What Did You Even Do Wrong?

There were several obstacles to revealing I was Sirik.

1. An environment where we could talk one-on-one.

2. Would they believe me even if I told them?

3. Even if they believed, would they remain loyal to me?

Having gone through countless hardships establishing the empire, I’d been betrayed multiple times.

A hundred years had passed and terrorists were running rampant.

Those who’d been my subjects might try to kill me.

But I’d now surpassed fifth rank, and my psychic powers had grown stronger.

If worst came to worst, Arsen was also there.

And it was better to bring the head of the Central Army, Lerik, under control.

A good opportunity to reveal my identity.

Hospital break room.

Not a single person inside—had they cleared it in advance?

Having brought only Arsen and Lerik in, I clicked my tongue.

“Though I guess we can’t borrow the doctors’ break room either. Still, this is a rest space for everyone at the hospital, what kind of nuisance are you causing?”

“My apologies.”

Arsen immediately bowed his head.

The Railway Military Police commander kowtowing.

Grand General Lerik’s eyes went round as saucers.

“What is this…… Arsen, have you lost your mind!”

“……”

“You’re the commander of the Railway Military Police His Majesty created! And now here you are doing such a degrading thing! Get up immediately! Where do you think you are, bowing your head so carelessly!”

Lerik raged and tried to pull Arsen to his feet.

Though they’d been growling at each other earlier, the two had been comrades during the war with the Seven Sin God.

Arsen shook himself free and pushed Lerik away.

“Shut up and hurry up and bow! You crazy wolf bastard!”

“What? Aren’t you ashamed of the rank insignia His Majesty bestowed! That someone like you commands the Military Police! If His Majesty saw this, he’d weep! Weep!”

“Right, watching you guys is making me want to cry. Tears are coming.”

I sat in a chair and spoke listlessly.

Lerik’s eyes flashed as he turned to me.

“What trick is this? Aren’t you Arsen’s subordinate?”

“Let’s just keep this simple. I’m Sirik Karakas. Reincarnated after a hundred years and now here.”

“……”

Lerik froze.

His eyes didn’t even blink as his tail stood up stiffly.

Then rising magical power. Indigo.

Sixth rank.

Beastmen had exceptional physical abilities but their magical power didn’t rise easily.

Sixth rank put him in the top class among beastmen.

Lerik glared at me while grinding his teeth viciously.

“One who defiles His Majesty cannot be allowed to live. Kneel immediately and beg forgiveness. Otherwise I’ll kill you.”

“Are you smarter than Arsen?”

“……I’m smarter!”

Arsen shouted while still bowing his head.

Lerik roared furiously at Arsen.

“Arsen! You fell for what that human con artist said! Don’t you even recognize His Majesty! His Majesty didn’t look like a girl like that!”

“……Ah, you moron wolf. Just bow. Please.”

Arsen was burning up inside and practically begged Lerik.

But Lerik turned toward me and immediately launched himself.

Flying horizontally while executing consecutive spinning kicks!

But I dodged the first attack by jumping slightly back, then executed consecutive spinning kicks in midair.

Crack! Craaack!

Like mirror images, our legs interlocked and collided, and we both bounced away simultaneously.

But while falling toward the table behind me, I activated telekinesis.

Wham!

“Keurgh.”

Lerik, who’d just landed, staggered after getting hit in the head by the chair I’d thrown.

If you throw it in an invisible trajectory while he’s spinning, even a veteran warrior can’t dodge.

Having landed on another chair, I clicked my tongue.

“You use that three-rotation spinning kick every time you ambush someone, just stop it. It’s straightforward, and the delay’s huge if it’s blocked.”

“……How?”

Lerik had an uncomprehending expression.

When a huge guy like Lerik unleashes consecutive spinning kicks in one breath, people normally can’t respond.

They block one hit but get caught by the follow-up.

I could break through it easily, though.

“When I first met you, I broke your two-rotation spinning kick too. This isn’t figure skating, you’re just increasing the count.”

“……”

Mentioning the past made Lerik hesitate.

Of course, he didn’t believe based on just this much.

He’d merely acknowledged that I wasn’t an ordinary opponent, that he couldn’t easily catch me with his fists.

I propped my chin and spoke.

“Hurry up and ask something. Tell me to provide proof that I’m Sirik. I’ll do it all. You’re the guy I introduced to women eight times and failed every single one.”

“Wh-what are you saying! I’m not like that!”

Lerik reflexively bristled.

Lerik was excellent as a soldier but romantically just catastrophic.

Yet he also felt rather lonely and melancholy, so I’d arranged meetings with women several times…….

Ah, thinking about it makes me sigh.

“Do you even know how hard it was for me to introduce you to women? I matched them according to your specifications but couldn’t just pick randomly. If the woman disliked you but couldn’t refuse the emperor’s command and married you, it’d obviously make her unhappy. So I picked ladies with considerable backbone, but how did you fail every single one?”

“……N-no. I’m not like that.”

Lerik’s face turned bright red as he denied it.

“Not like what? Please stop talking about military soccer. Yes, you scored a hat trick every match. Hmm? When Grand General dribbles, who’s going to block? The Thousand Swords Commander?”

“……I scored five goals.”

“Soccer’s 5-0 but romance is 0-8? Lucky you? Are you the Undertaker? Undefeated every time you go on blind dates?”

Lerik’s face turned bright red then he burst into anger.

“Ah! That! Those are all just rumors! And everyone knows!”

“……I heard the rumors but didn’t know he’d been rejected eight times. I heard about three times.”

Arsen added while still bowing his head.

“Some ladies wanted anonymity because they were embarrassed. Ah, seriously. The emperor arranged blind dates and you failed? That’s a talent, a talent.”

When I sighed deeply, Lerik trembled.

But he did turn off his magical power.

“What, should I say more? Ask me.”

“Y-Your Majesty’s hobby?”

“Reading erotica. Hey, a hundred years have passed and Elf Majestic & Dark Elf Fantastic got one new volume? What kind of book comes out once every eighty years? I almost tracked down that author and ordered them to write by imperial command but held back.”

This hobby of mine is secret for now.

I just thought it was fine as long as the kids didn’t know, but my subjects thought differently.

They all freaked out and desperately hid it from the empire’s citizens.

Lerik had a shocked face then forcibly denied it.

“Th-those who know, know that.”

“Then what else should I tell you? That you asked if you could put ‘rik’ in your child’s name when you got married and had kids? I told you not to if it was a daughter.”

Among the empire’s citizens, the character ‘rik’ in male names was common.

To show respect for me, Sirik, they’d attach it to their children’s names or even change their own names.

Like the Librata eldest son, Roderic.

“Your old name was Leonard. I said that was a cooler name but you stubbornly insisted and changed your name to Lerik.”

“Huh? Huh? Huh?”

Lerik’s eyes became huge.

Because this is a story ordinary people don’t know.

I crossed my legs and spoke.

“So what, want to quit being Lerik and go back to Leonard?”

“……B-but you look different! You’re not His Majesty!”

“Ugh, he reincarnated! Don’t you know reincarnation? Reincarnation?”

Arsen whispered while burning up inside, still bowing his head.

Telling him to stop this and hurry up and bow.

Lerik hesitated and shook his head vigorously.

“Y-Your Majesty has a special ability only Your Majesty can use……”

“Special what? Ability?”

“Uh, that……”

“I told you not to tell others about that, and now you’re going to say it? Good job. Breaking secrets now.”

Psychic powers.

Lerik knew vaguely but I’d sworn him to silence.

When I even got this right, Lerik was shocked.

“Huh? ……Y-Your Majesty!”

“Right. You Peter. Denying you don’t know me three times, are you coming to your senses now?”

Swoosh!

I kicked off my shoe and threw it.

Lerik reflexively caught it and froze.

“……Uh.”

Fidgeting.

When I glared, he brought it over carefully.

With a face full of doubt, suspicion, and half-belief.

“Is my shoe still your treasure? You’re treating it so preciously.”

“……Is it really Your Majesty?”

“How much more do I have to do? You’re dumber than Arsen. What more should I do to make you believe?”

“……”

Lerik’s mouth fell open.

Thud.

The shoe he’d been clutching in his chest rolled away.

“……Y-Your Majesty? Emperor Sirik Karakas?”

“Right.”

“Your Majesty!”

Swoosh!

When Lerik spread his arms and tried to hug me, I blocked him with a Telekinetic Barrier.

Lerik, stopped by the invisible wall, hesitated and stepped back.

This guy also vaguely knew about Telekinetic Barriers.

“I-it’s really Your Majesty’s ability!”

“Then would it be a fake Majesty’s ability?”

Lerik looked at me with glistening eyes.

“Your Majesty! I wanted to see you……”

“What’s Arsen doing right now?”

“……”

Lerik turned to look at Arsen anew.

Arsen was still bowing his head and groaning.

Even demons have good stamina, but blood rushing to the head is quite painful.

Of course, being much tougher than humans, he could endure longer.

Lerik hesitated then spoke.

“I-I did wrong?”

“What did you even do wrong?”

“……”

Lerik became dumb as a honey-fed mute.

I pointed with my finger.

“There’s an empty spot next to Arsen. Go bow there.”

“……”

Lerik hesitantly approached Arsen’s side.

But he didn’t readily bow his head.

Though he’d momentarily believed I was Sirik, thinking about it raised doubts.

And he had his pride too.

“Ah, just don’t bow. Persuading you more is annoying. I’ll just work with Arsen alone.”

“I’ll bow!”

Lerik quickly bowed his head to the floor.

Anyway, the Imperial Military had a rivalry with the Railway Military Police.

The psychology of not being able to lose when Arsen was doing it took priority for Lerik.

The sight of the Railway Military Police’s top and a Grand General bowing their heads side by side.

A scene no one in the empire could have imagined, and I sighed deeply while watching it.

“You guys are really persistent, persistent.”

“……I-I did nothing wrong. Your Majesty.”

Arsen, who’d been bowing his head for a while, protested his innocence.

I nodded.

“Right, you did nothing wrong? Then it’s all my fault? Wow! It’s all my fault! Yes, whatever happens is the emperor’s lack of virtue, right?”

“……No. I seem to have done everything wrong.”

“I-I also did wrong. Your Majesty.”

Lerik spoke bewilderedly.

Since Arsen apologized first, he was just following along.

I clicked my tongue and asked.

“Really? What did you do wrong?”

“……I-I fought with Arsen.”

“Hey, are you an elementary schooler? Am I telling ten-year-olds to reflect on their fight right now?”

When I growled, Lerik fell silent.

Though not visible from here, he’s probably just rolling his eyeballs around.

Arsen spoke in an agonized voice.

“I-in front of everyone…… the tops of the Railway Military Police and Imperial Military f-fought. Hospital staff saw it too, so I think rumors will spread soon……”

“So what?”

“……”

Lerik asked because he genuinely doesn’t know.

I covered my face.

“……Arsen, can’t we just fire him? How about we just fire Lerik, seat another Grand General, and proceed?”

“H-he’s a bit lacking but his loyalty to Your Majesty is k-killer, isn’t it?”

“Right, so killer I want to actually kill him.”

I sighed deeply.

“Right, upright, loyal, good leadership, and enough seniority to be seated there. I thought having zero political insight was actually better in case of emergency. And now look at this mess.”

“……I-I’m sorry. Y-Y-Your Majesty?”

“Ah, what are you sorry for?”

“I fought where everyone could see.”

“So what’s the problem with that?”

When I asked seriously, Lerik closed his mouth.

Then Arsen whispered.

“……T-tell him public sentiment will waver.”

“Public sentiment? Why?”

“……”

No point pretending he doesn’t know the cheating.

Actually, Lerik’s strong point is knowing he lacks political insight and accepting others’ words well.

To think the historic scene of the Railway Military Police and Imperial Military harmonizing was like this.

As I was sighing deeply, Lerik spoke.

“N-next time I’ll fight where people can’t see.”

“Well…… That’s at least close to the answer.”

Humans get groggy from continuous head-bowing, but one’s a beastman and one’s a demon.

Both have strong bodies, so doing it properly would take much longer.

I moved to the main point.

“Alright, Lerik. What’s the situation inside the Imperial Military?”

“Ah, it seems a coup will happen.”

“……”

Let’s fire this guy.