Became an Academy Self-Inflicted Blackmailer chapter 126

126 – Imperial Family (6)

Jeobeok, Jeobeok.

Beatrice took a step.

With a silent yet serious expression.

The banquet had just ended in an awkward atmosphere.

She quickly left the banquet hall in a dress and just moved on instinct.

I walk through the corridors of the imperial castle, but that doesn’t mean I wander aimlessly.

She had a clear purpose.

In other words, there is something you are looking for.

…… There was something to find.

‘I should have kept that in mind. ‘Maybe so, of course she should have thought about it.’

Inside her mind, she mumbles and bites her lip.

After finding her institution, she was neither in a particularly good nor bad mood, so all she did was visit the church headquarters once.

‘…… Why… ….’

The pope and cardinals who met her after a long time still regarded her as their child and tried to nag her in the name of giving her advice.

To put it simply, she didn’t feel too bad.

She was happy to see me in her own way, so it was just yesterday that I thought that this system wasn’t all that bad.

But. I did-.

I never thought something like this would happen.

Kkdeuk-

Beatrice, biting her fingernails for no reason due to the growing impatience, stopped her steps only after she had entered a considerable depth of the castle.

It didn’t stop for no reason.

Coincidentally, just then, what she was looking for appeared before her eyes.

Portrait.

“… ….”

The framed portraits of the major figures of the imperial family throughout the ages were so large that they filled one wall of the already wide imperial palace corridor.

Hundreds of years of history of the imperial family were unfolding in this hallway.

It was natural, so Beatrice calmly engraved the picture frame into her eyes, one by one.

Again, she had a clear purpose.

There is a person I am looking for.

I’m not sure she’ll be here, but-.

‘There will be. There must be one.’

On the other hand, I mutter to myself that it could never happen.

At some point, Beatrice stopped in front of a picture frame hanging at the end of the hallway.

Yes, it is the end.

In other words, it is a place where people from the relatively recent past are located within the long genealogy of the imperial family.

What Beatrice was looking at was a portrait of a middle-aged man.

He has silver hair and blue eyes, and somehow he seems to resemble an acquaintance.

A portrait of such a man─.

“As expected.”

Beatrice recalled the image of a man who remained in her memory and cross-checked.

And she was sure.

“…… “You are that person.”

Dante’s past and future seen through Jibril’s abilities.

Among them, the past.

-Is it a coincidence or an inevitability?

-Or is it fate?

There was a man there who had appeared before Dante when he was still young.

-You are the last one left, Dante. My son.

[27Th Grand Duke Ernestia.]

“… ….”

Beatrice almost engraved the person in the portrait in her mind with just those deeply sunken golden eyes.

[Howard Delac L. Feil.]

And I mutter to myself.

‘I guess you didn’t know this either, Miss Jibril.’

He lamented his mistake of not paying attention to Dante’s silver hair earlier, and at the same time, he was depressed.

‘If I had known this, I would have somehow prevented Dante from going to the island. Me too, you too.’

Beatrice thought.

What should I do?

The emperor himself, who came to his senses a little later, calmly passed it off as a result of his sudden outburst.

But that doesn’t mean we can undo what has already happened.

The brief incident that occurred between the emperor and ‘a first-year student at an academy’ is already spreading widely.

Right now, the students were talking quite chaotically.

‘…… If this goes on and Dante finds his memories.’

Beatrice suddenly remembered that thought and clenched her fists nervously.

It’s not a good thing, that’s it.

Haven’t we already seen with our own eyes what happens if Dante’s memory is intact?

Moreover, this is the ‘system’ where most of Dante’s hatred of the past was probably directed.

…… Really, really, maybe a very bad accident could happen.

‘That’s not possible. We have to somehow prevent Dante from finding his memories…….’

Beatrice, who was reflexively thinking of such thoughts, suddenly thought of something else.

…… They are guided so that they cannot retrieve their memories.

‘No matter what, it might be too much, something like that.’

A careless thought that should not be thought of in this urgent situation.

But inevitably, it comes to mind.

If you think of Dante as a friend, or something more than that. If you truly think that way and respect him-.

I can’t help you find your memories, but at least you shouldn’t interfere…….

“… ….”

Beatrice reluctantly stopped his body and rolled his stiff head again and again.

What is the correct way to do it?

Of course, at this point, we can confidently say that the relationship between Dante and himself has progressed considerably.

Still, even if that’s the case-.

“…… “I’m not sure yet.”

There were still many possibilities left.

Isn’t it far short of the original goal?

So, that is, the moment when, for once, Dante finds his memories. A ‘relationship’ in which he, looking at himself, would not commit such a destructive act as he did in the future.

Beatrice could not help but think seriously.

So did he become someone worthy of Dante? Is it true that he became that important?

He was extremely frustrated that he could not confidently say ‘yes’.

“Oh, really, really.”

Beatrice felt uncomfortable and had no choice but to squat down in place.

Beatrice ended up in a hallway deep inside the castle with few people passing by.

“Should we at least launch a hand-to-hand attack…?” ….”

All I could do was mutter a meaningless lament(?) About my situation that I probably couldn’t realize because I was embarrassed.

And that… ….

“Oh, you were born into the imperial family? “This body.”

Funny enough, this happened around the time when Dante realized the secret of his birth and was just expressing his usual admiration.

*****

Banquet and medal awarding ceremony.

The event prepared to praise the young heroes who defeated the mountain army ended sooner than expected.

First of all, by the emperor’s standards.

“… ….”

To explain, he left immediately after completing the minimum amount of work he had to do. He did not enjoy the banquet and did not maintain his position as emperor.

First of all, there was no problem in itself. Probably not.

When the banquet began in earnest, there were many more cases than expected when the host left the event.

He probably didn’t receive too many strange looks.

‘…… Phew.’

The Emperor just took a deep breath, entered his residence, and sat down helplessly.

He experienced something that was inevitable.

At a banquet hosted by the emperor, it is inevitable that many people will gather.

And each one of them is close to a high-ranking noble.

It was natural, and the emperor was not immature enough to feel burdened by such a thing. How many times do you think this has been overlooked?

But, yes.

What happened today, that is, the existence of ‘a certain boy’ he met today, was definitely outside the scope of the emperor’s expectations.

I couldn’t guess at all, and I couldn’t even dream about it.

…… No wonder he was his only nephew, who he thought had died a long time ago. Never thought that he would come back alive and stand in front of me like this.

Really.

“… ….”

Again, the emperor closed his eyes.

Close your eyes and be silent.

When I said I was tired, it was true.

It is not wrong to say that it is complicated.

The current emperor simply could not clearly organize his feelings. Should we say that it is impossible to even distinguish between them?

Even for him, who was the emperor of a country, this task was quite daunting.

Anyway, this wasn’t an easy thing to handle.

The emperor gritted his teeth.

What comes to mind is about his own nephew.

Dante, Dante Ruiz el Pale.

Howard, the emperor’s brother and the only grand duke of the empire.

Dante was his son.

The boy who was supposed to be the emperor’s nephew and, according to principles, the next grand duke, had now grown up to be close to a young man and came to visit the emperor.

‘…… Well, you’ve grown up.’

From noble mtl dot com

Muttering such words in my mind may be shameless.

Although he thought it was probably true, the emperor could not calm his trembling feelings.

Silver hair that had grown a little longer and started to slightly cover the nape of his neck.

It wasn’t a rare color, but that shiny silver color was clearly a characteristic of the imperial family.

The two blue eyes shine brightly as if they were made of jewels. So, of course, considering only those external features, it wasn’t difficult to figure out the boy’s identity, but-.

It was different. Actually, that didn’t matter.

A boy who came as a ‘first year student at the academy’. There was no particular reason why the Emperor became convinced that the boy was his lost nephew.

Yes. It would have to be extremely simple.

‘You look exactly like Louise. Even if I try not to recognize it, I just can’t.’

If we are to be specific, he is different from Howard, who had a sharp appearance.

The boy’s appearance, which should be said to be rather soft and rather handsome, is probably something he inherited from his maternal lineage.

“…… “I’m a student at the academy.”

Suddenly the emperor muttered those words.

I definitely didn’t expect it.

How could it be that Dante, who could not have been expected to survive, came to visit the Imperial Castle as a student at the Academy?

Needless to say, I had very complicated feelings.

I am proud, I am proud. Maybe you shouldn’t even dare say such crude words…….

Nevertheless, he grew up really well.

If he passed the entrance exam for that infamous academy, he must have used an alien ability.

If he had the power of the thunderbolt, he would definitely have achieved excellent results.

“… ….”

But the emperor knew.

How was Dante’s ability formed?

I didn’t know. He found out.

It was impossible to turn away.

“…… Paradise.”

A word you suddenly say may seem like nothing more than a random word.

In fact, it was a word referring to the ‘facility’ that runs through Dante’s life.

At that point, the emperor’s expression became extremely distorted. He couldn’t help but do it.

Because he remembered a memory that he had managed to forget, and in fact, should not be forgotten.

What is paradise?

Considering its starting point, it is a long-standing secret wish of the empire that goes back to the era of the previous emperor.

So to speak, it was the name of a project, and also the name of a research facility created as a result.

-Allow me to be granted the strongest ability.

Everything started and originated from the previous order, that is, the order of the current emperor and the man who was Howard’s father.

The ruins of an old emperor who somehow tried to make his illusions come true.

However, if you force the empire’s budget and talented people from all over the continent into such a mess, if you try to forcefully wield that supreme power to your heart’s content…….

What will happen?

‘Still, it’s a terrible memory.’

I didn’t know about the emperor of the past, who was not just an outward appearance like he is now, but was truly just an adolescent.

What his brother and father were doing secretly.

“…… No.”

The emperor, who first thought of such a thought, immediately shook his head as if possessed.

And continues speaking.

“No. “That’s not it.”

No.

Actually, I knew.

You probably didn’t know about the inhumane experiment that was being carried out under the grandiose name of ‘Paradise.’

You knew. Still, I didn’t care.

-I just didn’t think it was a big deal.

‘No.’

The emperor of the past made such an excuse, but the current emperor shook his head resolutely.

If you truly did not notice the truth of the human experiment, that would be incompetent.

I was young. I was so young and immature.

I couldn’t even think about it.

No matter what, he couldn’t imagine that his father and older brother would do such a thing in the name of the imperial family.

-We simply gather children who have lost their places and provide education to develop their talents. In other words, it would feel similar to the dragon academy.

I believed what Howard said.

I couldn’t think of the possibility that it was false, so foolish.

…… After the emperor fulfilled his heavenly mandate, he himself ascended the throne and, by chance, had not been able to spy on more detailed data and records.

You probably didn’t know until the end. I wouldn’t have even tried to know.

-Brother, are you crazy? What on earth is this! Taking children who are only fifteen years old at most and doing something like this that will never be forgiven even in death…… ! How much less is that child your son!

The moment I learned the deeply hidden truth, I went to the underground facility accompanied by a group of knights.

It’s a while late, but I still want to correct the wrong.

Click-

“Whoa.”

I stretched out my arm weakly and grabbed the bottle of alcohol that I normally wouldn’t touch.

He grabs the slippery red-brown bottle and uncorks it.

Perhaps it was because his hands were weak, but he missed pulling it out and the stopper rolled around on the carpet on the floor…….

What is it like? Does not matter.

At this moment, I didn’t even care about dignity and just tilted the bottle. The hot liquid flowing down his throat cooled his head for just a moment.

It is funny because it is contradictory.

‘I promised that to the Empress. As much as possible, I will refrain from drinking…….’

The emperor smiled and thought so.

But on a day like this, I really didn’t think I could get through it without getting drunk.

Okay, how much did you think about it?

‘Ah, yes. Underground, and the Templars. That was about it.’

After asking and answering questions, the emperor thought again. It is to reminisce.

Memories of the day I invaded ‘Paradise’ with the knights.

I visited Howard in person with such a grandiose cause as ‘to make things right.’

No matter how much it was an order from the previous generation, I thought that if it were a new order from the emperor, the research itself could be canceled.

‘That wasn’t it. I was such a fool that I believed it could be possible.’

The darkness of paradise was deeper than the emperor expected, and it was spreading its magic deep and secretly throughout the empire.

Needless to say, it is the resourcefulness of Sentai and Howard.

To put it simply, many nobles of the empire were already contributing to the ‘strongest talent’ that Paradise would ultimately create.

The disgusting truth was truly terrible, but the emperor at the time had no power.

Funny enough. Even now, when I think of that memory, I can only laugh.

The emperor thought as he poured the strong drink down his throat without stopping.

Collaboration with great nobles and slave traders to ensure that orphans without serious physical problems were supplied without any problems, and the archbishop of the deposed church who brought in the children in order to prevent them from easily dying at such a young age…….

Even more so, when I found out that even one of the great wizards of the time was cooperating with the research, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

In the end, all the emperor could do at that point was something extremely trivial, such as freezing the budget to a certain amount.

If you ask me, it may be possible to overthrow the research that has been carried out for decades, but-.

If that were the case, not only the emperor himself but also his empress and his children would have been in danger.

It would not have been a task to dethrone a young and powerless emperor.

So I turned away and stood by.

Rationalization: ‘There is nothing we can do.’

I forgot about it, but I couldn’t erase it.

The emperor remembered it all.

“… ….”

I thought about it for a long time.

I should have known in advance.

If so, it might have been prevented. If it hadn’t been too late, my nephew might have been able to be saved somehow.

Even so, dozens of children who had already been sacrificed would not have returned.

“Phew… ….”

The emperor let out a weak laugh.

‘In the end, I couldn’t do anything.’

I couldn’t do it.

I didn’t do it.

In the end, there was not a single record left throughout his past and present, until his nephew, who unleashed his strongest ability, destroyed paradise.

Like that, just incompetent… ….

“hahahaha.”

Erupting into laughter once again, the Emperor took a sip of his drink.

Until I fall asleep like a bird without awareness. And so on.

And the next day.

Rattle-

Someone came to the office of the emperor, who had just woken up in a dazed state.

The door opens and what is revealed is silver hair that looks just like the emperor.

For a moment, the emperor’s expression hardened and he trembled, but soon he was able to see.

The person who appeared was a girl he knew well.

“…… Father.”

Eve. His own daughter. And the princess of the empire.

Would Dante, whom I was thinking about the day before, be a cousin?

The emperor was about to say something to his daughter, but he soon looked at her serious expression and closed his mouth.

Eve thinks that she didn’t just come to see her to say hello.

“Yes.”

After a short silence, the emperor staggered to his feet.

It looks like he drank too much, but whatever.

“I guess you’re curious about something, Eve.”

With a helpless smile, the emperor looked at his daughter.

Then he nods his head.

“Ask. “I’ll answer everything you want to know.”

And that… ….

“So, am I actually of noble lineage? Well, he does look a bit noble.”

It also happened around the time Dante was talking nonsense while looking in the mirror.