Chapter 185
I moved Xenon to the magic vault.
He was in a more serious condition than I had expected. The fact that he had survived until then with such heavy blood loss was nothing short of a miracle.
Even in that state, he had managed to block an attack from the one who seemed to be the Tern knight order commander. That was an indomitable strength that surpassed mere willpower.
I examined Xenon's body.
He had lost fingers from his left hand fighting me before, and this time lost his entire left arm. It would take several days for him to regain consciousness.
Donnie entered through the door of light.
I had opened the magic vault's door from the inn room.
"There are more watchers now."
"It looked like Tern's knight order commander recognized me."
"How would he know you, young master? Maybe he recognized Amir's armor?"
"No. He's strong enough to beat Xenon, but he didn't dare attack and just ran away. If he didn't know me, he would have at least tried to fight once before fleeing. And besides—"
I looked at Xenon again.
"It seems Xenon entered Syren with a certain purpose. The grand duke suspected Xenon for that, and so let someone who knows him into the family."
"So he ran away after getting found out."
"That's highly likely."
It was odd that Xenon entered Syren's guesthouse, too. It was strange for someone of his skill not to liberate his homeland in southern Verttern.
Since Tern destroyed his country and family, I thought he had joined Syren for revenge, assuming the grand duke might attack Tern.
He had looked like a ragged beggar. He seemed like a man who had lost everything, wandering helplessly, sharpening his blade for revenge. But that was all a deception.
If Xenon had another purpose...
What could that purpose be?
Tern's knight order commander was also from southern Verttern. Someone who knew Xenon. A colonial-born general who became knight order commander, and is above a Sword of Light.
I didn't know how he became a Sword of Light, nor how he earned the Tern king's trust. Yet he was in imperial capital wearing Tern's armor.
It didn't make sense in many ways.
Would Xenon tell the truth?
The situation had changed now—anyway.
/ / /
I headed to the imperial palace with Ross.
"Xenon will probably side with us, right?"
"He has no choice."
"Do you think he tried to kill the grand duke?"
"That's possible."
Maybe he went in to kill the grand duke and never got the chance. Whether he made the attempt or not—why was it when we arrived? And if his real purpose was surveillance, then why surveillance?
We'll know when Xenon wakes up. I kept him in the vault rather than leaving him at the inn both to protect him and to keep him locked up. In case he tried to escape.
Our carriage entered the imperial palace.
Getting off, we headed to the reception hall like before. The atmosphere toward us in the palace had changed drastically. Outside the inner court, we were welcomed; inside, we got hostile stares.
The outer court was guarded by the palace security corps, and inside, by the Royal Guard. Two knights of captain rank openly sneered at us along the wide hallway.
I turned around with Ross.
I went straight up to the knights who had just sneered at us. The Royal Guard knights curled their lips as if asking what I was looking at.
"Do you find us laughable?"
The knights didn't answer, only kept smirking. Their faces seemed to say, what are you country bumpkins here to do in our palace, hoping to get your knight order recognized?
"Bow your heads and show respect."
"What?"
"This is the head of a marquis family. Instead of raising your chins and sneering, you ought to show proper respect."
"Hahaha."
Smack—
I slapped the knight across the face.
Instantly, the two knights grabbed their sword hilts.
"What do you think you're doing!"
"I dare you. Laugh at me one more time."
The two knights gritted their teeth.
Looks like they mean to attack us tonight.
"What? Now you're ready to draw your swords?"
"You two—You'll regret this."
As I looked at them glaring at me, I smiled.
"Well, that's good news."
Ross turned away.
"Let's go. Got filth on my hand."
I said to the two knights:
"While you're at it, bring your boss too. Makes things easier for us. Want me to give you the address of our inn?"
I lightly tapped the knight's cheek.
"Where does garbage like you get off running your mouth about regret? Are the two of you planning to bring a bloodbath to the capital? Is that what you want?"
One knight blocked my hand.
I wiped my hand off on his shoulder.
"Sure, do whatever you want to your heart's content."
With that, I turned away.
It was on purpose.
These guys never leave the palace, after all.
The Royal Guard usually isn't like that. They're just acting like punks to us. So I treated them at exactly that level.
We went to the reception room and waited.
The first time I came here, I was just one of many noble children—getting baths, having lessons, and such.
But now it was different. Instead of an ordinary palace attendant, the emperor's closest chamberlain himself came to escort us. That alone showed a completely new level of treatment.
"Please follow me, sir."
I left the room with the chamberlain.
As we walked down a fairly long corridor, Royal Guards started gathering one by one.
"Their insolence is at its peak."
"Or maybe they're just feeling desperate."
After a while—
We stopped before a massive door.
"Your Imperial Majesty! Ross, head of the Hader family of the east, and Young Master Roger request an audience!"
The heavy door swung open soundlessly.
Far in the distance, the emperor came into view.
As we walked in, the emperor himself came forward to greet us. The chamberlain and guards beside him looked shocked—maybe this had never happened before.
"So, have you been well?"
I paid my respects to His Imperial Majesty.
He looked healthier than before. Perhaps by design, even his beard had grown out nicely.
As the emperor approached us, he stopped.
It was because the Royal Guards had entered.
"What are you all doing?"
The captain-spoken.
"Your Imperial Majesty, forgive us, but these men are extremely dangerous and must be detained for questioning before being granted an audience, by order of the knight order commander."
Emperor shut his eyes tightly, then opened them.
"It's all right. Withdraw."
"We are charged with the sacred duty of protecting Your Imperial Majesty's well-being and dignity. Please permit us to investigate these men."
"I said it's all right."
"According to imperial law. If Your Majesty makes exceptions, it will unravel the very foundations of order and tempt others to abuse your leniency."
The emperor glanced at the captain.
"And what have they supposedly done?"
"They mocked, insulted, and even suggested rebellious intentions against the knight order."
"Rebellion?"
Emperor looked at the chamberlain.
"What did they say?"
"Your Imperial Majesty, it is not something easy to repeat aloud."
"You may speak."
The chamberlain straightened up.
"Young Master Roger said to the two captains, 'Where does garbage like you get off running your mouth about regret? Are you after a bloodbath in the capital because of you two pieces of trash? Is that what you want?'"
The emperor listened quietly.
Then, looking between the knights and us—
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The emperor's laughter echoed along the wide corridor.
The knight captain hurried to add,
"That is not all! He also struck the face of a knight in service to Your Majesty! This cannot be tolerated!"
The emperor's expression changed instantly.
"So, you all came running because someone protecting me got slapped? Is the insult suffered by you more important than my safety?"
"That is not so..."
"So, should I now scold these friends of mine for doing this since you say you were so ill-treated?"
"Your Imperial Majesty!"
"Tell me, who do I blame for you having insulted and ignored me up until now?"
The emperor shouted.
"Whether you were slapped or not, why are you rambling about permission and nonsense? Trash like you—get out of my sight! Any who disobey are stripped of their rank!"
The captain grit his teeth and withdrew.
He stared daggers at us as he left.
Will they sneak into our place tonight?
Thud—
The huge doors shut.
The emperor was smirking.
"I can't remember the last time I yelled like this. Feels like a great weight off my chest."
"Forgive us for the commotion, your Imperial Majesty."
"Roger must have slapped them for a reason. If someone gets hit, they probably deserved it. Come, I have prepared a place for you."
As the emperor moved, the chamberlains hurried along. We immediately left the corridor, following the emperor into a relatively narrow hallway.
"Punks, the lot of them. Hahaha!"
The emperor laughed proudly as he went ahead.
Maybe it was because he found an ally.
He definitely seemed more cheerful now.
/ / /
The place the emperor took us was a secret chamber.
The head of the palace security corps was there, and the chamberlain entered with us as well. He was the emperor's closest attendant.
"Have you been well, your Imperial Majesty?"
"Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
Apparently, the emperor and the head of the palace security didn't meet often. Judging by the security chief's bright face, he was genuinely happy to see the emperor looking so healthy.
"Please, sit comfortably."
The emperor said.
"No need to stand on formalities among ourselves. All these imperial protocols were made not for my convenience, but to keep me under control."
"Then we shall, your Imperial Majesty."
I exchanged a silent greeting with the security chief.
Couldn't do more in front of the emperor.
"This friend is chamberlain Tos. Most chamberlains and officials are from their side, but this friend is trustworthy. The guards for this room are on my side as well."
The security chief added,
"The outer court is under our corps' protection, and the inner court is under the Royal Guard's. But those assigned to guard the emperor most closely belong to the chamberlain's guard."
"They are chamberlains too, aren't they?"
"Yes. There are only sixty, but all have mastered the secret swordsmanship of the Imperial Guard—they are not to be underestimated."
"How many in the Royal Guard?"
"One hundred and twenty."
The emperor asked,
"And? Have you found my son?"
"We have."
"Oh!"
The emperor and the security chief's faces lit up.
So did chamberlain Tos's.
"Where is he?"
"He is currently at our stronghold. He served as a priest in the Holy Order. An actual priest."
"I see."
The security chief asked,
"Are you certain it's him?"
"We're sure. The grand duke's faction may make false claims, though, so evidence is needed."
"That's right. Where's the evidence?"
"It's in the imperial archive."
Emperor asked again.
"Is it incontrovertible evidence?"
"Yes. My grandfather, the former Secret Council head, recorded evidence of the child's unique features and hid it in the archive."
"The late emperor?"
"Yes. Since it's stamped with his imperial seal, it will serve as undeniable proof."
"So the late emperor realized what the grand duke intended."
Which meant my maternal grandfather and the late emperor suspected the grand duke's ambitions for the throne.
The security chief said,
"The grand duke will not accept this obediently. Also, he'll insist the fake crown prince is the legitimate heir."
"Of course. And there's still no way to prove the empress's supposed child is fake?"
"Not yet."
"Hmm."
As the security chief said, the grand duke would push for the legitimacy of the apparent heir. So we had to prove the current crown prince was fake if we were to rob the grand duke of his pretext for war.
Right now, it was a fight between factions of legitimate and illegitimate heirs. But if the crown prince proved fake, the grand duke would become an outright traitor. Not even the military or nobles could support him then.
The security chief's answer, "Not yet," implied they had investigated the empress's son and were still investigating.
"Is there even a hint that the empress's supposed child is fake?"
The security chief nodded.
"The empress visited her own family just before giving birth. At that time, she must have returned with a child born of another woman."
"Have you found any evidence?"
"None. But recently, Lord Watts received and is following up on certain intelligence."
"I see."
Could the one who provided that intel be...
Xenon?
The knights of Watts's family protected him.
We must protect the emperor.
For the sake of this plan, too.
"Is there a place in the palace that is most secret?"
"You mean somewhere only I can go?"
"Yes. A secret place that only you and those present here can access. It really must be an unknown place to all other palace folk."
"Hmm."
The emperor fell into thought.
Eventually, he shook his head.
"There is a secret passage in my quarters, but they hid critical documents related to it, so I don't know about it. If not for that, I wouldn't have spent my whole life trapped in this palace."
"Have you checked thoroughly?"
"There was nothing like a secret door anywhere."
If the grand duke hid the documents revealing the location of the secret passage, that meant they knew about the space.
What I needed was a different space.
"Would you allow me to look around for myself?"
"Go ahead. Shall we leave now?"
"Yes, your Imperial Majesty."
Everyone rose.
We headed straight for the emperor's quarters.