Volume 13 Chapter 7 The First Emperor’s Confidants Hold a Banquet
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Imperial Castle of the Quvarian Empire had been seized in a heartbeat.
The force that descended upon it was absolute, leaving the once-grand halls silent and heavy with the scent of a finished war.
Princess Rira—that “Bitch-Princess” who had only just finished crushing Sheryl’s coup—had already fled toward McGaref alongside Weed.
Yet, even if they had stayed to fight, it’s unlikely the outcome would have changed.
With the sole exception of the “White Wall,” Asakura Chinatsu, whose endurance bordered on the divine, the living simply had no cards left to play.
These conquerors were ghosts, and ghosts do not know the weight of fatigue.
* * *
”Guhahahaha! These Quvarian soldiers are a total joke! There’s no fire in ’em, no resistance at all!”
Berhardt, the legendary “Black Sword King,” let out a raucous roar as he slammed back a mug of ale. He was a man of mythic proportions, a brute whose very presence seemed to warp the air of the captured hall.
”Don’t be so hard on the poor bastards,” Grano replied, his voice calm as he raised his own cup. The “Black Flame General” looked every bit the veteran. “To a man like you, even a master looks like a recruit. Besides, after a civil war like that, the whole country’s been rotting from the inside out. It was a mess before we even got here.”
”Still, you did a fine job, Berhardt,” Almaria said. Though she had been brought back in the youthful body of the “Witch of the Dead Arm,” her eyes held the cold wisdom of centuries. “You actually followed His Majesty’s orders. Not a single casualty.”
”Yeah, yeah. Though it was harder to pull my punches than it was to actually fight ’em,” Berhardt said, his face splitting into a wide grin. These monsters, pulled from the depths of the Underworld and the Labyrinth, had secured a bloodless victory through sheer, suffocating terror.
”Is it really all right for you and Cartera to be back without your Magic Power?” Grano asked, leaning back.
”It’s His Majesty’s will,” Almaria shrugged. “He wants to enjoy this life properly, so he told us to stop doing things that ‘piss off the world.’ Can’t say I mind the change of pace.”
”But who’s going to handle Livia?”
”His Majesty said that between Haruka-chan, Chinatsu-chan, Meruru, and Berhardt-san, we’d have more than enough power to cover the bill,” Almaria replied.
”Guhahaha! I’m a bit gutted I won’t get to trade blows with Chinatsu, but fighting alongside her? Now that sounds like a good time! I’m also itching to see what that Bitch-Princess Rira is made of.” Berhardt drained his mug. In a world where Resurrection Magic¹ was a reality, he figured he’d have plenty of time for a proper deathmatch once Livia was dealt with.
”Still, it’s not like the kid to give an order like ‘don’t kill anyone,’” Berhardt mused, his tone shifting.
”He’s been tainted, I reckon,” Raphastia said, his skeletal frame clicking and groaning like old timber as he laughed. The “Holy Corpse General” seemed to find the whole situation immensely amusing.
”Tainted? By who?”
”By himself, of course. This is His Majesty’s dream, after all,” Raphastia said.
Grano chimed in while crunching on a handful of snacks. He didn’t feel hunger anymore, but he could still appreciate the salt and crunch. “The kid never stopped beating himself up over the friends he lost. Except for Hikari, who died of illness, he was left with nothing but ghosts at the end. Aria, Kotaro, Tatsuhiro, Sayo… man, those names take me back. Sayo was the only one who actually made it out alive.”
Grano counted the names on his fingers, his eyes distant as he remembered the old mercenary band. The First Emperor had carried the weight of Aria’s death—the woman who had been his shield—like a stone in his chest until the day he died.
”Commander, you really remember every one of them?”
”Course I do. That’s the price you pay for standing at the top,” Grano said.
”So,” Almaria said, her voice softening as she watched Grano, “His Majesty’s true dream was just for his friends to be happy?” She had shared the Emperor’s bed alongside Cartera after Hikari passed, but she realized now she had never truly seen the heart of the man.
”That’s about the long and short of it, Almaria,” Grano said.
”How touching… and a little bit sad. Hard to believe that’s the dream of a man who burned half the world to the ground.”
”That’s why he stayed a ‘kid’ until the end. He just wanted a normal life, but he was never the kind of creature who could have one.”
”Aye, that’s the truth of it. His Majesty is a monster of responsibility, through and through,” Raphastia sighed, looking around the table. “Though, I must say, it’s a bit cruel that I’m the only one stuck as a pile of bones. You lot look young and healthy. For-Elda was practically dancing when she saw you.”
”Complain to His Majesty,” Almaria snapped. “We all agreed there was no point in bringing you back, but you’re the idiot who grabbed onto a stray thread of Magic Power and forced your way back into the world, Raphastia.”
”How cold, Almaria…”
The confidants of the resurrected First Emperor, Nasu Takumi, continued their feast in the heart of the fallen capital, the air thick with the bittersweet taste of a past they had never expected to see again.
* * *
”Then, Lord First Emperor. This country is yours.”
”Yeah. I’ll take it at a 99% Discount²,” Nasu Takumi said.
The “Ruler of McGaref,” Nasu Takumi, had spent years planning the purchase of the Quvarian Empire. But the version of himself that had become the legendary First Emperor had simply stepped in and taken it first.
”Contract established. Man, my Skill really is a cheat,” the Emperor muttered. He looked toward Cartera, the “Eternal Witch.” To fully bring her back as the world’s most powerful sorceress would have cost a king’s ransom in magic stones, so she had settled for a mortal body with average Magic Power—for now.
”Very well, Lord First Emperor,” Flavia said, her voice steady despite the visible tremor in her hands. She had been the acting head of state, and now she stood before her conqueror. “Now that I am of no further use, how should I carry out my suicide?”
She had already unfastened her silks, letting them fall to expose her breasts to the cool air—a gesture of total surrender. (I have to be ready. Whatever he wants before the end…)
”The stories say that when Your Majesty destroys a kingdom, you don’t let the Queens and Princesses be defiled by common soldiers. Instead, you drown them in pleasure with your own hands before granting them a quick death. They say you are a ‘kind’ man.”
”Wait, hang on… that’s technically true, but does that really count as being ‘kind’?” The Emperor tilted his head, genuinely baffled. To a man with Japanese common sense, “kindness” usually involved not killing people.
”I always thought it was kind, Your Majesty,” Cartera teased, a playful glint in her eyes. “You keep your promises. That’s why after they were defeated, every one of them submissively opened their legs for you before taking their own lives, darling.”
”Oh. I guess that makes sense in a weird way,” Takumi said.
”Princess Sheryl also met a beautiful end by her own hand,” Cartera added.
At the mention of her sister, Flavia’s gaze dropped, a shadow of grief crossing her face.
”By the way, does the current Sheryl have her memories?” Takumi asked.
”Yes,” Flavia replied. “I don’t have mine, but Sheryl told me that you, the First Emperor, had been resurrected.”
”Is there anyone else?”
”Not that we’re aware of.”
”Cartera thinks this is all happening because of Livia’s ‘Turning Heavens’³… yet there are people like us who kept our memories. Meanwhile, Livia is just wandering off to the Burghan Theocracy like she’s on vacation. I’ve got a lot to sort out,” Takumi said.
The Emperor began to sift through the flood of memories—his past life, the previous war, and his current existence. It was too much to process all at once.
”Man, I really wish Shiori was here. Maybe I’ll head to McGaref. There’s a chance Hikari went there too.”
Takumi let out a dry laugh at the thought of his lovers always acting on their own whims. As he planned his next move, his eyes drifted over the alluring, half-naked form of Flavia, waiting for his word.
—
Summary:
Resurrected legends consolidate their hold on the Quvarian capital while reminiscing about the First Emperor’s surprisingly sentimental past. Nasu Takumi officially acquires the empire via his specialized skill, prompting the former acting head to offer her life as per tradition. The sudden realization that memory retention is inconsistent among the resurrected leaves the Emperor grappling with the true scope of Livia’s influence
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Trivia:
- The specific mention that Hikari died of illness rather than battle
- Almaria and Cartera’s past role as the Emperor’s bedchamber attendants
- Raphastia’s accidental resurrection by grabbing stray magic power
- The physical state of the capital being bloodless but suppresse
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Character Insight:
Nasu Takumi shows significant cognitive dissonance between his modern Japanese morals and his past reputation as a ‘merciful’ conqueror who granted sexual favors before execution.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Sheryl – Second Princess of the Quvarian Empire—a striking red-haired beauty and former Empress candidate. Intelligent reformer atoning for Quvar’s betrayals, now Takumi’s enslaved spy sowing chaos from within. Politically savvy yet mentally drained from blood loss; debuts in v6c26.
• Rira – Rira, a classmate and one of Takumi‑kun’s harem members, sports short black hair she plans to dye blue and striking J‑cup breasts. Playful and creative in intimacy—cosplay, affectionate touch—she wields an evolving ‘Intuition’ skill. As an active god collaborating with Takumi, she provides vital emotional and physical support.
• Weed – He is a retired knight and martial arts master, appeared as a sword seller, known for his bloodthirsty grin and elite ‘Sword Master’ skill.
• Chinatsu – White Wall—Black hair, B-cup. Takumi’s first slave and battle-hungry lover, debuting in v1c1 Prologue. 12th-ranked iaijutsu master of Asakura-ryu, wielding the blood-powered cursed sword Chisame. Adventurous masochist, close to Hikari.
• Berhardt – ‘Black Sword King,’ 1st Division vice-commander, once hailed as the empire’s strongest swordsman. Simple-minded, straightforward, often teased as everyone’s toy, but unmatched in battle. Slaughtered Sheryl’s guards, captured her, later fought Chinatsu. First appears v9c11. Reminder: Muscle-headed swordsman who laughs through bloodshed.
• Grano – The Black Flame General, a legendary figure from Quvar’s past, now resurrected as part of the First Emperor’s ghostly host. Known for his ruthless tactics and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, Grano commands a significant portion of the undead army. He is disdainful of the living, particularly those who oppose the Emperor’s plans, and shows no mercy in battle. His presence, alongside other legendary generals like Belhart, underscores the immense threat posed by the Emperor’s forces. First mentioned in v9c7.
• Almaria – ‘Witch of the Dead Arm,’ ex-Quvar court witch turned 2nd Division vice-commander under Raphastia. Dutiful but hot-tempered, she shoulders his neglect, mocked as everyone’s toy yet deadly with assassins from the underworld. Slew Rex Velacoat, captured Sheryl and Stella. First appears v9c11. Reminder: Earnest witch cursed to babysit a gambling general.
• Cartera – Eternal Witch — The First Emperor’s mistress and a resurrected sorceress of immense power. Cruel and seductive, she takes pleasure in destruction and defilement. Her loyalty to the Emperor is absolute, and she shares his desire to end the world. First appears in v9c3.
• Livia – 8th-ranked imperial witch, heir of Cartera and friend of Lilus (Neige’s sister), whose death drove her to hate Quvar. Austere, sharp, and feared, she opposed the Ghost Army and toppled Emperor by using then betraying Gritch, secretly backing Princess Sheryl. First appears v9c3. Reminder: Brilliant witch who twists loyalties to save the world.
• Haruka – Witch of Destruction — Silver-haired, F-cup. Former class vice-president, now a powerful witch. Wields the Agilaus Staff, capable of devastating ritual magic. Became the world’s strongest after acquiring the ‘Dark Emperor of the Abyss’ as a familiar. Exhibits exhibitionist tendencies, often seeking public intimacy with Takumi. Deeply devoted to him, balancing her role as a leader with her desires. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• Raphastia – A once-renowned general who now serves the First Emperor in the underworld army. He is referred to as a ‘Holy Corpse,’ indicating his undead state. Raphastia retains his self-awareness and will, which is unusual for the undead, and his loyalty to the Emperor remains unwavering. He is described as having a raspy voice and is one of the key figures in the Emperor’s command post. First appearance in v9c8.
• Tatsuhiro – Classmate, Kahoru’s customer.
• Hikari – 4th Division leader. Stressed, relies on Takumi.
• Aria – Aria (Funakoshi Aria‑san) is a maid‑skill expert with blonde, long hair and ice‑blue eyes. She has a bright, domestic smile and helps with meal distribution at the base. Initially masterless, she joins Rinko’s group, later leaves, affecting chores. Her presence brightens the base and she maintains close ties with the team.
• Sayo – A Cup. Non-virgin. The younger sibling in the fake-sibling couple.
• For-Elda – Undead ‘Magic Bullet General,’ 4th Division commander of the Ghost Army and creator of the Magic Cannon that toppled fortresses. Obsessed with weapons over lives, treats soldiers as expendable fuel, and resents youthful-looking specters like Naje. First appears v9c8. Reminder: Wrinkled war-genius who replaced witchcraft with cannon fire.
• Takumi – A reincarnated Japanese student turned hidden ruler of McGaref, he runs the Night Butterfly courtesan house and shattered the Lesta Kingdom. In plain adventurer garb he bears the “Sexual Champion: Sea God King” skill, a high-status rank, and the 99% Discount Skill, while remembering the First Emperor. He moves among civilians as an ordinary adventurer, manipulating politics and courtesans.
• Shiori – She is a tall, dark‑haired woman in a crisp lab coat, known as an excellent research partner and adopted daughter of Ralph, who relies on medicine to control her sleep deprivation; she is also the partner of Takumi and the daughter of a merchant.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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