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“Oh my goodness, did you fall into the sea?

Claudia was shocked to see me completely immersed in water.

Although I was wet, I was more miserable than a dog trembling in the rain, so I guess she thought someone had pushed me into the sea.

As I looked up at Claudia, who continued to fret over who did this, I slowly moved my lips.

“Felix is gone.”

“…What?”

“Completely.”

He abandoned us.

* * *

The 32nd Emperor of Roxitant, Venetian IV, passed away after battling against an illness for the last three years.

The newly appointed 33rd emperor was the chosen successor, Lucas D’Arrian Roxitant.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about him. He was an emperor who didn’t seem special.

While he was not a sage king, he would probably lead the Empire peacefully like Venetian IV.

The people all accepted the new emperor without any objection and blessed his ascension.

It was because they naturally believed that there would be no significant change in their lives even if the country’s ruler changed. It was foolishness.

Nonetheless, knowing that foolishness wouldn’t have changed much.

As Duke Lamberg predicted, a war of conquest broke out. The emperor, who had never revealed his ambition during his reign as Crown Prince, declared war as soon as he ascended the throne.

Unable to control his boiling blood and madness, the young emperor devoured the small kingdoms, filled his stomach, and again, ran wild like a man-eater wandering in search of food.

The nearby small kingdoms were caught up like lanterns before the wind.

However, Lucas never missed a victory in his grasp. Rather than because of his excellent strategy, it was because Roxitant Empire was already like a giant.

The giant continued to trample on small ants for fun. Lucas had no intention of stopping this until there was no more land to invade.

Standing at the forefront of the battlefield, where blood and flesh splattered from time to time, was a ray of joy to his dull life.

The moment when the light of hope was utterly extinguished in the eyes of the besieged enemy and turned into despair was bliss for Lucas. He couldn’t stand it any longer when he imagined that those eyes were the eyes of a particular person.

‘I want it.’

“Claudia…”

Lucas swept his bangs roughly, calling the name of the woman that he did not have. Just thinking about her made his mouth dry.

He undoubtedly believed that he would quickly get his hands on her, but Claudia easily slipped out of his grasp.

Things started to go awry due to that girl named Irene Amber, but, regardless, there were a few occasions where things had proceeded pretty well.

Like the instance when Chamberlain’s successor, Felix Chamberlain, was possessed by a demon and died – it was irrefutable that Lucas had taken the lead.

However, after his funeral, it was a mistake to sit on the sidelines and not even show his face to Claudia.

He gave them an example of what would happen if they rebelled against him, but he was complacent about whether they would rebel.

But he knew things were going wrong.

Thousands of years ago, it was used as a passageway to the demon realm and was destroyed. It was absurd news that the famous Camoli Island was submerged overnight.

It was so bizarre that it immediately reached Lucas’s ears.

However, it wasn’t as surprising as when he found out that the owner of the island was Claudia, disguised under the grotesque business name of ‘Getchu’.

He also found out later.

The moment the funeral was over, Claudia had gone to the island and signed a contract with the spirit. Moreover, the spirit was always by her side as if it was sewed onto her.

It was then that Lucas first learned about the existence of an ‘independent spirit’. Subsequently, the first independent spirit was introduced to the world.

There were rumors that she couldn’t even send a summon to the spirit world, so she found a way to obtain it without sending a summon.

It was apparent who was the mastermind behind the plan.

‘Irene Amber.’

Lucas gritted his teeth.

The Spirit of Life, Ilypia.

It was an unknown and unfamiliar name, but it had the same power as the Spirit King.

The empire had no choice but to give her preferential treatment as the contractor of the empire’s first spirit king and award her the title of an honorary nobleman.

The public was burning with interest about the first summoned spirit king. The first always left a mark. Claudia would also leave a mark in history.

Now her name would go down in history? It was contrary to his plans.

Lucas, who tried to erase her existence from this world without a trace and make her his own, felt his world overturn.

He couldn’t treat Claudia carelessly anymore.

That was why Lucas turned to war. To somehow quell the madness and obsession that boiled like lava in his blood vessels.

To hold his breath. For the day when he could have Claudia, completely.

* * *

“A war hero?”

“Yes.”

When Lucas asked with his eyebrows raised, Benjamin replied with a smirk. His purple eyes sparkled with interest.

“An amazing person has appeared.”

“Here you go again, that horrible taste.”

Lucas clicked his tongue and muttered.

After Benjamin agreed to cooperate for a while, he actively supported Lucas, and as soon as Lucas became emperor, he assumed the position as his right-hand man and aide. It wasn’t really an ill-fated relationship.

Lucas turned his eyes and looked back at the man leaning against a wall. Dressed neatly in the uniform of the Holy Knight, he calmly returned the emperor’s gaze.

Constantine was temporarily dispatched to the imperial palace at the request of the High Priest. He was sent from the temple to ask for an end to the invasion war.

However, Constantine already knew from three years ago that no matter how hard he tried to persuade Lucas, he wouldn’t listen.

If Constantine appealed to his emotions by saying that there were numerous casualties and many innocent people were dying, he would have answered that it was done for that purpose.

So he just stood there quietly to pass time.

“If it’s a hero, isn’t that your old nickname?”

Constantine fixed his cool gaze on Lucas and soon turned away as if to ignore him.

It was all thanks to that old nickname that he could be so presumptuous towards the emperor.

“It’s said that he’s an orphaned commoner.”

Orphan?

Lucas twisted his mouth as if he was amused.

War was like that. Even orphans, who could not prove their origin or identity, could be honored as heroes if they had the ability. Moreover, it wasn’t a big deal to earn a title if one made a brilliant contribution.

“You want to give him a title?”

“Doesn’t it seem interesting? I’m a big fan of people who crawl up from the bottom. Let’s see if it’s a good card to use.”

Of course, if it was going to end simply with interest, he wouldn’t have offered to award a title.

Lucas scanned through the documents Benjamin had given. It contained the personal details of the most famous war hero in the empire.

He was a handsome young man with black hair and blue eyes that had no history of defeat on the battlefield.

[When I see the man walking through the battlefield wielding two swords, I once again thank the heavens that he is not my enemy. It’s a sword of a ruthless killer. The relentless blade glistens with a black afterglow and slices not only the enemy’s body but also the armor they are wearing. The place where he passes forms a mountain of corpses that look as if they had been blown away by explosives. If the god of war and victory came down to this land, he would be exactly like that.]

“Who hired the scribe as a novelist?”

“You must understand since he appears to be brimming with rich emotion. Even if you look at the other data, he seems to be extremely impressed to the point that he’s full of rhetoric.”

“Are you sure this is a reliable source?”

“Just look at the intuitive facts.”

He could use two swords; cut steel with a sword; and when he sliced a person with a sword, it had the same effect as an explosive? If it was something that made sense…

Lucas identified one intuitive fact.

“Using two swords is certainly unique.”

To hold a sword in both hands, one must bear the sword’s weight while swinging it, and they had to have exceptional swordsmanship to use both their left and right arms simultaneously. Moreover, it was only possible if they had the technique and basic skills to support it.

It was a crazy thing to do on the battlefield at the risk of one’s own life.

Whatever the rest meant, it didn’t matter. This alone could be recognized as a great talent.

“Well, do as you please. After all, there’s a lot of land left. It’d be nice to use it as a hunting dog, too.”

* * *

T/N: Thanks for your patience, everyone! I’ve been busy with school since it has resumed >_< (I’ll post the other chapters later tonight/tomorrow since I have class. I just wanted to post at least one so that you all know I’m alive!!) Have a good day!