Chapter 585 - Try (1/2)

Leonel felt as though his grandfather's every word was grating on his soul.

But he still stood there, his mind wrapped in a steel cage, clearly unwilling to accept the things he was hearing. A part of him would have rather ignored it all.

As quick as Leonel's mind was, if he wanted to come with excuses to ignore valid points, he could run circles even around this grandfather of his. His mind was simply too nimble and quick. And, as expected, that was exactly what he did. In no more than a breath of silence, he had already come up with several rebuttals.

His father? Wasn't he just restricted by the same things the hidden families were? How could he have interfered if he had rules he wasn't allowed to break?

His treasures? If he had handed them in, would they really have helped his friends? Trusting Supreme Monet with his things, would that have really been an intelligent thing to do?

Pisces? That backstabbing bitch? Was she really the same as the weak? Why should she be categorized as such?

The worst of it all was the fallacy of Emperor Fawkes' argument. He and Leonel weren't even remotely in the same position. One of them hadn't even known of their noble status until a few weeks ago while the latter was an Emperor of a world. There was a very clear dividing line in their responsibilities. There was no way Leonel should care more about the citizens of Earth than their Emperor.

Even if Leonel was the most selfish individual there was… So what? His burden wasn't the same as this supposed Emperor. Why were they even being compared?

However, in the breath it had taken Leonel to think of these things, Emperor Fawkes had continued speaking as though he had never taken a pause to begin with.

”Those were the last words I'll say on the topic. If you feel that you would be a better Emperor, I am right here. If you can defeat me, the throne is yours.”

”Imperial Father!”

Leonel's expression finally cracked, replaced by something other than indifference for the first time.

This man before him felt like rolling hills that extended to infinity, like an endlessly rising land that shot into the skies, like a lurking beast slumbering as though there was nothing that could gain his interest.

Emperor Fawkes ignored his son.

”But the weight of this crown isn't something you can carry. You're weak. And worst of all, you don't seem to know that you are.”

The Emperor looked toward Leonel as though he could see through him completely, even down to all the rebuttals he had at the tip of his tongue. But, true to his word, he didn't speak a single word about the topic again.

It seemed he wasn't lying. He really did disdain to explain himself. If Leonel felt like he could still squirm his way around his words as though this was a debate rather than real life, that only meant that Leonel was even weaker than even he realized.

He had already explained things once. He wouldn't do it again. He had no need for the useless and foolish.

”The matter of Shield Cross Stars,” Emperor Fawkes continued, ”You will be safe as long as you are on Earth. My dignity isn't something that can be encroached upon, Shield Cross Stars, or any other.”

The indifferent declaration seemed to caused the winds to shift. It felt as though the world itself acknowledged The Emperor's words as infallible.

Leonel couldn't help but think that it was precisely this old man who had earned the World Spirit before he was born. But, he had no way of confirming such a thing.