Book 2: Chapter 265: So what if you are the Emperor? (5)

<So what if you are the Emperor? (5)>

It was neither Cale nor the Emperor who reacted to Clopeh's sword.

“You dare to do that to his Majesty……!”

The only person who came with the Emperor placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and showed his anger.

Clang!

He was also a sword master.

There were only a few sword masters throughout Aipotu, but there was nobody better than a sword master to protect the Emperor.

Aura rose up from his sword in an instant.

Shaaaaa-

He could sense the air changing.

“!”

White aura rose up from the white-haired man.

This white light looked extremely holy.

This flawless and dignified aura did not shine brightly but it gently revealed its pure white light as if it was the milky way in the sky.

It could look plain as it did not overly show itself, but it was the kind that looked magical and elegant the more you looked at it.

‘A Holy Knight?’

This aura was so strong that they couldn’t help but think it was from a Holy Knight.

However, the trusted subordinate soon got covered by an unexplainable sensation.

This dignified pure white aura…

It made him feel leery and suspicious the more he looked at it.

It gave rise to an instinctual vigilance from a feeling of being dragged into some deep place.

It was at that moment.

He heard Emperor Alt’s voice.

“…It’s dead mana.”

The subordinate’s eyes opened wide.

‘Dead mana?’

He did not see any black aura anywhere. But he felt like he could tell what the Emperor was calling dead mana.

It was a power that a living being would instinctively want to avoid.

He looked toward the white-haired man.

‘That man’s aura is dead mana?

How can a living person have dead mana?’

The subordinate’s confusion grew bigger as did the Emperor’s.

“How can a living being control dead mana? You don’t look like a black mage either.”

Alt then added on.

“Plus, its color is white.”

His eyes looked toward the pure white light.

“It doesn’t seem to be just dead mana.”

Cale listened and slowly peeked toward Clopeh’s aura as well.

‘This guy definitely focused in a different direction than Choi Han or the Heavenly Demon.’

Whether it was the stealthy movement last time or this aura right now…

Clopeh Sekka seemed to be moving forward in his own way.

‘Cale-nim.’

Cale recalled the conversation he had with Choi Han before coming here.

Choi Han was worried that Cale should have a swordsman with him even if he had Raon for magic. Cale said that he would call either Clopeh or Hannah to come with him.

Choi Han had thought for a moment before answering.

‘I think Clopeh would be a good choice, Cale-nim.’

Cale had asked why because it was rare for Choi Han to say something like this.

‘Hannah learns in an honest manner.’

Although Hannah was a sword master she was once a Holy Maiden.

Choi Han was the person who taught her the most. Although Hannah had gone down the wrong path and was tricked by Arm to do all sorts of terrible things for them, her personality was honest and did not hide anything. She was just a bit grumpy.

Furthermore, the way she approached learning was honest and pure.

She absorbed everything she learned and grew stronger properly.

Hannah was probably the swordsman who carried on most of Choi Han’s ways.

If Choi Han was to claim that someone was his disciple, he would choose Hannah.

‘As for Clopeh Sekka, he sees and hears everything but only remembers the things he wants to remember.’

Clopeh and Hannah had both learned the Heavenly Demon's skill through Choi Han.

‘That guy is shrewd.’

There were no negative feelings in Choi Han’s assessment. It was just a calm and objective assessment without any emotional pull.

‘He is also a genius.’

He was also a swordsman that Choi Han accepted.

‘He is a flexible genius. Clopeh would be a great choice to prepare for any variables.’

Cale had agreed and brought Clopeh with him.

‘Plus Hannah is skilled in dealing with church things.’

However, he realized it now that he brought Clopeh with him.

– Human, Clopeh has gotten stronger! That makes him look even crazier!

As Raon mentioned, Clopeh was still a crazy bastard.

– And that aura, that is not just dead mana!

The Heavenly Demon knew how to control the dead mana inside his veins to either use it or pull it out of his body.

After the genius, Clopeh Sekka, heard about how to do that…

– …Cale.

The Fire of Destruction opened his mouth.

The guy who was extremely sensitive to dead mana explained.

– This crazy bastard's aura is extremely shrewd. Even the dead mana could not defeat his true nature. He used an extremely small amount of dead mana, so small that you wouldn’t even think about purifying it, as a tool.

The meaning behind those words were simple.

This aura that felt leery and sus to even look at…

This aura that still looked dignified despite all of that…

Cale and Clopeh made eye contact.

“How is it, Cale-nim?”

The sword master who could use aura again asked his liege, Cale.

Cale nonchalantly answered.

“It's just like you.”

Of course, he said something else as well.

This sus aura was a bit much to keep looking at it.

“But why don't you hide it some more?”

‘Don’t openly show how crazy you are!’

Those were the honest feelings behind Cale’s words.

It was at that moment.

“Ha, ha!”

A bright smile appeared on Clopeh's face. He let out a laugh as well.

– H, human! I've never seen this cra, no, I've never seen Clopeh Sekka smile so bright and pure before!

It wasn’t only Raon’s first time.

It was Cale’s first time as well.

Clopeh looked extremely innocent and happy like a child.

‘Eek.’

That gave him chills.

‘This bastard knows how to put on such a face?’

– Human, but what is up with him?

‘My words exactly!

What the hell did I say that is making him react like this?

Shouldn’t he be upset that I told him to hide his aura?’

This unexplainable situation made Cale feel even leerier.

He slowly looked away.

Clopeh looked at Cale move his gaze away with a piercing gaze.

‘As expected, Cale-nim knows all.’

After he learned how to push out and use this time bomb in his body, the dead mana…

Clopeh slowly started to get rid of this power but did not want to waste it.

It made him contemplate how to mix this power into his aura.

Hannah chose to use these two opposing powers separately rather than to mix them, but…

Clopeh wanted to completely suppress the dead mana inside him.

‘Then I ran into a problem.’

Starting at some point, Clopeh's self started to become imbued into his aura.

His true nature.

His sinister and greedy self started to appear.

He tried his best to hide it.

‘That is why most people think my aura is like this because of dead mana.’

However, dead mana is just mana from a dead thing.

It was neither sinister nor greedy.

As a necromancer, Mary’s power may make people feel reluctant to approach it, but it would not make people feel leery.

‘Cale-nim instantly noticed my true nature.’

And…

‘He told me to hide it.

As expected, he knows me oh so well.’

Clopeh was planning on fine-tuning his aura some more so that he could hide his true nature into an appearance he wanted to show.

Stealthily.

‘But I don’t plan on getting rid of the me in my aura.’

Clopeh knew that this path was the right path for him.

‘Choi Han.

Sword master. The punk who became something beyond the limits of a sword master.

That bastard imbued himself into his sword.’

A mage like Rosalyn didn't seem to be able to figure that out and was struggling, but Clopeh had faintly caught onto it.

‘That is why I will hide that me inside my aura.’

He would not get rid of his true nature but hide it well.

‘That is the way I, Clopeh Sekka, will continue to live.

And this…

Cale-nim has accepted it.

Ahhhhh.’

The reason the people here called Cale the savior was ever so clear to Clopeh.

Clopeh firmed his resolve.

‘I will become my lord’s shadow.’

He would hide it and hide it some more to become the white shadow hiding under Cale's light.

The bright smile did not disappear from Clopeh's face.

He turned his head.

“I believe I asked you to withdraw your sword.”

“Ha!”

Emperor Alt scoffed in disbelief.

The white-haired swordsman who was leisurely chatting with his master with a sword pointed at him… His actions were extremely disrespectful.

“You dare!”

Alt ended up channeling his aura into his sword.

Ooooooooong-

The aura coming out of the strongest sword master on the continent of Aipotu was like a volcano.

The red aura boiled as if it would explode at any moment.

It seemed to directly show Alt’s personality.

Ooooooooong-

Ooooo—

Oooooong– oooooong–

As a total of three sword masters’ auras were rising up without showing any signs of backing down…

“Oh no.”

Cale reached out his hand.

"Are you okay sir?”

King Dennis, who was in the middle of the three swordsmen…

His face turned pale being suppressed by the formidable auras.

The gentle hand that landed on his shoulder…

“Ah-”

Dennis gasped.

The pressure from all of the auras bothering him disappeared.

“I am okay n-”

Dennis flinched without being able to finish his sentence.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

The Emperor’s subordinate knelt down and let out a scream-like groan.

Tang-!

The sword fell from his sword to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The Emperor did not let go of his sword but he was holding his knee with one hand to barely remain standing.

Veins were visible on his face and his whole body was shaking.

He looked as if he was doing everything he could to not kneel down as his subordinate had done.

‘!’

King Dennis’s eyes opened wide as he watched.

At that moment…

“Put your sword down.”

“Yes, Cale-nim.”

The white-haired swordsman lowered his sword and withdrew his aura without any issues at Cale’s command. He looked calm unlike the other two swordsmen.

Dennis felt his mouth go dry.

‘Your Majesty. Commander Cale Henituse easily suppressed a Dragon.’

Dennis, who had heard all sorts of stories about Cale from Bailey, had started speaking respectfully to Cale from their second meeting.

“Your Majesty. May I step in?”

Dennis could only nod his head as Cale asked respectfully.

“Yes. You can handle it, Sir Cale.”

Dennis took a step back.

‘His aura was so amazing that it even made Cisco submit. Seeing a human release such an aura… He looked like a god.’

The words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs echoed in his ears.

Step, step.

Cale walked past Dennis and stopped in front of the barely standing Alt.

Alt was still doing everything he could to remain standing.

“Ugh!”

Drip.

However, blood was now coming out of his mouth.

“Oh dear.”

Cale spoke as if he was pitying the Emperor.

“It would be fine if you just accepted it. Why are you struggling so hard to resist?”

He placed a hand on Alt’s shoulder. However, Alt could not resist.

‘…This is at the level of the Dragons.’

To be more accurate, it was at the level of the ten Dragon gods.

‘This bastard's aura…

How strong must he be for a human to have, to have such an aura-’

Alt, who could not say anything, heard a gentle voice.

“Please just submit. Just like how you did when you crawled for the Dragons.”

Cale had already planned on coming out strong against the Emperor and the Pope.

Aipotu.

He had no reason to take it easy against the bastards who helped this world become so destroyed.

He also did not have much time.

“…grr!”

The Emperor’s eyes filled with flames after hearing Cale’s comment.

Ooooooooong-

Aura started rising from his sword.

The way his red aura fluctuated as if to show his boiling anger…

“Hoooo.”

Cale let out a short gasp of admiration.

“I guess you really don’t like the Dragons?”

“!”

The Emperor flinched.

On the surface, he was a passionate worshiper of the Dragons.

“You don’t like the Dragons ruling over the human world, right?”

Cale had heard the Pope's words through Clopeh.

The information that the Pope and Bishop Hons had given him after hearing that he was going to meet with the Emperor…

‘The Emperor looks like a devoted follower of the Dragons on the surface, but he is extremely greedy. He doesn’t like being ruled over by the Dragons. Eventually, he will try to take everything for himself. For now, he is thinking about taking things away from the Dragon half-bloods.’

Cale calmly continued.

“The ten Dragon gods. We have caught two of them. Ah, just so you know… It was not the strength of the Haru Kingdom nor the Church. It was us and us alone.”

“!”

“And one of the three stars will soon fall.”

“……!”

The Emperor's pupils shook.

“We are not under the Pope. We are not even on the same side as the Pope yet.”

This was the truth. Hons was on Cale’s side but that did not include the Pope and the other bishops.

He would only know after going to see the Pope once this meeting with the Emperor finished.

Emperor Alt opened his mouth.

“What-”

He could not follow the flow of this conversation.

It was hard to believe what this man was saying, and-

‘Who is this ‘us’ that he is talking about?

Who is included in that, ‘us’?’

He heard a voice at that moment.

“Do you want to be left behind?”

“……!”

The Emperor’s pupils shook more than ever before.

“You remember the cataclysmic period, right? Do you have any guarantee that something like that won’t happen again?”

“…….”

“This is what the world wants. It told me.”

Cale responded honestly.

“It said that this world will be re-established. It will return to a time when humans could control mana and aura.”

“……!”

“One month. The time is near.”

Of course, he needed to infiltrate the Dragon Lord's lair and fight against the Dragon Lord before then, but…

He was planning on doing all of that within a month so the re-establishment of the world was near.

Cale just changed the order a bit as he spoke.

The Emperor’s jaw dropped and he could not hide his chaotic state.

Cale extended both of his hands out.

“I have two hands.”

The Emperor’s eyes fluctuated.

He barely managed to open his mouth.

“…Are you saying you plan on working with me and the Church?”

He had been suspicious.

He thought that there was some sort of relationship between the Church and the Haru Kingdom.

‘However, if it is not the Haru Kingdom but a relationship between this man here and the Pope?’

Cale just smiled and looked at the Emperor.

His thoughts were obvious.

The Emperor was thinking about the Pope and himself. That was who he was expecting as he looked at Cale’s hands.

‘He's wrong.’

Cale had no plans on working with either side.

He didn’t even have enough hands to hold his friends’ hands.

The Church and the Imperial family… They would just be transactional relationships.

‘He’s free to misunderstand.’

Cale smiled as he spoke.

“Now then, your Majesty.”

His aura became even stronger.

Clang-!

The Emperor ended up letting go of his sword.

“Ugh!”

Boom.

He also had to kneel down on one knee.

‘He was not using his full power just now? What is his limit?’

He heard a gentle voice by his ear.

“What would you like to do?”

The formidable aura disappeared instantly and the Emperor raised his head to see Cale Henituse smiling at him.

Cale looked at Emperor Alt, who was looking up at him after kneeling just as Letao had done yesterday, and thought to himself.

‘They are different.’

Letao had looked at him like a lifeline.

However, the Emperor was different.

“…You, are you really human?”

Cale smiled the moment the Emperor said those words.

“Yes, your Majesty. I am human.”

The Emperor’s eyes fluctuated.

“There is no way I can not trust this aura.”

This human, who had the Pope, the Haru Kingdom, and potentially even more allies…

“You may be able to take down the Lord.”

He smiled brightly.

“Humans finally have a chance.”

He laughed extremely happily, like a mathematician who had proved a new theory.

However, Cale noticed the emotion hidden behind that laugh.

‘Cale-nim, the Pope said that jealousy is what drives Alt. Not a normal level of jealousy but a desire to squash the opponent.’

It was an emotion Cale would not have noticed without that information.

The Emperor was jealous of Cale.

‘According to the Pope, the Emperor smiles brightly every time he sees her. He smiles bigger or laughs louder the more he is jealous of someone and wants to kill them. He apparently smiles the brightest in front of someone he kills.’

‘That is why she says he is not trustworthy.’

Cale smiled back at him.

“Yes, your Majesty. The chance has come.”

‘To us.’

The golden top's whip was in Cale’s pocket.

Cale had asked the Wind Elementals to do something before walking into this meeting room.

‘Please let me know about anybody the Emperor contacts and everything he does.’

He planned on doing the same once he met the Pope.

‘I can’t trust these punks.’

The Pope probably didn't trust Cale either.

Just like the Emperor in front of him right now.

– Human! This Emperor is smiling like that Imperial Crown Prince from Mogoru, Adin! It’s fishy!

Cale only trusted his friends.

Especially in this chaos, especially in Aipotu where he was surrounded by bastards looking to stab each other in the back.

—

Translator's Comments

Aww… Cale has fwends!

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