"Honestly, it's not even just them. In a way, they're just an extension of a bigger problem humanity's always had, with the Astrals and prophecy and a whole bunch of other nonsense. But...like you said, we're here now. We don't have to worry about that so much."

He moves his hand down from Noct's hair to rub his back. "If it makes you feel any better, the Empire destroys itself with all the bullshit it's been pulling. Its falling doesn't really fix any of our problems, but it is cathartic. Especially because all the assholes at the top got more or less exactly what was coming to them."

Or are going to eventually, in Ardyn's case. But Gladio...doesn't want to aim Noct at Ardyn's throat right now by telling him he's the chancellor. Not that Ardyn doesn't deserve to take a Noct to the throat, but Noct doesn't need any more major life-shaking revelations right this second. What he needs is recovery time. Every trainer knows that after you damage your muscles working them out, you have to rest them before the next session. This is Noct's rest period.