Emperor of Steel

“Maybe they came to the point where His Majesty’s regretful situations started. Auster. His Majesty’s future wasn’t normal. Everything was much slower than now.”

Luke, who returned from saving Count Ferrero, didn’t have a great complexion.

And according to Philip’s words, who escorted him, Luke was injured after touching a monument in the ancient ruins that were close to the prison dungeon.

Although they escaped, Luke was unconscious as he wasn’t able to suppress the energy that his body absorbed.

“Right. There was a tremendous Aether in the monument, and the moment I touched it, it flowed. I tried everything I knew to stop the runaway, but I misjudged the situation.”

“According to Sir Philip’s words, Your Majesty wasn’t in a dangerous situation, and your locket was shining bright. And because of that, you were barely awake.”

‘Right. Wasn’t that Karen, or was it because of Reina’s locket?’

The Aether runaway was too severe.

“The problem was Hiros.”

“Yes, a battle broke out as he waits for His Majesty’s return. And unlike this time, His Majesty, who wasn’t in normal condition ended up using dark magic.”

However, Luke still didn’t win over Hiros.

Shortly before the death of Luke, who was at the end of Hiros’ sword to punish him, Saint Nanda appeared and took Luke away.

“Of course, the entire nation turned upside down. The retainers who got deceived by His Majesty were condemned. And I, who didn’t like that, abandoned my post and searched for His Majesty.”

“And did you find me?”

“Yes, during my search, a warlock from Dark Moon came in the shadows to inform me that His Majesty was living in the Jason Estate.”

“Yeah, that’s where Dark Moon Magic Tower is.”

And Hwang Bo-sung immediately went to the Jason Estate and met with Luke.

Although Luke was pale, Nanda managed to help him by healing his injuries and calming his unstable Aether.

“I need to thank Saint Nanda then.”

“After that, I contacted the queen of the Holy Empire with Arch Duke Belik’s help. Despite Arch Duke Gregory’s opposition, she came to Jason Estate to look after His Majesty.”

However, even with the treatment from Nanda and Reina, Luke’s body couldn’t be cured.

That was how bad it was, so Reina secretly took care of Luke while traveling back and forth from Bless to Jason.

“Meanwhile, a great disaster happened in the Symphonia Kingdom. Hiros managed to become the king by forcing punishments on the retainers who opposed him like Hans and many others.”

Belik was their representative.

Belik defended Luke when he knew that Luke mastered dark magic.

It was because Reina said Luke didn’t learn dark magic with any wicked sense in his heart and persuaded everyone that Devil King Saymon wasn’t actually an evil person.

“In addition, the military commanders such as the Gram brothers and Volant protested too. Those who never saw the battle happen between you and Hiros thought that a plot has been conspired.”

“Then, there must have been a civil war.”

“Yes, they tried to rectify it, but it didn’t work.”

Hiros, the new king, brought his own loyal group of men and took over the Symphonia Kingdom.

He took over the military commanders, who were opposing the throne, and abolished the fairies and made them his slaves.

“At that point, the retainers who were against such forces weren’t considered at the beginning. Rather, as time went by, they were framed and then executed or sent into exile.”

As a result, there was never a peaceful day in the Symphonia Kingdom.

The Baroque was still in war with the Libiya Kingdom, or Rudolf would have immediately pushed his army for a takeover.

“But eventually, an external invasion occurred.”

“Was it Rudolf or the Grenada Kingdom?”

“No. It was the Holy Arthenia Empire who invaded.”

“The Holy Empire? Why would they?”

Hwang Bo-sung went silent for a moment and slowly answered,

“Because Hiros had His Majesty assassinated.”

“Ha…”

Luke, who heard that, smiled vainly at Hwang Bo-sung’s words.

However, the following explanation changed Luke’s complexion.

“The identity was later revealed to be the Veritas Magic Tower. What was surprising was that there was an Undead made from Saymon’s body. And Your Majesty, you died fighting that monster.”

‘I guess so. It was Arsene and Veritas who supported Hiros to become the king.’

Reina, who lost her man, lost her reasoning.

After not eating, drinking, and crying for days, she was engulfed in anger and wanted revenge. That led her toward the Symphonia Kingdom… No, she declared war on Hiros.

“The war lasted for more than three years. Eventually, Symphonia was defeated, and Hiros, who fought against the Holy Empire till the end, met his end.”

Hiros’ end was between Arch Duke Gregory and Belik. He transformed into a monster that used magi.

That was when Gorgos was summoned, the Ghost Armor, which he lost in the hands of current Luke.

“Belik was killed while fighting the monster. Arch Duke Gregory tied Hiros using his Gigant and used his full divine power by using the core engine to amplify it.”

And just like that, Gregory was able to execute Hiros after sacrificing himself.

The Holy Empire won, but it gained more wounds than glory.

It wasn’t just that. The nation’s proudest knight, Arch Duke Gregory, was no more. The pillar who stood strong for years with the Empire.

As a result, the Holy Empire went into war, but Constantine and the others opposed.

“Reina? Didn’t she leave?”

“The queen was in a deep depression. Even though she got her revenge, she didn’t get you back.”

“Hmm…”

Eventually, Reina resigned as Pope.

After giving up the post to Luther, she left the Holy Empire. She returned to Rakan estates where her memories of Luke were strong.

“She just had five more years to live. Her body and mind became weak since His Majesty’s death.”

Luke could only sigh after hearing the long and terrible future that would have happened if not for Karen.

“Then… Did the dark story end there?”

“No, it wasn’t the end. It was the beginning of the end.”

“Beginning of the end?”

Hwang Bo-sung began to explain once again.

A few years later after Reina’s death, unidentified troops appeared on the Rhodesia and Southern Continent.

No warlock, wizard, martial arts, or divine power could defeat them.

The Undead Legion.

The seeds of death quickly seized the entire world.

“It was different from 500 years ago from Saymon’s time. Because of the battle for the throne, the Song Empire couldn’t fight the Undead with their full power, and the Rhodesia had internal fights as well. They all came together, but it was already too late.”

As a result, small nations began to form and the great powers of the Holy Empire, the Baroque Empire, and the Volga collapsed one after the other.

And the Libiya Kingdom wasn’t an exception.

Shaikan, who claimed to be the true blood holder of the God Dragon and leader of the monster legion, met a terrible end as well.

It was in the hands of Rudolf, who was defeated by the Undead Legion and was turned into a Death Knight.

“In the meantime, a small hope rose. After His Majesty’s death, Court Wizard Erwin appeared with a genius mage.”

“That is Karen”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Karen, taught by Erwin, was a master in using magic, sword, divine power, and Aether.

Thanks to her, surviving humans and fairies gathered around and began to resist the Undead Legion.

The point of resistance was Brandon, the Capital of the Symphonia Kingdom.

The remaining people gathered together, but more than half of the human race was already turned into the Undead, so the fight couldn’t be overturned.

In addition, Arsene’s power over the Undead was beyond comprehension.

They fell one after the other from the Undead’s attacks.

The hope they had was soon turning into despair.

At that time, Karen went on an expedition and stumbled upon the ruins of Nemesis and found the monument that Emperor Rudolf was working on in the past.

“The study of space and time in God’s realm. Using her power, Karen saw it, and the time and space were reversed to change history.”

Luke couldn’t help but feel stuck at Hwang Bo-sung’s words.

He was a wizard, and he himself knew how reckless and ridiculous the research was.

It was because it would be a rejection of the laws set by God.

However, surprisingly, Karen succeeded.

She even managed to come back and change history!

“If you’re Auster, I will take my time to understand it slowly.”

“That is true. What Erwin and Karen did was nothing less than a miracle.”

Eventually, Karen succeeded in gaining time, and with the old Hwang Bo-sung, she came to the past.

The reason why Hwang Bo-sung was chosen was because he was a prominent knight who managed to survive and knew all the events that happened on the continent.

“So he came back to the past, but he had to pay the price. Karen lost her magic, aura, divine power, and also her long life. That was why she turned into a child.”

“There is Aether remains…”

“That power is needed to restore time and space. That was why she didn’t lose it.”

And it was a necessary force to save Luke.

Hwang Bo-sung, who recalled that, only felt guilty.

It was because he was hiding a fact from his Master that needed to be told.

It was related to Karen’s birth.

‘Your Majesty, Miss Karen, or rather Princess Karen is your and the queen’s daughter.’

Reina conceived Karen while Luke was hiding in the Dark Moon.

He was defeated by Hiros and neglected by his own retainers, and the only person he could rely on was the woman who loved him for what he was.

It was no wonder that love only grew for them.

Sadly, a child that should have been nurtured with love grew up in an unfortunate era and gave up everything she had to change history.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t tell the truth to Luke that he was Karen’s father.

Hwang Bo-sung couldn’t tell the future that was changed.

‘If I reveal the truth, we might lose the existence of the princess here.’

Karen was sick because her existence was threatened.

She was someone who didn’t exist in the current time and space.

In addition, she was a child who had to be born at a later time because she needed to be born to Luke who got defeated by Hiros.

Even if there was a child born for ‘Luke who won over Hiros’, the child of Luke and Reina wouldn’t be Karen.

“The small actions of the present will have an impact on the future. Going back to the past and telling my existence will make me disappear, and I am supposed to disappear either way.”

Before coming to the past, Karen told Auster to never reveal her identity to her father no matter what.

‘In the beginning, I refused to accept the future. It is so pitiful that Princess Karen will be forgotten for all that she was.’

Nevertheless, he agreed because Karen only said that after meeting up with the past Luke.

“I have never seen my father. I only heard things about him from mother and master. So while I’m still alive, I want to see him a little longer.”

Brrr!

Hwang Bo-sung, who recalled the future, was sad and clenched his fists to not let himself speak the truth.

“Sir Hwang Bo-sung?”

“Your Majesty, Karen is a pitiful kid. Please take good care of her.”

“Obviously, I will. You don’t have to mention it to me.”

A child who gave up everything to save him and change his dark future.