Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 53: The Devil’s Child – Lord’s Past (Part 3/3)
“You understand now, don’t you? What I did and what happened to the EU?”
“…That can’t be… But, but your mother! Lord, your parent was saved, right?”
“…No, she died. I… I truly understood nothing at all.”
◇ Flashback
“If I hadn’t come, you’d be dead, Sieg.”
Inside the command room of a massive vehicle.
This was the frontline of the EU war, where Sieg and Lord faced each other in battle.
By this point, Lord had grown into his role as royalty, and he recognized Sieg.
There was a time when he hated Sieg for killing his uncle.
But after stepping onto the battlefield, Lord realized that the true enemy was war itself—not the soldiers who fought in it.
Soldiers had no choice but to obey orders.
Understanding the nature of professional soldiers, Lord no longer resented Sieg.
Besides, Sieg had saved him before.
Both he and his mother could have died that day.
Thus, Lord bore no hatred for Sieg, and Sieg acknowledged Lord in return.
“I never expected the EU to have such a powerful warrior… If I recall, his name was Thor. I completely fell for his trap. Had you not arrived, Lord, I would have been killed. Thank you.”
“Relying on strength alone will one day cost you. They are desperate. They’re fighting for their lives. But with this…”
Lord issued his final command.
“Checkmate.”
On this day, Lord secured his 100th consecutive victory.
It had been a long journey, but he had finally met the conditions set by the Emperor to be recognized.
…
“So, you’ve finally done it. Very well, you may see her.”
For the first time in a year, Lord was granted permission to reunite with Scarlet.
But the emotional reunion the boy had dreamed of would never come to pass.
Lord was led into a separate room.
Inside, his mother sat waiting.
“Scarlet. Here is your son. And…”
The Emperor grinned as he shut the door.
“He is the one who destroyed your homeland.”
Lord looked straight at his mother.
After two years, her appearance remained familiar, yet she seemed terribly exhausted.
She must have worried for him. Lord’s heart ached at the thought.
“Mother…”
He slowly approached her.
He wanted to be embraced.
For nearly two years, he had poured his soul into rescuing his mother.
He wanted her praise.
To be told he had done well.
And above all, he wanted to return the love he felt for her.
To an eight-year-old boy, his mother was everything.
For a year, he had studied for her.
For a year, he had fought for her.
Surely, she had been waiting for him just as eagerly.
Surely, she would embrace him with warmth.
Surely, she would praise him.
And so, he rushed into her arms.
But then—
Slap.
“Huh?”
“Uhh… Uhh… I… I…”
Lord clutched his stinging cheek and looked up at his mother.
She was crying. But her tear-filled eyes glared at him with hatred.
“Mother…?”
“I was wrong. You should have died that day. And so should I!”
“What are you saying? Mother…”
Ad
Scarlet had already been told everything.
Day after day, she had been forced to hear of Lord’s conquests.
How many EU soldiers he had slain.
Which regions he had crushed.
The Emperor had made sure she knew every detail.
“You are a demon! How many people have you killed?! You helped Asgard—the people who murdered my brother!”
“But… I… I just wanted to save you…”
“Ahh… I’m sorry… Father, Mother, Brother… I gave birth to a monster. A child of that demonic Emperor! I brought a devil into this world!!”
The endless reports had shattered Scarlet’s spirit.
The son she had saved… was now destroying her homeland.
For nearly a year, she had been forced to listen to the mounting death toll.
To see the lands he had conquered.
To witness, even in recordings, the people turned into slaves, their lives stolen away.
How many times had she wished to end her own life?
If it was all her fault—
If she had given birth to a demon—
But there had been one thought keeping her alive.
She had been waiting for this moment.
Her only wish.
“Lord!! You must die!”
She grabbed a fruit knife from the table and charged at Lord.
Ad
He didn’t move.
He couldn’t move.
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
Not even his genius-level intellect could make sense of it.
He had just wanted her to be proud of him.
He had just wanted to save her.
And yet, why—
“I’ll kill you! And then, I’ll die too!!”
She was trying to kill him.
But before the knife could pierce his flesh, it was stopped.
By a soldier.
“Ugh! Let me go! LET ME GO!!”
It was Sieg.
He had been waiting by the door, as if he had known this would happen.
It was the Emperor’s order.
Ad
Sieg had been watching in secret.
And the moment Scarlet grabbed the knife, he intervened.
“Why… Why, Mother…?”
“Lord! Take your own life! You cannot be allowed to live!!”
Even as she struggled against Sieg, she continued trying to kill Lord.
But soon, she realized her efforts were in vain.
And at last—
“I was wrong… This devil…”
She turned the knife on herself.
With a swift motion, Scarlet slit her own throat.
Blood sprayed through the air.
Through her fading vision, she saw only hatred.
And reflected in her eyes—was Lord.
His mother’s blood splattered across his face.
(Was this what you intended, Your Majesty?)
Sieg watched in silence.
He had anticipated this outcome—right down to placing a fruit knife in the room.
Lord remained motionless.
Sieg stepped out of the room, leaving him alone.
No one knew what Lord thought that day.
What emotions stirred in him.
The boy, who had once been called a genius—
The boy, who would later be known as the Devil’s Mind—
Had stood before his mother’s corpse.
The mother he loved.
The mother who had once loved him.
The mother he had fought desperately to save.
And she had tried to kill him.
What had he felt in that moment?
No one knew.
But soon after, the world would once again tremble at the name of Lord Asgard.
The undefeated commander who seized half of the EU.
And whether the darkness within his heart was truly that of a demon—
No one could say.
◇ End of Flashback
“My mother died. From illness, you know! Old age. She lived a long, fulfilling life—must’ve been proud, having such a capable son!”
But Lord never told Kenya the truth.
He simply forced a smile.
Kenya couldn’t understand what lay behind that smile.
Still, he knew one thing.
Lord’s mother was gone.
And he was trying to cover up that pain.
Lord only told Kenya two things:
That he was the Emperor and Scarlet’s child.
That he once fought for the EU, but for his mother’s sake, he made a deal with the Emperor and turned against them.
And now, as Emperor, he sought to end the war.
He said nothing more.
Only Sieg and the Emperor knew the full truth.
“I see…”
“That’s why, Kenya. Make me Emperor. We have to end this sad world. You saw it yourself today—with Jin and Lielbert.”
Ad
“…Yeah.”
“This is the result of this country’s education system. It’s not their fault. So…”
Lord’s voice trailed off.
Then, as if to change the subject, he simply stated—
“That’s why I have to become Emperor.”
Popping a grape into their mouths, the two sat in silence for a while.
“Sorry, Lord. Because of my reckless actions… I know I have no right to say this, but are you okay?”
“Are you talking about today’s disaster? Frankly speaking, it’s the worst.”
“Ugh…”
“Heh. But for some reason, I don’t feel too bad. Well, it has put me at a considerable disadvantage, but I’ll figure something out.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Just try to think a little more before acting next time. But even if the same situation arises again, you’d make the same choice, wouldn’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
“Honestly… I may have chosen a troublesome knight.”
Yet, Lord’s face seemed somewhat pleased.
With that, the two finished off all the grapes.
Kenya placed Lord in the KOG and headed back to the military camp.
Upon their return, many Asgardians, including Jin, were there, their gazes fixed on Kenya.
Fear, dread, anger—
A multitude of emotions was directed at Kenya, seeing him as an enemy.
Then, Lord stepped forward and began to speak.
“Regarding today’s incident… I was the one who gave the order. I commanded that no harm should come to those who did not resist.”
“What!?”
Hearing this, Kenya turned to Lord in surprise, but seeing Lord’s glare—one that clearly said, “Stay quiet”—he decided to hold his tongue.
“Many of you must be aware of how I have treated prisoners in the past. That is why I expect the same from my knight. This time, my decision happened to contradict my brother’s orders, but that was a mistake on both our parts. Sword acted out of loyalty to me, his knightly oath, and bears no fault in this matter. I ask you to forgive him.”
At these words, the soldiers began to nod in understanding, saying, “I see now.”
It was well known throughout Asgard that Lord was lenient towards those who surrendered.
If Sword was his knight, it was only natural that he would act in the same way.
Odin had ordered them to kill, but Lord was also royalty. If Sword was his knight, then following Lord’s command made more sense.
Thus, today’s events could be explained as an unfortunate miscommunication within the chain of command.
If it was just an accident caused by such a mistake, then it couldn’t be helped.
Moreover, since there were zero casualties and Lord himself had taken full responsibility, there was no reason to stay angry.
In fact, Kenya’s reputation as a loyal and honorable man only grew.
“So that’s how it was, Sword. I misunderstood. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, my bad, Sword-kun. I see now.”
Jin and Lielbert both apologized to Kenya.
“N-No, it was my fault for not explaining properly. I’m the one who should be apologizing for drawing my sword!”
Kenya bowed his head.
With that, the situation was settled—for now.
(This will smooth things over for the moment. But there’s no way my brother will let this slide… If this affects the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament… No. He’ll definitely play this card against me.)
Lord alone understood the weakness they had exposed, the vulnerability that the enemy could not ignore.
Upon receiving the report, Odin burst into laughter.
“This is a great card to have… Right, Catherine? And all for the mere loss of twenty KOGs.”
“Yes, Lord’s weaknesses are not easily exposed, so this will undoubtedly be a trump card in the future. That child is quite good at his work as a double agent.”
With this incident, Odin had gained a critical advantage over Lord and Sword.
Little did they know that this event could alter the course of the world.
And so, as the fateful day drew closer, nearly six months passed.
The Holy Knight Examination had finally begun.