Chapter 100
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100
“....”
As the Emperor finished his explanation, Lucian quietly closed his eyes.
A whirlwind of inexplicable emotions surged within his chest.
Had his father fallen in the chaos of a melee or been struck down by a stray arrow, Lucian wouldn't have felt this unsettled. However hollow it might be, such an end could at least be called a knight’s death on the battlefield.
But to die not on the field of honor, but through the schemes of some unheard-of mage?
Death was always sudden, but this was wrong. Grand Duke Sigmund deserved the right to die as a commander and a knight, at the very least. He should not have been consumed as a mere pawn on someone else’s game board.
“What is... my brother doing right now?”
Lucian shifted the subject, as if averting his gaze from the Grand Duke’s death. Tristan, too, would be in deep shock over the death of the father he so revered.
The Emperor hesitated for a moment before answering Lucian’s question.
“Does that mean the war is continuing?”
“Surely you don't mean....”
The Emperor shook his head as if he didn't want to mention it further.
It was a vague, cryptic answer. Yet, even that ambiguity was enough to tell Lucian exactly what state Tristan was in.
He’s carrying out a massacre in the city.
If the rebellion had been suppressed, all that remained were helpless commoners and an incensed Imperial army. The soldiers were already at a breaking point due to Krepelt’s various foul tactics. On top of that, the widely respected Grand Duke Sigmund had been assassinated.
The outcome was as clear as day the moment Tristan gave them a target for their rage.
“Whew!”
Lucian let out a long sigh, trying to organize his racing thoughts.
The end of the war, the death of the Grand Duke, Tristan, the massacre, Valdek, and the Emperor. Each was a major event capable of triggering massive repercussions—so much so that he didn't even have time to indulge in sentimentality over Sigmund’s death.
“Your Majesty, I have one more question.”
“What exactly were those black tentacles that ensnared my father? Did Krepelt truly set a trap?”
The Emperor nodded a beat late.
To Lucian’s eyes, however, the Emperor’s words were a lie that even he didn't seem to believe. Why would a side that had already lost and was contemplating how to surrender take down a Grand Duke—not even the Emperor—just to bring someone with them to the grave? Even before being a king ruling a nation, no sane human being would do such a thing.
Someone else intervened. Someone who is neither Krepelt nor the Emperor.
The problem was that he had no inkling who that someone might be.
When Lucian remained silent, lost in thought, the Emperor misinterpreted his reaction and spoke in a sorrowful tone.
Lucian suppressed a bitter smile at the Emperor’s words. Was he saying he did his best, so Lucian shouldn't resent him?
How ridiculous. You are responsible for half the reason my father is dead.
To be precise, the Imperial Family itself was the cause of this incident. As a result of the Imperial Family’s indiscriminate witch hunts, it had become difficult to find anyone who truly understood magic. While the Imperial Family possessed more knowledge of magic than others, even that was only a fraction. They had likely long forgotten what kind of magic was used by those they cast out three hundred years ago.
Because they know nothing, it’s impossible for them to counter attacks or even find the culprit.
In a way, Valdek had been caught up in the Imperial Family’s karma. But Lucian was not such a hot-headed brat as to voice those inner thoughts.
“It could not be helped. Even if a man does all he can, it is the gods who decide his fate.”
The Emperor hesitated for a long time, licking his lips. Lucian tilted his head at the sight of the Emperor looking nervous for the first time. What on earth was he about to say?
“Unwelcome news?”
Lucian froze on the spot, his face blank with shock.
“....”
“....”
A heavy silence descended following the Emperor’s bombshell. Lucian stood frozen, unable to say a word, while the Emperor’s eyes darted around nervously. Caught between the two, Glen could only wait for the next word, cold sweat pouring down his face.
“Your Majesty.”
It was Lucian who broke the heavy silence. His voice had grown cold, incomparable to how it sounded moments ago.
“Did my father truly say that?”
“Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes, I shall not forget that grace even in death. But Your Majesty knows as well.”
“Bestowing and taking away are two different things. They do not cancel each other out.”
“How dare you...!”
Glen shouted at Lucian in horror. But Lucian didn't even blink, simply staring at the Emperor.
The Emperor moistened his lips with his tongue for a long time before speaking as if he had given up.
“....”
Lucian still said nothing. As the stifling silence threatened to stretch on, the Emperor let out a deep sigh.
“...!”
Lucian stared at the Emperor with a dazed expression at the proposal that went beyond unconventional. The Emperor’s eyes were smoldering as if sparks might fly out at any moment. Lucian could feel his obsession with settling everything before he died.
“....”
In exchange, give up on Valdek.
Abandon any thought of threatening the Imperial Family with excessive territory.
Lucian closed his eyes at the unspoken pressure accompanying the extraordinary offer.
He must have made this offer after calculating everything. Once the age of chaos begins, mages will spring up everywhere, and the Imperial Family won't be able to stop them even if they try.
The Emperor was simply trying to gain an advantage by giving up early what he would eventually have to give up anyway.
But even considering all that, the Emperor’s offer was tempting. If it was a right officially recognized by the Emperor, it meant Lucian could reveal it to the world while others were fumbling in the shadows. Naturally, mages would seek out Lucian rather than other lords.
“...I will not renounce my succession rights. However, I shall not contest my brother’s inheritance.”
“Your—Your Majesty!”
Glen screamed as a glob of blood erupted from the Emperor’s mouth. The Emperor, who coughed repeatedly, spoke with his back hunched as if his condition showed no signs of improving.
Flash!
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the magical artifact stopped functioning. It seemed to have been forcibly turned off from the other side.
Glen looked at Lucian, who was lost in thought, with hesitation. Normally, he would have mentioned the Emperor’s illness and appealed to Lucian’s loyalty, but Lucian had just suffered a tragedy of his own.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke was a great man. He was truly the pillar of the Empire itself.”
“Thank you.”
“....”
“....”
“Well....”
“I wish to be alone.”
“Ah, yes.”
At Lucian’s dismissal, Glen’s face flushed red as he left the office. Left alone, Lucian leaned back in his chair and thought of Sigmund.
Father.
He was neither the father who sired him nor the father who raised him. Lucian had simply slipped into the place of his son by chance. Yet, in less than a year, the Grand Duke had been a more reliable father to Lucian than anyone else.
“Father.”
As he spoke the word aloud, his voice seemed to tremble slightly. Lucian tried to say a few more words but soon closed his mouth and quietly shut his eyes.
The liquid flowing down his cheeks somehow felt unusually hot.
At dawn the next day, Lucian, who had stayed up all night, headed to the underground prison. It was a different cell from the one where Norbeck had been held.
The guard, who had been dozing off, jumped up in shock upon hearing Lucian’s footsteps.
“Your—Your Grace!”
“I’ve come to see the prisoner. Move aside.”
“Yes, yes!”
The guard, his face turning pale, quickly stepped back. Since it hadn't been long since Norbeck’s escape, he seemed worried about being reprimanded for dozing off. Lucian, however, paid the guard no mind and headed inside.
“Colin.”
“Your Grace!”
Colin, who had been half-awake, sprang up like a bolt of lightning and grabbed the iron bars. Lucian’s eyebrows twitched at the quick reaction.
“I thought you were sleeping, but you’re already awake?”
“I was sleeping. I’m sensitive to the presence of others, so I just woke up.”
Ah, I see. Is it impossible for him to get a good night’s sleep because of the witch hunts? There must be a constant anxiety that he might be caught and killed the moment he lets his guard down.
“Seeing you here, it seems a conclusion has been reached.”
“Yes. I received a firm answer last night.”
“The Emperor... what did the Emperor say?”
Colin asked Lucian, his hands wet with cold sweat clenched tight. Lucian nodded slightly and spoke.
“It went well. He said he would not only spare your life but also act as if you’ve committed no crime.”
“Pardon?”
“In short, he won't say a word even if I openly take you under my command.”
“...!?”
Colin wondered if he had misheard. The plan Lucian had initially proposed was so reckless and full of holes that it was absurd: emphasize Colin’s utility and necessity to the Emperor, then look for an opportunity to sever ties with the capital while buying time. Conversely, it was a gamble that was extremely unfavorable to Colin, as he would be the one to take the fall and be executed the moment the Emperor ignored Lucian’s demands.
Yet, he had accepted it because he essentially had no other choice from the moment he was captured by Lucian’s party.
“...He didn't just give us time, but officially recognized my existence?”
“To be precise, he gave me the authority to do so.”
“But why?”
“A few things happened.”
Lucian brushed his hair back as if tired and offered no further explanation. Colin’s eyes narrowed at Lucian’s expression, which didn't look happy at all. It was highly suspicious that he showed no sign of joy while delivering such unbelievable news.
“For things having gone so well, you don't seem to be in a very good mood.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Why? Everything went exactly as Your Grace wanted, didn't it?”
“I also received word that my father has passed away.”
“....”
“A mage was the cause. I was told they cowardly interfered in a duel and launched a surprise attack.”
Colin felt cold sweat drenching his back.