Read Novel Full Chapter 168: Midnight
Chapter 168: Midnight
Ju Yug-yeom, the young emperor of the Eastern Continent!
He was born as the only crown prince in the imperial palace of Hwan, where hands were scarce.
It was not a difficult task for him to ascend to the throne.
He had no rivals.
Nor was there any other force that could restrain him.
‘But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.’
However, once he sat on the emperor’s seat, he realized that having no rivals wasn’t always a good thing.
He had to take on the heavy responsibility of being the emperor of the empire at a mere age of teens, when the previous emperor suddenly died.
How much could he know how to deal with his subjects at that age, even if he had learned imperial studies since he was young?
He naturally relied on the palace officials who had taken care of him since he was young.
“Sniff… Please trust your own judgment. If there are those who ignore you because you are young, they must be punished severely!”
Of course, the highest-ranking person among the palace officials was Ye Sang, the leader of Eartern Depot (Dongchang).
Eastern Depot was an intelligence organization directly under the emperor!
He had no rivals, as he held all the information in the palace and gained the emperor’s trust.
And in the beginning, he did help maintain the dignity of the young emperor.
And crucially, there was also a force that could prevent Ye Sang’s monopoly.
That was the generals of the royal army.
“What Ye Sang says is right, but aren’t you overprotecting the emperor too much?”
“Why are you doing what the emperor should do?”
Whenever that happened, Ye Sang would cling to the emperor with a face full of resentment.
“Your Majesty, these people are insulting me for no good reason.”
Of course, there were some who really looked down on him, but there were also some who were loyal and honest, worrying that a palace official’s authority was becoming too strong.
So in the early days of his reign, the state affairs went well.
Since Ye Sang and the military forces were balanced, whoever he sided with won.
But after the ‘Rebellion of the Great General’ ten years ago, there was no force left in the palace that could check Ye Sang.
Since then, Ju Yug-yeom felt that something was going wrong, but there was no force in the palace that could correct it.
‘I made a mistake. I should have left at least one person who could act as a check.’
If he wasn’t an emperor with overwhelming charisma or absolute power, he had to maintain his imperial authority by coordinating his subjects well. But he was too young and failed to balance them.
.
.
.
.
And now!
He was threatened by a stranger who claimed to be the crown prince of the Western Continent.
“You have something to say to me at this late hour?”
“Yes.”
“…!?”
Ju Yug-yeom couldn’t shake off a suspicious feeling when he saw Eurius, who appeared out of nowhere.
And at the entrance, there were even Eastern Depot’s experts who were supposed to guard him.
“Hehe…”
He took a step back as if surprised and fiddled with something in his sleeve.
Ting!
“Hmm?”
A peculiar sound similar to a bell rang from his sleeve.
He pretended to be flustered and sent a signal outside.
And then three or four more experts ran into his chamber.
“Your Majesty!”
“Are you all right!”
Eurius clicked his tongue when he saw them.
“Tsk! What a waste of time.”
Pat!
“Kuhuk!”
The Eastern Depot experts who rushed in after receiving the secret signal also collapsed at Eurius’s light gesture.
Bang!
Then, the signal bell that Ju Yug-yeom had secretly shaken also shattered into pieces.
“Damn…”
His face turned pale.
He realized that Eurius could take his life at any time if he wanted to.
He tried to maintain his imperial dignity in a situation where his life was threatened and opened his mouth.
“What do you want?”
Eurius’s answer was brief.
“As I said, I came because of yesterday’s negotiation.”
“Huh…”
Ju Yug-yeom looked at him with doubt in his eyes.
Wasn’t there anything he said about negotiation yesterday?
“If it’s about negotiation, didn’t I say I would give you an answer later?”
“Huh?”
Eurius tilted his head as if he was surprised.
Ju Yug-yeom also looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“Was that your decision? I didn’t get that impression at all.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Ju Yug-yeom, who was practically attacked at night, asked anxiously.
Eurius smiled slyly and continued.
“I heard that the emperor’s seat is called the highest position in the world in the Eastern Continent.”
“They do call it that.”
“But can we say that we had a negotiation with such a person yesterday?”
“…!?”
Ju Yug-yeom was startled by those words.
He was not a foolish person. But what was the reason for suddenly breaking into the emperor’s chamber and bringing up such a topic on this ambitious night?
“How absurd. If you came here to say that, then you have invaded the emperor’s chamber for nothing…”
Seeing him react coldly, Eurius smiled slyly and spoke more bluntly.
“From what I felt, yesterday’s meeting was not with His Majesty the Emperor, but with the eunuch who was next to him. It was not worthy of being called a negotiation between empires!”
“…”
Ju Yug-yeom’s face crumpled like a piece of tissue paper.
It was true, but who would dare to say such a thing in front of him, the emperor?
‘It’s the first time in my life that I’ve heard such insulting words.’
[Ju Yug-yeom]
Current state: Confused, angry
‘No one has ever pointed out the reality so harshly to me. Of course I’m angry.’
Eurius, who was watching him, smiled inwardly.
He was only young in appearance, but if he added his previous life, he was well past middle age, so he had the ability to control his expression.
But Ju Yug-yeom was still in his twenties, full of vigor even as an emperor!
Even if he had a calm and gentle temperament, he couldn’t hide his anger after hearing such words.
He momentarily forgot that he was being threatened by Eurius right now and snapped at him.
“How dare you! Are you insulting me now!”
Boom!
A majestic aura seeped out of him and pressed down on Eurius.
Feeling it, Eurius muttered to himself.
‘At least he passed.’
Should he call him a semi-competent?
He still had some dignity as an emperor.
He could understand why he was swayed by a traitor when his opponent was none other than the Demon Sect.
‘Then I have to make him sober up first.’
Eurius lifted his head and glared at Ju Yug-yeom.
“Insult? That’s what I should say!”
Ding!
[Skill ‘Emperor’s Dignity’ is activated (A-rank).]
[Charisma and charm are greatly increased.]
“Gasp!”
Ju Yug-yeom gasped as his breath was cut off.
The pressure he had emitted was pushed back by Eurius’s aura.
His dignity as an emperor was C-rank. But Eurius was two ranks higher than him at A-rank.
Crash.
Something seemed to collide in the place where they were staring at each other.
It was not their aura as warriors, but their dignity as emperors that clashed.
Of course, the result was Eurius’s overwhelming victory!
Roar!
A tidal wave of aura engulfed Ju Yug-yeom, the emperor of the Eastern Continent.
His vision turned dark as Eurius quickly moved away from him.
The emperor’s dignity meant the difference in status as an emperor.
The gap in their aura was so obvious that he saw an illusion at that moment.
‘What is this?’
Suddenly, Eurius, who was not much different from him in height, became huge like a mountain.
He rose up to touch the sky with his head reaching the clouds.
And from that high place, a voice like thunder echoed.
“Emperor of Hwan Empire! You have made three mistakes!”
“Ugh!”
Eurius’s voice hit him like lightning.
“The first is that you tried to play tricks on me by inviting me to this palace! Did you really call me for negotiation?”
“…!?”
It was true that Ju Yug-yeom had invited Eurius for a sinister scheme.
“The second is that you dared to put a servant at the same level as an emperor in a meeting between empires! This is a great insult to my empire!”
By having a meeting, the two empires were supposed to negotiate on equal terms. But having a eunuch who was neither royalty nor anything else next to the emperor’s throne was a huge diplYEuriusEuriusomatic faux pas.
“And lastly!”
Eurius poured out his final anger.
In fact, this was the biggest reason why he felt that this place was a mess yesterday.
“You did all this not by your own will as a sovereign, but by the whim of a eunuch! Don’t lower your empire’s dignity!”
Rumble!
Thunder roared again with his voice.
A tidal wave of aura made Ju Yug-yeom’s mind faint.
And the next moment.
Flash.
“Ah!”
Ju Yug-yeom came to his senses and stepped back in shock.
***
Only Eurius and the two men were still standing in the silent chamber.
The pressure that had been crushing him like a tidal wave seemed to have subsided, as Eurius was just quietly looking at him.
“I… I…”
He tried to say something, still feeling dizzy and staggering.
Eurius shook his head.
“I will give you a few days to answer. I expect you to act like an emperor until I come back.”
“…!?”
Eurius turned his back on him and smiled faintly.
‘That should be enough of a shock therapy. He seems to be quite smart, after all.’
Swoosh.
Unexpectedly, Eurius left the room without even waiting for a reply.
The reason became clear soon enough.
Shick!
Shriek!
“Your Majesty! Are you all right?”
“Who dares to do this!”
Dozens of shadows appeared in front of him as he crossed the corridor of the main palace where the emperor resided.
In fact, the emperor’s guard was not so weak.
They couldn’t miss the fact that they had lost contact for even a few minutes.
“Thank goodness! Your Majesty is safe.”
“Phew.”
If something happened to the emperor, their heads would be gone too.
They sighed in relief, but their eyes sparkled with anger.
They saw a black shadow running down the corridor.
“Chase him!”
The sharp high-pitched voice of the imperial guard echoed in the corridor.
The elites of the guard started to chase after Eurius. But they only lasted for a moment.
Shriek!
They cursed harshly as they ran with the sound of wind.
“Damn…”
“He’s fast as a rat!”
Eurius, who was running with a mask on, was too fast.
He barely took a few steps, but he was tens of meters away from them.
They bit their lips as they saw Eurius’s back getting farther and farther away.
‘We’re going to lose him!’
At that moment, a red figure flew past them with a terrifying speed.
“Hey… Useless bastards!”
“…!?”
“Lady Commander?”
The red figure was none other than the leader of the guard, Ye Sang.
She was not only the emperor’s relative, but also the best fighter in the palace!
She lived up to her reputation and was on a different level from the other elite guards.
“Hmph… I might be able to shake off the others, but not me!”
Shooaak!
Her body seemed to split into two and her shadow stretched out.
It was a state called Eihyeonhwanwi, which allowed her to move at an incredible speed.
She used it consecutively to catch up with Eurius.
Zooom!
Every time she used it, she closed the distance in an instant.
The first time, she caught up with her subordinates and even passed them by tens of meters.
The second time, she narrowed down Eurius’s lead to about 2/3.
And the last time!
Papak.
She finally reached Eurius’s back and touched his shoulder.
“You insolent bastard who invaded His Majesty’s place!”
Whooosh!
Her sword, infused with Hwaryeongshingong, swung at Eurius with a fierce heat.
She was confident that she could kill the intruder with this strike.
Squelch.
“…!?”
But something felt wrong when her sword touched Eurius’s back.
It didn’t cut through flesh, but felt like hitting some rubber.
Sssss.
Not only that, but she also felt a cold chill from Eurius’s back.
She sensed something suspicious and tried to back away.
But it was too late.
Snap!
“Argh! My arm!”
Her sword, which had been spitting out hot flames, suddenly cooled down and even froze her arm along with it.
She screamed and tried to get away from him.
But Eurius was faster.
He turned his body and kicked her in the stomach.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Ye Sang’s body flew into the air and landed on the guards who were coming after her.
“Gasp! Lady Commander!”
“Are you all right!”
The guards who caught her were too busy checking on her condition to catch Eurius.
Swoosh!
And so, Eurius’s figure disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Whooosh!
Squeak!
As a master of the Fire Dragon Sect, Ye Sang quickly ignited a fire to melt the ice, but his face was still frosty.
“Master! Should I call a doctor?”
“No need! Call the emperor instead!”
Ye Sang hurried back to the main palace.
He saw that the emperor was safe and sound, and knelt down to bow.
“Your Majesty! I’m so glad you are unharmed.”
Surprisingly, Emperor Ju Yug-yeom maintained a calm attitude.
“You have worked hard for me, Commander Ye. Did you catch the culprit?”
“Unfortunately, no. Did you see his face or clothes?”
The intruder was wearing a mask, so Ye Sang could not pinpoint his identity.
Of course, he had a suspect in mind.
‘It must be that damned crown prince of the Western Continent or his minions. I didn’t expect him to have such a powerful master, but if Your Majesty orders me!’
Ye Sang was determined to mobilize all the forces in the imperial palace and capture Eurius and the Westerners as soon as the emperor gave his consent.
But the emperor’s reaction was different from what he expected.
Astonishingly, he shook his head.
“From what I saw, he was not a foreigner. He is not from the Western Continent.”
For a moment, Ye Sang looked at Ju Yug-yeom with a dumbfounded expression.
“Your Majesty? How can that be…”
Ju Yug-yeom frowned slightly.
“Are you saying that I saw wrong?”
“N… No.”
He couldn’t argue any further when the victim himself was acting like that.
Ju Yug-yeom scanned the room with a composed expression and opened his mouth.
“Anyway, you can start the investigation tomorrow. Go to another palace and rest.”
“Yes.”
Ye Sang and the other masters of the Eastern Sect surrounded him and moved to another palace.
As he walked slowly, he was lost in thought.
‘He said he would come back… Does he think he can break through even tighter security?’
The security would be much stricter from tomorrow because of Eurius’s actions today.
Ju Yug-yeom was curious about how Eurius would find him again.
And there was something else that bothered him after their conversation.
‘He expects me to give him an imperial answer?’
His gaze unconsciously shifted to Ye Sang, who was leading the escort and throwing stones at random.
It was a sign that his heart had changed slightly.
***
The next day.
Eurius was being investigated naturally.
“Huh… There was someone who tried to assassinate your emperor?”
“Yes. Where were you last night?”
“I was sound asleep, of course. I’m sorry to hear that such a thing happened. You must be very worried.”
“Hmm…”
Yeosang looked at Eurius suspiciously from head to toe.
But even with his eyesight, he couldn’t pierce through the disguise.
It was infuriating that he couldn’t detect any martial arts skills from Eurius.
‘Is he really innocent? Well, even if he is, he’s still someone I have to get rid of.’
“Hmph… I see.”
In the end, Yeosang couldn’t find any solid evidence and backed off.
All he could do was call the other masters of the Eastern Sect and surround Eurius’s place.
“The emperor is still shocked by what happened, so this meeting will be postponed for a while. Please rest well tonight…”
“I understand.”
“Hehe… I hope we don’t see each other at night.”
His words were nothing but a threat that if he didn’t want to die, he should stay in his place quietly.
‘What a joke. He thinks I’ll sit still while he tries to harm me. But tonight doesn’t matter.’
Of course, Eurius didn’t care about Yeosang’s words and planned to rest well tonight. His plan was going smoothly.
‘All that’s left is her turn. I hope she can persuade the emperor well.’