After reading the report from Selina, the Prime Minister looked up at the ceiling.
"The matter with Prince Linus is also a problem."
If the enemy country were to weaken, that would be ideal, but the enemy is not so naive.
They will surely seek benefits from the victor.
It will be us, serving the empire, who will have to prepare those benefits, not Linus.
The Prime Minister's honest wish was that Linus would not make such arbitrary promises to become the emperor.
However, such exchanges have happened many times in the history of the empire.
There is no need to panic.
Rather, the problem is Liam.
He has been actively building relations with other countries and is now providing a large amount of supplies to them.
He is actively supporting the side that is hostile to the camp Linus is involved in.
Linus has also noticed this move.
From Linus's perspective, it feels like a gauntlet has been thrown down.
Moreover, Cleo has established a faction.
The number of nobles who have joined the faction is less than two hundred.
It started with about a hundred, but it has gradually increased.
Most of the families that have increased are those that cannot manage their territories on their own.
In other words, they are all weak families.
By supporting such families, Cleo is increasing his presence.
In reality, it is Liam who is providing the support.
"Perhaps he has been building a solid foundation through proper territorial management. It's a grounded approach."
The Prime Minister can appreciate the territorial management that does not neglect other aspects just because of the availability of rare metals.
However, what this means is a full-scale confrontation with Linus.
"Well, how will Prince Linus move?"
The Prime Minister was slightly looking forward to how this match would turn out.
â
Linus's Room.
There, Linus swept the items on his desk with his hand.
"That brat!!"
Recently, bad rumors about Linus have been spreading.
Rumors that he has made secret deals with other countries.
These rumors are true, and Liam's high information-gathering ability has been demonstrated.
However, Linus does not intend to corner himself with this.
Rather, Calvin's faction is relentlessly attacking this point.
Linus is troubled, wanting to crush Liam but not wanting to show any weakness in front of Calvin.
Breathing heavily and snapping his fingers, men appeared from the floor.
The men, wearing unique masks, were kneeling before Linus.
One of the leaders spoke, his voice not muffled despite the mask.
"You seem troubled, Prince Linus."
Linus sat roughly in his chair, not hiding his dissatisfaction.
"It's your turn. Make an example of Cleoâthen kill Liam."
They are an organization that handles dark and dirty jobs, currently employed by Linus.
"Killing Prince Cleo will be quite expensive, as will Liam. The knight by his side is skilled."
Linus's veins were bulging on his forehead, and one of his eyes was twitching.
"What of it? Get rid of them quickly. I'll eliminate those fools who defy me."
The masked men chuckled.
"Well, we've also lost some of our men."
"Even if they were just underlings, it's a chance to retaliate."
"But, is it wise? With Prince Calvin around, will you allocate resources to Prince Cleo?"
Linus understands this.
Calvin is more troublesome than Cleo.
However, he cannot ignore Cleo and Liam.
"Eliminate them."
The masked men, still kneeling, sank into the floor and disappeared.
Linus looked up at the ceiling.
"You seem confident in your sword skills, but they have been active in the empire's shadows for two thousand years. Don't think you can handle themâLiam."
They have assassinated strong knights with their skills over the years.
Strength alone is not enough against them.
"Even if Liam has his own dark forces, he doesn't have the caliber of people the empire has. You've picked the wrong person to anger."
â
The harem was enveloped in night.
Cleo, alone in his room, was looking out the window, feeling uneasy and having trouble sleeping.
"I feel so uneasy."
Since Linus declared war, he has had trouble sleeping.
Thinking about how weak he is, he feels ashamed.
Behind Cleo, men wearing masks slowly appeared from the floor.
Cleo, surprised, took a step back.
He immediately grabbed the hilt of the hidden sword, and a laser blade appeared.
"Who are you!?"
The masked men had an odd aura.
They were strong, but their strength felt different from that of knights.
When the masked men fully emerged from the floor, they were holding the heads of other masked men.
Some had bodies, others just heads.
Cleo was drenched in cold sweat.
(Who are these people!?)
Then, Tia burst in, opening the door roughly.
"Are you alright, Prince Cleo!"
Tia held a rapier, its blade stained with blood.
It seemed she had been splattered by the blood.
Cleo called out to Tia.
"Be careful! These people are dangerous."
The dangerous men, seeing Tia, made way for her.
She walked through the path and approached Cleo to check if he was safe.
"You seem to be alright."
Cleo, surprised, understood.
"Are they allies?"
"Yes."
Tia, confirming Cleo's safety, started making calls on a communication device.
"It's me. ââUnderstood. Lord Liam's safety is the priority."
After ending the call, Tia explained the situation to Cleo.
"Prince Linus has made his move. He has sent assassins to us and to Elliot of the Clave Trading Company."
"Assassins?"
Cleo thought of the dark forces that enter the harem and the dead bodies the masked men were holding.
(Could these be them? I've never seen them before.)
However, the masked men were a problem.
They wore similar masks.
"Are these really allies? They look similar."
Perhaps they are from the same organization, employed by Liam?
As he thought this, Tia urged him.
"Let's move quickly. Lord Liam is worried."
"ââUnderstood."
â
The headquarters of the Clave Trading Company.
The conference room was stained with blood.
Elliot, sitting in a chair, pretended to be unaffected by the scene before him.
"ââDid you betray me on Prince Linus's orders?"
The captured men in suits were the executives of the Clave Trading Company.
Around them, the hired assassins lay dead.
"President, we are sorry!"
"But, we considered the survival of the Clave Trading Company!"
"We will never do this again!"
Around Elliot, there were men wearing masks.
One of them, playing with a knife, approached the executives, showing his red eyes.
The executives foamed at the mouth and fell.
Around Elliot, there were three guards sent by Liam.
The conference room's windows were shattered, with fine cracks all over.
Evidence of a sniper attack.
"President Elliotâthese men seem to have tried to eliminate you in line with Prince Linus's actions. It was their own initiative."
"I see. What a pity."
Elliot's back was drenched in sweat.
(I didn't think they had such capable people.)
He had expected skilled knights as guards.
However, the ones sent were Kukuri's subordinates.
They had taken down over ten hired assassins.
Outside the window, the snipers had already been dealt with.
The masked men started discussing.
"Lord Liam?"
"The leader is guarding him."
"But there's an interesting story."
Seeing the guards happily discussing the dead bodies, Elliot felt a mix of emotions.
(If I betray them, I'll end up like these men.)
Liam is terrifying.
But, he is also very reliable.
(Lord Liam, I will use your help. To become the true leader of this company and expand it, I need your power.)
He had been prepared for rough work since taking over the large company.
Now, he was happy to have such a powerful ally.
â
At that time.
On the rooftop of the hotel where Liam was staying, masked men were fiercely fighting.
Kukuri was battling one of the organization's top fighters.
The man was anxious.
"Who are you? Why do you use the same techniques as us!?"
The man was anxious because they used the same techniques.
Not similar, but the same, which he quickly realized.
Kukuri replied.
"Same? No, that's not it. You imitated us."
"What are you talking about!?"
In front of the confused man, Kukuri was laughing, her shoulders shaking.
"Not of the same lineage. You must have stolen our techniques and formed a new organization. No wonder your skills are poor. The oral tradition has been lost."
The man looked around.
His comrades were being eliminated one by one, increasing his anxiety.
He tried to escape, but Kukuri's subordinates surrounded him, preventing his escape.
Several of them touched the floor, and ominous runes appeared, hindering the movement magic.
The man, realizing he had no escape, became calm.
"ââYou're trying to confuse me, but it won't work."
Kukuri and her subordinates had been petrified for two thousand years.
During that time, if they had stolen Kukuri's techniques and formed a new organization, it was understandable to be suspicious.
He wouldn't have thought that a being from two thousand years ago would return.
"Confuse? Hmm, a professional habit. Very suspicious. Well, let's end this."
Kukuri closed the distance and extended her arm.
The man, recoiling, avoided her arm.
Kukuri's hand touched the man's mask, revealing his mouth.
The man's mouth was smiling.
"I got one back."
As the man said this, insect-like legsâspider legsâpierced through his clothes and stabbed Kukuri, eight at once.
The legs pierced through Kukuri's back and protruded from her chest.
Kukuri's subordinates were shocked.
They approached with weapons to help.
The man, knowing he was going to die, was smiling, having taken Kukuri with him.
"I'll take you all with me!"
The bomb planted in the man's body activated.
It had the power to blow up the hotel and Liam with it.
The man, thinking he had completed his mission at the cost of his life, saw Kukuri move.
Kukuri's red eyes glowed, and she happily stabbed the man's chest, pulling out the bomb.
The bomb was defused.
The man, spitting blood, was shocked to see Kukuri.
"Why?"
"You shouldn't be so complacent. But, very impressive. The technique you used is not one of ours. I will thoroughly investigate you."
Kukuri pulled out the legs that had pierced her.
She didn't look like she had a life-threatening injury.
The man was restrained by Kukuri's subordinates.
Kukuri observed and touched the man's body with interest.
"Spider-based hidden weapon. It's also poisonous. Hmmâinteresting, but not great. Perhaps a technique to replicate the characteristics of other creatures?"
A subordinate spoke to Kukuri, who was investigating.
"Lord Liam is calling for you."
"Hmm, a pity! Then, half of you should thoroughly investigate and recover the bodies. Treat them with respect, as they are our juniors. By the way, I want to investigate this one alive, so keep him alive."
The man, about to lose consciousness, had his mouth covered, and treatment began.
Kukuri headed to Liam.
â
When Kukuri was called, the assassins had already been dealt with.
"Is it over?"
"Yes. The fact that they sent skilled men shows that Prince Linus