"Thinking about it, this power also opens the inheritance vault. From the first chamber, each emperor is allowed to take one relic. From the second chamber, it is forbidden for an emperor to take anything and sell it — except for gold and jewelry, half of which the rabbit's father already stole."
Maybe I'll find a cheat there. The First Emperor left behind many mysterious relics. Who knows what I might obtain? Since the rabbit hasn't chosen a relic yet, it's better that I choose one, isn't it?
As for the prohibition left by the Third Emperor, he can go to hell. If I find something I can use, I will use it. I don't intend to die after finally finding something interesting.
"The vault might be my winning card. And then there's this wife who appeared out of nowhere… how do I deal with her?"
Is she a problem? Actually, no. She's so quiet that I have no memories of her since she entered the castle. She was sent to a palace far from the main one, and the only thing I know is that she's still alive. Considering that her father is willing to sacrifice her, she might even become an ally in this lonely forest.
"Damn, I don't know. I need real information about her."
The heat in my body keeps rising. I have to find a solution for that too — it's affecting my ability to think. It's time to use that secret organization. I remember their summoning method was…
"Show yourself."
A simple call made the shadows of the room tremble and gather, revealing a masked human figure whose face was hidden, only a crimson color visible in his eyes. He appeared kneeling and did not raise his head afterward.
This was the emperor's secret corps, established since the empire's founding, destined to die with the empire itself. Even in my memories, there isn't much information about them. They operate in secrecy, move within shadows, and never interfere without the emperor's permission. Hardly anyone even knows they exist.
After the transfer of authority, they came on their own and introduced themselves as the Shadows of Aster. No emotion. No feelings. If ordered to die, they would die. Most importantly, they expect nothing from the emperor. They follow the orders of every emperor, but their true objective is to uphold the First Emperor's will. If the rabbit truly died and the entire royal family perished, that would be the end of this organization — they are all condemned to die as well.
"Gather information for me about Morgana Velvet. Past and present."
"As you command."
No questions. No hesitation. I liked that.
Unfortunately, the emperors before me — especially the Twelfth Emperor — misused these forces, weakening them greatly. But fortunately, no matter how weakened they become, they recover and return to service quickly.
"Good. Next, let's go to the vault. I have an idea, but I need something from the royal family to sacrifice — something the rabbit and those before him refused to do. I won't hesitate."
"The empire is on the verge of collapse, and he still listened to nobles telling him not to use the vault's contents because of the words of a dead emperor. That's the height of stupidity. If the empire perishes, what value do those treasures have?"
To gain something, you must sacrifice something else. That is a law I am willing to follow.
As for the nonsense of the Third Emperor, who said that any emperor who used the vault would bring ruin upon the empire and be shamed even after death — I don't care. Because guess what, you dead ghost?
"The empire already collapsed. We're just trying to save the crumbs."
An emperor who arrived when the cake was already prepared, who lived in the empire's most prosperous era, has no right to lecture those forced to eat the leftovers.
"Wait a second."
I can't go out looking like this, can I? With all due respect to the rabbit's endurance, his taste in clothing is absurdly flashy — meant to attract attention and assert presence. On top of that, it was a suggestion from the Duke of the North himself.
"A walking clown, basically."
I refuse to wear this even if it kills me. But the moment I step outside that door, any change will alert everyone. I can trust the Shadow Corps because of the blood contract, but no one else.
Even the guards outside the door might be spies.
"Fine. Let's endure these clothes for one day."
I look at myself. A gentle face that doesn't suit an emperor. A rabbit's face — one that won't scare wolves. White hair that confirms it. Leonardo Ray Klint. His name sounds like three separate names rather than a single one. Only twenty-three years old, yet carrying the expression of an old man. Only these golden eyes seem distinctive. Perhaps they're the one thing I have no comment about.
"Leonardo Ray Klint… no comment. Let's go."
I'll have to get used to it. Not that any fool would dare call the emperor Leo or Ray, even if he were dying. So I'd better get used to "Your Majesty," "My Lord," or whatever else.
I took a breath and stepped outside.
A knight stood to the right, another to the left. They might have been chatting, but the moment they sensed me behind the door, they fell silent. That simply means there is still some respect left for this emperor. I shouldn't call it fear.
Little Leo used to throw his anger at everyone of lower rank in this palace because of the pressure on him.
I don't blame him. But I don't agree with him either. The only currency accepted now is mana stones and pure gold. If these servants leave, I doubt anyone would come back to serve this palace.
Then again, that's unlikely — since anyone who leaves is replaced by a spy. Spies can tolerate the rabbit's temper. They might belong to nobles, kingdoms, or even other empires. Even as I walk this empty corridor, I can still feel eyes piercing my back from somewhere.
I sighed. I'm really not used to this.
Fortunately, the treasury area allows no one to approach. A magical barrier prevents it. Yet I didn't feel anything, even though I had been curious to. Maybe because of my fever. But I have no time to care about my health. I want to know what weapons I possess before diving into this chaos. Maybe I'll find something capable of resetting this world. Not impossible.
"And here we are… the inheritance vault."
A massive white stone door decorated with gold. If things get worse, I might consider ripping that gold off and selling it. It wasn't far from the emperor's office where I woke up. Office or bedroom — whatever. It suits him. The emperor sleeps while working, then wakes up working. If I could escape, I'd have considered running away from this mess already.
Starting over as a small adventurer wouldn't be ideal. Maybe I'd even take my wife with me. I know my luck with women is worse than my luck after transmigrating.
The memories say touching the door is enough.
So I did.
The scenery changed. Maybe I moved to another world…
Just kidding. I moved inside the vault.
This place does look like another world. Blue walls with glowing veins decorating the space. Honestly, it's beautiful. The energy flowing through those veins makes the place feel alive.
Then there's a mountain of gold thrown to one side. Chests, jewels — half of which were lost by the rabbit's father to ease debts, or were among the items he managed to steal into a storage ring. The rabbit never dared touch them because of noble pressure. They said he must not use them except in the most extreme situation.
"What is an extreme situation? I don't know."
Even if I took out all this gold now, I still couldn't pay the overdue salaries of what remains of the imperial army — let alone the forces guarding the borders.
"Anyway."
Beside the gold mountain stand platforms and bookshelves holding historical texts, magical tomes, and the journals of previous emperors and kings. All originals. All rare. I might sell them later. There are spellbooks that magic towers would kill to obtain. I'll sell those too, eventually.
"As for the history books… I'll come back to you later."
What matters now are the objects floating above the stone platforms. Maybe because of this body's memories, I don't feel particularly amazed by the magic.
Many platforms stretch along the hall until they reach the door of a second chamber — my true target.
What lies on these platforms are treasures. But what lies in the second chamber are relics. The difference is the mystery surrounding relics. As for treasures…
Well, they might sell for high prices, but none of them are useful for solving this situation. Just swords, weapons, and similar things.
The goal lies in the second chamber.
The little rabbit never entered this room. Yet after stepping inside, there isn't much difference. Shelves of boxes. Wall compartments containing armor and weapons that look rare. Some even glow — relics from previous emperors, along with extremely rare artifacts that require conditions to use.
That's not my target either.
My target… is the vaults themselves.
Here, each emperor is allowed to take one relic. When he dies, that relic naturally returns to the vault. The will is somewhat lenient with what exists in the first chamber, stricter with the second, and absolutely forbids taking more than one relic.
"As if I care."