I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep Chapter 117

Caesar’s eyebrows twitched.

“You say he’s moving around? Do you think that because the paper is different?”

“Yes, maybe the paper changed since he kept moving and used what was common in each area.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“If that’s the case, we can track him down by finding out where the paper was made. If it’s a special kind, the distribution area would be limited.”

“What if he set a trap? Like sending the letter on purpose with paper from another region.”

“Ian doesn’t know we’ve teamed up with Krause. He wouldn’t have expected the letter to reach us here.”

I thought for a moment, then spoke again.

“Even if he did know, and even if Ian used that to set a trap, there’s no harm in checking it out.”

“True.”

Caesar nodded. Soon, he called Alvin from outside the door.

“You called, Your Majesty.”

“Investigate this paper.”

Caesar tore off a blank edge of the letter and handed it to Alvin.

“Find out where it was made and where it’s being distributed. In secret.”

“Understood.”

Alvin bowed and left the room. Then Caesar stood up as well.

“Your Majesty, where are you going?”

I asked without thinking, only to remember the awkward distance between us lately. Talking about Ian had made me forget everything that happened with Lunavel these past few days.

Looking a little surprised at my question, Caesar quickly answered as if it was nothing.

“I just have some business to take care of.”

“O…kay…”

“When Alvin contacts us, I’ll let you know.”

With that, Caesar left the office. Alone in the room, I stared unhappily at the door.

“What on earth are you up to?”

I muttered under my breath.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Before long, word came from Caesar. The results of the letter paper investigation had arrived.

Thanks to that, I was able to see Caesar’s face again after a while.

“So, what did they say?”

“None of the paper was produced in our empire.”

With a grave expression, Caesar handed me another envelope.

“This is another letter the baron delivered afterward.”

“Another letter came? It hasn’t even been that many days!”

“Yes. The intervals are getting shorter. It must mean he wants to grasp the palace’s movements in greater detail.”

The content of the letter, just like the previous ones, was about Caesar and the palace.

“And the papers…”

Caesar continued.

“The first letter came from the Nitton Empire. The second and third were produced in the Haisen Empire.”

“The second and third are the same paper? Then does that mean Ian has been staying in the Haisen Empire for quite a while?”

“That’s possible. Or maybe he just stocked up on that paper beforehand.”

Nothing could be certain. But the fact that it was specifically the Haisen Empire bothered me.

“The Haisen Empire isn’t on good terms with us.”

“Right.”

Caesar’s expression darkened, as if he was troubled by the same thought.

“What on earth is Ian doing? Wandering through the empires…”

I thought about what I would do if I were Ian.

Right now, Ian had left his home and had nowhere to go. It wasn’t publicly announced on a large scale, but since we had uncovered his identity, he was essentially a fugitive. For him to drift from empire to empire in that situation…

“Could he be searching for a place to stay?”

“A place to stay? You mean, trying to seek asylum in another empire?”

“Yes. He might have thought it would be too difficult to remain here any longer.”

“Hmmm…”

After a moment of thought, Caesar asked,

“I only exchanged a few words with him, so I can’t be sure, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would give up that easily.”

“Maybe… he’s trying to become emperor of the Haisen Empire.”

I spoke self-mockingly. It was more like a wish than a prediction. He was someone I wanted to avoid, if at all possible.

“If not that, then why is he roaming through the empires?”

“Good question…”

Caesar’s gaze turned to the map spread wide across the desk. At the center was the Dietrich Empire, surrounded by neighboring empires.

“What bothers me is that both the Nitton Empire and the Haisen Empire just happen to border ours. And they’re places we’ve had long-standing diplomatic troubles with.”

“That’s true.”

After thinking for a while, Caesar went on.

“You said it before—he kidnapped Floria to gain a justification for claiming the throne.”

“Yes. He could have seized it by force, but he wanted it to look like that wasn’t the case. But since that plan failed, he might now just barge in recklessly.”

“Would he, though?”

“…What do you mean?”

“What if he’s still clinging to justification and legitimacy?”

Caesar stared hard at the map.

“If he charges in recklessly and kills me, it would only be seen as rebellion. That’s not the way he wants it.”

Caesar was right. Ian’s original plan had been to stir up a noble faction revolt, then naturally grow closer to Floria and ascend the throne.

Because of my interference, that plan failed—but instead of giving up, he went as far as kidnapping and brainwashing Floria.

It was hard to imagine someone who had gone to such lengths suddenly abandoning the pursuit of legitimacy.

“But no matter how he attacks, there’s no way for him to gain legitimacy. For a single person to aim for the throne—that’s rebellion, nothing more.”

“Exactly. Which means it’s not just a single person.”

“What? Don’t tell me…”

Caesar and I locked eyes. Even without saying it out loud, we both knew we were thinking the same thing.

The reason Ian was moving between empires, the way he could create legitimacy.

“War…”

Ian was trying to start a war.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Inside the lavish audience chamber, the Emperor of the Haisen Empire gazed at the white-haired man standing before him.

A man who claimed to be the eldest son of one of the Dietrich Empire’s most distinguished ducal houses—the House of Bryden.

“Ian Bryden, you say?”

“That is correct.”

It had been days since Ian requested an audience, and according to the aides’ investigation, everything he said checked out.

The young lord of House Bryden had indeed left home and gone missing, and the descriptions of his appearance matched the man before him. The only oddity was that the blond hair he was said to have was now white.

“I assume your investigation about me is already complete.”

Ian spoke smoothly, showing not a hint of nervousness despite standing before an emperor.

“Of course, whether I am truly the eldest son of House Bryden or not doesn’t really matter.”

“Because of that ability of yours?”

“Exactly.”

The emperor struggled to compose his expression. The reason he agreed to this private audience with a man of uncertain identity was precisely because of that ability—

Or rather, because of the evidence Ian had brought to prove it.

“You mean you can truly create anything? Even a royal treasure?”

What Ian had brought was one of the Haisen royal family’s heirlooms: an orb encrusted with ancient pink diamonds, thousands of years old, something no craftsman could ever replicate.

“Is a royal treasure really the issue here?”

Ian stretched out his hand. Upon his palm, diamonds of various colors began to appear one after another. The emperor stared, spellbound.

So it was true. That unbelievable ability…!

Ian spoke as if it were nothing.

“There’s no need to be dazzled by what’s in front of you. This is nothing. I can offer you things far greater than mere diamonds.”

“And why would you want to offer me such things? As you know, our Haisen Empire is not on good terms with the Dietrich Empire.”

“That is precisely why.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The emperor narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what this man was plotting.

Is he offering me Dietrich’s secrets?

“Your Majesty, do you not desire to possess the Dietrich Empire?”

“…”

The Haisen and Dietrich Empires had been bitter enemies for a long time. But to put it more objectively, the relationship was closer to Haisen being a vassal beneath Dietrich’s shadow.

Those in front rarely look back, but those who chase can never stop looking forward.

The one most conscious of the Dietrich Empire was none other than Haisen.

Do I not wish to possess it?

The question didn’t even warrant an answer. Ian surely already knew the truth.

“Wouldn’t you like to see the Dietrich Empire in Your Majesty’s hand—bowing to the Haisen Empire?”

“You mean to say you can make that happen with your ability?”

“Yes.”

One unbelievable claim after another. Even if it were possible, why would Ian do such a thing? He was a high noble of the Dietrich Empire, the son of the emperor’s closest confidant, Duke Bryden.

As though reading the emperor’s thoughts, Ian continued.

“Of course, I’m not saying I’ll do it for free. I want something in return as well.”

“What is it you want?”

As the emperor asked, almost urgently, a radiant smile spread across Ian’s face.

“The name of the Haisen Empire.”