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In any case, I still can't judge for certain. In fact, the only reason I don't dismiss all of this entirely—whether it's the record or the holographic screen right before my eyes, just like a hallucination—is that even amidst all this nonsense, I still find some logic... Or perhaps all this is the work of those men? Who knows... So it's best that I understand exactly what I'm involved in, and until then, it's best that I act with caution
And the second thing that caught my attention:
Rank: Sealed
Sanctuary: Sealed
Skills: Sealed
Ability: Sealed
According to the record, after I had carried out the massacre of my servants and knights, the Emperor came to visit me a few days later and ordered me to show him my sanctuary and my ability, and I did so.
It could be said that the Emperor was not pleased; rather, he sealed my powers himself, and at that very moment, before I had even finished demonstrating my powers—during which, incidentally, I had already killed three of the knights accompanying the Emperor.
According to the record, I did this on purpose… it was more like revenge for him locking me up.
Hmmm, well, thinking back on my actions, I suppose I was also pushing the Emperor to treat me as a madman and a criminal through my behaviour.
From the moment I awoke until I was banished to the asylum, I killed hundreds of people; every interaction with me carried the risk of death, and communicating with me rationally was almost impossible...
If I think about it, perhaps if it weren't for the record that makes me cautious... it's not hard to imagine myself in all that madness after everything I've been through in those two years since I was abducted. And you must understand that the Imperial Knights only found me because I broke the barrier of concealment that surrounded that place and killed all the perpetrators.
So it's not hard to imagine a force beyond the control of reason and logic—what it might do... especially since all my thoughts and memories were already confused and chaotic until I got this record, which helped me gather some sense in my head and understand who I really am and what's happening to me.
Anyway, let's leave the matter of the record for later. Right now,
I tried to use my ability, but it didn't respond to me, so I looked at my hands, frowning and annoyed.
I didn't kill anyone this time, nor did I even demonstrate my power. Why has my power been sealed off this time? Was it because of my attack on that woman? As expected, she's completely suspicious.
I looked at the holographic screen—which calls itself the 'System'—before my eyes, feeling annoyed.
Now, how do I make this thing disappear? … Oh, it vanished just by me thinking it. Good. It seems I won't have to wander about with my vision obstructed by this strange thing, which I seem to need to investigate to understand what it is.
Anyway... my only consolation is that I'm still in my palace, the Crown Prince's Palace, even after I attacked that woman. Is it because I didn't kill her that I haven't been transferred to the rear palace?
Well, shall we say some good news at last?
My train of thought was interrupted when the guard called out from behind my bedroom door
"Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor."
The door opened without my permission, but I didn't dare to object. Instead, when the Emperor entered my room, a shiver ran down my spine for some reason, and my body instinctively went on the defensive as I watched him warily... Perhaps because the Record intrudes on my memories; no matter how much I try to deny it, I know full well that it influences my judgement of people,
Before you blame me, you must understand that I was in a state of near-total loss of identity and memory after all the torture and experiments I was subjected to; indeed, most of my general knowledge now comes from the Record rather than my actual memories,
Let's just say that my relationship with the Emperor wasn't the best after he humiliated me and stripped me of my identity, which was the last thing I had left in my broken mind. In fact, I killed him for committing this grave sin; for even if he was the Emperor, how dare he tamper with the laws of the Empire? He should simply have killed me if he found me unfit to rule, not humiliated me in such a hideous manner.
The only thing that has made me forgiving towards him and able to distinguish between reality and the Record now is that, unlike the last memory in the Record, he now appears much younger, with long, snow-white hair, adorned with the imperial crown, and cold, silver eyes. He wore royal robes dominated by white and grey, with a silver-coloured cloak bearing the imperial emblem of the White Stag. He exuded an oppressive aura by his mere presence
and his very presence ignited an instinct within me, causing me to rise and kneel before him. You must understand that this is neither a conscious display of authority nor an intentional coercion on the part of His Majesty; this phenomenon is known as the innate aura. A person's life experiences imprint themselves upon their very presence,
The overwhelming dignity and absolute authority emanating from this man stem from his very nature.
I did not resist; although I found it difficult to get out of bed, I bowed to him with the utmost respect where I, apologising to him whilst reminding myself that the events of the record had not happened, and perhaps were not even real; so I forced my mind to stop making unjustified judgements against him.
"The Crown Prince greets His Majesty the Emperor. I beg your forgiveness for my inability to perform the salute correctly."
For me, this is now the Northern Emperor, the warlord, His Revered Majesty, XCVII Emperor of the Hagelmark Nordreich Empire,
Emperor Ludwig Adalhard von Luxemburg Ehrenfeld.
Even if I hated him in the record for breaking the Empire's laws.
I will not do so now... at least as long as His Majesty abides by the laws and does not act as he did in the Record.
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