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“Wasn’t this supposed to be a strategy game?”

At his words, Eden’s eyes widened as she stared at Asmun. He clearly shared the same suspicion.

Duke Pierre was Rachel Milstein’s father, which meant…

‘This was all a trap set by the Emperor himself…! That cunning bastard…!’

Eden ground her teeth in frustration.

“Is it Homer Mountain?”

Asmun calmly confirmed, and Ibthan looked at him for a moment before replying coolly.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Thank you. I will not forget the grace of this day.”

“……”

“Saint.”

At Asmun’s call, Eden quickly joined him. The two didn’t look back as they exited the Imperial Palace corridor.

“Uh, Chancellor…”

The secretary called out nervously, his voice shaking.

Ibthan, who had been watching Eden’s disappearing figure, finally turned to the secretary only after she was completely gone.

“Gather all available troops immediately.”

“Y-yes…?”

Soon, understanding the implication of the order, the secretary’s face went pale.

“Chancellor…! You really believe what she said…?”

“We must be prepared to march as soon as His Majesty’s orders come down.”

Ibthan did not respond to the secretary’s question and hurriedly turned away.

Asmun and Eden managed to use an emergency scroll to get to Homer Mountain in one go, but that still didn’t guarantee an easy meeting with the Emperor.

Since it was the venue for the Imperial Hunting Competition, Homer Mountain was vast, and searching the entire mountain was out of the question.

So, Eden had to resort to a little trick.

“There’s an assassin trying to take His Majesty’s life in this mountain. We must find and protect Him at once!”

In this situation, being a Saint was truly useful. What would have been dismissed as nonsense if uttered by an Apprentice Priest instantly turned into a prophecy coming from the mouth of a Saint.

As soon as the Saint appeared alongside the Prince, chaos erupted below in the Hunting Grounds.

“Spread out and find His Majesty now!”

All the troops, including the Imperial Knights, were deployed to begin the hide-and-seek game for the Emperor.

Eden anxiously watched the sun leaning further to the west.

‘I’ve wasted too much time.’

Just as things were getting desperate, the Emperor was finally rescued by the Imperial Knights.

“Asmun!”

The Emperor looked utterly bewildered, having his leisure time unexpectedly interrupted.

“3rd Prince Asmun Deckland, I present myself before Your Majesty.”

Asmun calmly bowed to the Emperor. The Emperor frowned as he took off his tight helmet and handed it to his knights.

“An assassin? What does this mean?”

His gaze turned to Eden.

“Isn’t that the new Saint?”

“Saint Eden Liliart stands before Your Majesty.”

Eden quickly bowed to him and spotted a man rushing from afar. That must be Duke Pierre.

She couldn’t afford to let him buy any more time. They were really running out of time.

Eden swiftly presented her case.

“Your Majesty, I have received a prophecy. Please allow everyone to withdraw.”

The word “prophecy” raised the Emperor’s eyebrows in confusion. He certainly knew the truth of the Holy Stone.

But she had to persuade him. They needed to stop this somehow.

“Your life is in danger.”

At those words, the Emperor’s eyes flickered with fear.

“Let’s discuss this inside. Ah, Duke, please wait outside for a moment.”

As the Emperor led the way into the secluded villa, Asmun and Eden hurriedly followed behind.

Inside the lavish room of the villa, the Emperor listened as Eden recounted what she had seen and experienced.

“…Do you take responsibility for those words?”

“Yes. I can take responsibility.”

Eden’s unwavering gaze deepened the Emperor’s anxiousness.

“But… Kiris… how could…”

His voice faltered in shock, unable to articulate fully.

Of course, he was not a kind father to the princes. He acknowledged pushing Kiris harder because of his shortcomings.

But had he truly lost all sense of duty to the extent of committing such a heinous act?

No, what were the chances this was actually true?

While the situation seemed plausible, it didn’t confirm that Kiris had attempted the ritual on his behalf.

To label Kiris a traitor without any evidence would make it impossible to backtrack if the claims turned out to be false.

Of all people, Kiris was his son.

“Your Majesty, I understand it’s hard to accept, but there’s no time. The ritual will begin with sunset.”

The Emperor gazed out the window. The sun was now hanging low over the ridge, and the once-blue sky was slowly being stained with red.

As Asmun watched the restless Emperor, he knelt down on one knee and bowed his head.

“If this is all false, I’ll pay for it with my life.”

His statement shocked both the Emperor and Eden. But it was his iron will that brought an end to the Emperor’s turmoil.

He soon stood up and turned to the commander of the Imperial Knights, who had heard everything.

“Prepare the troops to assemble at Kiris’s castle immediately.”

His trembling voice was resolute. The commander bowed deeply to receive the command.

“Yes!”

“And Asmun and the Saint will accompany me.”

Asmun and Eden also bowed their heads to accept the order.

Thus, the Emperor, Asmun, and Eden headed towards Kiris’s castle. Meanwhile, the sun continued to descend.

“Your Majesty, the Chancellor has gathered the troops! They are expected to arrive swiftly.”

Eden gasped, feeling her affection for Ibthan deepen slightly.

This clever man.

“And he commanded the court magicians to learn the magic to nullify Anag’t magic.”

The Emperor nodded silently.

They soon arrived in front of Kiris’s castle.

Kiris’s castle was splendid and opulent, far beyond Asmun’s. In front, troops were stationed, which would normally be impossible, further intensifying the Emperor’s anxiety.

“This is the visit of His Majesty the Emperor! Open the gates!”

“I’ll report to His Highness the Prince.”

“How dare you! Are you trying to keep His Majesty waiting?!”

“I apologize. However, His Highness ordered that no one be allowed inside…”

Just then, the reinforcements from the Imperial Palace arrived.

“If you don’t get out of the way, we’ll cut our way in.”

At the fierce gaze from the commander of the Imperial Knights, the faces of Kiris’s soldiers grew tense.

At that moment, a magic circle appeared in the sky.

“A magic circle!”

The knights, who noticed first, shouted, and everyone looked up into the sky. It was the same magic circle that had appeared during the Sun God’s festival.

“Damn it, protect His Majesty!”

Soon, a swarm of gargoyles poured out from within the magic circle.

“They’re trying to buy time!”

Eden shouted in frustration as she blocked Asmun, who was slashing at the gargoyles mercilessly.

As the Imperial Knights would handle a mere swarm of gargoyles with ease, Kiris couldn’t be oblivious to this trick to buy time.

And the sun was setting, just as he intended.

‘Damn it…!’

By the time the last gargoyle was subdued, the sun had already set.

Eden quickly looked at the Emperor. Intuitively, he understood that Eden’s words had been accurate, though he was frozen in shock, he didn’t look like a soul trapped in despair.

Was the ritual not over yet?

Yes, perhaps the time required for the ritual was long enough; there might still be a chance left.

Please…!

“Charge into the castle now!”

The forces of Kiris stood no chance against the enraged troops from the Imperial Palace, and soon the castle gates were breached. The Emperor, Asmun, and Eden hurried inside.

“To the underground prison!”

As Eden provided the exact coordinates, everyone’s footsteps hastily led downwards.

Finally, the heavily closed door of the underground prison burst open, revealing the anticipated scene.

Just as the prophecy had described, preparations for the Anag’t ritual awaited in Kiris’s underground prison.

Sinister candles flickered here and there, an unpleasant dark magic circle was spread out, and a sickening smell of blood wafted in the air.

And in the center… finally…

Huh…?

“Patriar…?”

The Emperor’s astonished call made Patriar turn to him. Before him, Kiris was kneeling down.

“Your Majesty…!”

Eden stared at the unexpected figure, momentarily forgetting how to breathe.

Patriar…?

‘What’s Patriar doing here…?’

With blood splattered across his face, Patriar held a large sword in his hands. Only then did Eden survey the dark prison.

It looked like there had been a fierce battle, as Kiris’s knights lay scattered around, bleeding.

It appeared as if someone had slain them all…

‘What’s going on…?’

Moreover, why was Kiris in that state…?

He seemed to have lost all will, kneeling down and bound with ropes…

“Patriar…! What is this… what is going on?!”

Asmun too sensed something was off and frowned.

Patriar, looking like he had just finished a tough task, took a moment to catch his breath before approaching the Emperor, kneeling down, and bowing his head.

Raising the bloodied sword high, he declared in an emotional voice.

“Your Majesty, I have captured the traitor who almost harmed you and brought down the Empire!”

Eden’s ears buzzed.

“Brother Kiris… No, traitor Kiris Deckland attempted to control Your Majesty’s soul through the heinous dark magic, Anag’t ritual, and tried to claim the throne.”

From Patriar’s lips spilled everything Asmun had conveyed to the Emperor.

What in the world was happening…?

 

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