I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor

Episode 5. Nothing is certain.

Episode 5. Nothing is certain.

I changed into the uniform worn by the emperor and left the palace.

Of course, Count Desapio also wore military boots.

After removing the venom-stained needles, I am sure that there will be no better military boots than these.

I heard that dragon leather was compressed, but what the hell did they do, the cushion feeling was art.

In addition, the sense of stability that firmly holds the ankle and the ability to absorb shock were also remarkably excellent.

It was indeed a great fit.

I limped and headed for the gymnasium.

I was thinking of testing my newly acquired weapon.

The treasure house of the imperial family. Palik’s nest.

There, he brought another weapon besides the dagger called the Claw of Chaos.

It was a bow called the ‘secret palace’, and was once the most cherished treasure of the king of the elven kingdom.

In the novel, it was written that Kratus I visited the elven kingdom alone and received a gift as a token of peace, but it seems highly likely that he just robbed it with overwhelming force.

There’s no way the king would give the most prized treasure as a token of peace.

Anyway, for me with a limp, there is no better weapon than a bow.

Besides, this secret bow is a bow, but it has no strings and no arrows are needed.

So from the outside, it doesn’t look like it’s just a bunch of tree branches tied together in the shape of a bow.

Of course, the golden and silver belts engraved with mystic characters suggest magical performance, but no one would think of it as a bow.

In a word, the Secret Palace is a very good weapon to induce the enemy’s vigilance.

Even if I tried to shoot right in front of you, there’s a very good chance I’ll just laugh and pierce your head.

As I head to the gymnasium, the courtiers frown slightly and glance at me.

Yes, it must be strange.

I’ll be seen holding a bow-shaped cane and an apple.

You will want to go crazy very firmly.

“Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind calling me to stop.

It was a very familiar voice.

Push-

When I turned my head, I saw a silver-haired man lying face down on the cold stone floor.

Halion Bright.

The empress’s father and head of the Bright family.

In this world, prostrating like this in front of others was an act only done when begging for one’s life after losing a war.

In a word, it was a disgraceful attitude.

“Duke Bright, why are you doing this? Wake up!”

Although he is notorious for being a mad emperor, rumors may spread that he persecutes Duke Bright, his father-in-law and one of the six wings of the empire.

With a cane and an apple.

In the eyes of others, there was no such thing as a madman.

Pak! Pak! Pak!

The Duke suddenly starts pounding the ground with his forehead.

It was a truly embarrassing sight.

“Duke, can’t you stop right now!”

It’s such an absurd situation that I start to notice the surroundings before I know it.

Unfortunately, some of the ladies-in-waiting who passed nearby covered their mouths with both hands and looked shocked when they saw the heinous scene.

As soon as our eyes met, they scattered and ran away without looking back, as if they had encountered a terrible monster. Even so, I think it’s pretty amazing to see that he doesn’t scream again.

Anyway, if the princes saw or heard about this scene, the hatred that had already deepened, saying that they were harassing even their grandfather, would boil over.

“I don’t know how I dare to repay the grace of saving my family.”

Bleeding on my forehead, my emotions soared in my grass, and I even sobbed bitterly. In the end, I was the only one who made my father-in-law cry.

“Halion Bright, head of the Duke of Bright, I will give my life to Your Majesty from this moment on.”

I was so full of energy that I was willing to give my life while dragging my reputation, which had already fallen to the ground, deep underground.

I don’t know why this senile duke puts on such a useless performance.

Of course, sacrificing one’s own life would have been a welcome thing for me.

However, it didn’t happen at all, so in the end, numerous courtiers who passed nearby witnessed this scene vividly.

Perhaps, before tomorrow comes, the news that the mad emperor has harassed her father-in-law will reach the ears of the princes as well as the empress.

“Stop playing around and say what you want.”

•

•

•

I returned to the palace again with the duke.

There was a scar on the Duke’s forehead. The bleeding has stopped completely now, but the scarring is so bad that it looks pretty ugly.

He continued with a calm expression.

“Your Majesty has definitely changed.”

Since he saved those who participated in the rebellion, it would be even more strange not to notice the change.

“Why did you make such a fuss in front of all the courtiers?”

“I thought that if I didn’t show that level of loyalty, people would misunderstand that I would still harbor treason.”

For just that reason, it was to the point where I wanted to pay homage to his indifference to think that he had destroyed my tattered image once again.

“Next time, please just talk.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Duke Bright’s smiling expression is so nasty.

But he shouldn’t be angry with him.

Anyway, he is my father-in-law.

If I win his favor, he might tell the empress and the princes about me.

“Hum-hum. Are the preparations going well?”

“I had something to tell you about that.”

The Duke’s expression darkens as soon as he finishes speaking.

“I would like to ask you one last question. Surely, can we go to Florante in three days?”

It seems the Duke still doesn’t understand the order I gave him.

Honestly, if I changed my stance, it would have been difficult for me to follow.

It was an order that the mad emperor gave out of nowhere. It was also an order to attack the formidable enemy called Barbarus, who seemed absolutely unbeatable.

To the Duke, it must have sounded no different from telling him to kill himself.

Furthermore, in case of defeat, the Duke of Bright would not only perish, but even the safety of the empire would be in jeopardy.

Unlike the original story, it was all because of this that the empress joined the rebellion.

But after reading the novel, I definitely knew.

If it’s not three days later, we won’t be able to recover Florente forever.

The kingdom of Barbarus was originally a kingdom formed by several barbaric tribes that were competing with each other under one outstanding leader.

The name of the one who tamed the wild beasts who only put strength first is Domtar.

He was the same age as the emperor, and after accidentally getting lost when he was very young, he has been wandering around the world learning the cultures of various countries in detail.

He was an excellent strategist and an ambitious man. Besides, he was the first among savages to use auras.

That’s why, after returning to the tribe he belonged to, he decapitated the head of the chief within a day and ascended to the position of chief, and in just a few months he was able to subdue all twelve savage tribes at his feet and call himself king.

However, conflicts often arose because the tribes with different customs were brought together too hastily.

And I knew when the worst feuds would happen.

The King of Barbarus, Domtar, is currently staying in Florente.

But just three days from now, while the king is away, the internal conflict in Barbarus will reach its peak, and the tribal chiefs will fight each other to become king.

When the tragedy of fratricidal strife between the savages broke out, it was a golden opportunity to recover Florente.

And for the Kratus Empire, if you miss that moment, the future opportunity will be lost forever.

After that, with the stronger internal solidarity and Florente’s food as the driving force, it will be reborn as the Domtar Empire.

The Kratus Empire was still in a terrible food crisis. In addition, conflicts with neighboring kingdoms intensified, and even trade was blocked. So food could not be imported.

If Florente was not recaptured, it was obvious that the food situation of the empire, which was on the decline, would reach its worst.

The exploitation of the nobles who felt a sense of crisis would become more severe, and the hungry public would howl like wild beasts.

And all those accusations will eventually lead to another rebellion against me, the emperor.

So, this time we must restore Florente.

If only that place is restored, Domtar will be denied leadership, and the kingdom of Babarus will be divided into several tribes again because it cannot solve the food shortage problem.

But seeing Duke Bright’s hesitant reaction, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fight properly if I let them go alone.

“Your Majesty, are you sure you can’t change your mind?”

Perhaps they will return halfway and rebel again.

“Why don’t you at least borrow the power of the other nobles?”

It sounds reasonable, but in the current situation, it was just nonsense.

The fighting power of barbarians is very strong. It would be impossible to stand against them unless it was the most elite troops of the ducal family’s knights or soldiers in the first place.

So, the only aristocratic power that could be borrowed was the power of another ducal family.

However, if they were to gather additional troops from other ducal families, they would not be able to avoid a delay in their departure, and it was certain that it would cause severe backlash in many ways.

Moreover, the moment the nobles unite to recover Florente, a new problem arises: to divide the stake there.

Even if it wasn’t so, the strengthening of the imperial authority was desperately needed.

But why should I share what I can have all by myself?

Who do you like?

I can never do that.

So, it would be most desirable to have my maternal relatives who are obedient take care of themselves instead of me.

That’s why it was the first thing I asked the Bright duke, and they even turned a blind eye to the rebellion.

However, it would be very difficult if we still get such a lukewarm response.

I can’t trust Duke Bright at this rate.

I can’t help it.

I have no choice but to go myself.

“In three days, I will be with you too.”

Duke Bright put on an expression he hadn’t seen before.

“Are you saying you want to marry your parents now?”

His eyes were on my left leg. They were scolded for daring to go to the battlefield on the subject of lame legs.

I lifted up the Secret Palace that was standing next to it.

“I just happened to get a good weapon.”

Of course, there are no bowstrings and no arrows, so in the eyes of the Duke, nothing more than a curved cane would be seen.

“…… “

A look of dismay was evident on his face as he kept his silence.

“As your Majesty is well aware, the power of the Duke of Bright alone can only push you away for a very short time. If you go long term, you will eventually be annihilated. Are you still going with me?”

I answered firmly.

“The departure time is midnight on the third day, so be fully prepared.”

“Why? Why is His Majesty so confident of victory?”

It may have seemed that way, but I wasn’t really sure.

If a civil war breaks out in the kingdom of Barbarus, Domtar in Florente will definitely try to return.

There was no doubt about that, but that didn’t mean there weren’t barbarians left in Florente.

I’m sure there will be quite a few left.

Furthermore, for Barbarus, Florente was the most important place for their future survival.

Without luck, Domtar, who was returning to Barbarus, might come back even giving up the end of the civil war.

So in the worst case, I might really die too.

Still, I can’t help it.

If I don’t recover that place, I will eventually be torn to death by my children or the people of the Empire.

You must bring back Florante even at the cost of your life.