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CHAPTER 210: THE DESIRE FOR RECOGNITION

CHAPTER 210: THE DESIRE FOR RECOGNITION

~ Fernando’s Point of View ~

At that time, in the throne room, a woman named Mare prevented me from killing Ruzarc, so I made up my mind and pressed the bomb detonation switch without a second thought.

I personally did not mind dying all that much, and even calculated my death into my plans in advance.

But then I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, the information that came into my brain, which had not yet fully woken up from its prolonged slumber, made my already confused head even more confused than it was before.

This was the first time I had seen this room, but the refined furnishings were tastefully arranged. Not only was it comparable to the furnishing of the royal castle, but it had a more orderly and calm atmosphere to it than the royal castle did, and even I, a member of the royal family, was overwhelmed on the spot.

Moreover, the moonlight was shining in through the window that I could see from the side, making it feel almost fantastical in a sense.

In that situation, the voice I heard was the worst thing I could have possibly imagined.

「Hey, how about you wake up now, sleepy-head?」

「…… Ngh!? T-Thunder Emperor?! Flame Princess, Destruction Emperor, and even a woman named Mare…… W-Where the hell am I!?」

「Careful there, I can see that you are still confused as to what is going on. Oh well, I will try to explain it to you step by step. This is the deepest part of the dungeon called the Phantom Castle, our base of operations, basically. We have already crushed the coup that you have orchestrated and captured almost all of the rebel soldiers under your command.」

「W-What the hell are you talking about……!?」

「Well, I understand, really. It is hard to accept your crushing defeat as reality right away. Anyways, the coup you planned has been utterly crushed and you have been branded as a traitor to the state. If you know that much, you can imagine what will happen to you in the near future, right?」

「Damn it…… But that doesn’t mean everything you say is true! And who’s going to believe nonsense like this being the Phantom Castle!?」

I knew better than anyone just how desperate of a remark that was.

Everything the Thunder Emperor said was true, and the only fate that awaited me from now on was “death”…… But that was fine with me. If dying would make things easier for me, that was fine by me, too.

Besides, Ruzarc was more suitable to be King than I was. That was all there was to it.

I could accept it with mere resignation, as it was the result of giving it all I had. I should take responsibility for the crimes that arose as a result of the actions I masterminded.

But then the beastman Kinu, nicknamed Flame Princess, spoke up to me, and did not even allow me to die. When I was mocked for wanting to die as a mere attempt at “running away,” I could no longer take that option. I was a difficult character, with a high level of pride, despite myself. The thought patterns I have cultivated since childhood were deeply-rooted in me, and they binded my thoughts to the point that they could be simply described as a “curse.”

Furthermore, it felt as if the Flame Princess had read into my emotions and thought process before saying those words. She may appear to be kind, but she was quite strict and frightening deep down.

However, the fact that I could accept that was the proof that I have already admitted defeat.

And so, after sorting out the situation and analyzing myself up to this point, I suddenly had a certain thought enter my mind.

(…… Just how much of a man is the Thunder Emperor really?)

He ruled over the incomprehensible dungeon of the Phantom Castle, basically a superhuman realm, and was the leader of the country’s top-level powerful people, known as the Star Emperors, or Seiha. Not only the Flame Princess Kinu and the Destruction Emperor Drake who were present here, but also the monster called Yaou, who was so wrapped up in an monstrous aura that even S Rank monsters looked pale in comparison, seemed to have absolute submission and trust in this man.

How did he gain such a centripetal force that the word “Charisma” cannot possibly explain? It was something I had been struggling with for many years to understand.

(… I want to know.)

As I was thinking about this, the Thunder Emperor spoke up again.

「Fernando, what do you want to do from now on?」

These words give me infinite options at this point…… Are they perhaps testing me?

「You asked a vague question. I can’t possibly think straight yet, so I cannot give you a clear and definitive answer. Let me ask you a few questions instead.」

「Sure thing, I don’t mind.」

「What is the purpose of you guys at “Seiha” coming out to thwart this revolutionary coup? There are no rules in this country that require clans to participate in wars or civil wars. You already had money, status, and honor to your name, isn’t that right?」

「Huh? Well, of course it’s because our friend Ruzarc seemed to be in trouble. I did not do it for anything other than that, and I certainly did not expect to gain anything in return.」

「…… That kind of logic is the same as basically marching towards your own death for free. That does not even begin to qualify as an explanation.」

「No, I mean, isn’t that just about normal? If someone you care about is in trouble, it’s only natural to want to do something to help them out, right? On the other hand, if you are asking for something in return for your help, doesn’t that mean you don’t care about them that much in the first place?」

「That’s…… But even so, it’s on an entirely different scale. It’s not like mediating a fight between little children!」

「No, it doesn’t change anything. In the end, it was something that we could have done, but we would have acted even if it wasn’t required for us to do so. The result is not the only thing that matters in life.」

I did not understand that man at all……

I certainly expected that Black Bolt would appear when we planned the coup. But I did not think it was really for this kind of reason……

Was he just a good-natured idiot? Or does he simply see the world in a way that I simply couldn’t perceive?

My own lack of understanding made the presence of the man called Aun in front of me feel even more powerful than he was before……

「Boss here is certainly incredibly kind.」

「Yeah. Aun cares about his friends and would never betray them. That’s why everyone trusts Aun and wants to follow him wherever he goes.」

With the addition of the Destruction Emperor and Flame Princess, I was able to get a sense of how the Thunder Emperor was viewed by those around him.

In short, his motives were short-sighted and emotional, but his response was thorough and broad-minded enough to repel all my plans. That was it.

His words and actions could only be described as extremely dualistic in nature and utterly absurd…… but his principles were nothing but consistent, which has earned him the trust of those around him. Perhaps that’s the true nature of the Thunder Emperor’s charm and charisma……

It did not change the fact that it was incomprehensible and meaningless to me. Besides, there were not many people in the world who could act the same way as the Thunder Emperor did. At least, I could never imitate him.

「Hahaha…… I can’t believe that the Thunder Emperor is such a good-natured and busybody idiot…… Well, I guess I can accept that I lost when there was such a big difference in our fighting power.」

「I’m not a good-natured or a busybody. I just helped my friend because he was in trouble, alright? And it was not an easy solution. The various strategies you used were definitely threatening to our lives at every single step of the way. Your talent as a military strategist is among the best in the world.」

「Are you praising me or patronizing me……? Haah, oh well, it doesn’t matter. I shall take that as a compliment.」

Strangely enough, I was aware that the words of the Thunder Emperor just now made me feel like all my efforts have paid off in some way.

Looking back, maybe the reason I wanted to take the throne and staged the coup was because I wanted to be recognized by someone. My brother was a genius, Ruzarc, and everyone else…… even myself, compared me to Ruzarc. That probably made my desire for recognition even worse, but I never thought that my enemy, the Thunder Emperor himself, would recognize my abilities.

「So? Let me ask you again…… What do you want to do now?」

「I have been completely defeated. Any further excuses or attempts at resistance would be meaningless. If I’m not allowed to die, then I will accept the punishment that fits my crime. But…… Before that, there’s one thing I want to do.」

「What is it?」

「I have taken some books out of the Forbidden Library. I want to return them to their original locations and properly lock the door to the Forbidden Library.」

「…… What do you mean?」

「I brought them up as a bargaining chips, hoping they would slow things down if things would go awry, but…… Now that you seem to have free access to the Forbidden Library, it is not enough to be used as a bargaining chip. In that case, I must return them to their original locations and store them away properly. This is my last job as a member of the royal family, as I was entrusted with the management of the Forbidden Library by His Majesty.」

「Hmm…… Oh well, that’s fine with me. However, you are too untrustworthy to do that. I need to attach some conditions to that.」

「I will accept those conditions. You can even bind me with a slave crest if you like.」

「Alright. I will consider this your punishment, including the slave crest. Until then, wait in this room.」

With that, everyone from “Seiha” suddenly disappeared, leaving me behind.

I still could not completely distinguish whether it was a dream or reality, but that fact seemed to support his words that this place was the Phantom Castle dungeon and that the Thunder Emperor was indeed its Dungeon Master.

When I was left alone and thought about it calmly, it was quite unnatural that I, the mastermind of the coup, was still alive. When I thought about the reason, I could easily guess that Ruzarc had probably begged the Thunder Emperor to spare my life.

He’s such a naive little brother… He was easily swayed by his emotions and could not think about things just from his own interests. Ruzarc was hailed as a “genius,” but his flaws were far too serious for him to lead the country as the King in the future……

「Indeed, for the members of royalty, kindness can become a flaw if it’s shown too much…… But it’s also true that this country was saved by that kindness.」

Surprised by my sudden monologue and the unconscious smile on my face, I began to think deeply about what this emotion was.

I did have much time left, but I did not have anything else to think about.

Maybe it was good to ask myself meaningless questions every now and then, just like that.