The conferment ceremony had taken place four or five days ago.
The summoned generals had already left for their important posts assigned by Nero, each with their decrees in hand.
However, the conspicuous presence of Heidrich, who had rocketed through the ranks to become a major general yet received no assignment, stood out.
The title ‘Tyrant’s Favorite’ became a popular topic among the nobles of the Capital, but Heidrich seemed oblivious.
The young, handsome major general of the Empire wore his immaculate, raven-black uniform daily, arriving at the Solar Palace at the same time every day.
Escorted by the Wolf Knights into the Emperor’s chambers, he wouldn’t leave until late at night, when he would take the shuttle sent by the Emperor himself back to his residence.
Gradually, rumors in the Capital took on a life of their own, spiraling out of control.
“Brother, what exactly is going on between you and His Majesty…?”
With the Emperor’s permission, Heidrich could dine with Eva in the palace dining room.
Eva observed her brother carefully while eating.
It had to be said, away from the Delta Fortress, Heidrich was like a long-neglected sword finally polished. Even among the decadently nurtured young nobles of the Capital, his innate handsomeness and commanding presence made him the undeniable focus.
Eva had successfully treated the complications from her gland removal surgery.
Although she had lost her fertility permanently, she was no longer easily affected by Alpha pheromones. Thus, she was allowed to move freely within the Emperor’s chambers and the vicinity of the Solar Palace.
Occasionally, she would bring some capital snacks to Mimir, who often stayed in the chambers reading.
“I even hear them gossiping about you and His Majesty when I’m at the market… Of course! Of course, I don’t believe them. It’s just those bored nobles with nothing better to do.”
She stammered through her words.
Across the table, Heidrich remained calm, quietly wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” he said. “His Majesty is burdened with state affairs. I merely help share the load.”
Eva was indignant: “I knew it! Damn it, they actually spread rumors about you and His Majesty… saying that rescuing me from the North was just a cover, and that the real intention was to keep you in the chambers… and then… every day… that! They can’t keep their mouths shut, always making up stories about His Majesty. His Majesty is too busy to bother with them!”
Heidrich stood up, pressing down his uniform according to noble etiquette, fastening each button meticulously.
“Just rumors,” he said.
“Brother, I know His Majesty would never treat you that way. But I want you to know,” Eva gripped her knife and fork tightly, “I never want you to lose your dignity or live in humiliation because of me…”
Heidrich smiled. He didn’t dwell on the past at Delta Fortress, simply patting his sister’s shoulder, “It’s all in the past.”
The dining room clock chimed the hour. Heidrich left the table and headed towards the stairs to the second-floor study.
Eva noticed his steps were light and almost… eager?
Although she knew Nero’s nature would never permit mistreatment of subordinates, it was rare for her usually cold-hearted brother to appear so keen on anything.
This brought to mind the bizarre rumors she had overheard in the market.
So… could it be that her brother was the one taking the initiative?
“Heavens! Eva! What are you even thinking!”
Eva snapped out of her daydream, feeling both embarrassed and furious, slapping her cheeks with a loud smack.
A week later, the Empire was shaken by explosive news.
The Emperor had reopened the old case of the Heidrich Family.
Years ago, when the old Heidrich served as the Supreme Commander of the Magellan Star System, the most populous and prosperous inhabited planet in his system was struck by a sudden massive radiation attack.
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.
At the time, the planet, including its rings, had a total population of 1.8 billion. Nearly half perished overnight, and countless others suffered radiation-induced illnesses, forcing almost the entire population to flee.
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This marked the downfall of the once-prominent Heidrich Family.
After the Emperor reopened the old case, confirming the evidence was irrefutable, he announced the Wolf Knights’ investigation results to the entire Empire.
The cause of the “Magellan Massacre” was a gamma-ray burst from Observation Domain 79.
Gamma-ray bursts are the most destructive cosmic events beyond human intervention, akin to earthquakes and tsunamis of ancient Earth. They occur when stars 50 to 100 times the size of Sun of Delphi are destroyed or when super-dense neutron stars collide, sweeping across billions of light-years, leaving no life in their path.
Usually, such catastrophic events are monitored by the Empire’s observatories, which issue early warnings to the Capital, prompting the Emperor to organize evacuations.
However, the Empire’s 79th Observatory neglected to detect a distant, intense gamma-ray burst in their domain.
Although the Magellan Star System wasn’t within the primary impact range, the inhabited planet on the system’s edge was affected, resulting in the tragic “Magellan Massacre.”
During his investigation, Nero discovered the noble overseeing Observatory 79 was a key member of Rupert’s faction, who was the Minister of Finance at the time.
A wrongful case took twelve years to be rectified;
The Heidrich Family, who had served the Galactic Empire for generations with countless merits, was reduced to its last two members.
The Empire’s populace was in an uproar, and discussions were rampant.
When Heidrich forcefully pushed open the study door, the silver-haired Emperor was still at his desk, engrossed in work.
Seeing the sudden intrusion, Nero raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s this? It’s not yet time for our meeting, is it?”
“Your Majesty,” Heidrich tried to control his breathing, attempting to regain his usual composure, “perhaps you shouldn’t have… done this.”
“I shouldn’t have?” Nero tossed his photon pen onto the table, smirking, “You mean I shouldn’t have exonerated your family? Such words don’t align with your position as the Heidrich Family’s eldest son, do they?”
Heidrich was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, it was impossible to deny the shock he felt when he saw the royal edict on the Imperial network.
The Heidrich Family had suffered unjustly for decades. There had been compassionate judges who attempted to clear their name, but all efforts had been in vain due to the deep involvement of Emperor Karagu.
Proving the Heidrich Family’s innocence would mean questioning the legitimacy of the Kaises Family as rulers and judges.
Any emperor skilled in governance would never allow such doubts to arise about the royal authority, even if they privately compensated the wronged.
“Your Majesty, my point is that if you insist on publicizing the case, it might be better to wait a while.”
“You mean, considering my current situation, without an army or real power, giving my political enemies more ammunition could lead to my head ending up in the tribunal, right?”
“Your Majesty,” Heidrich’s voice deepened, “the Wolf Knights won’t stand by, and neither will I. The Empire needs a Kaises ruler, at least for now.”
The silver-haired Emperor seemed to recall something, letting out a cold humph, dropping the topic of losing his head.
He raised his chin proudly, “You misunderstand, Major General. Do you know how many have sworn loyalty to me directly since the Mirror Spring Palace’s petition channel opened?”
“Your Majesty, please enlighten me.”
“None. Despite the oppression by the great noble families, not a single lower noble or civilian official has dared reach out, even with the olive branch right in front of them.”
“Because,” Heidrich’s blue eyes flickered, “trust has been shattered, and rebuilding it is not easy.”
“Exactly. As you and everyone else have seen, my father—”
A broad back flashed before Nero’s eyes. The silver-haired Emperor, clad in heavy armor, reeked of battlefield smoke, yet his hands were always gentle and tender when holding his child.
In the next moment, he closed his eyes, pulling himself from the memory.
When he reopened them, a fierce determination replaced his earlier look.
“—my father placed extraordinary trust in Rupert’s faction, violating the principle of a monarch’s impartiality. Both the Galactic Empire and the Kaises Family paid a heavy price for it.
“Having endured the usurper’s coup, the Empire is now like a terminally ill patient, heavily contaminated. Any surgical intervention risks widespread infection and total collapse. In such a dire situation, there’s only one thing I can do—”
Nero looked at the pensive man across the desk.
“—extract the rotten core at any cost and replace it with a healthy heart! I will disregard all resistance and pleas, removing the decayed heart and replacing it with a pure one to pump fresh blood. As the Empire’s chief surgeon, gaining the trust of new, healthy cells is crucial. This determines their strength in fighting the corrupted cells and overcoming rejection swiftly to restore the Empire’s functionality.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
Heidrich spoke softly.
The strange stirring in his heart when he first learned of Nero’s public exoneration of his family was now being suppressed.
He reverted to the cold, rational commander he was on the battlefield.
“You exonerated the Heidrich Family to show the Empire that you are different from your father and any previous Kaises Emperor.”
“Hmph. As long as you understand.”
Nero turned his chair, presenting its back to Heidrich.
“Of course, that’s the most important reason.”
After a moment, Heidrich heard the young Emperor cough lightly, his tone almost awkward.
“…There’s also a trivial reason.”
Heidrich stared at the high-backed chair.
He felt as if the red carpet beneath him had turned into a fragrant sea of roses, pulling him down irresistibly.
The strange stirring he had just suppressed now found an outlet, growing like a raging fire.
Don’t listen.
A voice deep inside warned him.
Once he heard this reason, he would no longer be the cold, focused commander he aspired to be.
Even the heavy family vendetta on his shoulders would become shaky.
But he heard his own voice, softly asking:
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“At Delta Fortress, I told you to return to the Capital and reclaim the dignity you had forsaken.”
Nero still didn’t turn around. He gazed at the wild roses blooming in the courtyard.
“That wasn’t an order, but a promise I made to you. Since you reached the Capital on your own merits, I will fully honor that promise. Hermann Heidrich, your dignity is priceless. From now on, never throw it at the feet of mediocrities to be trampled upon.”
For a moment, the man behind the chair remained silent, and Nero said nothing more.
It wasn’t until a series of “biubiubiu” sound effects rang in his mind that Nero frowned and opened the Hatred Points panel.
The System seemed half-asleep, its mechanical voice slurred: [Teacher? What’s happening…?]
Both Nero and the System saw Heidrich’s Hatred Points dropping rapidly from “90,” almost to the point of going negative.
The System fully woke up: [What the hell is going on?!]
Nero unconsciously bit his fang, his admiration for talent overshadowing concerns about the Hatred Points.
Though lowering the Hatred Points ensured Heidrich’s loyalty, it was still the Main System’s mission goal.
Until he found a way to deal with the so-called “random punishment,” he didn’t plan to let Heidrich’s Hatred Points drop too low.
Nero immediately turned his chair, his expression cold, trying to rectify: “But ultimately, it’s your sister’s service that merits this. If it weren’t for Eva’s repeated pleas, I wouldn’t have allowed you to set foot in the Capital…”
Heidrich looked deeply at Nero, a myriad of emotions swirling in his eyes, almost turning his blue irises completely dark.
The system screamed in agony: [Ah~~~~ the Hatred Points dropped another huge chunk! It’s down to 40, Teacher!]
Nero was equally displeased: […Tsk.]
The System was in despair: [What’s going on, Hexagon!! Even the sister trump card isn’t working, are you still that ultimate siscon, Hexagon!!]
The person behind the desk, who could so easily ignite Heidrich’s soul, seemed to regret being so blunt.
Seeing Heidrich still staring at him, the young Emperor turned his face away in annoyance, crossing his arms in front of his chest: “Enough. Now that you’ve heard it, get lost!”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Heidrich knelt and obediently took his leave.
As he turned the stairs from the study, a squad of Wolf Knights came up for the shift change.
He had to cough lightly into his fist to hide the uncontrollable smile tugging at his lips.
At the bottom of the stairs, before the royal portraits, Heidrich looked up. The large painting depicted Emperor Karagu and his queen seated together, surrounded by four handsome silver-haired children.
In the queen’s arms sat the young Emperor, still wearing overalls and little boots.
Your Majesty…
Heidrich’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he silently murmured the revered title.
Gloved fingers lightly touched the brass plaque beneath the royal portrait.
At the bottom of a list of names, in beautiful imperial script, was inscribed “Nero Augustus Kaises.”
“…Brother?”
Eva’s voice called from behind.
Heidrich quickly withdrew his hand, hiding the desire in his eyes.
Turning around, he saw Eva holding a stack of ancient books, hesitantly looking at him from the bottom of the stairs.
“Eva,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse but with a gentle smile, “are you organizing old books today?”
“Yes,” Eva replied, still appearing somewhat flustered, avoiding eye contact with her brother, “just dusting the Emperor’s collection.”
“Good,” Heidrich said warmly, “get some rest early.”
“Alright… You too, brother.”
Heidrich donned his military coat and disappeared into the vast night outside the palace.
Eva stood still, watching him leave.
It wasn’t until her arms ached from holding the books that she realized she had been staring at the empty courtyard for almost an hour.
She quickly shook her head and hurried upstairs.
Not the points 😭😭 Eva must be so confused and shocked, her own brother doing that- As always, thank you the chapters!!
Ohohoho 🧐
Thank you for the updates! ❤️
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