Chapter 318
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 318
Chapter Title: Fourth Princess Sizly Epania
Ever since the Emperor granted Sizly a modest amount of power, she had begun rapidly claiming positions within the imperial family before anyone knew it.
The speed at which she did so was far more terrifying than anyone could have imagined.
And a significant portion of the positions she seized belonged to none other than the Third Princess.
The nobles aligned with Sigrin Epania were well aware of her precarious state.
After all, Sigrin had abruptly dropped out of Raheln Academy and returned, only to hole herself up in her room.
Naturally, the Third Princess's faction would have been left in a state of unease.
They had supported her with the expectation that she would ascend to the throne as Empress, securing their rewards.
But now, she had suddenly crumbled.
For them, it was an incredibly headache-inducing situation.
And that was when Sizly made her move.
Sizly quietly devoured Sigrin's forces bit by bit, without anyone noticing.
Sigrin's faction was already fractured.
Sizly skillfully won over those who were awkwardly positioned even for aligning with the First Prince, using various methods to bake them into loyalty.
Before they knew it, they had unknowingly pledged themselves to Sizly.
It wasn't because they were fools.
It was because Sizly's schemes were so insidious that they couldn't detect them.
Even the First Prince's faction failed to notice these movements at all.
They saw Sigrin's forces as simply collapsing and disbanding on their own.
The only reason Hauran had pieced this together was his seasoned experience and sharp instincts in politics and court affairs, honed from keeping House Lagren neutral for so long in the past.
Moreover, as the proverb went, even a rotting fish's head is still from the top—even if pushed to the margins of imperial politics, he held the status of one of the Ten Heavenly Strongest.
The volume of intelligence flowing to him naturally dwarfed that of ordinary nobles.
Even he had barely managed to uncover what Sizly had done by sifting through scraps of information.
Ordinary nobles likely had no inkling of her maneuvers.
'His Majesty the Emperor must have known about this as well.'
Yet the Emperor had not stopped Sizly.
Given his personality, he was probably watching with great interest.
She, who had deliberately kept her distance from imperial affairs, was now devouring the Empire with ferocious intensity.
For the Emperor, who viewed Sizly favorably, it was an intriguing development.
'The Third Princess, who had everything taken from her by the Fourth Princess in the blink of an eye, must have been perfectly primed to lose her mind.'
All that she had built vanished before she could lift a finger.
In the end, the deranged Sigrin resorted to the worst possible measure: rebellion.
Had Sizly foreseen even this?
Or was this incident an unforeseen mistake on her part?
Hauran, having grasped it all, felt a chill run down his spine.
The Emperor had merely given Sizly just enough power to aid the Diana family's return to court politics, a renowned house of spearmanship.
Yet with that single sliver of power, Sizly had completely isolated Sigrin, who had spent her life amassing influence within the imperial family.
Sizly always smiled with that sly, mischievous grin.
Even as she wielded that power to shake the entire Empire, she remained the same tomboyish princess.
The sight evoked an indescribable emotion.
She was dangerous.
The Fourth Princess was an exceedingly dangerous individual.
"Duke Hauran, I have one favor to ask."
As Hauran felt a growing sense of crisis,
Sizly visited him and made her request outright.
"Catch the spy I name for you by the end of today."
Sizly's words about finally capturing a spy she had already identified left Hauran unable to grasp her true intent.
Why had she delayed when she could have seized them long ago?
As he showed his puzzlement, Sizly flashed her cunning smile.
"Catching the spy will trigger an incident. One that could shake the entire Empire."
"An incident, you say?"
Hauran looked flustered.
An event capable of shaking the whole Empire was too unpredictable.
"World Erosionists will likely appear, sowing chaos across the Empire. Sister Sigrin has joined hands with Ixion.
The spy is a decoy; the real threat is them. They're plotting to destroy the Empire."
And then came an outrageous tale.
The Third Princess allying with the World Erosionist group Ixion.
It was news that could upend the entire Empire.
"Fourth Princess, if what you say is true, then you've orchestrated this spy affair to lure Ixion into a trap?"
If so, Hauran was prepared to cooperate fully.
But upon hearing his question, Sizly fell silent for a moment before continuing with pursed lips.
"The imperial family has no involvement in this. They’ve only just realized that Ixion and Sister Sigrin have allied."
Her next words left Hauran even more bewildered.
What she was saying amounted to this being her solitary decision.
"Why...?"
Hauran wanted to ask why she hadn't informed the imperial family of such crucial intelligence.
After all, the Empire's very survival was at stake.
But Sizly didn't wait for him to finish.
"The Empire needs to be shaken up once."
"What do you...?"
"Right now, too many factions hold sway in the Empire. The provincial nobles are a prime example."
The power struggle between central and provincial nobles had long been infamous.
The imperial family had steadily tried to draw in provincial nobles.
But the Empire was so vast that it was never easy.
"The biggest reason these factions can't unite is the lack of a common goal.
Without one, they'll keep carving up the Empire and eventually fracture it."
"Are you saying Ixion should be that common enemy? But the risk is too great!
What if their trap brings the Empire down?"
Hauran shouted that they should at least have warned the imperial family to prepare.
But even his outburst didn't faze Sizly's expression.
"The Empire won't fall. It's not so fragile that this would destroy it.
I've timed it so my message reaches the imperial family right on schedule. Preparations won't be too late."
Sizly knew the true strength of the Empire and the imperial family.
As long as the Emperor was unharmed, Ixion's attempt to destroy the Empire would surely be thwarted.
Of course, there would be casualties in the process.
If Ixion went berserk and escalated, the damage would be even greater.
But the greater the damage, the more unified the Empire's hostility toward their common foe would become.
"Just once is enough."
The moment everyone shared a common goal.
Sizly was confident she could unify the Empire.
Even if that common goal vanished afterward.
Hauran glimpsed an extraordinary madness in Sizly.
Her devotion to the Empire surpassed that of ordinary people by far.
Why was she, who had kept her hands off imperial affairs until now, going to such lengths?
"And the protagonist to resolve the events from this incident is already chosen, so don't worry."
"Protagonist?"
The moment Hauran questioned the term,
"He'll soon receive a title. He needs to solve a major incident beforehand to earn his reputation."
Hauran knew exactly who she meant.
Krash Valheim.
The man acknowledged by the imperial family as Sizly's fiancé.
"He owes me from before. And if I want to push my way through the imperial family without restraint, he needs to build more fame here."
As she spoke, Sizly wore not her usual sly smile, but one filled with genuine sincerity.
At the same time, he realized one fact.
Sizly was no longer serving just the Empire.
Another figure had entered her grand ambitions.
The bloodline of the Epania imperial family's White Dragon had a wicked habit.
Once something caught their eye, they had to claim it, no matter what.
By any means necessary.
The imperial bloodline spared no method or tactic to seize what they desired.
For most born to the imperial family, that was the throne.
But Hauran realized Sizly sought something else.
What she wanted to claim was Krash Valheim.
That boy.
Whether it was desire, affection, or love.
Even Sizly herself might not yet realize.
But it was undoubtedly he who had awakened her wicked habit.
Thus, Sizly was moving the entire Empire.
To claim Krash, she needed the vast Empire at her feet.
Hauran felt his breath catch.
Sizly Epania was a far more terrifying figure than he had imagined.
And there was another layer of fear for him.
Why reveal all this to him?
"You're wondering why I'm telling you this?"
Sizly pierced through Hauran's thoughts.
Shadows from the ceiling draped over her.
She appeared like a witch who saw through everything in the world.
"It's a sort of deal. I know you would never betray your daughter."
Mention of his daughter tensed Hauran's body.
And even that was what Sizly desired.
"Help ensure Haring stays by Krash's side."
Hauran's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Sizly, who wanted Krash for herself, to say such a thing.
"In return, you and he will support me actively. For now, that means capturing the spy and ensuring Krash brilliantly defeats Ixion.
And use House Lagren's influence to spread the word aggressively."
That Krash was the one who slew the Ixion members threatening Lagren.
"Of course, prioritize Lagren's safety above all. If Lagren is in danger, forget this deal."
With those words, Sizly opened the door to Hauran's office.
"The outcome won't change much anyway."
What exactly was she seeing?
Hauran realized someone who should never awaken had done so, and quietly sank into his chair.
Filled with worries for his daughter.
And now,
just as Sizly predicted, Ixion appeared after the spy was captured.
They shrouded Lagren's buildings in thick mist.
Hauran immediately issued an emergency alert to Lagren and stood guard before Sizly's room, his top protection priority.
No matter how the prior events unfolded, he had to protect her.
She was the Empire's princess, after all.
Thud-
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.
Lagren's direct knight order was surely stationed there.
Yet the footsteps' owner pressed on without pause, approaching.
Hauran exhaled once and raised his hand.
Purple poison aura seeped from his nails.
Even that aura melted nearby objects with a sizzling hiss.
"It seems any mutt or cur thinks they can mock me."
Hauran's eyes gleamed a vivid purple.
Sizly had said all results would unfold as predetermined.
Whatever the outcome, he just needed to do his part.
And his role was simple.
Poison King Hauran Lagren.
True to his station as head of House Lagren, protect Lagren.
"I'll make you regret stepping into my garden of poison until your bones melt."