Chapter 92
Chapter 32: The Blood Prince Draws His Sword! (2)
“This is a brutal truth for Miriel to hear.”
I must tell her that the person who might be her brother is the leader of the Rebel Forces and is destined to die.
Even though I worried whether young Miriel could handle it, there was no other choice.
Even after showering, Kariel, still wondering if any hint of blood remained, doused himself in perfume and headed towards Miriel’s Palace.
Seeing Kariel’s face after such a long time, Miriel rushed to greet him, but her expression changed to confusion upon noticing something was off with Kariel.
“…Miriel.”
Finally gathering the courage to call her name, Kariel glanced around to ensure their solitude.
Seated closely on the chair, Kariel struggled to begin.
“I have a truth that you must know, Miriel. It might be hard to hear. So… if it becomes too much, you must tell me to stop. Understood?”
At Kariel’s words, Miriel slightly nodded, her eyes trembling.
Kariel sighed and began to explain, hesitating as he saw Miriel’s increasingly sorrowful demeanor.
The rumor was already widespread, and it would reach Miriel’s ears sooner or later. It was better to explain it directly, but seeing her on the verge of tears made it almost unbearable to continue.
“…Should I stop?”
Kariel’s question elicited a firm shake of Miriel’s head.
She wanted to know the whole truth, even if she was crying.
After thoroughly explaining everything, Kariel watched worriedly as Miriel remained in a daze.
“Are you alright?”
Kariel cautiously inquired, to which Miriel nodded softly and replied firmly.
“That’s not my brother.”
“…Huh?”
“I have three brothers.”
Surprised, Kariel’s eyes widened, then a smile crept onto his face.
“Right. That person is not your brother, Miriel.”
*
To calm the trembling Miriel, Kariel stayed at her palace for a while until night fell, before quietly leaving.
“The Princess is…”
“Sleeping.”
At Kariel’s response, Talion sighed and nodded.
Even though it was shocking news, Miriel had held herself together so bravely that it felt necessary to handle the matter more decisively.
“Make sure to keep the maids of the Princess’s Palace in check.”
“Yes.”
Though Talion put on a brave face in front of Kariel, his expression betraying his shock was evident.
Thus, Kariel had instructed his attendants to take extra care.
Just then, a shadow approached and whispered into Kariel’s ear.
With a grave expression, Kariel nodded and headed directly to the Emperor’s Palace.
“Is His Majesty sleeping?”
“He is still awake.”
Nodding at the attendant’s response, Kariel quietly requested a private audience with the Emperor.
Bowingly, he approached the Emperor, who lay on the bed, retrieving a chair to sit beside him.
“…How is Miriel?”
“She’s holding up well.”
“That’s good.”
The Emperor let out a bitter smile, reflecting on his past deeds.
At that moment, he thought it was an unavoidable decision.
One misstep and he would be overthrown from the Throne, facing the same fate as his other siblings—assassination or poison.
Especially as the eldest, he believed that his younger brothers would surely kill him.
Thus, he wanted to leave no opportunity for them.
However, that decision had now backfired like poison.
“I have diverted public sentiment. All that remains is for the punitive forces to suppress the Rebels.”
At Kariel’s words, the Emperor gave a slight nod.
Even in marriage and childbirth, everything had been politically motivated, leading the Emperor to exhale softly.
“I don’t have much time left.”
“…”
Observing the silent Kariel, the Emperor let out a small chuckle.
Even though he should be joyful to be on the Throne, seeing the distressed expression on Kariel was quite fascinating.
It was curious how the child he had fathered turned out so different from himself.
“Attendant.”
“Yes.”
A bowing attendant approached, retrieving a golden envelope from within his robes.
“A perceptive one. Yes, this is my Will.”
The Emperor smiled at the quickly catching-on Kariel.
“It’s my Will. I have already secured the consent of the Four Counts of the Border.”
This was the preparation for passing the next Throne to Kariel.
With the seal of the four Counts who guard the borders on the Will, the legitimacy for the next Emperor was nearly secured.
With Achelio, the captain of the Imperial Palace Knights, also having stamped it, all that remained was the agreement of the Nobles and the Chancellor.
While he had instructed the Chancellor to prepare for an emergency situation, essentially only the Nobles’ consent was needed, which the Emperor likely intended to request himself at the last moment.
“I don’t think I can hold out until the two Dukes return.”
At the Emperor’s words, Kariel looked at the attendant.
The old attendant quietly shook his head, which made Kariel close his eyes tightly.
“I was told there was over a month left…”
“His condition has rapidly worsened.”
Kariel’s gaze turned to the Emperor’s face.
It resembled his visage just before death.
Overall, his cheeks and lips showed no traces of color.
Yet his gaze appeared to be the most lucid it had been in some time. But Kariel, more than anyone, understood it wasn’t healthy improvement.
‘It seems you don’t have long left.’
Knowing that the Emperor was squeezing out his final energies, Kariel let out a long sigh. Seeing him, the Emperor parted his lips.
“This might be the last moment I can speak with a clear mind.”
Saying this, the Emperor took Kariel’s hand.
“From this day on, I transfer all my authority to you.”
“What do you mean…?”
Before Kariel could process his bewilderment, a ring was placed in his palm.
The key to open the seal chamber of the Grand Council.
The ring, which had been borrowed temporarily through the attendant, had now been formally transferred to Kariel.
As soon as the words about transferring authority left the Emperor’s lips, red blood began to ooze from the ring stained with the Emperor’s blood, and at that moment a wave of Fire Energy surged from Kariel, flowing into the ring.
“Ugh!”
As the Emperor observed Kariel in pain, he gently turned to the attendant.
“Is this it?”
“Yes.”
The Secret Guardians had been waiting for this moment, a qualified individual.
The current Emperor, along with those before him, had never possessed such qualifications, but Kariel was finally recognized by the first Emperor’s ring.
“…What a shame. If only I were a bit healthier…”
The hidden secrets within the Imperial Palace.
He longed to see them all but ultimately failed.
Though he had purified his tainted mind from drugs and dark magic, he was unsuccessful in completely cleansing it.
He attempted to sneak a peek at the secrets that qualified individuals could access but ultimately found himself rejected due to being a corrupted Emperor, leaving him with no choice but to see it this way.
“Is that the… First Emperor?”
“Yes, indeed.”
A red figure emerged above Kariel’s head.
The image of the First Emperor depicted in the portrait gazed coldly at the Emperor.
It was as if to reprimand him for the sins he had committed, before shifting its gaze to Kariel, placing a hand above him to form a swirling red light.
Then, as if to acknowledge him, it nodded once and melded into Kariel’s being.
The red energy began to swirl around Kariel, along with Surth and the Spirit King’s fragments, and Skoll, creating a whirling form around him.
“Quite interesting.”
Things that Kariel gained while rescuing the Empire from crisis.
These were emanating power from all directions to protect Kariel’s body.
For quite some time, the Red Wave filled the Emperor’s chamber, before gradually seeping into Kariel’s being, disappearing without a trace.
“Gasp… Gasp…”
“The symbol has appeared.”
The long-lost emblem of the Imperial Family.
It emerged upon Kariel’s forehead.
Upon confirming this, the attendant immediately knelt on one knee and spoke.
“I greet the true master of the Empire.”
At the attendant’s words, Kariel’s eyes widened.
Though he was drenched in cold sweat, he cautiously glanced at the Emperor.
But the Emperor simply smiled as if to reassure him.
The power of the Imperial Family, thought to be extinguished, had been revived. For that alone, the Emperor was generous enough to forgive everything.
“I have resurrected it. It is I!”
Even though he had ultimately been rejected by the Secret Guardians, this was fine.
Despite his corrupted mind and decaying body resonating with rot, he managed to revive the true power of the Imperial Family.
With this alone, most of the sins incurred could be forgotten.
“It is done… This is sufficient.”
With those words, the Emperor seemed to faint, closing his eyes.
“Your Majesty!”
“Rest assured, he merely fainted.”
At the attendant’s words, Kariel heaved a sigh of relief, then turned and glared.
“How could he act like that in His Majesty’s presence?”
“Our Secret Guardians only recognize those deemed worthy as Emperor.”
“…You.”
“The Emperor is well aware of that. That is precisely why he looked so pleased.”
The true Emperor had finally been revived.
That was why the current Emperor was happy.
As Kariel stood there, his expression twisted in thought, the attendant conveyed the Emperor’s final command.
“This is His Majesty’s last order.”
A request made to the next Emperor, akin to a Will, that must be adhered to by the next Emperor as a convention of the Empire.
Even if usurped, the last order should generally be honored under most circumstances.
As a result, Kariel gave a soft sigh and knelt.
“Proclaim that the Crown Prince has been acknowledged by the First Emperor throughout the Empire. This shall be the last order I issue before my passing… I hope it will be honored.”
A command imbued with the Emperor’s earnest wish.
If this command were followed, it would bestow absolute strength to Kariel’s legitimacy.
However, that also meant it would make inheriting the Throne more difficult. With the emblem of the Imperial Family revived, who would dare question Kariel’s claim to the Throne?
Though it would be best not to announce this…
“By the way, the Emperor has already taken precautionary measures in case of non-compliance.”
“…”
The Emperor had prepared for every eventuality, cognizant of Kariel’s character.
Hearing the attendant’s words, Kariel gritted his teeth, fervently wishing for his siblings to possess the same strength as him.
‘In the end, I can only rely on my siblings. I trust them.’
Muttering that inwardly, Kariel bowed his head in response.
“I will uphold the Emperor’s command.”
Upon hearing his response, the attendant withdrew a formal decree from within his robes and bowed.
*
Exiting the Emperor’s Palace with the Emperor’s ring and the final decree in hand, Kariel slumped down tiredly on the steps.
“Your Highness.”
“…Tell the Dukes and Chancellor to gather immediately.”
“Is it possible that His Majesty…?”
Talion asked, his face pale, but Kariel shook his head and showed the Emperor’s ring.
“Ah…”
With the Emperor’s ring gripped tightly in Kariel’s hand, Talion, knowing well what that signified, quickly kneeled and exclaimed.
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations!”
At Talion’s shout, the quick-witted attendants promptly kneeled as well, echoing the sentiment.
Soon after, knights and maids knelt too.
As cries announcing the birth of a new Emperor echoed, Kariel’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Despite every effort to avoid this, reality had dragged him back to this very moment, and Kariel gritted his teeth as he looked up at the night sky.
“Damn it.”
