Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Story Beginning from the Guillotine
[Time: Year 14470 of the Star Calendar]
[Location: Imperial Capital of the Ense Empire, Tino]
Despite the 7.6 million people settling on this bustling but crowded land, trying every possible means to ravage it into the political and economic center of the empire; despite the mockery of neighboring small countries towards this land for being overly hedonistic and lacking cultural sentiment, it still doesn’t stop many people from yearning for it.
Because it is the imperial capital of one of the three great empires of humanity, the Ense Empire.
Or rather, it once was.
Tino City’s afternoons were always rainy, and normally, the city’s hustle and bustle would be significantly dampened.
But today, no amount of rain could hinder the enthusiasm of Tino’s citizens.
They joyfully rushed out of their homes, bathed in the rain, with bards playing instruments while ordinary citizens beat gongs and drums, welcoming this day worth celebrating.
And our protagonist Charles has made an indelible contribution to the laughter and joy of Tino’s people.
For the citizens below are busy spreading the news that he is about to be led to the guillotine.
Louis clutched the diary in his arms, sitting on the cold throne, looking at the crowd below cursing him, his heart flustered beyond measure.
Louis, a Xia Country native.
In the third year of middle school, when the history teacher reached the Chapter on the French Revolution in the People’s Education version textbook, Louis’s mischievous friend suddenly burst into laughter at him and asked if "his head was still intact", since then the gears of fate began to turn.
And he could never shake off the nickname "Louis XVI" for the rest of his life.
Louis, however, didn’t mind, after all, he was a Daxia person, how could he "enjoy" the treatment of a guillotine?
Time slipped away, and before he realized it, he had already been a workhorse in the workplace for two years.
Time and again, after completing tasks excessively, and after his painting-the-big-picture leader once again gave him "saturated work", unbearable anymore, he woke up in the middle of a rainy night and shouted at the night sky:
"Since you call me Louis, at least let me have the experience of a guillotined emperor!"
Thus.
Bang.
A clap of thunder, and upon reopening his eyes, he had changed worlds.
Louis was still that Louis.
But in this life, he was named Louis Charles Julius.
Only this name... seemed a bit ominous.
Louis: the most famous guillotined king.
Charles: the first king to be guillotined + the 80-year-old prince.
Julius: the assassinated Emperor Caesar.
Piled up with these LGBT-like buffs!
"...Why did it become like this?"
Louis held the diary in his arms, the only item he found in the cell from the original owner after transmigrating here.
Out of the last bit of respect for the previous emperor, the item the original owner always used, was not taken away during his arrest.
Inside was filled with the absurd life of the original owner.
Looking at the crowd below filled with eyes of hatred, the cleric announcing the verdict was still reciting his charges on stage.
"As an outsider Duke appointed by the First Princess disregarding public opinion, Louis indulged in extreme luxury, amassing fortunes, colluding with enemy assassins to assassinate the newly crowned First Princess..."
"He formed cliques, occupied the empire’s throne by the name of the First Princess’s fiancé, imprisoning the Ense heir Second Princess for ten years..."
"His governance was unjust, insatiable for desires, causing the weakening of Ense’s national strength, with the public’s indignation unceasing..."
"Today, in the watchful eyes of all Tino citizens, Louis Charles Julius shall be subjected to the guillotine for being a ’country subverter’, ’Prince Enchanting Demon’, ’Face of Greed’, ’Lightless Emperor’... Sir, do you have anything to say?"
"Saying it would make you spare me from the guillotine? Laughable."
Tired, let it all end!
Seeing he did not speak, the executioner soldier pulled him up from the chair, escorted him to the guillotine.
Without any memory from the original owner, he only wanted to curse at this moment.
"Why was there no share for the enjoyment, but the guillotine wants me up!"
"Hey, subverter, stop fidgeting!" laughed the executioner soldier, pressing him up the guillotine and speaking as they walked: "Did you ever think this day would come when you kicked me out of the guard over my right foot stepping through the door?"
"Enough, carry on with the execution."
A calm voice came from the front, Louis looked up at the woman.
Grace Brent.
The saintess of the Church of Glory and Justice, a silver-haired girl with a blindfold over her eyes, holding the Libra Holy Sword.
Born in the Ense Empire, she was once a victim of Louis, and upon hearing the sudden rise of the revolution army, she joined the war for those civilians suffering due to Louis.
In other circumstances, upon seeing a silver-haired girl, he would perhaps be moved by his DNA and gaze a few more times.
But now, he could only calmly say, "What if I say this has nothing to do with me?"
The saintess remained silent.
Louis clutched the diary tightly in his arms, as if only it could give him a bit of warmth.
No pleading.
Facing certain death, he chose to guard his final dignity with silence.
Ultimately, the saintess sighed softly:
"Farewell, lightless emperor, may you find the value of your existence in the world after death."
Suddenly, the scenery spun before his eyes.
His hand loosened its grip on the diary, letting it fall to the ground, stained by the dripping blood.
Louis Charles Julius, met his eternal rest...
It was supposed to be like this!
...
"Save save save save save... Ah, my head!"
Louis shouted in horror as he fell off a luxurious large bed.
"Head head head head... My head is still there?!"
An apparent remnant of the fear of death lingered in his mind.
So when your head is just chopped off, you really can still feel the pain, huh!
Louis snapped out of his daze and looked at his body.
His body, previously wrapped in filthy prison clothes, was now covered in smooth silk fabric.
His hands looked somewhat frail, like those of a boy from a war-torn region who never had enough to eat.
The maids, drawn by the screams, rushed in frantically.
"Your Highness, what happened?"
"Are you hurt? Was there an assassin?"
"Quick, check on His Highness..."
The maids anxiously fidgeted as they inspected Louis, who seemed a bit dazed.
Suddenly, the eyes of a cat-eared maid were drawn to the tail swaying behind Louis, as if a cat had encountered a teaser toy.
The curious catgirl instinctively touched somewhere she shouldn’t have.
That was Louis’s succubus tail. As the sensation of tingling numbness shot through him, Louis’s expression changed. With a "snap," he whipped his tail back from the maid’s hand, flaring up:
"How dare you! Let go of my tail!"
As soon as he spoke, a look of confusion flickered across his face.
What’s going on? He was just an ordinary office worker who had been on a guillotine. Why did he just feel such intense anger?
The lingering influence of the original owner’s soul?
No, definitely not.
He recalled the contents of the diary he had browsed before being brought to the guillotine.
"Is it the side effects left by the original owner being a test subject under the White Tower Mage before becoming a prince?"
Damned, the original owner! Even in death, they left me trouble.
The maids exchanged glances.
The cat-eared maid who had just ambushed his tail was somewhat frightened.
The reputation of the succubus race was so poor, partly due to their peculiar games with their tails.
Moments ago, she just saw the tail swaying adorably and grabbed it on impulse, only now realizing she might’ve done something wrong.
Seeing the maids’ uneasy expressions, Louis couldn’t help but recall the scene of the original owner’s utter betrayal by friends and family.
In a daze, it seemed as if he heard the executioner’s axe sharpening and drawing closer. His tail, which had stood up like a warning, gradually drooped down.
He sighed, emphasizing with a sincere yet extremely stern tone:
"I really, really hate people touching my tail."
He didn’t notice the slight pallor on his face, scared out of his wits by the shadow of death, which made him look unusually stubborn, much like a small beast whose untouchable domain had been invaded.
Inexplicably, the expressions of the maids softened after exchanging glances.
Rare, indeed! A succubus who wouldn’t let others touch its tail!
The little maid stopped feeling wronged and instead curiously glanced at Louis from time to time.
A quick look.
Another quick look.
Oh no!
All the maids’ faces started blushing.
"Can you bring me a mirror?"
Everyone nodded and exited the room.
Soon, a mirror as tall as two people was pushed into the room.
Louis looked into the full-length mirror.
The youth in the mirror had delicate and proper features, eyes clear and pure like water, black hair, tidy clothes, but with a somewhat pale complexion, out of place with his current luxurious attire.
Louis said, "You all may leave, I wish to be alone for a while."
Louis had a rough idea of the situation.
He glanced at the magical clock in the bedroom.
The year was 14450 of the Star Reckoning.
Twenty years had passed since the year he was taken to the guillotine in the dream.
"First time-travel, then reincarnation? Or did I foresee the future? Or is this just an absurd dream?"
He touched his neck.
The residual pain and fear from when his head fell were gradually dissipating.
A sense of relief washed over him.
Chronologically, now Louis should have been brought into the palace by the First Princess and made an Honorary Prince.
This world, which leans towards a medieval style, is not safe.
Barbarism intertwines with civilization, and wars never cease.
Deities, Abyssal Lords, Dukes of Devils, and other high-dimensional beings take the Star Continent as their chessboard, waging wars since ancient times.
Fortunately, when Louis was just conferred as Honorary Prince, the Ense Empire was still strong, and there was no need to consider any outside crises.
"Ha~ regardless of whether that memory is true or not, at least it’s safe now."
The feeling of relief gradually enveloped him. As he collapsed onto the bed, he was suddenly poked by something underneath.
It was a diary with a slightly yellowed cover.
Louis recognized it as the diary the original owner always carried.
When he first traversed into the prison cell, only this diary was with him. The original owner had written many things in it, giving him a preliminary understanding of this world’s situation.
But the content of the journal seemed to have discrepancies with what the original owner was convicted of?
Looking at the diary’s cover, stained with dried blood, his hands suddenly trembled a bit.
The sticky feeling, and upon opening it, the grudges, wails, and fear of the guillotine on the mottled pages came rushing in.
Having finally calmed down, Louis’s hand shook, and the diary fell to the ground.
"It’s real!"