He became the most insane emperor of all time

“The thugs have all been subdued. Chancellor, please say what you must to them.”

“Hah, they all seem to have lost their minds, so we should wait a bit.”

Thanks to the lion’s roar that sent the thugs into a dazed state, the Chancellor realized that speaking to them now would be useless.

Meanwhile, I was also staring at the status window in front of me.

[Quest Complete] [Favor of the God of Valor, Leonis, increased by 1 level] [Leonis’ Favor Level 1: Increased speed of all physical and martial arts training]

“Ho, is this an experience boosting effect?”

According to the Captain of the Guard, I was already learning quickly, but I was curious about how much faster it would be with this effect added.

“It’s about time to speak up. Now, is there anyone here who will step forward as a representative?”

“W-Who are you people, and why are you doing this to us?”

“As for me, I am Kal Bright, the Chancellor of the Gross Empire. And…”

As the Chancellor began speaking to the thugs, he glanced at me briefly.

It seemed like he was debating whether or not to tell them that I was the Emperor, so I shook my head.

There was no need to tell them that. I didn’t care if they didn’t know, but the merchants I was trying to summon through them were another matter.

“…I have come to offer you a new opportunity to serve the Empire, to people like you who live like trash.”

“W-We haven’t done anything wrong!”

“You haven’t done anything wrong? You’re talking with that mouth, even though I can tell you’ve been living off the suffering of innocent people. Should I rip that mouth of yours off as a lesson?”

“…N-No, I’m sorry.”

Ah, our Chancellor is more terrifying than he looks.

As expected, someone who makes a living with words would never be weak in persuasion.

“I already know all about the crimes you’ve committed, and you deserve to be executed, but I will give you one chance to change. Do you understand?”

“Yes! What… what should we do?”

“I want you to bring the merchants who’ve been backing you. No, gather all the merchants tied to the back alleys, regardless of their organization.”

In effect, he was ordering all the merchants in the capital to be brought.

The Chancellor’s words were so forceful that no one dared refuse, but their expressions soon became troubled.

“U-Um, the thing is…”

“What? Are you saying that you can’t do it because you’re afraid of the merchants? Don’t you fear having your head cut off?”

“It’s not that! It’s just that… it’s not the merchants I’m worried about… the other organizations won’t listen to us.”

Hearing that, the Chancellor raised an eyebrow.

“So? What do you mean? Are you saying you need to deal with other organizations before you can bring the merchants?”

“Y-Yes.”

This time, I stepped forward instead of the Chancellor.

In truth, I could gather the merchants without needing to go through these thugs.

Since the Emperor had called for them, the merchants couldn’t dare to not show up or defy him.

However, in order to enforce the demands I had for them, I had to summon them through these thugs.

I needed to present irrefutable evidence that they had been colluding to commit crimes.

“Then, we’ll just deal with them. You, lead the way to the hideout of the other organization. You all must know their locations, right?”

“Yes, of course!”

In fact, it worked out well. There was no better opportunity to gain practical experience than dealing with these thugs. And now, I had a chance to practice even more by taking on the others.

“Are you planning to do more?”

“Of course. It would be a shame to end it here, wouldn’t it? By the way, can you teach me how to use that ‘Aura’?”

Having seen the Captain of the Guard’s mastery, I immediately asked him to teach me how to use Aura.

The Captain of the Guard looked slightly troubled as he responded.

“What I showed you earlier is currently impossible to replicate.”

“I’m not expecting that level right away. I’m sure there are basic training methods—could you start by teaching me those? I’m sure there’s something like that, right?”

The concept of Aura, which often appears in fantasy stories, originally comes from martial arts settings.

It involves methods like cultivating internal energy through meditation, or attaining power by swinging a sword repeatedly until one achieves enlightenment—such concepts are often part of the lore.

Though it’s somewhat vague, with my “Innate Martial Mastery” and “Genius” traits, I expected I could achieve it fairly easily.

“Well, it’s not like there’s nothing to it. However, Aura requires both talent and long-term training, so it’s currently impossible…”

“Whether it works or not, we won’t know until we try. Just teach me already.”

“…Alright. It wouldn’t be bad to give it a try.”

The Captain of the Guard had a high opinion of my talent, but it seemed he didn’t expect me to master it quickly.

However, he gave me a detailed explanation of the principles of Aura, how to train for it, and how to manifest it.

“To summarize, you need to practice meditation, training, and the method of manifesting it. But even if you manage to do all that, there’s no guarantee that everyone will achieve the same results.”

“So it’s a matter of talent.”

“Yes, the accumulation of mana with the Aura’s attributes in the heart to form a Mana Heart, the manifestation of Aura through the Mana Heart, and enduring the fatigue when using the Aura—everything is greatly influenced by talent.”

Even with talent, if you don’t train, you won’t grow, but no matter how much you train, if you don’t have the talent, you can’t achieve anything beyond your potential.

But this wasn’t a problem for me.

[Due to the “Genius” trait, you have understood the concept of Aura.]
[Through training and experience, the manifestation of Aura is now possible.]

Just from listening to the Captain’s explanation, something had changed.

While the status window displayed relevant information, I could also feel subtle sensations that I hadn’t been able to perceive before.

With every breath, step, and even when thinking, I could sense something that I couldn’t normally feel or see.

It was something abstract, indescribable in words, and each time I sensed it, my heart would feel heavier.

I easily guessed that it was Aura.

“This is it, this is where the Cartinfa thugs are.”

While I had been learning the theoretical aspects from the Captain of the Guard, the thug guided me to the hideout of the other gangsters.

Of course, I had no intention of kindly opening the door and walking in.

“Come here!”

Bang!

“What’s this!”

“Silence!”

As expected, inside were thugs who looked unmistakably like criminals.

This time, I decided to act first without asking any questions.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

I didn’t even draw my sword from its scabbard this time.

Instead, I slowly recalled the method for manifesting Aura that the Captain of the Guard had taught me, and executed it with precision.

Breathing, movement, focus, composure, and selflessness.

Aura was a power that controlled mana.

The only difference from magic was the method of use, but the essence was the same.

It existed in a concrete yet conceptual form, and when expressed through mana, it became magic. If it manifested in the form of a Mana Heart, it would manifest as Aura.

“Catch that guy!”

“Ah! You’re too fast!”

Thwack! Crack!

The swordsmanship I used on the thugs was closer to raw violence than refined technique.

I occasionally threw punches and kicks, and my footwork wasn’t graceful. Even I could tell that my style looked more like a street brawler’s fight than that of a knight.

However, I could clearly feel it.

I was aware of things they couldn’t see, feel, or understand.

“Ha.”

[You have acquired Mana Heart Level 1.]
[Basic Aura usage is now possible.]

A Mana Heart was created.

It was a basic level that a knight with ordinary talent would only achieve after years of training as a child.

Yet, I had easily acquired it in just a few minutes.

It was likely due to my maximum combat power of 10, combined with my innate martial prowess, genius traits, and Leonis’s favor.

“Impressive. Truly, Your Majesty’s talent is…”

The Captain of the Guard muttered quietly, but his voice rang clearly, amplified by the Aura.

It wasn’t just my hearing—every sensation I had was different.

Even time itself felt as though it was flowing more slowly.

‘Right now, I feel like I could do anything.’

I had become faster, but the thugs couldn’t keep up with my movements at all.

If I continued to reach higher levels, I felt like I could even achieve “invisible movements.”

‘Ah, this is a high-power world setting, after all.’

I chuckled lightly at the absurd thought.

But my Aura was still weak, and I could feel it depleting quickly, as if the Aura in my heart was running out.

However, it didn’t matter.

“Grrr…”

“Monster-like…”

I had already knocked them all down.

I hadn’t been aware of how much time had passed, as I was in a trance, but over thirty thugs were groaning inside the hideout.

I glanced at them disinterestedly before turning to the Captain of the Guard.

“What do you think, Captain?”

“Honestly, it’s impressive. It’s still a weak level, but I’ve never heard of anyone awakening Aura this quickly. Even the first Emperor, known as the Tyrant King, would not have been able to do this.”

“Is that so?”

If that were the case, I might have earned some kind of achievement, but the status window remained silent.

Indeed, while the Captain of the Guard praised me, it would be strange for an achievement to appear for something like this.

Even though this world had become reality, if it were based on a game-like system, there wouldn’t be achievements tied to cheat abilities like this.

“Honestly, I still feel like I’m far from it, but I’m sure you’re not saying this just for the sake of it, Captain. By the way, now it’s time for the Chancellor to say the same thing to these guys.”

“Wouldn’t there be any problem with that? However, if they say the same thing, we’ll have to put in the same effort again, won’t we?”

“Well, that’s even better! It means I’ll have more people to help me with my training, right? Though, at this point, it’s almost like I’m just hitting a scarecrow.”

It was partly due to how quickly I was growing, but the thugs’ level was so low that it wasn’t much of a challenge.

Even though they were from the capital, there was no real reason they would be formidable.

After all, even if the empire was in decline, the capital was still the safest place in the empire.

What that meant was that the thugs here were basically like low-level mobs wandering in the front yard.

This wasn’t a martial arts world where there were inviolable rules, and in a fantasy setting, even the most skilled masters would have their heads crushed if they crossed the line.

Of course, there wouldn’t be any dangerous illegal organizations of that caliber in the capital where the Emperor resides.

If there were, the Royal Guards or Imperial Knights would have eradicated them long ago.

“Alright, let’s hurry. We need to finish up and head back to the palace before sunset, at least.”

Sigh… “Your Majesty, please maintain your dignity…”

It seemed the Chancellor sighed even more, but what could I do? If he had complaints, he should have been the Emperor instead.