Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 16
Lecan didn’t want to disclose this fact to the librarian right away. No, he lacked sufficient evidence. In his position with so many allies and so many enemies, openly accusing a member of the royal family could lead to suspicion.
The librarian was one of his supporters of course, but Lecan believed it was better to keep things on a need-to-know basis.
“This empire needs talent.”
Lecan concealed his true intentions behind a plausible rationale.
He recalled the woman disguised as the Sixth Prince. Her demeanor during their conversation was composed and calm, yet despite her meticulous facade, her eyes couldn’t deceive Lecan. They were filled with emptiness. Oddly, they seemed to yearn for salvation, scratching at his nerves.
“They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.”
“That’s an old saying indeed.”
Lecan finished reading the report and placed it back on the table. Besides the excerpt related to the first coronation, there were only mundane and inconspicuous contents listed.
“When he talked about the meaning of life, he seemed to have read a lot of Taylor Adler. Adler was the one who used the term ‘contribution to others’ the most. When he talked about loyalty, I could tell he was influenced by Michael Bertrand.”
“Are you referring to the Sixth Prince?”
“Yes.”
Michael Bertrand was someone who remained loyal to a tyrant but died a pitiful death, ridiculed and thrown into oblivion. To praise the loyalty of such an individual as idealistic was absurd.
“When discussing fulfillment at the end, he spoke as if influenced by Russell’s philosophy. It’s good to have read classics, but every sentence was so carefully worded that I wondered if he had any ideas of his own.”
“Their purpose, after all, was to get high marks on the interview. Perhaps they were playing it safe by quoting established classical literature.”
“Maybe that was the intention, but… I sensed there was something unique in them.”
It was all in the eyes.
Only the two eyes.
But something about the emptiness in them bothered him. It made him want to save her.
Lecan swallowed hard.
“Did you give him a passing score?”
“If such a man does not pass, who will?”
No man is devoid of self. While surprised by the haziness of the personality presented on the surface, he nevertheless wanted to know what had driven her to suppress herself so much. He subconsciously provoked her again and again, like throwing a stone into a calm lake. She wavered, but didn’t fall.
“If he passes…”
“The Sixth Prince, who has been completely ignored in the succession squabble, might suddenly overtake the Crown Prince and ascend to power.”
“Isn’t that a bit of an overstatement?”
The real Sixth Prince is a complete puppet.
What mattered to Lecan was the fact that the person who took the exam today was a loyal subordinate of the Sixth Prince. Everything seen so far of the Sixth Prince undoubtedly came from her mind. It must have been by design that she’s been holding her breath while the others have lost their lives one by one.
With such talent under his command, he may well become emperor of all, regardless of his true ability.
‘One who, once acquired, holds the world.’
Do they even realize their own worth?
“The timing is perfect. Everything seems calculated and strategic.”
“Do you, by any chance, see the Sixth Prince as… a rival?”
A rival? He was simply curious as to why such a genius would choose to serve the Sixth Prince instead of himself.
Lecan wondered what she truly looked like beyond her disguise as the Sixth Prince. What was her real voice? What were her genuine thoughts…? All he could be certain of at present was her prodigious talent.
Without answering, Lecan commanded, “Bring me all of the Academy’s magical items used in this round of examinations.”
“What? …But the security at the Persi Academy is the best in the world. If we get caught, the repercussions will be severe.”
Lecan was prepared to risk it all. He wanted to uncover it himself, to understand how the security could be bypassed, what records remained, and how clues within the irregularly arranged formulas could lead to unveiling the true identity behind those layers of obfuscation.
Seeing no response from Lecan, the librarian refrained from further inquiry.
“…Understood. I’ll be careful and retrieve them. It might take some time.”
“I should train or take a walk. Sitting all day has made me feel sluggish.”
Leaving the reluctant librarian behind, Lecan rose from his feet. The longsword on the wall was decorative and was extremely heavy, but he drew it lightly and slipped out of the room. Lecan drew it effortlessly and made his way outside.
A strange thrill coursed through him. Somehow, it felt like even if he trained all night, this inexplicable energy within him wouldn’t wane.
***
I woke up from a sigh and lay still for a while. Like an ancient philosopher with a eureka moment, I suddenly realized.
‘I made a mistake.’
I had made a mistake in the preliminary work of making my fake identification card read as the Sixth Prince.
During the attempt to bypass the security of the Persi Academy for the proxy exam, I fragmented information in such a convoluted manner with complex equations, ensuring that even if someone tried to track or trace my identity, they would fail to decode it.
However, in the process of overwriting it, I also encrypted and melted my ancient language lexicon files…
‘I might have hurriedly mixed in my diary entries.’
I had a habit of jotting down notes on top of books. Sometimes, in a compulsive manner, I would mutter to myself, attempting to memorize and understand the content thoroughly. At other times, if I couldn’t focus on the material due to a torrent of thoughts, I would jot down my inner thoughts as if relieving my mind.
There’s no better way to twist information into meaningless drivel than in an ancient language, so I encrypted the contents of the book. The problem is that I remember writing my notes there a few times.
‘Surely, no one would go to the trouble of deciphering that.’
I held my breath for a long time. I didn’t want to admit my mistake.
However…
‘…Lecan.’
If he decided to dissect and expose it, everything might just turn to dust.
And the man I reunited with after a decade was, and remains, the man I remembered.
“Why do you keep trying to figure me out…”
Without any magical devices to alter my voice, the thin tenor flowed naturally. The long hair smelled of fresh lavender. This inexplicable unfamiliarity remained, even though I was now in my own body.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
