Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Path
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The Emperor's Path.
It was a road stretching out from the capital, usable only during the Emperor's processions, as its name implied.
That meant no one had used it since Emperor Lucas had gone into seclusion. And yet, it was always maintained in perfect condition.
Neigh! Clop clop. Clop clop. After a very long time, a carriage raced along that very path. It was the one carrying Damian.
The Empire's Watcher was unbound by imperial law, within the limits permitted by the Emperor. Thus, the Emperor's Path was also available for use.
"Agnes has become the family head? Isn't that a good thing? It's like being the chief or something."
Paruzan tilted her head. Damian had worn a grave expression ever since receiving Agnes's letter.
Agnes had explained what she'd been through, but she hadn't mentioned her uncle Ballak yet. That was a secret shared only with Damian.
"Agnes. Who?"
"Damian's fiancée. She's incredibly strong. Oh, that training the northern uncle does... you know, the one without mana. Agnes said she's doing that too."
"Agnes. Interest. Sword. Share. Want."
Paruzan and Shakiya were enough for companions.
-I want to go too!
Saliva looked eager to join them. Even setting aside her exploits in the Elgana incident, Saliva's growth was dazzling.
In terms of pure speed, she was even faster than Damian. Honestly, she could hold her own on most battlefields.
-Not yet.
That was why she needed more polishing. Acting hastily now could ruin her unnecessarily.
Rapid growth always came with side effects.
Damian had mitigated them with his pre-regression experience, but Saliva couldn't do the same.
Thus, Saliva headed to the Magic Tower with Ariella and Dennis. She would undergo more specialized training there before joining in the north.
-Please give Agnes my regards. Tell her not to push herself too hard. As for Lucas... we'll talk later.
-If there's anything I can do regarding the Seekers, feel free to ask anytime. Regardless of my title as Watcher, I will assist you, Sir Damian.
Ariella and Dennis could no longer afford to be away. It wasn't just the Magic Tower's issues—Ezekiel was starting to show his limits.
-I want to help with your business too, little brother, but Mother's watching, so it's impossible this time.
It concerned Damian's fiancée, but Erewin showed little reaction.
She believed their relationship was fake, and that her bond with him was the real one.
In truth, Damian and Erewin's relationship was the biggest lie. Still, she remained useful for now.
'How did Ballak pull it off?'
Even in his previous life, he'd successfully condemned Ballak.
Afterward, Agnes had taken over as head of the Schubert family, declared their engagement broken, and their sham relationship had ended.
He didn't know what choice she'd make this time, but at least their connection wouldn't sever.
Agnes needed Damian as an important figure, and Damian still needed her.
'It's not something that would escalate this quickly anyway...'
The Agnes of back then and the Agnes now were practically different people. Her skills aside, she was far more mentally stable.
Even if she found evidence of Ballak's crimes, she wouldn't just thrust a sword at her uncle out of the blue.
No, she'd at least seek Damian's advice first.
'Especially with the capital incident.'
The Seeker who had collaborated with Elgana—a nameless man with sky-blue hair. His presence nagged at him.
Aura specialized in evasion and ambushes. And his origins...
'Was it that guy targeting Ariella's accident before regression, not Ramsey?'
If so, it made sense why Dennis had shown unexplained hostility toward Saliva during the civil war.
His blood kin had harmed his most precious person, driving him to lose his reason.
The incident in the Schubert family might be directly linked to the Seekers too.
As he pondered this, the carriage came to a stop.
"We appreciate the hardship of your journey here, Sir Damian."
Agnes greeted him, accompanied by the Schubert elders and retainers. On her chest gleamed the Schubert crest.
"We'll discuss the details inside."
The mood wasn't light. Because of that, even Paruzan couldn't rush over to sniff Agnes.
'It's subtle.'
The retainers must have known Damian would come. Yet their reactions split into two camps.
One group showed wariness and tension, while the other breathed sighs of relief.
There was still debate regarding Agnes becoming acting head.
"Eek, eek!"
A young man and woman who met Damian's eyes let out small screams.
Their features resembled Agnes's but differed slightly. They must be her cousins, Ballak's children.
It was only natural they'd feel uneasy. Neither had a good relationship with Agnes.
"But who is this?"
Once in the reception room, Agnes asked about Shakiya.
"Shakiya. Warrior. Helps. Damian. Goes. Together. To. Sword. Sanctuary."
The speech was halting, but it conveyed that he was Damian's man. And Shakiya's final words were not to be taken lightly.
"Th-the Sword Sanctuary? Do you know its location?"
Agnes couldn't help but get excited. It was the land of warriors who fought solely with the power of their bodies, without mana.
She didn't think their ways were absolutely superior, but she was deeply curious about their training methods and the realms they'd achieved.
"Shakiya. Trains. Without. Mana. With. Damian. Agnes. Trains. Too."
"Yes. It would be most meaningful to cross swords with you as well."
Agnes's expression turned serious again once she finished speaking. There were issues to resolve before sparring with Shakiya or discussing the Sword Sanctuary.
"My uncle—no, the former head of Schubert, Ballak, has vanished."
"Vanished?"
Upon returning to the family, Agnes had investigated Ballak's connections to the Seekers. But she found no concrete evidence.
Then the Elgana incident erupted.
-Ugh, no. No, no! Not yet!
Afterward, Ballak showed signs of paranoia, as if pursued by something. His symptoms worsened, leading to calls for a doctor, but there was no improvement.
Then the incident exploded. Ballak lost his reason and swung his sword at family members.
"Fortunately, no one died, but several suffered serious injuries."
Ballak was a knight of some renown.
Moreover, they had to subdue him without killing. Normally, no one in the family could manage that.
"Wasn't it difficult?"
"It was just a sword swung without reason."
But this time, Agnes was there. For her, who had grown alongside Damian, dealing with Ballak was simple.
They'd confined him afterward, but he'd shaken off the guards and fled.
"He left only this letter."
Don't look for me. That single scrawled sentence.
"The head abandoned the family."
Agnes's face wasn't bright either. She'd gained the position by killing her father, only for him to discard it like this.
The family naturally fell into chaos. Nothing like this had ever happened in Schubert history.
"The family split into two major factions."
Those long dissatisfied with Ballak wanted to enthrone Agnes immediately.
Those close to Ballak insisted on finding him first.
"Unable to agree, they made you acting head for now."
"Yes. Someone had to give orders and take responsibility."
As acting head, Agnes first launched a search for Ballak.
She also continued investigating his ties to the Seekers.
"I'm planning to reveal everything about Ramsey."
The Magic Tower incident with Ramsey had been publicized as the work of an unidentified Seeker.
At Agnes's behest. If Ballak found out unnecessarily, all leads might vanish.
But with Ballak gone, there was no need to hide it anymore.
She planned to inform the elders and retainers of Ramsey's survival and investigate in earnest.
"Then they won't stop me from entering the 'Chamber of Contemplation' anymore."
"The Chamber of Contemplation?"
"It's a place in the Schubert family accessible only to the head. It's said to house items from past heads, and there might be Seeker-related objects inside."
But as acting head, Agnes couldn't enter yet. Thus, she intended to reveal the truth about Ramsey and persuade the elders and retainers.
Bang! At that moment, the reception room door burst open, and a group entered—the ones who had been wary of Damian at first sight.
"We welcome your return to the Schubert family. If not for this chaotic time, we would have received you more warmly."
"If I may be so bold, it seems difficult to entertain guests until the family's issues are resolved."
"Inviting Sir Damian was the acting head's unilateral decision. Though you two are engaged, Sir Damian is still an outsider to our family. Please visit again once things calm down."
Their tone was exceedingly polite, but the content was anything but.
It had to be. In their eyes, Damian was a thorn in the side.
With the need to find Ballak and restore him as head, he was empowering Agnes.
"What is this behavior? Sir Damian is present. Mind your words and actions."
Agnes stood, furrowing her brow. Though acting head, she decided all Schubert matters great and small.
Defying her was tantamount to denying her position.
"The acting head seems inexperienced, so we elders merely offered advice."
"We acknowledge your superior aura realm. But governing the family is another matter."
"We're concerned about burdening the acting head with such weight. Please allow us to share the load."
Agnes toyed with her sword hilt. Cutting down these three old men here would be easy.
But this wasn't the way. Some problems couldn't be solved by force alone.
Shhh. The air grew icy. The elders and retainers opposing Agnes showed no intention of backing down.
Paruzan and Shakiya remained seated, observing. They wanted to side with Agnes, but they weren't stakeholders.
"Guide us to the Chamber of Contemplation."
Damian moved. Standing beside Agnes, he addressed the elder blocking him.
No persuasion. It was a clear command.
"Pardon?"
Deep wrinkles formed on the lead elder's forehead. He showed no sign of yielding.
"I don't know what the acting head told you, but only a 'formal' head may enter there."
"Indeed. Moreover, interfering in family matters is improper."
Thorns laced their voices.
No matter Damian's status or superior skill, an outsider had no right to meddle in family affairs.
This was guaranteed by imperial law. Damian, mere illegitimate son of the Emperor, couldn't overstep.
"The former head of Schubert, Ballak, is suspected of ties to the Seekers."
"What, what!?"
"What does that have to—"
It had already been announced at the imperial level. The Seekers were no longer a shadow organization.
"The Schubert bastard Ramsey belongs to the Seekers. Ballak is accused of collaborating with him. I came here to uncover the truth."
Ramsey? The parricide who killed Ruth? No body was found, but everyone assumed him dead.
Alive and a Seeker? The elders and retainers paled at the shocking revelation.
"His Imperial Majesty commanded me to eradicate the Seekers. The title of Empire's Watcher exists for that purpose."
Damian presented a golden ring, symbol of his authority as Watcher.
"......"
The elders and retainers, arrogant moments ago, fidgeted, unsure where to look.
Imperial law no longer protected them.
"I hope the former head of Schubert—my fiancée's uncle—hasn't tangled with such criminals. I pray it's merely a mental affliction."
His heavy tone left them swallowing hard.
No one in the Schubert family could block Damian any longer.