He became the most insane emperor of all time

Another week passed.

Naturally, I spent the time training and reading when I had a break.

In other words, I was neglecting the state affairs and just fooling around.

So what? If you’re dissatisfied, go ahead and become the Emperor yourself.

Even now, I was still training and sparring with the Imperial Guard knights, sweating profusely.

[Imperial Swordsmanship has reached Level 2.]
[Horsemanship Level 1 has been learned.]
[Basic Martial Arts Level 1 has been learned.]

As the messages from the status window about the skills and traits I had gained from my training kept popping up, the Captain of the Imperial Guard finished the training for the day.

“Let’s call it a day for today.”

“Good job. Although, I’m a bit dissatisfied. The progress doesn’t seem as fast as I expected.”

I wiped the sweat off my face and asked the Captain.

The Captain immediately shook his head in denial.

“No, Your Majesty. You are learning faster than anyone else.”

Really? It was hard for me to feel it, as I hadn’t noticed much progress beyond seeing the skills in the status window.

But since the Captain didn’t seem to be lying, I assumed it was true.

“But I want to get stronger faster.”

“You are already progressing at a fast pace, but is there any particular reason why you’re in such a hurry?”

He looked at me with an expression similar to that of a child who had just started taekwondo three days ago and was now complaining about wanting to earn a black belt.

Of course, even if it looked that way, it was true that I was getting impatient.

“Well, I can’t just play around every day, right? I am, after all, an Emperor with a lot of responsibilities.”

Of course, I wasn’t actually planning to work, but I still needed to get stronger quickly.

For myself, and for the Empire too.

According to my plan, if I get stronger, the Empire will get stronger.

“If that’s the case, the only way is through real combat.”

The Captain’s answer was straightforward and conventional.

“Real combat, huh… Does that mean I should go hunting right now?”

“I beg your pardon, but considering Your Majesty’s safety, real combat is still too soon. It would be better to ease your impatience.”

“You really have a boring side to you, don’t you?”

From the Captain’s face, I could see it almost saying, “It’s not boring, it’s just the sensible thing to do,” but I deliberately ignored it.

At that moment, Chancellor Cal Bright approached from the side.

“Your Majesty.”

“Ah, it’s you again today. So, you’ve come to discuss state affairs, I assume?”

I said in a sarcastic tone to the sharp, thin man whose business was obvious.

“Although the court session has already passed, I would appreciate it if you could still attend to the state affairs, even if it’s late today.”

However, this dry, old man seemed to lack a sense of humor, responding in a very dry manner.

A subordinate urging their superior to work—this is a rare sight indeed.

Of course, I had no intention of working.

“It seems to me that you all still haven’t properly carried out my orders.”

Though I had neglected state affairs, I still checked the agendas briefly in the morning.

However, the officials still hadn’t presented issues that satisfied me.

“Your Majesty, please chastise us for our shortcomings. We, the foolish ones, are unable to provide the answers Your Majesty seeks.”

Even after ascending the throne, I hadn’t taken care of the state affairs once.

As a chancellor, it was natural for him to be frustrated, but I had my own reasons.

“Well, I can see that things are a little better than before.”

As we walked away from the training grounds toward the palace, I said that, and the Chancellor gave me an eager look.

But the next words I said made him feel deflated again.

“However, they still aren’t the right answers.”

Perhaps because they were the Empire’s last remaining elites, there were many signs of effort in their work.

But it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough to revive an Empire that was heading toward its ruin.

“The proposals you’ve presented all pertain to the Empire’s macro governance—taxes, military power, issues with the lords, external threats, and so on.”

“They are all urgent matters.”

As the Chancellor said, they were all problems the Empire was facing.

But just like how a doctor wouldn’t prescribe medication for every single complication that comes with a critically ill patient, you don’t always treat every symptom at once.

At least, that can’t be the only solution.

“Right, the state of the Empire is bad, and these problems are indeed serious. But the order is wrong. We must set all those issues aside for now and focus on one thing.”

We need to focus on one fundamental, most critical issue.

To be exact, the expression should be “there is only enough time to focus on one thing.”

“We need to focus on the problems right here in the capital.”

The entire country was falling apart.

But just like how one should start cleaning by tidying up their own room or the yard in front of their house, before you look at the whole country, you need to look at the capital.

If the capital falls, the country’s last breath will be snuffed out.

“There are issues all over the Empire—taxes not being collected, border issues like those in the North, all important problems. But if the main base is in danger, I don’t understand why we’re worrying about the provinces.”

It might sound like I’m ignoring the provinces, but unfortunately, the greatest strength of a nation comes from the capital.

“I hoped that this simple truth would be obvious to all, but it seems that’s not the case.”

Of course, that was a lie. I just wanted to relax.

“The gods were foolish. But if that’s the case, you must take care of state affairs more. As you mentioned, the capital alone has numerous issues piling up.”

The Chancellor agreed with my point, yet he continued to speak more rationally.

Well, as the Chancellor said, I would have to work eventually.

However, before responding to him, I noticed a message window that had appeared earlier.

[The God of Valor, Leonis, has given you a quest.]
[Quest: Training through Real Combat]
[Quest Objective: Win through real combat, no matter how.]
[Reward: Leonis’ Favor]
[If you fail, you cannot regain Leonis’ favor for a week.]

This was the quest that had appeared after the Captain of the Guards mentioned real combat.

Seeing this, I came up with a good idea and smiled slyly.

“By the way, how about we do a job together, Chancellor?”

It was finally time to go out.

***

Kings in the Joseon Dynasty used to practice going incognito.

They would disguise themselves as ordinary people, taking only one or two bodyguards, and roam around places like Hanyang.

It was a scene often depicted in historical dramas, but in reality, the court officials didn’t like the king going incognito.

“Your Majesty, no matter how much I think about it, this is too…”

“Too what? Is there anything I, the Emperor, can’t do?”

But I didn’t need to worry about looking suspicious like those kings from the Joseon Dynasty.

“That’s not it, Your Majesty. There are concerns about your dignity and safety. It’s also not safe.”

Of course, the Chancellor was still being stubborn.

I had no intention of being compliant.

“I’ll take care of my own dignity, so no need to worry. And are you implying that the Captain of the Guards here isn’t trustworthy?”

I casually glanced at the Captain of the Guards.

Caught off guard, the Captain was now the subject of an indirect blow, but he didn’t show any sign of discomfort. He remained silent with an expression of strictness.

The Chancellor sighed heavily.

“I did not mean it that way.”

“Then stop complaining.”

With that, I silenced the Chancellor and turned my attention to someone else.

“Housekeeper, are we almost there?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s just up ahead.”

[Jurgen Heinenberg]
[Position: Housekeeper of the Imperial Palace]
[Traits: Ambitious, Cunning, Intelligent]
[Skills: Master of Wine Tasting, Excellent Spy, Social Butterfly, Skilled Speaker…]

It was my Housekeeper, Jurgen.

Though he was technically the superior of the minor housekeepers who took care of me, his true role was as my secretary and the head of my intelligence network.

Officially, the Imperial Palace didn’t have a dedicated intelligence department, so he essentially served as the head of intelligence.

“It looks like a shabby tavern. Well, that’s where merchants and their lackeys gather.”

“That’s correct. However, I don’t have any further information beyond that.”

“That’s enough. We’ll find out more as we go.”

I said confidently to Jurgen.

What was the root of the Empire’s problems? Or who was responsible?

This wasn’t a question with just one answer.

Corrupt officials.

Noble lords, like the so-called wicked aristocrats.

Or maybe an emperor too busy playing around to manage his affairs.

Any of these reasons could be seen as the cause of the Empire’s chaos.

But if I had to pick one group that could never be exonerated, it would be the merchants.

And the place we had arrived at was a gathering spot for the merchants’ pawns and lowlifes.

Bang!

“Come here!”

“Your Majesty, your dignity…”

I kicked open the shabby tavern door and shouted.

The Chancellor complained about dignity, the Housekeeper smirked slyly, and the Captain of the Guards stood stoically, scanning the surroundings.

“What’s going on here?”

“What are you doing here?”

The tough-looking men inside the tavern glared at the Emperor, disrespectfully.

Of course, since I was in disguise, they didn’t recognize me as the Emperor.

They were thugs, not trained like knights, but rather tough, burly lowlifes.

They were the kind of third-rate scoundrels who looked like they had found an opportunity to pick a fight.

“Hey, you there, the parasite like a gigolo. What do you think you’re doing here?”

I had heard the term “gigolo-like parasite” before, and I couldn’t entirely disagree with them.

I had been a typical 20-something Korean man, but now I was a handsome young man with long silver-blond hair.

I honestly found the “handsome buff” a bit strange.

“Haha, it’s funny that you lowlifes are talking about causing trouble. Your very existence is trouble itself.”

Thanks to my looks, I wasn’t offended by the insults, but it seemed the thugs didn’t feel the same way.

Thieves, pickpockets, conmen, robbers, murderers, kidnappers…

All the people gathered here were from that sort of crowd.

Even as the Empire crumbled, these parasites couldn’t be eradicated. In fact, they thrived even more in the chaos.

But they had a sense of pride, strangely enough.

“Damned bastards!”

As soon as I was insulted, one of the men pulled out a dagger and lunged at me without hesitation.

Thwack!

I blocked it with my sword, still in its scabbard. The dagger struck the scabbard directly.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Without hesitation, I swung the lower part of the scabbard and struck him in the groin.

The man, completely unprepared, collapsed with a sound of air escaping as he was struck in the vital spot.

“Are you not going to use a real sword?”

Even though the Emperor himself was fighting lowlifes, Captain Wolfman, the leader of the guards, quietly asked without stepping in.

It was a question asking why I was choosing to beat them instead of simply killing them.

“I don’t want my first kill to be one of these guys. Oh, but does this make it unrealistic?”

Captain Wolfman shook his head at my counter-question.

“It’s harder to subdue them without killing. It would be more effective for training.”

“Then there’s no need to draw my sword.”

As I said this, I sat down and kicked the face of the guy who was groaning like a girl.

“This bastard!”

“Catch him! Kill him!”

“How dare you touch us!”

They were spouting typical lines of extra villains.

The weapons they held ranged from their bare hands to swords that, though stolen from somewhere, were hard to come by for commoners, including some who wielded longswords.

“Oh, right. Bring it on all at once.”

I wasn’t intimidated in the slightest by dealing with such thugs.

Could this be the influence of my “innate martial ability”?

If it were the old me from my past life, I would have frozen either psychologically or physically, but now, I wasn’t afraid at all.

“Should I just watch, Captain Wolfman?”

“If His Majesty is truly determined, this should be no problem for you.”

Thud! Crack!

Like a lion charging into a flock of sheep, I went wild, pounding them all one-sidedly.

None of the ones who drew longswords or short swords were better than me, even though I had only trained for two weeks.

Of course, since this was real combat, there were moments when the blade nearly grazed me, creating tense situations, but I was able to beat them all without a scratch.

It was like my previous life as a modern person, who was far from violent, had been a lie. I was now intoxicated by the adrenaline that violence brought.

“Bring more! Bring more! This is too much!”

About ten or so came at me, but they all got beaten senseless and collapsed.

Only then did they realize they were outmatched and began calling for reinforcements.

From upstairs, more people rushed down, increasing the number to about thirty.

“Isn’t this getting a bit troublesome?”

Following the Chancellor’s earlier question, Jurgen now asked the Captain of the Guards.

The Captain of the Guards nodded slightly and stepped forward.

“I’ll join in, my lord.”

“I can handle this myself.”

“Yes, but I think it’s time to show you the next step.”

The next step?

I was curious to see what he was going to show me.

However, the Captain of the Guards raised his sword scabbard, not drawing the sword, and used it like a staff to tap the ground.

“Kneel.”

The moment he spoke, his deep yet commanding voice filled the tavern.

Everyone in the room was instantly forced to shrink back.

Interestingly, neither the Chancellor, Jurgen, nor I had any issue with it, but the thugs were trembling and kneeling, some even foaming at the mouth.

“My lord, this is the power that distinguishes knights from commoners.”

A special power that sets knights apart from ordinary people.

Unlike Earth, it wasn’t just strength or martial arts that separated them.

“Oro.”

For me, as an Earthling, this was the kind of power I had only ever imagined in fantasy.

Seeing the essence of that power, my heart was racing wildly.