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178
One by one, more people sank to their seats. They realized that the imminent threat of death had passed. It was a sight that could be called miraculous, but Luciel knew this was no miracle.
‘This wasn’t mentioned.’
He had never heard anything about monsters turning to dust and disappearing. Originally, it would have led to the knights subduing them or Owen intervening. He instinctively sensed that something else was happening somewhere he didn’t know about.
But now, that wasn’t important. Luciel slowly composed himself. Although the situation had turned out like this, he didn’t want unnecessary bloodshed. It wasn’t a bad situation.
So… he just needed to finish what he had promised here.
“If you hold out a little longer, the knights will come. There’s no way to leave immediately, but when that time comes, we’ll be able to escape the conference room. Safely, without anyone dying.”
As he slowly spoke, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted accordingly. While surveying the relieved faces of those present, Luciel’s gaze finally landed on the Emperor behind him. Dark green eyes, their thoughts unreadable, were looking directly at him.
“I have something to say, Your Majesty.”
“Speak.”
“Despite the strengthened palace security after the incident a few weeks ago, someone has carried out such a bold act. For whatever reason, this attack has failed, so there’s a high probability they will attempt something similar again. To prevent this, I believe we should seal off the palace and begin an investigation as quickly as possible.”
As if he had prepared in advance, Luciel conveyed his intentions without hesitation. Simultaneously, the faces of several nobles turned pale. Seal off? Doesn’t that mean they can’t leave the palace? Their anxious gazes fell on the Emperor.
“…The Crown Prince is right. Given the severity of the matter, we must quickly find those behind this.”
“There’s one more thing I’d like to request.”
“What is it?”
“If you’re forming an investigation team, please include me in it.”
“Denied.”
The answer was excessively firm. Luciel’s brow twitched briefly.
“Your Majesty.”
“If their target is the Emperor of the Empire, then you, my son and the Crown Prince of the Empire, would not be out of their sights either. I’m concerned you might get hurt.”
“…I will follow Your Majesty’s words.”
There was a brief argument, but the Emperor was more stubborn than expected. In the end, Luciel had no choice but to accept his proposal and take a step back. This was enough for now.
Then his gaze slowly turned to the side. Specifically, towards some of the frightened nobles.
“I hope you all will actively cooperate in this matter as well. I believe you’ll understand, as this is to catch the impure elements who tried to harm His Majesty. Or perhaps…”
You wouldn’t try to slip away out of fear when such a thing has happened.
He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood what Luciel had implied. Those who had been planning to flee the palace as soon as they left the conference room bowed their heads like criminals.
Some immediately shouted their willingness to cooperate, while others promised cooperation in subdued voices. Having obtained the same answer from everyone, Luciel subtly raised the corners of his mouth.
The feet of all the nobles in the imperial palace were now tied. It was as planned.
***
As the Emperor had declared, the investigation proceeded quickly. The knights were deployed to conduct a thorough search of the imperial palace, including the collapsed annex.
This task was assigned to the 2nd Knight Order. With the whereabouts of the 1st Knight Order uncertain, they were entrusted with the most important area. Consequently, the sense of responsibility felt by Bruno Taylor, the commander of the 2nd Knight Order leading them, was immense.
Search the surroundings as meticulously as possible, and find even one clue about those damnable individuals who tried to harm His Majesty the Emperor. He made plans, repeating this pledge to himself several times. However, a few minutes later, this plan would be derailed from the start.
“This priest has been residing in my palace due to personal matters. Since there’s a high probability that wraiths are involved in this incident, if we receive his help, we might be able to find clues more easily.”
It was because of the Crown Prince who suddenly set foot in front of the collapsed annex, bringing a priest with him.
Moreover, the priest’s face was familiar. Given his high position, Taylor knew the faces of most high-ranking nobles. Even if they were nobles who had ceased visiting the imperial palace.
Therefore, he also knew the face of Owen Fides, the fourth son of the Marquis Fides family, an eccentric high-ranking noble who had abandoned his title to enter the temple. He also recognized that the priest before him was that very person.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why? You would want to thoroughly investigate this area. If wraiths are deeply involved, there might be quite a few clues that can’t be discovered by ordinary eyes. Do you want to miss those?”
“That’s…”
Taylor’s expression quickly turned troubled. In his heart, he wanted to include the priest in the investigation team as the Crown Prince suggested. However, the Emperor did not want that. More precisely, he wanted only the 2nd Knight Order to investigate the annex.
But the person before him was a priest, wasn’t he? This fact made Taylor’s mind waver. Finally, after a moment of deliberation, he spoke with difficulty.
“…As Your Highness says. If we receive help from the priest, the matter might be resolved more smoothly. However, given the sudden inclusion, reporting this to His Majesty should take priority. I will ask His Majesty to allow the priest to join us.”
“No. There’s no need to go report specifically.”
“Who… M-Marquis Fides?”
Taylor, who had seemed ready to rush off and report immediately, faltered at the sudden interjection. The face he saw upon turning his head abruptly was unexpected. After opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally managed to speak.
“I-I heard you had returned to your marquisate… Why are you here?”
“I turned my carriage around as soon as I heard the news. As a loyal subject, shouldn’t I be by His Majesty’s side when such an incident occurs?”
“…I see. It must have been a difficult decision, that’s admirable.”
“Not at all. More importantly… I overheard your conversation as I was passing by. Did you say you needed to report to His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Let me deliver that report on your behalf. You shouldn’t leave your post at such a crucial time. His Majesty will surely understand.”
Taylor, persuaded in the blink of an eye, nodded. It was actually a valid point. Given the nature of the situation, it was best to start the investigation quickly. The fact that it was Marquis Fides, the Empire’s only Chancellor, who made the suggestion also played a significant role in swaying his mind.
Marquis Fides quickly left, saying he would deliver the message. Just before turning away, he gave a small nod to Owen, but only Luciel, who was standing right beside him, noticed this.
***
Although two unexpected people had joined, there was no major problem. This meant that the investigation proceeded quite smoothly.
‘His Highness the Crown Prince is joining us?’
One person did show a bigger reaction than expected. Luciel glanced sideways at Sephen Linus, the vice-commander of the 2nd Knight Order, who was sticking close to him.
He snorted silently. Hovering around while pretending not to, isn’t his intention too transparent? However, Luciel chose to ignore it rather than point it out. He had no intention of causing unnecessary commotion.
At that moment, Owen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
“I sense a strange aura here.”
“Here? But I don’t see anything noticeable…”
“No. Not there. I’m talking about below. About five steps forward.”
It was a confident statement. At this, the team members hurriedly began clearing away the building debris. After moving pieces of the collapsed outer wall for a few minutes, a well-formed underground staircase finally appeared inside.
“This is…!”
“The hinges aren’t very rusted. It seems someone has been using this underground passage until recently.”
“Damn, were they hiding so close, waiting for an opportunity?”
As those nearby made comments one after another, the surroundings quickly became noisy and the atmosphere heightened. A hand shot up, not missing this opportunity.
“I think it would be best if we all entered together. There’s been no news of suspicious individuals from other search teams, so the culprit must be hiding in here. We need to capture them quickly before they can cause any more trouble.”
It was Linus. Several people nodded at the suggestion delivered in a calm voice. Even Taylor, the Knight Commander, seemed to be agreeing, perhaps blinded by loyalty, when Luciel hurriedly stepped in front of him.
“No. We should prioritize informing the palace of this discovery first.”
“But…”
“Also, we should wait for backup. We don’t know if there might be more monsters inside.”
“But the culprit might escape!”
“No. The underground is isolated anyway. We just cleared away the building debris blocking the entrance, so if we guard this front, there’s no way for them to escape. If there was another escape route, they would have fled already. So, nothing changes whether we report and wait for backup.”
It was excessively realistic, but precisely because of that, it could bring down the overly heightened atmosphere. One by one, people came to their senses and realized how reckless their previous assertion had been. Some looked embarrassed and bowed their heads. However, Vice Commander Linus…
‘Damn it.’
He was thinking somewhat differently from the others.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
