Chapter 9.
The Emperor and the Duke, and the Enemy Between Them
[You have demonstrated the qualities of an S-rank Guide admirably.
The branches of fate twist in a new direction.
A restriction has been lifted.
You can now view the list of Espers who have Imprinted on you.
Would you like to check?
List of Imprinted Espers (Click)]
I was speechless.
“……”
Imprint. That damned word finally appeared.
“What the actual hell.”
My eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Even without a mirror, I knew my face must be pale as a ghost.
Imprint? Did they really say imprint?
And why was it “Espers” in plural? Why the s?
But the nightmare wasn’t over yet.
[Surprise Quest!
Stop the Emperor’s Rampage.
The Emperor, Kaisis, has Imprinted on you. However, you have not Imprinted on him.
You are the only Guide who can calm him.
Prevent everyone’s death by halting and pacifying his rampage!
Option 1) Break the unstable Imprint and find his proper Guide. Until then, you must guide him.
Option 2) Without revealing your identity, become his perfect Guide until a complete Imprint is formed.
Success: Safe Ending
Failure: Accelerated Death]
“Ha… this is insane.”
It was so absurd I couldn’t even curse properly.
Especially Option 2—what the hell? Was I supposed to do it or not?
“Hey, status window.”
So I was supposed to guide him without revealing that I’m Duke Ariel?
And become his perfect Guide?
That was basically telling me to steal the female lead’s role.
Which also meant—so much for a peaceful retirement.
“Give me a normal quest for once.”
I was furious. And this was what they were calling choices? Are you kidding me?
“I can’t do this. No—I won’t do it!”
As always, the status window read me like a book and responded instantly.
[Character Kaisis harbors an extremely strong dislike for you.
He hates you so much that he refuses to even think about you.
Furthermore, this world does not yet have a clear concept of Imprints, so the Emperor doesn’t realize the person in front of him is his Imprinted Guide.
However, even a partial Imprint is still an Imprint, and his instincts may recognize you.
Be careful not to interact directly with him as Duke Ariel!]
Ah, I see. So he hates me so much he doesn’t even realize his Guide is right in front of him.
I smiled calmly.
Still, one thing was clear.
I’m so screwed.
“Do they think ‘Imprint’ is the name of a dog or something?”
If breaking an Imprint were that easy, half of Korea’s Espers and Guides wouldn’t have gone mad from losing their match.
So I had no choice but to pick Option 1.
But it felt hopeless.
What if the aide couldn’t find anything?
Just then, the status window flashed again.
[Don’t be discouraged.
To help you complete this quest more easily, you are granted a special reward.
Reward: Disguise Identity (Click)]
My face twisted.
I already had a bad feeling about this.
But I was backed into a corner.
With trembling fingers, I slowly clicked the reward. Fireworks exploded before my eyes.
[To guide your Esper, you may appear as someone else once per day.
To everyone’s eyes, you will appear and be perceived as a plain-looking maid.
Use this disguise well to gain control of the Esper’s leash!
Wishing you a smooth and comfortable playthrough.]
A secret rumor spread through the imperial palace.
The Emperor was quietly searching for someone.
At the founding festival banquet, some low-ranked B- and C-class noble Guides were detained.
Yet the next day, the Emperor appeared perfectly fine.
Putting together the sequence of events, the nobles drew their own conclusions.
“It’s clear. His Majesty’s true match has finally appeared!”
The rumors claimed that the Emperor had found his Guide.
“If the mages find out, they’ll do everything in their power to uncover the Guide and exploit the Emperor’s weakness.”
“Oh, just imagining it gives me chills. His Majesty, with all that power, finally having his rightful Guide by his side…”
“With the right match, even S-class Gates that were previously unbeatable might be cleared. We may never see a repeat of the tragedy from six years ago.”
“Shh, watch your mouth. You want to be overheard in the palace?”
Most nobles welcomed the rumors—but not everyone.
“I was supposed to be His Majesty’s match!”
“You foolish girl. Don’t you remember the bloodbath at the Baron’s estate just days ago? Do you not know how the Emperor’s Guides keep collapsing?”
“But he’s so young and handsome… And they say destined matches can calm each other regardless of their rank…”
There were noble-born Guides who cried and stomped their feet, afraid their one-sided love had ended in vain.
“There’s no way we can let them find that person.”
Among them were determined mages.
“Master, surely we’re the fastest at finding people. Just give the word, and we’ll find that Guide before the Emperor’s blades do!”
The mages raged in indignation.
Once, the core of power was magic.
Mages performed miracles and reigned from the center of power.
Then one day, Gates appeared—and their authority crumbled.
Mages couldn’t withstand the conditions inside Gates.
Only Awakened beings and their Guides could survive within.
Still, that didn’t mean mages were obsolete.
Outside the Gates, people continued to live.
It was mages who used Gate byproducts to advance civilization.
Balance, in and out, was maintained.
Awakened ones couldn’t ignore mages, and mages needed them in turn.
But the resentment remained.
If only they could conquer the world inside the Gate!
That’s why they couldn’t allow the Emperor’s match to be taken easily.
They had just barely maintained balance by holding the Emperor’s younger brother as a hostage—and now, a perfect match appeared?
Despite their desperation, their leader—Duke Ariel—remained expressionless.
No—her cold eyes seemed to whip their reckless attitudes into shape.
And indeed, that was the case.
With just a look and silence, she quelled their noise.
The Tower Master finally opened her mouth.
“So. If we find this Guide first, then what?”
“Well, uh…”
“Speak clearly.”
Her crimson eyes glared like lasers, and the meek subordinates shrank back.
Clearly, the Master was not pleased. But that didn’t mean they should disgrace themselves by acting rashly.
The mages felt ashamed.
“B-But maybe the Emperor hasn’t found the Guide yet. That’s why he’s still quiet…”
The youngest mage cautiously offered this opinion and nearly fainted from the sheer charisma of the Master’s gaze.
The Tower Master is looking at me! The mage was thrilled.
“If he had found them, he would’ve boasted to the world by now. So maybe… he’s going to reach out to the one group best at finding people…”
The Master’s narrowing eyes looked like a predator ready to strike.
“That would be us mages! Which means, the Emperor will have to bow and entrust his weakness to our Master!”
Filled with admiration for their pale, majestic Master, the mages waited with bated breath.
None of them knew…
That very same Master—the Duke of Ariel—was barely holding it together, her heart thundering like it would explode.
I’m doomed.
It’s already been several days.
I had calculated that this wouldn’t blow over quietly, but now everyone was looking for me.
And by now, the Emperor—receiving no guidance at all—was likely in his worst state.
‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’
I couldn’t be found out by either the mages around me or the Emperor’s people.
This quest’s difficulty was rising fast.
About an hour later—
“Master!”
The door suddenly slammed open, and my aide burst in, panic written all over his face.
What now? I’m going to die of a heart attack.
“Master! A letter from the imperial palace. Apparently, the Emperor…”
The aide—being a mage—had no loyalty to the Emperor and handed me something.
What is this?
Raising an eyebrow, I gave him a look that said, “explain this now,” and he stammered through sweat:
“The Emperor has secretly summoned you for a private audience.”
Ah. It’s here.
I could almost hear it.
The sound of my heart stopping.
“I didn’t know my men were this incompetent.”
His icy voice was sharp even to his own ears.
The Awakened, who had been more excited about finding their lord’s match than doing their actual jobs, had returned in defeat.
No trace. Nothing.
The one who appeared like a mirage that night and calmed Kaisis—gone.
The Emperor, once proud of his hunting skills, had lost.
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“We searched every corner of the palace that night. Not even a mouse could’ve escaped. Yet there was no Guide who had reached you.”
A sharp clack rang from the armrest of his chair.
“But if someone had been there at that time, in that corridor, they had to be a noble attending the banquet… or a palace worker.”
All Guides present were accounted for.
Which left one possibility.
“Perhaps… among the mages…”
The very idea made his retainer look like he wanted to faint.
A chilling silence followed.
The relationship between mages and Awakened was the stuff of political nightmares—smiles on the surface, knives beneath.
And now, the Emperor’s match might be among the mages?
The knights’ faces went white.
That was like entrusting your life to the enemy general.
The captain of the Imperial Knights spoke firmly.
“Just give the order, Your Majesty. If a mage is truly your match, they’ll have no choice but to fulfill their duty!”
“And if that mage is the Tower Master herself?”
“…P-Please don’t joke like that, Your Majesty. That’s horrifying even as a hypothetical!”
“Hah.”
Kaisis scoffed.
A mage, huh.
If that were true, the empire would split in two.
He hated to admit it, but the current stability of the palace was due in part to the delicate balance upheld by Duke Ariel.
If they split, civil war was inevitable.
Just then, the sound he had been waiting for came.
“Your Majesty, Duke Ariel has arrived.”
His enemy was outside.
One who might already know everything he was searching for.
Would this enemy seize the reins of control—or offer an unexpected solution?
He made his decision quietly.
“Everyone, leave. Bring the Duke in.”
Perhaps his rival already knew too much—and if so, he would expose and use every last bit.
A chilling gleam flickered in his lazy blue eyes.
