Episode 357
“Failure, failure… I think I hear that word often these days.”
The bodies of those lying down stiffened as the voice rang softly.
“Yes, there are times when you fail at work. But successive failures are unbecoming of our empire. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that way, right?”
The heads of those who were lying down bowed even further.
“From Max to Grit… Moreover, in Grit’s case, huh…”
A subtle anger was felt in the calm voice that followed.
The three people who fell prostrate in front of the rarely seen anger of the emperor could not even move.
Talk. Talk.
The only noise made was the emperor’s fingers tapping the armrests of the throne in the wide hall.
After a while, the emperor spoke again.
“…What do you think they are thinking?”
As if the anger I felt earlier had been a lie, a calmer voice echoed throughout Daejeon. But there was no one present who did not know that this was another face of anger.
In a situation where there was no choice but to be cautious, the one in the middle of the three people who were lying down politely raised their head.
“Please let me know, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Wrinkles on a skinny face. He was an old man with a strong appearance that clearly showed his considerable age.
“It’s okay.”
“I heard that the Black Snakes conveyed their intention to surrender through His Highness the Second Prince. But it wasn’t long before…”
“Briefly.”
“…I think that person named Guile decided that the items obtained from the ruins were worth betraying His Majesty’s trust.”
“Are you going to the extent of risking the fate of the organization, Prime Minister?”
“…Other than that, I don’t think we can explain that irrational number.”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
The current Prime Minister of the Empire, Roctor Gusfeld, had a point.
But as if that wasn’t enough, the emperor’s gaze turned to the prime minister’s left.
“You are the only one who has met their leader. What do you think, Galen?”
A mage with grizzled blond hair and a young face that did not suit his age raised his head. It was a cautious expression that was not typical of an arrogant and proud mage of the cold wind.
“A person whose ordinary appearance hides a snake-like inside. It seemed like he copied the Imperial Magic Tower’s record about a snake that swallowed the truth. He never seemed like someone who would do things impulsively.”
“…Is that so?”
“If they put in an unreasonable number, I think they must have their own reasons.”
After saying those words, Galen Decade bowed his head again, but the emperor did not look very satisfied.
“So, does anyone have any idea what the reason could be? It’s not something anyone would think.”
I could clearly feel the disappointment and anger in the emperor’s voice.
The three people lying face down trembled at the heavy energy encroaching on the quiet Daejeon. This was because I had rarely seen the emperor express his emotions so directly in the 20 years since he ascended to the throne.
Nevertheless, when the three people did not respond, the emperor’s slightly frowning gaze turned to the remaining person.
“Tris.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Old Knight But still, the old knight, who was considered the strongest on the continent, quietly raised his head.
“Do you know what I’m most angry about right now?”
“Please order me to do anything. With your Majesty’s sword, I will cut down everything that stands in my way.”
In front of the angry emperor, the old knight spoke of his determination instead of answering the question.
I wonder if I liked that curiosity at all.
The emperor, with a bitter smile, continued speaking in a cold voice.
“It’s just a matter of time, but we can clean up those that have already been exposed. They are terrible bugs that always leave seeds behind, but we can nip them in the bud so they won’t be able to raise their heads again for at least the next three hundred years.”
At those bloody-smelling words, the three people who were lying down raised their heads all at once.
“But the timing is the problem. The Empire’s long-cherished wish to keep the world entirely in its hands remains. We have not yet received the final fruit they promised to deliver.”
“!?”
Doubts appeared on the faces of the leaders of the empire’s knight management wizards.
“Your Majesty, will those who have already betrayed you keep their promise?”
“You are showing them undeserved mercy.”
“Rumors are already spreading from the Small Kingdom Alliance. The majesty of the empire is being damaged. You must not tolerate it, Your Majesty.”
Not only a mere official, Prime Minister Roctor Gusfeld, but even the Continent’s Greatest Kendo Sword Wind Mage were nothing more than mayflies whose heads would fall off with just a word from the Emperor.
And even if the emperor in front of him was a blood relative, he had a heartless nature that could cut him off at any time if necessary. It was also the driving force that stabilized and developed the empire throughout the emperor’s reign.
Even though they thought so, they spoke their convictions.
And at that sight, for the first time today, a small smile appeared on the emperor’s face. Because this was the reason I kept them close.
“What you say is right. But if you can achieve your goal by enduring a moment of anger, it is right to do so.”
Remonstrance is a virtue of a loyal subject, but following the emperor’s orders is also the duty of a subject.
The three people bowed their heads again, as if they had said everything they wanted to say and would now follow orders. Their wise monarch has never disappointed them since he ascended to the throne.
As if living up to that expectation, the emperor took a moment to gather his thoughts and calmly continued.
“If we don’t know the enemy’s purpose, there is no need to wait. No matter what their intentions are, we have no choice but to force them to do what we want.”
What does it mean?
The three people were confused, but instructions continued without hesitation.
“Tris Galen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“I will give you a chance to make up for your previous failures. Mobilize all the elites of the families you have raised. I will also give you half of the Imperial Knights and the elites of the Special Inspection Department. Go to the capital Noviense.”
“I will follow your orders!”
‘It’s war.’
Death flashed across the eyes of the two superhumans who had the same thought.
But what followed was a little strange.
“The only justification is to escort Baros. Max is dead, so enter the capital under the pretext of replacing him.”
“Your Majesty, with that kind of justification, the Holy Kingdom will not let that many troops into the country.”
Prime Minister Roctor raised an obvious question on behalf of the two superhumans.
“Of course, we’ll have to make more excuses. Contact Tris Jerome.”
“…Are you speaking to Jerome, not His Highness Baros?”
The emperor smiled coldly at Tris’s puzzled question.
“okay.”
The expressions of everyone listening stiffened slightly at that firm answer. With this, the emperor was essentially announcing that Prince Baros’s right to succeed to the throne had completely disappeared.
Regardless of their expressions, the emperor’s calm voice continued.
“Send an ultimatum to the Black Snakes through Jerome.”
Ultimatum. The three people’s faces became even more tense due to the weight of those words.
“Ask them to make an official announcement that the Holy Kingdom will support and serve the Empire as a superior kingdom. That will pay for their betrayal. Or, it would be okay to hand over the position of Pope to the Emperor of the Empire.”
The three people’s eyes grew twice as big as they heard the emperor’s next words.
“!?”
“Your Majesty, can’t that be…”
“Is that possible!?”
It was such an amazing statement. No matter how much they can control the Pope’s mind, the subjugation of the Holy Kingdom is a completely different matter. The Pope, who was elected, did not have the authority to decide the fate of the Holy Kingdom.
The emperor couldn’t have known that either, but his voice continued calmly.
“I tell you to make it possible even if it is impossible. The deadline is one month for you to complete the preparations and arrive at Noviense. At that time, you will become envoys sent by the emperor of the empire to praise the subjugation of the Holy Kingdom.”
“…What if they reject it, or even if they accept it, they don’t announce it?”
“At that time, Max’s death will be their fault.”
A series of bloody words. The eyes of the three people who understood the meaning of those words widened again.
“…If Jerome and the inspection department, who were dispatched for that matter, have not yet figured out the cause, there is a high probability that they will.”
Galen Decade nodded, referring to his nephew.
“It’s either a mission to subdue the enemies of the empire hidden within the capital or an envoy of praise. Either way, it seems like a good reason to enter the capital.”
Tris also nodded and said.
However, in the meantime, Prime Minister Roctors carefully brought out a fact that everyone seemed to have forgotten.
“…There is no guarantee that the snake leader called the Great Mage will be in the Holy Kingdom.”
His rebuttal was valid. However, the emperor’s unconventional words continued.
“It doesn’t matter whether there is or not.”
“…?”
“The first thing you have to do when you enter the congregation is to deal with the cardinal named Tracy who always stays by the Pope’s side.”
“yes!?”
Galen forgot his seat and screamed in surprise, and Tris and Roctor’s eyes widened to the point where they couldn’t get any bigger.
“The person who appears to be the main brainwasher of the Pope. Kill that woman and secure the Pope. It doesn’t matter whether the Pope comes to his senses or not. After that, either way, we will be able to get involved in the Holy Kingdom.”
No one doubted the source of the emperor’s information.
If so, that would soon be true.
“Whether the snakes follow the suggestion or not, we will gain something. But if they keep their promise, won’t the Sword Spirit and Sakpung have nothing to do?”
Perhaps because of his nature, Roctors was impressed but also pointed out a small loophole in the plan.
Then Galen, not the emperor, answered on his behalf.
“Why can’t we do something? If they keep their promise, wouldn’t we just go in as congratulatory envoys and rip off that woman’s head?”
Those words came out with a bloody laugh.
By remaining silent, the emperor revealed that his intentions were no different.
However, even though he confirmed his intention with his eyes, the Prime Minister added another word.
“Then, it would be a problem if the leader of the snakes is really there. I feel a little uneasy since Sakpung suffered a huge loss recently.”
At those words, the expression of Galen, the mage of the cold wind, crumpled.
“What’s the problem with the sword spirit going with you? Even if you’re a great mage…”
“There will be support for that as well.”
“yes?”
Galen, who had been confident, looked back at the emperor with surprised eyes and hastily lowered his head at the cold atmosphere around him. Because there was no one here who did not understand the meaning of support that the emperor spoke of.
“Then I was relieved.”
Only then did the mischievous Prime Minister Roctorus smile and nod.
He is extremely cautious in front of the emperor, but is also a strong man who raises all questions.
Looking at that scene, Galen burst out laughing as if it was absurd. He was impressed by the contrast between himself, who was infinitely arrogant in front of others, but had no choice but to become small in front of the emperor.
The emperor smiled faintly as he looked at the whole scene.
“None of my children live up to my expectations, so there is no point in continuing the succession battle any further.”
The emperor, who had everyone’s attention, said something even more shocking.
“We will subdue the Holy Kingdom, eliminate the Black Snakes, and strengthen our internal strength. And right after that, I will execute the ‘Great Plan’.”
A great plan. There was no one here who did not know the meaning of that word, so the expressions of everyone who was smiling darkened slightly.
But soon.
“Finally . ….”
“Is that day coming?”
“Ahahaha.”
The smile on the emperor’s lips moved to all three people.
Seeing that, the emperor immediately waved his hand.
“Know that and prepare thoroughly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Yes!”
The three people turned around with a relaxed mind at the emperor’s order to welcome guests, but a low-pitched voice was heard.
“Ah, Sir Tris will stay and talk with me some more.”
“…Yes.”
Alone. The continent’s greatest sword, caught by the ankle, looked puzzled but turned around again.
That’s right.
The door to the battle closed and the two of them were left alone.
“Is Jerome acting with Baros now?”
Even though an unexpected question came out in a very tense situation, Triss The answer came out right away.
“Yes, that’s right.”
You already knew that, but why did you suddenly say that?
Did you just want to share a brief recollection?
As they grew older together, Triss’s heart eased slightly as she saw the emperor often.
But the emperor’s mouth Unexpected words flowed from .
“Things may not go as we think.”
Unlike when everyone was together, they were negative words. At
that, Tris’s complexion hardened somewhat.
“Those guys and Seongguk will not back down even for the cause I mentioned earlier. They may not make way for you. In that case, countermeasures are needed. For example, creating another cause that cannot be prevented.”
‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier?’
There was a question, but instead of spitting out the question, Tris said what the emperor wanted to hear.
“What should I do?”
The emperor smiled in satisfaction as if he had made the right choice.
“Tell Jerome to kill him.”
It was easy to understand. Because those words were not spoken, Triss cautiously asked,
“…Yes? Who?”
“Baros.”
The emperor’s expression as he told her to kill his own son was just calm.
