So TBH I don’t really hate the emperor, despite what might be considered inconsistent character development, I am not seeing it that way. For sure there could have been more plot development and given more depth into the story as whole, right away one could tell that the author desired to get right into the story they envision without substantial want or need to develop the beginning of the story. But i don’t hate the characters, well the emperor in this case. I am rambling and going into another area, but i don’t think the emperor was out of character, often he’s portrayed as someone who is bloodthirsty, giving little care or concern over the well being of others only to then to go seemingly the opposite direction by baking , offering some sort of shelter to orphans and giving to the mere whims of Mir.
The way I see it, it goes more in showcasing the more favorable side of himself to Mir or some character growth that wasn’t showed throughout the years. He’s still bloodthirsty, committed various crimes however it wasn’t until later years that he started looking back at his mistakes. Maybe the change came when the prophecy was told, or maybe he never learned about it or existed and kept to his ways lashing out with pain for his pain. In this reality he did hear the prophecy and finally he could see an ending in sight, and for once he looked back. It hardly changed anything but maybe by seeing the end of his pain he slowly started to change. His attitude with Mir could be attributed to his mistake in killing mir’s family and attempting to make up his mistake and earn forgiveness but remember it has the purpose of his death. Does he gain feeligns for Mir maybe but it does not hold enough weight to desire a continual existence.
It’s uncertain if he;s the ML or not but the way things go with the genre there might be a high chance he might. I hope not, despite my long ramble on his character it does not erase his bloody history and Mir does not have fall in love with him Forgive yes. (i’ll get back to that in a mo.) It’s obvious that Mir and Emperor are tied by some sort of fate, (Dragons, Goddess and Sword) Thus far the only person who can kill the emperor is Mir, the list might expand given it is a “Prophecy” so if Mir can’t step up maybe the new arrival black hair knight might be the one to take on the role. Still, Mir and Emperor are tied by a twist of events, and they are giving out some sasuke & Naruto vibes or Naruto and Gaara airs. To Mir, unknown as of yet is a everything she could have been and become. Their story is so achingly familiar that his death in the original time (unknown) could have been the reason Mir killed the tyrant in another future. Remember when the knight killed the white dragon, it wasn’t out a sense of desire or want but a duty and desire to protect. Much as the white dragon found companionship with the knight so did the knight with the white dragon. It was a devastating blow for both when the death happened. The reason that the emperor tried to make up and provide a stable environment for Mir since the only way to wield the sword is through a sense of justice and fairness. Which given her sense of revenge negated that. Still maybe in that future, Mir killed the tryant out of mercy or maybe out of a duty to protect depending on the side that he fell on.
After all, both were betrayed by their humans, felt lonely in their solitude, both were punished/saved by the goddess and were given human form. Much like the tyrant Mir sought revenge at first and it was through sincere remorse that she was able to let go of her grievance and find some sort of happiness given this new chance.
On too Mir should forgive the Tyrant. It’s not out of a sense of being a Mc but more for character development. I can see Mir’s unforgiving revenge addled mind becoming more ruthless emperor as she yearns to seek vengeance. It has been a spiral of focus for her that she finds various excuses to continue her path.Which would be interesting to see if the opposite was true with the emperor, in seeking forgiveness he starts to see the kinder side of humanity or smthg. TBH Mir does not owe him anything, but i do feel bad for the dude after all his attempts
( I could have gone more on Mir, and forgiveness but i rambled long enough. On a last note, given the pain the emperor feels does he feel the pain because of his past or because of the punishment the goddess envoked? )