The Mad Flower
The secret passageways of the imperial palace were gloomy.
Through narrow gaps, one could glimpse the palace’s hidden places.
High-ranking offices, sealed archives, magically locked secret vaults, and baths reserved exclusively for the imperial family flashed by one after another.
“They’re connected to every important spot in the palace. A perfect place for traitors and spies. Who the hell built something like this?”
“A traitor and a spy.”
“Really?”
“There are rebels even inside the imperial family.”
Whenever the passage split into several paths, Kang Yoonsoo chose one immediately and kept walking.
As they passed a torture chamber that reeked of blood, Yushido asked,
“By the way, how do you know all that?”
“What does it matter if you know?”
“Wow! You’re the second person to treat me this coldly. The first was Han Sehyun.”
Yushido giggled as if he found something endlessly amusing.
Kang Yoonsoo continued walking and thought,
‘First, assassinate the emperor. Then find the alchemist who created Iris.’
The being who knew about his regressions—the White Shadow.
He had to uncover the true identity of the White Shadow inside Iris.
Kang Yoonsoo asked,
“It’s been quite a while. Has the White Shadow said nothing?”
“The White Shadow is usually silent. He only poured out an unusual amount of words the first time he met you.”
What exactly was the White Shadow?
That question would soon be answered.
The three of them walked down a sloped passage.
After walking for some time, they saw a rectangular, thin tile.
When they removed it, a large, ornate room came into view below.
“This is the emperor’s quarters.”
Yushido licked his lips, visibly excited.
Kang Yoonsoo scanned the room, which was filled with antique decorations.
A middle-aged man with a tragic aura was sleeping on a massive bed.
Iris stared at him with curious eyes.
“So that is the emperor of the empire. The father of the princess I copied.”
Yushido whispered in a feverish voice,
“How are we killing him? Stab him while he sleeps? Or wake him up and feed him every kind of humiliation first? Hoo, fuck! Just thinking about killing the most powerful man on this continent is making me so excited I can barely stand it.”
“We’ll poison him.”
“What?”
Yushido looked utterly disappointed.
“You came all the way here just to end it in such a boring way?”
“It’s the method that leaves the fewest traces.”
Security magic existed in the emperor’s quarters.
If they didn’t enter through the main door, an alarm would sound immediately.
He narrowed his eyes.
“I didn’t follow you for such a dull murder.”
Kang Yoonsoo stared quietly at Yushido.
Although he possessed outstanding assassination skills, looking back, the madman had betrayed him quite a few times.
Therefore, he needed to provide him with enough entertainment so he wouldn’t grow bored.
“I’ll use a poison that makes you laugh until you go insane and die.”
“A poison that makes you laugh until you go insane and die?”
Yushido instantly looked interested.
“You brought something like that?”
“No.”
“Then how are you going to poison the emperor?”
“We’ll get it here.”
Kang Yoonsoo walked a little farther ahead.
When they emerged from one exit, they found themselves in the imperial flower garden.
Clear moonlight poured down beneath a transparent vinyl barrier.
“There are so many flowers. It’s a place that lifts the mood. I quite like this spot.”
Iris smiled gently as she inhaled the fragrant scent of the flowers.
All sorts of rare and hard-to-find plants were scattered everywhere.
Yushido plucked a red flower and cheered.
“This is a blood-sucking plant! There’s nothing better than its roots as an ingredient for drugs.”
Kang Yoonsoo ignored the countless plants and headed toward the dense center of the garden.
He disregarded even the rare varieties used in alchemy or potion-making.
In the center of the garden stood a massive flower glowing with a purple hue.
‘Mad flower.’
Kang Yoonsoo skillfully plucked its petals and collected them.
At that moment, a woman’s voice came from beyond the thick foliage.
“Who’s there?”
A woman emerged from the other side.
Moonlight poured down, illuminating her dazzling golden hair.
A noble and refined beauty.
“Ah……”
Iris stared at her.
She stared back at Iris.
Two women who looked exactly alike gazed at each other.
“……She looks exactly like me.”
“Indeed. We are the same.”
Iris gave her a strange look.
Yushido placed a hand on Iris’s shoulder and pointed at the woman.
“What’s this sudden situation? So that side is the real princess?”
“There is no need to determine the authenticity of my existence.”
It was certain.
The woman before them was the empire’s princess.
Kiciphran Leorkan.
“Who are you people, and why have you entered my garden? And who is this person who looks exactly like me?”
Kang Yoonsoo and Yushido were still wearing masks.
Kiciphran realized they had not entered the palace for pleasant reasons.
“People like you would never have been granted permission to enter the palace. What is your purpose for infiltrating the imperial grounds?”
“To kill your father.”
Kiciphran remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“That’s fortunate. Do you need directions?”
“No.”
“Then I wish you luck in your endeavor.”
Yushido cackled.
“What a fun reaction. Is the princess crazy like us?”
“No. At the very least, I know how to respond to the assassins standing before me.”
Kiciphran gave a trembling smile.
Kang Yoonsoo pressed a blade against the princess’s throat.
“Take it off.”
Imperial Palace — Emperor’s Quarters
More than a dozen centaurs were swept away by Helkin’s sword and lost their lives.
And at the same time, they came back to life.
“What the hell is going on?”
Renox, who had arrived late at the rear garden, wore a dumbfounded expression.
Seira pressed the hilt of her sword, oiling the blade.
“Can’t you tell just by looking? They keep resurrecting as undead the moment they die.”
“It’s not just resurrection. They’re becoming much stronger than before. There’s a black mage behind this.”
Renox drew his sword and shouted,
“We will assist Sir Helkin immediately!”
The knights and soldiers all drew their blades at once and joined the carnage in the garden.
Seira swung her oiled sword against the stone floor.
Sparks flew, and brilliant flames rose along the blade.
“Cremation isn’t exactly my preference, but it can’t be helped.”
“Be careful not to burn the plants His Majesty cherishes.”
“Ugh, please! I hope you’re joking, you rigid knight.”
Once the imperial knights joined the fray, the centaurs were quickly subdued.
Yet the centaurs’ morale did not break.
“The absolute ruler of black magic, the lich, fights alongside us!”
“Let us borrow his wicked power and destroy the imperial palace!”
The Little Lich in the rear found himself in an awkward position.
‘I want to cry.’
The Little Lich did not possess the mighty authority of a normal lich.
Honestly, just facing a single knight named Helkin was already overwhelming.
At this rate, even the undead he had resurrected would be wiped out.
‘This mission was too difficult for someone who was just born.’
The Little Lich resented his master for giving him such a hard task.
But like the innocent lich he was, he soon shook his head.
‘This happened because my own abilities are lacking. I shouldn’t blame my master.’
The centaur unit in the front line had been annihilated.
The Little Lich swung his short staff.
A frenzy spell was cast, and the second line of centaurs charged like mad horses.
‘I want to cry. But why can’t skeletons cry?’
The Little Lich grew melancholy.
Helkin sliced through four or five frenzied centaurs and leaped high into the air.
The old knight’s sharp gaze instantly found the lich hiding in the rear.
“So you’re the one behind this!”
“Ugh!”
Helkin’s fierce swordplay slashed across the lich’s body.
A shock so powerful it could shatter bones.
Yet the Little Lich only suffered a few cracks in his bones and did not die.
‘Thank goodness my life vessel is with my master.’
A lich would not die as long as their life vessel remained intact.
Of course, if their entire body were ground to dust, recovery would become impossible.
“Mist Curtain!”
Black smoke poured from the Little Lich’s staff.
Helkin swung his sword swiftly, but the lich had already vanished.
“Cowardly rat.”
Helkin bit his lip and turned around.
“Sir Seira! Sir Renox! I leave this place to you two.”
“Sir Helkin, what do you mean?”
When Seira asked, Helkin replied coldly,
“Don’t you see? That pathetic lich is merely trying to buy time. He’s deliberately dragging out the fight. The real mastermind must be somewhere else.”
“Do you have any guesses?”
“There are a few places. I’ll be back.”
At that moment, Renox shouted,
“Sir Helkin! I will accompany you!”
“There is no need to mobilize you as well.”
Then Seira shook her head.
“No, take him with you. Renox will be helpful. I can handle this place alone.”
“Understood.”
The two knights approached the imperial palace.
Helkin glanced around lightly and pointed at a spot invisible to Renox’s eyes.
“There’s a broken window over there.”
* * *
Two imperial guards stood in front of the emperor’s quarters.
In stories, sentries were usually knocked unconscious from behind as a matter of course, but these two were exceptions.
Only those with exceptional skill among the imperial forces earned the right to guard the emperor’s residence.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something urgent to tell Father.”
Princess Kiciphran spoke with a gentle demeanor.
The guard looked puzzled.
“And what business do the two men behind you have?”
“They are my escort knights.”
The two guards exchanged glances and frowned.
“No matter if you are Her Highness the Princess, you cannot enter His Majesty’s quarters at this hour. Moreover, bringing escorts with you…”
“Can’t you make an exception?”
Princess Kiciphran made a sorrowful face.
The guards were instead thrown into confusion.
Her Highness the Princess had never shown such a sad expression before.
“This is going too far, I must say.”
The indifferent-looking man standing behind her stepped forward.
At a glance, he exuded the arrogance of a lofty noble.
“To speak of laws and regulations in front of a descendant of the imperial bloodline that founded the empire. Is that even proper?”
“This is the entrance to His Majesty’s quarters. The regulations established to prevent assassination and kidnapping are strict orders from His Majesty himself. Even members of the imperial family are not exempt. You should know this.”
“Then step aside even more. His Majesty may be in grave danger today.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
The guard looked startled.
The indifferent-looking man sighed and whispered softly,
“This is a highly classified imperial secret. So don’t go telling anyone that I revealed it. The truth is, a letter arrived at the palace this morning. It was a threat saying they would take His Majesty’s life today. The sender was naturally not indicated, but we suspect it was one of those damned Travelers.”
“I… I see.”
“If you understand, step aside immediately. Every second counts.”
The guards hesitated before clearing the way.
Since even Her Highness the Princess was with them, what trouble could there be?
The three entered the emperor’s quarters.
“Who is that expressionless man? I’ve never seen his face before.”
“I don’t know. But his position must be incredibly high. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so thoroughly aristocratic to the bone.”
“He looks young, yet he’s the princess’s escort knight. Truly impressive. He must be the son of at least a marquis family.”
“We really live in different worlds.”
The two guards sighed and returned to their duty.