ETHTKE chapter 35

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“Hold on, Yigang. I can restore things to how they were.”

“Many of the Empire’s citizens have already seen it. So, restoration is pointless.”

“What if I could turn back time? Then we could return to before the lightning struck. Of course, I can’t guarantee success given the vast scope, but it’s worth a try…”

As I desperately proposed a solution, Baek Yigang suddenly cast a fierce glance at me.

“No.”

The refusal was clear and resolute, as if stating that it was absolutely unacceptable.

His darkened eyes settled coldly.

The rain, transparent and flowing slowly, dripped down Baek Yigang’s sharply defined face.

“What’s the hold-up? Clear it away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Imperial Knights, who had hesitated, finally moved busily to clear the debris of the shattered statue after receiving Baek Yigang’s command.

“Cheong Dowoon, I’ll say this one last time: return to the palace.”

“Before that, could I hear the reason? Why refuse to use my power?”

“The Wizard Tower doesn’t favor Imperial Wizards. You’re not under its control. Using magic here is risky.”

Baek Yigang explained:

The Wizard Tower doesn’t like Imperial Wizards who aren’t under its control.

So, using great magic in an open space like this could lead the Wizard Tower to do something to me.

In other words, it was also my fault.

No… wait a minute. Why do I feel like such a troublemaker? It doesn’t seem like just a feeling.

“Is that really important right now? The statue is destroyed. And with the Imperial Knights involved… We can’t avoid the Emperor’s wrath.”

In the original story, the Emperor was a one-time character who fell ill and died just before the plot reached its midpoint.

He wasn’t a frequent character due to his supporting role. But as he had strong-willed sons, he was far from a purely kind and gentle person.

So even if it’s Baek Yigang, he wouldn’t want to face the Emperor’s displeasure.

But Baek Yigang had an indifferent look on his face.

“I’m important. You don’t know yet, but the Wizards of the Wizard Tower are a bunch of unreasonable people. I can’t afford to lose you to such people.”

I had never heard of anyone among those Baek Yigang considered others who had any common sense.

In the original story, the Wizards of the Wizard Tower aren’t very significant, so I don’t know much about them… Ugh. Is there no one sane anywhere?

“Lose me? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t understand? I’m saying that you are more important to me than this statue.”

The words came sharply, but for some reason, they felt damp as if soaked by the rain.

The idea that I couldn’t be lost was something I couldn’t grasp at the moment.

What I could be sure of was that no matter what, I shouldn’t be more important to Baek Yigang than he was to me.

I was just a means for him to become the emperor.

“Ash, take Cheong Dowoon to the palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With an indifferent expression, Baek Yigang pushed me towards Ash without giving me a chance to respond.

Ash, sensing I might try to escape, firmly held onto my shoulder.

His solid grip was on my jacket, which was drenched by the rain.

I was too exhausted and frustrated to even laugh. Where could I escape to from here?

“Ash, there’s no need to be so vigilant. I’m not going to run away.”

“…I’m sorry. But you should go wash up as soon as you return. If you catch a cold again, it will be difficult for you.”

As I heard Ash’s kind voice, I glanced at Baek Yigang, who was mingling with the knights.

He was still holding the emperor’s head in one hand.

Despite mobilizing the elite imperial knights to guard the statue, everything had turned to nothing.

So, how frustrating… Huh?

Did I just see that right? For a brief moment, Baek Yigang seemed to smile.

Maybe I was mistaken. The rain was so heavy that I might have been seeing things.

Now that I looked again, his mouth was set in its usual firm line.

“Well, I’m done here. If I’m not needed, there’s no reason to stay. Does anyone think I came here because I wanted to?”

In the end, I obediently followed Ash back to the palace.

Even so, is it really necessary to be so harsh when I’m just doing my job?

Anyway, I was doing my best to ensure that Baek Yigang could become emperor as written in the contract.

Whether the Wizard Tower took notice or not was a problem for later. For now, isn’t escaping this crisis the priority?

It should definitely be the priority.

I had to thank Baek Yigang for fulfilling his wish and wake up from this dreamlike possession, and Baek Yigang had to achieve what he desired.

To do that, trying to reverse time with magic seemed like the right move. But Baek Yigang refused it.

The ultimate goal of this incident in the original story was to clearly reveal the existence of the rebellious forces against the current imperial authority and to induce public support.

However, since I had stopped the terrorist group through the imperial knights, the likelihood of the statue being blown up had significantly decreased.

Then, as if waiting for the right moment, lightning struck from the sky and blew off the statue’s head.

With the current emperor abandoned by the heavens, it was clear that public sentiment would soon crumble from all directions.

In other words, the rebellious forces had achieved their goal without lifting a finger, while also meticulously following the original story’s development.

As a result, I ended up being labeled a liar.

The terrorist group I mentioned had not left a trace, let alone shown their faces. It was only natural that I would be considered at fault.

However, from what I know, those guys were definitely lurking near the plaza.

Yet, according to the knights who went on patrol, there wasn’t a single suspicious person.

It was hard to believe that they hadn’t found any trace of the large quantity of bombs they were rumored to possess.

Something was off, but I would have to look into it later.

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“Lord Cheong Dowoon, please take a good rest.”

Back at the palace, thanks to Asel, who discreetly gave me some space, I had a moment of freedom.

But as I sat quietly and thought about it, I started to regret what had happened earlier.

“I can’t believe he sulked and came back alone just because I said something unnecessary…”

Baek Yigang must be even more confused than I am, and it troubled me that I might have unnecessarily worried him.

By now, Baek Yigang should have returned to the Imperial palace.

I set out immediately and searched every corner of the palace for Baek Yigang.

At the same time, I took the opportunity to expand my teleportation range. Hmm, quite good.

But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find Baek Yigang. Not in the bedroom or the office.

“Philip, do you know where Yigang might be?”

“He vanished without a trace, even from the shadows, so I don’t know either. But he will certainly return before long, so it might be best to wait…”

Even Philip suggested waiting, but I couldn’t do that.

“…Could he be there?”

With a glimmer of hope, I made my last stop at the Imperial garden, where Baek Yigang and I first met.

Yes, the very place where I almost lost my head to a sword as soon as I possessed this body.

I never expected to come back here on my own.

After walking a short distance, I saw a familiar white head in the distance.

“Baek Yigang.”

The air, laden with stillness, was utterly silent. When I called out quietly, Baek Yigang tilted his head slightly to the side.

“What brings you here? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me?”

“Hey, when did I say that?”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling upset.

Still, what was he doing sitting alone in the garden like this? Now it seemed like I had done something wrong!

I quietly moved to sit next to Baek Yigang. His slender smile, visible from the side, subtly created a sense of awkwardness.

Maybe it was because I had overheard the murmurs of the attendants as I was searching for Baek Yigang? I didn’t like the way they talked.

“I heard His Majesty was extremely angry with the Crown Prince.”

“It’s understandable. With the Founding Day approaching and a shortage of manpower, wasting the knights’ resources and failing to protect the statue…”

“I heard there were supposed to be terrorist groups around the square, but despite searching, the knights found no suspicious individuals.”

“Rumor has already spread in the capital. They say the Emperor has abandoned His Majesty…”

The Emperor was not a kind father to his children.

He wasn’t strict either; he was just an immature, foolish old man who waged power struggles against his own children.

The lazy Emperor, citing age and health as reasons, neglected state affairs and left most of the work to Baek Yigang under the guise of education.

The reason Baek Yigang spent every day in the office was largely due to the Emperor’s neglect.

The dense coniferous forest of the Imperial palace in front of me swayed with the fierce wind, drifting through the air.

His white hair fluttered in the wind.

“So, why did I come?”

The languid voice resonated softly in my ear. It struck me anew that I might actually quite like this voice.

“Why, because I missed you.”

“…Missed me?”

“The one who misses usually makes the first move.”

I was wrong today.

Anyway, I had only done what Baek Yigang had told me not to do.

Though I’d act the same if I could turn back time, anyway.

“I missed you because you weren’t here.”

At my words, a faint smile traced Baek Yigang’s lips.

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