My head is spinning.

That earlier proposal to privatize the 30th Division was shocking enough.

But now? A sudden, unexpected wave of worship…

An utterly ridiculous suggestion of commanding five divisions and overseeing the research department, and the Second Prince just accepting it like it’s normal!

Seriously, how chaotic can things get?

I started to wonder if these guys were playing a late April Fool’s joke or if they were serious at this point.

But then again, I’ve dealt with bizarre situations before.

So, I took a deep breath, cleared my head, and tried to look at the situation calmly.

And I made a judgment.

It was clear that the Second Prince’s intentions and my understanding were a bit misaligned.

“I mean, handing a personal army to someone I’ve just met for two days? That’s insanity.”

Somehow, it all felt a bit off-kilter.

Still, he was the prince, after all—a talented, elite one at that.

And what about the 30th Division? How many soldiers are in that lot?

Forcing all of them to swear by their mana… that didn’t sound normal at all.

So, the earlier demand for absolute loyalty might be something meant for the instigators and leaders only—the eight knights and the division commander.

When I thought of it that way, it started to make sense.

Absolute obedience rather than just leadership?

If I betrayed the Empire and declared war, the 30th Division would have to wail and follow my orders out of sheer obligation?

There’s no way they’d hand over that kind of power so easily!

Yep, I must’ve misunderstood something along the way. Yet…

Footsteps approached.

Very disciplined, synchronized marching steps.

A massive vibration. Hundreds of troops were coming my way from the distance. The division commander was explaining the situation in front of them…

Thousands of soldiers were swearing absolute loyalty to me with their mana. An utterly unbelievable situation.

But the strangeness didn’t stop there.

A summon order came through communications.

Big shots from the Imperial Army hastily made their way to me at Renyah’s command.

It was a ridiculous lineup, even including people I recognized from the last work. They were bowing before me!

While the 30th Division was forced to swear the loyalty oath due to their crimes, it was quite unreasonable to impose such a tyrannical act on all other units.

Renyah might have mentioned it.

“But at least there should be some safety measures in place.”

Now, I had to monitor and supervise their actions.

To prevent those with something to hide from retaliating against me, I needed them to swear individual oaths.

In such a capacity, I received oaths from their leaders.

Now, they couldn’t directly or indirectly harm me.

One-tenth of the Imperial Army.

And just like that, I had neutralized them with a few words.

Some even completely fell under my control.

And considering the information, strategies, and potential technologies I could extract from overseeing them… I’d be gaining an enormous advantage.

This was just too good to be true.

The First Prince’s assassination.

That was just getting rid of a troublesome nuisance for me. But Renyah probably thought I’d risk my life and successfully pull off the assassination.

My talent. My achievements at this age were so significant…

A once-in-a-lifetime genius who could flip the Empire’s history on its head.

Surely, it’d be strange not to consider him someone worth befriending at any cost.

Though I could somewhat explain the reasoning behind such actions, I still felt a tad bewildered by it all.

I looked at Renyah with a questioning expression.

“I’m in a good spot, but seriously, is this genuine?”

Sending vibes like, “Are you sure you won’t regret this later?”

I mean, I saw the division commander panicking when he dropped that bizarre proposal.

But Renyah’s reaction remained unfazed.

“I just kept my promise. Didn’t I say I’d support and protect you in every way possible?”

With that, Renyah laughed heartily.

Not a hint of deception in his smile. He probably genuinely believed that.

Unexpected events certainly unfolded, but he thought it’s not a big deal. If he kept his promise for me, then it was only natural for me to act likewise.

Truly an audacious step.

His demeanor projected a rare confidence. I could feel the royal attitude radiating from him.

Just one caveat.

I was about to become an enemy of the emperor, and here he was, showing kindness and tolerance towards the enemy… but hey, good things are good, right?

Renyah’s happiness believing he’d earned my trust and my joy from indirectly gaining the Imperial Army and their tech made it all worth it.

A minor issue? Let’s just ignore that for now.

*

The Imperial Palace was more raucous than ever.

The political situation was shifting wildly.

As a result, secret messages flitted here and there.

Opportunists gleamed with excitement, while those wanting to maintain the status quo were sighing in exasperation.

It was truly a time of upheaval.

However, one remarkable point remained…

All this chaos was actually caused by just one person.

A boy who still had two years before reaching adulthood.

Yet he was already revealed as an extraordinary genius with mastery over swordsmanship.

In just one day, he seized unchecked power and reached a position where he could control everyone around him. He’s even under the protection of the Second Prince now.

Rumors say… he might even be the Second Prince’s hidden child, truly putting him at the center of events.

That boy… is me.

‘Imagining how Ruby would freak out at this…’

Infiltrations are usually supposed to be quiet and subtle.

But rumors of me being the Second Prince’s illegitimate spawn or a deadly weapon developed in secrecy were flying around.

Literally every rumor you can think of was circulating. I’d say there’s hardly anyone in the Empire who doesn’t know my name.

The Empire seemed to be worried about the spread of the Black Fangs and the deteriorating public opinion. So, during this rare boon, they were riding high…

The talent sent down from the heavens for the Empire!

A genius knight to take down the wicked Black Fangs!

Every sort of article was coming out.

As someone who knew the truth, those articles felt ironically amusing every time I read them.

My identity was spreading like wildfire.

But even considering that, things were still better than expected.

People wanting to hop on the rising sun’s coattails are always around. More folks wanted to build connections with me than I thought.

When I casually mentioned “water,” it not only got hands poured out politely but had them sprinting like dogs all the way to the Great Forest’s spring and back again!

Getting such people to bend to my will was a piece of cake.

Not only could I dig up various pieces of information…

I could also promise a grand trick by making them think they’re entering a non-existent line, coercing them into siding with me in the upcoming war through a clever mana oath.

I was definitely cashing in on some sweet gains.

‘And, more importantly, I had access to the secret research facility.’

Fundamentally, a place I shouldn’t be able to enter.

But there I was, strutting around like I owned the place.

In a normal scenario, I would’ve probably been stopped and punished long ago. Yet, nobody came to catch me.

They all pretended they didn’t see me.

I didn’t even need to think hard to realize why.

I was seen as the most likely next emperor’s off-spring.

– Sure, being doubted for my questionable private life did put a damper on things… but, to avoid suspicions about my identity, it’s actually quite convenient for me to be in this position.

I even received explicit permission from the prince.

Technically speaking, I was practically a public figure now, almost an unofficial prince.

If there’s someone daring enough to cite principles against such a figure, that’d be a sight to behold.

As such, there was no one to stop me anywhere I wandered. It was an excellent condition for searching for Yuli.

‘Though luck hasn’t been on my side lately…’

Yuli was likely around here somewhere.

Since it hadn’t been long since the search had started, I figured I’d eventually catch a lead.

And it wasn’t just Yuli I was after. The hero’s corpse must also be hidden somewhere around here.

Definitely that footage from back then.

They said the hero’s body was used to bind the God of Light.

If the status window got messed up because of that, and if the God of Light was unable to do anything in this messy world for that reason…

Then when I cut that binding, I might be able to gain a solid ally. Plus, I might also get a bit of AS for that busted status window.

‘Well, I still haven’t a clue where either is at the moment.’

It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t feeling a bit lost.

But I’ve got to take it step by step, one foot at a time.

While I was lost in thought and walking, I suddenly felt a gentle touch. Someone had blocked my path.

I mean, it was obvious what was about to happen…

And the girl I bumped into fell to the ground.

Lost in my other thoughts, I hadn’t seen it coming.

Quickly, I grabbed her hand and helped her up while preparing to apologize… at least I planned to.

But before I could, I found myself speechless.

Radiant, golden hair.

Deep, azure eyes.

In other words, a symbol of royalty.

Yet, those traits didn’t even register in my mind at that moment.

Because her face was all too familiar.

Ten years later, still possessing those recognizable features.

‘…Yuli?’

The girl I’d been searching for so passionately was now right in front of me.