I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor

Episode 23. Fire at the Instep

Episode 23. Fire at the Instep

Miraac Shade.

Now in the form of Domtar, she was slowly advancing towards the savages.

Because he was dragging the dead Runedol by its hair, it must have been very frightening to the savages.

Perhaps that is why, with each step she took, the savages were taking one step back.

“Domtar?”

“My head exploded?”

“Hair color is different… ….”

“Could it be that Rundol is dead now?”

“I don’t have a heart… ….”

All of them look terrified.

In fact, Duke Shade was well aware that dragging her corpse was undesirable.

Nevertheless, she had a reason for going this far.

It was to thoroughly disrupt the rear by planting a terrible fear in the hearts of the savages.

No matter how bright the sun was, there was no way there were no shadows.

And the darkest shadow has always been in the human heart.

Duke Shade’s true strength came from her human fears, and the more people around her fear her, the greater her power.

That was the power that the Lord Oculus bestowed on Shade’s lineal bloodline, and it was the reason she now tried to instill fear in the hearts of the savages.

The reaction of the savages upon seeing Duke Shade was the same.

Drifting between what you see with your eyes and your rational judgment.

And the Duke’s attitude towards them was also very consistent.

Pu-wook!

The Duke’s hand, which suddenly moved like smoke, pierced the savage’s chest without fail, and at that moment, her hands turned into the feet of a bird of prey.

“That is not the real Domtar!”

I’ve seen them rushing in groups and swinging their weapons, but as soon as they touch the blade, they disappear as if they were scattered.

Then it appeared behind me before I knew it, and without a doubt pierced my heart.

“Run away!”

If the barbarians had a sword master left, Duke Shade wouldn’t have been so outspoken.

Of course, like now, she was confident that in a situation where countless humans felt fear, she would never be pushed back even if the Sword Master came.

Soon after, the crowd of savages scatter and try to escape.

The urgent footwork clearly showed the intense fear they felt.

She didn’t feel the need to pursue it.

Because it was enough just for the fear to spread.

However, he gave orders to other savages and never spared those who were looking for another chance.

As a result, the camp of barbarians was rapidly disintegrating from the rear.

Duke Shade continued to move forward.

Kill and kill again.

With every step, in every direction, a fierce fear pulsated.

They were absorbed into her, boiling like lava in her, causing her uncontrollable elation.

“This is the true power of the Duke of Shade, as my grandfather said.”

I’ve done countless assassinations so far, but this was the first time I went directly to the battlefield.

It was the same when I subjugated the Lake Earldom not too long ago.

With the knights of her duchy at the fore, she herself had gone into hiding behind enemy lines.

Then the count and his vassals were assassinated almost simultaneously, ending the war in an instant.

Until now, she had always handled things that way. She

She never showed herself before the enemy.

But today, for the first time since her birth, she stood proudly in front of the enemy, and finally realized what Shade’s true power was.

Her ancestors, who passed away long ago, told her this.

– Shade’s true value will be revealed only when dealing with multiple enemies.

For her at the time, it was a word she could never understand.

Because Shade was definitely a family specialized in assassination.

For her to deal with multiple enemies, that was absolutely ridiculous.

But now, I could clearly understand the words of the predecessor.

Violent aura overflowing from her body.

It was the power of her fear that her savages harbored in her.

‘I never thought it would be possible to collect this much.’

Her whole body was overflowing with energy to the extent that she had the illusion that she had become a god.

If it were now, wouldn’t it be possible to answer the questions of the ancestors?

Her predecessor, Lord, had asked her this question just before closing her eyes.

– What do you think fear looks like?

She answered confidently.

– Wouldn’t it be ugly?

Of course I thought so. Because humans hate the feeling of fear.

But the family head’s reaction was beyond her expectations.

– Wrong. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than fear. Because of that, precious things come into view for the first time…… Too bad. Your talent is as good as that of the ancestors, but it will be difficult for me to reach the peak because I left early.

But now she could clearly feel it.

The sound of the heartbeats of countless savages surrounding her.

Thumping! Pounding! Pounding!

Innumerable hearts were beating impatiently and resonating all over the world.

It was something I had never experienced before.

She turned her attention to where the beating sound came from.

Her hands and her legs wobbly, as if she was impatient, restlessly gripping and releasing her weapon.

From the trembling eyes to the rough breathing.

There was a lot of fear all over it.

She let go of Rundol’s hair.

Pulsuk-

Because I have enough fear now.

Finally, the time has come for the ancestors to answer the Lord’s question.

She said quietly, her eyes closed.

“The face of fear is inevitable death.”

Although the words were cryptic, like a Zen dialogue, at that moment, something beautiful came to her mind clearly.

And it became a reality before her eyes.

As she slowly raised her arms,

According to the slow movement, black flowers bloomed profusely from the savage’s left chest.

Lilies, roses, daffodils, dandelions, sunflowers and more.

If you have ever seen a flower in your life, all of them were blooming.

That, too, was spreading to the arms, legs, and head at breakneck speed.

Black darkness that reminds you of death.

As the flowers made of it suddenly bloomed from the body, the savages were busy struggling in extreme fear.

I hurriedly tried to shake off the flower, but I couldn’t even touch it, like a stigma engraved on my soul.

And the next moment, Duke Shade clenched his fists tightly,

Pachangchang! Fuhuaak!

Innumerable flowers were shattered like glass, and at the same time, blood flowed out from the left chest of the savages.

I don’t know how many savages died just by clenching my fist once.

The hearts of at least hundreds of savages, without a single exception, were all burst.

Shade’s ability was truly amazing.

An authority that turns the fear directed at you into strength.

And the true value of that power, revealed when dealing with many.

Of course, if the opponent is only one strong player, this ability may be useless.

Even if she only became a sword master, she wouldn’t be afraid of her.

But it would be different if it was a battlefield.

Like now.

Jabak- Jabak-

She walked slowly among the strewn bodies.

It was a cautious but confident gait.

I can see the savages who can’t help but be astonished in the distance.

Her enemy trembled in fear, she was always delicious to see.

‘Let’s try some more.’

A smile appeared on Duke Shade’s lips.

From now on, the barbarian forces were to be definitively put down.

*

A sunset was setting in the sky.

A feast of red light breaking through the clouds.

The burning screams felt like flowing blood, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

On the one hand, it felt as if the sky was mourning the souls of those who died mercilessly.

Kahah-

I felt even more sorrowful when I heard crows from above.

Esteel clutched the drop-shaped jewel.

How grateful she is to be able to wear this necklace again.

“…… Your majesty.”

The emperor was still standing upright on the wall, looking at the battlefield.

Hair blowing in the wind. And the fluttering hem of the dress.

I don’t know whose husband it was, but even the back of it looked really cool.

She looked over the wall again.

A distance that is invisible even with enhanced eyesight.

The barbarians had been pushed that far.

So, it was no different than winning or losing.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

“I really won. In the end, I got Florante back.”

Now, the food situation of the empire would definitely improve.

Of course, it won’t be plentiful, but at least we can drastically reduce the number of people starving to death.

After that, if the trade blockade was resolved, there would be no need to worry about food anymore.

For some reason, I had a hopeful feeling that the emperor would solve even that problem.

But it wasn’t just something to be happy about.

Even though the war was won, someone must have lost their life.

So, we should never forget that there is no joy that blooms without sacrifice.

Desperately dragging her agitated mind down, she looked back at the emperor.

Actually, I wanted to run right away and cry in my arms.

How lonely you must have been.

In a situation where no one believes in you, how much heartache must you have had to succeed in all of this?

And I was so sorry that I couldn’t trust you.

I wanted to bury his face in my chest and caress him for a long time with warm hands.

But the next moment, she felt her heart skip a beat.

The emperor who was on top of the castle wall had suddenly collapsed.

“Your Majesty!”

It seemed that the sky was turning yellow.

“No…… No…… “

It felt as if the world would perish any moment, and the sky seemed to spin.

She hurried down.

Her quickened pace caused her breath to rise to the tip of her chin.

I have to go see her husband.

I hated the endless stairs that continued even though it seemed to end soon.

Because I was so careless, I had to go down for a while before I thought about using magic.

She hurriedly muttered and cast a spell that made her breath easier. The running speed was also much faster.

But her nervousness did not improve at all.

‘If I could use flight or teleportation magic at a time like this… ….’

She could have gone to her husband’s side at any moment.

She only learned recovery magic, so she couldn’t be so resentful of herself.

Even so, now was not the time to have such regrets.

She ran and ran again in a state of confusion.

*

When she came to her senses, she found herself in a very difficult situation.

The place is on the bed.

My head was wrapped tightly in Estill’s arms.

She was talking to herself, stroking my hair with her gentle hands.

“Your Majesty, do you remember the moment you first confessed to me? In fact, if I was a little late, I might have done it first.”

I thought that even the content was unusual, that I shouldn’t open my eyes now.

Surely, just a moment ago, I was on top of the wall.

It was a car that made me happy to see the savages quickly being pushed away.

Victory seemed certain. It was done in the end.

The most pressing fire of food shortage can finally be extinguished.

Of course, it would be difficult to completely restore the entire empire’s food situation with Florante alone.

However, a huge amount of food was stored here.

So, if a rescue policy was implemented urgently, the justification for rebellion could be drastically reduced.

While I was thinking about that, I suddenly felt a burning pain in the area eroded by the poison.

And then she lost her mind.

To be honest, I’ve been doing a little overwork for the past few days.

Perhaps the biggest reason is that he used the ability of the enemy’s eyes on a large number of barbarians.

Since he even vomited blood, it must have put a lot of strain on his already weakened body.

Looking at the pain down to the bottom of the neck, it seemed that the erosion had progressed quite a bit.

As a result, after solving one urgent problem, another problem flared up and fell at the feet.

It was an even more serious problem.

The miasma that was below the collarbone had already risen to the neck.

If you go up to the brain, you don’t know what to do like the mad emperor in the novel.

So we need to go back as soon as possible and make an antidote for paralysis.

I needed two more ingredients for the antidote.

First of all, it is the material for the poison, but since the blood of the demon tribe was saved, the ‘poison of the killer dragon’ was left.

And the other one was ‘Saint’s Orchid’.

The saint’s orchid was a plant with miraculous powers that could detoxify any poison.

However, it was possible to make the antidote only if there were ingredients for the poison.