The Shining Star Above The Heaven

Inside the imperial palace, Emperor Herman sat in his office with an expressionless face. His gaze was blank as he stared outside, faint signs of fatigue evident in his eyes. His condition stemmed from the events of a few days prior, when their dungeon, which held a devil captive, was infiltrated by an unknown individual. This intruder managed to kill the devil inside her cell.

This event caused a significant disturbance within the imperial palace, as the dungeon had been under heavy security ever since the devil was held captive. For the intruder to infiltrate it and possess knowledge of the dungeon’s structure and trap formations, they must have been intimately familiar with the dungeon’s layout. While many people in the imperial palace are aware of the general structure of the dungeon, due to the heightened security measures since the devil’s captivity, only a select few have access to the layout of the security points.

This was to ensure there were no leaks or gaps in the security or information regarding one of the Seven Devils of Annihilation held there. As a high-ranking devil, Elis was a valuable target and an essential source of information. The devils would undoubtedly prioritize rescuing her to protect their secrets.

The assassination of Elis threw him into a rage. How could the most secure place, with multilayered security, be breached without anyone noticing? He immediately ordered an investigation into the matter. The most pressing concern was how the intruder knew the structure of the dungeon, the security measures within it, and the location of the trap formations—since the traps had not been triggered. Such information couldn’t have been obtained from the outside, leading to the conclusion that there must be a traitor among the cultivators within the imperial palace.

After three days of investigation, there was little evidence about the intruder, as no suspicious activity had been reported by those with knowledge of the dungeon at the time of Elis’s assassination. However, on the third day, his son suddenly contacted him with findings related to the investigation into Elis and how his identity as prince Claude might have been compromised.

According to his son’s investigation, the source of the information about the young master of the Larson family visiting the brothel was someone connected to the imperial family. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that this individual had ties to Klain Ronald.

Hearing the name, the emperor was stunned, his body freezing momentarily at that time. From Claude’s tone as he reported his findings, it was evident he was suppressing many emotions. Klain Ronald was the guardian knight of Princess Loraine. If the source of information had a connection to Klain Ronald, didn’t that mean he was the one who leaked the Claude’s presence in Larson City to Elis?

Didn’t that also mean he was the one who released the information about the young master of the Larson family, hoping Claude would tail him to the brothel where Elis was located?

However, the emperor and Prince Claude both knew that Klain was unaware of Claude’s operation in Larson City. This could only mean that Klain was acting under the orders of someone who knew about Claude’s operation—someone other than themselves and the informants in Larson City.