The floor broke, and dust rose up.
I felt more weight on my body, perhaps because my shoulder was poked. I slammed down Neoris with all my might and staggered back slightly.
I roughly pulled out the dagger from my shoulder and threw it. Blood flowed abundantly, and a groan escaped from my lips.
My vision was blurry. The effects of the anesthetic were more intense than I expected.
And maybe it was just my imagination, but I couldn’t seem to gather strength in my body. The effect of the drug felt like it was spreading even faster, and I gasped as I picked up the handaxe that had fallen to the floor.
I had to finish this. Neoris probably wouldn’t be safe either.
However, Neoris only burst out laughing unexpectedly.
“Hahaha! Phew, heh, huh… ”
A chill ran down my spine.
She still showed signs of stumbling, but being able to laugh meant she had regained her senses.
The impact of the ‘Moon Flip’ was terrifying; it made it impossible to lift my body for a while at the moment it struck.
The shock had been delivered to all her muscles. But now, Neoris was staggering, yet standing upright.
Neoris coughed and spat out a bit more blood. But it was just a small amount.
Her green eyes gleamed with an intriguing light. It felt like facing a pond made of poison.
“How long has it been since I felt this way? My head is spinning! So it’s quite refreshing, Junior.”
I let out a half-hearted laugh. Just the fact that she was standing confirmed that her technique hadn’t properly taken effect.
But how? That question lingered, making my expression dumbfounded.
Neoris smiled and pulled out a dagger from her bosom. Again.
That’s when I realized where that dagger was coming from.
“… An expansion pocket? Did you attach something like that to your uniform?”
With a hollow laugh, Neoris only returned a peculiar smile.
Even if made as a single pocket, it was an expensive item that most nobles couldn’t afford. To have it installed in such a small pocket of her uniform, it must have required astronomical costs.
It was a sight that served as evidence that money was rotting in the Imperial Court.
Neoris, regaining her composure, spoke again.
“I still have over a hundred daggers left, Junior. Shall we really get started now?”
I cursed inwardly and got back into position.
But my body felt oddly heavy. My vision was getting blurrier.
I barely managed to steady my staggering body and gripped the handaxe tightly.
That’s when Neoris charged at me.
Her dagger descended like a pitch-black line cutting through the air. I tried to block it with the handaxe.
However, with a sharp sound like teeth breaking, the handaxe slipped away as if bouncing off.
That shouldn’t be possible; I thought at that moment.
Thud, Neoris’s kick smashed into my solar plexus.
My body flew through the air. The heavy pain was enough to make me lose consciousness for a moment.
Before I knew it, my body slammed into the desk Neoris had been working at. My head was spinning unusually.
I took a ragged breath. Slowly, I raised my arm, repeating the motion of clenching and unclenching my fist.
I couldn’t muster the strength I wanted. But it was a familiar feeling.
It was like the sensation when not using magical power.
“It’s the poison from the venomous insects living in the Great Southern Forest.”
Neoris kindly added that explanation. My vision was fading in and out.
“It disrupts the flow of magic, preventing you from using magic for a while. Isn’t it amazing? How can a creature that evolves naturally create such a precise poison… ”
“… It seems you really like poison.”
It was a simple observation.
A poison that disrupts the flow of magic, I had heard of it, but its value was enormous. It was not the kind of poison for dealing with a mere second son of a country gentleman.
And the reason my condition was particularly bad had to do with it as well.
When the flow of magic was tied up, the anesthetic force I had been suppressing with magic would also spread out. That was why my mind felt especially hazy.
Neoris didn’t hide her joy. She smiled sweetly and said,
“Yes, I do. It’s despicable, but it feels good to trample on the opponent, doesn’t it? Especially, I enjoy stomping on the proud nobles.”
I tried to raise my body while staggering.
I had to find a way to finish this somehow. My body was only moving through sheer competitive spirit.
But at that moment when I started to wriggle, a dagger again dug into my thigh.
Blood flowed abundantly. I couldn’t even scream.
All I felt was a simple realization: the blade had penetrated my skin.
The pain was dull. It was proof that the anesthetic had already spread throughout my body.
My body slid down again against the desk.
“I’ve seen all kinds of disgraceful sights living as a commoner… especially the nobles. But my life turned around when I was picked up by the Imperial Intelligence Department.”
Stepping closer, Neoris bent her knees slightly to align her gaze with mine. I couldn’t lift my hand as her scornful face was right in front of me.
Joy unhidden was apparent in Neoris’s eyes.
“The ugly sights I couldn’t tell anyone about… I’ve collected them, categorized them, and even blackmailed them. Of course, it was for the Imperial Court, but it felt amazing. The humans who looked down on me as a commoner just a short while ago began to crawl before me… Hehe, how delightful is that?”
My magical power was solidifying. It was becoming harder and harder to keep my wits about me.
I felt like I would lose my consciousness at any moment.
Regardless, Neoris’s voice pierced through my fuzzy hearing.
“Recently, that famous Lord Handaxe, what kind of scream will he let out? I’m quite looking forward to it… Who could have possibly leaked information about our branch? Could it be Yuridina? Rainelle is still too weak to know about our branch…”
Her murmured words flowed like a lullaby.
My head drooped. Just as I was about to fall into a languid sleep.
“… Ian Fercurus.”
The solemn voice of an elder echoed in my ears.
In a rush, I regained my senses and raised my head. I was now kneeling in an antique-style bedroom.
In front of me was an opulent bed. On it, a frail old man struggled to lift his upper body, looking at me.
He appeared clearly sick.
His gaunt face, with cheeks sunken in, looked even more unappealing. Even the arm exposed outside the blanket was bony. Anyone who laid eyes on him would inevitably think of death.
But his eyes were vibrant.
It felt as if all his life force had been sucked into those eyes. In the dim light, only the blue pupils burned brightly.
He was a born ruler. I instinctively let my head bow deeply.
“… Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor of the Empire, for reasons I couldn’t understand, I already knew the identity of this old man.
“How are the recent battle fronts?”
“As you know, not well. But I will ensure that the last line of defense remains unbroken. As long as I am alive, they will not cross the Great Wall.”
“Until you are alive, that is…”
My mouth shut tight. I couldn’t guarantee more than that.
The world was already on the brink of collapse.
All six of the Masters had died. The army of Omeros, led by Delphrium, had been besieging the Great Wall for days and weeks, continuing their invasion.
There is a limit for anyone. The same went for me.
“Haha… Is it funny? The history of the Empire, which boasts hundreds of years, is going to end like this? No, it isn’t, is it? The day humanity ends is drawing near.”
I wanted to offer some customary words of comfort, but I couldn’t bring myself to.
A futile hope was worse than death.
The old man’s eyes turned toward me again.
“Ian Fercurus… the last Master of humanity, and my loyal subject.”
The voice pouring from his lips gradually cracked. It meant he was approaching the end. I could feel the fading traces of life from that old body.
My expression turned sorrowful at this realization.
“I will transmit the Blood Runes to you.”
“However, Your Majesty. The Blood Runes are a privilege of the Emperor. You should pass them to the next Emperor…”
“There is no longer any meaning in that, is there?”
The hurried words scattered immediately with that one phrase.
That was the reality.
The throne that symbolized the apex of the Empire and its resplendent might had now lost all meaning.
The old man continued calmly.
“… Instead, I wish to leave you with one request.”
I didn’t open my mouth again.
When I raised my gaze to meet the old man’s eyes once more, I was overwhelmed by the blue flames burning fiercely.
The master of the throne, burdened with hundreds of years of history of the Empire, gave his final command.
“Ian Fercurus.”
I hastily bowed my head. It was the utmost respect a subject could show to his sovereign.
The old man had to remain an emperor until death. At least, that was the case for a man.
Along with those burning blue eyes, the voice that would forever be lodged in my heart echoed in my ears.
“… Save the world.”
With those plain words, the hazy boundary crumbled.
It was then that my consciousness resurfaced into reality.
