Episode 280
“Second Prince Baros van Aser requests an audience!”
– Come on in.
When the door to the office opened with a deep voice, Baros took a deep breath and walked carefully.
Inside, a giant who seemed to never move from his spot was looking at him with those strange eyes flashing.
“Meet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The moment our eyes meet, our knees bend and our heads bow.
It was still unclear whether this was a habit due to long-standing habits or whether it was due to the strong charisma that the father had.
‘Or maybe it’s the power that that position gives.’
Someday you will find out.
At the end of this penance, when he has achieved a rank suitable for that position.
Or the moment he is recognized by his father.
“What happened?”
“What are the ramifications of assassinating a country’s king?”
It was a calm tone that did not fit the scary topic contained in the words.
At those words, the 2nd Prince nodded confidently.
“As it is a new dynasty, there are still many people trying to undermine its legitimacy. I plan to ignore this as it was done by the ghost of the old dynasty.”
The emperor’s eyebrows twitched at those words.
“The public is stupid, but not ignorant.”
It was a word that did not seem to fit the context of the conversation.
However, Baros flinched at those words, and the emperor’s calm tone immediately followed.
“I’ve probably told you this before. I guess you still don’t know what it means.”
pathetic.
The voice became more indifferent than before. The words hidden behind it seemed to be heard clearly in my ears.
At the same time, as soon as he saw the emperor’s fingers moving, Baros predicted his next words and shouted urgently.
“I know! It is easy to mislead public opinion, but the means must be based on the truth. These are the words of Arius, an imperial scholar 300 years ago.”
“Hoo?”
Seeing his father’s finger come down again, Baros was inwardly relieved and continued speaking.
“The psychology of the crowd is that it is easy to be swayed by the flow, but in order to create that flow, there must be a clear basis. A trend created by lies must be prepared for a backlash several times that amount the moment it is revealed.”
“Did you say that even though you knew that?”
“If Logan McLane is assassinated, our Empire is the only one who can afford to instigate it. There will be many who think so, but the public will not want to believe it.”
“You don’t want to believe it?”
“Yes. Under your Majesty’s reign, the empire has already pursued a policy of peace for 20 years.”
“hmm?”
Baros, who was even more relieved to see his father not restraining him, continued speaking in a powerful voice.
“Is it the work of those who dream of revenge for the old dynasty, or is it a secret attack by the empire? When two inconceivable speculations collide, people are bound to believe what they want to believe, even if it is poisonous to them.”
This means that one would rather believe in the ghosts of the old dynasty than in the ominous future where the empire is about to start a war.
The emperor laughed for the first time.
“That’s interesting, Baros. But even if that happens, it’s only the opinion of the public and won’t be able to completely shake off the suspicions of the leaders of each country.”
“Even if there is doubt, it will not lead to actions such as a union of nations. Please allow ghost activities just once before the Great Reign.”
“Logan McLane. Is eliminating that child worth the risk of revealing the existence of the ghosts?”
“Yes that’s right.”
Talk. Talk. Talk.
The time the Emperor’s fingers knocked on the armrest was only a moment, but to Baros, it felt like a very long time.
Finally, the emperor opened his mouth.
“Good. I allow the ghosts to operate.”
Fortunately, the emperor listened to his request.
of course.
“But as compensation for breaking the rules of the succession battle, I will deduct 10% of your score. Will you still enforce it?”
It wasn’t just profit.
The emperor was looking at him with strange eyes, as if asking if he wanted to proceed with the matter even with these conditions.
but.
‘This guy must be eliminated.’
He will ruin everything. It was a vague, ominous premonition that had been lingering in his mind lately.
Acting on groundless premonitions was something he despised, but for some reason, even though he was aware of that fact now, he nodded.
“Yes. I can handle it.”
Was that answer surprising?
The emperor paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
* * * It was just a coincidence that Rick noticed something strange about some of the servants.
The servants, who were all gloomy and silent, that is, had no friends, were caught exchanging hand signals with each other.
At first, I just laughed to myself and pretended not to notice.
‘You bastards. cute.’
Because it brought back memories of Rick making hand signals for the other servants and maids when Logan was at the height of his villainy at McLane Estate.
I just thought that things that didn’t get along had found a way to adapt in their own way.
but.
“Call me John.”
“Ken, please…”
I changed the working schedule of the villa to get closer, and the guys who had clearly exchanged hand signals started greeting each other as if they were seeing each other for the first time.
That bothered me a little.
‘Is this some kind of secret friend? With grown men? Ugh.’
I was giggling to myself because it was both funny and strange, but then I suddenly remembered a conversation I had overheard with other servants.
– Between men? Hey, even though Amman is lonely.
– Is it real? They say there are people like that.
– I heard that too. If you go to the Kingdom Alliance, it is common among those who serve for 10 years.
”
‘Could it be them?’
Rick had also heard through the grapevine that people of the same sex exchanged feelings. However, it was something he couldn’t understand, so he immediately put it out of his mind.
However, the moment he remembered the servants’ conversation, he was able to understand the context
. Ah, so you pretended not to know each other.’
I immediately understood why they were behaving strangely.
It was an area Rick didn’t want to get involved with, but the problem was that this was the royal palace and not any other place.
‘That’s what the servants of the royal palace do…’
Respect the tastes of the parties involved. The royal palace was a place where one had to maintain one’s face and dignity.
If it were true and it was discovered, the entire inner palace would be turned upside down. And it was clear that the consequences would ultimately come down to the royal chamberlain himself.
‘Absolutely not!’
So Rick decided to report this unbecoming incident to the king. He wanted to at least avoid taking responsibility for himself.
“Are there strange people among the servants?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. There are some people who seem to have a slightly strange relationship… It’s definitely not my responsibility! I only found out about it recently…”
“Then shouldn’t you just kick it out on your own? I didn’t give him the title of Chamberlain for nothing.”
“That’s because I haven’t found the evidence yet.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s a really awkward thing to say… Wow.”
Logan chuckled as he looked at Rick, who was sweating profusely. He composed.
He was just glad to hear this request from his old friend for the first time in a long time. He thought he had been too negligent since becoming king, but an opportunity arose to do it for him.
“Okay. I’ll go there myself.”
As the church’s affairs were properly resolved, I had peace of mind, so I was even more generous.
“Yes? Your Majesty? Oh no. Such a disgrace…”
“A disgrace?”
“Oh no, that’s it. “I…”
Seeing him look embarrassed made me even more interested.
‘Sometimes trying something unusual is good for a change of mood.’
It felt like he was reliving old memories in a completely different position and place than the days he spent wandering around the McLane estate.
So Logan decided to take action right away.
“Now. While the words are out, please guide me. Let’s go right away.”
“Oh no. There is no need for His Majesty to go in person…!”
As a result, Rick grabbed the back of Rick, who was desperately waving his hands, and forcibly pulled him away.
“His Majesty came personally to check on the condition of the servants! Everyone, pay attention!”
A thunderbolt suddenly struck the inner palace where the servants reside.
“What’s going on?”
“Why? Why is your Majesty…?”
“Egg money!”
He cried loudly.
Rick cried as he looked at the servants moving around and arranging themselves.
“What a mess. What is it that the Chamberlain usually does to be like this?”
Logan, who had put on a stern expression on purpose to make fun of Rick, actually hardened his complexion the moment he stood in front of the two guys he was talking about. He
lowered his head and glanced at himself. The two guys were sweating profusely.
Their nervous expressions and attitude were no different from the other attendants, but there was a clear difference.
‘Force? They hid it so carefully…?’
Now that he was knocking on the wall of being an advanced Auror user, his sense of transcendence had already reached a different realm than before. However, even with his sense of pride that he was far beyond most detection magic, he could only sense it when he was close by.
For a moment, he got goosebumps. Logan, who had grown up, reflexively stretched out his hand.
“
Boo!”
“Boo!” “Boo!”
Boom!
The two guys, who had been struck by the unexpectedly soft golden light from young Logan’s hand, bounced off with a single scream and hit the wall.
At that moment, Logan’s eyes changed once again.
He tried to subdue them with a single blow, but they reflexively turned their bodies and flew away.
‘They’re stronger than I thought.’
A murderous look appeared in Logan’s red eyes.
“Your Majesty! Even so, it’s a deadly sin…!”
There was no time to react to Rick’s nonsense.
Logan’s senses caught the sight of the people who had been thrown out trying to jump out in opposite directions at once. I wonder
if they don’t have any intention of hiding it any longer. The moment I could clearly feel the movement of their muscles and force.
A golden aura shot out like a beam of light from Logan’s waist.
Sgak.
Sigh.
In that short moment, they were already a good ten meters away in the opposite direction.
But, swimming in the air, The auror, bending like a snake, closed the gap and cut off a leg of one and the lower body of the other.
“Tie these guys up! He’s a spy! Find out in detail how they infiltrated and what their purpose was!”
“Yes!”
The royal knights waiting nearby came running with shocked faces.
But at that moment.
Ugh.
“Oh my!?”
The bodies of the two guys were turning bright red. Logan’s brow furrowed when he saw this.
“Get out of the way!”
Without any time for a long explanation, Logan stepped forward in front of the knights and servants.
The moment the golden aura protruding from his body wrapped around their bodies.
Aaaaaaa!
A strong explosion sound. This aura leaked out, and a strong wind blew in all directions.
“Ugh!”
“What is this!?”
“Mom!”
The servants, including Rick, fell down in fright.
The knights with pale complexions looked at their king.
A thin trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Logan’s mouth after successfully blocking the self-destruction of the two men.
“What is this…?”
The secrecy of knowing how to hide the Force even right in front of an Auror user.
The madness of destructing oneself without hesitation the moment one is captured.
There. That explosive power was enough to pierce the aura and affect it, which was quite shocking even for Logan.
But for a moment, he was dazed by this ridiculous situation.
‘These guys can’t be…?’
Logan’s face hardened as a memory from his past life came to mind.
A languid but dignified voice ringing in his ears broke him from his thoughts, and Baros hurriedly raised his head.
“I have a request to make for the future of the empire.”
“. ..Cheong?”
“Please allow me to use the sword of ghosts.”
“Hmm? Whoa. Why?”
A little curiosity began to appear in his voice,
which had seemed languid and devoid of any emotion. Baros bowed his head again without hesitation.
“I want to eliminate Logan McLane, the king of McLane. Please allow it. “Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The answer to that request came briefly.
“…You’re pathetic, Baros.”
The small curiosity soon turned into a heavy pressure and began to push down on Baros’ head.
‘Ugh!’
The reason was fully understandable.
The theme of this imperial succession battle was the expansion of chaos abroad. However, the use of force by the empire, including the legions, was not permitted.
Ghosts were also allowed only for the purpose of gathering information.
Baros was oppressed by the power of taking control of the spirit. Before I could even open my mouth, I hurriedly screamed,
“Logan McLane! He will become the biggest obstacle to the empire’s future success! “I think it would be better to get it sorted out before that.”
“It would also be your ability to rule out variables. Are you now admitting your own incompetence?”
The spirit I worked so hard to muster came back as an indifferent reply.
But.
“ “I acknowledge Soja’s incompetence, but I think his removal is definitely necessary for the sake of the empire!”
The intimidation that was oppressing him eased a little at the words that disparaged him unbefitting the royal family.
But the emperor asked again.
