Chapter 247 Swain and His Majesty the Emperor
The Immortal Bastion, the imperial center of Noxus.
Its existence is even older than this ancient empire.
When Emperor Mod Caesar built this city, he was determined to make it an impregnable fortress.
Later, Mordekaiser I died, but the Immortal Bastion remained as he wished, leaving behind a glorious history that lasted for a thousand years in the hands of the later Noxians.
But now...
“It’s already crumbling.” Swain looked up at the towering palace in front of him with deep eyes.
Huge Noxian flags hung on both sides of the palace gate, and the white jade-paved steps climbed up like a ladder to heaven. The soldiers of the Empire's most elite First Legion, the Rether garrison, held their heads high, dressed in armor and armed with sharp weapons, and loyally guarded both sides of the steps of the palace.
Those who are fortunate enough to come here to meet the emperor will always be moved by this magnificent scene.
But Swain only smelled a rotten smell here.
"He's old."
A year later, after being demoted from commander to commoner and now temporarily reinstated, Swain finally met the Emperor again.
Braun Darkwill, the once wise and powerful general, has now become an old man with white hair and beard, a dull complexion, bloodshot eyes, and only knows how to sit high on the throne.
This is no longer the same Darkwill that Swain swore to follow until his death.
"Swain, you're old." The emperor seemed to have no self-awareness. After the emperor and his subjects met, he even teased Swain about his old appearance with some disdain.
Swain made no defence.
This is exactly what he wanted Darkwill and the people behind Darkwill to see.
He now knows that under this seemingly unlimited emperor, behind the scenes of the Noxian Empire, there is a terrible "deep government" hidden.
The deep state here is not just a conspiracy theory, but an organization that actually exists.
There are some people who are always secretly controlling this great empire in their own way.
Darkwill used to be a powerful opponent that these conspirators feared, but now Darkwill is just their puppet.
Unfortunately, these schemers also have a very bad relationship with Swain.
Swain knew that he was no match for these people yet. So when Darkwill said he was "old" and looked at him with a playful but secretly observing look...
He immediately started coughing like he had tuberculosis: "Cough, cough, cough..."
“Your Majesty, I…” Swain took out a handkerchief with difficulty and covered his coughing mouth.
While doing this, he calmly showed his empty left hand.
The imperial commander who was full of vigor and vitality a year ago now looked like a disabled old man with one foot halfway into the coffin.
Such a useless old man, even his mortal enemy would probably be too lazy to kill him.
"Please sit down." Darkwill was indeed quite satisfied with his physical condition.
The emperor generously arranged a seat for Swain. After watching his old subordinate sit down tremblingly, he asked in a hypocritical manner, "Are you still not healed from the injury you sustained in Presidium?"
“It won’t heal…” Swain looked down at his severed hand and sighed dejectedly.
He knew Darkwill was watching him. In the darkness behind the palace, there were also eyes watching him.
Fortunately, his performance was satisfactory enough.
Darkwill finally got to the point: "In the past two days, news came from Ionia that tens of thousands of people in the Ipu River Port were rescued by a Janna envoy named Orianna. The hands of those Janna believers have reached out from the Twin Cities and reached out to the newly occupied Balue Province of the Empire."
This obviously touched the empire's minefield and angered the emperor.
After all, it was he who gave the order to massacre the city in order to intimidate the resistance forces in Ionia.
Now the person was rescued openly by the leader, and the empire was powerless to stop it. Who else could be deterred by such a shameful act?
"By the way..." Darkwill suddenly asked, "Swain, you should already know about this, right?"
“Yes, Your Majesty. I received Lestat’s letter.” Swain answered honestly, “Because this matter involves Wind Leader. I am the incoming Governor of Piltover, so he specifically explained this matter to me.”
“You’re a good teacher. The students you teach don’t forget their roots.” Darkwill said with a smile.
"It's all because of your majesty's wisdom that people are loyal to me. I'm just a warrior following orders..." Swain buried his head even lower, making his wrinkles even deeper.
“Alright.” Darkwill said sternly, “As you said, you are the future governor of Piltover.”
"I would like to hear your opinion on this leader's escapades."
Listen to his advice?
Swain looked at Darkwill's bloodshot pupils and knew that the Emperor's opinion must be different from his own.
"Your Majesty." He hesitated for a moment, and finally told the truth: "I think we should try our best to tolerate the offenses of these leaders - as long as they don't go too far."
"You mean, just let it go like this?!" Darkwill's voice suddenly turned cold.
Swain pretended to be shocked, then said, "Yes. Your Majesty, we are not yet able to fight against the Wind Leader."
"Incapable?" This seemed to offend the proud emperor . "Are you saying that Noxus can't deal with that little leader?"
"I can handle it, but..."
Although he knew that the emperor in front of him was just a puppet, Swain still decided to tell the truth.
He was speaking to those behind the emperor.
Although he and they were hostile to each other, he still hoped that they could at least temporarily put aside their own interests and at least consider the empire's position for once... At least, don't push the empire into a more desperate abyss.
Swain said, “We can deal with Windleader. But it will take the entire Empire, not just me, a mere governor of Piltover.”
"The Empire must withdraw "
"Only by keeping our fists together and concentrating our strength can we swing them more powerfully. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to shake the leader who is blessed by the true God."
Swain's sincere advice was indeed unpleasant to hear.
Darkwill, who had long been mentally ill, was furious: "Asshole! Swain, are you saying that my orders to attack Freljord and Ionia were wrong?"
“No, you are right…” Swain replied helplessly, “But the objective fact now is that if we continue to maintain such a powerful offensive in four directions at the same time, we will not be able to deal with the Wind Leader.”
"Your Majesty, if you really want to eliminate this hidden danger, you will not only need the Empire's millions of troops, but also the thousand-year heritage of Noxus."
The Black Rose, a secret wizard society that secretly controls the emperor, is one of the empire's precious "millennium heritages".
If he really wants to deal with the Leader, relying on Swain is definitely not enough.
You, the Black Rose, must also risk your lives.
But the question is...are these old monsters who have been lingering in the darkness for thousands of years really willing to sacrifice their lives for the empire?
“Swain!” Darkwill’s answer was disappointing. “I appointed you as the governor of Piltover so that you can suppress those Janna believers for the Empire in the future—not indulge them!”
He looked at me wildly and recklessly: "I order you to set off now and take up your post in Piltover."
"Once we're there, if the Wind Leader can't give a reasonable explanation for what they did in Ionia, and if they don't immediately stop their deviant behavior in Baruo - then you, on behalf of the Empire, will eliminate all of these Janna believers!"
Swain: “…”
He heard it.
This is clearly asking him to die.
It was not enough for the conspirators to destroy his entire army in Presidio, they also wanted to kill this "retired old man" completely.
“Your Majesty, I…” Swain sighed softly, “As you command.”
He didn't argue anymore. There was no point in arguing with a puppet.
He accepted the order respectfully, stood up and said goodbye to the emperor.
Before leaving, Swain took one last look at Darkwill.
Darkwill was once the monarch he loyally followed. They once worked together to fight against the old aristocratic forces within the empire, seeking to peacefully change this old and declining empire from the inside out.
To this end, Swain even betrayed his own family. As a member of the old nobility of the empire, he personally eliminated his parents who were plotting to overthrow Darkwill.
But they still failed.
In other words, they were just pawns being played around by the other side from the very beginning.
As a result, Darkwill completely became a puppet of the enemy. He was no longer able to infringe on the interests of the old nobles, and could only launch a crazy war under the control of the enemy to transfer the conflict to the outside world.
Swain lost his monarch, and even more so his comrades.
With such mixed feelings, Swain walked out of the towering palace and stood on the high steps.
Looking down from this high vantage point, one can just see the slums that cover most of the city like a festering sore outside this majestic and immortal fortress.
This is the capital of Noxus, the true face of mankind's greatest empire.
He finally made up his mind.
Swain raised his empty left hand and put the severed arm into his heavy cloak.
A red light flashed under the cloak, and a brand new left hand condensed for him:
"Goodbye, Darkwill."
