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“Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Why are there still two thrones in here?!”
“I’ll mo-move it right away!”
“Don’t dawdle! Can’t you see some honored guests have already arrived? It’s disgraceful!”
The Imperial Palace’s servants were busily working, following the Lord Steward’s orders. Unlike before, they moved in perfect order. What made them become totally different people?
Other people must have thought the same because one of the nobles quietly groaned. “Hmmm… things have completely changed.”
“By the way, do you think the rumor is true?”
“By rumor, you mean…?”
“Don’t act like a politician even now. All of you are here today because of the rumor, aren’t you? I can’t believe His Majesty is alive.”
The area went as quiet as the grave.
“Isn’t this for the better?”
“…Pardon? What do you mean, ‘this is for the better,’ Marquess Broly?”
A middle-aged man with hair that resembled broccoli came forward.
“The current situation must not be good for all of you here right now. The rope we’ve been desperately clinging to is fraying,” Broly said, a metaphor for the power struggle between the princes and Joshua. “We know the rope is rotten, but we still have to hold onto it, am I wrong?
“I’ll be honest since you said we should not act like politicians right now. I know I’m saying this too late, but what does it matter if we’re on His Highness the First Prince’s side or Second Prince's side? It’s safe to assume that Joshua Sanders will ascend the throne, but after that, we’re all going to lose our heads.”
“Mmmm…”
“You all really don’t think he’ll forgive you just because you joined his side at the last minute, do you? You will be demoted by at least one rank.”
When Broy stated the naked truth, the nobles revealed how uncomfortable they felt. If the nobles placed themselves in Joshua’s shoes, they could understand Joshua. He would look absolutely ridiculous if he left the nobles loyal to the Britten Family alone. Of course, the nobles had no choice but to be on Joshua’s side. That was how influential Joshua Sanders was in the continent right now.
“Well, no matter what I say, most of you will kiss Johusa Sanders’s ass,” Broly said with a shrug.
“Watch it. You’re talking about His Highness, so how can you say ass?!” Marquess Aibo, the head of one of the Twelve Families, turned purple-faced with rage.
“I’m not wrong, am I?” Broly snapped back.
“So what is your point? You wouldn’t be saying such nonsense just to criticize us.”
Broly smirked at Aibo. “You call truth nonsense and reality criticism.”
“Marquess Broly!”
Even before things turned out this way, Broly and Aibo were enemies and on polar opposite sides. When the two began to quarrel, the nobles in the council chamber naturally split into two as well.
“That is why I’m suggesting we work together if His Majesty is really back,” Broly said.
“Explain further.”
“The country got into this mess because we were fighting to obtain more power. Considering His Majesty’s personality… I don’t think I have to explain how he’ll react.”
Shivers ran down the nobles’ spines. Some of their faces immediately darkened.
“Isn’t it unfair? We’ve done nothing but stay loyal to the Britten Family.”
“Are you suggesting… we blame everything on Their Highnesses?” Aibo asked.
“We aren’t exactly blaming Their Highnesses since none of this would have happened if they hadn’t gone after His Majesty’s throne.”
“Is that what you think, Marquess Broly?” Aibo closed his eyes.
“No, it should be what all the nobles in the Avalon Empire think.”
Aibo frowned. “You have got to be kidding me…!”
“Think about it,” Broly said. “If all the nobles in the Empire are on the same side, then will His Majesty be able to punish everyone? An empire needs subjects to work, and His Majesty is the wisest man I know.”
After a long silence, Aibo asked, “Do you think… putting the blame on the two princes will be enough to calm His Majesty down?”
“Of course not. That is why we need to use the other prince named Joshua Sanders.”
“Use Joshua Sanders?” Aibo repeated.
“Everyone in the continent knows how exceptional he is, and the fact that he’s the descendant of that traitor Kunir is widely known now… So we can just say that… we were just trying to protect the Britten Family from a traitor.”
“…Indeed.” Aibo nodded.
“Joshua Sanders himself already declared that he’ll become the emperor, so there is no room for any other interpretation.”
The nobles began to murmur among themselves.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn’t it?” Broly quietly continued. “Two weaker forces banding together to defeat a stronger one like the Hubalt and Swallow Empires did is basic tactics.”
“Mmm…”
“Besides, things are just going back where they belong. His Majesty will continue to sit on the throne, and Joshua Sanders the rebel will be in the otherworld. This is actually the best outcome.”
Broly’s charismatic voice set the nobles in the council chamber busy talking among themselves.
“Umm… I have one question.”
The nobles all turned to look.. It was Count Diges, the noble who had first mentioned the rumor. He was once Kiser’s most loyal man.
“I think you all aren’t realizing this…” he ventured. “All the hypotheses that Marquess Broly just said are possible only if His Majesty is truly alive.”
“That is true.”
“So I want to get this clear. Marquess Broly seems to be certain that His Majesty has returned—”
“Yes, that’s right.” Broly nodded.
“That means…?”
“I have personally seen and met His Majesty. Even if you don’t believe me now, you will soon,” Broly said with certainty.
“His Majesty is entering the chamber!”
Speak of the devil; the Lord Steward’s voice loudly echoed throughout the council chamber. The nobles’ eyes widened. Some nobles trembled in fear.
Could they have known what was going to happen to them? An unprecedented massacre that would go down in history was about to take place. When others later visited the chamber to find out what happened, not one of them would be able to look at the aftermath without retching.
“How have you all been?”
Marcus ben Britten, the Emperor of the Avalon, finally stood tall before the throne. He looked just like his usual self as he stared down at the nobles. His sly smile made the nobles’ skin pebble with goosebumps.
* * *
The wide council chamber of the Imperial Palace was at the end of a long hallway. It hadn’t been long since Joshua had last walked down that hallway, but it felt different now since the owner of the throne had been missing then.
“Emperor…” Joshua mumbled.
The two Imperial Knights flanking him trembled faintly, but they didn’t act. Right now, they didn’t have the power nor the will to go up against Joshua, so Joshua was free to focus on analyzing the situation.
‘If what I know is right, Heimdall and the Emperor can’t live under the same sky since they’re mortal enemies, but…’ Joshua clenched his fists unwittingly.
It was weird. Although he wasn’t trusting Jabel’s remark completely, Jabel had no reason to lie right now.
‘Heimdall is closely involved in the Emperor’s disappearance. It was unclear if Marcus ben Britten was alive, but he suddenly shows up and acts like he’s on Heimdall’s side…’
The more Joshua thought about it, the more questions he had. Joshua broke away from his thoughts and shook his aching head
“…I’ll find out once I arrive,” he mumbled.
“Did you say something?” one of the Imperial Knights asked.
“Nothing,” Joshua curtly answered.
“…Wait.” Joshua froze in the middle of the hallway. “This smell…”
“What’s wrong?” The Imperial Knights turned back to look at Joshua, but he ignored them.
Joshua frowned. The closer they got to the council chamber, the more clearly he could smell the reek.
“Blood?” Joshua muttered to himself.
“Wh-what…?”
Joshua disappeared immediately, leaving the Imperial Knights behind. In a flash, he stood in front of the entrance to the council chamber. He paused for a moment to calm his breathing and then kicked the door right open.
The doors flew open to reveal a horrendous sight. Corpses were piled everywhere, and a lake of blood had pooled in the center of the chamber. Joshua could instinctively tell that there was no survivor. Not only the servants had been killed but hundreds of nobles had been slaughtered.
“Hehehehe…” The man presumably responsible for this massacre was standing at the center of the corpse piles. The Emperor wickedly chuckled. “Welcome, Joshua.”
“Marcus ben Britten…!”
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“I think we can say hello with these, right?”
As soon as Marcus finished speaking, the sword in his hand created a majestic hum, truly living up to his title as a Master.
“It has been a long time since we saw each other, so let’s see your skills again, shall we?”
Joshua had no time to straighten his posture because Marcus closed in on him in seconds.
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Joshua and Marcus met head-to-head with a deafening boom.