ETHTKE chapter 26

“Hmm, come to think of it, was it around this time…?”

It was probably about now.

This was when the anti-imperial faction, opposed to the current Dirzio imperial power, started to show themselves subtly.

If I recall correctly, there was a major incident just before the Founding Festival began.

In the original story, however, it wasn’t considered that significant. The author only devoted a sentence or two to it.

But this incident would later become a crucial trigger, serving as the signal for the anti-imperial faction to gather.

In about three days, the head of the emperor’s statue, standing right in the middle of the capital’s plaza, will be blown off.

It was a rather vicious act by the rebellious faction, harboring deep resentment against the current imperial family.

“Of course, in the original story, the imperial family quickly took care of the situation, so it didn’t cause much of a stir.”

But just letting things go as they did in the original story would be a real waste.

After all…

“Wouldn’t it be better if Baek Yigang prevents this?”

The rebellious faction’s morale would be crushed from the very start, and the emperor might grow even more fond of Baek Yigang for protecting his statue.

Naturally, Baek Yigang’s standing would rise, and the image of him as a bloodthirsty tyrant, often cited as evidence of his cruelty, would start to fade, even if only a little.

“Perfect.”

Could there be a more fitting opportunity for rehabilitation?

Now I just need to inform Baek Yigang and prevent this incident.

Having made up my mind, I headed straight to Baek Yigang’s office.

“I-gang!”

Despite my sudden appearance, Baek Yigang remained focused on his work, not even blinking an eye.

Come on, at least acknowledge my presence when someone enters the room.

“Sigh. What is it about that stoic guy that I find so… endearing?”

I sighed subtly, composed myself, and quickly approached him.

…But why are there so many documents piled up?

I needed to speak, but the atmosphere didn’t seem right.

The documents on his desk appeared to be five times more than usual.

I turned to Philip with a feeling of unease, and he slowly shook his head, signaling that now was not a good time to talk to Baek Yigang.

“I have something to say… but I’ll come back later.”

After confirming Baek Yigang’s left arm moving swiftly over the dense paperwork, I figured it would be better to come back later.

He seems too busy to even notice I’m here, so let’s just return another time.

“Cheong Dowoon.”

As I was carefully turning to leave, I heard a voice calling me.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed he was aware that I had arrived.

“Say it now. I’m not busy.”

His lazy, concise voice softly settled in my ears.

Strangely enough, his eyes didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

Come to think of it, has he been sleeping well lately because I’ve been helping him?

Though it’s not technically “sleep” as one might typically define it, since I used magic temporarily, it still seemed to have benefited Baek Yigang’s condition.

“You look extremely busy…”

Ignoring my comment, Baek Yigang met my gaze as if to urge me to speak.

In the end, I turned back to him and began without any preamble.

“Soon, the emperor’s statue in the plaza will be blown up.”

“…Blown up?”

Yes, blown up.

I nodded, and Baek Yigang instructed Philip to bring someone.

He then moved to the central table.

I was worried that he might dismiss it as nonsense, but fortunately, Baek Yigang seemed to believe me without question.

“Tell me more.”

“So… you know the group opposing the imperial family? It’s their doing. Their goal is to announce their presence to the world and gather more supporters.”

At my words, Baek Yigang’s brows slightly furrowed.

The calm purple eyes beneath his creased eyebrows remained composed.

“There are many such groups, but a few faces come to mind.”

As we continued talking, someone knocked on the door. When it opened, a familiar face appeared.

“I greet the noble little sun of the Empire. May the goddess’s blessing be with you.”

“…Ken?”

The person who entered was none other than Ken. What was he doing here all of a sudden?

“Cheong Dowoon, do you also know when the terror will take place?”

“Um, they’ll start planning around nine days before the Founding Festival, and the execution will be two days before the opening.”

Honestly, it’s nearly impossible to remember such detailed information from the entire novel.

Fantasy novels tend to be incredibly long.

500 chapters are standard, and it’s not unusual for a story to exceed 1,000 chapters.

Among them, ‘The Catastrophe of Initia’ was an epic novel, spanning a whopping 1,500 chapters, proving its reputation as a masterpiece.

And the current timeline of this world… is just in the first chapter out of 1,500, only the first page of the prologue has turned.

“It may not be exact… but it should be pretty close.”

That’s why I couldn’t be absolutely confident in the information in my head.

Still, I had re-read the early parts of the story several times, so it should be mostly correct.

Just in case I was wrong, I subtly left room for error, but Baek Yigang didn’t seem to mind.

“There’s less than a week until the Founding Festival, so the plotting must already be done.”

“Exactly. And the bomb they’re using was smuggled from the Arthe Empire. It’s particularly powerful because it was originally intended for military use. If left unchecked, there will be significant casualties.”

Mentioning the potential for casualties instantly changed the atmosphere.

Preventing anyone from getting hurt in this incident was crucial.

If any citizens were injured or killed in an unexpected accident just before the Founding Festival, it would cast a dark shadow over the celebration.

“Ken, you heard that, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I wondered why Ken was called, but then I remembered that he was the commander of the Empire’s knights.

Even though he often grumbled and seemed jealous in front of me, he was still a respected figure among the knights.

Baek Yigang sternly warned Ken multiple times that this information must not be leaked.

“As you instructed, the First Knight Order will move to the front, and the others will patrol the areas you’ve pointed out, Cheong Dowoon.”

Ken quickly laid out the search plan with a serious expression.

It sounded like they were planning to secretly form a small elite unit from the imperial knight order and begin the search near the plaza as early as today.

“By the way… Cheong Dowoon, may I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

When Ken addressed me, I looked up to see him hesitating as if he had something on his mind.

It seemed like he was wary of Baek Yigang.

“What is it?”

When I nodded to show that it was okay, Ken seemed to relax.

“Well… how do you know all this, Cheong Dowoon? While everyone knows there’s a rebellious faction, no one knows their whereabouts. Especially such confidential information—it’s hard to imagine anyone outside the inner circle being aware of it…”

Ken carefully asked, quickly waving his hands to show he wasn’t questioning me out of suspicion.

I had been wondering when he would finally ask.

Considering how much he knew about my relationship with the Second Prince and Ken, there must have been many things he was curious about.

Given how peculiar it must have seemed, it’s a wonder he hadn’t asked sooner.

If our conversations had seemed mysterious and full of unknowns to outsiders, it was only natural for them to be puzzled.

It wasn’t just that I seemed to predict the future with uncanny accuracy; Baek Yigang also trusted my words implicitly and prepared accordingly.

But the only ones who knew about the contract between Baek Yigang and me were the two of us, so it must have been quite baffling for others to witness.

But even so, I couldn’t just…

“I’m actually from South Korea. When I opened my eyes, I found myself stuck in one of the fantasy novels I used to enjoy reading.”

…But I can’t say that.

Hmm, that wouldn’t be right. If I said that, both Ken and Baek Yigang would definitely think I’m a crazy lunatic.

I’ll have to come up with something on the spot.

“It’s just a hunch. You know how sometimes you get that sudden feeling? Like something’s about to happen, and it just hits you out of nowhere. You know? That’s it.”

…Even I think that was a bit too vague. But maybe I can bluff my way through it.

However, Ken’s eyes were still filled with suspicion.

Ugh, does he really need to glare at me like that?

I’m frustrated too because I can’t tell him the truth.

“Lies.”

“…Huh?”

Ken’s eyes flashed sharply, indicating I hadn’t been convincing at all.

Sure enough, his sharp voice struck with an uncomfortable guess.

“Chung Dowoon, you knew from the start that I was carrying out the Second Prince’s orders. The day you called me a ‘traitor.’ No one else knew that except for me and the Second Prince.”