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Chapter 311
Suppressant
Ferda mulled over the words the man sitting across from him, Valdemar, had spoken.
And after chewing them over several times, the conclusion he reached was always the same.
'Anger.'
It felt as though a passionate wave was rising up from within his chest.
Ferda desperately suppressed and compressed that emotion.
Е n ū m̈ а
He had wondered if it would turn out that way, but it was easier than he thought.
Ferda spoke that word.
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"Million Arken."
The man who had been the Empire's Third Prince.
And Valdrova's first fiancé.
"I assume you know who that person is?"
W̆е̇ b n̈ о̀ v̄ е̃ l̇ Е n̈u̇.mа
"...Indeed."
Valdemar knows what Ferda is trying to say.
Naturally so.
Valdemar was deeply involved in Million Arken's death.
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He had ordered his subordinate, de Belung, to manufacture a drug close to a truth serum, and on the day of welcoming his fiancé, he induced Million Arken to drink it and make a mistake.
He made him vomit out the black snakes inside him.
E n̂um̌ā
Valdemar listened to Ferda's words calmly.
"When you eliminated the Third Prince, you used my fiancé. Knowing Valdrova was unstable, you created a crack in her heart and induced murder. It wouldn't be strange if I twisted your neck right here and now."
"But you're not doing that. You're a rational person. Because you know well how foolish and terrifying it is to be consumed by impulsive emotion."
It was unclear whether that was praise or mockery.
That's just how bewildering and hard to accept this situation is right now.
"You may not believe me since I'm saying this now, but no one expected Valdrova-nim to commit murder. Judging by her personality, I thought the vicious attendant beneath her would strip him of everything and send him back to the Imperial Palace."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
As Valdemar said, Ruri would have done exactly that.
At the very least, like when Ferda was attacked inside the Empire, she would have become a comet, flown into the Imperial Palace, and raised hell.
"That alone would have been enough. Million Arken, who insulted the Grand Duke Valdrova, the Red Dragon. Having committed the sin of insulting a dragon, he wouldn't be able to escape death."
Even at a glance, it was a foolish plan.
"You do know what it means to insult a dragon, don't you?"
"I know. No matter how much they're in a position to tear at each other, one can never insult or look down on a dragon's existence. That's an absolute rule."
W е́ b.n̄о̃v̀е́ l̆ Е̃nũm̂ ӓ
The one who led that extinction was Silverwind, who was called the Guardian Dragon.
The Guardian Dragon's anger had justification, so the effect of making an example of him was excellent.
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'But he knew he couldn't touch her.'"
The Empire was under the protection of the Three Dragons, one of whom was Silverwind.
He thought if they kept it hush-hush within the Imperial Palace, it was a problem that could be smoothly passed over.
'...No.'
W̆ е̇ b̂.n̈ о̂vе l̆ Ѐ n̂ŭ mа
The premise was wrong.
Why was he thinking that everyone knows the Empire is under the Three Dragons' protection?
That was a fact known only to the legitimate heir who could become Emperor.
Because it wasn't an honor to boast about proudly, but a shameful secret.
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'It was a full 50 years ago.'"
50 years ago was when Valdemar was still middle-aged.
Е̊ñ ǔm̊_ă
It was a time when his reputation as the Empire's guardian was at its peak, and he was a man who would burn his own body for the Empire's peace.
Such a man ordered an operation that could endanger the Empire.
'It could have shaken the Empire's foundation.'"
One couldn't think he did such a thing simply to eliminate Million Arken.
Ferda turned his head, thinking.
So the conclusions that came out were two.
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One was that he intended to properly shake up the Arken Empire.
The other was,
"You know the fact that the Arken Empire is under the protection of the Three Dragons."
The Empire's deepest darkness that must be hidden.
Instead of answering, Valdemar showed a smile.
His smile contained praise.
Ẇе̃b n ö v е̊ l Еnŭ mа̀
"Do you know who ordered that assassination?"
"The Emperor before the previous one, I presume."
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Gathering the information he had, that was the case.
"I didn't expect you to guess that far. So that's a relief. I thought you were one of those strange monsters too, but you're human after all."
"What do you mean?"
"The one who planned Million Arken's death was the Emperor who met his end at my hands, Godfrey."
Еn̄ u m̄а
His eyes widened.
Godfrey Arken's age at death was 58.
If it was 50 years ago,
"Back then, he was a mere 8-year-old. That child already knew all the Empire's secrets."
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Valdemar tilted his liquor cup.
"That means I agreed to an 8-year-old's plan and killed the Third Prince. What a foolish human am I?"
E n̂ŭ m̃а̇
He meets his eyes with a hollow laugh.
"You don't really think that, do you."
"Right. My senses in my youth were far sharper than now. While my sword was slowly dulling, my political sense was sharp. I believed that guy would definitely become the next Emperor. And he did become Emperor. I helped him, and he sincerely helped me too."
A mere 8-year-old.
That's impossible.
No matter how many geniuses there are in the world, a genius skilled in scheming cannot exist.
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A great painter can paint by sense, but a novelist who hasn't learned letters can't write even the first sentence—that's reality.
Scheming is harder than an illiterate person writing a masterpiece of the century.
'A contradictory figure. Or else he's deceiving me.'"
Keeping the possibility in mind, the latter was more likely.
Kings' heroic tales are like empty bluffs for display.
Making the maximum size possible with little dough and filling the basket.
W e b n̄ öv̂е ĺ Е nu m̄ а̃
Moreover, Godfrey died at Valdemar's hands, unlike someone who would scheme like that.
Too many contradictions point to his words being lies.
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"So you hate the Empire and want independence?"
"Yes."
"That independence would be for your and Valdrova-nim's well-being?"
"That's correct."
Wĕ b́ nоv̂ еl E̊ ńûm а̂
"In other words, if you're guaranteed freedom, you don't necessarily need to secede from the Arken Empire. In fact, you gain more by not actually becoming independent."
That was also true.
The Empire is the largest human empire on the Serdes Continent, located in the east and stretching to the central region.
The land Ferda is on borders the Devil's Land, and if he becomes independent from the Arken Empire, it practically becomes an isolated island.
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"If you become independent, Alexander will only gain justification to harass you. He'll try to pressure you. He'll harass Valdrova even more than you."
"He's desperate to kill her."
Ӗ n̆ù m̊a . і̊ d́
"But he can't kill her. Because Valdrova-nim is your inhibitor. If she begs you not to, you won't do it."
Valdemar's words kept grating on Ferda's nerves.
His rebellious nature surging up wanted to refute those words right here.
But he didn't.
Right now there's an important war, and before that, there was a frontline meeting.
And all of it was for Valdrova, who had suffered from Godwin.
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So it's not wrong.
Her words were Ferda's inhibitor.
Valdemar continued speaking.
"You'll surely ruin everything because of your emotions. Alexander isn't a human worthy of the Emperor's vessel. Rather, Ureas, who has excellent drive but knows his own shortcomings, is better. Even saying he's better, it's a choice between a bad option and a slightly less bad one."
Incompetent Alexander and stubborn Ureas.
The person most suited for the Emperor's seat was Olivia.
Е̊n̄.u m̂а̀
She excels in various fields like character, politics, and strategy, but she has a fatal flaw.
'She's too beautiful.'"
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She was too beautiful to become Emperor.
Originally, humans feel at ease with familiar points, and the masses won't easily accept a Queen.
Moreover, the Emperor's seat holds strategic value that beauty can turn into poison.
In the end, among the three, there was no one worthy of becoming Emperor.
Е̂ n̆uḿа̊ . іd
"So I'm telling you this. What if you could hold the Empire in your hands, instead of independence?"
He clenched his fist and held it out to Ferda.
"You'll hold the most powerful authority in the Empire in your hands."
The Arken Empire.
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For anyone from the Serdes Continent,
A great nation that holds a quarter of the continent whole.
Е̃ n u ṁ а̊
That falls into his hands.
For anyone who has ever harbored lust for power, it was a truly sweet temptation.
'And it's realistically impossible.'"
Before his head could understand, his instinct said so.
"Are you telling me to become Emperor?"
"No way. Just as I killed the Emperor but couldn't become Emperor, you won't become Emperor either."
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"Then what?"
"The plan I have in mind is this."
Valdemar tilted his liquor cup again.
His flushed face looked like he was reciting drunken truth.
"The Emperor is already dead, and I'll die soon too. Then Alexander, who has succession rights, will ascend the throne."
"That's likely."
W̃ êb̂ n о̄_v̌е l Е̊ nu m а
"He has legitimacy, but no trust. He'll become a puppet before he can even try to do anything. Because I made it that way."
He wasn't proud of it.
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He seemed to know it was a shameful thing himself.
"Alexander will soon feel isolation. Seeing forces turn their backs on his once-commanding figure, he'll feel self-loathing and be driven into a corner. Do you know what happens when someone is driven into a corner?"
"They bite, don't they?"
"That's what those with nothing to lose do. Those who hold something in their hands can't easily bare their teeth. They'll struggle desperately to keep that seat. With that struggle, they'll become someone with enormous power."
W ё b ṅ о̂v̊ еl Е́ n̈û m a
Enormous power is also another word for Valdemar.
In fact, Alexander relied heavily on Valdemar, and he gladly helped.
He gained nothing materially, but Alexander's trust naturally got absorbed into Valdemar.
That's why Valdemar's support base didn't shake even when he ascended to a tyrant's position.
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Valdemar Golt had become the greatest force that could manipulate the Empire.
"But what reason would those forces that followed you have to follow me?"
Е n uṁа̂ .ĩ d
Power is like glass made of sugar.
No matter how careful and painstaking, it shatters when handed over.
Even if Valdemar designates me as successor, there's no reason for everyone to support me.
"It won't be difficult."
"How so?"
"What do you think I've lived on until now?"
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He was a loyal sword and shield, but that alone can't make one a power holder.
'The Greenhouse.'"
The only place on the Serdes Continent that can create perfect environmental conditions.
The only place where mysterious herbs that grow in extreme environments can be easily cultivated.
"Humans are truly simple."
He tilted the liquor cup in his hand and poured it on the floor.
Е̇n u m а̊. ĩ d́
"They endlessly regret and obsess over what has already passed. As time flows, that obsession grows stronger. In their 30s they miss their 20s, in their 40s they want to return to even their 30s. As they age, they're filled with the desire to be younger by even a day. The old will have no choice but to support you."
He seizes power using humans' ugly desires.
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Valdemar had maintained his support base that way.
"Godfrey said that greenhouse would be a great power, and it truly became a great power."
Ferda feels a strange sensation from that muttering.
He mulled over his words and derived new information in his head.
Ẇе́b̀n оv e l̊ .Е̇n̆ù mа́
The greenhouse's developer is still unknown.
And it wasn't the Golt family's either.
If spoken like an Alte priest, it suddenly appeared as if an angel opened the gloomy sky and descended with a divine mandate, handing over the blueprint.
But a god isn't an existence that appears so easily.
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Everything has passed through human hands.
"That greenhouse... did Godfrey Arken give it to you?"
Еṅu m̂ ӑ . і̇ d̈
"Indeed."
Valdemar stroked his chin and continued.
"He was about 16. Famous as a brilliant person, but he was a genius that the word 'brilliance' couldn't sufficiently explain."
At 8 he showed the scheme and cold-bloodedness to kill his uncle, at 16 he showed the crazy genius to create a greenhouse.
"How did such a genius die at your hands?"
"However brilliant, in the end, humans dull before time. Wasn't there an enormously long gap?"
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He hadn't revealed himself even once during the time Olivia Arken lived.
Nearly 20 years.
A sharp sword is enough to become trash.
Even if they shout about golden blood, in the end they're humans made of flesh and blood, so falling into ruin is only natural.
'He'll give me that greenhouse.'"
It would be a lie to say there's no temptation.
Е n̆ů m̆ а̌ . i̇d
The greenhouse, shrouded in mystery that even the Black Bandana, the continent's largest intelligence organization, doesn't know about, falls into Ferda's hands.
The greenhouse that Alexander believed was the source of all power, and from which most power actually came.
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'Then I can stably establish my footing within the Empire.'"
Ferda felt a sense of incongruity.
'Stable...?'
Ferda didn't trust the word 'stable' in his life.
W е̊ b n̄о̄v̈е́ l̂ Е n ù m̌а
Wanting to be comfortable is human nature, and because of that nature, Ferda nearly died several times.
Wariness honed long ago is directed at Valdemar.
'True intent.'"
Ferda kept thinking.
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There's a reason Valdemar called him and designated him as successor.
Ferda hypothesized about future events and continued his thoughts.
W ė b́.n о_v̀ е l̂ _E̊ n̂ǔ m̂ӑ
Countless branches stretched out, but the most probable one shone like truth.
'Inhibitor.'"
Ferda's inhibitor is Valdrova.
And Olivia's inhibitor is Ferda.
Valdemar intends to take Olivia through Ferda, the inhibitor.
And...
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It was a method that was ruthlessly rational for both of them.
