By Zephyria 
Spiritus and Gano Paquin said it would be difficult to see Mikael again.
How the divine source is created, what happens when the shell of a dead god is attached to it, how the Ninth God reconstructed the fragments he recovered, how a torn dimension can be fixed, what happens to a human who falls into a dimensional rift…
All those words were nothing more than a useless and tedious string of syllables. I couldn’t understand them.
Both Beneto and Richard were dead. The Ninth God was not returning. This continent was now safe, and omnipotent power was destined for me. I would become the sole Emperor of this Empire. And once I became Emperor…
Once I became Emperor, what would I do?
Originally, there were many things I wanted to do.
I wanted to build a mansion so vast that Mikael wouldn’t see the end of it even if he ran his heart out. I wanted to seat Mikael before luxurious feasts three times a day and watch him eat all day long.
I wanted to float a boat on a wide lake or ride horses together across open fields, whispering words of love. I wanted to dress him in clothes made of the rarest fabrics in the world and beg for a kiss while he was adorned with gems worth thousands or hundreds of millions of gold.
That was why I desperately wanted to become Emperor.
Because I wanted to give Mikael every precious thing in this world, so…
It was truly baffling. Mikael should have returned by now. He should have been by my side.
We—we didn’t even get to share a parting kiss. I ruminated over and over on the morning I had pushed him away with a trivial shyness. Mikael’s red-rimmed eyes as he ran toward me, the curve of his lips as they collapsed into a burst of relieved laughter, and his heart that worried for me until the very, very last moment.
I couldn’t distinguish morning from evening, nor day from night. Sometimes three hours would pass in the blink of an eye, and other times it felt as though I had waited ten hours when only ten minutes had gone by. I gagged when I drank water and vomited when I ate food.
I stayed in Floyd for exactly three more days before returning to the capital.
It wasn’t that I returned because I decided to. Spiritus opened a portal, I took one step forward, and suddenly, I was already in the capital.
The dense piles of documents waiting for me had letters so blurred that they were completely unreadable. I spent ten minutes doing three-digit addition. I got a two-digit multiplication wrong twenty times in a row. I felt as though there was something I had to do, but I couldn’t think of anything.
Even when I looked at a person’s face, their name wouldn’t come to mind. Mikael had been like this too. That’s why I had planned to wrap my arm around Mika’s waist and whisper hints softly in his ear… telling him he didn’t need to know things like this, that I would take care of everything…
I am breathless once again.
I was sitting in my office. My office… I didn’t remember clearly when I had come here.
When Mikael entered here for the last time, I told Mika I was busy and sent him out with Matt Nico… Why did I do something so wasteful? Just what was I trusting in to be so confident…
The one who forcibly shoved a pen into my hand was, unbelievably, Theodore Grand.
Theodore Grand, the aide who had been with me since the age of fifteen, was the third son of Viscount Grand. He was always aware of the status gap between us and, naturally, had never forced anything upon me throughout his life. His job was always to inform me of the day’s tasks and receive the next set of orders while standing more than three steps away with a somewhat exhausted expression.
We were not particularly close. Just as I used him, he utilized me. He was a clever talent, but that was all. We…
However, the man insolently grabbed my wrist. Pressing the quill firmly between my index and middle fingers, he raised his voice with a heart-wrenching tone.
“Your Highness, you must write a letter to House Ernhardt first.”
“…”
“No matter how much we keep it quiet, we cannot delay this any further. Once news reaches them, it will be too late. Some truths, the later they are revealed, the more they torture people…”
“…Truth? What?”
“Lord Ernhardt has gone missing.”
I denied it reflexively.
“No.”
“If not!”
Then the man snapped his head up. His eyes were terrified. His gaze was trembling. His face was one that could not look at me straight. And yet…
…I know this expression.
Mikael often looked at me like this. As if looking at a piece of down that would crumble at the slightest touch, as if looking at a five-year-old child… With a gaze of pity, worry, and concern… He looked at me.
Since when did this bastard start looking at me with such an arrogant face? It was fascinating and absurd. It was bizarre and strange. I was speechless.
Sitting blankly, I merely lifted my gaze to look at him.
Theodore murmured damply.
“Did you say you would find him?”
“…”
“Your Highness, you are good at that sort of thing. Suddenly saying something absurd like, ‘I think I can do this,’ then dashing off and settling it in a flash. Muttering all sorts of things to yourself and wiping everything out, then saying, ‘If I couldn’t even think of something like this, what use would you be to me?'”
“…”
I closed my mouth.
Theodore Grand slowly released his grip on my wrist. Both my hand and his were a mess of ink.
I looked down at the jagged, crumpled quill. Black ink seeped from the tip, staining the side of my hand.
Theodore clenched and unclenched his hands several times and said,
“…What will you do if Lord Ernhardt returns tomorrow?”
I slowly closed and opened my eyes. I blinked again. A drop of clear salt water fell, smudging the ink.
In a corner of my clouded mind, a space opened up for a thought to squeeze in, like diluted ink. I took a deep breath, and swallowed, and swallowed again.
Right. That’s right. I…
“…Indeed.”
“…Your Highness.”
“Yes. If Mikael returns tomorrow…”
Only now did a smile emerge.
While hollow laughter fell in droplets, an equal amount of tears added moisture to the crumpled stationery.
The letter to House Ernhardt must be written more formally, properly. Mikael treasures his family dearly… I cannot make them worry more. I must not.
Because I…
Hadn’t I already bragged to Mikael?
‘But you know, I think a person who cannot take responsibility for their own sorrow… should not ascend the Imperial Throne. That’s why I’ll do it. By any means necessary.’
Back then, I didn’t know how much a heart could break a person. I couldn’t imagine that breathing, speaking, and thinking could be this agonizing.
But still, I promised. Even if I lied to everyone in the world, I would not lie to him—to Mika.
Therefore, I must keep the promise I made to him.
“…Your Highness?”
“…Prepare new stationery and a pen. A handkerchief—no, bring a Clean Artifact as well.”
“Yes!”
Just as Seiren Ernhardt had guarded my place while I was away, I had to create a place for Mikael while he was gone. So that it wouldn’t be strange no matter when or in what form Mikael returned.
Think. Let’s think.
“The gods?”
“For now, they have been placed in the detached palace.”
Spiritus and Gano Paquin had not yet left the Imperial Palace. Twisting open a dimensional rift with unknown coordinates was impossible even for Spiritus. But what about the First Goddess?
Richard had said something before he croaked. ‘While the First Goddess was peeking into other worlds, the Ninth God tore the opened world even further.’ ‘The Ninth God pinned the First Goddess to the sky.’
The gods were great, but they did not know everything in the world.
Mikael was alive. No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t believe Mikael, who had overwhelmed other greater and more powerful gods, would lose to a half-baked mad god.
Now is the time to think of a way to drag the god sealed in the sky down to earth.
First, I’ll release the seal of the First Goddess and then cling to her, begging her to widen the rift—whether it’s a dimension or a world—and pull Mikael out. They said a massive amount of Mana is needed to open a dimensional rift. I’ll ponder if there’s a way to utilize the Divine objects I possess…
“Philip Swanson.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Check how many personnel from the Imperial Knights can be dispatched. Keep in mind that since Richard is dead, using only 60% of the original Imperial security force should be sufficient. Also, 50% of Richard’s seized assets will be used for the knights who volunteer for the search for Lord Ernhardt. Survey 50 knights as a sample to determine the appropriate number of personnel based on the dispatch direction, the dispatch funds, and the appropriate quarterly bonuses, then bring me the results.”
“Yes!”
“Dorothy Colonial. Today’s date is?”
“November 18th, Your Highness.”
“…Several knights lost their lives in the battle of Floyd. Prepare a list of the deceased and arrange the memorial badges, medals, and compensation for their bereaved families. For the other knights, personally ask for their understanding and find out if they can participate in the search operation for Mikael Ernhardt. Make sure to include at least one knight who is acquainted with Lord Mikael Ernhardt in each squad. I intend to form at least 30 squads.”
“Yes.”
“The goal is to find Young Master Mikael Ernhardt and bring him before me within this year. I’ll give you four hours. Go.”
“…Pardon?”
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”
“…Yes!”
I couldn’t give up. I wanted to reclaim Mikael even if I had to tear this world apart. Even if this was the same thing that damn foolish man did, I didn’t care if I poured in thousands of personnel and hundreds of millions of gold coins. Wasn’t this why Mikael made me Emperor?
As long as it isn’t war, murder, or violence, I don’t care about anything.
I’ll just kill a few people—secretly, just a little, so that Mikael won’t dislike it. I should categorize various political prisoners and felons in advance and ask Spiritus if their souls are usable.
Can human souls be collected in the same way as the Ninth God did? Well. I’ll only know once I try.
Reclaim Mikael, hold the coronation, and then get married. Yes, let’s do that.
Let’s do that.
Just like that.