I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 16

Jereuth, who was about to leave the room at Leonardo's call, turned back and asked the crow sitting on the desk—Seria.

“Seria, let me ask you one thing. In your opinion, what kind of person is His Highness Leonardo?”

It was a question asking for an evaluation of the crown prince, his lord who was preparing a Purge, a question that was clearly difficult for anyone to answer immediately.

However, the crow answered without delay.

「“I think he is a necessary person. For this kingdom, and for me. He is much younger than I, but he is someone I come to admire.”」

“……”

「“I want to watch him grow from his side. Hmm… is this a slightly disrespectful thought?”」

***

I arrived at my room. It seemed Elly had not yet returned from fetching Jereuth, so there was no one in the room.

I needed some time alone, so it was actually more comfortable for me that no one was there.

As soon as I entered the room, I pulled out the that I had haphazardly placed on the bookshelf.

One might think it careless to leave such an important book just sitting on a bookshelf, but I had intentionally placed it there, like the saying, ‘To hide a tree, hide it in the forest.’

I felt a bookshelf would be safer than hiding it in something like a safe.

‘If you think about it that way, hiding it in the library would be the best, but I can’t be going back and forth to the library every time I need to check the diary.’

Putting aside such unimportant thoughts, I opened the . It was to confirm the results of dividing the noble faction into two by using the throne as bait and of bringing in the Mage Tower to deal with the Kingdom Mage Corps that followed the nobles.

Shwarak―!

It was the ’s entry for the future closest to the present.

…….

At the bait of the ‘throne’ I had thrown, the nobles were divided into the Vaimal Ducal Faction and the Panshin Ducal Faction.

As time passed, the boundaries between the factions became clearer, and the nobles who had been laughing and chatting together just a few weeks ago now only associated with those of their own faction.

Occasionally, disputes and animosity arose between the nobles of each faction.

As time went on, the suspicion between the two ducal factions grew. Eventually, on the day before the Throne Handover Ceremony, the nobles of the two factions reached a point where they did not even greet each other.

And the day before the Throne Handover Ceremony.

As I had planned from before, I had Jereuth assassinate Viscount Krain of the Vaimal Ducal Faction. And I disguised it as the work of the Panshin Ducal Faction.

However, it seemed Jereuth did not do it himself, but entrusted it to a few knights who specialized in assassination and disguise.

With the vigilance and suspicion between the two ducal factions already at a peak, the assassination of Viscount Krain made the situation irreversible.

With the Vaimal Ducal Faction’s preemptive strike, the two factions finally drew their blades against each other that night. A massacre unfolded, as if to kill even one more person who supported the opposing ducal faction.

The knights and mages of each ducal faction, without a care for honor, began by killing the powerless vassals and servants first.

Since the condition for the ‘Throne Handover Ceremony’ I had proposed was that the duke with more supporters would become king, they judged it was easier and more effective to reduce the number of powerless servants than to kill the combat-ready knights or mages.

After the knights and mages of each ducal faction had killed all the non-combat personnel.

Only then did the knights and mages of each ducal faction begin to kill each other.

The entire royal palace reeked of blood.

That ghastly stench was the signal that my plan had succeeded.

Overnight, the noble civil war between the two ducal factions had rendered their forces insignificant—

My Purge was guaranteed to succeed.

‘…The success of the Purge is guaranteed?’

Perhaps the result had become certain when I recruited the mages of the Mage Tower.

‘Wait. But if the Purge succeeds, doesn’t my ending change too?’

Originally, I was fated to be executed by hanging, a scapegoat for the nobles to quell the dissatisfaction of the kingdom’s citizens who had started a rebellion. That was my future ending.

‘But if I succeed in purging all the nobles, wouldn’t the nobles who would put me on the gallows be gone?’

If so—

‘Then wouldn’t peace… come to me too? The ones who would kill me would be gone.’

With such a hopeful expectation, I felt a sense of relief. That future had not yet come, but it was so clearly predicted that I couldn't help but relax.

‘Did I… survive?’

Just as I harbored both complacency and hope.

Scribble, scribble―!

New content began to be written in the . This time, too, it was in my handwriting.

I read it in real time.

…….

After purging the nobles.

Ascending the throne made of their blood, flesh, and bones, I became the absolute ruler of this small kingdom. The royal palace, which had always been noisy with the nobles’ pleasures and debauchery, was quiet, and that quiet was the spoil of my victory.

There was no one who dared to oppose me.

No, to be precise, there was no one who could oppose me. Because I had killed them all.

After I purged the nobles, all sorts of problems in the kingdom began to reach my ears. The problems that the nobles had heard and ignored until now began to reach my ears after they died.

That’s right. After purging the nobles, I was put in a position where I had to solve the numerous social problems they had created.

I did my best to solve them.

But no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to handle all the administration by myself.

Because I had killed all the nobles, there was a shortage of talented people. Although the nobles were human trash, they were the elite of this society, so after killing them all, there were no administrative officials who could work according to my will.

And I couldn't just appoint anyone to an administrative position. Basically, one had to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic to handle administration, but time was not on my side to teach them that now. Numerous problems arose simultaneously not only in the capital but throughout the entire kingdom.

Purging all the nobles.

It certainly brought me immense royal authority, but conversely, it had the side effect of cutting off all my arms and legs.

I regret it belatedly. I belatedly realized that no matter how much I tried to solve the kingdom's various problems, I couldn't smoothly implement my policies and power without the personnel I could use.

What should I do? If I could turn back time, I would want to spare a few nobles who were useful for administrative work. Perhaps among the nobles, there might have been some who were less trash, or not trash at all.

But the heads of the kingdom’s nobles had already fallen, so they would not return.

Getting rid of the nobles who would put me on the gallows was certainly the best choice I could make at the time.

But looking back now, I had to admit that it was a very shortsighted and ignorant choice.

I was a moron who knew one thing but not two.

Reading the newly written , I felt a shock as if I had been hit hard on the back of my head.

‘Purging all the nobles is a shortsighted and ignorant choice… now that I hear it, that makes sense.’

The Plank Kingdom where I was located was a small kingdom, but it was still a ‘nation’. For such a nation to operate, a proper system was needed, and that system could not be managed by one person alone. Even running a small neighborhood store required several people, so how could one run a country by oneself?

I had forgotten that obvious fact.

‘I was under the illusion that if I got rid of all the nobles—because the kingdom’s people would revolt because of them, and the nobles would put me on the gallows to quell that revolt—all problems would be solved. The world’s affairs aren’t that simple…’

What was fortunate was that I realized this fact through the before I killed all the nobles. My future self said that he had already killed the nobles and couldn't bring them back, but since I hadn't killed those bastards yet, the situation was different.

So now the problem was ‘which nobles to spare’.

‘Most of the nobles in this kingdom are trash. But there must be some who are relatively less trash, and some who are recyclable trash. Or maybe, rarely, there might be a clean noble. I have to find them.’

However, honestly, I didn't know which nobles were recyclable or clean.

So it would be best to seek advice from someone knowledgeable about the kingdom's affairs.

‘I need to consult with Jereuth. He would know which nobles don't necessarily need to be purged.’

***

At that moment, as Leonardo was thinking of consulting with Jereuth.

Jereuth was on his way to the palace with Elly. It was late, but even considering that, the inside of the palace was quiet. This was because the nobles, who always held various banquets until dawn, were quiet ahead of the Throne Handover Ceremony.

Most of the nobles had gathered at the residences of the dukes they supported to show their loyalty before the Throne Handover Ceremony.

In that quiet silence, as Jereuth and Elly were walking along a dark palace path, Elly broke the silence.

“Um… Captain, if it's not too presumptuous, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to ask about His Highness being so busy here and there lately. He is so weak that he could collapse at any moment… but lately, it seems he has so many worries that he skips meals and can't sleep well.”

“Are you saying you’re worried about His Highness?”

“Yes, I am.”

Jereuth, who had been walking while listening to Elly's words, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Halt.

Elly, not expecting Jereuth to stop so suddenly, bumped her forehead against his back.

“Ouch… I, I’m sorr―!”

Daring to bump into the body of the Knight Captain was a mistake a maid should not make, so Elly hurried to apologize.

But Jereuth's grim voice came first.

Jereuth looked down at Elly and said heavily.

“Whatever His Highness does is not the concern of a mere maid.”

“……Pardon?”

“I said it’s not the concern of the likes of a maid. It means that whatever His Highness does, someone like you should not be concerned. Do not even dare to speak of it. Even if you have received His Highness’s grace, there is a difference in rank between you and me. Know your place.”

“I, I’m not concerned about His Highness’s affairs, but his well-being―.”

“Are you talking back? To me, the Knight Captain?”

“……”

Jereuth placed his hand on his sword. In the face of that fearsome presence, Elly couldn't open her mouth. Her tender heart was wounded, and her eyes reddened.

Normally, Jereuth would not have spoken so harshly to someone else, especially to a young maid. His character was recognized not only by the Knight Order but also by the soldiers and throughout the kingdom.

But there was a reason why Jereuth spoke so angrily and frighteningly to Elly.

‘I know that this maid is the only one who served His Highness with all her heart when all the other servants abandoned him. And I also know that she serves not only His Highness Leonardo but also the King politely. So, I should be grateful to this maid.’

But—

‘I must absolutely prevent her from speaking outside about the fact that His Highness is secretly busy. Just that one small fact could expose the Purge plan.’

Having been active on the battlefield for a long time, Jereuth knew the importance of security all too well. In that sense, the fact that the crown prince was busy running around before the Throne Handover Ceremony was no different from a top-secret matter.

Someone might laugh and say how could such a trivial thing be a top-secret matter, but all security breaches originally stem from small leaks.

That was why Jereuth spoke frighteningly to Elly. So that she, who was closest to the crown prince, would never again mention the crown prince's affairs out loud. Jereuth didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the crown prince's plan was leaked now that the Purge was just around the corner.

‘I can apologize later after everything is over.’

Thinking this, Jereuth uttered words completely different from his inner thoughts.

“If I hear you speak of His Highness one more time, you will die by my hand. Not just you, but your entire family, the ‘Heinem Viscounty,’ I will personally―.”

As Jereuth was trying to give Elly a firm scare.

He had to stop his words due to a concern that flashed through his mind.

‘…Wait. Then do I have to kill this maid during the Purge too?’