8-1
Extra Chapter: The Emperor and the
Evil Dragon
Translator : PolterGlast
Recap of the
Previous Chapter
Having ordered Jii to send a message to Georg
and the Hez Company, Ashley, Atomina, and Dulin
headed for the Duke Aion's territory.
However, on the
forest road just before their arrival, they were attacked by a bandit group
connected to their aunt, Du-Neil. But there was no one who could match
the current Ashley and the Iron-Cutting Shovel he unleashed.
Upon entering the
Duke Aion territory, they were welcomed by the current head, Jake-Lizas.
They took refuge in a tower at his mansion, and a peaceful life continued for a
while amidst vigilance.
During this time, Ashley was
consulted by his brother-in-law Jake regarding his sister Atomina.
The couple's relationship had deteriorated. The cause of everything was the
Manor Expansion Law. Atomina opposed treating the people in the manors
like slaves.
However, the Duke's
soldiers attacked the tower. Thanks to Zirant's actions and Ashley's
rush to the scene, they succeeded in protecting Dulin.
The culprit was Jake's
father, the former Duke, Abraham, who held the real power; even Jake,
who rushed to the scene, opposed his father's surprise attack.
With Jake
acting as a shield for Dulin, Ashley turned the tables on the
enemy forces. Eventually, he suppressed the former Duke, but the man
audaciously took Princess Atomina hostage.
It almost turned
into the worst-case scenario, but then his brother Georg appeared. Georg
retrieved Atomina, and with his martial valor and reputation as the
Empire's Strongest, he completely stripped the enemy of their will to fight,
bringing the battle to an end.
However, the problem
between Atomina and Jake-Lizas remained unsolved. Princess Atomina
decided to separate from her husband and leave the Duke Aion territory.
It was the Emperor
who had dispatched Georg. Under the Emperor's name, this incident was settled. That very Emperor
now wanted to meet Ashley, whom he had continued to shun. That was proof
that the Emperor was ill and was beginning to settle the accounts of his own
life.
――――――――――――
A Certain
Imperial Father and Son
――――――――――――
8-1 Side Story: The
Emperor and the Evil Dragon
My time is running
out. I have lived carrying an illness for a long time, but far from signs of
improvement, the shadow of death has revealed itself before me.
I am the Emperor of
this country. My death means the end of an era. Chaos will likely visit this
orderly Empire.
I tried to be a good
king. I believed in righteous conduct and contributed to the prosperity of the
Empire. The most painful part was that the path of the ideal Emperor I believed
in required discarding family affection.
I had a woman I
loved. She passed away quickly, but she bore one child with me. His name is Ashley.
I despaired at Ashley.
The child born alongside the death of my beloved wife had an appearance that
resembled no race on this earth. A red dragon eye, a white arm. A light burned
in that dragon eye, looking like a being from the evil Abyss...
I clung to the
illusion of being a good king, not Ashley's parent. The Emperor's child
must not be a deformed monster. I had to protect the Imperial Family's
authority at all costs; otherwise, the world would fall into disorder, and many
people would suffer.
I was wrong. My
illness taught me that. My life was a banal one. I, no... I did not give
affection to my family. After pushing aside my brothers and becoming Emperor, I
lived only as an Emperor.
What a boring life.
A farmer who owns his own field, tills it, protects his wife and child, and
lives together with the earth would have had a far better life.
I envy Ashley.
I am the one who drove him into such circumstances, yet I envy him so much. His
figure, living freely and wildly
in the city... Ashley, the child of the only wife I ever loved. Before I
die, I simply want you to forgive me. Using being Emperor as an excuse, I...
ran away from you.
『Emperor, can you hear my voice? Can you see my form? My name
is the Evil Dragon Zirant, the one who has watched over the history of
the Empire.』
I heard a voice.
Surprised, I turned my head, and a young girl was standing by my pillow. Oh...
but staring into those eyes, I was paralyzed, even my thoughts freezing like a
frog glared at by a snake.
"That... eye...
Ash... ley..."
『Do Ashley and I resemble each other that much? I do
not possess such a divine white arm, though. Kukuku...』
"Do you...
know... him...?"
『Aye, I know him well. However, Emperor, it seems the time
has come. Your life is about to run out.』
She was too
beautiful and young to be a Grim Reaper. For a friend of Ashley, she was
an overly divine, mysterious girl.
『Listen. The future of this country is terribly dark,
Emperor. After all, the only decent royals are Georg, Atomina, or
perhaps Ashley. But Georg and Ashley are far from the
throne. I shall prophesy: when you die, a civil war will begin...』
"Regrettable...
Where... did I make... a mistake...?"
『It is fine. Corrections can still be made. Give Ashley
a chance. That prodigal son might dislike it, but give him the freedom to call
himself a Prince. And the right of succession befitting a seventh son. After
that, I will look after Ashley. In your place.』
"You...
will...? Look after... Ashley...?"
『I promise to watch over Ashley until death, no, even
beyond death. Because Ashley's form is the very proof of the Imperial
Family's pure blood. Ashley is not a deformity; that is your son. That
form appears only from the bloodline of the Emperor.』
"My... child...
Ashley is... my child...?"
『Naturally. And you, whose time is short, should understand:
the precariousness of this Empire. The predicament of your beloved Ashley.
I am Zirant, the very history of this Empire. Right now, this country is
on the brink of collapse. The only one who can unite it is the true throwback
to the First Emperor: Ashley. Protect Ashley; that is the final
fate left to you, Emperor.』
A woman with dragon
eyes who says she will watch over the son I practically abandoned. She calls
herself an Evil Dragon, yet she is divine, reliable, and above all, I felt her
affection for my son.
"I stake it... Zirant,
upon you, I... shall stake this life..."
If she says she will protect that child, I will offer my soul even to an Evil Dragon. Even if he is despised as an abomination, I swore to stake my life on this dragon who acknowledged that as the true form of the Imperial Family and even saved my heart.
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