Chapter 37: Make Me Emperor

Hio stared at the two people before him with a bewildered expression.

‘What’s wrong with them?’

The moment their eyes met, one of them suddenly panicked and collapsed, leaving Hio utterly dumbfounded.

“Heh heh heh. Probably saw your face and got scared, huh?”

He recalled how just moments ago, that person had been pulling at their hair and screaming to themselves.

Surely, they must have thought he was insane and fainted out of shock.

‘What a huge misunderstanding.’

He tried to wear a gentle smile to clear things up and moved to speak, but—

“Hold on a moment.”

Purunel’s voice echoed in his mind.

“That child has the Eye That Sees Souls.”

‘The Eye That Sees Souls? What’s that?’

“Hmm… how should I explain it?”

Purunel hesitated briefly before answering.

“If one sets their mind to it, they have the talent to reach the pinnacle. The power to govern death itself and reign above all living things.”

‘…Such an ability?’

“Well, yes, but I don’t think it means much in this case.”

At Purunel’s words, Hio gazed solemnly at the girl before him.

The masked girl, regaining her composure, slowly got to her feet.

“That child will soon die.”

***

Sylvia, who had momentarily weakened and collapsed, soon rose to her feet.

“…Your Highness.”

Theodore looked at her with eyes full of concern.

‘Could it be that her longstanding illness had worsened?’

No healer, no priest in the temple, had been able to identify the cause of Sylvia’s mysterious ailment.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry too much.”

‘Why such a cruel trial was laid upon this kind and noble girl…’

Though a storm of emotions welled up inside him, Theodore swallowed them down.

Since the moment he had taken up the sword for the princess, this had become familiar territory.

“She is indeed the one we’ve been searching for.”

Sylvia, now standing firmly, took deliberate steps toward the man who stood still in front of her.

An indispensable figure for their plan.

There was no doubt he was the one.

It made no sense for anyone else to have discerned and countered Sylvia’s abilities that no one else had noticed.

Sylvia walked confidently to stand before the man.

He looked back at her with a ridiculous outfit and eyes slightly furrowed in confusion.

Slowly, Sylvia lowered the mask that covered her eyes.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The mask slipped down, revealing long silver hair.

Clear, large silver eyes met his gaze.

“I am Sylvia Verden, Princess of the Empire.”

The princess fully revealed her face and looked him in the eye.

Since they were the ones who had come in secret asking for help, she gladly introduced herself first.

Anyone with proper etiquette would bow their head and feel honored to meet someone of noble blood.

Yet… even after a suitable moment had passed, the man made no move.

He simply blinked, staring at Sylvia.

“Huh?”

He tilted his head in confusion.

***

Princess Sylvia Verden.

The ill-fated princess who had become the pretext for the Succession War and perished in vain.

Right now… her death would have been the trigger for a fierce battle, so why was she alive and standing before him?

Amidst the confusion, a strong presence surged toward Hio.

“How dare you.”

A curt sentence.

But the force behind it was heavy and overwhelming.

It was the aura radiating from the burly man standing behind the princess.

“She is strong.”

‘Indeed.’

“Magic has declined, but these brute knights have only grown stronger.”

As he muttered this complaint, the knight’s intimidating presence intensified, bearing down on Hio.

“Kneel and bow your head. She is the Sun of the Empire.”

His words were calm, but the spirit behind them was not.

The wavering aura shimmering like heat haze was the knight’s aura manifesting.

The symbol of a superhuman who broke the limits of humanity through endless training.

That he could control such power with such finesse and use it solely to pressure Hio showed the extraordinary level he had reached.

“Enough.”

But that overwhelming presence vanished as if wiped away by a single word from Sylvia.

The threatening aura dissolved, replaced by the princess’s radiant smile.

As if scripted perfectly.

“My knight is loyal, so please forgive his rudeness. But what should I call you?”

The princess asked in a gentle voice.

“Hio Pavlenko…”

At Hio’s answer, the knight behind Sylvia twitched his eyebrows.

“…Sir.”

His hurried honorific was not out of fear of the knight’s expression.

After all, this was still a society with a class system. Respect was required.

“Sir Pavlenko. We have come from the capital specifically to find you.”

Not by chance, but by design they had come here.

The princess, who should have been dead, had come to find him just before the civil war erupted.

The meaning was clear.

Someone who knew Hio had saved the princess and sent her to him.

Hio’s expression grew serious.

He already guessed who had sent the princess and their purpose.

“Sorry to ask this so soon after meeting you, but could you grant me one favor?”

Contrary to Hio’s serious look, Sylvia smiled and extended her hand.

A beautiful smile that seemed to brighten the dark room.

Hio stared at Sylvia’s outstretched hand.

“Make me the Emperor.”

Sylvia’s expression was serene and her posture noble.

Though she was making a request, there was no sign of desperation—only grace.

But what Hio saw was not dignity.

The hand she pressed forward trembled faintly.

He had long noticed the subtle quiver of her forced smile.

Though she tried to appear calm, the truth was different.

The princess was afraid.

Afraid of the reality of having fled as if cast out from the palace.

Afraid of the two princes who would hunt her down.

Afraid of the pitiful situation where death could come at any moment.

Beneath the mask of royalty, her heart was fragile and delicate.

So Hio quietly looked down at that trembling hand.

That pitifully stretched-out hand.

“I’m sorry.”

He turned away.

***

The Eye That Sees Souls.

As Purunel said, it was an incredible talent that could place one at the pinnacle.

“That is, if you were a Necromancer.”

If the princess could have become a Necromancer, that is.

“You think it just lets you peer into souls? Absolutely not. Do you know how dangerous it is to look into a soul?”

If you misstep even slightly, it could drive you mad or kill you.

That’s not all.

If this talent blossomed fully, it could even look into the lifespan of a soul.

It gazes upon death itself.

Meaning it is intimately linked to death.

“That’s why it’s the greatest talent for a Necromancer. Want to see the world through my eyes?”

‘Through the Ghost’s Eye?’

Having ingested the Specter’s Essence—the Soul of the Necromancer—he gained the Traits: Ghost’s Eye and Spirit Form.

Spirit Form was a trait he often used quite effectively, while Ghost’s Eye had little use in the game.

But now that it was reality, things were different.

[Trait – ‘Ghost’s Eye’ activated]

Hio’s eyes were covered by the Ghost’s Eye.

In a way, it was like seeing through the soul itself—the ghost.

What the world looked like through those ghostly eyes was…

“How is it? Pretty grim, huh?”

The world was completely drained of color, turning into shades of gray.

And within that gray world, a dense darkness concentrated in one place.

It was none other than Princess Sylvia’s body.

“That is the aura of death, the death energy. The energy you must deal with.”

The death energy filling Sylvia’s body was clearly visible through the Ghost’s Eye.

“Her ability has barely begun to bloom, and yet this much energy has accumulated.”

If she were a dark magician, she would have stained the entire continent with death.

If a Necromancer, she would have led the Immortal Legion.

But unfortunately, this is an age where magic has been lost.

Magic is the extreme development and research of mana.

Losing magic means losing most of the technology that manipulates mana.

“This death energy is slowly eating away at her. If left unchecked, she will surely die.”

‘…Is there no way?’

“Well, somehow the energy must be consumed… but the only method I can think of is if she herself uses magic.”

Hio looked at Sylvia, who sat a little distance away.

To the people of this world, she may be noble and great, but to Hio, she was just a fragile girl.

A pitiful girl weighed down by a burden too heavy for her to bear, crushed under the gaze of others, hiding her fear.

‘What to do? If Purunel is right, this is Sirbert’s plan, is it not?’

Helping with that plan promises the most stable future, didn’t he say?

Unlike Hio’s expectation that siding with the Crown Prince or Second Prince would quickly end the war, Sirbert had chosen the princess.

It wasn’t hard to guess his reasoning.

Sirbert had decided this was the moment to settle the score.

To unify the empire’s strength.

Or to see it utterly fall apart.

The worst or the best.

Make the powerless princess the emperor, then grasp power as the top contributor within the imperial castle, preparing for the future.

Or fail the plan and lose even more power, ending up with nothing.

Since Hio, the Supreme Celestial Demon, was on their side, they likely sought the best outcome, not the worst.

“Haah…”

But that plan had a fatal flaw.

‘What can be done for a princess who will soon die?’

The princess’s death.

Originally destined to be pitifully killed, she barely escaped, but her fate was still death.

‘Still, I can’t just ignore her.’

Sirbert must have prepared much for this plan.

Which means he has no fallback.

And if Sirbert fails, no one will be left to influence the empire’s politics.

That would be the absolute worst.

Whether it’s the Crown Prince or the Second Prince on the throne, public sentiment will be poor, and internal conflict will weaken the empire’s strength.

They will try to divert the discontent elsewhere.

They will want to flaunt the empire’s enduring national power.

It’s certain they will lead the army and start a war.

That was the event that actually happened in the game after the civil war.

If even Sirbert, who had been deeply involved in politics, fell and either prince ascended the throne, then no one could predict the empire’s future.

They might even have to prepare for the Abyss without the empire’s support, and that possibility…

‘There’s no way.’

There isn’t.

You can’t stop ten with just one hand.

Especially with spirits who can’t even unite properly, there’s a limit.

Eventually, the world will face destruction just like in the game, and all life on the continent will perish.

It may sound extreme, but it was the most realistic conclusion.

“Haah…”

Hio’s worry deepened.

“Theodore.”

***

Sylvia called out to Theodore standing by her side.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry too much.”

He had protected Sylvia since the moment she was born, so even if his expression seemed unchanged, Hio could clearly read his thoughts.

The usually stoic knight was angry.

Angry at no one but himself.

“What are you angry about?”

Anger at his own weakness.

If only he were stronger.

Like the great Imperial Sword Saint whose name alone made everyone bow deeply.

If he were stronger, he wouldn’t have been swayed by that ruffian with no manners.

If only then, Sylvia wouldn’t have suffered so much.

To ease the knight’s mind, Sylvia smiled.

“I’m not trying to take him away because I don’t trust him. I know better than anyone how strong my guardian knight is.”

Yet there was another reason she tried to persuade him.

“Hio Pavlenko, was it? My powers don’t work on him.”

“Powers… you mean?”

Surprise flashed across Theodore’s face.

“Is he like that professor—completely empty inside?”

“No, not that kind. My powers simply don’t affect him at all.”

The ghostly voice that echoed inside her head.

The ringing words she still couldn’t understand.

It was too soon to peer inside.

She couldn’t grasp its meaning, but she was certain.

There was something unknown in that man.

Some kind of power existed.

“So we must persuade him.”

She pressed her trembling hand firmly with the other.

It trembled every now and then.

Though partly from her illness, the greater cause was probably fear.

Fear she couldn’t show, so she swallowed it deep inside.

Having fled the palace overnight.

From the moment she realized that if she hadn’t fled, she would have been mercilessly killed, she had been terrified.

A place she had never been before.

Events she had never experienced.

Assassins who could strike at any time.

Worries about the future.

The urge to give up and let go of everything.

Every day was a trial, every night a nightmare.

Still, Sylvia forced a smile.

“It’s okay.”

Even if she didn’t believe those words herself…

She hoped her only knight would believe them.

“We’ll be fine.”

A fragile smile that could break at any moment.

“…It can’t be helped.”

Hio made his decision and stood up.

“Oh. You’ve made up your mind?”

“Yes. There’s no other way.”

So that’s your choice. I respect your decision.

He walked up and stood before Sylvia and Theodore.

“Like you said, there’s no choice. What good is helping a princess who will soon die?”

Hio scratched the back of his head as he faced the princess and her knight.

Truly, it seemed pointless.

Helping a princess who would soon die.

“All right. Let’s give it a try.”

There was no choice but to try to save her.

It seemed impossible, but when was anything ever easy?

Giving up without trying was simply not in his nature.

“Of course, there are a few conditions.”

He first set the initial condition.

“First. Don’t expect me to show you courtesy and respect.”

They would be spending a considerable amount of time together, and it would be exhausting for a modern person to keep up the royal treatment and constant formality.

“Of course, I will be respectful in front of others.”

Sylvia remained calm at the condition, but the knight behind her visibly stiffened.

Ignoring that, Hio continued.

“Second.”

He stated the second condition.

“You will die soon.”