I am the Monarch

Of course, he couldn’t be certain about anything. From the memories of Tempestas, the time of Latio’s travel back in time had never been mentioned specifically and was only an assumption after taking several situations and stories into account.

“The difference in my first and second life was when I was placed in the Southern Army after a repetition of relegations.”

Both in the first and second life, Roan had been relegated due to having a bad relationship with Benjamin Doyle, the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Armies. In the end, he had been placed in the smallest provincial army, the Southern Army.

“In the first life, I had also been played around by several

Supreme Commanders and Lieutenant Commanders there before being relegated to the Grain Mountain Range raid team, but in the second life…”

“You had been sent to a place other than the Grain Mountain Range.”

Kalian interjected with a faint smile.

“Yes. For some reason, I had been sent back to the Eastern Army before being sent to the boundaries of the Eastern and the Northern Armies.”

“That’s when Latio came in right?”

“According to my thoughts at least, yes.”

Roan nodded his head.

“I’m guessing that he started working on things personally around that point and had returned to the past some time before that.”

Straight after returning to the past, he wouldn’t have been able to have much influence. At that time, Latio had been the successor of a fallen religion and was running away to avoid the eyes of the Devesis Church. It probably would’ve been difficult for Latio who had been in the Aimas Union to come over to the Rinse Kingdom and do something to Roan who was a spearman under the Kingdom.

He first would’ve relied on his memories of the future to increase his power and influence as fast as possible.

‘Of course, even then, it is certain that he had returned to a period much later than he had been expecting.”

In the first place, there was no reason to return to such an ambiguous period of time. If he had gone back to before the attack of the crusaders, he could have avoided the raid and would’ve been able to increase his influence a lot faster.

‘It didn’t go according to his wishes.’

There were several possible reasons for that.

‘Although he sacrificed countless believers, even that had not been enough.’

Or perhaps it could’ve been because of the lives and mana of many people intertwining and affecting the balance of power. But,

“Although he returned to a period much later than he thought, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to ruin my life.”

Roan back then really was no different from a normal person after all. Hearing up to there, Kalian tilted his head.

“But why did he keep you alive without killing you after that?”

He couldn’t understand. Even if he wasn’t able to lay his hands on Roan because of the initial lack of his power and influence, there was no reason for him to keep Roan alive after gaining power and it would’ve been better on his conscience to get rid of potential problems as soon as possible.

Roan made a strange smile.

“That was perhaps because…”

There was a reason he could guess.

“He aimed for the fateful encounter I had gained in my first life.”

Although Latio had searched the Grain Mountain Range himself for that fateful encounter, he couldn’t find anything. He perhaps thought that if there was a thing called fate, then it would once again get close to Roan in some manner.

“After the force under him grew, in other words, when he was able to observe me from a close distance, he would’ve decided to watch me instead of killing.”

“If you got close to that fateful encounter again, he would take it immediately before… huh…”

Kalian smiled bitterly and shook his head. He couldn’t help but be at awe of Latio’s ambition and greed, but at the same time, he could understand that a fateful encounter that could make Roan from a low spearman into an emperor would be indeed worth longing for.

Roan too made a bitter smile.

“I believe you’ve seen it as well but I died at a battlefield as the lowest-grade spearman while Latio became the personification of revenge as he destroyed the Middle World.”

“While playing dead as well.”

Kalian shook his head and Roan let out a deep breath. Latio who was believed to have died during the Holy War was actually not dead and he had in fact hid himself behind the curtains while spreading rumours about his death.

What was more shocking was,

‘The countless battles that had happened after that, and especially the more intense ones were all intentionally created by Latio.’

Roan clenched his teeth.

‘Creating altars all around the continent was not enough for him and he made the entire continent into a form of an altar.’

All the nations within the continent had waged wars on top of the altar made by Latio.

‘Latio. From that guy’s perspective, he was able to easily supply the altar with sacrifices.’

As wars got more intense, mountains of corpses filled the ground and blood formed rivers. Latio probably would’ve welcomed it with his both thumbs up as the cruel plan he had set up was easily being carried through.

His evil deeds had gotten worse after Roan’s death. Due to that, the Great Warring Period in the first and the second lives were similar yet different. Unlike the first life where the Great Warring Period slowly started getting fiercer, the second life’s one was a lot more vicious and continued endlessly.

And ultimately,

‘The Gates of Boundary had been broken.’

Those were all things that happened after Roan’s death. Breathing in deeply, Roan stared directly at Kalian.

“That guy probably doesn’t know that I’ve come back in time. He most likely just thinks that himself coming back in time had changed the future a little.”

The first time he came back in time, he probably would’ve been very puzzled as Roan who should’ve been struggling as a mere spearman was famous with victories under his name.

“After somewhat gathering up the forces, he must’ve gathered and analysed information on me before intentionally appearing before me with the assassins of the Black Moon Guild.”

“He was planning to have something fall onto his lap without doing anything.”

Kalian shook his head with a grin and Roan nodded his head.

“Right. If I died to the assassins of the Black Moon Guild, that would’ve been good and even if I didn’t he was probably planning to continue the connection somehow.”

“To take Tempestas?”

Roan once again gave a nod to Kalian’s words.

“Yes. Because the previous me and the current me were way too different, he most likely wanted to steal the Tempestas earlier on and go back in time once again.”

Hearing that, Kalian pushed his chest out in pride.

“If it wasn’t for me, everything would’ve gone according to his will.”

If not for Kalian swapping the real and the fake Tempestas, they would’ve been running around on top of Latio’s palm again. Roan lowered his head with a bitter smile.

“It was thanks to you that we have gone over this predicament. Thank you.”

Turning his head, Roan faced towards the east.

“Latio is probably heading towards the Aimas Union. That is where most of the memories of the future he remembers are related to after all.”

“It would be easier to do things at a place where he remembers clearly after all.”

With a grin Kalian nodded his head. He too turned towards the east.

“Then do we head to the Aimas Union as well?”

Roan shook his head.

“No, even if we head to the Aimas Union, we won’t be able to find Latio after all. And besides, this time, just finding Latio won’t end things.”

“What does that mean?”

Kalian made a frown. Standing on the same spot, Roan turned around to look at every direction.

“Altars.”

A short word escaped his lips as his face turned rigid.

“It is already installed throughout the continent.”

A low voice filled the area.

‘The fact that it was in the Blackburn area would mean that most of the work had already proceeded.’

Going through the memories of Tempestas, it was safe to say that it was the most certain assumption.

“We must break all that, but before that…”

Roan stopped turning around and standing still, he stared directly at Kalian. His deeply sunk eyes reflected light.

“I must meet the pope.”

***

“I don’t know if it’s okay for us to leave like this without a word.”

“They cared greatly for us…”

“Is there a reason you’re leaving the Amaranth Kingdom back to the Aimas Union?”

The people wearing brown attires heaved out sighs with worried expressions. Their gaze gathered towards one place, at the youth that was leading the group from the front. Despite the baggy brown clothes he was wearing, he appeared very feeble and his white skin was eye-catching. Turning his head, the youth faced several people with a warm smile hanging on his lips.

“You are all very worried.”

His deep eyes flickered in light. The youth that was glancing over the group of people with a kind expression was none other than Latio.

“The reason why I’m leaving the Amaranth Kingdom that gives rest to my body back to the Aimas Union is because my heart is uncomfortable.”

The people asked back with surprised expressions in response.

“You felt uncomfortable?”

“Did the Amaranth Kingdom side do something?”

“We didn’t feel anything though.”

Urgent words left and Latio waved his hands with a bright smile.

“That’s not what I mean. I wasn’t uncomfortable because of the treatment from the Amaranth Kingdom but…”

His gaze pointed towards the east.

“Thinking back on the believers that had been left behind in the Aimas Kingdom made my heart ache of sorrow.”

“Ah…”

In that instant, many of them let out low murmurs before soon lowering their heads in depression. In the Aimas Union, there were a lot of believers of the Tallian Church. However, they had to avoid the strict investigations and eyes of the Devesis Church and their believers as they survived day by day while hiding themselves.

“The brothers in Aimas are under intense hardships even now. Keeping their faith and to keep their faith, they are living whilst standing on the edge of a cliff.”

His voice turned heated in emotion as he wiped his eyes with his long sleeves. He appeared to be wiping away his tears.

“Thinking of those believers, I couldn’t live with only me being at rest.”

“Ah… Sir…”

The people bowed with moved expressions but it was then.

“But even then, wouldn’t it have been better to talk to the Amaranth Kingdom at least? They helped us quite a lot and…”

One of the men opened their mouth carefully and Latio responded with a nod and a faint smile.

“Of course, those are natural manners considering that we were the helped ones. However, I couldn’t bring myself to doing that.”

A regretful look appeared in his eyes.

“If we said we were going to leave, they wouldn’t have just let us go empty handed. They would’ve tried to give us perhaps a Lebbis carriage or at least a few magic carriages.”

Latio shook his head.

“I couldn’t receive such hospitality yet again.”

“Mhmm.”

The men let out mutters and Latio faced a warm smile towards them.

“I have sent a separate letter so please don’t keep that in mind.”

“We just follow the will of Sir Archbishop.”

They lowered their heads once again but the believer that had been worried about the Amaranth Kingdom did not have a good expression to the end. Latio still faced a kind smile at him, but,

‘That rotten bastard.”

His innards were black and cold.

‘The moment we go back to Aimas, you’ll become a sacrifice straight away, hmph.’

Profanities filled him up to his throat.

This was his real self. Despite that, he still kept an amiable expression outwardly as he faced towards the east and the feet that had come to a stop started moving again. That scene made the onlookers think of a holy man leaving on a journey filled with holiness and dignity.

However, the eyes of Latio who had his back towards the people were vicious like a snake and cold light was reflected from deep within.

‘Damn. Nothing’s going the way I want them to.’

He wanted to grab anyone and pull their heads out. That was how angry he was.

‘Roan who should’ve been having trouble as a lowly spearman is undefeated; the Tempestas I stole is a fake…’

Latio clenched his teeth.

‘Even dozens of assassins of the Black Moon Guild running in at once couldn’t kill him. If I was to attack now, I might lose my life for it.’

He decided to fall back once.

‘Firstly, while looking for the real Tempestas, the rituals of the altars must proceed. To do that…’

A cruel light filled his eyes.

‘I need a lot of blood.’

On Latio’s lips, a brutal smile hung itself. It wasn’t that difficult to find lots of blood.

‘I need a war, no…’

His smile deepened.

‘A massacre.’

Turning his eyes, they pointed towards the east.

‘There’s a fitting place.’

A beautiful village appeared inside his head.

‘I was planning on using it later on but since the situation calls for it, there’s no other way around it.’

His expression changed slightly. It was a complicated expression that was jumbled up with excitement, joy, and rage.

‘Now, should I begin for real?’

It wasn’t a question seeking for an answer as the answer had already been made. Like that, Latio’s ‘second life’ and Roan’s third life started to get tangled up.

<The Past (6)> End.