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179
This shouldn’t be happening. He anxiously bit his lip.
The Emperor had demanded that the underground not be discovered, but if it was, to drive the knights into the underground and collapse the entrance. He had accepted the task, tempted by the promise of the position of First Knight Commander if he handled it successfully. But things had gone wrong from the start.
“Sepen? Is something bothering you?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
Meanwhile, Taylor, with his kind face, asked if he was uncomfortable.
Simple as a bear, and excessively upright. Yet his loyalty was unnecessarily high. His attitude of genuinely admiring the Emperor kept catching Linus’s eye.
Well. Is the Emperor as righteous as you think? If he really was, he wouldn’t have made such close contact with me. Unlike Taylor, Linus, who prioritized his own interests, wasn’t greatly swayed by this hidden side of the Emperor.
He could only grit his teeth while imagining punching Taylor in the face. However, he didn’t forcibly push the knights inside. Linus was a person who valued his own safety as much as his interests.
***
The news about the underground passage hidden beneath the annex spread throughout the palace as if it had grown legs, thanks to Lexia and Dein, who had sneaked in as a servant, and Evelyn, who spread it through her trusted subordinates.
The Emperor heard this while receiving a noble in the audience chamber. His smooth face instantly froze like ice.
“Let’s postpone this discussion.”
“Y-Your Majesty! But…”
“I’d like to believe you’re wise enough to know the time and place, Count.”
“…I understand.”
The Emperor immediately dismissed the noble before him. The man, who had been trying to subtly request permission to leave the palace, had no choice but to slip out of the audience chamber, cowed by the ominous atmosphere.
With the pestering noble gone, the audience chamber instantly became quiet. It was the perfect environment for revisiting memories. The story hurriedly relayed by the servant filled his mind.
“…Useless thing. Can’t even do the job properly.”
The first thing that came to mind was the face of the slick knight who had promised to successfully carry out the task. He had thought the knight would be fine, given his greed and cunning, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
No. Objectively speaking, it wasn’t that knight’s fault. If he had to pinpoint a reason… it would be Luciel, who had walked in there on his own. Luciel, Owen Fides, and Roentio Fides. The presence of these three had ruined his plans.
But that wasn’t the only thing bothering him. The rumors that had just reached his ears were also concerning. Even considering their notable prominence, the speed at which they were spreading was too fast. As if someone was intentionally spreading the story.
“…”
Is it that child? The face of his daughter, who had been distancing herself from him at some point, flickered before his eyes. He slowly caressed the corner of his mouth, which had been stiff as wax.
The Emperor rose, firmly suppressing the irritation that kept trying to surface. There was something he needed to confirm right now.
***
It was a few hours later that terrible rumors spread through the palace.
“My goodness, is that true?”
“Yes! They say those ‘monsters’ were created in the underground of the annex.”
“Ugh, it’s chilling!”
Wherever three or more people gathered, regardless of status, they noisily discussed this story. The contents varied.
That what was buried under the annex was actually a secretly built laboratory, that it was where the ‘monsters’ were created, and if that wasn’t enough, that they had diverted the Demon Sword, a creation of God, to conduct horrific experiments…
These were all the rumors that had spread, but as is usually the case, rumors tend to get exaggerated as they pass from mouth to mouth. This rumor was no exception. More precisely, one question was added on top of it.
“Could His Majesty… not have known about this?”
This had happened under the Imperial Palace. Anyone who had worked in the palace for a certain period would have a rough idea that the Emperor valued the management of the palace. So this question was added. Could the Emperor, who cared so deeply about the palace, really not have known about it?
To this was added an unconfirmed eyewitness account that the Emperor frequently visited the annex. Some even began to say they had seen suspicious individuals of unknown identity coming and going from there.
‘Could it be that the Emperor planned this in collusion with the Salvation Church?’
It was a conclusion without clear cause and effect, but rumors don’t need logic.
The increasingly sensational rumors swelled as they passed from mouth to mouth. This story began to spread even to the streets of the capital.
The situation was especially serious in the Imperial Palace.
“I’m telling you, I saw it!”
Unlike in the streets where it remained mere hearsay, the rumors circulating in the palace were more specific and realistic. This was because one of the nobles testified that he had seen half-burned research papers on Marquis Fides’ desk when he went to see him.
Some believed the rumors, while others shuddered, calling them absurd stories. The methods and conclusions varied, but one thing was certain. Seeds of doubt had been evenly sown regardless of social status and individual beliefs. That alone was enough.
For when seeds are sown, they are bound to sprout someday.
***
“Is this really okay?”
“It’ll be fine. Trust what you’ve seen with your own eyes.”
Luciel calmly spoke to Taylor, who still looked confused. However, he too was conflicted. The time he had marked was slowly approaching. Soon, truly… the end he had been longing for was coming.
“Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!”
However, the end wasn’t as simple as he had thought.
Luciel hurriedly left the palace upon hearing the news brought by his confidant, but by then, things had already unfolded. The scene before his eyes was reminiscent of a hellscape. Bloodstains coloring the long corridor, severed heads rolling around, blood pooling at his feet… everything in sight was surreal.
“Why… how…”
How did it come to this?
He muttered blankly. If it weren’t for the hand gripping his shoulder, he would have remained in a daze for a while.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
Lexia, whose face he hadn’t seen for a while, was there. Seeing his calm eyes, it felt as if his own fluctuating emotions were being tidied up.
“Lexia.”
“Attackers have invaded the palace. Some nobles are already dead. Judging by who they’re killing and who they’re not, it seems they already had specific targets… Anyway. You go to the audience chamber as discussed. We’ll handle this. The other knights still floundering over there should be of some help too.”
“…I’ll do that. I’m counting on you for the rear. And, Evelyn…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Even without being told, she would have protected herself well. We’ll make sure not even a finger is harmed.”
“…I see. Thank you.”
Lexia winked playfully. Normally, Luciel would have hardened his expression or looked away, but not this time. His desire to express gratitude was sincere. It was enough to speak while making direct eye contact.
That was the end of the conversation between the two. As Lexia had said, Luciel immediately headed towards the audience chamber with the knights who had allied with him. Towards where the Emperor, his father, was firmly holding out.
He killed the attackers he encountered and protected a few nobles along the way. Each time, the inexplicable emotion deep in his chest grew larger. It was only when it had welled up to his chin that Luciel could realize one thing.
Ah, I’m disappointed in that person.
It was the same when he finally reached the audience chamber. It was the same when he faced the Emperor, who was alone welcoming him in a place so quiet it was eerie.
It was a strange attitude. To the point where it seemed the Emperor might have been waiting for this moment. Luciel, who had been silently staring at his father sitting on the massive throne, slowly opened his mouth.
“Why did you do such a thing?”
“What do you mean?”
The Emperor asked, tilting his head. The loosely raised corner of his mouth seemed to be enjoying the current situation.
“Ordering the beheading of nobles? Joining hands with the Salvation Church? Creating monsters using the blood of executives? Diverting God’s creation? Framing and mercilessly killing a loyal subject whose tail was stepped on by God? Or… do you mean attempting to awaken the demon god?”
The voice listing his own crimes had not a trace of hesitation or guilt.
It was a shocking revelation for those who had decided to follow Luciel, including the Second Knight Commander. Unlike Luciel who already knew, it was something they couldn’t have even imagined.
Meanwhile, Luciel calmly shook his head. He examined the Emperor before him with a subdued gaze. His calm face, showing not even a hint of wavering in a life-threatening situation, continued to be reflected in his eyes.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Although he wanted to know the reasons for what the Emperor had listed, that wasn’t what he had asked. Luciel furrowed his brow and asked, biting his lip.
“Why are you meeting such a futile end?”
Yes. That’s what Luciel was curious about.
The Emperor’s evil deeds were countless. To the point where he had been confused for a long time after realizing his father’s unexpected hidden side.
However, the current Emperor had made no preparations other than moving the attackers to assault some nobles. He hadn’t placed a single guard to protect the audience chamber, nor had he stopped the knights’ advance. Even though he must have known what was happening behind the scenes. Luciel couldn’t understand such an Emperor.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
