The rumor that the Saintess had attempted to assassinate the Emperor shook the entire empire. Along with it, another incident shocked the world. It was the news. that the Marquis of Milliner's residence had burned down and all of his family members had died.
"The nobles who were friendly to us continue to die."
Levy reported in a serious voice.
"Using the Saintess's rebellion as an against His Majesty the Emperor is being purged."
The other nobles who were sitting together also added with frightened faces. David's expression darkened after hearing the report. He was confused. He still had not figured out why the Saintess suddenly tried to kill the Emperor. Furthermore, the bloody storm that followed as if it had been waiting for him further aggravated his confusion.
'What on earth is going on?"
Something big was happening as if he was caught in some kind of giant whirlpool. He was defending himself and responding in his own way, but things were happening too fast.
'This is tricky.'
He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. He knew very well that the Emperor was a cold and heartless person. Even though David was his blood son, he couldn't understand the Emperor. He knew that the Emperor could throw him out at any moment.
'No. If necessary, he is a human being who would kill me without hesitation.'
His eyes sank coldly. David was the son of the Empress. Thanks to powerful maternal relatives, he was naturally crowned the Crown Prince of the empire as soon as he was born. However, because of that, he had to be held in check by his biological father, the Emperor, who was at the top of the empire. David did not receive proper love from his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress, only demanded perfection as the next Emperor. As a child, he worked hard and fiercely to be acknowledged and loved by his parents.
One day, the Minister of the Interior, who was teaching David the study of kingship, praised him in front of the Emperor.
'His Highness the Crown Prince is very enthusiastic about his studies of the science of kingship despite his young age.'
At that time, David was embarrassed, but inside, he was nervous about what his father would say, and he waited for the emperor's reaction. But...
'Is this young child already coveting the throne?'
The Emperor, with his expression filled with laughter, returned with cold restraint and contempt.
'Your Majesty...! That's not what I meant...'
The Minister of the Interior was surprised by the Emperor's unexpected reaction and denied it while sweating profusely. However, when the Emperor silently pressured him to keep quiet, he had no choice but to keep quiet. Soon after, he heard the news that the Minister of the Interior who had been teaching him the art of kingship had been kicked out of the palace.
That incident left a deep scar on the young David's heart. But that was not all.
'I've heard that the Crown Prince has been studying swordsmanship very diligently these days?'
The Emperor spoke with a look of displeasure on his face, his chin resting on one arm.
'Yes.'
David answered, slightly nervous.
'As before, you will continue to be escorted and protected by the knights directly under the imperial Palace.'
The Emperor glared at David with distrustful eyes.
'I'm quite suspicious of the reason why he is so obsessed with swordsmanship.'
David's intentions were always distorted, and his sincerity was always doubted and ignored. In such a situation, his mother, the Empress, forced him to be the perfect and solid Crown Prince.
'There can be no mistake. We cannot be complacent just because we have the Duke of Dandelica as our relatives.'
'You must devote yourself more to swordsmanship. To become a strong monarch, you must become stronger than you are now. I cannot tolerate weakness.'
'Smile. You must not let the other person know your true feelings. You must know how to turn the situation to your advantage without being swayed by the other person.'
The strict Empress only returned with sharp whips. The young David, unable to find a place to rest his mind, became lonely and isolated. Hiding his wounds and smiling in front of people became his daily routine. Now, he could not tell whether what he was doing was acting or real. His status as the Crown Prince of the empire also played a part in making him lonely. He saw too many vulgar people approaching him with a mask-like smile and flattering him for their own benefit. In the end, David grew up to be an extremely cynical and pessimistic person. He learned the lesson from a young age that he had to know how to protect his own life. So, to avoid being killed, he devised a way to live fiercely behind the scenes.
He took control of the underworld and created an information company to gather information and rumors from all over the empire. He gathered his own power and worked hard to build a foundation. In this way, he prepared for assassination and devised his own methods to respond to anything that happened.
However, he secretly thought, 'No way. Blood is thicker than water.'
In the corner of his heart, he harbored a faint expectation along with a hint of hesitation that the Emperor would really kill him, his own son. However, as time passed, his expectations dwindled and his distrust of the Emperor grew. Later, when he gave up his father's faith and love, he was able to realize, like a frog jumping out of a well, that such easygoing thoughts were nothing more than an illusion.
At that moment, knock knock.
He heard the urgent footsteps of the knights, and a rough knock broke his thoughts. The door opened suddenly and the Emperor's guards rushed into the room where he was.
"This is His Majesty the Emperor's royal decree to arrest the nobles who have committed treason!"
The Emperor's guards shouted and grabbed several of the nobles who were sitting there as if subduing them.
"No! That's treason!"
"It's unfair!"
The captured nobles complained of their injustice, but the knights tried to drag them away without any mercy.
"Just wait."
David stopped them, glaring sternly at the knights.
"They are my confidants. What nonsense you say about treason. Let them go."
"I'm sorry, but this is His Majesty the Emperor's order. No one can be exempted."
The knight disobeyed David's orders, and spoke to him, who seemed unwilling to back down easily.
"If you continue like this, even if you are the Crown Prince, I cannot help but think that you harbor rebellion against His Majesty the Emperor. Please step aside so that I can carry out His Majesty the Emperor's orders, Your Highness."
"...!"
The knight proceeded to escort them away, saying that it was his duty to follow the Emperor's orders.
Crack. David grimaced and ground his teeth.
"Your Highness!"
"I'll get it out right away, so just wait a moment."
David could only watch as his aides were dragged away while saying so. David went straight to the Emperor. If he delayed, there was no guarantee that the captured people would be tortured. It was important to get them out as quickly as possible. However, if he met the Emperor and showed others that he was defying the imperial order, there was a risk that he would be accused of treason.
David avoided the eyes of the servants and went to the main hall of the palace using a secret passage known only to the royal family. The moment he passed through the secret passage and arrived at the main hall.
'Is there anyone here? Why is it so dark?'
He came here because he heard that the Emperor was in the palace. The palace, which should have been brightly lit, was dark. It was unusually quiet. No, it was more than quiet; there was an eerie, dreary air.
Something thick and sticky was stepped on under the soles of his shoes. It felt unpleasant. And...
'What is that smell?'
A bloody smell so strong it made him feel nauseous.
Huh? Could this be the smell of blood?
As soon as he realized that it was bloody.
Crunch!
"Ugh!"
There was a short, terminal scream, followed by the sound of something being cut.
"...!?"
Surprised, David hid behind a thick pillar without realizing it. He poked his head out slightly to look inside so as not to be caught. Soon, his eyes, accustomed to the darkness, could clearly see the inside of the hall. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the inside.
At a glance, the floor in the center of the hall was covered in red blood. There were puddles of dark red blood everywhere. In one corner of the hall, the corpses of people who seemed to have just died were piled up like a mountain. The situation seemed unusual. However, the next scene was even more shocking. His aides who had been dragged away earlier were lying on the floor, bleeding.
"Save... Save me..."
Someone who was still breathing squirmed and pleaded.
Phew! Phew!
The Emperor stabbed his sword into his body again and again with a merciless face.
"...!"
It was a horrifyingly cruel and horrifying sight.
"Those are just pieces of trash. They are so useless, yet they still have a tough life."
The Emperor seemed as if he had crushed a noxious insect to death, without a trace of guilt. A moment later.
Wheeing.
The huge magic circle drawn on the floor of the Great Hall began to emit a dark light and absorb the blood of the dead. It was like a hungry beast devouring its prey. When David saw this, he realized as if he had been struck by lightning.
'The Emperor is using black magic to kill people!'
Next to the Emperor stood a large full-length mirror. The mirror, which should have reflected the cruel Emperor and the bloody interior of the great hall, instead showed a handsome man with long, neatly tied hair.
"How much time is left now?"
The Emperor asked the man in the mirror. David listened to the conversation between the two men.
"The magic circle in the capital has already been installed. Once the ritual is complete, half of the capital will be blown away, and all the humans in the capital will be sacrificed to perform the ritual."
David realized that the man in the mirror was a warlock and made a mental note of the man's appearance and characteristics.
"Wouldn't it be enough to have what's in the capital? Wouldn't it be better to catch all the guys outside the capital and use them as sacrifices?"
The black magician answered the Emperor's words with a wicked smile.
"Your Majesty, as much as you wish. But don't worry, we will make up for any shortfall in the North."
The Emperor seemed to like the man's answer and picked up a glass of wine from the table next to him.
"Ha, I've really waited for a long time. Now it's finally paying off."
The Emperor raised his glass as if to toast, smiled contentedly, and emptied the contents of the glass into his mouth. From their conversation, David deduced that the Emperor was plotting something in collusion with the warlock.
'This is crazy.'
There is no way the Emperor could have done such a thing without going mad.
Even offering up all the people of the capital as sacrifices...
David felt a sense of crisis that he could no longer stay in the palace.
'If I stay still, I'll be killed without anyone knowing.
He was gritting his teeth at the sight of his already dead aides, but now was the time to quietly hide and retreat. He needed to prepare.
David clenched his fists until they turned white. He quietly left the place, holding his breath so as not to be caught. David thought he had sneaked out without being caught. However.
"It seems the Crown Prince has heard our story."
The black magician, who had been quietly watching the battle from inside the mirror, nodded at the spot where David had disappeared.
"Hmm. Really? Should I kill him?"
The Emperor's eyes were filled with murderous intent. Then, suddenly, a hint of conflict lingered as if he was a little troubled, and then quickly disappeared.
Soon, he snorted and smiled with only one corner of his mouth raised.
"No, it's fine. I can always deal with him later if I need to. Even if the Crown Prince finds out, what can he do?"
The Emperor laughed out loud as if it was no big deal.
"Is that so?"
The black magician turned his head and looked back at the Emperor, but only responded indifferently.
"Make sure that the work in progress goes smoothly. By the way, what happened to the North and Magic Tower?"
The Emperor asked.
"The magic tower area is fully prepared. And the north..."
The man looked slightly annoyed but quickly returned to his expressionless face.
"There's a bit of a bother here, but that place will be sorted out soon."
"I see. Then I have nothing to be afraid of anymore. I'll kill all the guys who are an eyesore, and now I can do everything as I wish without any obstacles!"
A malicious smile appeared on the Emperor's lips. His tyranny was just beginning.
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