Emperor Daed succeeded the throne at an early age and was hailed as the greatest sage among the emperors of Santea.
When he had just turned forty, his fifth child was born.
The child’s name was Grandios. The Emperor and Empress were overjoyed and blessed his future.
***
Since the time of the previous Emperor Daed, one problem had plagued the empire.
The savage tribe of beastmen that had settled in the mountains to the west of the empire.
For some time now, they have been raiding travelers, and by extension, neighboring villages and cities.
Previous emperors attempted to completely subdue them by mobilizing their forces, but they repeatedly failed.
Not only was the scale of the conflict beyond imagination, but the geographical problem was even greater.
Whenever the beastmen disappeared deep into the mountains, it always ended up with a vague and inconclusive conclusion to the war.
Emperor Daed, unable to resolve the source of the conflict the way his ancestors had, decided to try a different approach.
Instead of blindly brandishing swords and spears, he sought to understand the circumstances of the beastmen tribe and engage in peace conversation.
Regardless of their differences in appearance or values, Daed pursued the path of symbiosis rather than confrontation.
Despite his best efforts, communicating with the beastmen proved difficult, but he refused to give up.
Young Grandios naturally observed his father’s actions and was influenced by his values.
'The unity of the races. That is the starting point to make the world more peaceful.'
Although many races coexisted in Calderic, it was a system established through the power of the Overlord.
Grandios believed that there must be a way to achieve true harmony, not through forced power.
From that time on, Grandios devoted himself to studying and researching other races.
He sought to understand their characteristics, cultures, and values.
One day, Grandios presented to Emperor Daed the thoughts he had harbored for a long time.
[Father, what do you think about creating a dedicated residential area for the beastmen and taking some time to observe them?]
The beastmen were the most common race to be bought and sold as slaves.
In Santea, it had been impossible for beastmen to live among humans without attracting attention.
That’s why Grandios thought about gradually changing people’s perception.
It might be difficult to immediately change laws and institutions and bring about reforms, but he could free some of the beastmen slaves in the capital and allow them to live in freedom.
Perhaps it could even be an opportunity to open the hearts of the beastmen tribes in the mountains.
Emperor Daed was extremely pleased with Grandios’ idea and immediately put it into action.
They created beastmen residential areas in the city and gradually established an environment where they could interact with humans in a normal way.
Several years passed.
The plan for the beastmen residential areas seemed to be progressing fairly smoothly.
Grandios continued to contemplate ways to foster harmony with other races.
One day, the Overlord herself came to the capital from Calderic to discuss relations between the two nations.
Grandios and some of his brothers also participated in the talks alongside the Emperor.
During the discussions, the topic of the beastmen residential areas happened to come up, and the Overlord burst into laughter, holding her belly.
[What’s so funny, Overlord?]
[Well, how could I not find it amusing? To think there are sheeps who seriously ponder how to befriend wolves.]
In that moment, Grandios couldn’t control his emotions and raised his voice, almost shouting in front of the Overlord.
People turned pale, but the Overlord only smiled at him.
[An ideal that cannot be achieved is merely an ideal, Prince. Give up.]
Many years passed after that.
The beastmen on the mountain range were still causing trouble.
The period when there seemed to be some results from the efforts was short-lived.
Since there were no periodic large-scale subjugations like in the past, the damages became even greater.
There were increasing numbers of courtiers who argued that the emperor should abandon peaceful measures and subjugate the beastmen.
However, if they were to do so, everything that had been built up until now would become useless, and the relationships could never be restored. Thus, the emperor’s anguish deepened further.
[Is there still not enough time? What more can be done in the future?]
Grandios wandered the capital in frustration and eventually arrived at the beastmen district.
He witnessed human soldiers in charge of the district beating a young beastman to death.
There was no significant reason. It seemed that the young beastman had collided with patrolling soldiers while playing in the street.
Suddenly, Grandios felt fear and futility.
What if his efforts didn’t change anything?
What if even after making a change, everything would eventually return to square one after his death?
What if the idea that humans could live in harmony with other races was all wrong from the beginning...?
More time passed.
An imperial mage who intended to visit the western frontier fortress was killed in the beastmen ambush.
The mage was Grandios’ master, who had taught him magic and etiquette since he was young.
When Emperor Daed reached the age of seventy, he succumbed to a chronic illness he had been suffering from.
Originally, the Crown Prince was to succeed the throne, but he suddenly died for unknown reasons.
Those who were next in line for succession also died for various reasons over time.
And Grandios ascended to the throne.
There was no longer anyone to hinder Grandios, who had long been tightly grasping power.
His surviving siblings and relatives cursed him as a monster.
Grandios didn’t hesitate. The first thing he did after becoming the emperor was to exterminate the residents of the beastmen residential district.
Next, he mobilized his troops and initiated a large-scale subjugation of the inhabitants of the western mountains.
He forced other countries into war and used mass killing magic without hesitation, piling up mountains of their corpses using any means necessary.
As a result, the Empire suffered significant losses, but the beastmen that inhabited the mountains were ultimately eradicated.
Some said that it was the death of his master that made him like this, but that was not true.
Grandios did not feel anger towards the beastmen. He merely came to a realization.
What true peace he should pursue.
‘If only a world where only humans exist can be created.’
Grandios dreamt of such a world, not because he considered humans superior to other races.
The discord and conflict between humans and other races were not the fault of humans or those races.
It was simply because they were born that way. It was a simple truth.
Since he was born as a human, he had the right and privilege to exist only for humans.
Likewise, they also had the right to exist only for their own race. It was not selfish; it was only natural.
“Because I am human...”
Grandios muttered, looking up at the sky.
Justice was not divided into good and evil, but into victory and defeat.
He would make himself the ultimate victor of this battle as a human.
“Preparations are complete, Your Majesty.”
The mages who were preparing the magic circle spoke.
Spear Saint Cayden nodded and looked at Grandios.
Grandios lowered his gaze and stared at the wriggling mass in front of him.
***
The thunder spirit that appeared before our eyes had the appearance of a giant bird at first glance.
Kwa-rung!
The spirit emitted a menacing aura and released powerful lightning strikes.
Though it had no expression, its demeanor was clearly not friendly.
“What are you doing?”
I spoke to the motionless Thunder Lord.
The Thunder Lord slowly took steps toward the thunder spirit.
“It’s okay. I just want to be friends with you.”
The Thunder Lord spoke soothingly to the spirit, but the relentless lightning strikes became even fiercer.
Nevertheless, she struggled to break through the lightning strikes and continued to approach the spirit almost defenselessly.
If she had been any other race instead of an elf, she would have likely turned into ashes long ago.
I discreetly stepped back, increasing the distance between us.
Since I couldn’t let the Thunder Lord die, I prepared myself to intervene if necessary.
“Kruuuh!”
The distance between the Thunder Lord and the spirit narrowed by a few steps.
The Thunder Lord seemed to have suffered from internal injury as blood trickled from her mouth. Finally, she reached out her hand and made contact with the spirit.
As I watched the thunder spirit slowly withdraw its energy, I murmured softly.
“Did it work?”
Ah, this could be a flag.
Fortunately, despite my words, the spirit ultimately gathered all its energy and disappeared.
Exhausted, the Thunder Lord knelt down and sank to the ground.
[Lv. 95]
I looked up at the top of the Thunder Lord’s head. Her level had returned to its original state.
“Did you succeed in making a contract with the spirit?”
When I asked Thunder Lord, she nodded.
“Just barely. I’ve never seen a spirit so fierce before.”
“Well, it’s fortunate that you regained your strength.”
“Yes... I’m really relieved.”
Thunder Lord glanced at me and stood up.
“It looks like you’re injured.”
“It’s just a minor shock. I’ll recover quickly.”
“Then let’s move right away. We don’t have much time.”
She glared at me again.
***
Back in the northern part of the Great Forest, it was now Thunder Lord’s turn to find the Emperor, as planned.
She had been very reluctant to do so, saying that incurring the wrath of the spirits was inherently dangerous for an elementalist, but a promise was a promise.
Gooooo.
Thunder Lord, who had finished her preparations, extended her power to all the spirits in the area.
As I observed with my [Super Sensory], I could feel the spirits writhing in pain, and the Thunder Lord’s complexion grew darker.
“I never expected that the Second Lord would grant such a favor.”
The chief of staff looked at me with a strange gaze as he spoke.
From his perspective, the relationship between the Thunder Lord and me might seem peculiar.
Since it was going to take quite some time, the chief of staff and I were guarding her.
After what felt like a long time, the Thunder Lord opened her eyes and regained her energy as she spoke.
“I found it.”
“Really?”
“I felt an unfamiliar energy not far from here, towards the east. It must be the Emperor.”
We found it much faster than expected. With a distorted impression caused by severe aftereffects, she asked me.
“What is that energy exactly? Did the Emperor really join hands with the demons?”
“...Probably. We don’t have much time, so let’s move immediately.”
If the Thunder Lord had felt a demonic aura, did that mean the Emperor had truly taken action?
I felt the growing unease becoming more and more real.
We swiftly moved in the direction the Thunder Lord mentioned.
And after about half a day, we arrived in a dense forest.
In the distance, among the bushes, I gradually began to sense an unfamiliar energy.
A creepy, demonic aura that was unlike anything I had ever encountered before.
Oh no......!
Straining my vision to the maximum, I spotted the people there.
The Emperor, Spear Saint Cayden, and several mages.
The Emperor was standing in some kind of magic circle, accompanied by a conspicuous lump. As soon as I saw that, I shouted.
“Thunder Lord, attack him! Quickly!”
Upon hearing me, the Thunder Lord summoned a spirit.
A massive lightning bolt shot out and struck right where the Emperor was.
