The Royal Family hadn’t issued a decree to stop the Temple Festival, so the Festival was supposed to proceed as scheduled.
Even the most isolated residents in remote areas knew that there had been frequent uprisings within the Empire. The Temple Festival usually meant increased population movement and the Emperor leaving the heavily guarded Capital to mingle with the diverse crowds of pilgrims.
“No way, not at a time like this! The Temple Festival needs to be canceled immediately! Why hasn’t His Majesty issued a cancellation decree yet? We need to defeat those damned rebels before leaving the Capital, Your Majesty!!”
Similar cries were often heard in Nero’s directly governed territory. Miners gathered in a public bar, and upon seeing the notice that the festival would proceed as usual, they were so anxious that they spat out their beer.
“Damn it! If it weren’t for that damned noble breaking my leg and preventing my enlistment application from being approved, I would be piloting a mecha to support Delphi right now!”
“What should we do? What should we do? The Delphi Star System is protected by the Imperial Law, and unless the Temple requests it, troops can’t be stationed there. If the rebels make a move against His Majesty during the Festival… are we going to return to the way things were before??”
Shortly before the Festival began, a terrifying rumor started spreading widely on the Star Network.
Some so-called ‘believers among the nobles’ released evidence that the rebels have bribed the elite Star Pirates and are preparing to take advantage of the Festival to attack His Majesty.
In the Empire’s perception, Star Pirates were ruthless outlaws with no regard for any rules, and the ancient Earth’s ceasefire rules naturally did not apply to them.
Despite the Capital’s swift efforts to curb the spread of this news, the evidence chain was flawless, and the quick response from the Capital only made it seem more suspicious. Consequently, the rumors not only failed to be suppressed but also escalated further.
When Nero used a light screen to remotely meet with one of the cardinals, despite the cardinal being in his own estate, Nero could still hear the angry roars of the believers on the streets.
“Greetings, Holy Emperor, Great Lord of the Galaxy…”
It was clear that the cardinal had not been having a good time recently.
His face was somewhat pale, his eyes wandering nervously, and the usual disdain for Kaises Family was no longer visible. “On behalf of the priests of the Delphi Temple, the temple followers, and all the citizens of the Delphi Star System, I request military support from you… The Holy Son is the messenger of the gods and the core of the Empire’s faith… I implore the merciful Emperor not to let the Holy Son fall into the hands of the crude Star Pirates…”
“Hm.”
Nero responded lightly. Compared to the flustered expression of the cardinal, the silver-haired Emperor seemed quite calm. “But as I recall, the Delphi Star System should have its own set of strict regulations above the Imperial Law? Historically, the Temple has repeatedly refused entry to the Royal Army, and to this day, the Wolf Knights has been deemed unqualified to enter the Temple. So, are the Temple rules no longer applicable now, cardinal?”
The cardinal could certainly hear the sarcasm in his words, his face turning from green to white. However, with the angry believers breaking his windows with stones and loudly demanding that the Church take responsibility for the Holy Son’s safety, he couldn’t help but lower his face, dropping his former arrogance and speaking in a low voice:
“Your Majesty, in this, uh, special period, your and the Holy Son’s safety must come before any rules… Moreover, you know, Your Majesty has the Wolf Knights, but the Delphi Star System does not have its own stationed troops… If there really are intruders, it would be very difficult for the Church and the temple priests to protect the Holy Son…”
Nero interrupted him: “The troops I bring to protect the Holy Son will be under my full deployment and arrangement. During the Festival, both you and the temple priests must follow my orders. Do you think that can be done, cardinal?”
The cardinal, sweating profusely, nodded repeatedly: “Of course, Your Majesty, special times, of course…”
Nero: “Then, issue the Temple decree to the entire Empire as you just promised.”
Having resolved the matter with the Temple, Nero then prepared to lead his troops to Delphi.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
There was still some time before departure, but Nero had already implanted his neural exoskeleton and donned his silver power armor. The crimson royal robe behind him made his sharp eyes gleam.
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In the past, Nero was also a workaholic Emperor with only the Empire in his heart; but rarely did he display such fervor in his red eyes, not cold fury, but a certain kind of zeal.
…A kind of destructive, all-or-nothing zeal. It was as if he was ready to give himself completely to the Empire at any moment.
An excellent general would understand that this was a very dangerous state.
As Nero increasingly exposed his self-destructive tendencies, Heidrich’s unease deepened.
Thinking about how Nero’s recent meetings with the generals had significantly decreased in frequency, often resorting to written or communicative deployments, Heidrich pondered for a moment, then decided to follow Nero into the study after the meeting.
“What is it, Heidrich?” Nero asked curiously, “Is there something else?”
Heidrich entered the study, first glancing at the vigilant White Wolf Knight beside Nero, then closed the door behind him, securing the lock.
Then, calmly, he asked: “Your Majesty, has your mental state become increasingly difficult to control lately?”
Before Nero could respond, the White Wolf Knight bristled.
He clenched his fists, squeezing out words through gritted teeth: “General, this is none of your business.”
“No.” Heidrich only stared at Nero. “I believe it has a lot to do with me.”
“Yes.”
Nero leaned against the desk and admitted calmly, “To be honest, it’s getting to the point where it could happen at any moment— but for now, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“…” Heidrich repeated, word by word, “…What do you mean, ‘nothing to worry about,’ Your Majesty?”
Nero continued to browse the light screen: “Well, after an episode a few days ago, I wrote a very long confidential letter to Grand Scholar Gagne. The letter contains an edict and a rose seal, and when the time is right, he will open the letter and tell you all what to do.”
These words left even the White Wolf Knight by the desk stunned.
“…Your Majesty?” It took him a while to speak, his voice rough as if swallowing gravel. “What does this mean? What do you mean by ‘the right time’?”
Nero thought for a moment.
Recently, the madness had indeed intensified. Each time he awoke in the middle of the night and stared at the White Wolf Knight’s back, Nero felt less and less confident that he could last until the war with the Zerg.
At present, the most beneficial plan he could think of for the Empire was to lead the generals to win the war with the Zerg; then, whether by accident or by choice—he would die on the eve of victory.
Yes… in this way, the mission that had kept him alive until now would be completed.
And regardless of what the random punishment turned out to be, he wouldn’t cause the Empire irreparable damage by completely losing his mind as in the original work, nor would he have to end in the humiliating manner as shown in ‘Beheading the Tyrant.’
After his death in battle, Grand Scholar Gagne would open the letter and find his posthumous edict. Gagne’s integrity was trustworthy, and even if he were shocked, he would certainly follow Nero’s instructions and transfer the Empire’s ruling power to the Wolf Knights.
He had also considered the post-war development route for the Empire during those sleepless nights.
Based on the timeline and importance, he had written in the letter about how to continue suppressing the high nobles, how to keep building the star domains, and how to restore the post-war economy—suggestions for the ‘new order’ of the Empire that he would never see.
Having confirmed the endpoint, Nero no longer hesitated. However, since writing the posthumous edict involved the original plot, he couldn’t explain it to them now.
So, at the moment, he casually replied, “You’ll understand in time,” and picked up the light screen, intending to leave the study.
—However, in the next second, the usually docile and loyal knight suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his right wrist.
Simultaneously, the black-haired general, who had been standing at the door, seemingly unable to suppress his emotions any longer, strode forward, grasped the young Emperor’s left wrist, and blocked him against the desk.
The System trembled: [White Wolf’s Hatred Points: 76/25; Heidrich’s Hatred Points: 99/90… reward points +200, current health: -18300/100…]
“…?”
The inexplicable reactions of the two men, and the inexplicably soaring Hatred Points, left Nero both puzzled and annoyed.
Both men were tall and strong adult Alphas. When they blocked him from the front and back, it indeed left him somewhat at a loss.
Nero suddenly struggled, but couldn’t free either hand. Furious, he laughed coldly, lifting his blazing red eyes:
“So you’re starting to treat me like a patient now, are you?”
“…No, Your Majesty.”
Heidrich’s breathing had been unusually heavy since a moment ago, and only now did he seem to find his voice again.
His large hand gripping Nero’s wrist was trembling slightly, something unprecedented.
“Please, Your Majesty, forgive me. I am, after all, only human. The amount of pain I can endure has its limits. Please tell me, what was the reason for writing to Grand Scholar Gagne now?”
“—My Lord, I already told you last time, I’ve gathered enough top scholars.”
The White Wolf Knight’s voice was lower, muffled in his helmet, sounding almost like a plea.
Wolf Knights often had an animal-like keen intuition. Although he might not grasp Nero’s hidden intentions as quickly as Heidrich, he sensed that his master had made an extremely dire decision.
“We don’t need to wait until after the suppression campaign. As soon as the Temple Festival is over, I will immediately dispatch the Wolf Knights to bring them to the Capital—”
“Let go,” Nero said coldly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the White Wolf Knight silently released his wrist. But Heidrich, standing in front of him, tightened his grip.
The man’s eyes were dark and terrifying. He no longer tried to communicate but simply stared at the silver-haired Emperor, stepping closer.
For a moment, Nero even thought that the usually calm and composed Heidrich was about to do something extremely reckless.
But with his back still against the solid chest armor of the White Wolf Knight, Nero didn’t think further, instead raising his voice, “Let go!”
Heidrich released his wrist.
Rubbing his wrist, Nero said nothing more.
With a cold expression, he left the heavy atmosphere of the study with long strides.
Before departing for Delphi Star System, the Heka Star System’s Military Science Bureau reported back.
A few days ago, a group of suspicious individuals, not belonging to the Empire, had entered the Laud Family’s territory. Nero suspected they were Star Pirates hired to do the dirty work, but he wasn’t sure which faction.
The Heka Star System’s Military Science Bureau had intercepted internal communications from these individuals but couldn’t decrypt them.
As Nero was about to head to Delphi, they sent the unaltered communication to the young emperor.
The suspected Star Pirates had their own communication code—a tapping code resembling ritual drumbeats.
Nero opened the report during a meeting. The strange tapping sounds echoed in the council hall.
The generals were puzzled until they saw Nero and all the Wolf Knights present look up simultaneously!
The White Wolf Knight’s eyes glowed fiercely: “…Your Majesty, there can be no mistake about this tapping code—”
…Scorpion Tail!
The silver-haired Emperor’s eyes turned icy cold in an instant.
For a moment, even his arm muscles trembled uncontrollably, not out of fear, but from a vengeful excitement.
Scorpion Tail—the elite unit that, under Rupert’s orders, had captured him, crippled his legs, and caused significant casualties among the Wolf Knights.
Since his ascension to the throne, he had never found any trace of Scorpion Tail in the numerous battles he fought with the Star Pirates.
“All the Temple deployment plans I’ve made are now void.”
The silver-haired Emperor said in a low voice.
When he lifted his red eyes, everyone saw a nearly cruel smile on his delicate face.
“…Our ‘old friends’ deserve a custom-tailored annihilation plan.”
This is it!!! This is it!! Are we approaching the climax of revenge?!
Thank you for the updates ❤️
Thank you for the new chapters, I’m looking forward to finding out how Nero deals with Scorpion Tail!!
Revenge timeeeee
I can’t wait to see how the oh so noble lords will do if the Zergs were to invade. They should be the first ones to be fed to the Zergs in the forefront of the war as sacrifices
Ahhhhh really looking forward to his differentiation! I fucking love this novel! Where was this author before?!
Aghhhh this novel is quickly climbing up the ranks to become my new favorite novel, along with mistakingly saving. Twisted!!! 😫