Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Dawn
Karen's body went limp as all the magic drained from her.
At the same time, the magic sword she had been holding shattered into pieces like a lie.
"...Ugh!"
Elvin, whose abdomen had been pierced through, trembled in pain from the bleeding and the fragments of the broken sword.
But even so, Elvin never let go of Karen's collapsed body.
"That's the end of it. I suppose I've performed the role Rudian entrusted to me well?"
"Ah, thank you, Lady Rebecca."
Without Rebecca's intervention, Elvin would have died there, and Karen too would have continued her rampage until she met the same fate as Elvin.
Elvin touched Karen's face and asked.
"Is Karen alright now?"
"Probably... She's breathing properly, so she should be fine, right?"
Elvin continued speaking while breaking out in a cold sweat inwardly.
"Well, it seemed like she was in quite a lot of pain at the end..."
Everyone here had heard the small curse Karen had uttered at the very end.
Moreover, regardless of the outcome, she had forcibly shattered what had been a somewhat touching scene, so one of the psychics even left a brief comment directed at Rebecca: "Mood breaker...."
Rebecca too seemed not to have expected it would hurt that much, as she turned her head slightly to avoid Elvin's gaze.
"She'll be fine. I did absorb a bit of that vital energy... Or something like that, but it won't threaten her life."
"Vital energy? What are you, some kind of succubus?"
Rebecca, who had been defending herself under subtle gazes, brightened her expression at the familiar voice that came from behind.
"Rudian!"
"Senior Elvin, now doesn't seem like the time for you to be worrying about Senior Karen, does it?"
Rudian, who had appeared with Kaitel, pointed at Elvin's abdomen and frowned.
"You're injured like that, and now is the time for you to worry about others? Blood is streaming from your mouth, you know? Hm?"
Rudian glared at Elvin with sharp eyes and scolded him.
Only then did the other psychics who confirmed Elvin's condition rush over and begin restraining Elvin's entire body.
"W-wait! No, Karen!"
"What obsession do you have with someone who's already unconscious! Show me that wound right now!"
"I don't want to be separated...! Urgh!"
They struck the back of Elvin's head to knock him unconscious as he refused to separate from Karen, then began healing his wounds.
"How's the wound?"
"It's fatal. He won't die immediately, but if we had left him alone for about an hour, he would have died."
"He used his head well. Fortunately, he avoided the bones."
"What good would avoiding them do when sword fragments have spread throughout his internal organs? And his intestines are completely contaminated, so we need to purify this."
"Damn, do we have no choice but to take him to the temple?"
"...That would take too much time."
"......"
Their gazes quietly turned toward Rebecca.
Rebecca recalled Karen's painful screams and quietly fidgeted with her fingers.
"...It will hurt, won't it?"
"Still, it's better than dying."
'It's not me who'll suffer anyway, so what do I care.'
'Life comes first.'
'And since you made us suffer this much, we'd like you to suffer a bit too...' It was a moment when the psychics' understanding aligned.
Rebecca had no choice but to place her palm on Elvin's abdomen again and absorb the magic.
"Urgh! Groaaah!"
The dark red color of Elvin's abdomen was changing to a vivid hue, but in proportion to that, Elvin's expression began to contort with indescribable pain.
"Hey, his eyes are rolling back, is he going to be okay?"
"He's foaming at the mouth? How can he have such a reaction when he's unconscious..."
"I wanted to rough him up a bit later... But suddenly I'm feeling soft-hearted."
The psychics glanced at Rebecca with fearful hearts.
'I must never get hit by magic!'
It was a common thought that pierced through all their minds.
***
Thus, the disturbance caused by Captain Pruna Silent subsided, and the sun began to rise slowly.
Most of the Imperial guard knights who had joined Captain Pruna were either dead or captured, and the other knights who hadn't known the situation were greatly shocked upon learning the truth and begged the Emperor for forgiveness.
Emperor Rausa said this to the backs of the heads of the Imperial guard knights prostrated before him:
"Not knowing doesn't make you innocent. But since your loyalty is beyond doubt, wash away that sin by exterminating the demons!"
And as soon as day broke, the Emperor summoned all bureaucratic ministers and even royalty to reveal the truth of the incident that had occurred during the night.
Among the great nobles, all except Archduke Quihiller, who had 'officially' retired, and Sonya, who was absent on business, attended. All the princes including the 2nd and 3rd princes, and all the princesses also attended.
And in that place...
"Your, Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Father!"
The 3rd Prince Roho Wilhelm, who had been toyed with by Demon King Asmodeus, was bound by the Imperial guards and forced to kneel in humiliation.
The Emperor looked down at the 3rd Prince indifferently.
"I had an uneasy feeling from when you started associating with Gude, but I never thought you would really abandon that child and ruin the relationship between the Imperial family and the ducal house."
"That, that was...!"
"Of course, I wouldn't punish you like this just for abandoning your duties as a member of the Imperial family. But what I truly cannot forgive is that you sold Imperial information to that witch."
"......!"
The 3rd Prince realized that the Emperor would not leave him alone.
'It, it was a trap!'
Looking around, he couldn't see a single noble who usually supported him.
They hadn't even been invited to this place to begin with.
Becoming desperate, he looked around and pleaded for salvation from the ministers and nobles.
"Duke Vincent! Viscount Beivalent! Please help me!"
"......"
But there was no one to support the 3rd Prince, who had already turned many nobles into enemies by falling for Asmodeus's temptation.
Even though the Emperor hadn't properly explained the full story yet, this was the extent of it, showing just how much the 3rd Prince had lost favor within the Imperial family.
Moreover, the 4th Prince and 1st Princess, who had suffered greatly because of the 3rd Prince, even suggested stripping the 3rd Prince of his position entirely.
"Count Roken! Viscount Gael! Why are you turning your heads away?"
When everyone was turning away, there was only one person who sent a gaze toward the 3rd Prince.
The 3rd Prince saw her as his only lifeline and desperately clung to her.
"Lu, Luciella! Please! Just once, prove my innocence! Didn't we once dream of the same future? Please, Luciella!"
"......"
The surrounding nobles' faces naturally frowned at the 3rd Prince's unseemly clinging behavior.
Meanwhile, Luciella walked out quietly without any change in expression.
"Your Highness the 3rd Prince..."
"Oh, Luciella!"
"Shut up and go to prison already."
"...What?"
The 3rd Prince's expression froze.
This was an official place where the Emperor, royalty, and great nobles had all gathered.
Even if he was being treated as a criminal, hurling such harsh insults at a direct member of the Imperial family in such a place was crossing the line.
"Lu, Luciella. How could you say that to me...!"
Luciella ignored the 3rd Prince and turned her gaze to the Emperor, bowing respectfully.
"Your Majesty, would you permit what I mentioned to you the other day?"
The answer that came was simple.
"I permit it."
"Thank you."
Only about five people, including the parties involved, understood the true meaning of this conversation.
"Lu, Luciella?"
The 3rd Prince didn't know what the Emperor had just permitted, but he realized it could never be good for him.
"Your Highness."
Luciella stood in front of the 3rd Prince.
Then she clenched her fist and said:
"Clench your molars tight."
"W-wait?"
The 3rd Prince was certain of what would happen in the next few seconds and struggled desperately, but he couldn't prevent Luciella's fist from striking his face directly.
CRACK!
The 3rd Prince, hit squarely by a punch from a top-level Sword Expert, flew about 10 meters and crashed toward the door of the audience chamber.
"......!"
The nobles and royalty opened their eyes wide and gaped at Luciella's outrageous act.
No matter how great her resentment from being abandoned was, this was, this was...!
"Well, do you feel a bit better now?"
Even though his son's face had been turned to mush, the Emperor's expression showed no particular change.
No, if anything, he seemed to find it somewhat amusing?
"I am grateful for Your Majesty's generous grace. Thanks to you, my heart feels much lighter."
"Good, you'll soon become a commander, so you can't let distracting thoughts interfere."
The Emperor gave orders to the Imperial guards.
"Take him away. Confine the 3rd Prince to the Spring Palace. There is no time limit."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"No, no! Sitri! Where are you, Sitri! Please save me!"
'He has quite the stamina.'
Even though there was no magic in it, to maintain his sanity after taking Luciella's blow!
But still, nothing changed.
After the 3rd Prince, who had been crying out Sitri's name, was dragged away by the Imperial guards, the Emperor finally began to slowly reveal to the nobles and bureaucrats what had happened to him.
The betrayal of Imperial Guard Captain Pruna, the tragic death of the 1st Prince who was the heir, and the existence of the Demon King and demons who had been gradually eating away at this empire...
The nobles, who had felt that the political scene within the empire had been strangely turbulent recently, were horrified by the situation that was far more serious than they had imagined.
Serious enough to understand why the Emperor had abandoned the 3rd Prince and why Luciella had committed such an outrageous act.
The Emperor continued speaking.
"Fortunately, the situation within the empire has improved considerably thanks to the activities of loyal subjects like Delphione, Bellatrix, and Quihiller. And... The Kepler family has also shown their loyalty."
The ministers' expressions showed puzzlement at the unfamiliar family name mentioned at the end.
"Kepler...?"
"Was there such a family?"
As a merchant-origin family that was a viscountcy but had no territory, the name Kepler was too unfamiliar to reach this heavenly place among the nobles.
But the fact that the Emperor had specifically included this name among the prominent great noble families meant that regardless of the past, this was a Grade A prospect with a guaranteed future.
The nobles rolled their eyes looking for a person from this Kepler family, but none of them thought that Matheus, standing at the very back of the gathering, could be that Kepler person.
Matheus Kepler stroked his beard and smiled contentedly.
'You kept your promise, Rudian.'
The days when he had been troubled about Maria's succession and mediating the conflict with Psychic Luminous.
The condition that Rudian, who had suddenly appeared, had made to Matheus along with a plan using Gray.
-Psychic Luminous's true entry into the imperial political scene.
Although Psychic Luminous had been successful in the shadows with the Delphione family as their patron, there was no way they could officially enter the empire's political scene without even a single territory.
Of course, with their current resources, they could probably buy a decent territory with money, but to set foot in this place, that wouldn't be nearly enough.
Even Psychic Luminous couldn't solve such a territory with money, so what remained was...
'The Emperor's recognition!'
Having the Emperor directly mention their existence with his own mouth and officially recognize them!
Of course, to truly set foot in the political scene, they would need to achieve definite merit in the battles to come, but for Matheus, that wasn't something to worry about.
While Matheus savored his emotion, the Emperor's words continued.
"Now the situation has reached its final stage. Most of the demons that were eating away at the empire are gathered in one place, and those remaining as their minions in Nevan are only those we can sufficiently root out."
The Emperor's eyes turned to Luciella.
"Luciella von Delphione."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Emperor held out the Sword of Ascension, which he had retrieved, to Luciella again and said:
"Destroy all those who sold their souls to evil and ate away at the empire. I will temporarily give you command authority over all five major knight orders of the capital except the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Capital Defense Army."
"I humbly accept your command."
Even though a woman barely in her twenties had gained authority practically equivalent to the empire's second-in-command, no opposition arose.
The moment Luciella showed the spectacular performance of blowing away the 3rd Prince's jaw, the nobles who were well-versed in politics realized that interfering now would be tantamount to self-destruction.
Luciella respectfully received the sword, and next the Emperor's gaze turned to Rudian.
"Count Rudian Belstad."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The moment Rudian came forward before the Emperor, question marks appeared on the faces of nobles who were still unaware of the situation.
'Count...? When?'
Rudian's official title was Viscount.
And that was a title forcibly obtained by being appointed as a figurehead for great families despite being of commoner origin.
Naturally, among those who valued history and tradition, there were many who didn't recognize Rudian's title.
But Count!
However, the nobles were even more shocked by the Emperor's next words.
"Count Rudian von Belstad, I greatly commend your merit in executing the traitor and former Imperial Guard Captain Pruna Silent."
"......!"
"I am grateful, Your Majesty."
While the nobles stared intensely at Rudian's back with wide eyes, the Emperor's words continued.
"Originally, I should hold a grand and splendid ceremony to reward you and other loyal subjects, but please forgive me for not being able to do so as the work is not yet finished."
When the Emperor mentioned the word 'forgive,' the nobles watched their conversation helplessly, no longer having the strength to be surprised.
"I will temporarily entrust you with the position of Imperial Guard Captain and assign you the subjugation of the demons gathered in the outskirts of Nevan. Can you accomplish this?"
Rudian respectfully clasped his hands and responded to the Emperor's words.
"I swear that from today onwards, the demons will disappear without a trace from the Morian Empire."
No one thought that the position of Imperial Guard Captain was merely temporary.
Everyone present at this place noticed two facts.
One was that while they had been standing around in a daze, an unimaginable war had been fought beneath the surface of the empire, and as a result, the power structure of the Morian Empire had changed dramatically.
The second was that at the center of that power was Rudian, a being who had suddenly appeared like a comet to seize the title of Viscount, and now had achieved the title of Count and even the position of Imperial Guard Captain in the shortest period in history.