Lord of Caldera - Chapter 379

Chapter 379: Chapter 379 The End
Bjorn King, Count Bill, and Count Ray nodded solemnly. Each of them commanded the most powerful factions in their respective regions.

“Hmph.”

Eldira, ostensibly Sylas’s betrothed but essentially a proxy for the elven archduke Aratheon, chuckled softly, making sure Zichard heard her.

Zichard clenched his fists tightly—not out of anger, but to suppress the tears threatening to fall. Staying on the throne any longer would only prolong his humiliation.

“Fine! In that case, I shall abdicate the throne!”

Tears streaming down his face, Zichard rose to his feet and shouted. Before anyone could summon him, Sylas stepped forward and knelt before the Emperor.

With trembling hands, Zichard removed the imperial crown and placed it on Sylas’s head.

“The Empire… I leave it in your hands… please…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

“My crown, my power, everything that was mine!”

The more he thought about it, the more it stung. Instinctively, he began to lift the crown away, but Sylas grabbed his wrist firmly.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty,” Sylas said, his voice steady.

“…”

“I will govern the Empire well.”

At those words, Zichard finally broke down, tears falling freely. The former Emperor stepped down from the throne, and Sylas ascended without hesitation.

The moment he sat on the throne, cheers erupted from all sides.

“All hail Emperor Sylas!”

“May the goddess bless the Emperor!”

“Long live the House of Drakenfels!”

Sylas’s allies and even those who had once considered opposing him shouted until their voices were hoarse.

The thunderous applause reverberated through the palace, and Sylas felt a chill course through his body.

This was the throne. This was the Emperor’s seat—the pinnacle of power, the ruler of all the lords.

“So? Isn’t this enough for you?”

Sylas had far exceeded the goals set by the system.

“Just as I am satisfied, surely you are too.”

As he raised his head, a familiar message appeared before him.

[Congratulations on ascending as Emperor of the Empire.]

[Victory objectives have been surpassed.]

[The system’s creator has requested an audience to deliver your reward.]

Sylas blinked, startled by the sudden notification. Before he could react, a radiant light enveloped his vision.

“After thinking and thinking some more… I think I understand now. From the beginning, you never intended for me to succeed. No, you couldn’t let me succeed in the first place.”

The goddess’s face was tinged with guilt. As he suspected, she had deliberately orchestrated Sylas’s misfortune—because he needed to suffer.

“And I understand why. I was a simple man with no ambition. If everything had gone well from the start, I’d have been content living out my days as a middling lord. You wanted me to have ambition, didn’t you?”

The goddess nodded bitterly. Sylas’s words were true. Whether driven by vengeance or ambition, Sylas needed a source of motivation.

But there was an even more significant reason.

“You were worried, weren’t you? That I might see this world as just a game. That I wouldn’t see its people as people. So, you made me suffer intentionally.”

She had forced him to live among others, experience humility, face defeat, and learn to see people as people.

As she intended, Sylas no longer viewed this world as a game—it had become his new life. Vengeance and ambition had become his driving forces.

“And now I understand the ambiguous starting conditions, too. If I’d been an Emperor from the beginning, I might have felt overwhelmed and given up. If the conditions were too clear, I’d have stopped trying once I fulfilled them. You made it vague on purpose to keep me striving.”

This much explained the mechanics of his regression and the system. His speculations were seemingly correct, as the goddess silently nodded in agreement.

However, one mystery remained.

“Why me? Why did you choose me for this? I can guess your methods, but your purpose still eludes me.”

She was a goddess, an entity beyond human comprehension. Her perspective and goals were alien to him.

Even so, Sylas wanted an answer—a glimpse into her reasoning, even if he couldn’t fully grasp it.

The goddess approached silently, extending her hand toward Sylas. He didn’t resist. If she’d meant to harm him, she would have done so long ago.

The moment her fingers touched his forehead, a flood of visions engulfed him.

He saw a world where Crown Prince Maximilian became Emperor—a world without Sylas.

What followed was unending strife between the Emperor and the lords: power struggles, escalating conflicts, treachery. Cornered, the Emperor turned to forbidden means.

“Demon! Come forth and make a pact with me!”

The gates to hell opened. Unspeakable horrors poured forth, engulfing the world in flames. The land became corrupted, rivers were blocked with the dead, and no victor emerged. Only losers remained as demons laughed over the ruin of humanity.

The goddess watched with a somber expression before covering the world with her hand. Then, the cycle began anew.

“Damn it,” Sylas muttered under his breath. It was a future that hadn’t happened and never would. But the mere possibility of it was horrifying.

“So that’s why you brought me here.”

The goddess offered a faint, confirming smile.

“You couldn’t intervene directly, so you needed me to change the world on your behalf. Isn’t that right?”

Again, she nodded. To Sylas, she seemed immensely powerful, but that power didn’t equate to finesse. Unable to act directly, she required a proxy to reshape the world in her stead.

“How exactly you managed to turn my world into a game is beyond me. But fine, I’ll trust you handled it.”

Sylas shook his head. The details didn’t matter. Perhaps she’d inspired a game developer in a dream or used other means—it was irrelevant now. What mattered was that her plan had worked, and Sylas had changed the world.

The goddess gestured silently toward a corner of the space, where a door appeared. Beyond it swirled countless dimensions and worlds. Among them, Sylas glimpsed Earth.

Her lips moved silently.

“If you wish.”

Though no sound accompanied her words, their meaning was clear.

Sylas chuckled and shook his head.

“No, thank you. After everything, why would I return now?”

The goddess said nothing, her expression unreadable.

“My life, my love, my friends, my power—they’re all here. What’s left is to enjoy it. I’ve no desire to start struggling again.”

He had no lingering attachment to the world he’d left behind. What he wanted from the goddess now was simple.

“Give me a proper curtain call. Add a narration: ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’ That’s all I ask.”

The goddess remained silent, her smile softening.

“Oh, and don’t worry about my descendants. I’ve laid the groundwork—they’ll manage. If they can’t, then so be it.”

Sylas had no illusions about building an eternal empire. Nations and civilizations rose and fell. If his legacy didn’t endure, it would be because it wasn’t meant to.

At his words, the goddess smiled, no longer burdened by guilt. She seemed at peace, her expression serene as she finally spoke.

“And they lived happily ever after…”

As the words echoed, the world was enveloped in radiant light. Sylas didn’t resist, letting the light consume him.

“…Long live Emperor Sylas!”

“May the goddess protect the Empire!”

The world regained its color and sound. It felt as though no time had passed in that white expanse.

Amidst the thunderous cheers, Sylas rose from the throne. The crowd fell silent, anticipating a speech.

Instead, Sylas descended from the throne and approached Eldira and Rey.

“Come here,” he said with a smile.

“Y-your Majesty?”

“My lord, what is this about?”

The fiery-haired woman and the golden-hued elf approached, puzzled. Taking their hands, Sylas smiled warmly.

“There’s still so much to do.”

The goddess’s task was complete, but Sylas’s work as Emperor had just begun. There were reforms to enact, lords to manage, and an empire to govern.

But first, there was one thing he needed to do.

“Let’s get married.”

“…!”

Sylas’s voice rang through the silent hall, and both women blushed deeply.

An eruption of cheers followed, so loud it seemed to shake the entire palace. Sylas couldn’t help but smile as the deafening applause surrounded him.

The sun, a symbol of the goddess, shone brightly above, blessing them all with its radiant light.

-The End-