The audience chamber is covered in darkness.
The blue light of the dawn, deeper than the night, illuminated the throne.
Demios sat there and looked down at the empty audience chamber.
There was not even a trace of presence on the red carpet.
The Emperor’s antics guarding the empty audience chamber continued even after the ministers left in the evening.
Even his gaze, was fixed the whole time.
The area around his wrist where the name of the deposed Empress came to mind was covered with red marks from constant rubbing.
‘Why?’
Demios believed that his question was justified.
The meaning of the name.
The moment her name came to mind, he believed that their fates had finally been connected.
However, fate continued to flow in a one-sided flow, mocking him.
It was a dawn of silence.
Under a shadow darker than the darkness.
A beast even blacker than that appeared.
“You seem deeply troubled.”
Pale skin contrasting with the black robe.
The reptilian’s characteristically gleaming eyes turned to the Emperor.
At that gaze, his grip on the armrest tightened considerably.
The black snake’s smile was disturbing Demios’s mind.
“Wizard. You spoke to me properly.”
The unidentified wizard thought that he had unexpectedly become a necessity for the Emperor.
At least until Roxanne returned to the capital with Sepia.
However, the wizard simply shrugged his shoulders without even showing any sign of regret.
“That was the black beast’s scheme. Didn’t I send the beasts to the Grand Duke as you ordered? Because of that, I lost many beasts.”
The wizard denied it, saying that it wasn’t his fault.
From the beginning, the ones who had moved the Emperor’s heart were the beasts the wizard had with him.
They were neither beasts nor animals.
The wizard showed the beast-like beasts and requested a deal from the Emperor, saying that he would provide them to kill Roxanne.
A deal is an exchange based on mutual needs.
What the wizard was asking for was clear from the beginning.
“You dare mention the grandson of the Emperor, and you show weakness. That is your mistake, wizard.”
The grandson that Titie holds.
That was the wizard’s demand.
And the Emperor’s condition was that Sepia should fall into his hands.
“Don’t worry too much. I have no intention of backing out easily. I am a subject who wants to support Your Majesty until the end. So please trust me.”
The black wizard bowed deeply and moved his arms to his chest.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed at the posture that seemed to imitate the stage director raising the curtain on a performance.
The wizard whispered a piece of advice.
“The Grand Duchess is not the only one whose limbs need to be cut off. Make sure that the black wolf does not become the Grand Duke or the Duke, and let the stones flying from all sides hit him. You will destroy all the support surrounding the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess.”
At the wizard’s words, Demios’s eyes filled with blood.
Even after Sepia was dethroned, the support surrounding her remained the same.
No, it even increased.
Moreover, Roxanne, who had established a charity business with her and built up his position, was also on par with the Grand Duchess.
The Emperor did not think much of Sepia’s positioning when she was the Empress.
Her position was only meaningful among the commoners, and as she gained more and more power, she mostly implemented policies that caused great resentment among the high-ranking nobles.
However, he now knows that this was an act of solidifying the foundation.
The foundation Sepia had created greatly expanded and attracted the nobles, and the Grand Duchess made this a good deed rather than a trend.
The Emperor was greatly offended by the high-ranking people who dared turn their backs on him.
‘How dare you.’
The reason they were able to trample on the lower-ranking people and maintain the upper-ranking for so long was because the hierarchy was clear.
It was not easy for the upper-ranking to monopolize everything.
Therefore, it was only natural to be on guard even when a small stone rolled in.
The high-ranking people who had followed Sepia for a short time were unaware of this.
“How?”
But once the perception changed, it was a lot of hardship to change it back.
Everything had to go back to the way it was.
As if he had read the Emperor’s mind, the wizard came up with a solution.
“I will release the beasts into the capital. Then, with the victims as witnesses, you can spread the rumor that the Grand Duke tamed the barbarians and attacked the beastmen.”
Along with the scandal that he was not subduing the barbarians for the empire, but was acting for his own selfish desires.
The easiest way to start the story was to create a rumor.
When the Emperor seemed interested, the wizard smiled with satisfaction.
“We just have to make them believe that he is preparing to start a war against the empire. This would be rebellion and treason.”
Finally, the Emperor went wild.
Treason was the worst sin that would kill three generations.
If that happened, Sepia would fall into the Emperor’s hands.
His crimson eyes filled with joy.
The Emperor, who was caressing the wrist with Sepia’s name engraved on it, suddenly turned his gaze to the wizard.
“Wizard. I have never asked about your origins or identity.”
From the Emperor’s perspective, all those placed below the throne were of the same species.
That was the reason he did not question the wizard’s birth status. The reason he brought it up later was for another reason.
“Were you the one who forged Titie’s name?”
The government's name was eventually revealed to be fake.
However, no investigation was conducted.
Even if the culprit was caught, the fake name would not become real. Furthermore, he had another urgent goal.
However, if the name had appeared on the Emperor's body, things would have been different.
A name, which absolutely could not be fake.
If someone had been fooling him with a fake name, and if it was fake and therefore ineffective, then whoever had manipulated it would be beheaded.
Despite the Emperor's warning, the wizard did not move an inch.
He spoke in a calm tone as if he would not say more than was necessary.
"Your Majesty's name is real. Was there anything else important?"
Regardless of who had done the trick, there was someone the Emperor wanted to get his hands on.
Red eyes stared at the wizard.
It was exactly as the wizard had said. No matter what the wizard's purpose was in approaching from the beginning, they would have only taken advantage of each other, right?
No matter what kind of strange behavior the being in front of him committed, he was still a beast, and he was a divine beast and the Emperor of the empire, and it was a line that could never be crossed.
“Yes. It is as you said.”
So it meant that he would let some level of trickery pass.
If only he could get Sepia.
The wizard put his hands together and bowed his head.
With the sweet words that the Emperor wanted to hear the most.
“The star of Ishtar will definitely fall into Your Majesty’s hands.”
The blue light of the dawn, deeper than the night, illuminated the throne.
Demios sat there and looked down at the empty audience chamber.
There was not even a trace of presence on the red carpet.
The Emperor’s antics guarding the empty audience chamber continued even after the ministers left in the evening.
Even his gaze, was fixed the whole time.
The area around his wrist where the name of the deposed Empress came to mind was covered with red marks from constant rubbing.
‘Why?’
Demios believed that his question was justified.
The meaning of the name.
The moment her name came to mind, he believed that their fates had finally been connected.
However, fate continued to flow in a one-sided flow, mocking him.
It was a dawn of silence.
Under a shadow darker than the darkness.
A beast even blacker than that appeared.
“You seem deeply troubled.”
Pale skin contrasting with the black robe.
The reptilian’s characteristically gleaming eyes turned to the Emperor.
At that gaze, his grip on the armrest tightened considerably.
The black snake’s smile was disturbing Demios’s mind.
“Wizard. You spoke to me properly.”
The unidentified wizard thought that he had unexpectedly become a necessity for the Emperor.
At least until Roxanne returned to the capital with Sepia.
However, the wizard simply shrugged his shoulders without even showing any sign of regret.
“That was the black beast’s scheme. Didn’t I send the beasts to the Grand Duke as you ordered? Because of that, I lost many beasts.”
The wizard denied it, saying that it wasn’t his fault.
From the beginning, the ones who had moved the Emperor’s heart were the beasts the wizard had with him.
They were neither beasts nor animals.
The wizard showed the beast-like beasts and requested a deal from the Emperor, saying that he would provide them to kill Roxanne.
A deal is an exchange based on mutual needs.
What the wizard was asking for was clear from the beginning.
“You dare mention the grandson of the Emperor, and you show weakness. That is your mistake, wizard.”
The grandson that Titie holds.
That was the wizard’s demand.
And the Emperor’s condition was that Sepia should fall into his hands.
“Don’t worry too much. I have no intention of backing out easily. I am a subject who wants to support Your Majesty until the end. So please trust me.”
The black wizard bowed deeply and moved his arms to his chest.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed at the posture that seemed to imitate the stage director raising the curtain on a performance.
The wizard whispered a piece of advice.
“The Grand Duchess is not the only one whose limbs need to be cut off. Make sure that the black wolf does not become the Grand Duke or the Duke, and let the stones flying from all sides hit him. You will destroy all the support surrounding the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess.”
At the wizard’s words, Demios’s eyes filled with blood.
Even after Sepia was dethroned, the support surrounding her remained the same.
No, it even increased.
Moreover, Roxanne, who had established a charity business with her and built up his position, was also on par with the Grand Duchess.
The Emperor did not think much of Sepia’s positioning when she was the Empress.
Her position was only meaningful among the commoners, and as she gained more and more power, she mostly implemented policies that caused great resentment among the high-ranking nobles.
However, he now knows that this was an act of solidifying the foundation.
The foundation Sepia had created greatly expanded and attracted the nobles, and the Grand Duchess made this a good deed rather than a trend.
The Emperor was greatly offended by the high-ranking people who dared turn their backs on him.
‘How dare you.’
The reason they were able to trample on the lower-ranking people and maintain the upper-ranking for so long was because the hierarchy was clear.
It was not easy for the upper-ranking to monopolize everything.
Therefore, it was only natural to be on guard even when a small stone rolled in.
The high-ranking people who had followed Sepia for a short time were unaware of this.
“How?”
But once the perception changed, it was a lot of hardship to change it back.
Everything had to go back to the way it was.
As if he had read the Emperor’s mind, the wizard came up with a solution.
“I will release the beasts into the capital. Then, with the victims as witnesses, you can spread the rumor that the Grand Duke tamed the barbarians and attacked the beastmen.”
Along with the scandal that he was not subduing the barbarians for the empire, but was acting for his own selfish desires.
The easiest way to start the story was to create a rumor.
When the Emperor seemed interested, the wizard smiled with satisfaction.
“We just have to make them believe that he is preparing to start a war against the empire. This would be rebellion and treason.”
Finally, the Emperor went wild.
Treason was the worst sin that would kill three generations.
If that happened, Sepia would fall into the Emperor’s hands.
His crimson eyes filled with joy.
The Emperor, who was caressing the wrist with Sepia’s name engraved on it, suddenly turned his gaze to the wizard.
“Wizard. I have never asked about your origins or identity.”
From the Emperor’s perspective, all those placed below the throne were of the same species.
That was the reason he did not question the wizard’s birth status. The reason he brought it up later was for another reason.
“Were you the one who forged Titie’s name?”
The government's name was eventually revealed to be fake.
However, no investigation was conducted.
Even if the culprit was caught, the fake name would not become real. Furthermore, he had another urgent goal.
However, if the name had appeared on the Emperor's body, things would have been different.
A name, which absolutely could not be fake.
If someone had been fooling him with a fake name, and if it was fake and therefore ineffective, then whoever had manipulated it would be beheaded.
Despite the Emperor's warning, the wizard did not move an inch.
He spoke in a calm tone as if he would not say more than was necessary.
"Your Majesty's name is real. Was there anything else important?"
Regardless of who had done the trick, there was someone the Emperor wanted to get his hands on.
Red eyes stared at the wizard.
It was exactly as the wizard had said. No matter what the wizard's purpose was in approaching from the beginning, they would have only taken advantage of each other, right?
No matter what kind of strange behavior the being in front of him committed, he was still a beast, and he was a divine beast and the Emperor of the empire, and it was a line that could never be crossed.
“Yes. It is as you said.”
So it meant that he would let some level of trickery pass.
If only he could get Sepia.
The wizard put his hands together and bowed his head.
With the sweet words that the Emperor wanted to hear the most.
“The star of Ishtar will definitely fall into Your Majesty’s hands.”
So may it set with the star of Ishtar.
And may the fate of the overlord wither away together. The wizard wished for the Emperor to achieve what he wanted along with the words he did not say.
Sepia, who had dressed up, looked out the window.
The knights of the imperial palace were surrounding the palace where the charity business department was located.
The beasts on duty and Elon were also trapped inside, and Sepia heard the news from Elon.
“...There was an attack by wild beasts.”
Wild beasts, or tamed barbarians, were continuously attacking throughout the capital.
And the rumor that the Archduke, who had gone out to subdue the barbarians, had created such beasts was spreading without a trace.
Most of the Archduke’s knights had been arrested, and instead of being able to capture and imprison Roxanne, the knights were surrounding the palace from the outside so that she could not leave. It was not impossible to break through.
However, confronting the knights who had followed the imperial command would have been tantamount to confirming treason.
Roxanne, who had been listening to the outside information, opened his mouth.
“It seems like they are definitely trying to grab us by the ankles. So that the rumors can spread.”
He was right.
Before the rumors became certain, the Emperor would make sure that he and Sepia could not leave this place.
However, this was not something that Demios could plan alone.
‘The beasts must all be related to the black magician.’
The one hiding behind them.
However, it was clear that he had a purpose behind his actions.
‘If he didn’t leave the palace even after obtaining the book, then maybe he hasn’t gotten what he wants yet.’
What could the black magician truly want?
To control the Emperor?
If not...
A sudden thought crossed Sepia's mind.
'Titie has not been dethroned yet.'
She was only locked in the tower, but her title as Empress had not been taken away.
That was because Titie was carrying a grandson in her womb.
Demios had not yet announced what to do with the grandson.
'Perhaps the bond between Titie and the warlock is still intact.'
If she negotiated with Titir, she might be able to get more accurate information about the warlock.
'But how?'
She was also trapped in this palace.
The Empress's map had been taken away a long time ago, so finding another way out would be impossible.
It was when Sepia was silent.
Elon blinked as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.
And may the fate of the overlord wither away together. The wizard wished for the Emperor to achieve what he wanted along with the words he did not say.
***
Sepia, who had dressed up, looked out the window.
The knights of the imperial palace were surrounding the palace where the charity business department was located.
The beasts on duty and Elon were also trapped inside, and Sepia heard the news from Elon.
“...There was an attack by wild beasts.”
Wild beasts, or tamed barbarians, were continuously attacking throughout the capital.
And the rumor that the Archduke, who had gone out to subdue the barbarians, had created such beasts was spreading without a trace.
Most of the Archduke’s knights had been arrested, and instead of being able to capture and imprison Roxanne, the knights were surrounding the palace from the outside so that she could not leave. It was not impossible to break through.
However, confronting the knights who had followed the imperial command would have been tantamount to confirming treason.
Roxanne, who had been listening to the outside information, opened his mouth.
“It seems like they are definitely trying to grab us by the ankles. So that the rumors can spread.”
He was right.
Before the rumors became certain, the Emperor would make sure that he and Sepia could not leave this place.
However, this was not something that Demios could plan alone.
‘The beasts must all be related to the black magician.’
The one hiding behind them.
However, it was clear that he had a purpose behind his actions.
‘If he didn’t leave the palace even after obtaining the book, then maybe he hasn’t gotten what he wants yet.’
What could the black magician truly want?
To control the Emperor?
If not...
A sudden thought crossed Sepia's mind.
'Titie has not been dethroned yet.'
She was only locked in the tower, but her title as Empress had not been taken away.
That was because Titie was carrying a grandson in her womb.
Demios had not yet announced what to do with the grandson.
'Perhaps the bond between Titie and the warlock is still intact.'
If she negotiated with Titir, she might be able to get more accurate information about the warlock.
'But how?'
She was also trapped in this palace.
The Empress's map had been taken away a long time ago, so finding another way out would be impossible.
It was when Sepia was silent.
Elon blinked as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.
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