<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 136>

Patriar’s face went completely stiff.

“My back? What’s that supposed to mean!”

At this point, the Emperor, sensing something was terribly off, asked back in confusion.

Eden met the deadly gaze of the 2nd Prince straight on and spoke up.

“Patriar Deckland, the 2nd Prince of the Hesmor Empire, has made a contract with Dark Sorcerers. With that contract, he gained immense magical power. You should see a black mark on his back as evidence.”

As soon as Eden finished speaking, a chilling silence descended upon the room.

The Emperor turned slowly to Patriar, his face in shock. Patriar quickly erupted into loud laughter, pretending to be nonchalant.

“Ha! What nonsense… Your Majesty, you mustn’t believe anything that crazy woman says! She must be using such ridiculous tricks because she fears losing her position. That woman is in service to Asmun! She’s the one manipulating the entire situation! You’ve been fooled by them all this time!”

Despite his pitiful accusations, Eden remained unfazed and responded calmly.

“So, we could just check your back then?”

This time, Patriar, unable to maintain his composure, shouted with a vein throbbing in his neck.

“Shut up! Seize that madwoman at once! She abandoned her duties as a Saint and dared to chase after Grand Duke Yuren before, and now she…!”

As those disrespectful words hit the air, Asmun’s eyes turned icy.

Just as he was about to step forward in anger, Karon quickly moved ahead and knelt before the Emperor.

The Emperor, now completely confused, looked at Karon with a stiff face.

“I will vouch for the words of the Saint.”

His heavy voice settled at the Emperor’s feet.

“If there is no mark on the 2nd Prince’s back, I will pay with my life.”

At that, the Emperor’s eyes widened, and Eden’s pupils dilated as well. Asmun gazed solemnly at Karon kneeling there.

Eden’s sense of awe clashed with the Emperor’s confusion.

The Emperor groaned deeply. Despite being rigid, the addition of the utterly sincere Commander of the Holy Knights made it impossible not to believe this utterly absurd claim.

At that moment, like gears clicking into place, shock and comprehension finally dawned upon the Emperor.

If what the Saint said was true, that meant not only the plague but also Kiris’s rebellion involved Patriar. With Dark Sorcerers, no less.

With all the pieces fitting perfectly, the Emperor found it hard to swallow.

‘If that’s true, then I fell for Patriar’s lies and accused innocent Kiris…?’

Swallowing hard, shaken to his core, the Emperor slowly turned to Patriar.

“Patriar.”

His blue eyes locked onto the identical blue eyes in front of him. Soon, the long-closed lips parted heavily.

“Show your back.”

With a resolute command dripping in anger, Patriar’s pupils widened.

“Your Majesty!”

“If what you say is true, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Reading the cracks in Patriar’s increasingly frantic gaze, the tension inside him escalated.

‘Damn it, it’s all falling apart now…!’

How could he reach this point only to crumble so easily?

Patriar sank to one knee and began to plead.

“Your Majesty, are you doubting me? This is so unfair! I saved you from Kiris! You saw it with your own eyes!”

“…”

“I protected you, and this Empire! If it weren’t for me, it would’ve already fallen into the hands of Dark Sorcerers!”

Eden narrowed her eyes, observing Patriar’s last desperate stand.

It was true. The Emperor had witnessed the punishment of the 1st Prince trying to harm him.

Put differently, it meant that the Emperor had already experienced the backstabbing of his own son painfully before.

“How could you treat me this way! In front of all the citizens of the Empire, are you really going to doubt me and not regret it? Everyone will remember how Their Majesty doubted his son, deceived by that treacherous woman!”

Quite the brilliant outburst. However, the out-of-control Patriar didn’t realize that his own escalating anxiety was only amplifying all suspicion.

“How dare you concern yourself with me!”

The now enraged Emperor bellowed.

“If you’re innocent, why refuse? Just show your back and prove your innocence!”

As the situation started moving smoothly, Eden finally exhaled a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the Emperor was grasping the flow of events well, meaning the end was near.

Patriar’s shallow tricks had been fully exposed, and there was no chance for recovery now.

It was all over.

“Guards! Seize Patriar and check his back!”

Finally, the Emperor issued an unavoidable command, prompting the Royal Knights to immediately shift directions towards Patriar.

“Damn it! That idiot…!”

Cornered, Patriar swiftly seized a sword from a nearby soldier and prepared to fight back. His reflexes were astonishingly quick.

“Don’t touch me!”

The Emperor’s eyes widened at this brazen act.

“Patriar! How dare you!”

There was no denying it anymore. In this moment, his actions became irrefutable evidence for all preceding hypotheses. Once again confirming his son’s betrayal, the Emperor roared.

“Seize Patriar!”

His enraged voice echoed loudly into the air, and the Royal Knights quickly surrounded Patriar.

With nowhere to escape at the edge of the balcony, Patriar gritted his teeth.

“Don’t come any closer. Unless you want to die.”

“It’s all over. Stop resisting, Your Highness. If you keep this up, you’ll get hurt.”

As the Commander of the Holy Knights stepped forward, sword drawn, it was then.

“Gah…!”

From behind, Patriar’s back began to swell abnormally, tearing through his clothes, from which a massive wing erupted.

Those witnessing gasped in astonishment.

“What, what is that…?”

“Aaaah! It’s a monster!”

Not just the wings; Patriar’s entire body bulged grotesquely as he began to transform.

His smooth blonde hair, pale skin, and handsome features vanished in an instant, replaced by a hideous crimson-eyed face, a gaping mouth, and sharp teeth.

And so, the horrifying beast he transformed into was undeniably a monster.

High-pitched screams erupted throughout the Great Temple.

“Aaaah!”

“Eek, the Prince has turned into a monster! It’s Dark Magic! Run away!”

Though everyone screamed in fright, only Eden, Asmun, and Karon, who were already aware of Patriar’s transformation, stood calm, staring at him.

Cornered, Patriar had ultimately chosen his monstrous conversion.

Yet, what he did not understand was that when his soul was consumed by Dark Magic, he could never return to being human again. Nor did he realize that he was merely a sacrifice used by the Dark Sorcerers.

It was actually better this way. Had he known, Patriar wouldn’t have resorted to such a last-ditch measure.

Given how things were now, showing everyone that horrifying, twisted side of himself left no room for leftovers.

“I told you not to come near me.”

Even after becoming a monster, he hadn’t lost his human voice, as his horrifying, ripped mouth delivered Patriar’s fractured voice.

“Father, didn’t I ask if you would regret it?”

Transformed into a monster several times larger than his original form, Patriar, regaining his composure, smirked leisurely as he dared taunt the Emperor.

“What, what the… what is going on?”

The Emperor, stricken by the horrific sight, struggled to speak, clutching his mouth in shock.

Before that shock could fade, the balcony trembled violently, and thick vine-like tendrils sprang up from the ground, climbing over the Royal Knights.

It was the magical power Patriar gained as a price for sacrificing his soul.

“Damn it! Everyone, snap out of it and cut those vines!”

At the Commander of the Holy Knights’ command, everyone shook off their stupor and thrashed to escape the constricting vines.

As their formation broke, a massive Dark Magic circle appeared in the air and monsters began pouring out from within. A swarm of monsters pounced on the knights ensnared by the vines.

“Ugh!”

“Aaaah!”

Monsters flooded into the garden below the balcony, turning the Great Temple into complete chaos.

Asmun and Karon defended Eden from the charging monsters. In a hurry, Eden called out to Asmun.

“Your Highness!”

Although he instantly understood that brief signal, Asmun hesitated, reluctant to execute his next plan due to the overwhelming number of monsters.

“I’ll be fine! So go!”

Pushing Asmun urgently, Eden egged him on, and with gritted teeth, he dashed off to somewhere.

Simultaneously, a vine that crept up from somewhere threatened to reach the Emperor, prompting Eden to scream.

“Commander! The Emperor!”

Karon wasted not a second, rushing to the Emperor, swiftly slicing through the thick vine climbing his body.

“Your Majesty, this way!”

Karon escorted the Emperor, still in shock, towards safety.

The next target of the creeping vines was none other than Lydia, who was huddled in a corner, trembling and clutching her head.