11 – The Weight of Truth
“Whoa~ Whoa.”
The stableman’s voice was filled with exhaustion.
Probably because of me.
From the morning, he seemed very tense.
The clattering sound that echoed on the cobblestone gradually slowed down.
And after a while, the carriage came to a slow stop.
It was Emperor Hwang.
Just like when he was brought here.
The emperor’s private carriage was used when he brought Elaine.
The knights who followed on horseback disbanded themselves after entering the palace.
When the door opened and I got off.
It was right in front of the emperor’s office.
The sun, burning hot with a longing for summer, was soaring towards noon in no time.
In the sky, bluer than the endless sea, a few large white clouds that looked like giant whales were peacefully floating.
Then suddenly, I felt a gaze and turned my head.
The emperor was looking down at me from the second-floor window.
A stern expression and a fierce gaze.
It was a face that you couldn’t know what he wanted.
Since there were many things I wanted to hear, it meant that I should come up right away.
But it’s not the right time yet.
I pretended not to notice and turned my head again.
I leisurely took a few steps, pretending to ignore it.
It must be time for him to come by now.
Somehow, I felt a chill down my spine, but I continued to daydream and kept my gaze far away.
Then, after a moment.
I spotted a maid hurrying towards the Empress’s palace.
In her hand, she held a small green vial, slightly smaller than a wine bottle.
It seemed incredibly precious, as she held it tightly in both hands, like a newborn baby.
That was exactly what I had been waiting for.
Leaving the approaching maid behind, I headed towards the Emperor’s office.
***
“Tell me in detail about the sudden vomiting of blood and the process of dying and coming back to life. What on earth happened?”
That demanding request.
As soon as I stepped into the office, I heard it from the Emperor.
Before the door could even close, it was thrown at me like a net.
In his burning gaze, like the scorching summer sun.
There was a strong determination to hear the answer, no matter what.
Perhaps because I had raised enough suspicion.
The melted soy sauce seemed to push the Emperor’s patience to its limit.
“….”
“I only want the absolute truth, without a hint of falsehood. Speak up. What on earth happened? If there is anything that I don’t know, you must reveal everything without exception.”
It was a solemn voice, as if discussing a serious matter.
The finger tapping on the desk was impatiently urging me to reveal the truth quickly.
However, the truth was never simple.
No truth could exist in isolation.
Every truth was inevitably connected to another.
As a cause and effect. Or in the form of small and large stepping stones supporting a grand inevitability.
Even if sometimes cleverly hidden among falsehoods.
The truth could never exist alone, even for a moment.
The Emperor wanted the same.
The moment I confess to breaking the imperial decree, sneaking out of the palace and collapsing on my way back.
Of course, the Emperor seemed to already know that I had secretly left the palace.
But the real problem was when the question of why arose in relation to that fact.
It would lead to revealing Elaine’s true identity and abilities.
One truth naturally attracts another truth.
Furthermore, if asked why I wanted to meet the Saintess.
Eventually, I would have to explain a significant portion of what I know.
And if I were to face the brutal truth that would be revealed in that process.
Can the Emperor really bear its weight?
My eyes involuntarily closed.
I forcibly held my head, which was naturally shaking.
Having read the novel, I already knew very well.
That the emperor could never bear the weight of the truth.
The Emperor of the Mersen Empire, Velcrid Superrator Caldebrion.
He was a person born to conquer.
From a young age, he swept through battlefields and made countless enemies of the empire surrender. He was a great conqueror.
He was just and strong.
He had an abundance of determination, yet he was not reckless.
But even someone like him had a weakness.
It was his arrogance, considering tactics and strategies to be the weapons of cowardly people.
Because of his stubborn pride, he tragically lost his wife.
He also failed to protect his highly anticipated son, who was left irreparably damaged.
He himself, after the death of the empress, lived for quite some time drowning in alcohol.
As a result, he lost most of his power that had ruled the empire.
All that remained was an empty authority.
Furthermore, even the incredible martial arts expert who always rode at the forefront and slaughtered enemy soldiers first.
Now, he had fallen to the level of a mere commoner.
Everything was because of Empress Herpina.
She was the mastermind behind the assassination of the Empress and the destruction of the Crown Prince.
Such an extraordinary woman could not be left as the Empress.
Just like what she did to Eos.
She had been steadily poisoning the Emperor for quite some time.
A poison that even after consuming for a long time, did not develop any resistance, only mixed in the medicine in undetectable minuscule amounts. It had been administered consistently for years.
As a result,
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the Emperor’s body would be on the brink of death right now.
The weight of the truth was never light.
That the death of the Empress, known as a soldier, was actually an assassination.
And that the current Crown Prince, Cervis, was not his biological son.
The weight of the complete truth.
It was something the Emperor could never bear.
I opened my eyes, which I had been closing.
Silently standing.
I stared at the Emperor’s face, who was sitting quietly, for a long time.
As if sensing something from my expression.
The Emperor wore a expression that said he had nothing more to lose.
He looked incredibly bitter.
A faint smile, barely recognizable whether it was there or not, lingered for a moment and disappeared.
All that remained was a tightly sealed mouth.
There was a firm determination not to be surprised by any truth that they faced.
“Do not hesitate any longer and speak. What exactly happened to you? I understand that this father is still not pleased, but I hope you will tell me.”
“……”
Even if they knew all the truth, could the emperor really live as carefree as before?
No.
That would be impossible.
Considering his personality that I know.
Perhaps every time he breathes out, he would vomit blood and scream with the most intense hatred in the world.
He would immediately grab a sword and run towards those who took away the most precious thing.
Even the gods would cry out, trying to create the most desperate bloodbath.
But in such a situation,
The Empress and her father, the Duke Shlein, could not just stand by and watch.
They would subdue before being subdued.
They would even pull out the fangs of a lion that had already lost its teeth.
They would unhesitatingly drive a rusty iron stake into the shattered heel.
So, they cannot reveal all the truth.
Just one thing.
They will show only one side of the vile truth, which surely had hundreds of faces.
And thus,
They will make the emperor revive the Mersenne Empire, which is on the verge of destruction.
Of course, that alone would not be enough.
At this moment, it was the best I could do.
Sometimes, it’s like that.
The darkness that veils the world at night.
There are times when it is more beautiful than the revealing light that exposes even the ugliness.
This was one of those moments.
To save the Emperor,
what was needed immediately was not light, but the darkness that swallowed up most of the vile truth.
Knock, knock…
A resounding knock broke the silence.
Upon receiving permission, the door opened.
The maid I had seen in front of the study came in, carrying a tray with a vial and a glass.
With a faint smile, she approached the desk.
And at the same time, I asked the Emperor,
“Do you truly want to know the truth?”
The maid froze in surprise.
She turned her head slowly, like a broken wooden doll.
I looked into her trembling eyes.
As our eyes met,
a dense sense of fear enveloped us in an instant, like the shadow of dawn.
The stiff posture, barely reaching the shoulders, reminded me of a startled cat at the sound of thunder.
The maid turned her head with a strained expression.
After swallowing a dry sip, she cautiously tried to move her feet again with a determined expression.
“First, let’s eat the medicine and listen—”
“Sometimes, lies are better than the truth. But do you still want the truth?”
Interrupting the Emperor’s words, I asked again.
My voice was stronger than before.
The gaze that had briefly turned towards the Emperor now shot back to the maid.
Seeing her carefully lower the foot that had been tense, it felt like she could feel my gaze even without looking at me.
From her trembling toes to the tray, the bottle, and the cup on it, everything was shaking.
Sweat was even dripping down her forehead.
It was an extremely suspicious attitude that could never be seen unless one was a thief with numb feet.
“……”
The Emperor silently looked at me, then turned his eyes towards the maid following my gaze.
Finally, he sensed the awkward atmosphere.
“But still, you want to know. What exactly is the truth.”
I grabbed the maid by the hair, just like that.
“Kyah!”
With a thud!
Stepping on the tiles, I fell to my knees and snatched the vial.
The tray fell to the ground and rolled, and the glass cup shattered into dozens of pieces.
“What in the world are you doing all of a sudden?”
He asked, but his gaze remained unwavering.
His low voice sounded like thunder rumbling in the clouds after a lightning strike.
Somehow, his widened pupils couldn’t completely hide his rising curiosity.
His face seemed to say, “I don’t understand, so explain it in more detail.”
But what I needed now was not an explanation.
Words were something that could never precede enlightenment.
Thunk!
After opening the vial, I poured its contents directly into the mouth of the sobbing maid.
“P-please, save me! *sniff* Ah, no, *sob*!”
The vial emptied in an instant, and the weeping maid was ruthlessly discarded like rotten straw.
“Is this the truth you spoke of?”
His face was now filled with anger.
It seemed like he had finally dismissed the hope he had harbored for his son.
But in the next moment,
A drop of surprise fell onto his contorted face, creating a powerful ripple.
Ptooo!
The maid spat out saliva hurriedly, sticking her finger into her throat.
She was desperately trying to get rid of what she had swallowed.
The Emperor’s face, upon seeing her,
Did not show a trace of anger.
All that remained was an expression of disbelief.
“This is the truth as I know it, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor, who had been standing, suddenly
Collapsed into the chair as if his legs had given out. It seemed he couldn’t bear the weight of the newly discovered truth.