I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

At first, I just wanted to survive. To do that, I had to seize power. So I seized it. I had no choice but to abandon some conscience and morality. The power I had grasped came with responsibility. And to survive, I had to fulfill that responsibility. The crown upon my head was heavy, and the path before me was a thorny road. But once I could bear the weight of the crown, and once calluses formed on the soles of my feet so that walking the thorny road no longer hurt— I became the emperor of another world. No, I became the emperor of this world.  : From Leonardo's "Future Diary," the first emperor