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An eerie tension formed in the Imperial Courts of the Palace once Joshua had escaped that hellhole. Second Prince Kaizen looked nervous, as if he was being chased by someone—or something. Unlike Prince Kaizen, First Prince Kiser was very calm, almost unbothered.
There were many nobles scanning the area with uneasy eyes. The atmosphere didn’t change, but it was already obvious that they all had different thoughts on the situation. Slowly, they felt a grim weight settle on their shoulders. Internally, everyone agreed that only two people could break this fugue.
Their salvation came sooner than expected.
“You’re here.”
Upon hearing Emperor Marcus’s low voice, everyone turned around.
Two men entered the room: the Prides of Avalon, heroes who had made their mark on the fabric of history, or rather two Stars among the stars that decorating the night sky.
The Dark God, Aden von Agnus, and the Sword Emperor, Geschhard kon Tremblin.
“Everyone out except Aden and Geschhard.”
“Y-Your Majesty!” Military Advisor Zegar protested.
“It’s alright.”
“But
”
“Are you forgetting who I am?”
Zegar immediately shut his mouth.
“I will obey, Your Majesty,” said Duke Prius, one of the five Dukes as he left first.
With him taking the lead, the rest of the nobles likewise made their way out. Their curiosity was driving them mad, but not mad enough to deliberately shorten their lifespans.
After the nobles had all left like a receding tide, Emperor Marcus parted his lips.
“This accident is very unlike you, Aden. Did something happen that I’m not aware of?”
“You’ve gone too far, Your Majesty.”
Duke Tremblin shuffled closer to Emperor Marcus.
“Have I gone too far?”
“Joshua is still young.”
“Don’t judge him by his age. Look at his actions: does his actions match his age?”
“He’s also going around calling himself a double-edged sword. Depending on who wields it and why, a sword can be good or evil.”
“High risk, high return. Are you saying that gambling on him might be worth the risk?”
“That’s
 something,” Duke Agnus replied.
Marcus ben Britten shook his head.
“You see, there’s something we call a ‘limit.’ And your son has gone beyond it. Things that I can’t control can become a risk and might even endanger me. Especially since he can even handle demonic power.” Emperor Marcus licked his upper lip as he recalled the holy relic’s response toward Joshua. “Don’t you feel sorry for me? A genius surpassing you has appeared in our Empire, of all places, and that has become a problem for me. And even you, the person I trusted the most, is treating me like this.”
Duke Agnus quelled his emotions and gave the Emperor a perfectly expressionless look.
“You didn’t care about that at all in the beginning, did you?” Duke Angus asked.
“Huh?”
“The undead, drawing the Hubalt Empire into war, and subduing other countries by working with the Swallow Empire. Now that the Emperor of Hubalt and the Pope are at odds, the Holy Grail appears to drive the wedge home. I’m sure that’s what Your Majesty was worrying about.” Duke Agnus’s eyes sank even deeper. “That might be all, but how certain could you be that he would be a benefit to your long term plans? Rather than worrying about it, you just decided to eliminate that variable. To make Avalon shine, to make the Britten name shine.”
“Your pretty words are pushing you across the line too, Aden,” Emperor Marcus growled.
Duke Tremblin began emitting a rough, intimidating force toward Duke Agnus.
“Wouldn’t you rather use Joshua in the war, just like me?”
“If I could do that, I would’ve done it already.”
Emperor Marcus silently examined Duke Agnus and seemed to come to a decision. He buried himself in the throne with a much more relaxed expression.
“So why are we talking about these things? Oh? Is this your way of saying that you’d rather turn your back on the Empire and abandon your family and friends? I don’t think so, though. I don’t think you are that heartless.”
Duke Agnus’s silence made the Emperor flash a sinister smile.
“Calm down, Aden. As long as the plan goes smoothly, I have no intention of harming your children. Plus, your son shines most when he’s in peril.” Emperor Marcus laced his hands together. “He got kicked out of the palace, which means he’s ready to wreak havoc somewhere else. Isn’t that better? Eventually I’ll call your son back and congratulate him for everything that he’s done.”
“On the flip side, have you considered that he’ll become a sword aimed at the Empire?” Duke Agnus questioned.
“HAHA! That would be quite fun too, but won’t you come to the rescue anyways?”
A strange light shimmered in Duke Agnus' eyes.
There was one thing the Emperor was missing—something that eventually became his leash in Joshua’s past life.
“If you’re done talking, I’ll go now and explain this to others. You don’t have to thank me—I did this because I really, really like you.” Emperor Marcus stood up. “I hope this lights a fire under your kid to be more fearful of me and my movements. I’m looking forward to seeing how things progress.”
Duke Agnus felt impatient; he knew that Joshua would feel the same.
***
“I can't do that. The Emperor intends to use me to drag Reinhardt in as well,” Joshua answered.
“What?”
Cain had suggested they go to Reinhardt.
“They expected me to do this from the moment I accused Kaiser of murdering Kasselon. The Emperor doesn’t want the power of the Brittens to weaken; he planned this all along.”
“That means
”
“Think about it for a moment: what would happen if I turned against Avalon with Reinhardt’s help?”
Cain’s eyes popped at the realization.
“...That must be the justification they were seeking.”
“Finding a justification is the core of this event.”
“The continent is still leery of the idea of demonic power
 This might be difficult.”
Cain’s voice lacked its usual confidence. Joshua saw his crestfallen face and snorted out a laugh.
“We’ll finish the rest when our last comrade finally arrive.”
“Ah!” Cain nodded in understanding.
One might well think that the two of them had already escaped Arcadia, but after half a day, they are still in the busy downtown.
Joshua looked up and saw a robed figure walking down the road toward them.
“There you are,” he whispered.
“Icarus, we’re over here!” Cain shouted, momentarily forgetting that they were currently wanted criminals. He immediately realized his mistake and clamped his mouth shut. Instead of shouting, he just waved his hands to get Icarus’s attention.
“...Hooh!”
Again forgetting their current predicament, Cain tried to hug Icarus and got socked in the stomach for his trouble.
“You must be really crazy, you two,” Icarus chastised them.
“What are you—?”
“What, you don’t know? The news is currently spreading far and wide; the Imperial Palace is offering huge bounties each on criminals Joshua Sanders and his knight Cain de Harry for committing high treason.”
“But why are you only hitting me—?”
Icarus froze him with a glare.
“Do you want me to beat Master? That’s why you deserve it. You can’t even keep your own master out of trouble.”
“You’re right
” Cain moaned.
“Also
” Icarus turned from Cain to Joshua and sighed. “I think you’ll have to delay the explanations for now
 but I’ll have to hear the details eventually.”
Joshua broke out in a cold sweat.
“I’ll hear everything later.”
“Alright.”
Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
“I have much to say. But for now, let’s decide how we’re leaving Arcadia,” Icarus remarked.
Joshua nodded in agreement. “That, I can agree with.”
“So where?” Cain cut in.
“We should leave Arcadia
 no, Avalon. The Emperor’s reach extends across the entire country.”
“We can’t go to Reinhardt either.”
“I figured.”
Unlike Cain, it only took Icarus one glance at Joshua to know the complete situation.
“How about exile in a foreign country?”
“Huh?”
Cain was visibly startled.
“Why are you so surprised? No one will treat you like a hero in a country where you’re a wanted criminal. So we should leave and be in another country where we might be treated as a hero.”
“But
”
A look of concern passed over Cain's face.
“It’s only temporary. As you know, our lord is definitely not the kind of person to suffer, right?”
Cain’s eyes widened. Icarus fixed her gaze on Joshua as the latter let out a chuckle.
“Small countries like Thran and Hart are fine,” she proposed. “Other medium sized kingdoms are also fine
 but the other empires
?”
Icarus discovered a smile floating on Joshua’s lips and hesitated.
“You already have a place in mind,” she realized.
“Huh?” Cain flinched and turned to look at Joshua.
“Our destination doesn’t have to be a country. There are things that I need to take care of first.”
“So what is it? Please be a normal destination this time,” Cain nervously begged.
“The place is
 the Great Plains of Aiyash.”
Cain and Icarus were both surprised.
“Aiyash
”
“No way you’re serious.”
Joshua nodded.
The Great Plains of Aiyash, a wasteland unclaimed by any country. It was home to the Magic Tower, also known as the Treasure House of Truth.