TN: I am busy with helping a research paper, so there was some delay. The updates will be a bit regular now.
Chapter 162: 100 Points
Using the technique to divert attention, I was able to easily distract the guard at the entrance and infiltrate the palace.
The palace at night was devoid of human presence, shrouded in silence.
Upon stepping into the lobby, I unintentionally made a louder sound than expected in the stone corridor, so I consciously moved more quietly as I proceeded forward.
I had been visiting this palace for several decades since my reincarnation as Noah.
Even when my father was the Emperor and after he abdicated to become the retired Emperor, I continued to visit daily whenever I was in the imperial capital.
I was so familiar with the palace that I could almost navigate it with my eyes closed.
First, I headed straight to my father’s bedroom.
Although he might not be there due to his illness, I still made my way towards that location.
In retrospect, my concern was unnecessary.
Upon arriving in front of the bedroom, I found that there were no guards.
However, when I put my ear to the door, I could hear voices conversing from inside.
There were two voices, both belonging to elderly men.
One was undeniably that of my father.
“Next, I have compiled His Majesty’s words into a collection.”
“That can wait. Compared to what has been done, it is not that important.”
“I anticipated Your Majesty would say that. However, we already have a draft prepared.”
The voice of the person speaking with my father was also somewhat familiar to me.
I might not have recognized it on its own, but having gathered prior information, I quickly made the connection.
It was the voice of Noizhil, who had served as the First Vizier for thirty years under my father. There were no other voices or presences detectable.
Since there were no guards, it seemed my father had sent everyone away and was having a confidential discussion with his trusted aide.
“A draft, you say?”
“Yes, it is compiled by His Majesty, the current emperor.”
“Noah did this? Ah, I remember he was working on something like this.”
“The current Emperor deeply respects you, Your Majesty. It seems he has been working to compile your accomplishments for some time.”
“I knew he was doing that—show it to me.”
I heard my father receiving something from Noizhil and the sound of him flipping through papers.
“…I didn’t check the details because I thought my own statements were unnecessary, but he has researched this thoroughly.”
“I was surprised too.”
“This phrase, ‘A ruler should harbor no hatred toward anyone’, was something I merely said a few times when I was young.”
“I remember you saying that when I had just begun to serve you. I had completely forgotten until now.”
“I had forgotten as well. Impressive, Noah is.”
In the room, my father and Noizhil were talking about me. I felt a bit conflicted—should I remain here or leave?
The fact that they were discussing me was insignificant at this point.
The reason I was pondering whether to leave was that my father seemed to sound quite healthy. Through the door, I could perceive his clear tone and vigor. It did not sound like that of someone gravely ill.
Realizing that my father was not bedridden was a significant relief. While a long stay was unnecessary, I was also curious about his thoughts.
Should I retreat or linger and continue to eavesdrop? That was the dilemma I faced.
“What is Noah doing now?”
“He still seems to be in private conversation with Oscar.”
“Oscar, huh…”
I was startled for a moment. This conversation closing off the ability to leave immediately removed my option to slip away.
I held my breath and focused intently on the exchanges happening inside the room.
“I am merely an outsider now.”
“Hmm?”
“If that law had been reinstated during your reign, it might have proved beneficial to the current Emperor, who is strict in his adherence to the law.”
“That law regarding fratricide, you mean?”
“—!”
I gasped, startled.
The reference to “that law” was vague, but I immediately understood what it was.
Several hundred years ago, there was a law in the dynasty that preceded the Empire.
It allowed the Emperor, upon ascending the throne, to purge his brothers, thereby justifying such actions.
The brutal power struggles among siblings over the throne had been a persistent theme in history.
The idea behind it was to eliminate obstacles immediately after ascending in order to prevent any conflict.
Recently, my growing interest in history had led me to come across this matter, and it now struck a chord once more.
If that law had existed… I felt cold sweat trickling down my back, both then and now.
“Certainly, with that law, Noah could have dealt with Oscar. However…”
“But?”
“Noah has already killed a brother once, out of necessity.”
“…Yes.”
“I do not wish to see that again, nor do I want it to happen.”
“I see…”
“…”
Hearing about my father and the situation, I found myself surprisingly calm.
The two of them were likely discussing Albert.
Once, the second prince, Albert, attempted to rebel against my father, and I had to stop him — killing him with a kind of “mercy” through suicide.
They were talking about that incident.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“…It’s fine. Just leave me alone for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Noizhil responded.
I heard footsteps approaching the door.
Quickly, I moved away from the door and hid in the shadows of the hallway. Noizhil stepped out from the bedroom and left without noticing me.
As I contemplated what to do next…
“100”
Huh?
My father mumbled something in the room.
The number 100 — what does that mean…?
“Noah, if you’re there, come in.”
“—!?”
I was surprised.
How did he find me?
I shouldn’t have made any mistakes, so how did he discover me?
Even as I pondered this, since my father called me like that, I couldn’t ignore him.
I opened the door that Noizhil had closed and stepped inside.
My father was there on the massive bed.
He was leaning against the headboard, with sheets covering his legs.
He turned to look at me in that state.
“…Hmm.”
“I apologize for the sudden intrusion, Father.”
“That’s fine… Noah is quite impressive.” [TN: I believe The former Emperor is even more impressive at this point]
“Eh?”
What was that all of a sudden?
I was baffled.
I couldn’t understand what he meant by “impressive,” and my brow furrowed in confusion.
“You’ve scored a perfect 100, exceeding my expectations.”
“Ah…”
So that mumble he made earlier about “100” meant that.
But I wondered what had earned me that score.
“You look like you want to ask what made it a hundred, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I am aware of your return — no need to explain that, right?”
“Yes.”
“I have received reports. I am constantly aware of your actions, and detailed reports indicated there were no abnormalities. However, given your purpose, you must have confirmed my condition in some proper way. Otherwise, there would be no reason for you to come back.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“And so, I imagined various scenarios—this timing was the one that outsmarted me the most.”
So that’s why he called it a perfect score.
I nodded, understanding what my father meant.
While I was pleased to receive a perfect score from him, it was slightly disappointing to realize that I hadn’t completely outsmarted him, it was still within his expectations.
I decided to change the topic so he wouldn’t sense my feelings.
“I’m relieved to see that you seem to be in good health, Father.”
“Judging by appearances can be hasty, you know?”
“No, it’s not just appearances.”
“Oh? Then what is it?”
“Because you are engaging in your ‘final preparations,’ Father.”
“Hmm?”
My father nodded and gazed directly at me, silently urging me to continue.
“You have often said, ‘Ninety percent of those called wise rulers tarnish their later years.'”
“Indeed.”
“You are pouring all your energy and heart into ensuring that does not happen.”
“That’s right.”
“If I were you, I would consider when to begin my final preparations. That would be when I’m fully prepared. More precisely, it would be at a time when I realize I’m weakening, yet can still make sound judgments. If I were completely lost, I would do nothing at all.”
“…This too is worth a perfect score. You are impressive, Noah.”
Once again, my father praised me.
It seems that his health is “not that bad” after all.
Feeling relieved, I continued.
“However, this raises one curious point.”
“The fact that I kept this a secret and distanced my wives to create an air of mystery around my condition, right?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
My father laughed softly and asked further.
“What do you think would happen if my health remains a mystery?”
There is –>discord <— to get update notifications and releases? I am very lazy these days.
Click on the image above for my ko-fi page link, help me please!!!
Also if some of you also read Person with Inferior Ability, I have uploaded a new chapter, I will be finishing this volume very soon.
Thanks for the chapter. 👍