Chapter 1: The Emperor's Last

Yan ascended to the throne as an emperor at a young age.

And before he reached adulthood, he was beheaded.

Emperor Yan Verosion's life would be remembered by these two sentences. Who would remember the young emperor who came and went like the wind during a tumultuous period?

The man who entered the underground prison grabbed Yan's hair. Though he was a mess, covered in blood, his eyes were still sharp.

"Uncle Yan."

The man's name was Croni. Due to a twisted family tree, he was Yan's nephew, twenty years his senior. Every time Croni gently shook his hair, blood mixed with saliva dripped from Yan's mouth.

"How did it come to this? I told you, didn't I? You lack the virtue to be an emperor, so it would be better to refuse the throne. If you had listened to me then, this wouldn't have happened, would it?"

Yan glared at Croni without a word. Displeased with his gaze, Croni slapped Yan's face fiercely.

Smack!

"Even if you're a thoughtless teenager, you should know where to lie down! What's so great about that magic?"

Yan sighed inwardly.

Magic, a sublime and great power, akin to the traces left by the gods in the world. And that was precisely why Yan had ascended to the throne.

"Uncle, look! Your precious magic can't even stop a kick, can it?"

Smack! Smack!

It was true. Bound by mana-sealing shackles, Yan was no more than an ordinary nineteen-year-old. Even if the seals were removed, his fate was sealed, as he was on the brink of death.

"Out of ten thousand, one, and the first noble mage! It's all meaningless. In front of this blade."

Swish.

Croni finally drew his sword. Even for a fallen emperor accused of treason, to end his life in an underground prison was absurd. Despite the situation, a laugh escaped Yan's lips.

"...Ha."

"Laughing?"

"...Yes. It's funny. Croni. Not just me, but you haven't changed either. Are you still so envious of me being a mage?"

Croni's face hardened at Yan's words.

Like rare things are valuable, mages were no different. In the entire Barial Empire, there might be a hundred at most.

Thus, the emergence of a mage from a noble family was unprecedented in the history of the great empire of Barial.

"I remember. When I was a mana manipulator, you told me, 'Mages are rare, but most are commoners. If you're discovered, you'll be kicked out of the mansion, so hide it.'"

"...Yan, what are you talking about?"

"Isn't it funny? Of course, there are more commoners than nobles, so most mages are commoners."

"Shut up!"

"Why, are you ashamed?"

"Shut up!"

Smack!

Yan's vision went dark. Croni's punch had hit his eye. Yan's head, which had fallen to the ground, was trampled.

"What do you know? I'm standing here, and you're on the ground. That's what matters."

Croni pointed the tip of his sword at Yan's neck. Just as he was about to cut his throat without hesitation, a sound came from outside.

"Croni-sama. A letter has arrived from Duke Helion."

"...Is it urgent?"

"Yes, I apologize."

Croni clicked his tongue and removed his foot from Yan's head. He glanced at Yan, who lay motionless like a corpse, and left the underground prison.

How long had it been?

Click. Clank.

"Yan-sama..."

A familiar voice and an unfamiliar metallic sound. Yan barely regained consciousness and opened his eyes. He didn't have the strength to turn his head. He could only move his gaze slightly, and there he saw Naum, the Minister of Magic, sobbing as he tried to remove the shackles.

"Yan-sama, please, please come to your senses."

"Naum, what are you doing here...?"

"This isn't the time. Hurry and hide, and survive. Yan-sama, please, try to..."

But the mana-sealing shackles wouldn't come off easily. Moonlight from a small window illuminated Naum's hands, which were raw and bleeding.

"...Stop it."

"Yan-sama?"

"...I want to stop."

"What are you saying?"

Yan smiled faintly and closed his eyes again. The memory of his first day in the Ministry of Magic came vividly to mind.

"Thank you. I became a mage from a mana manipulator, and ascended to the throne, all thanks to you. Although I am inadequate and have come to this, you must continue to live and protect the Barial Empire."

"No. That's not possible. Without Yan-sama, the Ministry of Magic has no meaning. So come to your senses and take my mana. If you die, everything will be over..."

Dying would be the end. That was what Yan truly desired. It was too hard, too tiring, too exhausting. The past three years of his life as an emperor had destroyed everything about him.

"Yan-sama, listen to me."

But Naum didn't give up.

He gently held Yan's chin and made him look into his eyes.

"There's a separate building next to the central hall of the Second Palace, the Ministry of Magic's annex. You know, the place you always went to cry when you first entered the palace."

"...I only cried once."

"Yes. Anyway."

Why did I cry?

Yan frowned, trying to recall the hazy memory. At that moment, Naum seemed to sense something and looked towards the prison entrance. It was clear that Croni was returning.

"...Release the barrier and hide quickly."

"That's impossible. Yan-sama, go that way. If you go, you might find a way out."

"What do you mean?"

In response to Yan's question, Naum remained silent. Yan could see that his face was darkening with worry and concern, not just because of the darkness of the underground prison. Yan, struggling to keep his fading consciousness, grabbed Naum's sleeve again.

"Naum, I asked you."

"I mixed my blood with the magic."

"...Naum!"

"They said that if the answer comes from that direction, it will open an opportunity. I don't know why it's that way. It's probably due to my lack of ability. Anyway, you must hurry."

The power of magic, which defies the laws of nature by its very existence. If the balance of power is even slightly off, one would fall into the abyss. The Church called it hell, and among mages, it was known as the curse of eternity.

"Did you twist space and time?"

"I had no choice. Yan-sama, so..."

"Why, why!"

Creak.

"I knew this would happen. Even if you purge the Ministry of Magic, it's useless if a minister like you appears."

It was Croni. Behind him stood a man who was being groomed as the next Minister of Magic to succeed Naum. Naum clenched his teeth and began to chant a magic circle. The waves emanating from his fingertips were chaotic and didn't shine as they used to, due to the strong mana-sealing shackles on Yan's wrists.

"Naum! Please! No!"

"Yan-sama, it's okay. There's always a chance. God doesn't give us unsolvable problems."

Roar!

Naum's magic circle began to burn red. Strangely, the flames were not heading towards Croni but burning Naum's hands.

"Aaaah!"

"...No! Naum, wait! Stop!"

Yan, lying on the ground, raised his head and shouted.

He had no attachment to his own life, but he couldn't bear to see precious people die because of him.

Only after becoming an emperor did he realize that the weight of the crown was the weight of the faith of those who followed him. And the one bearing that weight was not Yan, but them.

Roar!

"Ugh!"

Croni blocked the rising flames with his left hand. If the mage behind him hadn't cast a protective barrier, his face would have been burned.

'Ah, damn.'

On the other hand, Yan felt his consciousness fading again due to the intense heat. As everything turned bright and the pain became distant, he suddenly heard a metallic sound.

Clang.

Croni's sword reached Yan's neck. The end of a three-year reign as an emperor. He thought he had done his best for Barial, but the one who believed in him was devoured by his own greed, and Yan was about to be beheaded.

"Yan. In your next life, don't be born."

With Croni's cruel words, everything disappeared. Death was as quiet as he imagined. And then, what he saw was...

'Fork and knife?'

Held in his own hands, but in reverse.

* * *

Yan slowly lifted his head.

His body felt heavy, but compared to the pain he had endured over the past few days, it felt as light as air.

"Yan."

A strange woman was looking down at him from across the table.

A vast garden, well-maintained flower beds, and luxurious food in front of him. When he came to his senses, everyone around him was watching him.

"Ah."

It doesn't seem like hell. Is it heaven?

But the scenery wasn't much different from where he lived. It even seemed a bit shabby compared to the palace...

"This boy. Yan, that's rude to a guest."

"You really show your lack of manners, don't you?"

"Tch. Watch your words."

"Yan. Come to your senses."

The fat boy sitting next to the woman spat out harsh words, but Yan didn't pay much attention. It was because of the stimulating smell of the food. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, having been locked in the underground prison.

'...I don't know what it is, but I'm going crazy.'

It was an instinctive action. Yan elegantly adjusted his cutlery and assumed a proper dining posture. Then, with more grace and speed than anyone else, he began to cut and eat the steak.

"Mm."

It was a refined and formal gesture, unimaginable from someone who had been holding the fork in a fist a moment ago. The exclamation of admiration was short, low, and not vulgar.

The Marquis, the Countess, and his half-brother watched him with a look of disbelief.