come! You worthless scum! Come!!!”

Like a crazed madman, he grinned and swung his sword wildly in all directions.

“Hmph, I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid… No matter how much you struggle to drag me down, the truth that I am the Emperor will never change!!!!!”