Ranker's Return

Chapter 928

“Hey, hit me.” Hyeonu suddenly poked Yeongchan’s face. Yeongchan swung his palm without hesitation.

Slap!

A loud hitting sound came from Hyeonu’s face.

“It is real.” Hyeonu didn’t react much. It was as if he didn’t feel any pain. He just rubbed his cheeks a few times.

‘Is he really crazy?’ Yeongchan stared at Hyeonu like he was a madman. Hyeonu didn’t seem to know pain despite being slapped pretty hard on the cheek. It meant he had lost his senses due to the video in front of him.

“You don’t believe the emperor was hurt?”

Hyeonu nodded at Yeongchan’s question. “You don’t know what a horrible monster the emperor is.”

Seeing and experiencing it directly was a different story from experiencing it indirectly such as by watching videos or hearing about it.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for him to fight and lose to the five guardians...’ Hyeonu still didn’t believe it. The emperor he knew was never someone who would lose to the five guardians.

‘I don’t know if it might be enough when first seeing them.’

Of course, the story would change if it were the five guardians who used the magic power of the magic power stones in the past. However, the iceberg in the middle world had no magic power. Ragand’s memory might have the knowledge of the magic power stones, but it was clear that Edward was a long way away from reproducing it.

‘For now, I should find out directly.’

Nevertheless, it was foolish to be overly confident. The video that Hyeonu saw wasn’t very accurate.

‘It wasn’t even shot properly.’

The player who filmed the video hadn’t captured the battle properly. There were many parts in the middle that were blurry, perhaps because it was shot from too far away. This was despite the fact that this video of the battle was the best that had been filmed.

“Hey, I’m going.” Hyeonu shot up from the couch and ran to his room.

***

Hyeonu received the rewards from Callioraks, said a brief goodbye, and immediately left the demon world. He had no reason to spend more time in the demon world. There was another much more urgent matter. It wasn’t the time to relax.

“Teacher. Are you here, Teacher?”

The place Hyeonu hurried to after leaving the demon world was Lebron’s mansion in the capital.

“I’m not deaf. Be quiet.” Lebron stood up with a frown from where he was sitting in the middle of the training hall.

“This isn’t the time to be meditating leisurely, Teacher. It is serious.” Hyeonu made a fuss as he approached Lebron.

The emperor was severely injured. This was a crisis for the empire. It wasn’t the time for Lebron to be so relaxed. This was the superficial reason, but Hyeonu’s inner thoughts were different.

‘I have to make sure the emperor is really hurt.’

This way, he could make a judgment on the situation. How should he move forward?

“What is the serious problem? Are you talking about His Majesty being hurt?”

Lebron was calm. He was the complete opposite of Hyeonu. He didn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that the emperor was injured.

“Why are you so calm?”

Lebron’s excessively calm attitude influenced Hyeonu. The emotions he had been trying to pull up cooled down.

Lebron continued, “What is the point of getting agitated? Nothing will change by becoming angry. You have to be more composed than anyone else. That is the only way we can stop bugs from rushing in without knowing the subject.”

It was perfect. This was an irrefutable argument.

‘It is natural since I have been thinking about it for a few days.’

It was a natural thing. Shortly after hearing the emperor’s plan, Lebron thought of an excuse to give Hyeonu. There could be no flaws.

“How is His Majesty’s condition? Is the condition as serious as the rumors?”

Finding no loopholes in Lebron’s words, Hyeonu changed the conversation topic and asked what he was most curious about.

“It’s serious. A curse means the injury isn’t healed,” Lebron replied while struggling to lower his lips that wanted to rise.

Hyeonu’s intentions seemed obvious. It was natural to ask about the emperor’s status, but the story was a bit different if the person in question was Hyeonu. Something else was mixed in.

“It isn’t healing? Suped can solve it if it is a curse. If not, how many temples are there in the capital...”

“Of course, it won’t last forever. Suped said he can lift the curse in half a month. The temples said it is possible in a month.”

“Half a month and a month? That is a relief,” Hyeonu replied with a sigh. He seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief, but in fact, he was sighing out of pity.

‘I wish it could never be fixed.’

In his heart, he wanted the emperor to be in this state for the rest of his life. That way, Hyeonu could always aim for the position of emperor. He didn’t think he would be able to win even after a few years.

‘I’m going to have to stir him up.’ Lebron smiled inwardly.

Now was the time. It was the moment to make Hyeonu’s heart shake.

“A relief? Really?” Lebron asked while making eye contact with Hyeonu.

With an odd expression, Hyeonu asked back, “Why are you asking the obvious? I’m naturally glad to hear it. His Majesty is the pillar of the empire. He must recover soon.”

‘What? Why is he saying this?’ Hyeonu’s mind was a mess. He couldn’t figure out Lebron’s purpose for saying that. Nonetheless, Hyeonu didn’t let it show on the surface. He pretended like he didn’t know anything at all.

“Opportunities don’t come often in life. The first might be the last.” Lebron gave Hyeonu a meaningful smile and turned to leave the training hall.

Then Lebron turned around and spoke one last time to Hyeonu, “I am going to train for a month, so don’t find me.”

Left alone, Hyeonu eventually went out of Lebron’s mansion.

***

‘For a month... He is going to confine himself to his own home for a month?’

“What is he thinking?” Hyeonu repeatedly reflected on these words ever since leaving Lebron’s mansion.

What did Lebron mean by that? He had to know.

‘What is the point of one month?’

One month was a vague period of time. It was a really short amount of time for NPCs who weren’t players. Not much change could be seen with this amount of training.

‘One month... One month… One month...!’

Hyeonu finally realized what it meant.

‘He means he will close his eyes completely.’

Lebron spoke in a roundabout manner that he would stand by and do nothing.

‘It means I have to unconditionally do it within half a month...’

Thinking about it, this opportunity would never come again. He didn’t know when the emperor would receive an injury like this again. There was also no guarantee that Lebron would ignore everything the next time.

‘Yes, let’s meet the emperor and think about it again.’

Hyeonu was still suspicious though. So he was going to make a decision after seeing the emperor in person and figuring out his condition.

‘It is a gamble where I have to bet everything. I have to double-, triple-check.’

It was natural for Hyeonu to be so cautious. Starting a rebellion was a gamble where Hyeonu would risk everything he had built up in the empire. If he were to fail, he would have to leave for places without the emperor’s influence, such as the League of Different Species or the demon world.

‘How much money did I put into the territory...?’

Hyeonu shook his head vigorously before moving toward the imperial palace, which wasn’t far from Lebron’s mansion. He soon arrived at the imperial palace and carefully went inside.

‘It looks like something is really happening.’

The atmosphere of the imperial palace was somber. There had always been a quiet atmosphere, but it was quite different now. Hyeonu quickly arrived at the great hall where the emperor was.

“Your Majesty, can I come in?” Hyeonu carefully informed the emperor that he had arrived.

“Come in,” a small voice came from inside the great hall.

Hyeonu slowly entered the great hall. The emperor was sitting buried in his throne as usual, but his complexion was bad. He was pale, and one of his shoulders was dyed black.

‘Is that the curse?’ Hyeonu confirmed that the emperor’s appearance in the video that he saw was not a lie.

“I came running quickly when I heard that Your Majesty’s noble body had a problem. Is your noble body healthy and comfortable?” Hyueonu bowed down deeply.

“Healthy and comfortable... Do I look like that in your eyes, Duke?” The emperor looked at Hyeonu with half-closed eyes.

“I know that the rumors are true,” Hyeonu continued to speak without straightening his back from the bow. “What did Duke Suped say? Didn’t he find a way to lift the curse?”

Hyeonu lifted his body up and made eye contact with the emperor.

“He said it would take half a month. A day has passed so there are two weeks left.”

Hyeonu listened to the emperor and pretended to be surprised. He had already heard about it from Lebron, but he acted like it was his first time hearing it.

‘Lebron’s words were true.’

“Are the temples not doing anything?” Hyeonu pretended to be calm and continued the conversation.

“It is said that it is impossible with the power of the priests in the capital. It will take a month for such a priest to come from the Holy Kingdom.” The emperor smiled.

It looked like a sick man smiling.

‘It is definitely a curse.’

In the past, Callioraks told Hyeonu about the abilities of the guardians before attacking them in the demon world. He had clearly said that one of the guardians was proficient in curses.

‘Right now... I need to get in touch with them.’

The faces of some people popped up in Hyeonu’s mind. They were the faces of all the people he needed to talk to. Just then, the emperor spoke to Hyeonu in a slow and powerless voice, “Duke... Is everything okay?”

“I’m just sorry. If only I had remained in the north... There wouldn’t be such injuries on your noble body,” Hyeonu apologized rather than answering the emperor’s question. More than anyone else, he had to keep up a facade of being a loyal person because he had a dark heart.

“How could that be your fault? It is better not to think about that. You wouldn’t know what would happen if you were there.” The emperor shook his head.

Hyeonu’s words were ridiculous. It was a really low level act to blame someone who wasn’t present.

“Duke, I would also like to say to you that if you want to take responsibility, you have to be strict about it. However, you also have to be clear what you are responsible for. It is only then that you can have people as subordinates.” The emperor seriously gave Hyeonu some advice as if to teach him.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Hyeonu bowed to the emperor again.

‘I heard this from Seokjung hyung-nim...’

The emperor’s advice wasn’t wrong. He would lose trust from the moment he lost the standards and acted as he liked.

“Go away. I’m tired.” The emperor waved his hand at Hyeonu while completely burying himself in the throne.

“Your Majesty, I pray for your recovery.”

The moment Hyeonu left the great hall, the emperor raised his body. There was a strong vitality in his eyes even though he seemed to have little energy just a moment ago. At the same time, a rainbow-colored bear appeared behind the emperor. The bear nestled in the arms of the emperor and shook his head several times.

“Don’t whine. You’ll be able to get out of here in a few days...” The emperor smiled and stroked the bear’s head. The emperor’s shoulder, which had been dyed black, was suddenly the same color as the rest of the skin on his body.

“The fearful fox has finally taken the bait.”

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