Chapter 56
Rael Arhan.
The only remaining member of the Imperial family aside from myself. The younger sister of Rios Arhan.
Truthfully, I don’t have many memories with Rael.
Even before I possessed this body, we weren’t particularly close.
With Rios being the son of the Empress from House Grepa, and Rael being the daughter of a concubine from a count’s family, there was little chance of a fair rivalry between them. Still, succession was decided by the Emperor alone.
There were nobles who clung to that sliver of possibility and gathered around the Princess.
Naturally, Rios viewed her as a potential threat.
That didn’t change after I took over this body.
In the early days—when I hadn’t yet adjusted to this world—rumors spread like wildfire.
That the young Emperor had gone mad, that he had already been brainwashed by the Demon King’s forces…
And so those who believed a chance had come rallied around Rael, hoping to place her on the throne.
Duke Triell, then the effective second-in-command of the Empire; Count Votia , Rael’s maternal grandfather; the nobles loyal to them; those exiled from the political mainstream; even the Holy Kingdom joined the fray.
It was truly dangerous back then.
To say the Empire was in chaos wouldn’t have done it justice.
What kind of nation considers it normal for a duke and emperor to send assassins after each other?
The Duke had planned to kill me and crown Rael, burying the entire affair in the process.
And I… wasn’t much different.
Even now, thinking back on that time makes my skin crawl.
I wasn’t a Transcendent. I wasn’t even a mage.
And I couldn’t fully trust my own subordinates.
Roze Triell—then still Lady Triell—was the one who helped me. Without her, I can’t even imagine how far things would’ve spiraled out of control.
Even after I killed the Duke, the situation was far from resolved.
Count Votia rallied the nobles, demanding an official investigation into the Duke’s death, and criticized me nearly every day.
Some nobles who had remained neutral joined my side after the Duke’s death, but others questioned whether assassinating him had been justified.
All the while, the Demon King’s army was advancing across the continent—and yet, within the Empire, people were more focused on pulling me down.
So, I killed them all.
No matter the rumors, I had people who gave me blind loyalty simply because I had claimed the throne.
Those who crossed the line or left behind evidence were dealt with by the Imperial Knights.
Those who didn’t were handled by the Royal Black Knights. For bodyguards, I had Duke Fael and the swordsmen of the Fael family.
Anyone who supported Count Votia or Princess Rael, even slightly—they were eliminated.
There had even been a faction within the Royal Black Knights that supported Rael, but their commander had fallen in battle long before, and that faction was wiped out by Frio.
“Rael wants to see me, does she…”
There were a few reasons I didn’t kill Rael back then.
The first was… an aversion to killing blood relatives.
I’m not sure whether that resistance was mine or Rios’s. Maybe both.
The second was infamy.
There’s a world of difference between purging rebellious nobles and executing a fellow royal.
Had the former Emperor still been alive, and the succession still in dispute, perhaps it could’ve been justified. But I was already seated on the throne. Killing another member of the royal family would’ve crossed a line.
People had already murmured,
“Assassinating the Duke was excessive… but wasn’t he the one who pushed too far?”
If I had killed Rael too, the talk would have turned to,
“If he killed even his own sister, who wouldn’t he kill?”
To be completely honest, even my closest subordinates didn’t want her dead.
Duke Fael, Feltz, Giel they’d all watched over Rael from long ago. They might not have resisted openly, but I knew they’d harbor resentment if I went through with it.
The third reason was Rael’s own behavior.
If she had actively schemed for the throne, I might’ve seen things differently. But the truth was, she had been little more than a pawn—used by her grandfather and the Duke.
I didn’t hold any personal grudge against her.
Even when I briefly considered killing her, it wasn’t out of emotion. It was a calculated choice—what would best serve the imperial throne: her death, or her survival?
In the end, I chose to let her live. And I never directly harmed her.
I stripped Count Votia of his title but gave Rael his estate and mansion. I even assigned her attendants and guards. All things considered, I was being generous.
Not that she had any reason to see me kindly.
After all, I was the one who destroyed her maternal family and slaughtered the nobles who had once supported her.
Even the last time I saw her—without a word exchanged—she had gone Fael with fear.
So then… why now?
Why does she want to see me?
Well… I’ll find out soon enough.
______________
“Your Majesty.”
“It’s been a while, Rael. As I’ve said before, feel free to speak comfortably.”
“…Yes, Brother.”
Rael was nothing like how she’d been the last time I saw her.
Still a little nervous, yes—but she looked me in the eye and answered clearly. It left an impression.
“You’ve changed a bit.”
“…Yes. I had to.”
You had to, huh, Rael.
“Because of the ones who died?”
“…Yes.”
I’d sent her to the Academy just to let her breathe, change the air a little—but it seemed the incident had left her with a sense of responsibility.
“Many people died because of me. And thanks to many of them, I’m still alive.”
I didn’t bother correcting her with a “it wasn’t your fault.”
Rael wasn’t someone who thought shallowly.
She must have wrestled with her thoughts for a long time to come to that conclusion.
“For their sake… I can’t go on doing nothing. Brother, if you don’t…”
Rael trailed off, hesitation tightening in her throat.
Her voice trembled more than it had at the start. But then, as if something settled within her, the trembling stopped. With calm eyes, she looked at me and said:
“If you don’t intend to kill me… then please use me.”
“You want me to use you?”
“Yes.”
“Rael, you know your position.”
I had no heir. Not even a consort. And Rael was the only remaining royal besides me.
Even though she’d lost her power base and had long since been pushed aside, the fact remained: she was the only other person who could make a claim to the throne.
Of course, few would rally around a princess who had no backing—especially when the Emperor who crushed two great wars still reigned. But madmen exist in every age.
“You don’t need to be wary of me anymore, Brother.”
“…Hm?”
Did she truly understand what it meant to be entrusted with power?
Or was she hoping that I’d do just that?
The answer she gave me went far beyond my expectations.
“No matter what post I take, no matter how much support I gather… I’ll never be a threat to you. Even if I did harbor other intentions—Brother, you could kill me anytime, couldn’t you?”
“…That’s true.”
“So please, use me.”
…Has the Academy incident become a turning point for her?
Far better than I anticipated. I smiled and gave her the answer she wanted.
“Very well. If that’s your wish.”
Rael had asked me to use her.
And truth be told, there was no question of her capability.
As a royal, she had received elite education since childhood—and she wasn’t lacking in talent, either.
After all, it’s rare for anyone with Arhan blood to fall short.
If I were to put Rael to use, it would have to be in a position of real authority.
She was royalty, after all. I couldn’t place her under another.
So… was it safe to give Rael real power?
In all honesty, there was no reason not to.
The me from before the war with the Demon King was a completely different man.
Back then, I couldn’t even fully trust my own retainers. That Emperor is gone now.
Whatever position I give Rael—whatever influence she amasses from it—it no longer concerns me.
The Imperial Knights and the Royal Black Knights—the two pillars of the throne—are now entirely loyal to me.
As for the Arcane Corps?
Their commander, Kraol, has no reason to follow Rael over me. Especially not when I’m the only other magician of equal standing.
And the lords? The remaining dukes and marquises?
Right now, the strongest noble house in the Empire is Grepa—my maternal family.
Their current head, Fried, is my cousin.
Maybe, far in the future, when Fried retires from his post, Grepa might need watching. But not now.
The next is House Fael.
They lost many of their elite troops, so by strength alone they’re weaker than Grepa. But Duke Fael is still the strongest sword in the Empire.
In a war between the houses, if Fried didn’t use the swords I gave him, Duke Fael could likely wipe out Grepa alone.
And Duke Fael follows me without question.
Of course, he cares for Rael to some degree—but caring is not the same as loyalty.
His successor is a close companion of Xian—and from what I can tell, he seems quite fond of Xian.
There might be minor disobedience here and there, but Xian would never betray me outright.
So there’s no need to worry about the next generation, either.
Right now, Xian holds a noble title but no territory. Honestly, I hope the Fael family and Xian’s line become one.
That way, neither the elves nor the Holy Kingdom would be able to claim him for themselves.
And that just leaves Derman Roze Triell and Marquis Pell.
Pell isn’t yet on the same level as the others—still too green in many ways.
As for Triell?
I’ve already purged the faction that followed her predecessor. Right now, she’s the weakest among the lords.
And Roze is too intelligent to throw her lot in with Rael over me.
So then… there’s no problem, is there?
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