1533 Trust Me Bro!

"Ahh! We're going to take the test next year. The old man really is so thoughtful to call you, Senior."

"Old man, you're soo good! I'm sorry for making my cat poop in your garden."

"And my dog!"

The old veteran opened his mouth in shock. These damn brats!

"I thought you were going to celebrate now that you don't have to see us anymore."

"You still have some conscience, eh? Not bad, not bad."

The conspiracy and cyncial duo folded their hands and nodded to themselves.

"…."

If it was any other day, the old man would've asked the kids to do community service right away.

But now…

With an ashamed expression, he lowered his head. He thought he raised them well but these lawless teenagers…

"What do you think about your future?" The young man asked with a curious expression.

"I want a girlfriend!"

"My mom is too overprotective! I can't stay out of her sight for a day."

"A good college."

"A cozy job?"

"I want to become a celestial ranker."

The young man looked at the person who answered last.

It was the conspiracy guy.

"Even though the conditions are much better than before, it's still very challenging to become a celestial ranker. Even by optimistic estimates, an average person would have to train for at least thirty years. You know that, right?"

"Of course, I do!" The conspiracy guy nodded fervently.

"Then why?"

"Because I want to expose the truth!" He said with a passionate expression.

"Truth?" The young man tilted his head. "What truth?"

"Err, that's, he is like this…ahahaha," The old man began to sweat and glare at the conspiracy guy to shut up.

It'd have worked in other times but not today.

"You were telling me to shut up all these years and I did! But not anymore, old man! Not anymore! The time has come! The truth shall be revealed to the public!" The conspiracy guy looked at the sky and said in a gut wrenching tone.

The young man gave the veteran a suspicious look before turning back to the teenager.

"Renny, it's not tru—"

"Let him say what he wants." The young man interrupted the veteran.

"Ah, okay." The old man sighed as if he had given and lowered his head.

"We're all controlled by a bunch of powerful celestial rankers! All of this is a facade! The Emperor is just a puppet in their hands! Think about it, Senior! The Emperor didn't even finish one year and he disappeared for fifteen years. Think about! What must have happened?"

"Err, he went on a trip like he said?" The young man raised a brow.

"No!" The conspiracy guy stepped forward and grabbed the young man's shoulders.

Moving him back and forth, the teenager looked up into the young man's eyes. "It's a coup! Coup d'etat! Those powerhouses are controlling the Empire!"

The young man opened his mouth to reply but ended up nodding with an expression of realization. "Oh, oh, continue. Please continue."

The conspiracy guy showed a surprised expression. People didn't generally believe him. But now that someone did, he had an urge to reveal the true secrets of this world.

"The Emperor is not even Emperor! Think about it, Senior! What is your age?"

"Twenty."

"He became the Emperor before twenty! How ridiculous! It's all a hoax! Done to decieve you and me and the rest of the world!"

"Then who do you think is the true ruler? Do you think any of these powerhouses?" The young man asked.

The conspicracy guy glanced at his friends and the old man with a struggling expression before opening his mouth.

"I might get jailed for this but I know who is the mastermind even if I don't know the others."

"Oh? Really?" The young man seemed genuinely curious. "Who?"

"Who else? The one who rules all day! She takes all the decisions, orders everyone, holds unquestionable power. She calls herself Imperial Secretary! But she's the true ruler! Empress Alison! Spy turned Ruler!"

The conspiracy boy said with a confident expression.

At this point, the old man couldn't stand still anymore.

If these innocous words really caused a drift and ended up affecting the Imperial Secretary, he would not be able to forgive himself.

"Renny, apologize! The Imperial Secretary is not the Empress! She works under the Emperor! Every decision she makes must be approved by him!"

"No, grandpa! The world needs to know! I don't know why everyone pretends otherwise! Even I can see it's all fake! Do you really want me to believe the ruler we don't see for 15 years is the one still ruling? I'm young but I'm not stupid! You're old but you're gullible!"

"…."

The refutation was so strong that the old man bit his lip in frustration. In normal times, a decade and half absence would indeed be an obvious coup.

But now—

"What a smartchild." The young man chuckled. "I'm looking forward your performance in the future."

"O-Of course, Senior! I'll get into the academy!"

The teens started chattering and before he knew it, an hour went by.

These guys had no clue about what a real war looked like. There was something they had no previous generation did.

Was it innocence? No. They too would fight monsters if necessary. They all the had the basic training.

It wasn't innocence, it was uncertainty.

They didn't have the uncertainty of whether they'd live to see tomorrow. Whether they'd have to hear the new that one more planet had fallen. That one more war had started.

There was no burden on these young souls.

They thanked him for his guidance and declared that they'd still occasionally meet even though it's no longer required because 'We're worried the old man might get senile without us'.

As the five walked away under the sunset, the young man watched them with a smile.

The old man sighed, sadness on his face but also blessings for the children do well.

"I fought my entire life. For what else? Children living a carefree life…that is enough. That is more than enough."

Tears swirled in his eyes and he grabbed the young man's hand. "Your Majesty, this is the future you gave us. Thank you."

Varian shook his head. "If people like you didn't protect the world until I could rise, there is nothing I could've done. You walked so I could run. This peace is not just because of me, it's due to generations of sacrifice."

The old man smiled heartily.

And Varian was about to smile ba—

"This world is built on the back on my labor, thank you very much!"

"Ahem, ahem." Varian turned around and there she was.

In an elegant blue uniform that didn't look very militaristic, the imperial secretary Alison looked at him with a smile that couldn't be more artifical. "Your Majesty, please put your heart on your hand and say how many months, sorry, days that you stayed in office."

"Cough, cough, cough." Varian patted his chest.

"No wonder there are rumors like that. If you don't want to stay and rule, at least give us a heir."

Just as she said those words, a man dropped from the sky.

He looked middle-aged but there was a light of wisdom in his eyes. The man was carrying a large gun, which looked something like a rocket launcher.

Alison's eyes widened. "That's the secret weapon of our military lab that can kill any rank 1 celestials. What are you doing?"

Varian blinked in confusion as the large barrel of the gun was placed in front of him.

"I will kill you for the sake of my daughter!"

"F-Father-in-law?"