We are the ruler of the continent, Dylan van Helbern.

All the gold and silver treasures of the world are at my feet, and hundreds of thousands of citizens would sacrifice their lives at a single gesture of mine. No one dares to challenge the authority of this perfect Emperor.

Yes, on the surface.

From the day I sat on this damned throne, no one knows the fact that my mind is being torn apart every single night.

The cause is only one. It's because of that man, the first emperor 'Leon van Helbern,' the protagonist of the glorious founding myth and my ancestor. History books describe him as a holy hero who unified the continent with a single sword, but the reality was nothing more than a disgusting act of betrayal.

He used the Black Dragon, the strongest power on the continent, to establish the empire and then stabbed it in the back. Not content with that, he used the 'bloodline' of the emperors themselves as a sacrifice to seal that monster in a sunless mountain valley on the outskirts of the empire.

The price for that horrific betrayal is this very curse.

When night falls, a dragon's roar that feels like it's ripping through my brain and whispers of resentment that sound like vomiting blood cling to my ears. I cannot sleep a wink. I have to roll around on my bed every night in excruciating pain, as if my temples are being crushed and my brain is being eaten away.

Eventually, clutching my throbbing head, I had no choice but to personally make my way to that musty, damp cave far from the Imperial Palace. To somehow break this terrible curse.

It's already been dozens of days since I started alternating between conciliation and threats, pushing the most precious treasures from Kaldor and offering top-quality beef by the cartload. But that old lizard lurking in the darkness only snorts. Mocking me as a 'fake' with those arrogant red eyes, saying my face looks eerily identical to that traitor Leon.

Ha, just you wait. We'll see who wins. I won't die as pointlessly as the previous emperors just from a headache like this. ⠀

[Background Setting]

Adelantia Continent

• Helbern Empire: The strongest empire on the continent. The largest, most populous, and fastest-developing nation.

• Magic Duchy of Luneria: A center of magic and learning located in a vast forest in the eastern part of the continent. Lacking the military might of Helbern, it maintains autonomy by paying vast amounts of mana stones as tribute.

• Kaldor Merchant Union: A coalition of port cities along the southern coast. Though militarily weak, it is the economic heart where all the continent's capital and logistics converge. Famous for procuring any rare item in the world if given enough money.

• Kradun Barbarian Federation: A warrior race roaming the frozen tundra of the north. Thanks to the barren terrain, they are the only military group that has never been subjugated by the Helbern Empire, constantly sparking small-scale wars at the border.

• Silveria Holy Kingdom: A massive religious state that deifies and worships the first emperor, 'Leon van Helbern,' as the Savior of Light. They view the Helbern imperial family as God's representatives and offer absolute support.