Reset Life – Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Don’t Make the Same Mistakes as Me (2)

Soon, many nobles will join in, either voluntarily or by force.

Even before I died, the Emperor’s five sons were trash that would receive the highest rating if there was a verification committee. Seeing how they all raped Daisy after she married in, it’s obvious without even looking.

Among them, the 3rd Prince is the worst. Even if it was political, to share the woman who would become his wife with his brothers, should this be called strong brotherly love? Damn it.

“What about the relationship with Azot Kingdom?”

“Herduke Duke is handling that well. I’ve met him a few times, and he’s a pretty decent old man. As long as the new Emperor doesn’t come in and change the foreign policy, it won’t get worse.”

“That’s a relief.”

At least the diplomatic relations I had managed to improve were being maintained at their previous levels. I definitely owe Herduke Duke a debt now.

“What’s the overall situation?”

“From your perspective, it’s probably incredibly bad. Orknesia’s hearing will start soon, and according to what I’ve personally found out, the conclusion of the hearing has already been made. I won’t tell you what it is.”

Damn it!

Aila is the head of a massive information organization that spans the entire Empire.

What she says must be true.

And…… there’s one person’s name that comes to mind as soon as I hear the explanation.

The monster whose identity even Brandiego didn’t reveal.

“Artshever is behind everything, right? So what have you been doing?”

Aila was definitely hired by me and promised to stop Artshever if he plotted against the Duke when she headed to the Imperial Capital. But what is this? It’s not unreasonable to think that she cooperated with him instead of stopping him.

She stared at me for a moment, then lowered her head and sighed.

“Haa. I’m ashamed. My credibility seems to be hitting rock bottom these days. I did my best to stop it. But I couldn’t help the overwhelming tide. I waited for you to come back, somehow managing the situation. That’s reaching its limit too. As you know, I don’t have much influence I can exert in the outside world.”

“If you’re saying that…… Okay. I won’t press you. So, what was that bastard doing?”

“After we fought, he went to the Imperial Capital and started enthusiastically helping Duke Mujaindos. It’s safe to say that helping here means manipulating. And I also investigated the whereabouts of his colleagues that I saw at that time. A new Legion Commander has been appointed to the Western Army’s Legion directly under the Salain Dukedom. He’s a hearty middle-aged man who’s good with a halberd. Who could it be?”

“There’s only one person it could be. Baius Extoria. Oh, right. What about Redbane?”

“He’s alive. Why?”

Aila tilted her head as if asking why, but her eyes were smiling. It’s a little annoying to see her acting like this when she knows the intention behind my question.

“Don’t act like that just because you’re curious about what I don’t know. You have no merits other than being cute.”

“Hmm. Success.”

“What?”

“I looked cute, didn’t I? Ehehe!”

“Oh my, you’re playing cute.”

I flicked Aila’s head, who winked. Naturally, she pretended to be hurt.

“Heeing! That hurts!”

“Be quiet, and how did you know?”

“I investigated it because it was annoying that I didn’t know what you knew. I found out quickly.”

“What about Silvan Harcian?”

“There was a report that he was seen heading north from the Penkeal Republic around September. The information before that is complicated, but it’s roughly as follows: He left the Shadowless Desert with a few of his close aides. That area was unified by Silvan Harcian. The latest information I heard right before I left the Imperial Capital two weeks ago was that he was in Edikinz. Roughly speaking, that’s in the direction of Azot Kingdom.”

“Azot Kingdom? Isn’t this limited to the Empire?”

I spoke without mentioning the subject, but Aila understood. It would be strange if Artshever wasn’t plotting anything at this point.

Aila spoke with a dissatisfied tone.

“The Empire is the center and the origin of everything. This is the truth, but I still don’t know what he’s plotting. I couldn’t find out. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t even grasp what his purpose is.”

I nodded at Aila’s words. No matter how much I think about it, I have no idea what he’s thinking. I wish I knew what his purpose is. Damn it.

Then, Lucy (Male), who had been listening, spoke.

“Come to think of it, didn’t those guys mention one more person’s name? Li, Lipe something?”

“Referndi.”

“Thanks, Al. We haven’t seen them yet, but it seems like they have more colleagues?”

“I know that too. But there are more than ten people named Referndi in the Imperial Capital alone. That’s what I found out before I came here. And all of them were living ordinary lives. There was even a vegetable vendor.”

“Is that such a common name? Oh, well. It’s a word that appears in old documents.”

“Yes. It means ‘life and death’.”

At this moment, the people who were well-versed in ancient language and those who were not were divided.

Namia, Lucy (Male), and Aila nodded with expressions of understanding, while the rest nodded with expressions of “Oh, I see.” I was, of course, the latter.

Tsk. I don’t know anything about ancient languages except for some common words.

“Now, now, let’s get back to the topic. Artshever is behind everything, and only one of his possibly delightful colleagues is missing, right?”

“That’s right. Artshever’s true purpose is still shrouded in mystery, but I have a rough idea of his immediate goal.”

“What is it?”

Aila didn’t answer and handed me a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“The current power game structure among the nobles of the Imperial Capital. And a simple prediction.”

Power game.

Simply put, it’s a power struggle.

The rules are simple. Use your power and influence to suppress your opponent, and you win.

The picture, with its large and small circles, arrows, solid lines, and dotted lines, had the effect of instantly enhancing my understanding. There’s no place where these power game predictions are more accurate than in noble society.

No matter how much I tried not to believe it, the structure and development, imbued with so much realism, were a more certain belief than anything else.

I was speechless at the ‘simple’ prediction.

“Damn it……”

“As you can see, the Salain family is leading the charge, accusing Orknesia of treason. That’s how the situation has been unfolding so far. As you can see, the 3rd Prince will ascend to the throne in about two weeks. And Orknesia will be dealt with as a celebratory gift for the new Emperor and a traitor of the old era.”

“Is there a way to overturn this?”

“A powerful noble needs to support another candidate for Emperor and engage in a boisterous, chaotic power game. Assuming they win, of course. But currently, the other Princes aren’t really in a position to be considered candidates. The 3rd Prince is the most competent.”

They are brothers who are close enough to share women, but they are also people who want to monopolize the throne. And if there’s a superior one among them, it’s the 3rd Prince……

Ugh, this is different from my memory too. Before, the 1st Prince or the 2nd Prince were much better. The 5th Prince was the smartest.

Artshever, you intervened in my timeline quite a lot, didn’t you?

I handed the power game structure to someone else and crossed my arms.

There’s a good reason why Aila is showing me all this, and as always, I can guess that reason. Because it’s the relationship between her and me.

“Okay. What’s your advice?”

“I don’t know if it’s appropriate for me to say this, but as it stands, there’s no way to clear Orknesia’s charges, no matter what method you use. Unless you massacre all the nobles in the Imperial Capital. But that’s not what you want, is it?”

Aila’s golden eyes flashed.

It seems she has already come up with countermeasures while waiting for a week. And that’s a huge help to me.

I nodded.

“I’ll listen.”

“I like how quick you are. If you can’t clear the charges, if you can’t prove innocence, there’s only one way left. Admit to the charges.”

“Just verbally?”

“Wow! Risel, your understanding has become incredibly fast! Of course, what good would it be to just admit verbally? If you’re going to admit it, you have to admit it with your whole body.”

“Heh, easy for you to say.”

Admit to treason with your whole body. Simply put, it means this. Teacher, please explain.

“Are you…… suggesting we start a rebellion, Aila?”

“Rebellion? No. From the perspective of the one doing it, it’s a revolution. Mwahahaha!”

Aila put her hands on her hips and spoke boldly. Well, if a rebellion succeeds, it becomes a revolution. History tells us that, right?

I racked my brain.

There are two main ways to overturn a power game.

One is to focus on the areas where you have an advantage over your opponent and thoroughly counterattack, leading to a complete reversal within the game. Of course, it requires a huge turnaround, a gamble, and it comes with enormous benefits if successful.

The other is a very brutal method.

No matter how big the game is, if you flip the table, the game is ruined. And the game ends at the same time.

It’s breaking the game from outside the game.

In the current situation, the former is impossible.

My opponent, Artshever, has the backing of the Salain Dukedom, and a considerable number of nobles follow the Salain Dukedom.

Compared to that, I have no power base, and as the son of a traitor—suspect—I can’t overturn that game in a short period of time. Even if I’m the ‘Knight of Light who saved the Imperial Capital,’ I can’t overturn this.

Giving up on the game doesn’t make sense in the first place.

In the end, I have no choice but to smash the game table.

“Damn it, the conclusion is too obvious, isn’t it?”

“Have you decided?”

“Tsk. With factions that will stand by and watch even if they can’t help, and plenty of people to help, what’s there to be afraid of? Okay. Let’s flip the board!”

“Wow! As expected of Risel! I love how refreshing you are!”

Aila clapped lightly. That made me realize there was only one person in this room who was on my side.

“W, wait a minute. Risel, are you thinking of becoming a traitor?”

“That’s right. Hey, think about it carefully. A traitor! If a person takes the wrong path, they’ll suffer for the rest of their life!”

“Um, Hyung-nim, please reconsider……”

“I agree.”

“I want to stop you too.”

I completely ignored the quintet trying to stop me.

To deal with Artshever, ordinary methods won’t work. Because he’s already extraordinary, and the methods he uses are extraordinary.

There’s only one way to fight against the unconventional.

To use the unconventional.

I shook my head firmly and spoke confidently.

“Enough! Everyone be quiet. There’s a justification. The crime of framing innocent people for treason, neglecting the lives of the people, and engaging in factional fights among themselves, leading to the impoverishment of the people’s lives! This Empire is already rotten! To set things right, we’re starting a revolution!”

“You don’t even have an army?”

“Lucy (Male), you don’t seem to know where you are. There are 500,000 soldiers of the Eastern Army here.”

“Think about the Gray Forest. How do you plan to deal with the monsters there?”

“Ah, there’s a way to deal with that too. We’re fully prepared.”

“Hey, what kind of preparations can you have for something you decided on so suddenly?”

I scoffed at Lucy (Male)’s words.

Brandiego, did you foresee this too? Did you create Hajifsia knowing this?

“Hyung-nim, there’s a more realistic problem. Orknesia’s vassals won’t follow you, will they?”

“I agree.”

Joey and Al unanimously ignored me. No, I can’t call it ignoring when they’re pointing out the reality. Still, it hurts a little to be pointed out like that.

I grinned at them. From the moment I made up my mind, my head has been churning out all sorts of plans.

“I have no intention of forcing those who don’t follow me to follow me. More than anything, there’s someone they currently follow. We need to make them follow that person.”

“Orknesia?”

Namia tilted her head and asked at my words. I smirked and nodded.

“Yes. That’s right. Duke Ecaledon Uck Herduke of Orknesia, unable to bear any more corruption and false accusations, takes up his sword against the Imperial family he has been loyal to, with tears of blood in his eyes. The conclusion of this entire scenario will be the Herduke family establishing a new dynasty. Mwahahaha!”

I bent over and laughed excitedly.

It’s really too much, even though it’s the conclusion I came to.

Have I become a big shot enough to start a war, as Herduke Duke said?

Levidian panicked and grabbed my arm.

“Ri, Risel, calm down. Think more rationally.”

“Levidian.”

“Yes?”

I grabbed both of her arms. And I met her gaze. My reflection in her eyes, with a hardened expression, looked young.

Truly cold words escaped my mouth.

“It’s difficult to be any more rational. Do you think I lack loyalty? If today, one year ago, and today were not so different, I would have been content. However, the tomorrow I wished for will not come. The situation in the Imperial Capital is already irreversible. The Emperor is dead, and all that remains is trash.”

People were silent, listening to my words.

When you become infinitely cold, everything starts to feel strangely pleasant. Because it’s incredibly refreshing to be able to decisively draw the line without a single hesitation.

But that refreshing feeling is an icy wind that freezes and scratches your heart, making it ache.

Because the conclusion reached with such coldness can’t possibly be warm.

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