"Here is your mojito, Mr. Nobell. And a glass of Château Margaux for you, Master," the young waiter said politely, placing the drinks on the table.
"Thank you. You're free for today, Garrett," Lars replied calmly.
"Thank you, Master. See you tomorrow," Garrett said and left.
"You may begin, Lars," Angelo said, sipping his mojito through a straw.
Lars nodded.
And began.
"After your sudden disappearance from the game and the deactivation of your profile… your great empire, Istrabatia, which once controlled the entire server, fell into chaos, consumed by inter-racial and ideological conflicts and wars."
"As expected," Angelo said calmly, not taking his eyes off his drink.
Lars looked at him carefully.
"From your reaction, I can see… you're not particularly upset."
Angelo took another sip and paused for a moment in thought.
"As a former emperor, of course, I feel regret…" he said quietly. "An empire I built over five years, into which I invested so much time and effort, fell into decline within a matter of days."
For a brief second, something flickered in his voice, as if echoes of the past had surfaced, memories of how he had first begun to build it.
But they disappeared just as quickly as they had come.
"However, you and I both understand," he continued, his tone turning colder, "sooner or later, every empire comes to an end."
He leaned back slightly.
"History has already given us enough examples."
"Julius Caesar. Napoleon Bonaparte. Genghis Khan. Alexander the Great. Otto von Bismarck. Joseph Stalin. Adolf Painter."
"Each of them, in their time, held immense power and built an empire without equal."
"And each of them… in the end, disappeared, and their empires vanished with them, or else lived out their final days in decline."
His gaze grew calm. Almost indifferent.
"The same happened to me."
"And to my empire."
Lars gave a faint smile.
"Wise and powerful words. I expected nothing less from the former Emperor of Pelegon."
A brief pause.
"Well then… let's continue."
Angelo nodded.
"The four former capitals of the empire, Valhalla, the Demon Empire, Landel, the Beastmen Empire, Tristoria, the Human Empire, and Ilhelmesh, the Elven Empire…"
"All of them declared independence and restored their authority and borders."
"Your faction… your trusted people tried to stop it."
"But unsuccessfully."
Lars paused, then continued:
"They were unable to deal with both external and internal threats at the same time."
"Because inside your capital, Kaiserdom… a coup also took place."
His voice lowered slightly.
"The five strongest guilds, which had previously remained in the shadow of your power, seized control of the capital."
"Players loyal to you were imprisoned. For life."
"They were all forced to deactivate their accounts…"
A short pause.
"And your NPCs…"
He slowed his speech.
"They were executed."
Silence.
Lars looked at Angelo.
Outwardly, he remained completely calm.
But in his eyes…
Something else was burning.
Bloody fury. Regret. And a thirst for revenge.