Kill the Emperor Chapter 1 : Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Betrayed Archmage, Becoming a Scoundrel

“Alexar, I hoped you never thought of as a traitor.”

Two people sat facing each other.

And between them lay two cups.

One contained liquor, and the other held half-finished poison.

‘This was.’

A familiar sll.

It was the poison once used to eliminate political enemies within the imperial court.

Salmadok, a poison said to cripple even a first-rate mage with just a single drop.

“You know it as well. I was always on the Empire’s side. If sothing threatened the Empire, I could even sever my own neck.”

“So, you fed poison?”

“…….”

The Emperor wore a frighteningly calm expression.

It was the indifferent face of soone watching a dying fly.

“Khk.”

Soon, pain beyond description swept over my entire body.

By the Salmadok, the mana rooted deep in every corner of my body was being burned away, down to the very last drop.

“You have fulfilled your purpose. Now, rather, your existence itself threatens the Empire.”

‘Threatens the Empire.’

I, Alexar, sneered.

Because I knew all too well that those words were nothing more than a pretext to eliminate .

The Emperor must have been afraid.

I was Alexar, the greatest contributor to the unification of the continent.

He must have constantly worried that I might soday covet the Emperor’s authority.

“Alexar, my long-ti friend. This too is for the sake of the Empire. Do not feel wronged.”

Do not feel wronged?

Rage surged up.

But because of the blood flooding back up my throat, I could not utter a single word.

“The sun must be one. Two suns only burn the citizens of the Empire to death. Do you rember? Those were the words you once said to .”

“Bullshit…… shut up.”

Drip.

At that mont.

From every hole in my body—eyes, mouth, even ears—blackened blood began to pour out.

“Well, if that’s the case. I never expected your understanding anyway. So…….”

Shing.

The Emperor’s treasured sword, ‘Vermilion’.

Blade aura radiated from the continent’s greatest sword, beginning to shine with vivid light.

“I have no intention of asking for forgiveness.”

The sword tip drew closer, and as it did, my consciousness grew hazier.

“Farewell. My friend.”

At that mont, my tightly shut eyes snapped open.

“…….”

Two pupils dyed in blue light.

It was clear proof that mana was manifesting from my body.

“You definitely drank the Salmadok…… and yet there’s still mana left?”

Panicked, the Emperor hastily swung his sword, but it was blocked by an invisible barrier.

A mana shield wrung out to the very last drop.

But I had no confidence it could block the next attack.

So I hurried.

The final spell of the life of one once called the continent’s strongest archmage.

Wooooong.

The air in all directions began to vibrate.

Soon, the voice of the blue-eyed archmage echoed like a reverberation.

“Gillian.”

“……!”

“I will not resent you.”

“W-what……!”

“Because in another life, we will et again.”

Kuuuurung.

With thunderous roar and blinding flash, the entire world collapsed.

***

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was three crossed swords decorating the ceiling.

‘This place…….’

I, Alexar, traced my mories.

I drank the Salmadok given by the Emperor, and just before being cut down, I barely succeeded in casting the prepared spell.

‘Regression magic.’

An unstable ancient incantation I once discovered in the ruins of an ancient dragon.

It was an unknown spell with no guaranteed success, but seeing myself lying on a bed now, it seed it had worked sohow.

‘Where am I? That crest looks familiar.’

The ‘three swords’ crest hanging from the ceiling.

Swords of different colors.

It felt like the mory was just out of reach.

That was when it happened.

“Huh? Y-young master!”

The maid who had been watching over shouted in surprise.

“H-Head servant! Over here! The young master has opened his eyes!”

My body was still in shambles.

Even just the shouting made my head feel like it was splitting apart.

And the next mont.

“Khk.”

A sharp pain, incomparable to the previous headache, pierced through .

‘……Hein Reichart?’

A strange, unfamiliar na suddenly surfaced.

Soon, countless unorganized mories surged violently into my mind without warning.

They were the mories of the original owner of this body.

‘……Zodiac. And the Reichart family.’

The long-forgotten small frontier nation, ‘Zodiac’.

And the declining swordsmanship family ‘Reichart’, which guarded the northern border of that small nation.

Everything beca clear at once.

‘After regression, I reincarnated. As a child of the Reichart family.’

As the headache subsided, my surroundings gradually ca into focus.

“The young master has awakened?”

“R-report it to the lord!”

Watching the physician and attendants rush in, I muttered.

‘This has turned into a damn ss.’

***

The small nation ‘Zodiac’.

Before the Emperor’s Empire ‘Akrishima’ unified the continent, it was a kingdom located in the northern part of the continent.

Because the Zodiac lay at the edge of the continent’s most rugged mountain range, monster invasions were frequent and outward expansion was difficult.

Its resources were scarce as well, making it a weak nation that had never once enjoyed prosperity for hundreds of years.

Even so, there was only one reason Zodiac had not fallen.

‘The swordsmanship family Reichart.’

Since the founding of Zodiac, they had continuously guarded the northern border, producing outstanding knights and famous swords generation after generation, earning renown across the continent.

‘But that was all the glory of the past.’

Though Reichart was a renowned swordsmanship family with centuries of history, they had no interest in power and harbored no personal greed.

They rely silently blocked monster invasions, produced exceptional knights, and followed the fate given to them.

Rather, as their skill beca known throughout the continent, more families within Zodiac began to envy them.

‘Their talent towering above the rest beca poison instead.’

In ti, the Reichart family was assigned only the duty of guarding the border and gradually declined.

‘That’s why they ended up being mocked as Zodiac’s servants.’

In such circumstances, even great rit in battle would go unrewarded, and naturally, capable knights would leave the territory.

Year by year, the Reichart family had no choice but to decline.

‘But since I have returned, this life will be different.’

I, Alexar—no, Hein Reichart, the second son of the R

“Ah, y-young master. W-what would yeichart family—lay on the bed, lost in deep thought.

***

Several days passed.

The Head servant and physician who had made a fuss when I first awakened had all withdrawn, and now only a young maid remained at my side.

“My throat is dry.”ou……?”

“I said I’m thirsty.”

When I crossed my arms and stared at her, fear flooded the maid’s eyes.

“Ah, s-sorry, young master. I-I will bring it right away.”

The maid jumped up and hurried out, then returned with a steaming teacup.

“Isn’t there water instead of tea?”

“W-water, you say?”

“Yes. Cool water, not hot tea.”

“Ah, s-sorry, young master. This foolish one failed to understand your will…… p-please forgive with your boundless generosity…….”

Watching the maid tremble violently as she bowed her head, I frowned.

‘What? What’s wrong with her?’

Seeing my expression, the maid turned pale and pressed herself even lower to the floor.

“I-I have committed a sin worthy of death, young master. P-please f-forgive ……!”

“All right. It’s fine, just bring so water.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…….”

The maid was too busy bowing repeatedly to properly hear my words.

“No, there’s no need to apologize. I said bring water.”

“Yes, young master. I-I will bring it right away.”

‘What is this? Why is she trembling so badly?’

Based on the vague mories of the original owner and the maid’s attitude, I roughly grasped the situation.

‘The second son of Reichart. Hein Reichart. So this bastard was that infamous scoundrel.’

I rembered rumors I had vaguely heard in my previous life.

That among the sons of Reichart, there was a notorious scoundrel.

Untalented, always drunk and even with wandering hands……

“Kyaa! Y-young master. P-please spare …….”

“Hm?”

I had only reached out to receive the cup, yet the maid shrank back, her whole body recoiling.

It was enough to imagine what kind of gutter-trash life the original owner of this body had lived.

‘So he was practically human garbage.’

By custom, the maid should have been severely punished for startling at the Reichart family’s second son, but circumstances were different now.

‘Seeds sown by the body’s past. I’ll have to reap them all and change things.’

“S-sorry. P-please forgive …….”

“It’s fine. Bring a mirror.”

I examined my entire body with the mirror the maid brought.

Judging by my face, I was about seventeen.

My youth was unmistakable.

My pale, delicate hands—hands one could believe belonged to a woman—stood out especially.

There were no calluses that would inevitably form from wielding a sword, not even a trace.

They were clean, as if they had never touched water.

A sigh escaped .

‘Wasn’t Reichart supposed to be a fairly skilled swordsmanship family? And yet this so-called second son has never even properly held a sword.’

And what about this soft, frail body.

My arms were as thin as rotten branches, and my face was rely pallid, as if powdered.

‘At this point, it’s nothing but an empty shell.’

In the end, a hollow laugh escaped my mouth.

I had no idea where to even begin fixing things.

“That’s enough. You can leave now.”

“Pardon? Th-that is…….”

“Didn’t you hear ? I want to think alone, so leave.”

Yet the maid hesitated.

Feeling frustrated, I slightly raised my voice.

“What’s wrong? Does it sound strange that soone who lived thoughtlessly wants to think for once?”

“It’s n-not that, but the eldest young master ordered that no matter what happens, I must always stay by your side…… s-sorry.”

“The eldest young master?”

Then the original owner’s mories began to surface.

The eldest son of the Reichart family.

‘Helkane Reichart.’

The eldest brother, five years older, who had long despised and tornted Hein Reichart.

And now I had to stay under watch by his order?

I didn’t know the exact reason, but it felt less like nursing care and more like surveillance.

“It’s fine. Just for a mont, step outside. I’ll call if I need anything.”

“Th-that is…….”

The maid still hesitated to leave.

I could understand her position, but it couldn’t be helped.

In tis like this, I had no choice but to act like a scoundrel for a mont.

“How dare you disobey my command? Do you want to die?”

“N-no, young master! I’m sorry. Th-then I will take my leave.”

At my sharp rebuke, the maid finally retreated hesitantly.

Then, suddenly, sothing ca to mind.

“Wait.”

“……Yes?”

“One more thing. Exactly how long has it been since I woke up?”

“T-today makes it the third day, young master.”

“Three days.”

So it had already been that long?

Focused on adapting to this frail body and recovering the mana from my previous life, I had lost track of ti.

The body was so weak that my consciousness drifted every day.

Now that I could finally breathe a little easier, I thought it was ti to start moving, but there was sothing odd.

“The second son of the family hovered between life and death, woke up after half a month, and now three days have already passed. Yet no one has co to see .”

Hein Reichart.

He had been such a notorious scoundrel that even before reincarnation I had vaguely heard rumors, so this level of neglect wasn’t surprising.

But I needed to know my exact situation.

My standing within the family.

My family relationships.

Who were my enemies, and who were my allies.

“Why hasn’t anyone co to see ? What’s the reason?”

When I looked at the maid, she shrank back as if a fla had been brought close.

“Y-young master, even that, I don’t…….”

“You don’t know?”

“P-please forgive .”

“If you don’t know, then find out. By tomorrow morning.”

To the maid, whose face looked like that of a condemned prisoner, I added.

“Rumors circulating in the territory, idle gossip among maids, anything is fine. Find out everything about the Reichart family. But.”

I fixed the maid with a hard stare.

Frozen with tension, she looked as if she had stopped breathing.

“Say nothing to the eldest young master, Brother Helkane. Understood?”

“I-I will keep it in mind, young master.”

Clack.

After confirming the door had closed, I interlaced my fingers and placed them behind my head.

Even lying stretched out on the highest-grade bed of a scoundrel who indulged in luxury, I felt no comfort.

“To the servants, I’m an object of terror. To my siblings, I’m watching every move. And to my father, I’m probably treated like a beast, not even human.”

Having calmly finished assessing myself, my expression was not particularly dark.

It was a situation that couldn’t get any worse.

‘Well, it’s fine. I can change things from now on.’