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After Kaiser came back to his palace, he burst into anger
“I’ll kill that son of a bitch over and over again!” he cursed.
He picked up a glass vase and slammed it into the ground, noisily flinging fragments all over the floor.
“What? ‘Wait until they authenticate the imperial seal?’ Hah! Hahahahaha!” Kaiser laughed maniacally.
“Y-Your Highness…” the head butler of the Fourth Prince’s palace stuttered.
“How dare they!” Kaiser picked up another piece of decor.
The head butler shut his eyes tightly. Fortunately...
“You sound quite angry,” a man nonchalantly remarked from the palace's first floor. Kaiser went as still as a sculpture. Although his real personality was quite different, Kaiser liked to show an image of self-control and restraint in front of the others.
“…Brother Kaizen? Why are you here…?” Kaizen asked.
“For the same reason as you. I can’t just stay in my bed at times like this, can I?” Kaizen said as he made himself comfortable in the chair he was sitting in. There was a bite to his words that made Kaiser shut his mouth.
“I heard you greeted the mages from the Magic Tower,” Kaizen continued.
“…Yes, that’s right.” Kaiser nodded.
“You also met Joshua Sanders.” One end of Kaizen’s mouth curled up slightly.
Kaiser’s eyebrows twitched.
“…Brother, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel well,” he said, an implicit yet clear request for Kaizen to leave.
“I’m sure you don’t,” Kaizen said dismissively. “I have a proposal. You must have already heard about the rumor that war will soon break out.”
Kaiser remained silent.
“Joshua Sanders will soon head to the border.”
Kaiser’s eyes widened; Kaizen had gotten his attention.
“If he survives the war and returns,” the older prince continued, “he wants us to formally recognize him as a prince.”
“That lowly bastard doesn’t know his place…” Kaiser muttered. Kaizen chuckled. Kaiser’s voice was so quiet that no one else should have heard, but Kaizen had read Kaiser’s lips.
“Either way, we’re suffering a loss. The whole Empire is in danger if he loses this war, but he’ll become incomparably influential if he wins it. Think about it: the citizens of the Empire have trouble sleeping due to nervousness. Right before the continent is about to be ravaged by the war, he rises victorious and returns to the Empire. He’s going to be seen as the last hero of the falling Empire.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kaiser sharply replied.
The enemies of the Avalon Empire were the two empires that practically ruled the continent. On top of that, the enemy’s army was led by the two strongest Skies of the continent: the Crimson Sky and the Martial Emperor. Although it would be impossible to emerge victorious after defeating all of them, the princes of Avalon had no chance of winning the battle for the throne if Joshua pulled off a victory.
‘…Besides, Heimdall himself would have to step in if the situation becomes really bad. Only if it can happen…’ Kaiser thought, unwittingly clenching his fists.
Kaizen’s voice brought Kiser back to reality.
“I also think so,” Kaizen said, “but there is no harm in preparing in advance. The current ideal scenario would be him beating the bush and us catching the birds.”
“Brother,” Kaiser said, raising his hands. It was really difficult for him to keep listening to Kaizen’s nonsense. “Why don’t we stop—”
“Take my hand,” Kaizen offered.
Kaiser flinched as he was about to continue.
“Brother Kiser is the worst hypocrite. An emperor can’t exist without a country? Nonsense, why would you need a country if you can’t become an emperor? I’ll support you, so please help me too.”
Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.
It looked like the second brother had a plan, but Kaiser didn’t expect much.
“…In what way?” Kaiser asked.
“You must have Evergrant’s ancient spellbook, the one and only existing Class 8 spellbook,” Kaizen said, narrowing his eyes.
Kaiser shook his head. “What are you talking about—?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know. I already know everything.” Kaizen’s eyes gleamed. “The spellbook you have is a treasure that a mage would sell their families and their soul for. On top of that, I heard that the current Master of the Magic Tower is talented, but that boy can’t get to the next level because he doesn’t have a good teacher. If we can have a private meeting with that boy, wouldn’t it be possible to fabricate the imperial seal?”
There was no way for Kaiser to not understand what Kaizen meant. Kaiser’s eyes turned cold.
“…You don’t trust me, Brother.”
“I hope your imperial seal is the original one too, but I’m just preparing for the worst scenario. Besides, you know what the imperial seal symbolizes. Since Father disappeared, the seal itself is the previous emperor’s will, so even a great, victorious war hero is merely a pawn on the chessboard.” Kaizen looked straight into Kaiser’s eyes. “Once we get our hands on that imperial seal, then we have the ‘justifiable cause’ that those old men love, and Duke Tremblin can’t disagree.”
Kaiser went quiet as he became lost in his thoughts. Truthfully, Kaizen’s offer wasn’t bad for Kaiser since he was already thinking the same as Kaizen. Wouldn’t it be for the best if Kaiser could also get the Second Prince’s support? Kaiser didn’t have to ponder for a long time.
“…I won’t beat around the bush since you already know,” Kaiser said, shrugging.
“I knew it…!” Kaizen’s face brightened up when his assumption was confirmed.
“…Before we start, I want you to promise me one thing,” Kaiser cautiously said.
“Promise you what?”
“You said you’ll support me, right?”
Without hesitation, Kaizen nodded. “Of course.”
“Then please gather up the nobles that are on your side and formally acknowledge me as one of your own,” Kaiser requested.
“That’s not a difficult request.” Kaizen shrugged.
“If you do that, I’ll try coaxing him as you requested.”
Kaizen smiled brightly upon hearing the answer that he had been waiting for.
“Summon the Tower Master first in secret, then I’ll grant any wishes of yours.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Joshua finally arrived at Emperor Marcus’s bedroom. He stood in front of the door that was elegantly engraved with a golden dragon.
The menacing Imperial Knights protecting the bedroom drew their swords, creating an ominous rasp of metal.
“Lower your swords,” Kiser commanded.
The Imperial Knights flinched. “But Your Highness…”
“I’m the one who promised him this. Are you going to make me a liar?” the prince demanded, glaring at them.
Surprisingly, the Imperial Knights… stepped back. For generations, the Imperial Knights of the First Battalion had protected the Emperor’s bedroom, and they only obeyed the Emperor’s command. Those prideful men were currently following the orders of the man who wasn’t an emperor.
“Why did you insist on coming to this place?” Kiser asked Joshua.
“I don’t remember promising to tell you why,” Joshua replied as he moved to stand right before the door.
Kiser sighed. “I’ll keep my promise. Besides, you already got what you wanted, so it won’t do you any good to be vigilant around me.”
Kiser looked at Joshua, but he stayed stubbornly silent. Kiser frowned slightly.
“…If you think so, fine, but you won’t stop us from going into the room with you, will you?”
Just as he said that, a loud stomp echoed down the hallway. The reason why Kiser used the word “us” was that dozens of the Imperial Knights were following Kiser.
“Haha.” Joshua chuckled.
“…Are you laughing?” Kiser frowned.
“There’s no reason to not tell you,” Joshua replied with a shrug.
Kiser was about to snap, but he restrained himself.
“…You sound like you’re going to answer my question.”
Joshua nodded. “That’s right.”
“Then…”
“We’ll be able to find out the forgotten truth in this place,” Joshua nonchalantly replied.
“What?” Kiser narrowed his eyes.
“I assume His Majesty was assassinated here?”
Kiser’s eyes widened; what Joshua said was basically a taboo. An emperor was basically a god in his empire—how could a god be killed by others? It was impossible and should never happen. That was the reason why the Avalon Empire’s officials had publicly declared that Emperor Marcus had gone missing.
A knight came forward, growling.
“You’re seriously—”
Kiser quietly raised his hand, stopping the knight in his tracks.
“…His Majesty didn’t get assassinated.”
Joshua’s smile deepened. “Aren’t you curious about the truth too, Your Highness?”
“…What?” Kiser frowned subtly.
“What will you do if I say I have a way to find out the truth?” Joshua slowly turned to Kiser, who had gone still as a statue. “Are you ready to face the truth, prince?”
“What are you saying…?” Kiser fixed his eyes on Joshua.
“I’ll show you if you say you’re ready.”
His next move put the knights on high alert. They jumped between Joshua and Kiser as Joshua put his hand into his pocket.
“Stop right now!” One of the knights yelled. “Or else—!”
“There’s no need to be tense.” Joshua quietly chuckled and pulled something out from his inner pocket.
“That’s…?” Kiser tilted his head in confusion. It was a round, earthen-colored object the size of a fist, but it was impossible for him to determine what it was until Joshua spoke up again.
“It’s Gaia, the primordial stone,” Joshua explained.
Kiser’s eyes bulged; he’d heard that name before.
“One of Gaia’s abilities is peering into the memory left on the ground.”
“Peering… at the memory?” Kiser repeated.
Joshua nodded. “That’s why it’s also called the ‘Memory Stone’.”
When he finally understood what Joshua meant, Kiser became petrified.
“That means…!”
“Yes, that’s right.” Joshua’s monotonous voice echoed throughout the suffocatingly silent room. “It means we can find out the truth of that day.”