Chapter 281
Chapter 281. The Empire's Most Unfilial Child Contest (1)
The closure of the ritual site, intended to use the 'Demon God's Horn' for land contamination, was a positive development.
However, we hadn't yet fully retrieved all the 'Demon God's Horns' that Eulsis possessed.
But even so, I wasn't particularly anxious.
Eulsis still had some time before he could wield the 'Demon God's Horn', and we had a means to summon 'Eulsis' if needed.
"To call or not to call."
Honestly, the notion of summoning Eulsis lingered heavily in my mind.
The issue lay in the faint remnants of 'my' common sense that resisted this idea.
He's a prince, after all.
"What does it matter? We have Kaldrach on our side."
If he wanted, putting me on the execution block wouldn't be difficult.
"If he could have done that, he would've a long time ago."
Are you planning to oppose the ultimate authority?
How long do you think Kaldrach's protection would last, fueled by his ambition for power?
"Hmm."
I let out a short sigh. As I attempted to organize my thoughts, others abruptly began to disrupt my mind.
"I'm growing stronger."
Somehow, I felt that Yulian's 'consciousness' was becoming stronger.
No, I could say for certain that it wasn't that his consciousness was growing stronger but rather that our thoughts were merging to a nearly identical level.
Referring to this body as 'Yulian' seemed to be a thing of the past now.
The more frightening aspect was...
"Is it that I don't feel any sense of caution about it?"
I didn't particularly feel the urge to deny this phenomenon, and no methods to stop it emerged in my mind.
"Sir Yulian."
Shaking off random thoughts, I turned my head toward Pintel, who was approaching slowly.
"Twilight has finished dealing with the demons."
At his words, I glanced around.
It wasn't difficult to kill demons who had succumbed to the power of the 'relic', nor was it something that required much time.
"And."
Pintel took something out from his possession. It was a mirror.
"The Isaac's Mirror."
Amid this place filled with slain humans and demons, the mirror, still shining beautifully, slightly irked me.
It had given me so much trouble.
"Why is a holy relic of the Holy Kingdom here...?"
"His Highness Eulsis brought it here. He's the only imperial maintaining positive relations with the Holy Kingdom, isn't he?"
"Well, yes."
Watching Pintel nod, I instructed him to keep the mirror well guarded.
"I guess you're not planning to return it to His Highness Eulsis. Being a holy relic of the Holy Kingdom, I'm sure it's on loan; not returning it would put His Highness Eulsis in a difficult position."
"On the contrary."
"Pardon?"
I smiled at Pintel's confusion.
***
An abandoned building located on the outskirts of the capital. A lone shadow loitered beside the building, devoid of any sign of life.
'Is this the place?'
Imperial Knight Uruhar.
Even after being discovered by Kikubad, he remained among the 'Imperial Knights', though he wasn't carrying out the commands of the imperial family.
Observing the abandoned building from outside, Uruhar could faintly sense 'demonic energy' emanating from within.
It's not the horn.
However, an 'altar' was undoubtedly forming. Thinking so, Uruhar opened a map and marked his location.
'There's a presence.'
Just then, a presence began to emanate from within the abandoned building.
Pulling his hood down to avoid being recognized, Uruhar quickly concealed himself in the shadows.
***
"I've marked all suspected locations of the altars."
Visiting Yulian's office, Uruhar pulled out a map from his possession and handed it to him. Glancing at the map laid out on the desk, Yulian nodded and tucked it away.
"Well done, Sir Uruhar."
Yulian complimented Uruhar's performance with a smile. In response to his gratitude, Uruhar opened his mouth expressionlessly.
"I only did it for the sake of the Black Knights."
"Of course. Still, we're close enough to at least exchange words of thanks, aren't we?"
"... Sure."
With a slightly indifferent tone, Uruhar nodded.
'Should I mention it?'
Uruhar contemplated whether he should speak about 'Kikubad'.
He wasn't merely trying to convey that he was alive. Yulian was aware, and the information had already been relayed to the 'Black Knights'.
Uruhar was deliberating over the fact that 'Kikubad' knew his identity.
'The two Black Knights who infiltrated Fulcurn's mansion.'
Kikubad was aware that one of them was himself. That was the aspect Uruhar was mulling over mentioning.
'It might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.'
Let's think rationally.
If Eulsis had an enemy he needed to eliminate, then Kikubad would certainly fall into that category.
Given that Kikubad knew the secret yet had not taken action, what would Yulian think if he found out?
'He might very well conclude that I'm a spy.'
It stemmed purely from Kikubad's change of heart, but from an outside perspective, the probability of such a conclusion was high.
Thus, Uruhar thought it wise not to mention anything regarding 'Kikubad'.
"Is there something you're hiding?"
In that moment, Yulian's words pierced through like a dagger. Uruhar swallowed nervously.
There was something to hide, but nothing that would cause harm.
Speaking out could become a problem, but keeping it inside was not.
"If there is, please tell me. The Black Knight would wish for that."
When the name of the Black Knight was mentioned, Uruhar, as if bewitched, opened his mouth.
"Kikubad... has noticed my identity."
At the mention that his identity had been discovered, Yulian adjusted his position, looking more intently at Uruhar.
"It must have been during the incident at Fulcurn's mansion, correct?"
Uruhar nodded.
"Despite that, you're here, which means Kikubad hasn't apprehended you."
Again, Uruhar nodded.
"Hmm."
Yulian let out a short sigh. There was no mistaking what this situation implied for Yulian.
Even if there was doubt, there was no other option. He could expel Uruhar, claiming it was too dangerous to assist the 'Black Knights' here.
"In that case."
Only a proof of innocence remained.
"Well, alright."
Surprisingly, Yulian responded with a nonchalant attitude, making Uruhar flustered.
"You're not going to dig further...?"
"About what exactly?"
"The fact that despite Kikubad discovering me, I'm still freely roaming about."
"Well, asking wouldn't change the situation."
Giving off an air of why he should be concerned with idle remarks, Yulian shrugged his shoulders.
"Besides, I'm sure the Black Knight would not do anything to disappoint."
From his cheerful tone, Uruhar sensed the vastness of Yulian's character.
"Oh, you didn't get expelled from the Imperial Knights, did you?"
"Ah, no."
"That's a relief."
Yulian smiled.
"If Sir Uruhar had been cast out of the Imperial Knights, you'd be of no use to me at all, wouldn't you?"
Continuing with his words, Uruhar slightly frowned.
Despite his broad-mindedness or whatever, he remained as annoying as ever.
***
In truth, my current situation was such a headache that it wouldn't have been surprising if my head exploded.
The Fourth Prince, the main perpetrator of the incident, was steering the empire towards destruction by leveraging the emperor's life and the 'Demon God's Horn'.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince was attempting to overthrow the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne for himself.
"Eulsis alone is a headache."
Adding to that, Kaldrach was crafting plans capable of overturning the capital at any moment, which was immensely bothersome. Hence, I resolved to have a conversation with Kaldrach.
"At this rate, I might even grow fond of this mansion."
Kaldrach willingly accepted my summons.
He also respected my request of having no escort except for 'Abisha', as no presence could be felt near him besides the hooded Abisha.
"Hmm."
Sitting casually in the parlor, Kaldrach let out a sigh before speaking.
"What is it you want to discuss suddenly?"
"May I cut straight to the chase?"
"By all means."
Discarding any cumbersome embellishments, I spoke directly.
"Would you return to the northernmost frontline, North Pole?"
Kaldrach smiled at the inquiry about returning to the north.
"I suspect that the matters in the capital can be resolved by my hand. Therefore, Your Highness Kaldrach, please take your Wedge Knights and return to the north..."
"Do you call this a reasonable request?"
It was Abisha who first reacted to my words. She glared at me with fierce eyes before speaking.
"You madman!"
Shocked, she began to point accusingly at me.
"You've made a pact with Eulsis, haven't you!?"
"Calm down, Abisha."
Watching Abisha raise her voice, Kaldrach gestured for her to restrain herself.
"It seems you've figured it out."
Then Kaldrach glared sharply at me.
"You've realized what kind of actions I might take if Eulsis perishes."
"You've scattered too many Wedge Knights. How could I not figure it out?"
Including the imperial family, knowing what Kaldrach was up to wasn't difficult due to the 'Dawn Society's' informants.
"Hmm."
Kaldrach let out a brief sigh before speaking again.
"It seems that Emperor Adratan, father—meeting his demise would be beneficial. Even for the empire."
His goal was simple: to directly or covertly assassinate the emperor, announce it publicly, and thereby grant legitimacy to the seizure of the imperial family through power.
"The capital will undoubtedly be engulfed in a tempest of bloodshed, even if the goal is to kill His Highness Eulsis."
"I consider it an unavoidable sacrifice."
"How far does this unavoidable sacrifice extend?"
"As far as necessary."
To gain the people's support.
To provide legitimacy to his power, Kaldrach would sacrifice anything.
Surely, the 'New Dawn Society' too could be a card of sacrifice.
'Just as I suspected, a lowborn remains a lowborn.'
Even though the fire-like temperament had calmed slightly through 'repetition', the essence remained unchanged.
"It sounds as if you're implying you'll seek my head after dealing with His Highness Eulsis."
"That's a misunderstanding, Yulian. Officially, you're not part of the 'Dawn Society', after all."
Kaldrach grinned.
"But if the battle with His Highness Eulsis drags on, unforeseen circumstances could arise, which I'd like you to keep in mind."
This overt threat from Kaldrach evidenced that meaningful progress had been made.
Hence, I decided to shatter the board.
"In that sense, I only hope the situation resolves as soon as possible. Don't you agree, Your Highness Eulsis?"
As I turned my gaze with those words, Kaldrach slowly followed and turned his head.
Clacky's Corner:
19 chapters left.