I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 21

The soldier with his face covered by a helmet who delivered the news of Viscount Krain's assassination to the duke.

That soldier's identity was a knight of the 3rd Knight Order planted by Jereuth. And not just any knight, but the vice-captain Jereuth trusted most, ‘Hagen.’

‘The plan is going well. Thanks to the voice-modulating magic tool that the former Mage Tower Master, Lady Seria, gave me, I wasn't suspected at all.’

The role Hagen was assigned was to ‘act appropriately to deceive the Vaimal Ducal Faction into thinking Viscount Krain was truly assassinated by the Panshin Ducal Faction,’ a crucial role in making Duke Vaimal attack Duke Panshin.

And Hagen had performed that role perfectly. Because Duke Vaimal had ordered the attack on Duke Panshin. Following that order, the nobles followed Charlemarton, shouting vigorously as they left the room.

—Let’s go! For the coronation of His Majesty Vaimal!

—To Duke Panshin who uses cowardly methods like assassination, the iron mace of justice!

—Long live His Majesty Vaimal!! I, Baron Dor, will take the lead!

The nobles of the Vaimal Ducal Faction pledged their loyalty as if for the duke to hear, even as they were leaving the room. It was all a ploy to make the duke recognize their names and faces even one more time.

Watching the backs of the Vaimal Ducal Faction nobles leaving to attack Duke Panshin, Hagen thought to himself.

‘Captain Jereuth said it was His Highness Leonardo who created the framework for this discord plan. Of course, it was the Captain who planned the details… but anyway, the crown prince who created the grand framework of the plan is no ordinary person either.’

Duke Vaimal and Duke Panshin had known each other since they were young, so-called ‘childhood friends.’ But he had sowed discord between them using the throne as bait, and now, he had even orchestrated an armed conflict between the two by assassinating Viscount Krain.

That was clearly something no one had ever thought of. To divide the noble faction that had been amicably eating away at the kingdom and make them fight each other.

Considering that, the crown prince was certainly a fearsome person.

However, on the other hand, there was also something strange.

‘I can't understand why someone so meticulous and fearsome as to create such a plan would say not to kill the children. If he were someone who would not shy away from any means for his goal, he would have ordered the children to be killed without mercy.’

Perhaps those called ‘royalty’ had a different way of thinking from ordinary people from birth.

Hagen, who had been contemplating inwardly until the Vaimal Ducal Faction nobles left the room, lightly shook his head to clear his thoughts.

‘Well… it’s not for me to judge His Highness the Crown Prince's thoughts. I just need to follow orders.’

I should probably get going.

—thinking this, Hagen stealthily blended into the crowd of nobles and left the room.

Having successfully completed his mission, all Hagen had to do was prepare for the Purge that would take place at the Throne Handover Ceremony tomorrow.

***

The quiet dawn before the Purge.

The time was already past two in the morning.

Watching the second hand of the alarm clock pass by, I let out a faint sigh and tried to calm my heart.

Hoo―.

‘It feels like it’s about time for something to happen.’

According to the , the nobles would soon begin to fight among themselves.

Knowing that future, I couldn't remain calm. Knowing what was going to happen made my heart more uneasy.

On the other hand, Elly, who knew nothing, was dozing off while standing in a corner of my room. She had looked sleepy for a while, so I told her to just sleep in my bed, but Elly had strongly refused, saying, 「“Me, in Your Highness's bed! I could never do that!”」

Until that moment, she hadn't seemed sleepy at all, but seeing her dozing off so soon, she must have been quite tired recently.

‘I thought about just sending her back to her room, but Jereuth told me to have her stay with me in my room, so I couldn't send her back to her room to rest.’

Just as I was watching Elly for a moment.

—Uwaaaaaah!

—Kill them, you sons of bitches!! These fucking bastards!!

—This is revenge for Viscount Krain!!

—I, it's an attack!!

—Revenge?! What bullshit! You bastards were the first to attack!!

Angry voices were heard from outside the open terrace window. It wasn't just one or two people shouting.

It was the angry voices of dozens, perhaps hundreds.

‘……It has finally begun.’

The future that was in the , the noble civil war where the noble faction killed each other, had become the present.

“Y-Your Highness. This sound…?”

At that sound, Elly, who had been dozing against the wall, flinched awake and looked at me with wide, blinking eyes. After giving her a bitter smile, I gazed blankly out the terrace window and thought.

‘Should I look outside, or not.’

I was a weakling who had lived safely like a flower in a greenhouse. After my parents died in an accident in high school, I had lived a relatively hard life, but I had never seen a ‘situation where people kill each other.’

But now, such a horrifying moment was unfolding in real time outside the window. And it was I who had caused it.

‘……I should watch. It’s what I have done, so it’s my responsibility.’

I got up from my seat with difficulty and headed to the terrace. With each step closer to the terrace, the rough curses, shouts, and dying screams pierced my ears.

—Kill him, you bastard! You fucking bastard!!

—Kyaaaaaak!

—Uwaaaaaaah!!

—You sons of bitches!

Overcoming that unpleasant sound, I finally reached the terrace, and I could see people killing each other.

Just as in the , the bright moonlight of the full moon was shining down on them like a spotlight.

The full moon was so beautiful that it seemed to be laughing from high in the sky at those—including me—who were struggling to live on the ground. As if saying, 「“Pathetic humans.”」

‘This was all definitely designed by me. I divided and sowed discord among the noble faction to survive.’

That's right. It all went according to my intentions. So it was right to feel catharsis, joy, or elation.

And yet, for some reason, it wasn't that enjoyable.

Even though everything was going according to my intentions.

Whoosh―.

A cool night breeze that should have felt good brushed the tip of my nose.

That breeze smelled of iron—the ‘smell of blood.’ It was exactly as written in the .

‘Let's stop the useless thoughts and go back to the room.’

I didn't want to see the nobles—no, the ‘people’—killing each other anymore. So I came back into the room from the terrace.

When I returned to the room, Elly asked with surprised eyes and a trembling voice.

“……Y-Your Highness. What is happening outside that you are crying?”

I'm crying?

Wipe―.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. There were indeed tears. And quite a lot of them.

‘……To shed tears watching those pieces of trash kill each other, that can't be. In the first place, this is what I wanted.’

So the reason tears were flowing from my eyes right now was probably—.

“I think it’s because of the wind. Something must have gotten into my eyes.”

Yes, it must be because of the wind. Surely, I wouldn't be so heartbroken as to shed tears watching those pieces of trash kill each other.

It must just be a feeling of guilt.

Yes… just the guilt of having caused people to die so that I could live.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

‘……Was this really the only way for me to survive, by killing all the nobles? Was the method of ‘Purge’ that appeared in the really the correct answer?’

I don't know why I was having such thoughts now, but I couldn't shake them off.

***

—Clang!

The sound of the swords of the Vaimal Ducal Faction knights and the Panshin Ducal Faction knights clashing against each other erupted.

The knights, even in the chaotic situation, were accurately cutting down their enemies.

Indeed, they were the knights of the Plank Kingdom. Although their territory was small and the number of knights was few, they, who had performed no less than any empire or kingdom in the war with the demons, were competing with each other in great valor.

Even though they were the knights of the noble faction, it didn't mean their skills were clumsy.

—Thwack!

The servants mostly fought with clubs and fists. Among them, there were also those who fought with weapons dropped by knights and soldiers. The way the servants fought was shabby compared to the knights, but in the end, what they did was the same.

It was a struggle to kill the opposing ducal faction and survive.

—Kill them!!

—The one to become king is Duke Vaimal!!

—You sons of bitches!!

—Kuaaaak!

The knights and soldiers were once people who had shared the same meals.

In the war with the demons, they were also comrades who had fought back-to-back and saved each other.

The servants, even if they served different masters, were servants who had laughed and chatted with each other out of a sense of camaraderie as fellow ‘servants.’

However, both the knights and servants were not paying attention to such camaraderie and memories.

Camaraderie and memories were nothing compared to the command of their master, who promised greater honor and wealth.

No, perhaps the knights and servants were not even capable of thinking of disobeying their master's command.

That was the existence of ‘knights,’ ‘vassals,’ ‘soldiers,’ and ‘servants’ in this world. An existence that had to follow their master’s command, whether they liked it or not.

***

Despite the sudden armed conflict of the noble faction at dawn, time flowed fairly, and morning came.

Usually, in the morning at the royal palace, the pleasant chirping of birds can be heard. It is the friendly chirping of birds that have made the royal palace garden their sanctuary.

However, today, a different bird's sound was heard. The sound of crows.

Caw— caw— caw—.

The ominous black birds—crows—were freely rummaging through the royal palace. They were tearing at corpses.

The crows that had already finished their meal sat in the garden, contentedly rubbing their full bellies, and the crows that came late after hearing the news sat on the corpses that other crows had left half-eaten but still had plenty to eat, pecking diligently with their beaks.

Among those crows was also the crow of the Mage Tower Master, Seria. Of course, Seria's crow, being mentally connected to Seria, did not eat the corpses.

Caw—!

A crow, particularly larger than the others, was circling the sky. It was the crow to which Seria's eyes were connected, and through that crow, Seria could see the outcome of the noble civil war at a glance.

「’It's been a long time since I've seen so many people dead. Is this the first time since returning from the war with the demons?’」

Seria had already heard all the plans regarding the Purge from Jereuth and had anticipated that the nobles would end up in this state after killing each other.

「’Now, for the rest of today, the two ducal factions will regroup their remaining forces and prepare for the Throne Handover Ceremony tomorrow.’」

Many nobles had died, but there were certainly survivors. And the survivors were probably celebrating their survival. Having survived a life-threatening fight, they would be thinking that if the duke they supported became king, they would be rewarded for their loyalty.

「’But the only difference between those who died yesterday and those who did not is that they have not yet died. They will all die tomorrow in the Purge too.’」

The task of eliminating the remaining nobles was the role of the 3rd Knight Order. The role of Seria and the mages of the Mage Tower was to deal with the Kingdom Mage Corps.

And the one Seria was aiming for was a single person—the Head of the Mage Corps, ‘Kasemiru.’

「’If we had attacked the Kingdom Mage Corps taking advantage of the chaos when the two ducal factions were fighting at dawn, we might have been able to deal with them more easily. But then it wouldn't be fun. To make him experience the same pain and despair my sister, Helena, went through, I need enough time.」

Seria's eyes sharpened as she imagined the revenge she would inflict on Kasemiru.

「’I will destroy all his magic and let crows eat his heart while he is still alive. I will make his mana reverse, making him breathless no matter how much he breathes. Because that is more painful than suffocation. Then I hope he cries and wails until he is on the verge of death, snot and tears and even pee running down his face.’」

The Mage Tower Master Seria's appearance was beautiful, but she was not a weak person who would carry out her revenge beautifully.

It was not for nothing that Jereuth thought of her as the ‘heinous mage who would assist the king.’

***

Time flowed fairly again, and the next day, the day of the Throne Handover Ceremony, arrived.

Quite a lot of people were gathered in the banquet hall on the second floor of the Central Palace, the venue for the Throne Handover Ceremony. They were all the nobles who had survived the ‘noble civil war’ at dawn yesterday, and the knights, soldiers, and servants who followed them.

In a place where so many nobles had gathered, there should have been all sorts of refreshments and entertainment, but now, not even a glass of water was placed.

However, no noble made an issue of it or sneered at the host, the royal family. The nobles were still busy being wary of the opposing ducal faction attacking again in this place.

Until a week ago, when nobles gathered in a space like this, they would all laugh, chat, and drink. There were also many cases where marriage talks for sons and daughters took place.

But now, the nobles were clearly divided into two factions, tearing at each other with their eyes. If one could kill a person with just a look, several would have been dead already.

The duke was wary of the duke.

The marquis was wary of the marquis.

The count was wary of the count.

The viscount was wary of the viscount.

The baron was wary of the baron.

The knight was wary of the knight.

The butler was wary of the butler.

The maid was wary of the maid.

The children were glaring at the children.

Jereuth was looking down at such nobles from the so-called ‘VIP room’ on the second floor of the banquet hall. It was certainly not because he wanted to feel superior to the nobles that he was here. He was just timing the start of the Purge from a high place.

‘Everyone has gathered.’

Jereuth said to Vice-Captain Hagen.

“You know for sure which nobles to spare, right?”

“Yes, Captain. But Captain, why did you take protective measures for everyone in the Heinem Viscounty in advance? Is there a special reason?”

“The Heinem Viscounty… you will find out when the time comes. It's not something we need to worry about, so you don't need to be curious.”

Answering evasively, Jereuth thought to himself.

‘I can't say that I spared the family because His Highness has his heart set on Elly Heinem.’

That was Jereuth's own misunderstanding—a half-misunderstanding, but in the end, it was a good choice for Leonardo, for Elly, and for Jereuth.

Having finished his thoughts, Jereuth looked around at the knights and asked.

“Has everyone finished checking their equipment?”

“We have finished checking for sure.”

“You've collected all the swords of the noble faction knights, right?”

“Yes. We collected them all on the grounds of the previous armed conflict. The knights were reluctant to give up their swords, but the nobles reached an agreement.”

“Good.”

After confirming the last major point, Jereuth then asked Seria. Behind Seria, the elders of the Mage Tower were on standby.

“Seria. Is the Mage Tower ready too?”

“Yes, we’re all set.”

“In that case……”

Screech―.

Jereuth trailed off, then drew his sword and said.

“Let’s begin. History.”

For the first time in the history of the Plank Kingdom, a large-scale Purge began.