“Even so, you should accept the territory and the title. The funds and resources from the estate will greatly aid your travels. If you wish, I can send an agent to manage the estate on your behalf.”

There were some fools murmuring,

‘They’re trying to tie the hero to the Empire by any means necessary,’ but I ignored them.

After all, they weren’t entirely wrong.

Ultimately, I planned to grant the hero his independence, but for now, it was necessary for him to remain affiliated with the Empire.

“May I ask where you intend to go?”

“Yes, I plan to visit the Holy Kingdom, the Beastkin Alliance, the Great Forest, and the Tower of Mages before returning to the Empire.”

It was clear that those bastards had filled Xian’s head with ideas.

There are countless famous places on this continent, yet the travel itinerary seems rather obvious, doesn’t it?

But still, the fact that he plans to return to the Empire...

At least he still feels a sense of belonging here.

For now, that’s enough. There’s no immediate need for Xian power, and frankly, it might be more convenient for me to move while he’s away from the Empire.

With that thought, I spoke in a relaxed tone.

“Very well, then. I wish you a pleasant journey.”

---

“See? I told you the Emperor’s a good man.”

“Hmph! Good man? Please. All that talk of giving him a title and territory? I almost thought he was proposing to Xian !”

“Seria !”

“What?! Riel, you also said it might be difficult for all of us to go on the trip together!”

“Ugh… well, yes, but still…”

“It was a bit surprising, though. I didn’t expect the Emperor to let Xian go on his travels so easily.”

“The Emperor didn’t seem like a bad person, but we can’t fully trust him. Leaders never move without some political agenda.”

“Even you, Nia…”

As her comrades criticized the Emperor she deeply respected, Riel drooped her head, feeling dejected.

Xian, comforting Riel, finally spoke up.

“The Emperor is a good man. Anyway, that’s enough about this. Let’s focus on preparing for the trip. Since the Holy Kingdom is the closest, should we start there?”

At the mention of traveling, all the women, except for Riel and Viola, were fired up with the same thought.

‘We need to somehow make Xian settle down in the Holy Kingdom / Great Forest / Beastkin Alliance!’

Each woman, secretly harboring feelings for Xian, began preparing for the journey with her own hidden agenda.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

The oldest kingdom on the continent.

A place whose origins are so ancient that no one knows its true beginning, even predating the rise of the Empire.

The Holy Nation, the headquarters of those who serve Kiriya, the God of Light.

“The Emperor of the Empire has bestowed the title of Duke upon Brother Xian .”

“Hmm...”

In the deepest chambers of the Holy Nation, an elderly man with white hair let out a low hum after hearing his subordinate’s report.

Carefully observing the displeasure in the elder’s expression, the subordinate spoke with caution.

“Considering that Xian was born in the Empire, and the Emperor was the most ardent supporter of the Demon King’s subjugation, it was inevitable, wasn’t it?”

“That may be true, but Duke? It’s excessive.”

“I’ve heard the Emperor and Brother Xian share a close bond. Even in formal settings, the Emperor doesn’t hesitate to call him a friend. “

“Perhaps granting him the title of Duke is the Emperor’s way of reinforcing imperial power by entrusting it to a trusted ally.”

“Even so, it’s too much.”

The old man closed his eyes, sinking into thought.

How much time passed?

“Johan.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Regarding the composition of the Hero’s party… Have you ever found it strange?”

“The composition of the Hero’s party… sir?”

The man called Johan hesitated for a moment before responding.

“One scout. Three vanguards. A mage and a priest. Isn’t that a typical formation?”

It was a common strategy used by small groups of elite warriors.

Sometimes the number of vanguards would decrease while the rear guard would increase, but it wasn’t enough to be considered unusual. So why was His Holiness bringing it up?

“No. You’re calculating it wrong.”

“Sorry…? I don’t understand what you mean, Your Holiness.”

“One elf. One beastman from the Empire. One from the Tower of Magic, and one from the Holy Nation. That’s how you should be counting.”

The old man spoke, referring not to the positions in the Hero’s party, but to their affiliations.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“There’s no kingdom.”

At the elder’s words, Johan’s eyes widened in surprise as he let out a small gasp.

“Ah…”

“The Emperor was unusually proactive in the Demon King’s subjugation. He opened the Imperial Vault for the Hero, moved multiple knight orders, and didn’t hesitate to ally with the Great Forest and the Beastman Union.

At the time, it seemed like he was driven by a desire for revenge against the Demon King. After all, he had lost his father to the Demon King, so we thought his actions were motivated by that grief.

But now that it’s all over, some things feel off.”

“Something feels off…?”

“Yes. At the outset, there was already an anti-Demon King alliance formed across the continent. The Emperor didn’t need to open the vault or mobilize his personal knights—he could have relied on the alliance’s resources and forces. But he didn’t. It wasn’t childish vengeance driving him.”

“Now, looking back, the Empire took too much credit for the subjugation of the Demon King. The kingdoms were deliberately sidelined.”

“Could it be… the Emperor used this as a pretext to…”

Johan’s shocked voice trailed off as he realized how far he had speculated. The old man shook his head slightly, dismissing the notion.

“It won’t be war. The Empire’s forces suffered significant losses. Starting a war over the fact that the kingdoms didn’t contribute much to the battle against the Demon King isn’t a strong enough justification. “

“Besides, from what I’ve seen, Brother Xian isn’t one to favor war. Even the Emperor wouldn’t act so recklessly in these circumstances.”

“Then… what is his plan?”

“I don’t know. It could be that he’s simply trying to flaunt his success and remind the kingdoms not to challenge the Empire’s authority. Or, there could be another reason—something I haven’t yet understood.”

The elderly man paused to take a breath before continuing.

“The Saintess is supposed to be arriving with the party, isn’t she?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“With the Demon King defeated, it’s fitting to hold a celebration. Prepare a festival to coincide with the Saintess’s arrival.”

“Understood, Your Holiness.”

As the subordinate left to carry out the elder’s instructions, the old man let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself.

“Kiriya, I beg of you, watch over this continent. Grant the Emperor reason and wisdom so that he does not drown the land in blood.”

The war against the Demon King had already shed enough blood.

If the Emperor were to start another war now, how much more blood would be spilled?

The Pope was genuinely worried about the fate of the continent.

After Xian’s shocking declaration, the banquet fizzled out without much of a conclusion.

When I asked when they planned to leave, and they replied that they would depart as soon as the banquet was over, I nearly grabbed the back of my neck in frustration. But with no way to stop them, I had no choice but to let them go.

And now, what was left in front of me was…

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty…”

“Yes, Duke? Speak.”

“Ugh. Raising a daughter is completely pointless.”

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that.”

A drunken old man—no, a drunken duke.

“I… I raised that girl with everything I had! How could she just leave without even looking her father in the face?”

“Calm yourself.”

“Ugh…”

What in the world do you have to drink to get this drunk?

“Riel… Oh, Riel…”

Ah, someone, please get this man out of here!

“Sigh…”

The next morning, I woke up in my chambers feeling heavy.

“How much did I drink…”

The problem was that no one had been there to stop me since it was just the Duke and me drinking head to head.

I needed to get back to work today, but my head was throbbing.

“Your Majesty, did you call for me?”

As I stirred and sat up, I heard the chamberlain’s voice from outside.

“Come in.”

With my permission, the chamberlain entered, carrying honey water.

As expected, he was quick to read the situation.

After drinking the honey water and changing into my attire, I headed to the office.

Seeing the stack of documents piled up on my desk made me sigh.

Had I really only taken a single day off for things to end up like this?

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you think maybe I shouldn’t have disbanded the council?”

Back when I first ascended to the throne, there was something called the Imperial Council, and I used to offload a considerable amount of work onto them.

Not just the workload—authority was divided too. That’s why I got rid of them.

“Your Majesty…”

“It’s a joke.”

In truth, if those fools were still around, the war probably wouldn’t even be over yet.

Every time I tried to give Xian something of value, they’d throw a fit and block me.

With a sigh of resignation, I sat down at my desk and began my work.

“Chamberlain, summon the Minister of Intelligence.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Of course, being Emperor means my duties don’t end just because the Demon King is dead.

In fact, this is only the beginning.

In the game Chronicles of Xian, the ending comes after the hero defeats the Demon King.

Which means, from this point forward, I have no idea what will happen on this continent.

“Your Majesty, may I enter?”

I was lost in thought when the voice of the Minister of Intelligence reached me.

“Come in.”

Dia Verger. The head of the House of Verger. The leader of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.

Additionally, she is the overseer of “Arhan’s Eye,” the intelligence network that spans the entire Empire.

Not only is she competent and loyal, but unlike a certain other older man, she is also an extraordinary beauty, making her one of my most cherished vassals.

“Your Majesty, I am at your service.”

“Minister, report on the damage the Empire sustained during this war.”

I already had a rough understanding, but hearing it directly from Dia would provide more precise details.

She answered immediately.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Two Masters from the Imperial Knights perished, and one was gravely injured. Five hundred and forty Experts were killed. Three battalions of the Magic Corps were completely wiped out, and seven mages died in battle.”

Just hearing the numbers made my head spin.

Five hundred and forty Experts and three battalions from the Magic Corps? Even for the Empire, losing that many is no small matter.

Five hundred and forty Experts is likely more than all the Experts of most smaller kingdoms combined.

And two Masters, along with seven mages?

In some ways, the loss of the Masters and mages is even more significant. No amount of wealth can easily replace them.

“The House of Marquess Lute, once the dominant power in the South, was obliterated, leaving only two survivors.”

“Following their collapse, all southern nobles of Count rank and below betrayed the Empire and surrendered to the Demon King, only to be massacred by the Imperial Phoenix Knights. During this operation, the deputy commander of the Phoenix Knights was killed, and twenty-three Experts were critically wounded.”

Ugh, those filthy traitors. Just thinking about them makes my teeth grind.

It’s not unusual for humanity to fail to unite in times of crisis, and betrayal is always a possibility, but to think that betrayal would come from within the Empire…

Thankfully, outwardly, it’s known that all those traitors died at the hands of the Demon King, and no more defectors emerged after that.

“All southern territories were ravaged, and the material losses amount to approximately four thousand platinum coins. Additionally, Your Majesty spent two hundred platinum coins in support of the Hero. “

“Altogether, the Empire’s financial losses are estimated to be around four thousand two hundred platinum coins.”

One platinum coin is roughly equivalent to 1 billion won, so that’s about 4.2 trillion won lost.

It’s not a small amount of money, but it pales in comparison to the loss of lives.

“Minister, can the other powers grasp the full extent of our losses?”

“They may be aware of the deaths of our Masters and mages, but beyond that, they likely have no accurate understanding.”

“Good. Then, exaggerate the damage. Report that the injured Master has retired without recovery.

Two surviving Magic Corps battalions have disbanded due to heavy losses, and the Phoenix Knights, aside from their commander, have either perished or been too gravely wounded to continue functioning.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“Also, request cooperation from the houses of Marquis Gyor and Marquis Grepha. Spread rumors that both their forces and those of their vassals have suffered severe losses.”

“... It will be done.”

As expected of the Minister of Intelligence, Dia instantly understood the implications behind my instructions, and her face stiffened as she responded.

“Your Majesty… may I speak freely?”

“Of course. Your advice is always invaluable to me, so do not hesitate.”

“The King of the Kingdom of Jer is a cunning man. Even if we spread this information, there’s a strong chance he won’t act rashly.”

The Kingdom of Jer.

The strongest of the five kingdoms on the continent.

Though they haven’t openly formed an alliance, Jer has essentially positioned itself as the leader of the other kingdoms.

“That’s of no concern. The young ruler of Haon is reckless, the idiot of Daman is short-sighted, and the Lion of Anon is arrogant.

As for Tamiel’s madman, even if he knows it will lead to his own downfall, he’ll charge headfirst into danger. If the old fox in Jer tries to rein them in, he may succeed, but he’ll lose their trust and earn their resentment in the process.”

And if he fails…

I left the rest unsaid.

If the Empire can’t start a war, why not make the other kingdoms start one instead?