The Extra Wants To Live

Chapter 178: Sacrifice And Offerings [2]

"Who became the Grand Duke at the young age of 18 thanks to his bloodline, was swayed here and there without being able to do anything the way he wanted. So, wouldn't he be so angry that he had to make a reckless advance?"

Carl was a good actor.

To some, he was seen as a gentle angel, while to others, he was seen as a creepy monster.

And to some, he was the material of a great monarch, to others, he was a strong ally, and to others, he was a trustworthy lord.

The reason Carl could easily deceive and manipulate others was not because he simply decorated himself well.

In fact, Carl could not clearly define himself. Humans define themselves through their relationships with other beings.

However, Carl had no memories of his time until the age of 16, and Hanchang-in had all his memories of the people around him erased.

For Carl at present, the only 'human' was Lilly.

That is, for Carl, the only one who could truly define himself was 'Carl, Lilly son.'

That narrow area was all that existed of the self that constituted the being called Carl.

The rest of the realm was simply the result of Carl's in-depth exploration and creation of a persona, a result of extreme method acting.

Catherine and Billford would do well to have a lord who was trustworthy and worthy of following.

Azgoth was the perfect successor to become emperor.

A younger brother who was a little arrogant but also easygoing was suitable for Nero.

Aric needed a trustworthy and good younger brother who would be the pillar of his empire.

All of that was method acting, achieved under Carl's thorough calculations. And with this ability, Carl had always been able to read the best moves he should make.

'The fact that Carl Feld Hardion, a member of the imperial family, became the Archduke, that he achieved great success in the eastern part of the empire, that he won all the battles, that he created the Laurel Union, and that he took on the mission of suppressing rebellions and eradicating heresy and achieved great success was all possible because he received enormous support based on his imperial bloodline.'

Carl read the situation and thought from the other person's perspective.

'Even so, he was a sickly child who couldn't even get up until two years ago. Even now, he's only an 18-year-old brat. Look, this time, he brought the Master here without any strategy or tactics and started a tirade. When things didn't go as planned, he'd get angry.'

He have a lot of knowledge, but his ego is poor.

Thanks to this, Carl was able to put on a new self and feel it with all his heart.

'Even if you're royalty, this is all you can do. You're nothing. You're just a toy in my hands. I'll play with you as much as I want. And then I'll make you a child who breaks down in front of me and make you cry like a child.'

Up to there. Carl, who had erased his superimposed self, was able to see through the other person's true nature.

'Looking at the name of the Church of Universal Equality and its doctrines, it seems that there is a strong antipathy towards bloodline ideology, whether conscious or unconscious. I think that is why he had such an unfair experience.'

Carl raised his head and looked at the sky for a moment. One of Carl's few habits was to look around slowly when thinking deeply.

'He tries to relieve his past pain and desires by playing with me and breaking me down. His level of thinking is that of a teenager, but he seems to be looking down on me as a child, so he seems to be a bit older than me. If that's true, then maybe his miserable past as a teenager prevented his mind from growing properly and only his body grew.'

Carl, who had quickly gathered his thoughts, began to ride his horse at a fairly fast pace.

Carl, who had dissected and exposed in a cold, even cruel, manner a person whose name he did not know and whose face he had never even seen, approached cautiously, thinking that it might be a wrong judgment, and tried to predict the other person's next thoughts and moves.

'If he's a childish kid, he'll laugh and tease them even more, or give them a big fight and lure them to Ishul. On the other hand, if he's a kid who thinks he's an adult, he'll try to act cool and wait quietly in Ishul, thinking that everything will go his way.'

And then consider when your thinking is wrong.

'If I'm wrong and the opponent is just acting to lure me, I'll force him into a fight that's neither too difficult nor too easy, appropriate for the lure. That'll be quite a headache.'

Beyond simply predicting the opponent's moves, he looked into the opponent's inner self through those moves.

From the victim's perspective, they didn't even know what was happening to them. Of course, all of this was happening quietly in Carl's head.

And as if to prove Carl's thoughts were right, the opponent stopped all attacks.

It was from the exact moment that Carl threw away his unnecessary luggage and started running at a faster pace.

'He was a kid who thought he was an adult.'

A child who acted cynically and tried to be cool. Perhaps he was thinking something like, 'See? It's all just as I thought.'

'It's worse than a brat, but it's much better than a cool-headed strategist. If you do something dirty, it seems uncool, and it's uncomfortable because it seems like you're forcing your own incomplete plan. If you just sit there and do nothing, you'll be relieved and start making a fuss when I walk into your trap.'

It was all part of his plan.

Wouldn't he be muttering such third-rate villain-like words?

If Carl could read his thoughts, he probably wouldn't be able to stand it.

Because, the prophet Garten of the Church of Universal Equality, who was behind this incident, actually thought so.

'Even if he's the Grand Duke, he's just a publicity stunt for the royal family. If you take away his halo, he's at best at this level.'

Garten was smiling as he looked at Carl through the snow scattered here and there.

If things went this way, Carl would arrive in Ishul tomorrow.

At that time, what kind of expression would Carl have as he cried and despaired, having crawled into the limbs relying only on the power of the meager Master?

Garten wanted to see that broken face held in his hands, chanting words of praise, and bowing his head. That would be so much fun.

'Well then, shall we get ready to go get the toys?'

Garten smiled in the darkness and carefully picked up a thick book that had been placed neatly in his room.

If he just had this, even the stiff-headed royal lady would become soft and lie flat on the floor.

'Dureniodont.'

A heretical scripture that was truly divine, and was not lacking in its identity, along with its power.

With this, he could get his hands on Carl and rule the empire behind the Emperor's back.

For that, a sacrifice was needed.

And the more offerings, the better.

There were quite a few believers who flocked to Ishul, the holy place that announced the beginning of the Church of Universal Equality, to see the prophet Garten and receive teachings.

'This great god Garten will accept you pigs as a sacrifice and bring about a new world.'

The promise would be kept.

Even though they could not see it, a truly new world would come.