Chapter 19

"Why are you suddenly acting like this?"

Oto was slightly taken aback by Kairos' melancholic voice.

- How much time... has passed.

"Time?"

- How long has it been since Jim died?

"I see."

Oto thought for a moment before answering.

"I'm not sure exactly, but it's been about 500 years, right?"

- Is that so? So much time has passed.

"But what were you talking about earlier? Backstabbing? False accusations?"

- It is said that history is written by the victors.

"That's true."

- How truly fleeting.

Kairos' voice was tinged with bitterness.

- I lived my whole life with the single-minded goal of stabilizing a chaotic world...

"What do you mean by that?"

- Jim was betrayed by the man... Argon, that bastard, with whom I had sworn brotherhood. I was attacked by rebels on my way back from inspecting the northern wall...

"That's not in the history books?"

- Didn't I say it? History is written by the victors.

"You mean you were betrayed by Emperor Argon and framed?"

- If not, why would I have died alone in some remote mountain village? Why would I be remembered as a tyrant in history? Did I really eat human flesh? Does that make sense to you?

"Everyone thinks so."

- Argon... you... not only betrayed your brother, but also defiled the honor I built up over a lifetime...

Oto was honestly taken aback by Kairos' completely unexpected reaction.

Kairos' story was something even Oto didn't know, a behind-the-scenes tale that didn't appear in the official lore.

In the game, the soul of Kairos within the <Punishment of Kairos> never spoke to him.

"Tell me more."

But Kairos didn't respond to Oto's words.

It seemed that his anger had risen to the point where he couldn't speak.

"What's wrong?"

Oto frowned when Kairos' voice stopped.

"Is there really a hidden backstory or something?"

No matter how much Oto knew, he couldn't know everything about this world.

'I'll have a chance to talk about it later. He might be lying to me. I need to check it out first.'

With that thought, Oto lay back on the bed and tried to sleep.

* * *

The next morning.

"Do you need historical materials about Emperor Argon and the Cannibal Emperor Kairos?"

"Yep."

Oto nodded in response to Camille's question.

"Specifically, I need materials written from a perspective sympathetic to Kairos, not from Emperor Argon's perspective. Even fairy tales or legends from certain regions are fine."

"I'll look into it. But why do you need this information?"

"Kairos was telling a strange story."

"Was the demon in the mace really Kairos?"

"Yep."

"My goodness."

"He said he was betrayed. By Emperor Argon. And that the label of tyrant was a false accusation."

"That demon might be trying to deceive you, to take over your body."

"I know that. But it didn't feel like he was lying. I want to check if his story is convincing or not."

"Understood. I'll do my best to find the information."

"Thanks."

Right then.

Ding!

A quest window appeared in front of Oto's eyes.

[Notification: A quest has been triggered!]

The content was as follows.

[Kingdom Construction!]

Objective: Build a kingdom and usher in the era of the Scuderia dynasty!

Type: Epic Quest

Progress: 0% (0/1)

Conditions:

- Develop a specialty product × 1

- Secure a trade route × 1

- Clear out monster habitats × 3

- Achieve a public sentiment of 70 or higher in all regions × 1

- Coronation × 1