[Vol. 8] Chapter 73: The Emperor’s Choices
To be honest, Leonis never thought of himself as a good person. Or rather, now that he sat on the throne, everything he did could no longer be judged by simple ideas of right or wrong.
If it was for the good of the Austre Empire, he could abandon even his own children without hesitation, turning their lives into stepping stones for the Empire’s future. But that didn’t mean Leonis was some heartless machine.
He simply made choices, weighing the value of things. For example, when he learned that the operation in Sainz had failed, but the two royal children were safe, he felt regret, yet also some relief. He didn’t blame or punish them unfairly.
To Leonis, everything could be measured by value. If needed, anyone could become a sacrifice, even himself.
At the very least, as an emperor, Leonis still understood the meaning of life and family. When there was no need for bloodshed, he cared about the people’s well-being and his children’s growth.
But gods were different.
Maybe they could also kill their loved ones if they had to, just like him. But Leonis really doubted whether these beings, with their cold divine nature, ever felt even a hint of emotion when they did it.
Especially that one known as the God of Subversion and Paradox…
If he had a choice, Leonis really didn’t want to work with the so-called “Twilight Council”.
But the Holy Empire had a goddess supporting them, and the Sky Kingdom had started worshiping the Goddess of Life, who had already shown her miracles many times. Even the small Dragonkin race had somehow found a Dragon God to back them up recently.
If the Austre Empire didn’t gain the support of a god, forget becoming the world’s number one, even holding on to their current position would become difficult.
People only saw the nation's power and dominance. They didn’t know that fighting between nations is like rowing against a strong current. If you don’t move forward, you fall behind. A lion standing among wolves must always stay strong and fierce. If it ever becomes weak or soft, it will be torn apart.
There was no turning back for him. No turning back for the Empire.
So he had to use every possible power, no matter the cost. That is the lion’s law of survival.
On the other side of the image, the chaotic scene was still going strong. Dark golden flames raged wildly, as if they were going to burst out of the screen. The image flickered and shook from the force.
Maybe the god was still concerned about that situation, because they soon came back.
It looked like the god had already gathered some information and now seemed a bit more interested than before.
[Interesting... Even after being thrown into a Time-Space Rift, she managed to return unharmed so quickly? That’s not something she should be able to do with her current power she displayed before… No wonder. Hah, maybe this twist really is something we can’t avoid.]
“Please explain in a way I can understand.”
Seeing Leonis frown slightly, the being across from him stopped muttering to themselves.
They looked at him again and gave a small nod.
[Things are still unclear. Right now, we can’t confirm whether the “goddess” who appeared in the Holy Empire’s capital is the same one we targeted before. Logically, I actually think they’re not the same. The Holy Empire probably found a substitute to fool people. We’ll continue looking into it.]
Leonis noticed how casual the god’s words were, and his cold expression darkened even more.
“Investigate? This disaster has ruined my entire plan, and now you’re brushing it off with just ‘we’ll keep looking into it’? Don’t forget our deal, without the Austre Empire’s support, don’t expect your future plans to go smoothly!”
Even though he was being directly threatened by a mortal, the god didn’t get angry. Instead, they waved their hand as if to calm him down and glanced nervously at the dark golden flames behind them. Their tone became slightly quicker.
[Alright, don’t get so worked up. Gods aren’t all-powerful, you know. I didn’t take part in that operation myself, so I don’t know the full details. You’ll have to find a way to stall them for now. Give me some time to handle this. Once I get results, I’ll contact you again. That’s it for now.]
“Ah~”
As soon as the voice stopped, the light and image quickly shrank back into the green snake-shaped ring.
It was clear that the other side didn’t want to waste any more time and had simply ended the long-distance communication on their own.
“Bang!”
The red-haired man slammed his hand hard on the armrest of the jade throne, creating a loud noise.
Since becoming the Emperor, this might have been the first time he felt so angry. After working with the Twilight Council and failing again and again, Leonis had completely lost trust in the group’s abilities.
The future of the Empire couldn’t be bet on just one plan. Now that things had come to this...
He opened the lion-shaped golden carving on the armrest once again, and gently pulled a ring connected to a long wire from inside. A soft “click” sounded as the mechanism was activated.
Within seconds, a figure shrouded in shadow appeared silently like a ghost, kneeling on one knee before the Emperor.
The person made no sound at all from beginning to end. Their movements were light, like a falling leaf.
But Leonis was not surprised by their appearance. He spoke first, “Contact those people immediately. Tell them I agree to their request. But the details of the cooperation… still need to be discussed further.”
The shadowy figure nodded silently, then turned into a puff of green smoke and vanished.
Only the Emperor remained in the room, still deep in thought, his face cold and serious.
After a long while, a careful voice finally came from outside the throne hall, breaking the silence.
“Your Majesty… Princes Xiluo Frederick and Carinvega Frederick have both returned to the capital. They are waiting outside the hall. Shall I let them in…?”
Hearing this report, a small smile finally appeared on Leonis’ usually expressionless face. He let out a quiet breath of relief.
“Good… the little lions are getting stronger. Let them in.”
……………………………………………
The goddess's descent ceremony ended under the gaze of thousands of people.
The goddess was real. She had appeared in front of her followers and used her great divine power to prove her identity.
She gave blessings to the people in the city and offered them promises and encouragement.
Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of loyal followers saw her with their own eyes. Many cried tears of joy. Some elderly people were so emotionally overwhelmed that they fainted.
But all of them later woke up safely, and claimed they had seen the goddess’s light in their dreams. They believed it was because of her divine protection that they were unharmed.
After this incredible event, countless rumors and reports began to spread like wildfire. And as the stories passed from person to person, they became more exaggerated and harder to believe.
Some said the goddess rode a bright, shining bird, completely white with feathers as radiant as the sun. They claimed this bird ruled over the daytime, and that the sun people saw each day was actually the bird itself.
Others said the goddess left behind six divine weapons in the Grand Church of the Angel City, each as powerful as the Holy Empire’s three holy artifacts.
These weapons were meant for chosen heroes to save the world. And if someone could get one, they would gain power beyond the limits of any living being. A strength so great that it even exceeds normal human limits.