Chapter 443: The Greed Of Power [Part 2]
His tone grew so intense that it seemed like the room itself was trembling.
"And at the end of the day, what are we? A secondary nation, not even large enough to be respected as an Empire-one that exists as a vassal state and an extension of Reimgard."
The Emperor spoke with such anger.
"My father and his father served like fools; they honored and followed the will of the first Emperor, who was a blockhead with no ambition of his own.
"Do you know what are considered values for the Emperor of Luinngard? Do you even know what Luinngard is? Loyalty, Obedience, Accountability, Adaptability, Supportiveness, Communication, Humility!!
"Tell me why?! Why do I, as an Emperor, need to be accountable to a damn country that sits on the other side of this sea? Why should I owe them my loyalty?! Isn't it insane?!"
His voice slowly receded. "We cannot stand alone; in fact, we are not worthy enough to become a Kingdom. The world only recognizes us as an Empire because Reimgard says we are. We are barely even a city. Everything we have is handed down to us-the incredible walls, the riches, the knights, even the people! Everything is given to us!"
He stopped abruptly, his brows trembling. "Tell me, Guillever, am I not even worse than a puppet king?"
The Tower Sage stared at the Emperor. At this point, he couldn't maintain a cold, indifferent face anymore. A slight frown laced his brows, and he lowered his head, clenching his teeth and jaw.
He also knew what Gahalad was talking about. The Tower was, in fact, created by a faction from Reimgard known as The Watchers.
They were a faction that oversaw the activities of the Empire across all other nations and continents.
And they usually filled the Tower seats, bringing them across the sea from Reimgard. Even Guillever himself had come from Reimgard as a child.
Along the way, he became friends with Gahalad while they were young and went further to give Gahalad his trust and loyalty rather than Reimgard.
Deep down, Guillever understood why Gahalad was working so hard.
It was only a matter of time before Reimgard would come, due to the series of events that have played out over the past years.
The Tower seats' sudden death, the disaster in the Stelia, and Luinngard's Empire not interfering.
For thirty years, Gahalad had continuously ignored all of Reimgard's imperial orders.
He could relate so much to the Emperor's pain. But what did it still have to do with allowing the entire nation to suffer? Guillever did not understand.
He inhaled and exhaled, then released his jaw, stepping forward. He stopped walking at the base of the first stairs and looked up to the Emperor.
"Gahalad," he called, his voice ringing. "I understand the things you just said. As children, we shared the dream of creating a real empire. It is why we committed those cruel acts-because we didn't want to be controlled but rather be our own person and build a real nation. One where you truly are its monarch."
He frowned slightly, gesturing with his hand as he continued, "Are we not merely having futile dreams if we can't even take care of these people that you so call 'hand-me-downs'?" The Emperor leaned on his hand again, looking down on Guillever with an obstinate gaze. Guillever keenly inspected the Emperor's expression from below before grimacing and asking, "Gahalad, what did you do?"
The Emperor shrugged.
"Thirty-three years ago, a man came to offer me a way out of all this nonsense."
Guillever's eyes slowly widened. "No, Gahalad, what exactly have you done? What did this man say to you?"
"The sudden rifts... well, they were not so sudden, Guilly."
"What do you mean?"
"He came to me understanding my position. He had a sweet mouth indeed, but he was also right. For a Paragon to progress to the next level, they need access to high-tier rifts- I'm talking tier 8 and 9 rifts. Unfortunately, those are rarely available.
"The other alternative is monsters-either an insane amount of low-ranked ones or incredibly high-ranked ones. Since high-tier rifts are very rare, the latter is also impossible."
He breathed out and looked at Guillever with an amused face.
"Have you ever wondered what solitary training even is?"
"A thousand times," Guillever answered firmly.
"Well, this Drifter, a Paragon like myself, created a gateway linking to a rift beneath the Central Plain Academy."
Immediately upon hearing this, Guillever trembled and staggered back.
"What? All this while, you've been going into a rift? Endangering your life to grow stronger?"
"Yes. Guilly, all this while I have been doing just that. If I become the first human to become a Luminary, do you know how many doors will open for me? Even Reimgard will tremble before my might."
Guillever's eyes shook with pity toward the Emperor, causing him to shout immediately.
"Don't you dare look at me that way!!!"
Guillever shook his head. "Gahalad, you have a reasonable goal; it makes all possible sense, but your means are very wrong. You are telling me that you and this man intentionally caused thousands of deaths in Lotheliwan and Sloria? And all for what? Power?"
"It wasn't just the power, Guilly. Didn't you see? The disaster gave us a reason to be excused from Reimgard's watch. They neglected us, thinking we were of no use to them. They even abandoned my sister. The disaster was a way to cover our tracks while I trained hard to become a Luminary.
"I have seen how much power comes with being a Paragon. I can't begin to imagine how much more I'll be able to do as a Luminary."
The Tower Sage really could not believe the things that were coming out of the Emperor's mouth. He couldn't believe the same child he had grown up with, who was so pure and kind- hearted, was spewing these things.
"Gahalad, you are insane. You have gone mad. At this rate, you don't care about the Empire, the people, or our dreams-you have been consumed by the greed for power!"
The Emperor stood up. "It's not my fault you see these things like that, Guilly. You have always been naive. That was the weak thing about you. But I really didn't care, and right now,
I don't care because the opportunity to get back at Reimgard is finally in my hands."
The Tower Sage's eyes flung wide open.
"What? You can't-you can't mean that! Gahalad, he is your sister's son! You can't use him to bargain!!"
The Emperor showed no care; instead, he grinned. "Even though he is a bastard, the blood of Reimgard is always the blood of Reimgard. The entire Imperium would bring down the heavens to have him back. I just need them to be desperate."