Masked Knight

Chapter 165: The Skeleton Becomes Emperor

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Emperor Abbas XI was sitting with a blank look on his face. However, he was conscious and there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.

The Emperor met with the two factions in a small hall near the bedroom.

The only person not present was the Pope, Corsica VI.

This was because the servant who conveyed His Majesty’s words said, "This is the internal affairs of the Royal Family. Thank you for the concern, but it is best if the Pope does not interfere." These words meant: This is a family problem. Stop being a busybody, and go away.

The Pope was still doubtful, but before he left, he was so angry that his face turned white. When Sky saw this and almost burst out laughing.

The Emperor’s eyes were calm and he was neither happy nor angry. Everyone stood in front of the Emperor waiting for him, but he first looked at the Empress and said, "Empress. You don’t look well. I suggest you go and take a rest first."

The words ‘don’t look well’ made the Empress almost faint from fright.

The Emperor ran his eyes over her body, not slowing down anywhere to dwell on it at all.

Disgust seemed to show in his eyes.

The frightened Empress looked around and realized that the man that had always been protecting her was no longer around. She left with a deathly pale face.

The room was filled with silence. They had originally thought that the Emperor would be furious and would punish either one of the two factions. However, the Emperor remained calm and seemed to be waiting for everyone to start feeling uneasy before he opened his mouth and spoke in a strange voice, "It’s a big mess now. Recall the armies."

The Commander of the Central Cavalry, Barry, trembled in fright and stammered, "I will o-o-obey!"

The Emperor looked at him lightly and said, "Go. Go back to the barracks, and then just do whatever is necessary."

Barry left the emperor's sleeping quarters. A cold wind blew, and he trembled and thought to himself. His Majesty did not kill me? Privately mobilizing the army to commandeer the defenses of the Imperial Capital, and invading the palace is … however you see it, it is a crime punishable by the death penalty!

"Your Majesty!" Garoline spoke as the corners of his mouth trembled. Just as he wanted to continue speaking, the Emperor shook his head and smiled. "Marquis Garolline. What do you want to say?"

He then slowly spoke in a relaxed manner, "Do you want to tell me that everything that happened today is a misunderstanding? Do you want to tell me that you are afraid of the Empress’ schemes and led the army to invade the palace? Do you want to tell me that the Empress planned to usurp my throne after I die? Do you want to say that you only wanted to defend the dignity of the Thorn Flower Family? Do you want to say that all your actions today is from your loyalty to me and the Empire?"

Garoline’s expression became more fearful as each word struck home. After the Emperor had finished speaking, Garoline had cold sweat streaming down his head, and he could not say a single word.

Without changing his expression, the Emperor then waved his hand and lazily said, "Alright, alright. Look at all the sweat on your face. Is it that hot in here? This mess here is truly a bit excessive, but now everything has passed. Everybody, return to your posts."

Everyone was astounded.

Some of them had even thought to themselves. Has the Emperor gone crazy after his illness?

Nicole’s eyes grew wide and thought to herself. Could it be that the Emperor doesn’t know that the child in the Empress’ stomach was is his?

The Emperor gently coughed twice. He then glanced at Prince Barond and loudly said, "This incident has passed. Barond. You should also go back… Ah. However, your mansion was already destroyed, and you don’t have anywhere to stay in. How about this. There is a Royal Manor outside the city. You can live there." He paused for a moment and then called out, "Gordon!"

Gordon immediately came in from outside the room and knelt down on one knee.

The Emperor laughed and said, "Gordon. Prince Barond will live in the Royal Manor outside the city. Take a group of guards to protect him there. If anything happens to him, I will chop off your head. Understand?"

A glint flashed in Gordon's eyes as he shouted to signify that he understood.

The Emperor yawned and then casually told Prince Barond, "The Imperial Capital was not too peaceful for the last two days. One moment, there were vampires, and another moment, there was turmoil. Barond. When you arrive at the Royal Manor, you must be careful. Do not leave it without reason. If there is anything you need, tell Gordon. He will report to me."

Prince Barond trembled. He knew that this order was meant to keep him quiet.

Though his face turned deathly pale, he also felt like fighting to the death. Then, he remembered that he was just a Prince while his opponent was the Emperor. Unless he really rebelled – but the Central Cavalry soldiers would not necessarily follow him.

Originally, he could control the Central Cavalry because everybody had thought that the Emperor was dying. Naturally, he was also a strong candidate for the throne. However, since the Emperor did not die, none of them would be brave enough to rebel against him.

He felt gloomy and lost. He no longer had any desires and just nodded his head absentmindedly. He then followed Gordon out of the hall.

The Emperor then sighed. "Sigh. An old man like me… Ah! I only fell sick, but it has caused so much trouble. The Central Cavalry is also outrageous. Duke of the Tulip Family!"

Rody was startled, and then he proudly looked at the Emperor. There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, it showed some anger.

He did not forget that the Emperor had tried to grab his woman!

The Emperor calmly looked at Rody and his eyes seemed to smile. He then said, "Bo1... Ah... Seth. You will manage the Central Cavalry for now. That Barry is useless. I think it is better to replace him with someone else."

There was a moment of silence.

The nobles and officials in the hall did not speak. However, their expressions changed. They all had heard the Emperor give the order to transfer the military power. Originally, he had been suppressing the Tulip Family. But now, he was suddenly giving the Tulip Family a heavy responsibility. The Emperor had given him command of the largest army in the Empire!

Rody was startled and puzzled. He raised his eyebrows and was about to speak when he realized the Emperor was winking at him. He was filled with suspicion, but then he heard Sky secretly whisper to him. "Quickly accept!" Rody did not think and involuntarily said, "Yes!"

While the people from the military all showed a joyous expression, Garoline turned deathly pale and looked blankly at the Emperor.

One of the military generals then said, "Your Majesty. That Regiment Commander of the Central Cavalry, Barry, had mobilized the army to seize control of the Imperial Capital’s defenses. He also ordered to close all the gates and besiege the palace. This heavy crime must be punished"

"Ah." The Emperor immediately smiled lightly and said, "That is right. I will let the Duke handle this matter."

Garoline could not help but also say, "Your Majesty. The Duke of the Tulip Family was appointed by Your Majesty as the Southern Special Envoy. However, he secretly took the army and returned to the Imperial Capital. He has also committed a crime."

The Emperor looked at him and lightly said, "Oh really? This matter? He came back under my orders. There is no problem."

Garoline almost fainted as he thought. Did you give the order? Didn’t you exile him to the South? Before you fell unconscious, I was the one who gave you all the ideas. How would I not know what orders you gave?

Just as soon as he thought that the Emperor suddenly remembered something and lightly said, "Marquis Garoline. I heard that Milo did a good job in the North. Pass down my orders and tell him to return to the Imperial Capital. It is a hard life in the North. Someone else should go instead."

Garoline trembled. He knew that the Emperor was seizing his family’s military power. He then squeezed out a voice from his throat and said, "Yes!"

After that, the Emperor waved his hand as if he was driving away some flies and loudly said, "Alright. Everyone disperse! There has been too much trouble today! Everyone, return to your stations!" He then looked at Rody lightly and said, "Seth. You stay here. I still have things to talk to you about."

Everyone immediately bowed but then the Emperor became impatient and said, "Go quickly!"

Garoline stared at Rody. In his heart, he knew that he had been defeated. He then gritted his teeth and left as well.

Finally, in that hall, the only people left were the Emperor who continued to sit down, Rody who was glaring at him coldly, and Nicole, who was extremely anxious. Even after everybody had left, she did not move at all. She stood beside Rody and could not help but pull the hem of his clothes. She was still trembling.

From the Emperor’s words earlier, it seemed that the Tulip Family was praised while Prince Barond’s faction was punished. However, only God knew if it was truly a blessing or a curse.

After all, their own factions were the one that should actually be considered the ones scheming for the throne.

Either way, the child in the Empress’ stomach was not the Emperor’s, but they have given that child their support. On the other hand, Prince Barond was truly from the Thorn Flower Family.

However, it was also Prince Barond that almost killed the Emperor. As a result, it was a complete mess.

When all the outsiders have left the room, the Emperor suddenly started to walk down the stairs with a strange gait. He was like a baby learning how to walk. Rody and Nicole narrowed their eyes as they watched the Emperor walking awkwardly towards the entrance and personally closing the door. He then carefully listened for any movements outside and finally sighed. After that, he frowned and said, "Hell, this body feels uncomfortable. The previous one was much easier to use."

The Emperor looked at the dumbstruck Rody and Nicole. He frowned and said, "Why is this affectionate couple looking at me like that? I, this old man... Am I really so scary?"

He looked at the frightened pair and said, "Look at the two of you, standing so close to each other and so reluctant to part. Are you trying to tell the world of your relationship? Did you forget that, ostensibly, you are siblings?"

Rody then realized that the Emperor was speaking in a very familiar tone2. He suddenly shouted, "You are Andy!"

The Emperor laughed, "You finally realized? You are really stupid. Who else other than this old man would be willing to take care of you?"

After glancing at Nicole, Andy raised his face and said, "Your actions were too out of place and were extremely wrong! If I had not seen you so wholeheartedly helping the Empress, now that things had become irreversible, I would not have bothered posing as the Emperor to help you!"

Rody looked agitated and asked, "You… How did you change into this?"

Andy waved and simply said, "I have a lot of skills. There are even some that you still do not know of!"

Andy paused for a moment before his face turned serious. He said, "Yes. You are doing this wrong! You should not have conspired with the Empress to do this kind of thing!"

Rody frowned and said, "I also feel disgusted and think it is wrong. However, the situation has already deteriorated this far. We did not have a choice."

Andy gave a supercilious look and coldly said, "Hmph. Do you know what you are doing? The common people call it ‘adulterous wife seizing the family treasures’! How could you do such a thing? Even if the Empress is pitiful, you were not supposed to help her with this kind of thing!"

Rody turned red and said, "What 'adulterous wife'? All of this is because of Seth!"

Nicole stared at them and was unable to understand their words. She did not even know who Andy was.

Andy looked at Nicole and laughed. "Miss Nicole seemed to be confused by our words."

Rody sighed and explained Andy’s identity to Nicole. When Nicole heard it, she felt both excited and terrified. She never thought that Dandong would have left behind such a… breed.

This guy has lived in my home for several hundred years undetected, but developed a friendship with Rody and even helped him so much!

Andy sighed and slowly said, "We don’t believe in God but these kinds of things are still outrageous. Think for yourself, Boy. What if your wife found another lover somewhere else and had a child, and then seizes your property. It would not be good, right? However, you had helped the Empress to do just that. In other words, you are an accomplice. Even if the Emperor is a good-for-nothing person, it is awkward to do things like this."

Nicole hesitated for a moment before she frowned. "All of this was the mess Seth had left behind. We did not have a choice. Besides that, the Empress is just a pitiful woman."

"Bullshit!" Andy coldly looked at Nicole. "Pitiful? Pitiful people are hateful people!"

Andy showed a harsh expression and asked, "What do you mean pitiful? All of this is the result of her own actions! Is this something that you even need me to tell you?"

His eyes became even more stern as he said, "Because she is pitiful, she decided to drag down the entire Empire and everyone in it? Must everyone get caught in this spiraling mess? Do you set off a coup just for a pitiful woman? Must the blood of countless others be spilled just for her?"

Nicole argued, "What else should I have done? The Emperor was poisoned by Barond. Doesn’t that mean we cannot let Barond inherit the throne?"

Andy looked at Nicole and slowly said, "So what? Barond would have been much better than this stupid Emperor. Their fight is their family business. Who are you to judge who is right and who is wrong? Is it really right for the baby in the Empress’ stomach to inherit the throne? Is the baby qualified to become Emperor? Who would manage the Empire then?"

Andy then looked at Rody and asked, "Are you going to manage the Empire? Good! Wonderful! I am not going to say whether you have the ability to manage the Empire. However, when you bear this important task, then you would have to remain a Duke for the rest of your life. After ten to twenty years, you would start to have wrinkles on your face as you slowly cry while watching Miss Nicole marry someone else! Why? Are you saying that Miss Nicole would not marry for twenty years as she waits for her ‘little brother’?"

Andy had not put forth an extremely good argument, but his last sentence had a major impact on Rody.

Andy sighed and continued, "Even if this was Seth’s mess, it was originally not difficult to handle. However, your method is wrong. If you supported Prince Barond, the situation would not turn out like this! The Tulip Family and Prince Barond originally did not have any enmity. Now, you are like fire and water, and this is also forced by the situation. If you had supported Prince Barond from the start, he would inherit the throne! Prince Barond had some skill and also an unyielding temper. He would have been a much better Emperor than Abbas XI. Who cares if he killed Abbas XI? What does it matter to you? Is your relationship with Abbas XI good?"

Rody frowned. "But the child is Seth’s. This already involved the Tulip Family. What else could we have done? We had to grit our teeth and help the Empress. We did not have a choice!"

Andy coldly looked at Rody and said, "Oh? Let’s not talk about that! Did you help the Empress for that bastard called Seth or did you help her for Master Autumn?"

Rody was stumped. He was silent for a moment and then sighed. "I did it for Master Autumn."

Andy lightly said, "That is correct. Your biggest weakness is that your heart is too soft. That is why you are always playing into someone’s hand! Seth had used you. In this situation, Master Autumn could be considered as using you as well!" He sighed and continued, "Why did you think he taught you the sword skills? Why did you think he kept the secret that you are now a dragon? Let me tell you. This is because Master Autumn knew that the Empress has nobody to depend on. The only thing he could do was to rely on the Tulip Family! He and Seth were different. Seth had used plots and schemes to control you. Master Autumn had used your feelings to control you!"

Rody’s expression changed and loudly said, "No! Master Autumn would not do such a thing!"

Andy sighed and said, "Perhaps Master Autumn is a good person. In fact, he is a really pitiful person… He became so strong, but he had that kind of ending. However, I have already said it. Pitiful people are hateful at some point in time. There are times that a good person inadvertently does more harm than an evil person!"

Rody shook his head. Master Autumn was an extremely respectable person in his heart. No matter what, he was unable to accept Andy’s argument. This could be the difference between Andy and humans. After all, he was just a skeleton. A lot of times what is right or wrong is logical. However, a human’s feelings cannot be judged so simply.

After thinking for a while, Rody frowned and asked, "How did you know so much? These things are only known to a few people including me and Nicole. You have not contacted me in the past few days. How did you know so much?"

Andy pointed to Rody’s face and laughed. "As long as you wear this mask, there is a connection between us. However, after you converted that dragon, we became unable to speak to each other. I could still see what you see and hear your thoughts. However, at one point, you took off the mask." Andy laughed strangely and continued, "At first, I obtained a body and was ready to go and scare you but you took off the mask. At that time, I was not able to hear your thoughts. I only found out about everything after you put the mask back on to go to the South. Even though I could not ask you anything, I could read your thoughts."

Andy’s smile turned even more strange and whispered, "But it seems like, after a few days of not contacting you, there were a lot of new things in your mind… Ah, what was it? 'The skirt is raised, for the dance of the monarch! The sword is ruthless, Myka is without dreams'! Hahaha! Very interesting indeed!"

Rody became embarrassed when he heard these words and immediately covered Andy’s mouth.

Andy struggled to break away from Rody’s hand and laughed. "What’s wrong? If you listen to me, I will stop saying it!"

Nicole was at a loss and did not understand what they were talking about. She was still in shock and her reaction was slow.

Andy gently coughed and said, "We have deceived them for now. Prince Barond is still just a Prince. Now that the Emperor has reappeared, he would not be able to do anything. I am also not afraid of assassination. Now we need to solve the problem that is Marquis Garoline. That old fox is a bit troublesome as he still has military control of the Northern Legion. However, it does not matter as they cannot openly rebel. He is smart and would know that such actions could only lead to his death. But we must also be careful if he strikes back like a cornered beast. Doesn’t matter. I will let him go free for two days. When the Northern Legion comes back, I will make him clean the toilet. Hahaha..."

After that, Andy sighed and said, "Well then. We will just leave things this way. The most important thing you must do right now is to quickly take over the command of the Central Cavalry. The ‘Lightning God’s Whip’ has degraded so much but they still have about twenty thousand soldiers. It is safer to keep them in check too. However, with me as the Emperor, all these matters will work out favorably for us. As a result, you do not need to worry so much. The only thing to worry about is the God’s religious followers."

Andy finally showed a dignified expression and said, "Corsica VI is not an easy man to deal with. Just the God’s Vanquish spell itself is too scary. Even Master Autumn who had such magnificent power was vanquished. The Church is ambitious too... Even if he encroached on the Imperial powers, I as an Emperor would not be able to do anything about him... Just let it be. God's powers have now made a reappearance. This is a big problem. Sigh... their patron is really strong."

Rody immediately turned cold and silent.

Andy patted his shoulder and said, "We would need to deal with the Pope. I know what's in your heart. We will retrieve the Dracula Spear."

Rody took a deep breath and showed a peaceful smile to Andy. "I know. We must do things step by step. First, we need to stabilize the situation. Just leave our enemies where they are now. They won't run away."

Andy showed a strange expression as he did not expect Rody to calm down so quickly.

Rody then glanced at Andy with warmth in his eyes and whispered, "Andy. Do you know? These days, I always feel like I am impulsive and rash. I felt at a loss when I am placed in a difficult position. I know that I am not very smart but I have never felt so helpless before. After thinking for a while, I feel like it is because you were not around. If you were by my side, I would be able to keep calm in the face of difficulties. If it was not because you helped me and taught me step by step, I would not be here today. With you at my side, even if you do not speak much, I will feel like there is a friend that I could rely on. I would be composed in any situation."

Andy was silent for a moment and then he smiled. Suddenly, he waved his hand and loudly said, "Alright, everybody, leave! This old man has finally become the Emperor. I want to enjoy being Emperor!"

Rody smiled and pulled Nicole's hand as he walked out.

When Andy was the only one left in the hall, he sighed and whispered, "Fatty. Have you peeped enough?"

Sky laughed and his figure gradually appeared. He confidently said, "Since when did I peep? I was standing here the entire time. You all just couldn’t see me."

He then laughed and asked, "Just now you said ‘The skirt is raised, for the dance of the monarch! The sword is ruthless, Myka is without dreams!’ What does it mean? Why did that boy rush to stop you say more?"

Andy lazily replied, "Hmph. This is not something a several hundred-years-old fellow could understand!"

Translator's notes:

1. Andy usually calls Rody with the words ‘xiaozi’ (little boy). This had always been translated here as 'Boy'. In this case, he said ‘xiao...’ before correcting himself. So, 'Boy...' would be 'Bo...'.

2. Andy’s way of saying ‘wo lao renjia’ (我老人家, 'me this old man') to refer to himself. It combines the word ‘I’ and ‘This old man’ together. He had used it when he teased Rody and Nicole at being a couple. This was what Rody noticed as ‘familiar’ before realizing it was Andy.