In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 24 His Victory, His Way to Emperorship

"The Elector Marquis requests that Your Excellency, the Earl, be granted an audience."

Several hours later, at dawn when the sun had risen as usual, a briefing from a law enforcement officer announced the end of this dramatic but ultimately harmless dispute.

Chen Qi, along with Gertrude, who finally arrived from the border in a land-based ship, and Viviana's mace in his arms, stepped into the tower together.

Led by Jin Lufawei, the three of them ascended the spiral staircase of the tower.

Finally, at the top of that tower, they met the Elector who had suffered a crushing defeat and was now devoid of any noble air.

"daughter……"

When Werner, who had been sitting like a puppet in the recliner, finally regained a sliver of his senses when he saw the sleeping baby girl in Jian's arms, he was regaining his senses.

However, just as he tentatively reached out his hands, attempting to embrace his daughter in his arms...

With a single glance from Chen Qi, Gertrude, understanding perfectly, reached out and stopped the Elector, offering a menacing smile as she reminded him:

"Your Excellency, before confirming your daughter's condition, is there anything you have forgotten?"

"Shouldn't you plead guilty first?"

"This……"

Gertrude's words brought Werner back to reality.

And this elector, still reeling from his utter defeat, could only muster a final, hesitant remark:

"I... my thoughts are in disarray. I haven't yet come up with a confession to Her Majesty the Queen, nor a decree of abdication. Please give me some time..."

"—No need, I have already written it for you, Your Excellency the Emperor."

However, Gertrude gave Werner no chance to struggle at all.

With a smile, she took out a pre-written template of the abdication edict from her pocket and handed it to the stunned Werner.

"Please make a copy, Your Excellency, sign it, and press your fingerprint on it. Your daughter will then be able to live."

"If I do this... you'll be willing to spare my daughter's life?"

Walner's voice trembled slightly, and his expectant gaze turned to Chen Qi beside him.

"of course."

However, Gertrude's answer was remarkably straightforward; with a smile as sweet as poison, she softly replied:
“This is the new Elector I serve, and I will never go back on my word.”

"...Okay, I'll write it."

After receiving a nod of greeting from Chen Qi, Werner, who had given up resisting, finally copied the edict under Gertrude's sinister grin, Jian and Brandt's slight reluctance, and Chen Qi's emotionless gaze.

Finally, despite his hesitation, his trembling finger pressed down, and everything was settled.

"The imperial edict, I've finished writing it..."

“Very good, Your Excellency Elector, your actions have prevented many innocent casualties, for which I express my gratitude.”

After receiving the imperial edict, Chen Qi and the others carefully checked it to ensure there were no changes before speaking to Brandt, who had remained silent to the side:

"I remember you are Her Majesty's confidant, named Brant, right?"

"...Yes, please give the order, Your Excellency, the newly appointed Emperor."

However, Brandt, who witnessed all of this but was powerless to stop it, now had no choice but to put aside his pity and guilt towards Vorne and maintain a respectful attitude when facing Chen Qi, who was about to become the new Elector.

Chen Qi nodded in satisfaction, then handed the confession to Brandt, saying without giving him another glance:

"Then, I will trouble you to take this confession, along with the evidence my men have gathered regarding the Elector's collusion with foreign powers, and deliver them to Her Majesty the Queen."

"……Yes."

Unable to disobey Chen Qi, who was now the new Elector, Brant had no choice but to accept the appointment and leave the tower without lingering.

"Everyone else, leave too. This place doesn't need any more care."

“Gertrude, go and take control of the tower. I’m protected here by the mace; nothing will happen.”

"...Alright, please be careful, Your Highness."

Although he felt he had accomplished such a significant task, Chen Qi still felt a sense of resentment towards Jian, whom he had left a year ago.

But Gertrude wisely went to the control panel in the tower.

Soon, the huge room was left with only Chen Qi, Werner, and the mace held by Viviana, who was sleeping peacefully.

“…Jian, hand Viviana over to Mr. Werner.”

"it is good."

With Chen Qi's instructions, Jian acted swiftly and quickly moved into Volner's arms without even being disturbed.

"You... call her Viviana?"

After taking his daughter from Chen Qi, Walner suddenly looked up and asked.

"Hmm? You haven't named her yet?"

Chen Qi was a little surprised.

"Not yet... Some time ago, my wife's health hasn't been very good since she gave birth, and I haven't had a chance to name my dear daughter because I've been taking care of her."

“Viviana…that’s a wonderful name. I thank you for naming her.”

Without the position of Elector, Werner unexpectedly relaxed. He lazily sat back down on the recliner with his daughter in his arms, then smiled and asked Chen Qi in front of him:
"So, Your Excellency the new Elector, what are your plans for dealing with me?"

"...To be frank, Mr. Werner, I don't intend to let you live."

Faced with Warner's willingness to accept any outcome, Chen Qi also chose to shed all his pretenses and, with a frankness that surprised even Jian, told Warner his thoughts.

“I allow you to choose how you die, Mr. Werner.”

"...You really are surprisingly straightforward."

Hearing Chen Qi's blunt words, Walner, who was prepared to be hanged as soon as he stepped out of the tower, was slightly taken aback and his perception of Chen Qi changed.

The man in front of him, rumored to be an ambitious madman, might not be as despicable as he imagined.

"...I want to live. I can give up all my wealth and power, just to live with my wife and daughters in a remote, unknown place in the countryside."

"I can not do it."

However, upon hearing Werner's plea, Chen Qi refused without hesitation:
"As long as you live, your status as the Elector of Shitong will remain valid, and the influence of your family in ruling this land for generations will never completely disappear."

“In the future, I will inevitably have to fight for power with the Gemini Queens. I will not allow anyone in my territory who could threaten my rule to live at a critical moment.”

“Therefore, you must die, Mr. Werner. Only with your death can I inherit your legacy at minimal cost.”

"...It seems my fate is sealed, and there's no point in resisting."

Having come to terms with the situation, Warner shook his head with a wry smile. Finally, his gaze settled on Viviana, who was sleeping soundly in his arms.

"...You'll keep Viviana alive, won't you?"

"Not only will I live, but I will take your place and become her father."

Chen Qi showed no hesitation towards Viviana, offering his highest level of sincerity so that the Elector could depart in peace.

"To be honest, the reason I don't want you to live is that I don't want Viviana to become a threat to me after she finds out about our relationship."

“Viviana has extremely high potential, and I will personally train her to become my right-hand woman.” “Therefore, I will absolutely not kill her; that would be too much of a waste.”

"Of course, I will also let her be with me to witness the rise of the Leitania Empire and to witness the millions of people of Leitania living a better life."

"...It seems my daughter is more fortunate than I am, which puts my mind at ease."

The reason for his final desperate attempt vanished once again. Finally, with nothing left to worry about, Volner smiled and handed the sleeping Viviana back to the mace.

"...Please take good care of Viviana, Miss Makoto. This is my last request."

"……I know."

Facing this Elector Marquis, whom he had only met once but who evoked pity, Jian lowered his eyes slightly and nodded heavily, saying:
"Qi and I will take care of her and raise her like her own parents."

"I can rest assured that."

After giving his final instructions, Warner slowly stood up, tidied himself up, and walked lightly toward the tower's observation deck.

However, halfway there, Werner suddenly stopped and asked Chen Qi in a deep voice a question that was still lingering in his mind.

"...Mr. Qi, may I ask you one last question?"

"All ears."

Chen Qi patiently let Walner continue.

"...If you hadn't arranged for Miss Jian to recruit the Infected Knights in Kazimierz beforehand, you would have had a very difficult time capturing Viviana, wouldn't you?"

"If you can't capture my daughter, will you choose to withdraw your troops? In that case, won't you be the one who loses your title?"

Werner may be a weak person.

But when he thought about how the land his family had ruled for generations had changed hands under his own control, Warner couldn't help but want to find Chen Qi and ask him for clarification.

He knew, of course, that his actions were utterly incompetent, because there are no "what ifs" in the world.

But he just wanted to understand why he lost to Chen Qi. Was it a momentary lapse of judgment or simply bad luck?

Soon, Werner got the answer he wanted from Chen Qi, whose expression remained unchanged.

“You’re wrong, Mr. Werner.”

Chen Qi shook his head, rejecting Werner's idea, and said firmly:

"From the moment I decided to gather all the troops and surround the tower, I was mentally prepared to launch a full-scale assault on it."

"you……"

Upon hearing Chen Qi's words, Werner's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but turn his head to ask:

"Aren't you afraid you won't be able to conquer it? Aren't you afraid people will know you're plotting a rebellion?"

"As long as I kill all the people in the tower who know about this, and then create a document proving that you colluded with Kazimierz, I can justify my actions."

In response to Warner's question, Chen Qi made no attempt to conceal his plan, revealing in a casual conversation that he was prepared to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives.

"As for preparations... there are so many things in the world, how can I possibly have that much time to be fully prepared?"

"If we just wait for the next opportunity to come... I don't know how long I'll have to wait. Compared to the Gemini Queen and you, I'm still at a disadvantage. Perhaps one wait will make all our efforts go to waste."

"Therefore, I will seize every opportunity with all my might, no matter the cost, as long as it can achieve my goal."

"Only giving up is true failure."

"Is giving up the only true failure...?"

After a long pause, Werner murmured Chen Qi's words, then gave a bitter smile. After shaking his head several times, he said with a relieved ease:
"...Now I finally understand why I lost to you."

How could someone as weak and incompetent as myself possibly compare to a true monarch?

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Walner walked towards the watchtower without looking back, leaving Chen Qi with only one last sentence.

"Perhaps I am not qualified to judge, but I have a feeling that you will be a great emperor, Qi."

"May you have great success in your military endeavors."

Having said that, Volner walked up to the watchtower, took out a staff that he always carried with him from his robes, and activated his Originium Arts to integrate it into the tower's communication equipment.

The next second, at the break of dawn, all the people of Shitongling heard the last words of their former Elector.

"All citizens of Shitongling, I am Werner von Hochberg."

"...My family has ruled this land for nine generations, yet we have failed to bestow favors upon you and enable the citizens to live a better life. This is all due to my incompetence and weakness."

"Now, I sincerely relinquish the position of Elector to Count Qi, and I believe that his wisdom and bravery will allow you to witness the rise of Letania once again."

"Now that I have lost the throne, I have no face to live on in this world. I should go and meet my ancestors for nine generations. All of this is my choice. I ask the citizens not to resist for me, not to grieve for me."

"……above."

Having said that, under Chen Qi and Jian's watchful eyes, Werner's body tilted forward and finally fell from the tower...

Several seconds later, a dull thud was heard, announcing the death of the Elector.

Soon, the two heard a commotion and the door was quickly pushed open by several Golden Law Guards.

In response, Chen Qi, who had already become the new Elector Marquis, addressed the guards with a chillingly rational and calmly intimidating tone, giving his orders:
"The former Emperor has abdicated in favor of me. Now, you are my people and must obey my orders."

"...Collect the body of the former emperor and bury him with the honors due to a monarch."

"Notify all citizens of Shitongling of this tragic news, as well as the two empresses and the electors of the other eight districts, to attend this funeral. I will preside over the funeral until the coffin is buried."

After exchanging bewildered glances, the two Golden Law Guards, who belonged to Warner, finally lowered their proud waists.

"Yes, Your Excellency Elector."

"Okay, go ahead and do it."

After watching the two Golden Law Guards leave, the one holding Viviana's mace silently approached Chen Qi and whispered:
"...Sometimes, I think you're pretty scary, Qi."

"Honestly, sometimes I don't even know if I'm still myself."

With no outsiders around, Chen Qi finally shed all his pretense and stopped putting on a strong and composed act.

He belatedly realized that his back was completely soaked, and in a daze, he subconsciously leaned against Jian's shoulder.

As for Jian, he was a leader who was absolutely rational and correct in everyone's eyes, and who only revealed a little of his true self in front of him.

Jian smiled faintly and generously offered her shoulder for him to lean on.

"I think...it's alright."

"At least in my eyes, you have always been you, and have never changed."

"...Thank you, Jian."

As dawn broke and the sun shone on the tower, Viviana, nestled in his arms, finally showed a slight reaction…

The girl, unaware that her biological father was dead, saw two people nestled together in the sunlight the moment she opened her eyes with difficulty.

This scene will be deeply imprinted in the memory of this infant whose fate has been changed, and will never be forgotten...

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(End of this chapter)