Chapter 37
A mate?
Unthinkable.
Had he lost his mind? Completely snapped?
Even if they were the last two people left in the world, he would never become involved with that woman. Not in a million years.
The very idea was so revolting that Kaishis couldn’t even control his expression. The fury welling up within him was extreme, and the disappointment—it was so absurd, it made him laugh.
How ridiculous.
The rift between mages and Awakeners was deeper than that between cats and dogs.
Did he really believe that woman—his poor, pitiable sister—would be truly cherished by the leader of the mages?
Just because he held her hand at a banquet?
Just because he brought her to show her face?
Disappointment? How laughable.
“Son of a bitch.”
His sudden curse startled the Awakened knights following behind him, their eyes widening.
He could sense their reactions, but he didn’t even have the presence of mind to look back and check.
Something is definitely wrong.
This wasn’t the first time. And when things spiraled out of control, it always created variables.
In a gate, where a single mistake could cost your life, such variables were a terrifying threat.
The Emperor cannot afford to make mistakes.
And Kaishis himself, the strongest of the Awakened, could never afford to fall.
Gates appeared by the dozens every day, and in the most dangerous areas, high-level Awakeners like him were always dispatched.
He clenched his teeth, pushing down the unknown dread, anxiety, and overwhelming emotions inside him.
Of course, he hadn’t realized yet that he was mentally attacking himself—punishing himself—for having threatened the person he’d half-bonded with.
“Your Majesty.”
The voice that addressed him came from his right-hand man, a fellow Awakener with a grave expression.
“Report first.”
His voice was cold. The knight saluted and barked his report.
“Yes, sir! Three injured, no casualties. We’ve collected fourteen mana stones to be delivered to the mages. However, Your Majesty—are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
But the knight didn’t buy it.
“You’ve overexerted yourself.”
The knight glanced around Kaishis with a concerned look.
“Something seems wrong. Even earlier today—”
“What do you mean, earlier today?”
Kaishis’s scowl deepened, and the knight quickly changed the subject.
“My apologies. Since the core has been dealt with, I recommend you return and rest.”
Kaishis had believed he was fine—but his right-hand man was right.
I let my guard down.
While he’d been blinded by rage, he hadn’t even noticed how intense the pain had become.
Blue veins now stood out along his skin like twisting vines—enough to repulse an ordinary person.
A burning pain coursed through him, his head throbbed violently, and his heart felt like it might burst.
What was absurd was that his skin burned with heat from his overused power, yet the cold energy running through his veins made his insides feel frozen.
My mate…
But he would be fine.
Once he returned to the palace and night fell, his mate—who understood his pain—would appear like a miracle.
His mindset had clearly shifted from before and after the concept of a “mate” was introduced.
Am I becoming dependent on this presence?
Describing it as a beast chained by a leash wasn’t far off.
Even the unexplained irritation and anger that had plagued him earlier now gradually subsided at the thought of his elusive mate—like mist lifting.
Looking over the bleak scene of the gate, Kaishis finally spoke.
“Very well. Let’s return.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Relief washed over the knights at the end of his tantrum, visibly softening their expressions.
Only then did Kaishis snap back to his senses.
A delayed concern for Luias bloomed in his mind.
The boy was sensitive—he’d surely been hurt.
That cold and taciturn Duke wasn’t exactly the type to gently tend to emotional wounds.
Damn it all.
And yet he couldn’t very well bring Luias back to the palace either.
As his reason returned, he realized just how strange today had been.
Between the duke and the witness, and considering the use of drugs, it was clear that even within the Imperial Palace, there were those who could not be trusted.
And that meant he’d made a fool of himself.
He pressed his fingers to his temple, frowning.
Just imagining that arrogant woman lifting her chin with a smug look as if daring him to beg for help—it made his blood boil.
Still—
“Once I return, have a message delivered.”
The knights tilted their heads.
“To whom, Your Majesty?”
“Duke Ariel.”
“Oh… the duke?”
“Yes. That woman.”
The moment he uttered her name, the knights who had been relaxed stiffened again.
Regardless, the conversation needed to happen.
Just because they disliked each other didn’t mean they could avoid contact forever.
She was one of the two pillars upholding the Empire.
“What happened today was strange. I need confirmation.”
“Y-yes, we’ll inform the palace immediately. Then shall we return directly to the central palace?”
“I’ll speak with her after returning. The exit has opened. Ready everyone.”
“Yes, sir!”
Beyond a lake stained with blood, the exit to the gate shimmered like a mirage.
The exit only appeared after the monster core-holder was slain.
No matter how many times he saw it, it was a sickening sight that never grew familiar.
Stepping through the gate’s exit brought them back to their world—but not without its dreadful pressure.
“Your Majesty!”
His chief attendant and temporary guides rushed forward with worried faces.
A familiar—far too familiar—scene.
But how wonderful would it be if his mate were among them?
If that person were always by his side, rather than someone he had to wait for?
How wonderful that would be.
Today, a hunger he could no longer suppress swelled in his chest.
Perhaps it was due to the pain flaring up to the back of his neck.
“Y-Your Majesty. We—”
“We’ll try again somehow!”
None of his guides could calm him.
And yet, after a single night, he would return completely restored—as if nothing had happened.
He knew many rumors had spread because of this.
The knights hesitated, wanting to ask questions but unable to voice them.
His three temporary guides looked so desperate, fearing for their positions.
But not yet.
Not until he had even the slightest trace of his mate.
Until then, he couldn’t say anything. He had to wait.
That was when it happened.
He felt something strange at his feet.
Reacting instantly, Kaishis swept his arm, sending ice branches hurtling outwards to fling away those near him.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
The guides collapsed from the blast, and the Awakeners ran to protect them.
And in that brief moment where Kaishis stood alone—a massive shadow appeared at his feet.
Everyone saw it.
The same horrifying scene from six years ago in the imperial garden.
“Everyone.”
A growl escaped him, blood seeping from his gums.
That sickening sensation.
As if something had taken hold of his heart and was squeezing it tight.
“Get back!”
—KWA-A-AANG!
A deafening explosion shook the ground.
Screams rang out. Dust clouds exploded into the air.
And Kaishis saw blackness swallow his vision.
“Your Majestyyyy!”
Something impossible had happened inside the palace.
Blessed by the gods, the Imperial Palace was never supposed to produce gates.
Just like six years ago, when Mother died.
A gate overdrive.
The last thing he saw before everything went dark was his knights running toward him in panic.
Then came the overwhelming pain—like being crushed alive.
And the gate swallowed Kaishis whole.
Left behind in the deafening silence, the others could only stare in shock.
“This… this can’t be…”
“A gate? Inside the palace?”
“But he was already on the verge of collapse! What do we do?! H-His Majesty was swallowed alone!”
The black void that consumed the emperor.
Now that someone had already entered, no one else could follow until he died inside.
The flickering signs around it were unmistakable.
A full-blown gate overdrive.
