When I was about to die, I proposed to five cruel princesses.

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Emperor Verd, the Formless.

Ironically, despite being the most famous figure in the Empire, no one truly knew him.

First, his abilities were unknown.

He unified the chaotic Vaith Empire through sheer force alone, and was the only one who 'negotiated' with the Demon King during the last war with the demon realm. He even killed the mothers of his five daughters with his own hands.

…These were facts I barely knew because I was there.

It was around then that the Emperor spoke again, "Well, the leader of Balance shouldn't die from something this trivial."

Balance.

The name of the imperial secret organization. I was their leader.

After the portal to the demon realm closed, every member was killed. Not by enemies, but by the Emperor, for the purpose of silencing them. That was the kind of being he was.

"Living without a name and dying quietly. That should have been your final mission, but are you now trying to rebel?"

"Rebellion, perhaps that's what it is."

I haven't forgotten about that incident.

No, I must not forget. That's the duty of a leader.

Of course, I didn't propose to the princesses out of revenge. I only answered this way because I couldn't bring myself to honestly admit that I wrote the proposal while drunk.

However, because of my response, the Emperor seemed convinced that I proposed to the princesses for revenge.

"…You dare to take my daughters hostage to save yourself?"

Simultaneously, invisible thorns rushed to pierce me.

Crack─!

"...…"

Despite defending myself by encasing my body in a cubic ice barrier, several thorns deeply penetrated my shoulders.

The Emperor's power, as expected, wasn't magic.

"Ezekiel Hound."

The chalice near the throne swayed in mid-air. The Emperor's mood was clearly unsettled.

"Yes."

"I have five daughters. How many marriage proposals do you think they've received in total so far?"

The imperial princesses were all exceptionally talented, regardless of looks or abilities. Surely there must have been many trying to pluck these flowers from the cliff's edge.

"I believe quite a lot."

"Quite? No, it's uncountable."

The small chalice in mid-air continued to ripple. As if the purple liquid inside might spill over, but not quite, the Emperor continued speaking, "The methods of courtship were countless too, but the endings were all similar. My daughters never give their hearts easily."

This was quite an interesting story for me as well.

'I wonder what it was like?'

Since stories from within the imperial palace never leak outside, I quietly listened to the Emperor's tale.

"The eldest seeks strength. She strictly adheres to her belief of only giving her heart to a man stronger than herself."

"Yes."

"She set the condition of marrying anyone who could defeat her in combat, and I've never seen anyone return alive. Even though she could have spared their lives, she always killed them. It was troublesome to deal with."

The Empire's First Princess, Ether.

It sounded just like her. She truly was a monster.

Moreover, she inherited part of the current Emperor Verd's power.

"The second pursues lineage, grace, and dignity."

"She was like that even as a child."

"It's probably due to her dragon blood. If she considers someone beneath her, she doesn't even treat them as living beings. You know about dragon speech, don't you?"

I nodded.

The Empire's Second Princess, Hedera. 

She possessed dragon speech and was also a Lingual Spellcaster.

"She said she'd gladly give her heart to a man who could withstand her command. What do you think Hedera's command was?"

"Whatever it was, it sounds just like Hedera."

"It was a command to commit suicide. Not a single one withstood it and they all killed themselves."

"...."

— Master! Don't go! Play more!

— Play more! I said don't go!

— Eek! It's a command! Play more!

…She wasn't that extreme when she was young, was she?

"The third is best described as a saint. Her faith is admirable."

The Empire's Third Princess, Solana.

"Isn't her nickname 'The Angel of the Empire'?"

"Yes, she said she'd give her heart to a man who could pray longer than her. Not a single one lasted longer than Solana. The longest anyone held out was just three days."

Solana's holy power had already reached great heights.

It was essentially a declaration that she wouldn't give her heart to any man, but what's important was that I'm hearing about this condition for the first time.

'She never asked anything like that of me.'

I wanted to ponder on this point, but the Emperor continued speaking.

"The fourth, as always, is obsessed with gold coins and gambling."

"I tried to correct her behavior a few times in the past, but it never worked."

The Fourth Princess, Chain. The Empire's wealthiest individual.

"She always said she wouldn't accept anyone with less wealth than her, but she always gave her suitors one chance."

"What kind of chance?"

"A chance to gamble. She always made a bet on marriage."

I couldn't imagine the Fourth Princess losing. Since childhood, she had an uncannily high win rate in probability-based bets.

"Most lost a wrist or ankle, and in severe cases, had their eyes gouged out. She probably has them on display somewhere. That's the kind of person she is."

The Fourth Princess's possessiveness was tremendous. It was quite understandable, as she always wanted to take trophies from any competition.

"Lastly, the fifth, as always, has no interest in humans."

"Is she still devoted to inventing scrolls?"

The Fifth Princess, Neo.

She was extremely shy. I remember it was incredibly difficult to even catch a glimpse of her face, as she always confined herself to the library or research lab.

"The fifth received many proposals too. They must have thought she was an easy target." The Emperor's words were tinged with a slight sneer, "She created almost a maze with magic scrolls, saying she'd meet anyone who could pass through it. Most gave up or died trying."

"....."

All five princesses were rejecting suitors in their own unique ways. And more violently than I had imagined.

"Ezekiel."

"Yes."

"I'm not harsh enough to force my daughters into unwanted marriages. Rather, I respect their opinions. I'm willing to help them build families with the partners they desire."

"Is that so?" I responded, uncertain about this uncharacteristic statement from the Emperor.

"Yes, however…"

But soon I realized it was a misconception.

After hearing the Emperor's next words, I understood that this was, in fact, the most characteristic statement of all, "If the man turns out to be disappointingly inadequate, I can't stand idly by as a father. I'd have to prevent the marriage even if it means tearing the man to pieces. Wouldn't it be better for my daughters to resent me than for the entire continent to fall to ruin?"

…In the end, it means he'll kill anyone he doesn't approve of.

If that's the case, my chances of being killed by the Emperor right now were extremely high.

"Now then, Ezekiel. I have a few more questions left. Let's discuss whether you're someone who deserves to be torn apart."

"Yes."

"Are you strong enough to defeat the eldest? If not, do you at least possess blood more noble than the second's dragon blood?"

The chalice was set down on the small table near the throne with a thud.

"Are you as devout as the third? Wealthier than the fourth? Or can you easily break through the youngest's magic scroll maze?"

The Emperor was asking if I was qualified to propose.

I might be able to break through the youngest's magic scroll maze. At least in the field of magic, I'm more confident than anyone else.

However, the rest were indeed difficult, so I shook my head.

"It might take some time."

However, I didn't forget to answer cleverly, using a bit of cunning.

A smart ploy to postpone this situation, implying that while it's difficult now, I might be able to do it later. But the Emperor pinpointed this exactly.

"I'm asking about right now."

"It might be difficult at the moment, but…"

"Yes, I think so too. No matter how many times I consider it, that's the case."

My mind started spinning rapidly.

'Surely he's not going to make me take all five tests at once?'

If so, that would be extremely troublesome.

I wrote that letter out of resentment for my terminal illness, but it seems I've ended up shortening my life instead. Of course, there were plenty of other unfavorable possibilities as well.

While I was pondering these things, the Emperor called my name once again, "Ezekiel. Now for the final question."

"…Yes."

The next moment, space compressed.

Suddenly, the Emperor and I were facing each other at a very close distance.

Although he had no physical form, I could clearly feel a pair of piercing eyes staring at me.

"You, who cannot pass a single one of those trials."

Simultaneously, I detected something clearly mixed into the Emperor's voice, albeit very slightly.

Surprisingly, it was doubt; it was undoubtedly doubt.

"You, who are utterly pathetic, you who could be crushed with a single gesture…"

But then my mind went completely blank.

Because the Emperor's next words were so shocking.

"…How on earth did you manage to win the hearts of all my daughters?"

What?

…What's that supposed to mean?

To read all 150 episodes, patreon.com/Makima02