Chapter 133
- “Salute the emperor,” my ass lol
- I shall tell you about Head Mod
- Head Mod ← this guy is just on another level
ㄴ For real, he's practically the gallery itself
ㄴ Fuck, that's way too harsh.
[Mega Sour Raspberry Candy]
In my previous life, I once saw videos of people doing all sorts of challenges with this candy.
It wasn't a candy you ate for the taste, to say the least.
When I fed it to the emperor, he began showing a reaction beyond anything I'd imagined.
- Muffin) How dare you feed me something like this, you insolent wretch?
He abandoned the polite manner of speaking he'd barely been maintaining and started throwing a fit.
ㄴ Arrogant?
ㄴ Ah lol, he's only eight.
ㄴ A little emperor who ate sour candy without suspecting anything and started jumping around... How cute, yeah.
Naturally, the gallery's reaction was not good.
As if fanning the flames of already worsening public sentiment, his unlikability stack kept growing.
- At this point, Head Mod should just become emperor, yeah
- Looking at the state of the empire, it needs some serious fixing.
- Darian already has the power, so it'd be perfect if Head Mod just stepped in now?
But after giving the matter some reasonable thought, I found myself laughing rather than getting angry at the sight.
“Are you trying to dump the imperial title on me?”
Whatever the state of the world, I'd seen a few people who were obsessed with power.
But I'd never seen the exact opposite.
- Muffin) I absolutely will not let this matter slide!
While the little emperor was heating up the atmosphere, I left a chat message.
ㄴ Head Mod*) You're doing this on purpose.
ㄴ Muffin) .
At that moment, the chat that had been running wild abruptly stopped.
Of course, it started flooding in again soon after...
- Muffin) Do you think this is a lie?
ㄴ Muffin) I will find you and make you pay for this crime!
ㄴ Head Mod*) To make you step down from the throne?
ㄴ Muffin) ...!
Medieval people's chat speed is slow.
By comparison, me, a gallery-addicted Head Mod who's online twenty-four hours a day?
“Me, Sonic.”
I drove home dry facts between the slowly rising chat messages.
Normally, in a gallery, the guy who posts the most wins.
I didn't stop there.
Using Head Mod privileges, I created a new alt account in the gallery and made a post.
[Title: Suspicious-as-Fuck Things About the Emperor lol]
Author: Secret of the Liberal-Arts Ghost
(GIF of him handing over treasures after looting the national treasury)
(GIF of him needling Head Mod without a care even in the Hero's line of sight)
I was watching him and noticed some odd things, so I put them together.
1. Suddenly created a grand-duke position that didn't exist and appointed Head Mod to it
2. Lived frugally as usual, then suddenly started spending money like crazy this time
3. The moment the orcs were dealt with, he posted as if he'd been waiting for it and cleaned out the national treasury's treasures for Head Mod
4. Deliberately tried to needle Head Mod in a featured post everyone could see
The way I see it, the emperor just doesn't want to be emperor lol
Wasn't his expression fucking awful at the coronation last time, too?
He was picked as emperor after hiding in his house, half forced into it, wasn't he?
On top of that, he'd been quiet all this time, then suddenly picked a fight with Head Mod and showered every treasure on him?
.
.
lol
[Upvotes 6921] [Downvotes 1]
- Oh... That's pretty convincing.
- Come to think of it, he never actually moved the troops while saying he was going to capture Head Mod or whatever, yeah;
- Suddenly gives him the national treasury ← Since it would belong to Head Mod anyway if he handed over the throne, it doesn't matter
ㄴ Oh, so that's what it was
No lame explanation was necessary at the end.
lol, even people who hadn't believed it were won over by those two characters, “ㅋㅋ.”
- Muffin) Hah, how absurd.
ㄴ LOL, the cutie's here
ㄴ (I'm just a baby, Rapunzel emoticon)
ㄴ Sorry for cursing at you without recognizing you, Emperor-bro
ㄴ Come to think of it, you've been working hardest to save the empire.
ㄴ Muffin) Do I look like someone who'd scheme that far? I'm only eight years old!
ㄴ Fact) Eight-year-olds don't say they're eight years old.
ㄴ Now, you'd better choose your words carefully~
ㄴ LOL, one slip of the tongue and he'll be forced to stay emperor
“Well, that's enough.”
- Muffin) I, I...!
ㄴ Head Mod*) “Enough.”
ㄴ Muffin) !
ㄴ Gasp
ㄴ You can't argue with “enough,” yeah;
It was time to hear what he really wanted.
- Head Mod*) Darian, proceed.
I delivered the finishing blow to the cornered little emperor.
*
“Grrr, so it doesn't work after all...”
The world was in turmoil.
It had only been a few months since the self-proclaimed former emperor had wreaked havoc and died clinging to public sentiment.
“I was going to quit being emperor, damn it.”
Muffin didn't want to be emperor.
Hundreds of thousands of lives being swayed by a single word of his...
Everyone wanted to become emperor, dreaming of that omnipotence, but Muffin was the exact opposite.
“It's too horrifying...”
He didn't have the ability for it.
Nor the wisdom or strength to do it.
For a monarchy to succeed, its monarch had to be great.
He had to be diligent, wise, and capable of using great power properly.
“Head Mod...”
The answer was right in front of him.
But there was no way it could happen.
The answer possessed tremendous power, yet desired none of the titles in this world.
Precisely because of that, he was all the more suited for it.
“But you surely wouldn't take on the throne through ordinary means.”
That was the world Fron had once dreamed of.
Creating an egalitarian world through Head Mod.
-Head Mod*) Why me?
But Head Mod had refused.
So even if he had to be hated a little, he had to make it impossible for Head Mod to refuse.
“Because Head Mod is kind.”
He couldn't bear to see even a single life snuffed out.
He was the sort of person who would wipe out an entire horde of monsters because a village was in danger of being destroyed.
“This method will surely work.”
So he deliberately acted obnoxiously,
granted him the title in a commanding tone,
and handed over every treasure in the national treasury, but...
Muffin didn't know one thing.
- Head Mod*) lol
In a way, this was also a form of fixed-user takedown.
And Head Mod had been active as a fixed user across countless galleries, making him a veteran who had avoided fixed-user takedowns.
- Head Mod*) Proceed.
It was the moment Head Mod's strange chat message appeared.
-Click
“!”
Suddenly, the guards began blocking the audience chamber entrance with their bodies from behind.
And Darian, as if he had been waiting for this, slowly began approaching Muffin.
“H-Hero. What are you planning to do?”
Muffin backed away in confusion.
What was he supposed to proceed with, and what was he planning to do?
It was impossible to escape that monstrous hero with these short, stubby limbs.
Though he had no idea what was happening, Muffin shouted at Darian, hiding his panic.
“Hah, are you trying to threaten me in the end, too?”
“...”
“As expected, Head Mod and his lackeys are no different from Helian! You only wanted power!”
“...”
“...Could you at least say something.”
He deliberately pretended not to be scared.
Next, he tried gently needling Head Mod, too.
But all that came back was Darian's expressionless approach.
“Waaaaah...”
In the end, with Muffin crumpled up on the large audience chamber throne, Darian picked something up.
“...That!”
[Mega Sour Raspberry Candy]
The devil's candy he'd been tricked into eating by Head Mod.
Wasn't this the candy so sour it brought tears to his eyes?
Then Darian opened the bag and said,
“Tell me the truth.”
“What...?”
“You will keep eating until you do.”
“What? You mean this—Mmph! Nghmph!”
Thup—Darian gently took hold of Muffin's chin.
The candy went into Muffin's mouth as he writhed, his body remembering the taste on its own.
“Aaaah, aaah!”
He started lightly, with just five pieces.
“Now it begins.”
“I-I'll tell you!!! I'll tell you, so please stop...!!!”
The emperor who had been trying to give up his power
was forcibly turned into someone who had no choice but to keep being emperor.
*
[Title: I'll Tell You Everything! Please Stop!!]
Author: Muffin
(GIF hurriedly taken with tears half-welling in his eyes)
It's true that I was trying to hand over power to Head Mod!
I thought this was the only way to revive the empire that was going to ruin.
But even in Fron—in other words, the Republic of Frontia—Head Mod refused power...
So I deliberately acted this way to get myself deposed, even if only like this... I'm truly sorry...
[Upvotes 4012] [Downvotes 0]
- What? His way of speaking is like a completely different person.
- He finally sounds eight years old lol
- He's kind of cute lol
In the end, the emperor surrendered.
Gone were his sharp expression and manner of speaking; he had returned to his thoroughly cowering true self.
[Title: lol You Shouldn't Pick a Fight with Head Mod]
(GIF of a dejected Muffin)
Imagine trying to fool Head Mod
Ah lol, now you're emperor forever, until you die of old age lol
[Upvotes 102] [Downvotes 0]
- Upvotes lol
- He got completely played in reverse lol
- But doesn't this mean we lose out?
ㄴ ???
ㄴ Head Mod could've become Adrian's emperor, but they stopped him.
ㄴ Oh... you're right?
ㄴ Fuck, wait a second
ㄴ Gaaah
And the gallery realized what had happened only belatedly.
All they'd done was side with me and shape public opinion for the sake of dopamine,
“This is exactly it.”
So in the end, the only one who benefited was me, who didn't become emperor.
[Title: Quiz Question!]
Author: Elves Are Pretty, Cute, and Do Everything
An emperor didn't want to be emperor, so he tried to hand the throne over to Head Mod.
But Head Mod saw through it and tried to make the emperor keep being emperor.
At that time, the dumbass, moronic, idiotic gallery junkies merely sided with Head Mod and helped the emperor remain emperor.
As a result, they ruined the chance to install Head Mod as the humans' emperor and make a huge profit.
How much did the humans lose in this transaction?
[Upvotes 3121] [Downvotes 5989]
- The jeweler lost 1 million dumplings.
- Fuck
- Don't remind me, you son of a bitch. Things already suck.
- LOL, as long as it isn't me~ I don't care~
- LOL, idiots
“Look at them taking the opportunity to make fun of us.”
The elves were positively giddy over the humans' misfortune.
Elves had always been the ones mocked as the gallery's punching bag.
They were thoroughly enjoying the chance to tease them.
- Stupid short-lived species^^
- You got a chance handed to you and kicked it away lol
- An eight-year-old human brat is the wisest of them all. I mean, there's a reason he's emperor, right?
ㄴ I'm really going to yank your ears
ㄴ Isn't there a World Tree?
ㄴ For real, knock it off already
ㄴ Rwieol~ Jjaekdaenghae chae chaehaerae~
The problem was that the elves began teasing them even after crossing the line.
“This is going to get serious, isn't it?”
Just as the humans, already in a bad situation, were gradually losing patience.
- Stupid moronic human bas... Hieek, hyeek!
ㄴ Hieeek, save me, Head Mod!
ㄴ Hieeek!!!
ㄴ ???
ㄴ Why are they suddenly all acting like this?
“What the hell?”
Suddenly, the elves began coughing up blood and collapsing.
*
It was dawn, with clouds filling the sky.
-Flash
Something flashed in the sky.
At a glance, it looked like a shooting star, but it was unmistakably falling toward the ground.
Before long, it struck the summit of a mountain, lost speed, and slammed straight into the plains.
“Uuugh...”
The thing that had fallen, smashing the area to pieces, slowly rose and began looking around.
“It was definitely here...”
It had only just awakened from a long slumber.
Along with the shock that woke it, something had drawn it here.
“This form will attract too much attention.”
A gigantic creature that shimmered gold from head to toe.
The gold dragon slowly lowered her body and began transforming into human form.
A pair of horns sprouted from her forehead.
Golden eyes gleamed and blinked atop her cool-colored skin as they stared at something.
[Welcome to the Otherworld Destruction Gallery!]
[Administrator – Head Mod*]
[Sub-Administrators]
1. Full-HP Elf
2. Vampire Till Death
3. Dragon Dragon Will Die
“Oh?”
The dragon was intrigued by the gallery that appeared before her eyes as though it belonged there.
“To interfere with a dragon's mind this easily?”
It hadn't merely appeared before her eyes.
This gallery was so familiar, as though it had been with her since birth.
“Head Mod, you say...”
She swept her eyes over Head Mod once, then spotted the username Dragon Dragon Will Die.
“The world has changed in an interesting way.”
She narrowed her eyes and smiled thinly, then quickly flew off somewhere.