Published: January 4, 2026
“Parents raise their children, and children surpass their parents. Humanity has developed little by little in this way.”
These were the words left by Font Godon, a great strategist and philosopher of the past.
Since Father abdicated the imperial throne to me, there has been one thing I have kept close to my heart.
That is to one day surpass Father.
To honor Father as a wise ruler until the very end, and to prevent him from becoming a “former wise ruler who tarnishes his late years,” I believed I had to live up to Father’s expectations.
This is the case in any family: it is not uncommon for the second or third generation to squander the achievements of the first.
I want to avoid that. I want to prove that Father’s decision to abdicate while still alive was correct.
To do so, I must become a wise ruler equal to or even surpassing Father.
Font Godon’s words encompass this.
Father was a wise ruler.
He was such a wise ruler that he could foresee not only his own reign but also what lay ahead.
Because of that, I must surpass Father.
But until now, I have not been able to. I do not think I have sullied Father’s judgment, but I have definitely not surpassed him.
The most representative example of that is Father’s overwhelming information network.
That information network is incredible.
I have relied on various supernatural powers to get this far, but I still cannot even begin to imitate Father’s network.
That is the greatest difference between Father and me.
But now, I feel I might finally be able to surpass it.
I might be able to outsmart it.
I sensed something like that.
I stopped and thought for a moment.
I tried to simulate things from Father’s perspective, from the viewpoint of Father’s side.
“...There is no doubt they know I’ve returned to the Imperial Capital.”
Until I entered the Imperial Capital, I did not use any presence diversion techniques while dispatching express messengers.
I don’t know exactly how Father sees me, but it’s certain that once Father fell, he realized I rushed back.
From my past experience, this is beyond doubt.
After that, I used presence diversion to go to Audrey.
They probably lost sight of me once here—assuming, of course, that this technique works on Father’s side; if not, that’s another story, so I continued thinking on the premise it does.
Though they lost sight, they must have also caught Audrey’s movements, so the moment I appeared in front of Audrey, they must have found me again.
Moreover, Audrey is the empress, and every move she makes is effectively monitored.
They often say there is no “I” for the emperor, only “public,” and the empress is only “a little better,” still with almost no “I.”
Even without Father’s information network, news that I have returned to the Imperial Capital would spread over time.
Therefore, “Emperor Noah has returned to the Imperial Capital”—this much has certainly been conveyed to Father’s side.
And now, I am probably lost to them again.
Lost, but still inside the Imperial Capital.
That must be the information Father’s side has about me.
I thought about how I could outsmart them from here.
“...No.”
Wait, I thought.
There was one more premise I hadn’t considered.
“...”
I thought and gathered my thoughts.
And then, I decided to verify it first.
Without meeting Don, I turned back and left the mansion.
I exited the mansion and once again stepped onto the imperial capital's main street, which resembled a Sleepless City.
I walked normally along the main street.
“Ah... be careful.”
“Sorry.”
By walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary, I nearly collided with passersby.
I could have avoided them, but I wanted solid proof that they recognized me—that I was “cut.” So I intentionally allowed myself to almost bump into someone, confirming my recognition.
I kept walking, gradually heading toward less crowded areas.
The crowd thinned out, gradually decreasing to the point where I could precisely sense about ten presences. I arrived at the edge of a red-light district.