‘It’s about time for the assassins to make their move.’
I opened the door to the hall and stepped outside.
The sounds of the noisy banquet hall faded behind me.
Calm moonlight and the chirping of insects in the garden greeted me.
It would take less than 10 minutes to cross the garden and reach my destination.
There’s no need to rush.
In fact, it’s better to walk leisurely to avoid suspicion and unnecessary attention.
…But then.
— Step, Step.
I encountered someone walking towards the banquet hall.
No, it would be more accurate to say they blocked my path.
“So, you’re Ian Blackangers.”
The person, showing a somewhat sullen smile, was Guillotine Estrid, the Second Prince.
‘… This is the last person I wanted to run into.’
Richard and Raymond.
I’ve clashed or had conflicts with both factions supporting Guillotine.
Would someone like him have any favorable feelings towards me?
More likely, he’d want to tear me apart.
Honestly, I wanted to just ignore him and pass by.
But he stopped me and even greeted me.
Why is the star of the banquet loitering around here anyway? Still, I can’t just ignore a prince’s greeting.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness, the Second Prince.”
“An honor, you say.”
Hoh!
He snickered, lifting the corner of his mouth.
“Of course, it would be an honor for you. You crushed Richard, a member of the Bloodstone Cult, and were rewarded by my father because of it. How could that not be an honor?”
His words were laced with venom.
Though he wasn’t outright threatening, the air around him felt thick and heavy, like a fog just before dawn.
“…”
This wasn’t a situation I could respond to easily.
When I remained silent, he spoke again.
“.. Did you really have to do it?”
“Do what, Your Highness?”
“Expose the fact that Richard was a member of the Bloodstone Cult. Did you really have to go that far?”
What kind of nonsense is this insane prince spewing in the sacred imperial palace?
What was I supposed to do? Ignore the evil roots of the Bloodstone Cult?
From the first moment I met him, I could tell Guillotine wasn’t in his right mind.
“Is the Bloodstone Cult really all that bad? I mean, there could be some good people among them, right? Like any group, they probably have their share of good and bad.”
I hesitated before answering.
Why?
Because I was beginning to seriously suspect that Guillotine might be part of the Bloodstone Cult himself.
“That may be true, but if I might offer a humble suggestion, Your Highness. As a future ruler, shouldn’t you be more concerned with the harmful influence of a group like the Bloodstone Cult, rather than focusing on the individual good or evil within it?”
I hid two blades within my response.
The first was that a mere student of Lichten Academy was offering advice to the Empire’s prince.
The second was my open condemnation of the Bloodstone Cult.
Guillotine’s eyebrow twitched in anger, signaling his frustration.
If he responded by defending the greatness of the Bloodstone Cult, even if it were evil, then he was certainly a member.
If, on the other hand, he simply reacted to the insult to his authority, then he wasn’t a cultist. Just another power-hungry fool.
“How dare you! You have no restraint when speaking to a prince!”
He was furious.
At least he’s not a member of the Bloodstone Cult.
But his eyes gleamed dangerously.
His aura became so fierce it seemed as if he might draw the sword at his waist at any moment.
Whatever he was, the Estrid bloodline is undeniably strong.
I almost turned the hourglass I had set to [1] to prepare for a counter.
‘Don’t fight.’
Fighting the prince in the imperial palace would be sheer madness, a surefire way to court death.
I’d be instantly charged with treason and a dozen other crimes, and executed.
No, running away would be a much better option…
“Snap out of it, Guillotine.”
A cold beauty with blonde hair walked out from behind him.
… The First Princess?
And following her was none other than the Archbishop of the Lichten branch of the Deus Church.
The princess, the prince, and even the archbishop.
What on earth were they all doing here together?
“Adriel, this is none of your business.”
“Guillotine, show some respect. And remember, this man was personally invited by His Majesty.”
“… It’s none of your concern.”
“I’m stopping you despite the fact that it would benefit me if you caused a scene. Don’t you understand why?”
“…”
Guillotine, now silent, released his grip from the handle of his sword and walked past me.
“Consider yourself lucky.”
Indeed, I was lucky.
The First Princess, who had saved me, stared at me intently.
Her gaze was as unsettling as the Emperor’s—cold, as if she could see right through people.
But.
It wasn’t just an empty gaze.
There was a fierce ambition burning within those eyes.
I didn’t know where that ambition was directed, but at least for now, she wasn’t my enemy.
That was a relief.
— Click.
Without another word, she walked past me.
Her stride was so graceful, she could be called the Empress right now, and no one would argue.
As if to take her place, a gentle elderly man called out to me.
“Ian Blackangers, it’s a pleasure to see you here. Funny how we’ve never crossed paths in the same city.”
He was an elderly man with white hair and a long white beard.
He was a high-ranking figure, the head of the Lichten branch of the Deus Church and one of the 13 archbishops of the Holy Constantine.
It wasn’t strange that he was with Princess Adriel. After all, the Holy Kingdom of Constantine was one of the forces backing her.
“It’s an honor, Your Grace.”
“When you return to Lichten, I’d like to invite you to the church.”
I nodded silently in response and gave a polite bow.
… I had planned to visit anyway, to check on Aria’s shattered mind.
A prince, a princess, and an archbishop.
The main storylines were slowly coming to an end, visible on the distant horizon.
But for now, I needed to focus on the present.
To see the end of this main storyline, the Emperor needed to stay alive for the time being.
◆
The moon was rising.
I stepped into the main hall, avoiding the flood of moonlight pouring down like rain.
The Emperor may be a mere figurehead, but his influence in the Empire is immense.
Everyone at least nominally swears allegiance to the Emperor.
The rise of the Bloodstone Cult and the escalating conflict between the Holy Constantine and the Empire were already intensifying. Meanwhile, although the First Princess seemed to be leading in the succession race, nothing was certain.
If the Emperor were to die under these circumstances, the Empire’s entire ruling structure would fall into chaos.
Not only the princess and princes but also the treacherous ministers who controlled the Emperor and various greedy factions would rush to claim the throne.
The result would be even more severe chaos.
The far-reaching impact on the entire storyline was clear.
Despite the short volume, this was why the ‘Attempted Assassination of the Emperor’ was treated as a major scenario in the main plot.
“You cannot pass. What is your business here?”
Before I knew it, I had reached the Sword Line.
The knight firmly blocked my way.
Silently, I handed him my Pass of Entry.
The knight bowed his head slightly but spoke firmly once again.
“You cannot carry any weapons past this point.”
Even the Emperor’s parents would not be allowed to enter here with weapons.
Only the Emperor and his direct guards were permitted to carry weapons and use magic in this area.
The Sword Line is absolute.
That blue line isn’t just a simple rule but a barrier formed by a magic circle.
This barrier serves two purposes.
No one carrying an object above a certain ‘threat level’ can pass through.
And no magic can be used within.
This is why assassinating the Emperor is no easy task.
I handed over my weapons to the knight, except for the hourglass, which I kept in my pocket.
The knight’s eyes narrowed.
“… What’s that?”
“As you can see, it’s an hourglass.”
“… It’s not a dangerous item, is it?”
“You’re welcome to check for yourself.”
The knight’s hand glowed faintly blue as he examined the hourglass.
After a brief nod, he returned it to me, and I proceeded past the Sword Line.
— Woom!
Crossing the blue line, I felt a subtle sensation of discomfort, but the barrier didn’t stop me.
That’s because what I carried wasn’t a weapon but Ether, a material that’s classified as “Beyond Classification”.
The hallway, now draped in night, was quiet.
Only a few servants and guards passed by, meeting my gaze briefly before bowing their heads.
‘This way.’
I turned right into a corridor lined with portraits of the imperial family.
A series of identical, ornate doors stretched out ahead of me.
One of these rooms was the Emperor’s chamber.
Imperial guards stood posted outside each door, and the one who seemed to be their leader approached me.
“What is your business here?”
“I’ve come to protect His Majesty.”
“What…?”
Just as confusion spread across the commander’s face—
— Woom!
An invisible pulse rippled through the air, and I could suddenly sense the flow of the surrounding elements.
This phenomenon had a simple meaning.
‘… The magic-restriction barrier has weakened.’
And once again—
— Woom!
This time, it was the weapon-restriction wave being lifted.
— Crash!
Before anyone could react, the windows in the corridor shattered simultaneously.
Masked figures dressed in black stormed through the windows.
“The barrier’s down? Stop them! Don’t let them find His Majesty’s chamber!”
The initially stunned commander quickly began to respond.
I stepped in front of him.
“What are you doing!”
“Guard only the Emperor’s chamber. These intruders are well-informed. Smoke screens won’t work.”
“… Understood!”
At least the knight could follow orders.
He immediately gathered his men and positioned them around one door.
Had he realized I was guiding him?
Some of the masked assassins at the rear turned their attention toward me.
“… Quick-witted, aren’t you?”
“Are you the leader of this assassination squad?”
“That’s not something you need to know. You’re going to die here anyway. It doesn’t seem like you even have a weapon.”
Tzzz.
A chill ran down my spine as I felt the deadly intent in the air.
I quickly used [Leap] to gain distance.
— Swish!
I barely escaped in time, though a part of my sleeve was sliced clean off.
“Oh, that was an expensive uniform.”
The assassin looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“What kind of man are you?”
“That’s not something you need to know either.”
The magic had returned.
I could now use Ether.
Ether can become anything.
Just as I could leap…
So could the Ether.
“I’ve actually been working on a new weapon… or maybe it’s more like magic.”
I grinned and pointed my fingers at him.
— Pshooooo!
Ether transformed into sharp, arrow-like projectiles and shot toward the assassins.
