A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

314 – The Path of the Traitor, the Path of the Guardian

[January 1, 100 Imperial Calendar, 12:10 PM. In front of the final gate of Gibraltar Gorge.]

“…Something happened.”

I told my father everything about my trip to the empire.

“It was hard.”

My father tapped my shoulder with his leather gloved hand.

Unlike my bare hands, the gloves used to hold the sword were heavier than ever.

“And it looks like we’ll have to go through even more hardships in the future. There are a lot of things that haven’t been resolved yet, and situations keep popping up all at once.”

“As long as my father makes a decision, we can proceed smoothly.”

“My decision?”

“Yes. All future decisions will depend on my father’s choices.”

My father’s face looks worried.

It looked like he wanted to say something to me, but when I looked at my father, he blinked and then closed his eyes.

“You’re forcing me to make a choice.”

“It is not coercion, but responsibility. Your Excellency the Marquess of Gibraltar.”

“When you asked me for such responsibilities, you always called me by a title other than father.”

My father lowered his hand from my shoulder.

“What happens if you choose to fight the empire?”

“Many people will die.”

I answered honestly.

“The Sirene territory has already been breached, and the Empire will mobilize airships to occupy the entire Nostrum. It will not end with simple occupation, but a large-scale devastation operation that will leave no trace of a weed.”

“Scorched earth…?”

“Kill everyone who speaks the Nostrum language. Kill everyone in the Nostrum Kingdom. They will literally try to destroy everything in Nostrum. If we try to stop that, of course we will have no choice but to kill them all.”

I pointed down.

“Like the countless Gibraltarians and guardians who died protecting this canyon. Just as Lord Cadian killed 10,000 of the Empire’s elite soldiers, we will all have to become Lord Cadian and fight against the Empire.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Because the opponent is that capable. Maybe…”

Although saying this may have a negative impact on my father’s choice.

“There could be a Gibraltar bleeding to death.”

You have to say it.

“Either I get killed fighting, or my younger brothers get assassinated.”

“Grey.”

“Or my mother is struck by the shadow of the empire.”

“Does Gibraltar include me too?”

“Maybe.”

My father dies.

It’s not an easy thing to think about, but it actually happened.

“You talk so easily about the death of a family member.”

“It’s not easy to say.”

“I know. Anything can be difficult once, but twice can be easy.”

My father bowed his head heavily.

He fiddled with the handle of his downward sword and lost himself in his agony.

“How about cooperating with the emperor?”

“It will be the easiest way.”

“It’s easy.”

“Yes.”

The path of traitors.

Because I have already walked this path, I can raise my voice more clearly than anyone else.

“Gibraltar will become the regency of the empire. It will become a marquisate of the empire. Other houses will bow to Gibraltar, and we will control their life and death.”

“…”

“You seem to be worried about the Nostrum royal family and the Nostrum kingdom. Among them, those who have become traitors will survive. Of course, they will not be in large numbers, and they will not enjoy the same power as before.”

“What will happen to Morgania?”

“Even if a rich man goes bankrupt, three years last. Queen Carmen may no longer be called queen, but when she wakes up and regains her strength, she will bounce back to suit the changed circumstances.”

“Naria is.”

The father asks in a heavy voice.

“What will happen to Queen Naria?”

“Don’t confuse fantasy with reality, father.”

“…”

“Naria is not your daughter, and she is not my sister.”

Naria is not Gibraltar.

“Even if Gibraltar had ever been, it was not our world.”

“…”

“Naria will bear all the sins of Nostrum’s destruction. She will become the queen of a ruined nation and be persecuted by her people. She will become a wanderer who is not welcome anywhere and cannot even reveal the name Naria. .”

The story of when Gibraltar turned away from Naria.

Gibraltar will enjoy greater material wealth than ever before, and the refugees from the destroyed Nostrum can be answered by firing muskets instead of swinging swords.

“You will only become a traitor who sells out your country.”

Just like I did.

“Whatever choice you make, I will follow your choice.”

“What choice would you have made?”

“Well, does ‘if’ mean anything?”

I forced my father to make a choice.

“I cannot answer. I have already decided on one answer in my mind.”

My father can decide on one of two paths, but for me, there was no other path than one from the beginning.

“What if the answer doesn’t match my choice?”

“I will be consistent. I will respect my father, and I will take all actions consistent with his choices.”

No matter which path the father walks, there is only one destination at the end of the path.

“No matter which path my father walks, I just need at least one person to hold my hand and walk by my side.”

Kill the emperor.

“Astacia.”

For my princess.

My father chooses a path and leads his family along that path, but no matter which path I take, I just have to reach the ending called ‘The Emperor’s Death’.

“So the decision is up to the father.”

“…”

“Decisions cannot be delayed. If you don’t make them now, everything will be delayed.”

“Once a decision is made, it can no longer be reversed.”

“You can do it. It’s simple.”

There is no one around.

“Naria will have a child, wait until the child is 20 years old, and then when she is 20, she will go to the end of time and ask the Golden Dragon for a miracle.”

“…”

A decision once made cannot be undone, but there are many ways to go back to when you were 10 years old.

“If my father regrets this decision, one of the options would be to turn back when he was 10 years old. If he does that, then he can blow off Saint Geo Nostrum’s head first and then think about it.”

“…In Saint Geo’s world, Naria was not my daughter. Will you, Noir, Lettar, and everyone else be reborn as my children?”

“I don’t know that either. The order may change, the baby may not be born at all, or a completely different child may be born.”

My father closes his eyes tightly for a moment, then slowly opens them.

“Grey.”

“Yes, father.”

“You will have to suffer as much as me, no more than me.”

My father made a decision.

“Raise your sword, Gray. We will not raise your sword to protect Nostrum, but to protect ourselves.”

The path of traitors.

The path of the guardian.

“It is not to stand on the side of the empire and enjoy wealth and power. It is not to become a hunting dog protecting the canyon, as it has been for 500 years of history.”

Neither of those.

It can be said to be either.

“Gibraltar will walk its own path.”

The third way.

“Don’t leave the direction up to you.”

“…You are trying to take on the most difficult and difficult task.”

“I will be the one to face the storm at the forefront of that path. All you have to do is figure out a way to lead everyone to walk that path.”

“Aren’t you going to make me swing a sword?”

“That’s right.”

My father closed his eyes and laughed.

“I will swing the sword, and you can also move the pen.”

“Pen, do.”

“In the first place, the best leader must place people in the right places. Gray, are you better with a sword than me?”

“…”

His father lightly tapped the handle of the sword with the back of his hand.

“No.”

“Then the conclusion has been reached.”

“The decision that must be made as a marquis and head of the family…”

“Your decision is my decision. I set the direction, so the rest is up to you.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

A decision has been made.

“Order.”

I knelt down on one knee in front of my father, like the knights of Gibraltar do.

Before regression.

I think I probably experienced something like this in my father’s study before entering the academy.

-You go to the academy and make collaborators. Steal the hearts of women and make them cooperate with Gibraltar.

At that time, my father tapped the sword of the family on my shoulder and ordered me to become a libertine and a political center for treason.

“Gray Gibraltar.”

But.

“Raise your sword.”

This time, no.

“For Gibraltar.”

“…Yes.”

My father puts away his sword

I slowly stood up and took a light breath.

“Would you rather be in the canyon or would I be in the canyon?”

“You would be more competent to go to the Marquis Castle and take care of things rather than me going to the Marquis Castle, so I’ll leave it to you.”

“The Marquis of Claydoll is not going to lay siege to the canyon, so aren’t you going too far from the start?”

“Can you take on more enemies than me?”

“It’s dirty and disgusting, so I’ll just leave.”

It can’t be helped.

Even though I was like that during my days as a traitor, I am not an unfilial person who does not follow my father’s orders no matter what.

“Then, I will go to the canyon. I will send troops, so father, prepare to protect the canyon with the minimum number of troops.”

“At least?”

“Yes. We’re going to be mobilizing people on a large scale…No, we need to start right away.”

I pointed to the left and right sides of the canyon.

“We will deal with the Imperials inside the canyon, inside the Nostrum first.”

“…”

Currently.

The canyon is under development.

That is the development that was led by me, and more imperialists than expected are coming in from the left and right sides of the canyon and digging into it.

“To be exact, it would be more accurate to say, capture them.”

“They already…”

“No. Not all Imperials have become enemies.”

I lightly rubbed my fingers and pretended to sprinkle powder.

“The shadows of the empire will try to do their part even in emergency situations, but the people of the empire who came to mine gold, develop canyons, and find the legacy of the golden dragon are as if they were suddenly dropped into the middle of an enemy country without any warning.”

“…”

“And the thing is, the shadows are still not sure. Will Gibraltar raise the cup of treason or the sword of protection?”

“…Now that I think about it, Marquis Claydoll said, please open the road to Nostrum.”

“Yes. Luckily, the shadows can’t move right now.”

I lightly pretended to slit my own throat.

“If they carelessly put a scratch on Gibraltar and Gibraltar decides to swing the sword against the empire because of that, that person will be the first person the emperor kills.”

I wonder if the Emperor may have made his decision while I was on my way to Gibraltar, but he is just waiting to make a choice when he has taken over the Counts of Sirene.

“Perhaps it was the emperor’s last act of consideration. He gave us time to erase the shadows inside Gibraltar.”

“Is this consideration?”

“It’s the bare minimum of conscience.”

Our choice.

“There are many things that need to be done to calm the confusion, but there must be a place to go first.”

To be exact, the person you should look for first.

“Noir, where are you now?”