Chapter 62

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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The moment he realized he had lost Evi, Clois could not think of anything for a second.

His vision turned pitch black, and he felt a distant sensation as if the ground beneath his feet was endlessly caving in.

But after a moment, he barely came to his senses at the surrounding noise and looked around.

“Evi?”

He called her with a reasonably loud voice, but no answer came back.

His gaze turned toward the small children nearby.

Even though it was a small event, the children were going around laughing while holding their parents’ hands as if they were simply enjoying themselves.

Clois quickly scanned the children.

He was feeling anxious, wondering if Evi had perhaps mistaken someone else for him and gone off holding their hand.

However, Evi was still nowhere to be seen.

‘Was she swept away by that crowd just now?’

He recalled the crowd of people who had passed between him and Evi right before he lost her.

Since it was so noisy with such a large number of people, he thought a small child like Evi could have been caught in between them and gone far away.

‘Was it this way?’

He headed toward where the people had swarmed.

But Evi’s figure was not visible there either.

As the child’s figure, which he thought would surely be there, continued to be missing, his heart became increasingly anxious.

Even though he knew in his head that he had to calm down as much as possible and search rationally, his hands trembled at the fact that the child had disappeared.

At the same time, his breath was stifled.

Clois had felt a similar feeling once before.

On the way desperately returning to the castle where Lilian was, the wounded soldiers he had encountered.

They had cried and told him that his precious people were no longer in this world.

“Ah…”

Clois covered his mouth with his hand.

The fear and frustration he felt now resembled those of that time.

A deep sense of despair blurred his mind once again.

‘I must find her.’

What should he do to find the child?

Smiling people passed by his side as his reason was becoming paralyzed.

‘I must stop everything.’

He had to stop the festival events immediately.

He had to send out not only the guards but even the Imperial Knights to check every single person.

If the child were to be harmed even a little in the meantime…

In an instant, deep anger and despair enveloped him.

The emotions he had suppressed for a long time began to rapidly rise above his consciousness.

After becoming Emperor, he had several times been swept away by destructive impulses.

On such days, he came to hate all those who laughed in the world, and the sound of laughter sounded terrible.

Even so, he hid all those things and sought to become a sage ruler who would remain long in history.

The reason he acted that way was simple.

It was because Lilian had wanted it.

In the past, when he had finally decided to go to war to protect the peace of his family and surroundings.

Lilian had said to him.

“You must become the Emperor.”

She wasn’t saying it with greed.

Conviction was contained in Lilian’s voice as she said he must become one, as if she had seen the future.

However, she had a very sad face.

“Because they will rule while killing and suppressing everyone else. For people to be happy, you must ascend to the throne.”

Lilian continued to tell him to become the Emperor after that as well.

At the same time, she said he must look after the people, and that he must know what is difficult for those underneath and what they desire.

Even Clois’s teacher had never told him to desperately become a sage ruler like that…

Was it because of her words?

After ascending to the throne, Clois poured all his strength into rebuilding and restoring the city as well as people’s lives.

After the end of the war, hospitals and schools were built first.

To regions with particularly heavy damage, he even sent the Imperial Knights to stabilize public order and restored roads and buildings as quickly as possible.

Unlike the Emperors until now, his efforts for the stable and prosperous lives of many rather than the wealthy and luxurious lives of a few soon bore fruit.

Thanks to that, the Empire was revived so quickly that it was hard to believe it had experienced such a massive war.

Thanks to that, even the kingdoms that had been constantly looking for opportunities to bring down the Empire now knew it was impossible and bowed their heads.

Above all, people no longer acted in a vulgar or heartless manner.

In the past, even if someone on the street starved to death, they wouldn’t have given even a single glance, but now, if someone is collapsed, they run to check on them and report it to the guard.

If there is someone in a difficult situation, they try to help as much as possible, and they do not covet others’ things and keep their conscience.

Those were all things that had taken root upon stability and abundance.

Everyone was being happy, but Clois could not do so.

Often, a day would come when his mind would hit a limit. Then he would suddenly think.

That it would be better if everyone just died and disappeared.

That was probably the quality of a tyrant that flowed in his bloodline, like his father and brothers.

He could do as he pleased.

Since it was a position obtained by killing and suppressing, there was no one who would dare say anything even if he acted as he wished.

Nevertheless, Clois desperately suppressed the desires that flared up suddenly.

Because of the voice that had whispered that everyone would be having a hard time when the war ended, so she hoped he would look after everyone well.

And yet…

He thought of the small hand that had grabbed his clothes until just a moment ago.

Even while being fascinated by the large street seen for the first time, she had grabbed his clothes tightly and wouldn’t let go because she was scared.

That appearance was pitiful yet cute.

So he had left her alone while pretending not to notice.

Because she had received the toy and clutched it with both hands, the small hand could no longer hold onto him.

If so, it would have been enough if he had held onto the child.

‘Once I find her again, at that time…’

The moment he thought so, he heard a whispering voice from deep within.

—Do you think such an opportunity will come to you again when you’ve already lost her once?

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t protect her in the past either, so there was no way he could protect her now…

It was then.

“Hey there.”

Someone tapped Clois’s shoulder.

Turning around and looking with a sharp gaze, a man was standing there.

“Are you looking for a child? A small and young girl. A child with golden hair and green eyes, right?”

In an instant, Clois almost grabbed the other person by the collar.

Fortunately, before he could raise his hand, the man spoke again with a pitying face.

“The guard took her to the lost child shelter. Go there.”

At the same time, the man added words.

“That small child was standing quietly and waiting for her dad. It was so pitiful how she wasn’t even crying… Go quickly. I think she’s waiting for you.”

At the man’s words, Clois immediately turned his body. Then he began to run like crazy.

He left without even a greeting, but the man was not offended.

How could a parent who lost their child be in their right mind?

At that time, the man’s wife approached his side and said.

“How did you know that man was the child’s father?”

“I could tell by looking. They look exactly the same.”

“Is that so…?”

The wife tilted her head.

The man who was called the father didn’t seem like an ordinary person no matter how one looked at him.

Even setting aside the handsome face, dignity and power were strangely felt from his standing posture, movements, and voice.

‘Is he a noble?’

Since nobles also walk around comfortably in such events, it was plausible.

However, she thought the child was definitely not a noble.

The clothes she was wearing were clean, but they were old ones with many traces of being patched.

At that time, the man said confidently again.

“She is his daughter for sure. Otherwise, how could he have such a face like the world has collapsed.”

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The moment he arrived at the lost child shelter after running like crazy, Clois found Evi immediately without even needing to ask.

He could tell who it was even without seeing the face of the child curling her body on a small chair in the corner.

“Evi!”

He immediately approached and picked Evi up.

The child looked at him with startled eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

He held Evi in his arms and patted her shoulder.

Evi did not cry.

Instead, she hugged his neck tightly and dug into his chest.

Because of that, Clois’s heart ached even more.

If only she had cried and clung to him, he could have at least consoled her.

It was regrettable that such a small child was swallowing her fear alone quietly as if she had given up on everything.

Hugging Evi who was trembling, he said.

“I’m sorry. I found you too late.”

Then Evi in his arms said in a small voice.

“It’s okay.”

The child who had been curled up lifted her head. Even though it must have been scary, she spoke to him while smiling with difficulty.

“Because… you came to get me anyway.”

As if that was truly enough.