Chapter 48 Part5 (2/2)

[That's correct. But he uses some unknown power. Flames... Flames that control everything.]

[Flames...?]

The Emperor narrowed his eyes. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo acted like he hadn't noticed this and raised his voice.

[That's correct. Flames that could both hide and disguise himself... I've never seen flames like it. If he didn't have such an unusual ability, Stake wouldn't have been killed. I wasn't careful enough!]

[Hides and disguises him...? An innate element...?]

[Your Majesty?]

[Move forward? Doesn't act like an undead, but acts like a human being?]

The Emperor was in deep thought. If he acted like he hadn't noticed this as well, then it'd show. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo questioned and the Emperor asked once more.

[What else did you find out about him?]

[I was able to steal one of his weapons in exchange for one of my subordinates. It was broken, but we've managed to preserve its shape. But does this hold any significance...]

[Show me.]

[Yes, Your Majesty.]

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo showed him the weapon he'd prepared beforehand. What was it, you say? It was a bisected Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword.

[...Ha.]

The Emperor laughed.

[Hahahahahaha!]

The room reverberated with his laughter.

[Your Majesty!? Did you figure something out...?]

[Yes indeed! I didn't think I'd see him again, but that's where he was!]

The Emperor raised his voice, as if it would pierce the heavens themselves. The fury and the humiliation in his voice...! Lee s.h.i.+n Woo acted like he couldn't understand, but then widened his eyes as if he'd come to a sudden realization.

[Your Majesty, is that...? The surface! That's impossible! Are you saying that he's already gone to the surface!?]

[I thought I'd killed him. I was arrogant. I thought he was some foolish hero, but I was wrong. It's been a long time since I've made a mistake like this. He acted like he was dead. A wielder of an innate fire element should've seen through my Lightning Bind. They wouldn't have been killed so easily! What a show. Retadane. He wasn't raised as the successor of light, but as an entertainer on a stage!]

The Emperor's voice kept rising and falling. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo groaned quietly and the Emperor added.

[There was an individual who rapidly increased his influence with the backing of merchants and religious orders. I a.s.sumed he was one of the heroes summoned underground, so I took care of him immediately, but his successor soon appeared, who could wield his power, albeit poorly. I was trying to figure out when I could kill her, but... My a.s.sumption was wrong. They're nothing more than p.a.w.ns that were sacrificed by him.]

[Cut the tail...]

[Indeed.]

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo presumed. The Emperor gritted his teeth and nodded his head.

[He moved as he pleased by acting like a muscle-headed hero, but he must've went back underground when he'd gotten all he needed. He left behind such good bait (the religious orders), diverted my attention, and hid himself, acting as though he were dead!]

[How dare that traitor... Your Majesty, if you just give me another chance, I promise to catch him and present his head to you!]

[No. You won't be enough.]

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo gritted his teeth and declared. Then, the Emperor stood up. That pale skin and the protruding fangs. He must've sucked blood just recently, as his teeth were stained with blood.

[I'll send you reinforcements. These lowly peasants don't know their place and weren't satisfied being underground, so they dare bare their fangs at me? Then, I'll just catch them all and crush them...!]

[As you wish, Your Majesty!]

[My loyal friend, Arema. Can you figure out where they are?]

[If you just give me a little more time, then I can figure out where they're hiding!]

[Excellent. The day your suffering is at an end and you return to the surface, I'll give you everything you could want!]

The line went dead. Just in case, he remained in that posture for a little longer. Once he confirmed that the line was dead, he inspected the communication device once more, stepped outside, and closed the door while maintaining Arema's form.

”Nice. That's one thing off my list!”

Then, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo returned to his hero form and smiled refres.h.i.+ngly.

”Junior, what did you just do?”

”Ah, nothing much.”

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo waved his hand and replied.

”I told you that I was on the surface for a while, right? While I was there, I acted like a hero who could wield flames. But when I met Seagald, I was like 'He can wield flames too?'. So, I thought I could blame Seagald for everything.”

”...Is it really that easy?”

”People who aren't at the site of the crime normally take a few clues and come to a conclusion themselves, so if I were to twist those clues around, then it's easy to fool them.”

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo had left the surface very subtly. He was caught in a huge explosion, so no one could ascertain whether he had survived or not, and a successor had even appeared soon after. The Magic Emperor had been leery of this.

But then he'd met Seagald, the only undead who didn't act like an undead, who could not only use an innate element, but also used a sword as his primary weapon. It would be strange if the Emperor didn't suspect Seagald.

And if that happened, it would become easier for him to claim that his words to the Emperor were an act. Though in reality, it was all an act.

”Well, it would've been annoying to have to worry about both Anti-Skull and the palace. I figured the Magic Emperor could take care of Anti-Skull for us, so I improvised.”

”That was... improvised...? I thought everything was planned out from the start...”

”It was obviously improvised. Ha. Now that you mention it, I was worried about leaving Jin Jin alone on the surface, but with this, the Emperor won't worry about the religious orders as much. I have to figure out where the Anti-Skull's main base is and tell the Emperor ASAP.”

”...”

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo hummed as he walked through the corridor. Everyone else was speechless. Kratia, who had been quietly watching him, murmured.

”The wicked Heaven Defying General. He's so cool.”

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