Alveiro Velburn, the man who’d succeeded the twenty-third emperor, Yuki. Since the Magical War Games had ended, a flood of tasks had poured in, and as the new ruler, he had been working without rest. Now that things had finally settled down to some extent, he had some free time, so he ventured into a place he had long wanted to visit: the room of the former emperor, Shendra.
It had also been used by Demon Emperor Yuki. Before his use, a cursory investigation had been conducted and the room ultimately left mostly as it had been during Shendra’s time. Supposedly, Yuki himself had rarely used the room, and staff only entered it occasionally for cleaning. Despite feeling somewhat apprehensive, Alveiro had received permission from Shendra when the two had met in the demon world. “You’re free to organize it however you like.” Those had been his words. So he stepped inside, reminding himself that he had permission and that it was necessary to check it out himself.
“...”
The room was filled with research equipment, books, specimens, and magical devices. It hardly looked like a space belonging to an emperor. A hundred out of a hundred people who saw it would call it a researcher’s room. Although haphazardly scattered, the objects were arranged in a certain order, reflecting Shendra’s personality, which made Alveiro smile wryly.
The former emperor valued practicality and logic above all else, so anything he judged to be trivial would be put off, sometimes left neglected indefinitely. It was a result of his ability to compartmentalize what was and wasn’t his job. He had likely adopted that way of life because time was limited and he couldn’t handle everything himself. That also explained why a closer inspection of the room, which had looked cluttered at first glance, revealed that the important items were organized and well maintained.
Alveiro had heard that Shendra had rarely allowed butlers or maids into his room, so it had likely been left as it was due to that habit. With deep emotion filling him, he walked around, picking up a few objects before eventually finding himself before a door leading to an adjacent room, separate from the main one. He opened it and stepped inside. This new room was unusually spacious for the castle’s structure. In fact, it shouldn’t have even existed in this location according to the blueprints.
The labyrinth zone, he thought to himself.
However, the numerous bookshelves and the books crammed into them made it feel cramped despite its size. Additionally, there was something that stood out. A throne.
“This is...”
He had heard of it. This was the room that had existed since the time of the first emperor, and the throne had also existed since then. The origin of this country.
Alveiro traced his fingers along the heavy stone armrest, and then he sat down. It felt...so...heavy. Just sitting here, a heavy weight seemed to press down on him. Great responsibility and great pressure.
“Haah... I’m not yet worthy of being emperor, eh?”
His current self had nowhere near the power demanded by that seat. Therefore, he had to strive to become worthy. To acquire the dignity befitting an emperor.
Chaos enveloped the world at the moment. And time marched ever forward, turning the present into the past, into history, and swallowing the empire along with it. The current was fierce. However, since he had been inevitably swept into it, as the captain of his country, it was his duty to guide the ship. The large vessel passing beside them navigated the waves easily, plowing ahead steadily. Its crew worked together perfectly to operate it. Then there was his ship. Although its performance wasn’t awful, the crew members’ hearts were scattered. Some looked to the right, others to the left, while a few were distracted by other ships. The way things were going, their ship would surely capsize.
We can’t be left behind by the times. I must unite the crew and navigate these turbulent waters. That is my mission as the new emperor.
“Good grief... What a horrible time to take on the role,” Alveiro said with a chuckle, steeling himself for what lay ahead.