Chapter 182: Blue Bird Part 1

Monster, Transcendent, Demigod, Sun.

These were just a few of the many titles used to describe Abraham.

Everyone praised his fame and feared his infamy.

But that was all before he became Emperor.

Few remember Abraham as the boy he once was.

In that sense, the man….the human Abraham had died.

But that was only a metaphor. The human part of Abraham still remained.

Though he had lived through countless years, sacrificing, giving up, and killing all for the sake of protecting the Empire, he was still, inevitably, human.

“I didn’t know you were this foolish. Or is it that you’ve grown dull with age, Olga?”

“…I’m still younger than Your Majesty.”

“Still so insolent, as always.”

Abraham had never intended to cast aside Olga Hermod.

Even the order to strike down the Judge was simply to strongly emphasize that Safe Clown had to be eliminated.

Unbelievable.

That’s why he couldn’t understand Olga Hermod’s actions.

Just what was that girl Yuna to her?

What could she possibly be for Olga to risk her life for her?

In the end, she wasn’t even her real daughter.

At best, the daughter of an old comrade. She was adopted, no less. And what’s more, wasn’t she the one who murdered that comrade of hers?

Abraham didn’t know.

And of course, there was no way he could know.

As Emperor, he received dozens and sometimes hundreds of reports each day.

To maintain efficiency, the information he received was stripped of all emotion, reduced to mere outcomes.

While reading those cold reports, he had to make equally cold decisions.

To ensure the endless continuation of the massive machine that was the Empire, he too had to become a mechanical man.

And so, there were things he simply could not understand.

And yet, in the end, I’m nothing more than a mere human myself.

Those around him assumed he knew everything.

They saw only his composed demeanor, overwhelming power, and ruthless decisions—

They had no way of knowing, and no desire to know, how desperately he struggled to keep the Empire upright.

Had he truly been an absolute being, he would never have needed to make such sacrifices—

The kind that demanded the few be sacrificed for the many.

But Abraham could not begrudge them for that.

Humans are weak.

That’s why strict discipline, sturdy fences, and a guardian to protect it all were necessary.

The way the world saw Abraham. That was an image he had crafted himself.

He had to be the Emperor, no matter where he was or who he was with.

He had to be cruel, unfeeling, and a transcendent being of absolute control.

Because fear, more than anything, ensured total control.

I’m in a foul mood.

Abraham drew his sword.

It wasn’t his usual favored weapon, but a plain steel blade.

Dressed in rough, ordinary clothes like any commoner,

He took that plain sword and, through a covert excursion, observed the world….a world stitched together by filth and ugliness.

A bad mood is bad enough. I won’t allow the weather to be gloomy too.

With sword in hand, Abraham glanced up at the overcast sky.

His decision was swift, and his action bold.

Whoooosh!!

With a light turn, Abraham swung his sword.

“What…!”

With that single strike, a blazing flame surged forth, burning away the dreary sky and engulfing Tillis’s form.

Tillis, in shock, summoned dozens of high-ranking demons to defend herself, but it was useless.

Abraham’s blow devoured her effortlessly, as though there had never been any resistance, and soared into the sky.

Ssssssshhh!!

The plain steel sword, unable to withstand the power of his ability, began to melt.

Molten iron dripped onto the ground, indirectly revealing the sheer magnitude of that strike.

Tossing aside the sword, now reduced to just a hilt, Abraham let out a hearty laugh.

Tillis didn’t matter to him in the slightest. His eyes were fixed only on the now-clear sky.

“Olga, what do you think will be on the front page of tomorrow’s paper? The death of Safe Clown? The death of the Judge?”

“The Judge probably didn’t die from that last strike, so… the former, I suppose.”

Olga Hermod replied with difficulty, lowering her head.

Abraham looked at her for a moment, then drew another sword—

Not an ordinary blade this time, but an imperial armament, the personal weapon favored by Emperor Abraham himself.

The meaning behind drawing that sword was clear:

Abraham had decided to make an imperial judgment right then and there.

“You’re wrong.”

Abraham received dozens and hundreds of reports each day.

And what was surprising was his odd little hobby, despite those cold and calculated briefings.

“The front page of tomorrow’s paper will probably feature some absurd story about how the sudden clear skies were a miracle.”

He enjoyed gossip and rumors. Not the boring, rigid news.

But the trivial, meaningless moments from someone’s ordinary life.

It was precisely that trivial gossip of ordinary life that justified the ugliness he bore to sustain the empire.

“The newspaper I read isn’t like that.”

Schk!

Abraham swung his sword.

Not as the man Abraham, but as the Emperor. Abraham’s blade sliced cleanly through only the mask Olga Hermod was wearing.

“Olga, you risked your life to prove your loyalty. It’s only right that I give you an answer worthy of that.”

“…….”

“With this, Safe Clown is dead. Through death, that assassin has paid for all their crimes, so make sure that name never reaches my ears again.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Then allow me to give your next order. Return immediately, tend to your wounds, and report back to duty.”

“Yes… Your Majesty, I will obey.”

Olga Hermod raised her head again and looked up at the Emperor.

No, what she saw for the first time was not the Emperor, but the man, Abraham.

He wore a childlike smile, as bright as the clear skies.

***

The capital was in complete upheaval.

No, not just the capital.

Every newspaper had splashed the attack on Olga Hermod across its front pages.

“What is this? Why is there a weather report on the front page?”

Upon a closer look, there were exceptions.

What is this, a kid’s newspaper? It’s full of useless fluff.

Something about the weather, or how a Pomeranian named Happy made a miraculous comeback in a dog race….who even brings a newspaper like this?

“Don’t mind it. It was left by someone with… eccentric tastes.”

“You certainly keep some unusual friends, Headmistress.”

I let out a dry laugh as I looked at Olga Hermod lying in her hospital bed.

There’s only one reason someone like me, a mere student, could meet her.

She’s my mother-in-law.

What a dreadful world we live in. Where on earth is my life headed…?

“By the way, where’s Yuna? I accepted the visit thinking she’d be with you.”

“I don’t know. She’s probably off somewhere crying. After all, her family who finally accepted her almost died again.”

“Am I really family to that girl?”

“On paper, you’re completely family.”

“So that’s all there is to it.”

“That alone is significant.”

Yuna had been adopted.

She officially had a family now.

“There are people in this world who whisper ‘family’ even to their mistresses and illegitimate children.”

“Did you really have to use such a trashy comparison?”

“It’s the Robinhood family’s domestic situation.”

“How charming… Please extend my sympathies to young Stan.”

“He doesn’t know yet.”

“Oh dear.”

“But he’ll find out soon enough.”

I’ll be the one to tell him.

“So, what exactly were you curious about that you had to visit me while I’m stuck in bed?”

“First, take this. It’s a healing potion. Please, have one.”

“Thank you.”

I couldn’t show up empty-handed for a hospital visit, so I brought a few bottles along.

She was my mother-in-law, after all. I should try to stay on her good side.

“Well then, shall we get to the main point?”

“Sure. It’s about Monia. What happened?”

“I’m not really sure. The timing wasn’t great, so all I could do was watch her run away. Johan, do you think Monia should have been punished?”

“She should be held accountable, yes. But I don’t think she deserved to die over it. I don’t even resent her.

There’s no such thing as a student in the Cradle without some kind of mental issue.

I’ve just decided to think of her as a pitiful kid, that’s all.”

“…You’re more understanding than I expected, Johan.”

“I am pretty mature, you know.”

Am I really, though?

If I count the memories from my previous life, I’m technically an adult.

There’s only a two-year age gap anyway.

“What do you plan to do if you find Monia?”

“Why do you assume I’m going to look for that lunatic?”

“I figured you wouldn’t have asked all this if you weren’t planning to.”

“Maybe I’m just anxious and wanted to know if the criminal was caught?”

“If that were really the case, Johan, you wouldn’t have made the effort to come all the way to this hospital outside of the Cradle yourself.”

“Hmm…”

“Coming all this way alone. That’s a pretty brave move, especially for you.”

“Well… let’s say that’s true.”

To be honest, I just don’t feel as helpless as I used to. Now that I can at least manifest a bit of aura.

I wouldn’t call it courage.

But yes, I do intend to find Monia.

“May I ask why?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t known anything. But now… I’ve learned something.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve decided to accept Monia’s one-sided hatred?”

“I’m a decent person, sure. But not that decent.”

I admit, my attitude was the problem.

If anyone looked at how I behaved before, it’s obvious I was being a jerk. So it’s only right to apologize.

But that’s really all there is to it.

There’s no real reason for me to go this far just to find Monia.

I apologized back then. My reflection on my actions ended with that.

“I simply want to repay someone who made an effort for me.”

But Luda’s case was different.

I hadn’t realized she had been helping me all this time, whether I noticed or not.

I didn’t know she threw herself in harm’s way to protect my research data.

I didn’t know she liked me.

I didn’t even know what she looked like.

“So I’ve decided to give her just one chance.”

Because Luda protected my research data, Chris exists as he is today.

In a way, I could even say she saved my brother’s life.

So I’m just trying to create a chance for Luda, too.

Whether or not to take it…that’s entirely up to Monia.

***

I couldn’t understand Monia’s hatred, but I could understand her sorrow.

I, too, knew what it was like to lose family and be left behind alone.

I also knew what kinds of thoughts run through a child’s mind when they’re left all alone in this world.

That was me.

That’s how I lived in my previous life.

Back then, I died without even knowing what I could do.

“Looking back now, there probably was so much I could’ve done.”

At the time, I didn’t know what to do….I died just like that.

It was illness that killed me, but what really finished me off was a lack of will.

But ever since I began living as Johan Damus, I’ve thought about it from time to time.

What if I hadn’t given up in my past life?

“Maybe I’d have opened a snack shop or something.”

I still remember my father coming home late from work, bringing back tteokbokki and soondae.

I used to imagine a future that continued from those small, everyday moments.

“But I suppose you can only think that way if you believe there’s something left to hold on to.”

I muttered to myself.

In front of the pure white urn, I confessed my pitiful past. Something I had never shared with anyone.

“I found her, Luda.”

I looked into Monia.

And naturally, I came to understand how she fell apart.

At first, it was just inquiries.

There were people who remembered Monia wandering near the cemetery, calling Luda’s name.

They said she went around asking strangers what had happened to the grave that used to be there.

Eventually, she collapsed and was hospitalized. After waking up, she searched again for Luda’s grave.

It was a pitiful series of events.

Truly a foolish way to go about it. There must have been better, smarter ways.

But a child born on the streets wouldn’t have known any of them.

And Monia, who had no money and no experience in the world, had no other options.

“Are you the one looking for her?”

“Yes. Thank you, Stan.”

But I’m a noble. I have wealth. And I know someone who specializes in finding information like this.

I offered a simple word of thanks to Stan, who had shown up late.

Maybe it’s because Stan is perceptive, but he even stepped aside to give us space. I’m proud of him.

“After Miss Monia fell into a coma, her friend apparently moved Miss Luda’s urn.”

“Really?”

“Seems like she wanted to do something….anything. But money must have been the issue. That’s probably why she brought it here. It’s cheaper, after all.”

“What about that student?”

“She’s dead.”

“That’s a mess.”

“A real mess.”

The friend who moved Luda’s remains got caught up in a terrorist attack and died.

As a result, Luda’s whereabouts naturally became unclear.

“But things like this weren’t all that uncommon.”

“Did you have to put it like that?”

“I meant that’s just how hard those times were. But you wouldn’t know, would you?”

“……”

He’s right. I wouldn’t know.

I turned a blind eye to everything, so how could I? If that’s what Stan is trying to point out, then I have nothing to say.

“Stan.”

“Yes?”

“I heard your father’s having an affair.”

“…What?”

So I decided to tell Stan something he didn’t know.