Paradoxically, despite being the most famous person in the empire, no one
truly knew anything about him.
First of all, the powers the Emperor wielded were unknown.
He unified the chaotic Bait Empire purely through force, and during the last
war with the Demon World, he was the only one to negotiate with the
Demon King through 'conversation'. He even killed the mothers of his five
different daughters with his own hands.
…These were facts only I barely knew.
It was around then that the Emperor spoke again.
"Well, the leader of Balance shouldn't die so easily."
Balance.
The name of the imperial secret organization. I was the leader who took
them on.
After the gates to the Demon World were closed, all the members were
killed. Not by the enemy, but by the Emperor. The reason was to silence
them. The Emperor was that kind of being.
"Living without a name and dying quietly. That was your last mission,
wasn't it? Are you now planning to rebel?"
"Rebel, you say. Perhaps."
I hadn't forgotten that incident yet.
No, I must not forget. That was the duty of a leader.
Of course, I didn't propose to the princesses for revenge. I just couldn't
honestly say that I wrote it in a drunken state, so I answered this way.
But from my answer just now, the Emperor seemed convinced that I
proposed to the princesses for revenge.
"How dare you… to take my daughter hostage just to survive?"
At the same time, invisible thorns rushed to pierce me.
Kagagak!
"…"
Even though I quickly defended myself with a cubic ice barrier, some
thorns still deeply penetrated my shoulder.
The power the Emperor wielded—it was definitely not magic.
"Hey, Jaekiel Hound."
The holy grail near the throne floated in the air, shaking this way and that. It
seemed the Emperor's mood was not at ease.
"Yes."
"I have five daughters. If you combine all the marriage proposals they
received, how many do you think that would be?"
The princesses of the empire were all outstanding in both appearance and
ability. There would naturally be people trying to pick flowers atop a cliff.
"I understand it's quite a lot."
"Quite? No, it's countless."
The small holy grail in the air continued to slosh. The purple liquid inside
seemed about to overflow, yet not quite, as the Emperor continued
speaking.
"The proposals were as numerous as they were varied, but the outcomes
were all similar. My daughters never give their hearts easily."
In fact, it was quite an interesting story for me as well.
'How would it have been?'
Stories from inside the Imperial Palace never leaked outside, so I quietly
listened to the Emperor's tale.
"The first seeks strength. She strictly adheres to the belief that she will only
give her heart to a man stronger than herself."
"Yes."
"She set the condition that she would marry whoever defeated her in a fight,
and I've never seen anyone come back alive. She always killed them, even
though she could have spared their lives. It made things difficult."
The 1st Princess of the Empire, Ether.
It seemed like her. She was truly a monster.
She even inherited some of the current Emperor Verd's power.
"The second seeks lineage, dignity, and class."
"She was like that even as a child."
"Thanks to having dragon's blood. If she thinks someone is beneath her, she
doesn't even consider them to be a living being. You know about dragon
speech, don't you?"
I nodded.
The 2nd Princess of the Empire, Hedera.
She possessed dragon speech and was also a magician.
"She said she would gladly give her heart to any man who could endure her
dragon speech. What do you think Hedera's command was?"
"Whatever she commanded, it must have been very Hedera-like."
"It was a command to commit suicide. Not a single one endured it; they all
killed themselves."
"…"
─Teacher! Don't go! Play more!
─Play more! Don't go!
─Aargh! It's dragon speech! Play more!
…She wasn't that extreme when she was a child.
"The third is fittingly called a saint. Her faith is excellent."
The 3rd Princess of the Empire, Solana.
"Isn't her nickname the Angel of the Empire?"
"Yes, she said she would give her heart to any man who could pray longer
than her. Not a single one lasted longer than Solana. The longest anyone
lasted was just three days."
Solana's divine power had already reached a very high level.
It was practically a declaration that she wouldn't give her heart to any man.
It was important that I was hearing this condition for the first time.
'She never asked anything like that from me.'
I wanted to ponder that point, but the Emperor continued speaking.
"The fourth, as always, is obsessed with gold coins and gambling."
"I tried to correct her a few times in the past, but it never worked."
The 4th Princess, Chein. The empire's greatest capitalist.
"She always said she wouldn't accept any man who wasn't wealthier than
her, but she always gave them a chance."
"What kind of chance?"
"A chance to gamble. She always made a gambling bet on marriage."
I couldn't imagine the 4th Princess losing. Her win rate in probabilistic bets
has been unusually high since childhood.
"Most had their wrists or ankles cut off, and in severe cases, their eyeballs
were gouged out. She probably displayed them somewhere. That's the kind
of person she is."
The 4th Princess's possessiveness was enormous. She always wanted to
take trophies from any contest, so it was quite understandable.
"Lastly, the fifth, as always, has no interest in humans."
"Is she still devoted to inventing scrolls?"
The 5th Princess, Neo.
She was very timid by nature. She always locked herself in the library or
the lab, so seeing her face even once was as difficult as plucking a star from
the sky.
"The fifth received many proposals as well. She must have seemed easy."
The Emperor's words were tinged with a slight sneer.
"She created almost a maze with magic scrolls and said she'd meet whoever
got through it. Most gave up or died in the process."
"…"
All five princesses were repelling suitors in ways that suited them, and it
was far more extreme than I had imagined.
"Jaekiel."
"Yes."
"I am not so harsh as to force my daughters into marriages they don't want.
I respect their opinions. I am willing to help them build a family with the
partners they desire."
"Is that so?"
I replied, uncertain at such uncharacteristic words from the Emperor.
"Yes, but even so…"
But soon after, I realized it was a mistake.
After hearing the Emperor's next words, I understood that this was the most
emperor-like statement.
"If the man is inadequate, as a father, I can't just stand by. I'd rather kill the
man to prevent the marriage. Being resented by my daughters is better than
the whole continent falling into ruin, don't you think?"
…In the end, it meant he'd kill anyone who didn't meet his standards.
Then my chances of being killed by the Emperor were very high.
"So, Jaekiel. There are only a few questions left. Let's see if you're a man
who will be torn apart and killed."
"Yes."
"Are you strong enough to defeat the 1st Princess? If not, do you have
blood more precious than the 2nd Princess's dragon blood?"
The small table near the throne was placed with a thud.
"Are you as devout as the 3rd princess? Are you wealthier than the 4th? Or
can you easily navigate the youngest's magic scroll maze?"
The Emperor was asking if I was qualified to propose.
I might be able to navigate the youngest's magic scrolls. At least in the field
of magic, I was more confident than anyone.
But the rest were difficult, so I shook my head.
"It might take some time."
However, I didn't forget to answer cleverly, using a bit of wit.
It implied that it was difficult now but possible later, a tactic to postpone the
situation. However, the Emperor pinpointed it.
"I'm asking based on the present."
"It might be difficult at the moment."
"Yes, I think so too. No matter how many times I consider it."
My mind started spinning rapidly.
'Could it be that he's planning to test all five at once?'
That would be very troublesome.
The letter I wrote out of regret for my terminal life would end up shortening
my lifespan. There were many other bad scenarios as well.
While pondering those things.
The Emperor called my name once again.
"Jaekiel. Now, the last question."
"Yes."
In the next moment, the space compressed.
Before I knew it, the Emperor and I were facing each other at a very close
distance.
He had no form, but I could clearly feel a piercing gaze looking at me.
"You, who can't pass any of those challenges."
At the same time, I sensed something mixed in the Emperor's voice, though
very slightly.
Surprisingly, it was doubt.
There was no mistaking it.
"You, utterly pathetic, who would crumble with a single gesture…"
But soon, my mind went completely blank.
Because the Emperor's next words were so shocking.
"…How did you manage to win the hearts of all my daughters?"
What?
…What on earth was he talking about?