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Kaiser’s Palace.
Kaiser looked like an ant on a hot pan as he paced around his palace anxiously.
‘I didn’t expect this
 this is too much.’ He eyed the crystal ball on his bed and bit his lips. He had been waiting for quite a while now, but the call still hadn’t arrived.
“This won’t do. If it goes on—”
Beep! Flash!
There was a flash of light, and Kaiser grabbed the crystal ball in the blink of an eye.
The bright light appeared once again, but rather than disappearing in a flash, it coalesced to form the face of a man.
“Sir Evergrant!” Kaiser called out in joy.
- Are you doing fine, Your Highness?
“I would love to say yes, but it has only been a few days, and so many unexpected things are happening. I can’t help but feel anxious.”
Evergrant's eyes twinkled.
- So you encountered problems.
“That’s an understatement. Anyway, how long will it take you to complete your task?”
- As I’ve said before, Tower Master Ian has many followers. Actually, he’s like a god for most mages.
“Do you have a plan?”
- I’ve done quite a bit during my business here, but I think a little politics will help.
Kaiser’s eyes widened. He knew Evergrant better than anyone else.
“What do you mean by politics?” asked Kaiser.
- I have a great relationship with a few high-ranked mages. With a little effort, I could overthrow the Tower Master in one fell swoop.
“What’s the justification?”
- That has been in preparation for a long time.
“Right. Once we succeed, it seems that I will have to call you Tower Master rather than Chief Mage.”
- It’s still going to take a while. Anyway, can you please tell me what the matter is?
Kaiser silently chewed on his lips for a while. Eventually, he said, “It seems that someone else has discovered our plans.”
- Huh?
Evergrant tilted his head in surprise. Kaiser’s words were completely out of his expectations.
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“I’m talking about the incident with my brother.”
- You mean

“Sir Galahad is dead. No, it might be more accurate to say that he was murdered.”
- ...!
The crystal ball hummed to express Evergrant’s surprise.
- What do you mean?
“Count Ulysses came over just now, and
”
Kaiser then told Evergrant the recent events, and when Kaiser was done speaking, both men remained silent for a while.
- It’s not like our plans are laid out in the open. The helper beside Sir Galahad is considered to be one of the best in the field and wouldn’t have made a mistake.
“Do you think there might be a traitor among us?”
- That is very unlikely. Don’t you know him more than anyone else?
“Why does Joshua Sanders know about the plan, then?”
- Perhaps they retrieved the information from Sir Galahad’s corpse.
Kaiser clicked his tongue and nodded in agreement. Indeed, that was a possibility.
- Don’t worry. Black Wind is on our side, so we can always twist the story.
“...!” Kaiser's eyes widened upon hearing that. Then, he smiled and asked, “You succeeded?”
- Yes. Sir Jacken will be our most important member.
“Black Magic truly is convenient...This is really some great news in a long while.”
- Yes. Anyway, please just stand on the sidelines for now.
“What should I do now?”
-...
Evergrant remained silent. He seemed to be thinking of something.
- You just have to make sure that the blame won’t fall on you.
“That’s what I also thought, but it seems impossible.”
- You have Princess Serciarin.
Kaiser was struck by an epiphany.
“If I use Serciarin for that, though
”
- Right, we have to delay upsetting the balance between the First and Second Princes.
“Another case of the end justifying the means?”
- I’m not sure, but if we get caught right now, we’ll lose before the war even begins. With Her Highness’ Eyes of Truth backing you up, I’m sure that even the distrustful Emperor Marcus will believe you.
“...How long will it last?”
- Only a day, including the time that she recovers her vision. She will also do our bidding upon taking the elixir.
“What do you mean?” asked Kaiser. It was clear that he was still anxious about all this.
- The elixir is also called Death Puppetry in ancient times, so we will be able to control her once she takes it. By then, I will place the blame on Prince Kaizen.
Evergrant’s eyes gleamed with a strange light.
- It’s a bit ridiculous that he ended up being our biggest obstacle rather than the other princes and His Majesty. That child Joshua Sanders. Anyway, we have to make our move as soon as possible.
“Is there really no other way? He grew so much that it’s hard to compare him to when we saw him five years ago. I heard that Knight Commander Rod couldn’t even land a single hit on him. I think he really did defeat the Mercenary King, and it’s not by coincidental luck.”
Joshua was extremely important to Kaiser. Their plans would definitely progress much easier if Kaiser were wielding the sword called Joshua.
- If Sir Galahad really were murdered, then the next steps would have already been taken.
Kaiser paused. “What do you mean?”
- Sir Galahad has someone else with him at all times.
Kaiser stiffened upon hearing Evergrant’s words. It was all because he was struck with yet again another realization.
“Um
 But do you know the identity of that helper? Although I know Heimdall had arranged for him like us, but—”
- I’m aware. He will be a huge help to us in the future.
“Who is he?”
- The helper is

Evergrant’s voice sounded in the silence of the room.
- “He” is an old friend. but he’s related to one of the Nine Stars, the King of Darkness. The Assassin King is a mere child compared to him.
Kaiser’s eyes widened upon hearing that.
Finally, Evergrant said his final piece.
- Just wait a bit longer, Your Highness.
***
Shwing!
Joshua watched the strike bounce off of him, despite the tremendous force behind it.
“Who are you?!”
Knight Commander Rod didn’t even wait for his attack to land before he charged at Joshua once again. His golden mana whipped across several hundred meters, changing dramatically as it flew.
A figure in black jumped into the air from the shadows behind the Imperial Knights.
Joshua and the figure’s eyes met. Joshua’s eyes glimmered. The figure’s eyes were telling him a lot of things. The figure seemed to be provoking Joshua.
There were around a thousand Imperial Knights and two Superhumans. In addition, Duke Agnus and Emperor Marcus were here.
The figure threw a dagger as a distraction, but there were so many strong individuals that the figure couldn’t possibly distract all of them with a mere dagger.
Still, the figure continued their escape. It seemed that they were sure that no one would catch them as long as they were fast enough. In addition, their skill enabled them to hide until they revealed themselves by throwing a dagger.
‘You
’ Joshua had caught an idea who the figure might be, and his body had reacted even faster than his thoughts when he was attacked.
“Stop!” Knight Commander Rod yelled upon finally noticing the figure.
However, the figure had already slipped away.
“Don’t think that your claims have already been proven! We’re still going to chase after that escapee!” Knight Commander Rod exclaimed.
“It's over.”
“...!” Knight Commander Rod’s eyes widened upon hearing the familiar voice.
“Your Majesty?”
“An intruder had walked right into the middle of the Imperial Palace and had even mingled with the Imperial Knights.” Emperor Marcus quietly stood up. “Aren’t you supposed to uncover that intruder’s identity?”
Knight Commander Rod hurriedly bowed his head. “I am ashamed.”
“I’m not going to blame you because they seemed to be quite the adversary
”
“If
” Knight Commander Rod glanced at Joshua.
Emperor Marcus smiled bitterly. “What are you worried about? His father is still here. Even if the child runs away, we can still punish the father. Parents need to be responsible for raising their children poorly. Am I right, Aden?”
Every noble’s attention turned to Duke Agnus.
“As you say, Your Majesty.”
Duke Agnus’ answer was decisive.
“Yes. I like cool people like you.” Emperor Marcus grinned. After all, what could others do if he already decided on what he was going to do? He turned to look at Joshua and said, “Go. The fight is postponed until your return. Do whatever is necessary, I’m enjoying all this, anyway.”
“I thank Your Majesty,” Joshua bowed his head slightly before vanishing.
Joshua's figure, who slightly bowed his head, was gone in an instant.
“Master! Let’s go together!” Cain still looked like he had no idea what was going on, but he immediately chased after Joshua despite his confusion.
“What are you doing?! The Imperial Knights must act as well,” Knight Commander Rod berated the surrounding knights. “Lack of caution would lead to serious situations in the Imperial Palace.”
“We hear and obey, Knight Commander, sir!”
With that being said, the Imperial Knights hurriedly made their move.
***
There was a loud pounding noise over the sound of the wind. The figure clad in black was already far away, but Joshua could still track him. It wasn’t really strange because Joshua was extremely familiar with the figure’s movement technique.
‘I wasn’t sure that you’d be here, actually.’
Joshua took to the air like a bird and landed on the roof of a tall building in the middle of Arcadia, then leaped again. As he ascended, he got a clearer view of Arcadia—including a figure walking through the city gates.
‘He’s already reached there.’
His target was moving furtively, but Joshua could see them despite the figure’s stealth.
‘Killing two birds with one stone, as they say
’ Joshua clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palm. ‘
‘If I kill him, the King of Darkness will be angry, but
’
Joshua revealed a smile under the moonlight.
“Even if it’s the King of Darkness, anyone who would dare to stand in the way of my revenge shall die.”