Chapter 91
‘Julius is… Emperor Argonne?’
No matter how much he tried to make it fit, that’s what the conversation was about, in context.
‘Does this make sense?’
Julius was the eldest son of House Oberhauser and the next head of the family.
He was also the current head of the Overhauser family.
He’s still young enough that he’s only a minor lord, but he’s practically a lord.
It was hard to believe that he could be a contemporary of Kairos, the Great Emperor Argonne.
‘No, it’s not strange for Argonne the Great to be resurrected when Kairos is alive and well, right?’
This is a game world, not real life.
If he went by logic and reason, he would lose.
‘But did he have any information that Julius was Emperor Argonne? Not that he knows of, it’s not something he has ever heard of before.’
Julius is one of the most hated and despised villains in the game [Territory Wars], so he’s a well-researched character.
Nevertheless, if Otto didn’t know this information, it must have been a hidden backstory that the game didn’t go into detail about.
That’s not surprising, since the game can’t possibly cover everything about each character.
In any case, Otto was in on a big secret.
‘Did he possess the body of a descendant, or was he reincarnated as a descendant? No. That’s not the point. Possession or reincarnation, it doesn’t matter.’
The crux of the matter is that Julius was actually the First Emperor Argonne.
If so, then….
‘Kairos is going to flip out when he hears this.’
Kairos, who had been betrayed by Argonne in the past, was seeking revenge even on Julius, his descendant.
But what if he realized that the Argonne was alive-whether by possession or reincarnation?
‘He’s going to be thrilled.’
No doubt Kairos would do ten backflips in place when he heard the news.
Why?
Revenge was now possible, something that hadn’t been possible since Emperor Argonne was long dead.
“We’ll have to keep a close eye on the candidates to become vessels, and constantly assess their likelihood and potential.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Otto continued to gather information for some time afterward, eavesdropping on conversations between Julius, or rather the Emperor Argonne, and Gaius.
To summarize the conversation, it went something like this
1. Julius is the First Emperor Argonne
2. He is seeking to revive his empire
3. A secret society known as the Black Crusaders continues to pose a threat to the descendants of Argonne. They are so powerful and threatening that even Emperor Argonne is wary of them.
4. The reason why Argonne seeks close ties to the Kuntachi family is to further his friendship with Otto.
5. Argonne is looking for a host to parasitize, and Otto is one of the candidates. Just as he parasitized Kairos in the past to achieve continental unification.
6. Before Argonne the Great falls asleep…
‘Ugh!’
Otto was completely appalled by a certain action that the Emperor Argonne had made right before he fell asleep, so he quickly left the place.
‘He’s sorry for Kairos, but he can’t bring himself to say this.’
Otto had to seriously consider whether or not to tell Kairos about the former Emperor Argonne’s sudden behavior.
Because it was so shocking that even Otto was dazed.
* * *
After leaving the quarters of Argonne, Otto immediately set out to find Camille.
“Where the heck did you run off to, are you moving around to avoid the guards?
And then.
“What are you doing here?”
A voice was heard suddenly while Otto was musing.
“I’m looking for Camille.”
Otto thoughtlessly replied to the question.
“Really?”
“This person will patiently wait…huh?!”
Otto nonchalantly replied to someone’s question, and then was startled out of his thoughts.
Conrad.
The annoying individual he so desperately wanted to avoid was smirking at him.
And beside him, Camille was gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.
“Did you rat me out?”
“No.”
Camille said, avoiding Otto’s gaze.
“I was discovered by the guards.”
“Spotted?”
“How am I supposed to get past all those guards when I don’t have clairvoyance like you do, and it’s not like I’m some kind of assassin.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“I definitely did not snitch you out.”
“Hmmm.”
“Not really.”
“Yeah, whatever. If it’s not, it’s not.”
Otto said that, but the truth was, he was very suspicious of Camille.
It was thought that Camille, who had recently been badly mistreated, might have snitched in a timid act of revenge.
However, this was highly unlikely, as Camille was too chivalrous for that.
‘No. You never know. Maybe there’s a nefarious side behind the mask of a noble knight, huh.’
Incidentally.
“Otto this guy.”
Conrad reprimanded Otto with a stern, solemn, and serious look on his face.
“If you’re going to come to visit me, why don’t you tell this old man in advance, and why sneak around like a rat?”
“T-That’s not the case…”
“It’s not nothing!”
“Hic?!”
“How many letters has your grandfather sent you, and you have never answered! How can you call yourself Conrad’s grandson after all that? How can a man who carries the future of the family be so indifferent to it? Ei! You scoundrel!”
Conrad was completely annoyed by Otto’s indifferent behavior.
‘How do I get out of this?’
Otto thought for a moment, then decided to change the subject.
“That’s not it.”
“It’s not what!”
“It’s just that I don’t want to talk about it here, so let’s move.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll go and tell you about it.”
“We’ll see what excuse you come up with.”
Conrad grumbled, as if to say, “We’ll see.”
* * *
After moving away.
“That’s because….”
Otto told Conrad about what had happened a little while ago.
Since Otto had opened the Sanctuary, Conrad was a man who would give his life for it.
“What?”
Conrad was incredulous when he was told that Julius was in fact the Great Emperor Argonne.
“Are you telling me that Julius is the reincarnation of Argonne?”
“I’m not sure if it’s a reincarnation or a possession, but it’s pretty clear from the conversation.”
“Huh.”
Conrad clucks his tongue.
“What a strange occurrence….”
“Anyway, you should be careful. The whole reason I came here in secret was to avoid Julius spying on me.”
Otto secretly blamed the reason he’d come like a rat was because of Argonne the Great.
“Hehe. I see you had your reasons. I’m sorry, this old man. Shouldn’t have misunderstood you so badly.”
Otto’s lie was so believable that Conrad had no choice but to be completely deceived.
“So, Julius… no. Are you saying that Argonne the Great is trying to take advantage of you, Conrad’s grandson?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Oh, what a wretch!”
Conrad bellowed in anger.
“I don’t care if you’re the Great Emperor Argonne, you can’t take advantage of my Kuntachi family! I want these things now!”
“You’ll have to be patient.”
Otto leaped to his feet and grabbed Conrad, who was about to strike Argonne over the head.
“Absolutely not! Never!”
“Won’t you let go!”
“Grandpa, you cannot beat him!”
“What?”
Conrad was startled.
“I can’t beat him?”
“He’s just hiding his strength, but he’s incredibly strong. He’s so strong that even you grandfather can’t beat him.”
Otto’s words were true.
Argonne the Great may only be the head of a giant corporation to avoid the spotlight, but he’s an immense powerhouse.
If you tried to hit him, you were likely to get hit yourself.
“And why do you beat the water, and why do you slash the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs?”
“Hmm?”
“Think about it. As long as we know his intentions, we can take advantage of him and eat him alive, literally.”
“……!”
“I mean, the Overhauser Group has its five fingers on an entire continent. If we can feed off of that enormous wealth, isn’t that a huge opportunity?”
“Well, yeah?”
“Let him think he’s taking advantage of us, and we’ll take advantage of him in reverse. Why am I throwing this great opportunity away?”
“Oh my!”
Conrad suddenly understood Otto’s intentions, slapped his forehead and grinned.
“Hehehe, Such a clever guy! After all, this is Conrad’s grandson! Hahaha!”
Conrad burst into a roaring laugh, just as he had when he was angry.
‘Where did such a thing come from,’ Conrad thought
‘I may not have had children, but I certainly have grandchildren!’¹
Conrad’s eyes softened again as he looked at Otto.
“Hmph! Then this old man will take my grandson to heart.”
“Whatever you say.”
“What a strange thing, though. Reincarnation or possession… I can’t imagine.”
“Me too.”
“Who would have thought that Argonne was actually such an evil and despicable man?”
Conrad seemed surprised to learn of the true nature of the Great Argonne.
It was a natural reaction.
Argonne the Great was revered as a great hero, even after the fall of the Krares Empire.
“Because history is written by the winners.”
“You’re right.”
“Maybe Kairos wasn’t such a bad guy after all.”
“I’d love to meet him, can you set up a time soon?”
“Of course.”
“Heheheh, thanks to my grandson, I’ll be able to meet all the great kings who ruled the continent hundreds of years ago! Hehehe!”
And with that, Otto succeeded in loosening Conrad’s tightly wound heart by making an unnecessary jab at Argonne the Great.
‘Ugh, it’s become bothersome.’
Although his plans to sneak around like a rat went awry, at least he put out the fire.
‘He’s not going to bother me, is he?’
Otto was a little worried, but for now, he decided to focus on obtaining the second power of the Invincible Emperor.
* * *
The following afternoon.
Otto made his way to the Sanctuary as soon as he heard that the Argonne and his entourage had left the Duchy of Kuntachi.
There were none of the usual guards in front of the sanctuary, for no one was allowed to enter except Otto.
Once opened, only those who had attained the status of Divine Master could pass through the Sanctuary.
So there’s no need to post a guard.
‘Let’s go.’
After passing through the Sanctuary, Otto immediately proceeded to the area of the five statues.
He stood in front of the fourth of the five statues, clockwise.
『I am strong.』
『The enemy is weak.』
A stone statue depicting a brave barbarian warrior roaring loudly as he looks to the sky.
Within the dungeon behind the statue lay the power of the Invincible Emperor, the second power Otto would acquire.
‘Let’s go.’
Without hesitation, Otto pushed past the statue of the roaring barbarian and entered the fourth dungeon.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Otto’s mother who is the daughter of Conrad died hence he no longer has children left.
Chapter 91
‘Julius is… Emperor Argonne?’
No matter how much he tried to make it fit, that’s what the conversation was about, in context.
‘Does this make sense?’
Julius was the eldest son of House Oberhauser and the next head of the family.
He was also the current head of the Overhauser family.
He’s still young enough that he’s only a minor lord, but he’s practically a lord.
It was hard to believe that he could be a contemporary of Kairos, the Great Emperor Argonne.
‘No, it’s not strange for Argonne the Great to be resurrected when Kairos is alive and well, right?’
This is a game world, not real life.
If he went by logic and reason, he would lose.
‘But did he have any information that Julius was Emperor Argonne? Not that he knows of, it’s not something he has ever heard of before.’
Julius is one of the most hated and despised villains in the game [Territory Wars], so he’s a well-researched character.
Nevertheless, if Otto didn’t know this information, it must have been a hidden backstory that the game didn’t go into detail about.
That’s not surprising, since the game can’t possibly cover everything about each character.
In any case, Otto was in on a big secret.
‘Did he possess the body of a descendant, or was he reincarnated as a descendant? No. That’s not the point. Possession or reincarnation, it doesn’t matter.’
The crux of the matter is that Julius was actually the First Emperor Argonne.
If so, then….
‘Kairos is going to flip out when he hears this.’
Kairos, who had been betrayed by Argonne in the past, was seeking revenge even on Julius, his descendant.
But what if he realized that the Argonne was alive-whether by possession or reincarnation?
‘He’s going to be thrilled.’
No doubt Kairos would do ten backflips in place when he heard the news.
Why?
Revenge was now possible, something that hadn’t been possible since Emperor Argonne was long dead.
“We’ll have to keep a close eye on the candidates to become vessels, and constantly assess their likelihood and potential.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Otto continued to gather information for some time afterward, eavesdropping on conversations between Julius, or rather the Emperor Argonne, and Gaius.
To summarize the conversation, it went something like this
1. Julius is the First Emperor Argonne
2. He is seeking to revive his empire
3. A secret society known as the Black Crusaders continues to pose a threat to the descendants of Argonne. They are so powerful and threatening that even Emperor Argonne is wary of them.
4. The reason why Argonne seeks close ties to the Kuntachi family is to further his friendship with Otto.
5. Argonne is looking for a host to parasitize, and Otto is one of the candidates. Just as he parasitized Kairos in the past to achieve continental unification.
6. Before Argonne the Great falls asleep…
‘Ugh!’
Otto was completely appalled by a certain action that the Emperor Argonne had made right before he fell asleep, so he quickly left the place.
‘He’s sorry for Kairos, but he can’t bring himself to say this.’
Otto had to seriously consider whether or not to tell Kairos about the former Emperor Argonne’s sudden behavior.
Because it was so shocking that even Otto was dazed.
* * *
After leaving the quarters of Argonne, Otto immediately set out to find Camille.
“Where the heck did you run off to, are you moving around to avoid the guards?
And then.
“What are you doing here?”
A voice was heard suddenly while Otto was musing.
“I’m looking for Camille.”
Otto thoughtlessly replied to the question.
“Really?”
“This person will patiently wait…huh?!”
Otto nonchalantly replied to someone’s question, and then was startled out of his thoughts.
Conrad.
The annoying individual he so desperately wanted to avoid was smirking at him.
And beside him, Camille was gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.
“Did you rat me out?”
“No.”
Camille said, avoiding Otto’s gaze.
“I was discovered by the guards.”
“Spotted?”
“How am I supposed to get past all those guards when I don’t have clairvoyance like you do, and it’s not like I’m some kind of assassin.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“I definitely did not snitch you out.”
“Hmmm.”
“Not really.”
“Yeah, whatever. If it’s not, it’s not.”
Otto said that, but the truth was, he was very suspicious of Camille.
It was thought that Camille, who had recently been badly mistreated, might have snitched in a timid act of revenge.
However, this was highly unlikely, as Camille was too chivalrous for that.
‘No. You never know. Maybe there’s a nefarious side behind the mask of a noble knight, huh.’
Incidentally.
“Otto this guy.”
Conrad reprimanded Otto with a stern, solemn, and serious look on his face.
“If you’re going to come to visit me, why don’t you tell this old man in advance, and why sneak around like a rat?”
“T-That’s not the case…”
“It’s not nothing!”
“Hic?!”
“How many letters has your grandfather sent you, and you have never answered! How can you call yourself Conrad’s grandson after all that? How can a man who carries the future of the family be so indifferent to it? Ei! You scoundrel!”
Conrad was completely annoyed by Otto’s indifferent behavior.
‘How do I get out of this?’
Otto thought for a moment, then decided to change the subject.
“That’s not it.”
“It’s not what!”
“It’s just that I don’t want to talk about it here, so let’s move.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll go and tell you about it.”
“We’ll see what excuse you come up with.”
Conrad grumbled, as if to say, “We’ll see.”
* * *
After moving away.
“That’s because….”
Otto told Conrad about what had happened a little while ago.
Since Otto had opened the Sanctuary, Conrad was a man who would give his life for it.
“What?”
Conrad was incredulous when he was told that Julius was in fact the Great Emperor Argonne.
“Are you telling me that Julius is the reincarnation of Argonne?”
“I’m not sure if it’s a reincarnation or a possession, but it’s pretty clear from the conversation.”
“Huh.”
Conrad clucks his tongue.
“What a strange occurrence….”
“Anyway, you should be careful. The whole reason I came here in secret was to avoid Julius spying on me.”
Otto secretly blamed the reason he’d come like a rat was because of Argonne the Great.
“Hehe. I see you had your reasons. I’m sorry, this old man. Shouldn’t have misunderstood you so badly.”
Otto’s lie was so believable that Conrad had no choice but to be completely deceived.
“So, Julius… no. Are you saying that Argonne the Great is trying to take advantage of you, Conrad’s grandson?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Oh, what a wretch!”
Conrad bellowed in anger.
“I don’t care if you’re the Great Emperor Argonne, you can’t take advantage of my Kuntachi family! I want these things now!”
“You’ll have to be patient.”
Otto leaped to his feet and grabbed Conrad, who was about to strike Argonne over the head.
“Absolutely not! Never!”
“Won’t you let go!”
“Grandpa, you cannot beat him!”
“What?”
Conrad was startled.
“I can’t beat him?”
“He’s just hiding his strength, but he’s incredibly strong. He’s so strong that even you grandfather can’t beat him.”
Otto’s words were true.
Argonne the Great may only be the head of a giant corporation to avoid the spotlight, but he’s an immense powerhouse.
If you tried to hit him, you were likely to get hit yourself.
“And why do you beat the water, and why do you slash the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs?”
“Hmm?”
“Think about it. As long as we know his intentions, we can take advantage of him and eat him alive, literally.”
“……!”
“I mean, the Overhauser Group has its five fingers on an entire continent. If we can feed off of that enormous wealth, isn’t that a huge opportunity?”
“Well, yeah?”
“Let him think he’s taking advantage of us, and we’ll take advantage of him in reverse. Why am I throwing this great opportunity away?”
“Oh my!”
Conrad suddenly understood Otto’s intentions, slapped his forehead and grinned.
“Hehehe, Such a clever guy! After all, this is Conrad’s grandson! Hahaha!”
Conrad burst into a roaring laugh, just as he had when he was angry.
‘Where did such a thing come from,’ Conrad thought
‘I may not have had children, but I certainly have grandchildren!’¹
Conrad’s eyes softened again as he looked at Otto.
“Hmph! Then this old man will take my grandson to heart.”
“Whatever you say.”
“What a strange thing, though. Reincarnation or possession… I can’t imagine.”
“Me too.”
“Who would have thought that Argonne was actually such an evil and despicable man?”
Conrad seemed surprised to learn of the true nature of the Great Argonne.
It was a natural reaction.
Argonne the Great was revered as a great hero, even after the fall of the Krares Empire.
“Because history is written by the winners.”
“You’re right.”
“Maybe Kairos wasn’t such a bad guy after all.”
“I’d love to meet him, can you set up a time soon?”
“Of course.”
“Heheheh, thanks to my grandson, I’ll be able to meet all the great kings who ruled the continent hundreds of years ago! Hehehe!”
And with that, Otto succeeded in loosening Conrad’s tightly wound heart by making an unnecessary jab at Argonne the Great.
‘Ugh, it’s become bothersome.’
Although his plans to sneak around like a rat went awry, at least he put out the fire.
‘He’s not going to bother me, is he?’
Otto was a little worried, but for now, he decided to focus on obtaining the second power of the Invincible Emperor.
* * *
The following afternoon.
Otto made his way to the Sanctuary as soon as he heard that the Argonne and his entourage had left the Duchy of Kuntachi.
There were none of the usual guards in front of the sanctuary, for no one was allowed to enter except Otto.
Once opened, only those who had attained the status of Divine Master could pass through the Sanctuary.
So there’s no need to post a guard.
‘Let’s go.’
After passing through the Sanctuary, Otto immediately proceeded to the area of the five statues.
He stood in front of the fourth of the five statues, clockwise.
『I am strong.』
『The enemy is weak.』
A stone statue depicting a brave barbarian warrior roaring loudly as he looks to the sky.
Within the dungeon behind the statue lay the power of the Invincible Emperor, the second power Otto would acquire.
‘Let’s go.’
Without hesitation, Otto pushed past the statue of the roaring barbarian and entered the fourth dungeon.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Otto’s mother who is the daughter of Conrad died hence he no longer has children left.
