Emperor! Can You See Stats!?

Chapter 86: Changes

“His name is Devan, right? Even if he is from the Carvan Kingdom and had the advantage of terrain and various other factors, he is still an outstanding talent!”

The emperor could not help but admire as he skimmed through the report. 

He was also a busy man in his active days, fighting against the rebellious nobles who did not listen to him.

The strategy that the 3rd Legion devised this time was quite novel in his eyes.

“He was a prominent talent even when I was at the academy. I think this war was not just a matter of luck.”

Eurius added his words here.

“Hmm…”

“He does not discriminate talents based on their status. Is this not the law of the empire that Your Majesty established?”

‘This is the first time I hear him praise someone so much. Did he already have his eyes on this talent?’

The emperor immediately read Eurius’s intention. 

He wanted him to push Devan forward. 

It was not a difficult thing for the emperor to favor a proven person in a war.

“That’s right. When the 3rd Legion finishes cleaning up the remnants of the western front and returns to the capital, I will reward him with a suitable honor!”

He would have to clash with the Grand Duke sooner or later anyway. 

He could never have too many excellent commanders. 

He finished taking care of Devan and Eurius, who had almost finished preparing for the departure of the delegation.

“We will finally depart in a few hours.”

“I’ve never been to the desert before. I’m looking forward to it.”

He chatted with the knights about various things, when an unexpected report came to Eurius.

“Your Highness! A letter has arrived from the western front.”

“For me?”

‘Didn’t I already submit a detailed report? What else does Count Peres have to say to me?’

He looked at the letter with a curious expression. But as he read it, his expression changed constantly.

At first, he looked surprised, then he looked shocked, and finally he put down the letter with a serious face.

“Your Highness, did you hear any bad news from the western front?”

The knights around him asked with concern, but Eurius soon returned to his cheerful face.

“It’s nothing. The talent I recommended did a great job and expressed his personal gratitude to me.”

“I see…”

“Rather than that, I heard that the journey through the desert is not easy. You should rest when you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

After dismissing the knights, Eurius fell into thought.

‘This western front did not go exactly as I planned, did it?’

He was not 100 percent sure either. It was the same war, but Devan’s position and situation were completely different.

In his previous life, when he remembered this war, Carvan Kingdom did not suffer such a big damage in the early stage.

Therefore, the imperial army could easily suppress the enemy after they arrived, and Devan, who showed outstanding performance in the meantime, quickly rose up and played a big role in unifying the western alliance later.

‘But in this life, if things went normally, there was no way for Devan to do anything, no matter how talented he was!’

Leonhardt’s deliberate neglect, the already retreating front line, and most importantly, the difference in talent between the kingdom and the empire. 

Even if he pushed Devan forward, his opinion could not be accepted 100 percent by the 3rd Legion, which already had many excellent staff officers.

But despite all these unfavorable conditions, Devan achieved a great merit this time. 

Eurius thought of two main reasons for this.

The first was that Count Peres was much more humane than he thought. 

The summary of his personal letter was like this:

[It may be rude to Your Highness who is from the imperial family, but I was greatly disappointed by Prince Leonhardt’s attitude of treating soldiers like objects. You have the ability to recognize talents like Devan, and I want to follow you.]

‘It’s a big gain to have one of the legion commanders of the empire on my side!’

There were five legions in total in the empire, and unfortunately, the 5th Legion in the south was under the influence of the Grand Duke.

And the 4th Legion in the north and the 1st Legion in charge of defending the capital were firmly loyal to the emperor.

The problem was that the 2nd and 3rd Legions in the central and southern parts of the empire were ambiguous in terms of factions. But now he had secured the 3rd Legion for sure.

And the second reason was no less important than the first. 

Devan had grown faster than he expected.

‘Based on the stats I saw when I briefly met him in the north, he was not yet at the level of an unrivaled commander. But judging by how he handled this war, he must have grown for sure!’

The genius strategist Devan Calios did not build his reputation overnight. 

He was a very humble and calm person who never got angry easily.

But the Devan described in Peres’s letter was still full of youthful vigor. 

And he was in a situation where he could lose his head at any moment by Leonhardt.

‘Peres was a much better superior than I thought. It was his luck. The Devan of the previous life must have also grown through some trials and errors.’

That’s right!

What Eurius felt this time was that even if someone was called a genius in his previous life, the outcome could change depending on his arrangement.

He could die before his talent fully blossomed, but he could also grow faster than in his previous life depending on how he prepared.

He glanced at the seat in front of him.

“…!?”

“…”

There was a brief silence. 

The person sitting in front of him was Beatrice. 

The knights were taking turns staying in the carriage for escort.

‘She also changed a lot because I went to the holy kingdom early.’

He did not know her skills at this point in his previous life, but her external status had changed greatly.

[Swift]

This was the nickname that was given to her after the martial arts tournament. 

It was also the name that she was called as a superhuman in his previous life.

‘She seems to have grown faster than I expected through real battles. But I don’t have anything else to offer her, so it’s awkward.’

Eurius was busy packing his bags for his trip to the desert when he heard some surprising news from the distant eastern continent.

“The Demon Sect has risen in the western continent?”

“That’s right. The head of the Jegal Clan and his eldest daughter have confirmed it with their own eyes.”

“Damn…”

He had thought he could finally move most of his base to the western continent, but this was like a bolt from the blue.

…

The middle-aged man who was stroking his beard and sighing was none other than the head of the Jegal Sect.

“Call for a  meeting.”

A few minutes later, several people entered his room.

It was called a sect meeting, but it was only attended by the leaders of each clan, so there were only five people sitting around his room.

“The Demon Sect, you say?”

“…”

Some doubted the truth of it, while others remained silent. 

That’s how much weight the name of the Demon Sect had for them.

“Since things have come to this, why don’t we fight to the death here in this continent where we have our roots?”

“It’s too late for that. We’ve already moved half of our sect’s power to the western continent.”

The matter was so serious that they had no choice but to argue among themselves.

“May I say something?”

The head looked surprised. 

The person who spoke was a young man who looked no older than thirty. He had been quiet and observant from the start, without giving any opinion.

“Seongun, go ahead.”

“According to the information I collected from Azure Dragon Company in the western continent, it is indeed a dangerous place.”

“Hmm… So you’re saying we should withdraw?”

Surprisingly, the person in charge of Azure Dragon Company, one of the best intelligence organizations in Hwan, was this young man.

Seongun. Jegal Seongun shook his head.

“Not yet. I think we still lack enough information to make a decision. And I also see our ally in the western continent as a big variable.”

“The first prince of that empire? I heard he’s just over twenty years old. He may be good at martial arts, but…”

…

“What do you want to say to me, Your Highness?”

She widened her eyes in surprise.

“Hmm? It’s nothing important. By the way, aren’t you bored of this long carriage journey? How about we have some fun in Parthia to relax our bodies?”

“I’m always looking forward to it.”

She answered quickly with a rare sparkle in her eyes. 

Eurius sighed inwardly as he looked at her.

‘But has her personality changed? Is that what I should call it?’

He recalled the profile of Beatrice that he knew from his previous life.

[Beatrice Dios, became a superhuman at 25, married Eurius, who was rumored to be a good-for-nothing at the time, in a political marriage the next year after becoming a superhuman, and then…]

Eurius shivered.

‘My father in my previous life must have hated me so much. But he made the right decision.’

The emperor at that time was getting weaker and weaker, and most of the officials who supported Eurius, who was the crown prince then, were civil servants. 

The emperor took an extraordinary measure and brought in a superhuman as the crown princess.

In fact, 26 years old was way past the normal age for a noble lady to get married. 

If she wasn’t a superhuman, she would have been kicked out of her family or sent to some monastery.

‘The first prince should be able to handle Lize, right?’

Of course, that was what he thought at first. But after he became the emperor and a civil war broke out, Eurius had to swing his sword more and more to survive, and as a result, the kind of marital relationship (?) that he remembered now was formed.

‘By the way, what kind of relationship should I build with her in this life?’

He finished his reminiscence and another question popped up in his mind. 

How did she see him? 

They had been together for quite a long time, but she was so sparse with her emotional expressions that it was hard to tell.

‘At least she seems to like me somewhat…’

Eurius shook his head slightly as he thought this.

‘I was too lost in my thoughts. There’s a lot to do in the desert. It would be better to review my plans instead of wasting time like this.’

Beatrice just stared at him blankly as his expression kept changing.

“We’re almost at the border with Parthia, so let’s check the detailed plan.”

“As I told you before, Parthia is a kingdom with a king, but not all power is concentrated in him.”

The one who explained was Wallace, who knew a lot about the desert.

“Then is it like the north where several tribes gather and hold meetings?”

“You could say it’s similar. Parthia has six clans, and their representatives have independent authority in their own territories. Of course, the royal family has the most power.”

“Then we just need to persuade the king, right?”

“That might be a bit difficult. The current king of Parthia is old and frail, and he doesn’t have the energy to care about politics.”

“…!?”

Eurius looked puzzled. 

If the king was lying down, who was doing the politics?

“Actually, Parthia doesn’t have a system where the eldest son inherits the throne or a crown prince system. It’s usual for the prince who gets the approval of more than half of the six clans to succeed the throne.”

Wallace paused for a moment as if his throat was dry and continued.

“The one who is currently acting as the king of Parthia is Prince Karim. I’ve dealt with him a few times, and he’s not an easy person.”

“Karim?”

Eurius’s expression became slightly serious. Wasn’t that the name that was written first on the list of traitors who colluded with the desert kingdom that Wallace gave him?

Knowing that, Wallace sweated profusely and started to make excuses.

“Actually, I think it would be very difficult to form an alliance with him as long as Karim is holding on. He’s an inscrutable person, but he never loses out on anything.”

“So?”

“In my old opinion, do you remember Prince Jamir among the people you saw before?”

“Hooh…”

“Why don’t you join hands with him? In fact, there’s hardly any force in Parthia that can counter Karim.”

Snicker.

Eurius smiled faintly. 

It was quite a tricky situation.

‘So you’re saying I have to persuade one of them, but both of them have ulterior motives?’