I had to rethink everything from the beginning.

Was I really possessed by a character in a depressing romance novel?

Could my memories have been manipulated? With magic existing, memory manipulation isn’t out of the question.

Was my possession of Rose just a coincidence?

Or was it planned by someone?

The prophecies of Isis, the Goddess of Fate, are absolute.

As the greatest archmage of the continent, I can assure you that the emperor’s soul at that time is presumed to be not of this world.

It sounded like nonsense. Was it really saying that the first emperor was a possessor?

I examined the book back and forth.

It seemed unpopular, as it was unusually clean compared to other books.

The following sentence was also absurd.

Do you know of the existence of demons?

I frowned deeply at the sudden mention of demons.

Chapter 2. Ancient magic that defies fate.

But, wait a minute. Demons? It seems familiar like I’ve seen it somewhere before.

<34 Preparations for Demon Summoning Ritual>

I remembered. It was such a unique title that I had it memorized.

The book I saw at the Crimson Bookstore!

I skimmed through the rest of the book’s content.

Demon summoning, now forbidden, was the epitome of ancient magic.

Although the summoning method had disappeared, records of its uses remained.

But how did I obtain this? It’s because I’m a once-in-a-millennium magician on the continent!

I almost closed it again at that moment.

I could understand why it wasn’t popular.

Is this person an archmage? Isn’t he just an overconfident quack?

The books in this world were closer to hastily scribbled personal notes rather than ‘books’.

That’s because publishing technology in this world is barely developed.

To talk about this, we must first touch on what the Mado Era is.

What is the Mado Era?

It’s the era when the three absolute beings of this world – Dragons, Gods, and Spirit Kings – reigned supreme.

I closed the book with a thud after reading just that far.

I had a rough idea.

According to the book, a war broke out due to ideological conflicts among the three absolute beings.

Meanwhile, the Goddess of Fate prophesied that the planet would be turned upside down and all life forms would die because of that fight.

But humans, unable to accept death, summoned demons, and souls from another world. Eventually, the situation was resolved by a new absolute being, and the world transitioned from the Mado Era to the current era.

‘So, according to this person, while fate cannot be changed, it’s possible to change it if you’re not from this world?’

I put the book back on the shelf.

And when I tried to find books about Morisias, all of them were bound as forbidden books.

I moistened my dry lips. Then, for now, should I look into who exactly this Goddess of Fate is, rather than Morisias?

***

“I told you to rest, and yet……”

Calix looked at me with disapproving eyes.

“Your Highness, let’s focus on this first, shall we?”

And Ruel looked at Calix with a troubled expression.

Ruel pulled out a large map and presented it in front of Calix.

“It seems the First Prince’s side is starting to show its claws.”

It was a map of the empire.

“It appears they’ve joined hands with Marquis Marschel of the Faelton territory.”

“What? Surely they haven’t formed a private army?”

“We haven’t been able to find out that much yet, but given the geographical characteristics of the territory, the probability is high.”

I stared intently at the map.

According to Calix’s explanation, the Faelton territory was the largest trading city in the empire.

As such, the power of Marquis Marschel, the owner of the territory, was the strongest among the nobles in the frontier.

Moreover, due to its regional characteristics, Faelton was a place where adventurers and mercenary organizations actively gathered, making it very advantageous for hiding a private army.

If discovered, they could simply claim they were mercenaries.

My head was already throbbing.

The problem with Morisias alone was enough to drive me crazy, and now the First Prince has joined hands with another powerful faction in this situation.

And an even bigger problem is that while rebellion is illegal here, private armies are legal.

What kind of ridiculous law is this?

It was absurd.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later. Unless they stage a rebellion, the throne will be mine.”

As Calix said, if he can just maintain his position as Crown Prince, the throne will be his the moment the emperor dies.

But the original story didn’t progress so smoothly.

Calix only became emperor after killing his siblings.

Then……

‘Because the First Prince staged a rebellion, Calix had no choice but to kill his siblings.’

There’s no other reason.

Calix inherited the throne when he was only in his mid-20s.

For him to inherit the throne, the current emperor must die.

Judging from this, while I don’t know how the emperor dies, one thing is certain.

Whether he’s killed in a rebellion or dies from illness.

The emperor will die soon.

“It seems my older brother is up to quite a cunning scheme.”

The corners of Calix’s mouth turned up. Now I could understand.

That smile appeared when he was angry.

“As it’s not yet confirmed information, it would be best to be cautious, Your Highness.”

“……Damn it.”

Calix openly displayed his irritation on his face.

To be honest, the private army of the First Prince wasn’t the important issue right now.

The fact that the First Prince had joined hands with Marquis Marschel.

This was the problem.

Currently, Calix’s only faction was the family of his cousin, Ruel.

Didn’t he join hands with the princess of Desart? Realistically, she would only be helpful to Calix after she ascended to the throne.

‘Calix is at an absolute disadvantage.’

But has public sentiment shifted towards Calix?

Absolutely not.

No matter how much I’ve worked to restore Calix’s image within the Crown Prince’s palace, the situation outside the palace was different.

To the people, he was still the son of a traitor who mercilessly killed those he disliked, and a Crown Prince in name only.

Right now, all Calix has is money.

Ah, of course, ‘I’ have it too. That’s the key point.

“Your Highness, how about using the magical beasts?”

“What?”

At my words, Calix looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.

I proudly expounded on my opinion.

“For the empire’s citizens, magical beasts are nothing short of a common enemy. Especially in times like these.”

Calix’s expression turned serious. So did Ruel’s.

“Moreover, considering the recent events in Desart, it’s certain that the elves are attempting to revive Morisias through some kind of experiment.”

I had pondered all night.

Morisias and this world, fate, and me.

If the dark god Morisias had some intention in putting me into Rose’s body……

Why would I act according to that bastard’s will if I’ve gone mad?

Of course, I don’t know what his intentions are either.

“It’s a bit unfair to the elves, but how about using them to turn the tables?”

I pointed at the map Ruel was holding.

The elven residential area is located near the Hamel Mountains, just below the Posnia Empire.

“It’s regrettable that we can’t deal with the Second Prince, who’s the culprit behind the magical beast incident… But does it matter who becomes the villain, Your Highness?”

The elves told us to keep their experiments secret, but that’s up to me, isn’t it?

“Elves are one of the most representative followers of Morisias. And they themselves said that the Tamer was contaminated with magical energy due to an experiment malfunction.”

“……”

“So we can blame them for the current situation and deal with them. Besides, being Morisias’s closest followers, wouldn’t they know how to control the magical energy?”

I smiled brightly at Calix.

“Of course, if Your Highness personally steps forward to suppress the magical energy, the temple will welcome it. Then we can join hands with the temple. Just like how the First Prince joined hands with the Marquis.”

“……”

“If we add a bit of exaggeration and rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince has defeated the magical beasts and permanently suppressed the magical energy, naturally Your Highness’s image will improve. Isn’t it a good plan?”

It was quite a good opportunity for me as well.

If I find out about the elves’ experiments, I can learn about Morisias.

And why Morisias brought me here.

How he intended to use me.

“After all, isn’t public sentiment the most important thing?”

Calix stared at me and swallowed hard.

He looked a bit confused.

Was it too reckless?

“If we bring in the temple, won’t their interference be severe after I ascend to the throne?”

Calix was right.

Here, the power of the Pope is still strong.

But as the power of religion grows stronger, the church tends to become corrupt as well.

“That’s why Your Highness should use this opportunity to suppress the Pope’s influence.”

Unlike 21st-century Korea, the people here haven’t even received proper basic education.

Which means they’re easy to incite.

“Isn’t this being carried out under Your Highness’s leadership? The temple will only step in belatedly. The empire’s citizens will widely hear about Your Highness’s direct actions, not the temple’s.”

“Are you in your right mind? The gods are absolute.”

I tilted my head at Calix’s words.

“Isn’t His Holiness the Pope human?”

Calix’s expression hardened.

Did I say something wrong?

I glanced at Ruel, but true to being a friend, he had the same expression as Calix.

“Even if the gods are absolute, aren’t ordinary citizens outside the temple’s sphere of influence anyway? Commoners aren’t even allowed to enter the temple, right?”

Frowning at their lukewarm reaction, I continued speaking.

“Moreover, I heard that they’ve lost many holy knights due to the rampaging magical beasts in the Hamel Mountains.”

“Lady Rose is correct. Although the temple is reluctant to reveal it openly, I understand they’ve lost quite a bit of their forces due to the surge in magical energy.”

Even with Ruel’s words, Calix’s expression remained the same.

He just kept staring at me with those sharp eyes wide open.

“Um, it’s a bit of a vulgar expression, but… how about using the temple until you become emperor and then discarding them after your ascension?”

“……!”