Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Fragment Assembly
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Emperor Deus had died of natural causes.
That was the official story.
After Carlos Grand Duke's successful northern campaign and the great famine that followed, Deus's power had rapidly weakened, leading him to abdicate his throne.
He then succumbed to a chronic illness and passed away quietly.
'Murder.'
But that was false information.
At least, I was certain it was murder.
The prime suspect was Carlos Grand Duke.
If it was the Mercenary King Karbal whom he had hired, he could have easily assassinated the emperor without Croft or the shadows noticing.
Moreover, the timing of Deus's death was suspiciously convenient.
It happened when Croft was not by his side.
'Everyone wanted Emperor Deus dead.'
Carlos Grand Duke and Karbal were the leading suspects.
But I couldn't definitively say they were the culprits.
Deus had known he wouldn't live much longer.
Yet there were far too many people who wanted him dead.
His symbolism. The title of Guardian of Peace was an obstacle to everyone's ambitions.
I was no exception. Even if I ascended to the throne as emperor, as long as Deus lived, I would always be at odds with his supporters.
Carlos Grand Duke went without saying, and Persepho Grand Duke saw Deus as an enemy that absolutely had to be eliminated for independence.
Deus had been the check on Persepho Grand Duke's power as well.
I didn't know the details, but the fact that the imperial family had reclaimed all its debts after Deus's death suggested some kind of agreement.
'It's not just the two grand dukes.'
It wasn't me. I didn't have the cunning for that.
But there were plenty of other suspects beyond the two grand dukes.
One of them was the Holy Church.
Deus had refused to recognize the Holy Church as the state religion.
He knew that if their power grew too great, even the empire might not be able to control them. To prevent them from running rampant, Deus had kept them in check.
In any case...
There were many suspects.
Everyone wanted Emperor Deus dead out of necessity.
But on the current continent, Deus was an indispensable presence.
If he died, irreparable cracks would form.
The domino effect would collapse the balance of power that had maintained long peace, bringing it to an end.
Therefore, Deus could not die until I had gained the proper qualifications and the strength to unite everyone.
And Karbal was someone highly likely to have directly assassinated the emperor.
"For a non-noble to be invited to the princess's coming-of-age ceremony... How unusual."
Karbal's eyes trembled.
He probably never imagined I would approach him.
Did he think I wouldn't notice that fleeting killing intent?
"...I am only here representing the mercenaries, Your Highness. If my presence offends you, I will take my leave."
"No. A Mercenary King like Karbal deserves treatment equal to any noble."
His skills were stronger than Croft's before his awakening.
On par with the 1st Legion Leader, and even comparable to Croft now.
In a head-on fight, that is.
Moreover, a powerhouse like him wasn't bound by class. Especially Karbal, the Mercenary King, moved for money, not rank.
Even with his face masked, he seemed puzzled that I recognized him and asked,
"Do you know me?"
"Who else but the Mercenary King would represent the mercenaries?"
That made sense.
He had revealed his own status through his words, so figuring it out wasn't strange.
But normally, one would think of the Mercenary Association's chairman or someone like that as a representative, right?
'Impressive insight.'
Karbal thought.
He had dressed and acted like the nobles, yet the crown prince had instantly seen through him.
He had even deduced that he was the Mercenary King from their conversation.
Perhaps he had even read the 'killing intent' he had sent...
However, his acting as both Mercenary King and Assassin King was flawless. Detecting his killing intent was something even seasoned Sword Masters struggled with.
Unless it was Croft at his peak, considered the strongest.
But Croft wasn't here.
He had infiltrated successfully, with great care so no one would notice.
'Should I kill him?'
He knows my identity.
The princess had never sent invitations to the mercenary world to begin with.
He might brush it off vaguely now, but if he checked, it wouldn't take long to confirm.
But if he willed it, he could kill the crown prince before him in an instant.
He'd have to run for the rest of his life, but it was better than dying surrounded here.
'The mission is a failure.'
The target had recognized him. At that point, the mission failed.
As he pondered how to escape,
"I'll double it."
"I don't know what you're referring to doubling."
"Right now, your goal is surveillance on me."
Whether it was Carlos Grand Duke himself, nobles around him, or Mercenary King Karbal, he had boldly infiltrated the banquet for my surveillance.
It wasn't just Karbal.
There were many other eyes watching me.
"It's a misunderstanding, Your Highness."
"Is it? Even the killing intent you sent me is a misunderstanding? Last survivor of the Andantino family, wiped out to the last."
"...!"
Andantino family.
That clan of assassin bloodlines was the first to be purged when the era of peace began.
The Andantino family's existence was a blemish on the imperial family.
The reason Karbal hated Deus was clear.
They used him when needed, then discarded him in an instant, massacring his family.
Erased from the world as if they had never existed.
To him, the emperor was an existence he could devour whole and still not be satisfied.
That was why he had briefly shown killing intent toward me.
Karbal asked,
"Even knowing that, you're saying you'll hire me?"
"People betray, but money doesn't."
This was Karbal's creed.
If he were blinded by revenge alone, he never would have become Mercenary King.
He was aware of reality. Adhering to this creed was how he had survived this long.
"So I ask: if double isn't enough, what about triple?"
I'made the offer.
If Karbal was currently tied to Carlos Grand Duke's side, his finances wouldn't be great enough to spend a fortune on mere 'surveillance.'
Conversely, if he was linked to the Holy Church or another massive group, I could gauge his reaction and infer accordingly.
Of course, he might reject it outright because he hated me as crown prince. But I was certain he wouldn't.
"I'm not telling you to betray your employer. The 'surveillance' mission has already failed anyway. So take future jobs from me and demand higher pay."
Mercenaries had no affiliations.
They moved to whoever paid the most.
Yesterday's enemy could be today's ally.
"...I'll contact you separately, Your Highness."
Half agreement.
Karbal's reaction was extremely encouraging.
I nodded with a smile, and he slowly retreated before vanishing.
'The faster I'move, the faster they move too.'
Changes were occurring.
In the past timeline, I wasn't under surveillance at this point.
Karbal appearing personally meant even greater threats could appear anytime.
Still, escaping the variable of death was fortunate, I suppose.
I shrugged and tilted my glass.
*
Isabella returned after touching up her makeup.
Men's gazes instantly focused on her.
Brushing off their advances, she scanned the surroundings.
'Come on, be brave. Just strike up a natural conversation. We're friends, right?'
Actually, it was Reinhardt who had suggested they become friends, not her.
Approaching and talking to him wouldn't be weird.
Who knew when she'd see him again if not today.
'...They look good together.'
Arell's image came to mind again.
A dark elf woman as Persepho Grand Duke's adopted daughter? And entering together, even dancing...
They weren't just acquaintances.
Fiancés with a promised future?
He had suggested friendship after marriage talks with her family, yet pushed for a union with Persepho Grand Duke?
'What does it matter.'
She was just going to have a natural chat.
She did owe him for his help.
Expressing gratitude and catching up didn't require anything special.
'Where is he?'
But no matter how she looked, Reinhardt was nowhere to be seen.
He didn't appear even after waiting a while, so he must have already left.
Arell the dark elf was gone too...
'I just wanted to at least say hello.'
She hadn't expected Reinhardt to leave the hall so soon.
She thought he'd stay at least until Princess Carnel's coming-of-age ceremony.
"Haha! Our tastes align more than I thought. I find the third movement of Charloten's 'Spring' the most impressive too."
"Hehe. You're far more cultured than I expected."
Izar was diligently flirting among the noble ladies.
If left alone, he'd cause real trouble today.
"Haa..."
Isabella let out a small sigh.
*
Karbal was a dangerous death flag.
Because of him, I or Emperor Deus could die.
That absolutely could not happen.
Me surviving was obvious, but Deus had to live too.
No matter how much I cursed him as an incompetent bystander, his symbolism extended across the entire continent.
Besides, I was on a completely different path from the past.
If Deus died, I would die too.
'In the past, I was someone not worth killing.'
Now it was different.
They were sending the Mercenary King for surveillance, marking me as a 'person of interest.'
If it had been an 'assassination' mission instead, I'might not have survived.
Recognizing him and approaching turned out to be a stroke of luck.
But I couldn't rely on good fortune forever.
Staying with Croft would be safe, but he was just one man.
And expecting him to protect me 24 hours a day was ridiculous.
Arell?
If a top powerhouse like Karbal wanted her dead, all she could do was buy time.
Arell was still growing.
Her potential was world-class, but their relationship was still ambiguous enough that I couldn't call her 'fully mine' yet.
'I need to get stronger.'
So I had to become strong enough to overcome all threats myself.
I'd be safe in the palace, but the moment I left, anything could happen.
If the new 'truce delegation' was formed and I went as representative, would Carlos Grand Duke just wait patiently for my arrival?
The higher my profile rose, the greater the moves to kill me would become.
Not just from within, but from outside as well.
[Connected to Augmented Reality 'Deep Dream.']
[Assembly of fragmented data 'Pieces' is complete.]
[Manifesting A.I 'Dragon.']
Upon accessing Deep Dream, a dragon appeared before me.
The sanctuary's dragon. The one Zero had deleted.
By removing the A.I, I had reassembled its fragmented data.
In other words, the dragon before me now wasn't an artificial intelligence—it was a data aggregate containing the dragon's information.
"..."
With an utterly expressionless face, the dragon stared at me.
[Fragment Assembly] End