CHAPTER 81: TO NEW BEGINNINGS [3]

****

"Kaiser Vanguard, you have been brought in front of His Majesty today on charges of treason. Do you accept them?"

Murmurs erupted through the crowds.

The last time Kai had been in the royal palace, he was treated as a hero, praised by nobles, and showered with love.

But now they all scorned him.

"I knew something was odd about him."

"Hero, my ass."

Kai smiled as he moved the handcuffs slightly.

Neko-sensei had been trapped in prison for attacking the royal guards, and because he said so, his friends didn’t do anything even when he was sent to the prison meant for the worst criminals — for three months.

All for what?

Killing a noble’s son, who was terrorizing the academy.

Yes, he could have saved everyone and handed the boy over to the guards. Yes, he could have just looked the other way. But he had already warned Derick that the next time he tried anything, he would die.

Knowing full well that the high-rankers and nobles would still exempt him from all charges, Kai had to kill the fly before it hovered over his food again.

Kai parted his lips, the crowd’s whispers growing further audible. "I accept."

The Emperor stared at him with malicious pity, then grinned. "I do want to execute you..." He paused. "But as the good ruler that I am, I will give you another chance."

He raised his voice so loud that it reached the ends of the large colosseum. "Kaiser Vanguard, serve me as my loyal servant and devote your life to me, then I will pardon you."

"No way, His Majesty is giving him a pardon?"

"I guess the brat is lucky."

’So that’s what Kylie meant by they won’t kill me,’ Kai mused, then looked up from his kneeling position.

He smiled with his bloodied face that still retained his handsomeness. "Then I acc..."

Kai’s words caught in his throat as his gaze shifted to the man who stood behind the Emperor.

A pale, fragile man with white hair and blue eyes. His face and features weren’t as noteworthy as Kai’s, but he was nevertheless handsome.

However, what drew Kai’s attention was the two people that the man held by the waist.

Two extremely beautiful women who twisted their faces, trying to hide their disgust.

Kai’s eyes widened as he gnashed his teeth. "Oi, take your filthy hands off them... before I permanently take them off myself."

The entire crowd stood still, confused by what the man was saying.

Kai finally understood the reason for the Emperor’s pardon.

It wasn’t because he was merciful or anything like that.

But because he had sold both his daughter and his best friend’s daughter, both of whom were in love with Kai, and whom he, too, reciprocated feelings for — off to a powerful ally.

The Emperor frowned. "What are you saying, Kai?"

The young man raised his shoulder, scorning Kai, while the two girls gave him a signal to stop.

But Kai didn’t listen.

He was ready to take any punishment that the empire gave him.

Death. Slavery. He was prepared for them all.

But the Emperor had crossed the line.

There were over a thousand women in the empire who were as beautiful as Reni and Amy, but the Emperor didn’t give them to his guest.

Kai even doubted his guest had picked the two girls out of coincidence.

Kai stood from where he knelt. The guard beside him twisted his face and raised his axe to chop off his arm.

It was a command from the Emperor.

To him, Kai was still useful, even with one arm.

The bracelet he wore was meant to stop not just his mana, but every energy in his body.

The guard was sure he could take an arm off the prodigy of the millennium.

Someone he couldn’t normally look in the eye.

The crowd waited in anticipation.

But what they saw afterward shook them to the bone.

The old guard’s head fell to the ground unnaturally slowly, rolling over again and again.

Kai took a step forward as the cuffs that bound him crumbled to dust.

He moved his mouth, and his words reverberated through the colosseum.

The nobles and guards alike trembled and flinched under his presence, which hadn’t even been released.

"Emperor Akaza, I think you have exhausted all your grace." His words sent shockwaves rippling through the very ground. "Your time is ticking. You have ten seconds."

The Emperor was perplexed by his words but soon grinned. He was protected by the barrier of eight A-ranks, there was no way that a single A-rank, no matter how monstrous he was, would break it.

And even daring to attack would mean he waged war against the empire. That meant, regardless of his decision, he would still have to obey the king after the three S-ranks in the colosseum oppressed him.

That was what all the nobles thought too.

But with a single clench of his palm, the head of one of the S-ranks behind the barrier — who stood directly next to the king — exploded.

"Your time is over. I gave you a chance. It was you lot that attacked what was mine first." He paused as he pointed his finger at the ground. "Now kneel."

As soon as he spoke, an overwhelming force fell on the colosseum as every single person, regardless of rank, age, or status, knelt on the floor.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part for most.

The two girls who stood next to pale man still stood on their feet as if unaffected by the pull.

With a flick of his finger, the barrier shattered into billions of fragments.

It was apparent at that moment.

They had messed with the wrong person.

A sleeping dragon who wanted to live a normal life.

****

In the dim room of the hospital, a single figure lay alone in the room as tears streamed down his cheeks.

[What happened, Kai?]

’Huh?’ Kai touched his cheeks, trying to figure out why exactly he was crying. ’Why am I crying?’

The dream he just had felt too real to actually be called a dream.

He moved his hands and clutched his chest tightly. ’Damn, it hurts.’

The sounds of a beeping monitor and the scent of roses brought back memories of his days before transmigration.

It was strangely comforting.

He inhaled the crisp morning air then exhaled heavily. ’Damn, I’m not a fan of NTR.’

[...]

Without wasting a second, he sprang from his bed, grabbed a hair tie, then tied his hair up and exited the hospital room.

Passing the nurses who were on night shift, he bowed slightly and stepped through the front door.

’What about some ramen or maybe kimchi.’ He pounded his fist against his palm. ’Ramen it is.’

Sliding his hand inside the pocket of his white hospital outfit, he slowly made his way to the nearby traditional restaurant.

’Alpha, could you send 10,000 Meltons to my main account?’

[Done]

’Thanks.’

After Kai had finished checking his stats, he proceeded to withdraw the money he had made from all the stocks and coins he invested in.

And even he was too tired to count the number of zeros he saw, all he knew was that if he were back on earth, he would have been a trillionaire.

But at the moment his mind was only preoccupied by one thought.

What exactly that dream... no, nightmare was?

Did it occur because he was unsure about his feelings toward Amy and Reni?

Or was it a way to caution him about the royal family or Derick?

He sighed. ’I don’t have anything to do with the royal family and I doubt I’ll meet them soon, so why?’

He shook his head. ’Best to focus on positive things for now, since I haven’t had any downtime since I entered this world.’

Then he clenched his fists tightly. ’This time I won’t take takeaway.’

School was about to resume, but for now, he just wanted to relax a bit.