KCDT Chapter 61

Determined not to let this incident slide, Yujin tried not to be swayed by Cairo’s pitiful appearance and deliberately looked away as he spoke to the Emperor.

“However, please ensure that the head butler receives proper punishment.”

“Of course. I have no intention of causing problems either. Do you want him hanged? Or perhaps beheaded?”

Yujin felt nauseous at the Emperor’s casual attitude, discussing execution for a task he himself had ordered, cutting off loose ends without a second thought.

“…I don’t wish for execution. Just a punishment fitting the crime is sufficient.”

Unless it was a death sentence handed down in court with a proper judicial system, Yujin was uncomfortable with the idea of sentencing the head butler to death based on his own decision.

Of course, he had no intention of letting him off easy, so he requested an appropriate punishment, but the Emperor seemed unable to understand this.

“Isn’t execution the fitting punishment for this crime? He dared to attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince’s guide. This is tantamount to an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince himself.”

“That’s because Your Majesty…!”

As Yujin, angered by the brazen attitude, started to blurt out his words, the Emperor cut him off.

“Hmm, what crime have I committed?”

As he said this, he slightly extended his empty wrists, causing Yujin to close his eyes. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he spoke again.

“…Let me rephrase. I don’t want execution.”

“You are truly kind.”

“…No. It’s the opposite.”

Yujin self-deprecatingly remarked that his leniency, which stemmed from not wanting to carry unnecessary guilt over the death of someone who tried to kill him, was far from kindness.

“Hmm, whatever the case, I too prefer the head butler alive, so I’ll accept it.”

Yujin sighed and voiced his second condition.

“In exchange, I must receive proper compensation for the attempt on my life.”

“What do you want?”

“Money, of course.”

There’s a reason why settlement money exists. Now that he had fallen for this trick and could no longer expect proper punishment for the culprit, all that was left was money.

The Emperor nodded readily, as if willing to pay any amount if it meant resolving this situation with just money.

“And finally, release Cairo. This is my last condition.”

For the first time, the Emperor’s consistently relaxed expression contorted.

“Release the Crown Prince? What do you mean?”

What nonsense is this? Though he understood the intent, the Emperor questioned back, given how absurd the demand was.

“I mean, whether you dethrone him or whatever, make it so Cairo is no longer tied to the imperial family.”

At first, Yujin was shocked and disappointed to learn that Cairo had cut off the Emperor’s hands and feet, claiming it was for his sake. That fact remained unchanged.

‘But if you ask whether the environment is entirely Cairo’s fault, that’s not the case…’

Yujin gave a bitter smile at Cairo’s behavior just moments ago, frightened by Yujin’s anger but feeling no guilt about cutting off hands and feet.

‘To begin with, when his biological father treats human lives like flies, what can you expect.’

Cairo’s environment was too poor to simply blame him. Even now, he tried to kill people around him when things didn’t go his way. How much worse must it have been when Cairo was young and couldn’t handle his power well?

‘He had no choice but to grow up with this personality, and he had to become like this.’

Thinking that this was how Cairo had managed to survive until now, Yujin could no longer resent him.

‘But now he doesn’t need to be tied down anymore.’

Cairo no longer needed the shadow of his unworthy parents. Even if he did need it, Yujin could now be that shadow for him.

‘With all his limbs intact, can’t he make a living somehow?’

So Yujin decided to leave the imperial court. He had nearly died, and he couldn’t leave Cairo in such a place any longer.

“Yujin…?”

At Cairo’s bewildered voice, Yujin turned around and answered.

“I’m sorry for deciding on my own. But no matter how I think about it, this seems right.”

Yujin felt quite sorry for deciding Cairo’s future without consulting him, to the point where he couldn’t even look at Cairo properly.

But for Cairo, that wasn’t what mattered.

He could give up his position as Crown Prince anytime if that’s what Yujin wanted.

He was just worried that without the title of Crown Prince, he might lose what he could offer to Yujin.

“Will you be okay?”

Yujin was surprised when Cairo asked him back.

“Me? Are you asking if I’ll be okay?”

“Yes. In the imperial palace, I can give you whatever you want, but outside, I can’t do that.”

Yujin bit his lip at Cairo, who was willing to stay in the imperial palace he hated so much for such a reason. This was exactly why he had decided to take Cairo away without consultation.

Affection that prioritized Yujin’s happiness over his own.

When expressed in the wrong way, it could be heavy and burdensome, but seeing someone who had known no love in the original work willing to sacrifice himself for Yujin’s sake was deeply moving.

“…I don’t need such things. If I need anything, I can earn it myself. No, rather, I’ll support you from now on, so come with me.”

“…Okay, I’ll go. Anywhere you want is fine.”

Although it was quite a courageous statement for Yujin, Cairo nodded immediately without a second thought, smiling brightly as if he had just received a proposal.

“W-Wait…”

The Emperor, flustered by the situation where they were making plans right in front of him, opened his mouth, but an even louder voice drowned him out.

“Wait a minute! What about me? Huh? Yujin!”

“Me too. If I quit being the Pope and come, will you take responsibility for me, Yujin-nim?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll quit being the Magic Tower Master too.”

Yujin began to panic at these sudden declarations of resignation. While Haniel quitting might actually be welcome since those old geezers were still alive and well in the temple, Urich was living comfortably as the Magic Tower Master, wasn’t he?

“W-Wait a minute, guys.”

Yujin finally realized he had spoken too thoughtlessly. He never expected to come to this realization while caught between a bunch of clingy individuals.

“You’re not planning to live with just him, are you?”

“Yujin-nim, don’t abandon me…”

“No, I’m not abandoning you. You shouldn’t say such things to people in the first place…”

Yujin couldn’t even put his hand to his forehead as the two people firmly held onto his hands, refusing to let go. He struggled to figure out how to resolve this situation.

“Wait!”

However, the Emperor’s interruption cut short his deliberation.

“Who do you think you are to take away the Crown Prince as you please?”

The Emperor was frowning and breathing heavily, seemingly vexed by Yujin not only making decisions on his own but also ignoring his words.

Since this level of reaction was expected, Yujin gently detached Urich and Haniel and stood before the Emperor with his head held high.

“This is my condition.”

“Denied.”

“Then I’ll just tell everyone that Your Majesty the Emperor tried to kill me, the guide, in an attempt to eliminate the Crown Prince.”

In truth, Yujin still didn’t understand why Cairo would die if he died. He just thought that if he, as the guide, disappeared, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be able to receive proper guidance in the future.

It was half correct. What Yujin didn’t know was that the death of an imprinted guide, not just a simple guide, would have a significant impact on the esper as well.

So this incident was dangerous not only for Cairo, the Crown Prince, but also for Urich and Haniel.

Remembering this fact, Urich stepped forward to support Yujin.

“And you seem to be forgetting, Yujin is my guide as well.”

“You…”

The Emperor quietly gritted his teeth, feeling as if the scales that had been tipping in his favor were now balancing out. And when Haniel stepped forward, the scales tipped towards Yujin’s side.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten that I’m here as well.”

Now that the situation truly lived up to the name of a negotiation, Yujin could face the Emperor more confidently.

“What will you do?”

As the situation changed and became unfavorable, the Emperor had no choice but to reconsider. Would he hold onto Cairo, the most important key to continuing the glorious history of the imperial family, or maintain his current position?

The deliberation was long, but the answer was predetermined.

“…We’ll change the Crown Prince to someone else.”

The Emperor felt a bitter taste in his mouth, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. With Cairo, he could have adorned his era as the most glorious in history, but now that was snatched away right before his eyes.

If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have accepted the part about compensation. He had thought he was getting off relatively cheaply if it could be resolved with money, but now he was losing both Cairo and money, causing the Emperor to grit his teeth.

“But know that this doesn’t mean your imperial duties disappear.”

However, he had no intention of completely letting go of Cairo. Yujin frowned at the Emperor’s persistent pettiness, but not wanting to argue any further, he decided to wrap up the conversation.

“It seems our discussion is concluded, so I’ll take my leave now. Don’t worry, we’ll leave the imperial palace within a few days.”

Although he knew what the Emperor wanted was for him to leave alone, Yujin deliberately turned his back, grating on the Emperor’s nerves.