NOVEL WEB Chapter 1 - How Did I Become Emperor?
✦ Chapter 1 – How Did I Become Emperor? ✦
「Translator – Creator」
When I opened my eyes, I found myself a stranger in an unfamiliar world.
From a 25-year-old college dropout, working tirelessly day and night to pay for my family’s medical bills, I had become a 7-year-old boy in a world where magic and princesses locked in towers were real.
Suddenly an orphan, I engaged in a desperate struggle for survival against all manner of monsters and superhuman beings.
After countless battles that left me coughing up blood and burning with fever every night, I eventually ascended to become the Emperor.
“Long live His Majesty Emperor Bael!”
“Hail the Ender of Wars!”
“All hail the strongest man on earth!”
The fights that led to my ascension to the throne were relentless and exhilarating, to say the least. I never had a moment to be bored and even enjoyed the constant struggle. I felt myself improving every day, driven by an unwavering goal to become stronger. In this otherworld where I had been cast without a roadmap, my personal growth was both my compass and destination.
However, after climbing countless steps to reach the summit, with no more stairs left to ascend, I found myself at a loss for new objectives, now hailed as the world’s strongest. In the end, my situation resembled that of a rusting weapon, confined within a storehouse labeled ‘Emperor’.
It was around this time, during a banquet celebrating the end of the war and my ascension to the throne, that something extraordinary occurred. Just as I was about to yawn for the third time out of boredom, something unexpected happened.
『Tutorial: The Chosen Contractor』
『Overview: You are about to embark on a new adventure. Gather the materials below to learn contract magic and capture your first “Hel”!』
『Moonlight Stone 0/1』
『Sunflower 0/1』
『Hels Captured 0/1』
Just as suddenly as I had been whisked away to this strange world without any notice, these words appeared before my eyes without any warning. A normal person would have been flustered, but through various experiences, I had far transcended the realm of the common men. And so, I was able to maintain my composure.
“……….…….”
Well, truthfully, I was a bit taken aback.
After all, the text floating before me was the tutorial quest prompt from 「Hel World」, a game I had adored in my youth. It was the flagship product of the console company Nymptendo, a franchise that generated revenue comparable to the budget of a small nation from character IP alone.
The concept of the game was simple. In the fantasy world of 「Hel World」, the player’s goal was to become the greatest adventurer by capturing monsters called 「Hels」 using 「Hel Balls」, raising them, and overcoming challenges with their aid.
The main appeal lay in taming cute, adorable 「Hels」, capturing legendary and powerful ones, and satisfying the urge to collect.
And now, the tutorial for 「Hel World」 had appeared before me, Bael, two years into my reign as Emperor.
“So this world was 「Hel World」 all along?”
Sometimes, an icy truth can be more chilling and sharp than a blatant lie. This realization cut through my thoughts with intense clarity.
‘Perhaps if I follow the game’s storyline, I might be able to understand why I’m adrift in this world.’
During days that were rotting away like overripe fruit due to tedium and boredom, I found a new purpose. Even if my assumptions proved incorrect, wasn’t the mere possibility of growth a positive development?
Optimism was arguably the primary factor that elevated me from a 7-year-old orphan to a 25-year-old emperor.
“Is it possible to become even stronger than I am now?”
In 「Hel World」, there was a 「Partner Skill」system where taming certain 「Hels」 allowed one to inherit their traits and abilities.
For instance, if you tamed a 「Lightning Squirrel」 to a certain level and raised its loyalty sufficiently, you could acquire the 「Emperor’s Wrath」 skill, which added lightning attribute damage to the master’s attacks.
‘Taming Hels and strengthening myself.’
Perhaps I would even be able to use what this world called ‘magic’. If I could master it, there might be a chance, however slim, that I could return to my original world, even if only for a moment.
‘Whatever it may be, it is worth the challenge.’
My decision was swift. I resolved to no longer concern myself with the tedious banquet.
“Barbatos.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Though, I would prefer if you called me Dimensia.”
At my call, a woman with dazzlingly bright hair approached the throne discreetly.
She had an impressive appearance with her long ears and an Eastern-style outfit, marked by three distinctive moles under her left eye. A beauty unforgettable after a single glance — an Elf. Her name was Dimensia Barbatos, the imperial secretary.
“Barbatos, I want to find the ‘Moonlight Stone’ and the ‘Sunflower’ right now.”
“The Moonlight Stone and Sunflower are said to be treasures imbued with ancient power. They’re not easy to obtain, but I, Dimensia, know where they might be found.”
“Where are they?”
“I heard a while ago that the Paimon family had gotten their hands on them. A name with which Your Majesty has had… various unfortunate associations, correct?”
As she said this, Dimensia’s eyes wandered to the banquet hall, where guests had begun to depart. Despite the grandeur of the event, not all nobles had attended the imperial celebration.
To be frank, my approval rating as emperor was exceedingly low. This was largely because I had shown little interest in such matters.
“I could send a letter to the Paimon family expressing our interest in purchasing them, but given the recent spectacular failure of the arranged marriage with Lady Paimon…”
“……………….”
“The chances of being rejected are probably high. The Northerners are especially proud and don’t like to bow their heads to anyone. Especially the Paimon family, one of the 12 great houses among the 70 royal families. They are a formidable opponent.”
For the first time in a long while, I felt troubled since becoming the Emperor.
One of the most crucial systems in 「Hel World」 was the ‘Affection’ and ‘Loyalty’ system. Affection influenced relationships with various characters, affecting future quest progressions and endings, while Loyalty determined how well my Hels would obey me.
“If only the arranged marriage between Your Majesty and Lady Paimon had proceeded smoothly, things would be much easier. Of course, it’s also true that ladies from great houses are afraid to marry Your Majesty.”
Swish—
Dimensia gracefully sat on my knee; her slender fingers traced the black helmet concealing my face.
“An emperor who always hides his face and body behind a black helmet and armor, never revealing himself to anyone. It’s the kind of gossip that circulates wildly at noblewomen’s social gatherings.”
“……………….”
“In fact, there are rumors that beneath this helmet lies a face twisted like a demon’s, or a monster hideously transformed by a curse.”
“Are they afraid of me because they think my face is hideous?”
“That’s certainly one reason. Your Majesty’s inhuman feats on the battlefield have only added fuel to these stories.”
⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆
「The Moonlight Stone and the Sunflower are ancient treasures that our Paimon family has acquired with great difficulty. We cannot relinquish them, even at the emperor’s command.」
“So, it’s a rejection after all.”
Despite sending a letter, the Paimon family had refused my proposal. My secretary Dimensia snorted as if she had anticipated this outcome.
“These Northerners. They’re as inflexible as barbarians when it comes to compromise. What will you do now, Your Majesty? Will you march north to subjugate them again? It would mean war.”
Dimensia’s eyes glinted mischievously as she mentioned war. As she suggested, enforcing my will upon the Paimon family might indeed require military action.
The 70 royal families that once ruled the continent. Among them, the Paimon family, one of the 12 Zodiac family, said to be the most ancient and prestigious, were the rulers of the North and considered ‘Kings’ in their own right.
‘I’ve known for a while that they don’t recognize me as the true emperor.’
I hadn’t cared whether the nobles supported me or if the young ladies feared me as some hideous monster. Such matters were inconsequential to me. However, if this world truly was 「Hel World」, that changed everything.
“That’s true. If only the arranged marriage you had a while ago had been successful, Your Majesty would have been able to gain the support of the great houses in addition to our Barbatos family.”
An arranged marriage…
Noblewomen feared the emperor.
Marriage. 「Hel World」. Sun Flower.
After pondering for a while, I arrived at a simple solution.
‘What if I wasn’t the emperor?’
Emperor Bael was known as the mightiest man on earth, a transcendent being above all others, whose face remained a mystery to all.
The most famous man in the world, but on the contrary, also the most unknown man in the world.
In other words-
No one in this world knew my bare face.
Which meant…
If I were to remove this heavy helmet, pretend not to be the emperor, and approach the Paimon family to increase their affection towards me, I might be able to obtain the treasures.
It wasn’t an entirely impossible idea.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
I stood up abruptly.
Thump—
“Eek!”
Dimensia Barbatos, who had been sitting on my knee, tumbled to the floor with a thud. As she rubbed her sore bottom, I strode purposefully toward the emperor’s chambers.
“I’ll be away for a while. I’m not sure how long.”
“W-wait! I, Dimensia, your secretary, should accompany you!”
“It’s fine, Barbatos. I entrust you with the affairs of state during my absence.”
The emperor’s bedchamber was a place only I could enter. It contained nothing but a bed, heavy iron training equipment, and a mirror, which suited me fine.
I took a deep breath in front of the mirror before removing the helmet that had become like a part of my body. Long, unkempt black hair fell around a pale face that hadn’t seen sunlight in ages, revealing a somewhat melancholic expression.
“……………”
If someone were to see my face, they might say it looked too fragile to belong to the Emperor known as the most formidable man alive. I was well aware of this, which is why I had continued to conceal my face with the helmet, avoiding the inconvenience of being underestimated.
I had a bit of a complex about this face, having trained to be the strongest man in the world. But a true strongman should be able to turn even his weaknesses into his strengths.
“Daniel. From now on, my name without the helmet is not Bael but Daniel. I am not the emperor. I will do things that Emperor Bael would not do to avoid suspicion of being the emperor.”
After making a simple plan, I left the room through a secret passage built in the palace and headed for the palace garden.
“So then I spoke to that man, and…”
“What happened next? Why did you stop tal-“
“…………..”
The handmaidens of the palace, who were having an impromptu tea party at a table in the garden, all stopped talking and turned their eyes on me.
And then, Patricia, the handmaiden who was rumored to be the strictest of them all, stood up abruptly.
“Um…”
Thump-thump-
My heart, long rusted by boredom, began to beat anew.
— End of Chapter —
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