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The crew had basically turned the rather large mansion on the outskirts of Arcadia into their den.
The air in the mansion was silent as many people were lost in their own thoughts.
“Now, tell me about your plan.” Cain was the first one to break the silence with a serious look. “I’m telling you in advance, but I’m going to move solo if I don’t like it.”
“Sir Cain, calm down first. I know better than anyone else how dangerous it is to infiltrate the Palace. It’s guarded by hundreds of the Imperial Knights at least, and even I don’t know how many more of them there are. So how can you think about heading there on your own?” Cazes shook his head. “It’s impossible. I strongly oppose the idea.”
“But my master is taking that risk,” Cain said.
“You and His Highness are different.”
“Are you looking down on me?” Cain asked in a belligerent voice.
“You know very well that I didn’t mean it that way.”
“It sounded like it.”
“Are you taking out your frustration on me?” Cazes narrowed his eyes.
An intense staredown started between two people that had surpassed the level of Class A knights long ago.
“Stop it, you two,” Icarus interrupted.
Even Charles frowned. “I can’t believe these men. Do you really want to start a fight at a time like this?”
Still, the staredown between Cazes and Cain continued.
“I’m not exactly taking out my frustration, I’m just stating my opinion.” Cain put his arm on the table.
“An opinion shouldn’t cause damage to others,” Cazes calmly retorted.
“What? Damage?”
“Let’s say you infiltrate the Palace. What is going to happen if you fail? The security will be enhanced, and we have to rescue two people now. If that’s not the worst-case scenario, what is?”
“Hah!” Cain frowned slightly. “Sir Cazes, you're a mouse worrying about a cat[1] right now.”
“His Highness may be a cat, but you aren’t, Sir Cain. Maybe a rat…” Cazes trailed off.
Cain gritted his teeth. “Are you done?”
“I haven’t even started,” Cazes said with a shrug.
“Oh, so this is how you’re dealing with your inferiority complex?”
“If someone heard our conversation. they would think you’re stronger than me, Sir Cain,” Cazes snapped.
“That is what the people in the world think. Well, if you don’t like it, shall we find out right here, right now?”
“Why not?”
Cazes was about to stand up, and both of them were already exuding intense energies.
“This is really pathetic,” someone suddenly interrupted.
The cold, sonorous voice made Cain and Cazes instantly shut their mouths.
“Miss Iceline…?”
“If that is what we’re going to talk about today, then I’ll get going.” Iceline sprang up from her seat right away, showing that she meant it.
Cain and Cazes gaped at her.
“W-wait!” Cain shouted.
“Without help from a mage from the Magic Tower, it’s impossible to nullify the countless magic traps in the Palace! Please reconsider!”
Iceline gave Cain and Cazes a cold look. “If so, I’ll just tell you one thing.”
“G-go on.” Cazes nodded quickly.
“I think you two are misunderstanding something—it’s Joshua that went to the Imperial Palace right now. Do you know what that means? It means if Joshua himself can’t defeat the enemies, there is nothing we can do about them, even if we all attack together. He's on a whole other level. He put an end to the Continental War on his own.”
Cazes and Cain’s jaws dropped, shocked. Iceline trusted Joshua more than a god.
“And this person right here, right now, is Miss Icarus, Joshua’s most trusted strategist. What you two are saying now is basically an insult to Joshua. Why don’t you know that? What could be more humiliating than becoming a master who can’t be trusted by his own subordinate?”
“Th-that’s…” Cazes and Cain stuttered simultaneously.
After looking at the two for a moment, Iceline turned away from them. “Lady Charles.”
“…Hmm?” Charles straightened in surprise.
“Am I wrong?” Iceline bluntly asked.
Charles awkwardly smiled back. “No-no, I agree, Iceline. ”
In the past, their families had held gatherings to bond with each other, so Charles and Iceline had often met privately. However, several years passed already, enough time to make the two drift apart. Although the two women had both gone through the same hardship of their families crumbling, they had also found out that they were in love with the same man. They had more reasons now…
Charles smiled bitterly for a moment and then changed the topic.
“Icarus, why don’t you tell us the plan now?” Charles proposed. “At this rate, there will be more chaos, so talk to me. We’re in, no matter what your plan is.”
“…I have no other choice.” Icarus sighed quietly and took a step forward. “Some of you must have anticipated it already… but the plan I’m about to tell you now is based on the premise that my master has defeated all the enemies.”
“Wh-what do you mean defeated all the enemies?”
“I also believe that there is nothing we can do if the enemies are capable of putting my master in danger,” Icarus continued.
Cain’s jaw dropped to the ground. “That is irresponsible…!”
“I knew you would react this way. This was why I hesitated to talk about my plan.”
“Wh-what?”
“After I tell you all that my plan is sorting everything out after my master is done with his work, not rescuing my master… I knew that at least you would react this way, Sir Cain. I believe in our master just as—no, more than Miss Iceline, and that is why I can make an abnormal plan like this.”
For a long time, silence fell upon the room. What was Cain thinking right now? His mouth stayed open for a long time and then slowly closed.
“I… was the one who was insulting my master?” Cain mumbled in disbelief.
Everyone was believing in his master, but Cain himself was the only one who was acting antsy. What kind of irony was this?
“…Let’s… hear it.”
Cain’s response brightened the mood in the room.
“If the Emperor truly came back alive, it presents a great problem to our master ascending to the throne. You know this, right?” Icarus asked.
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“Yeah, I know it’ll become a problem.”
“Considering the Emperor’s personality, he would just make a public announcement about the fact that our master is the descendant of the Royal Family of Kunir and summarily execute him for high treason,” Icarus continued.
The people in the room automatically nodded. History was written by the victors, so the Britten Family, the victors, must have written the history about how the Avalon Empire had been built. Aside from some nobles, every citizen of the Avalon Empire quivered with rage when they heard the name “Kunir.”
“So what would happen if our master became the emperor when the Emperor himself is alive and well? The citizens won’t be able to understand nor accept a coup without a justifiable cause, so if the worst comes to the worst, riots might start all over the Empire.”
Icarus was seeing the bigger picture. Everyone knew to pay more attention.
“The plan is the same as before. We’ll get a justifiable cause first since that is the most important part. There is no better tactic than winning without fighting.” Icarus beamed.
“So?”
“Our operation is named ‘Honeytrap.’ Just like we planned, we have to persuade First Prince Kiser.”
Charles's expression had subtly changed when Icarus mentioned that the plan was the same, but she slightly flinched when Icarus finished speaking.
“A good beginning is half the battle, so once First Prince Kiser joins our side…”
“I get it now. You’re suggesting we get our justifiable cause using a prince that has the legitimate right to inherit the throne, so our master can take the throne immediately after he finishes defeating the enemies and returns,” Cain summarized.
Icarus nodded firmly. “That is correct.”
* * *
After some time, Jabel, who had been following Heimdall, came to a halt when he was just a few dozen steps away from the council chamber. Another apostle was whispering his report into Jabel’s ear.
“…Heimdall,” Jabel said, “the Second Prince handed the black crystal to Princess Serciarin just now.”
“…Is that so?” Heimdall nodded.
“Yes, but can we really trust the Demon Spirit, sir?” Jabel asked.
“He already kept his end of the bargain since he wiped the memories of me from the Emperor’s head, so it’s our turn now.”
“I’m well aware of that, but I feel uneasy about the Demon Spirit…”
“We already used undead and black magic for our great plan, and so did Joshua.”
That shut Jabel’s mouth. Joshua Sanders had cunningly used the army of undead which he had claimed for himself to the fullest extent and then blamed everything on Grand Duke “Crimson Sky” Lucifer. The people of the continent now praised Joshua as a sage king. No matter what anyone said, black mages, especially necromancers, were the enemies of everyone on the continent.
“If it helps our great plan, we can use anything, just like Joshua,” Heimdall firmly asserted.
“…I understand, Heimdall.” Jabel nodded.
“Jabel, do you know why I tried to secure the princess first?” Heimdall suddenly asked.
Jabel was baffled.
“…Isn’t… it because of the princess’s Eyes of Truth? I heard it’s the power of a god that was never meant to exist in the Human Realm. Her eyes would surely be helpful to our great plan…”
Heimdall quietly shook his head. “You’re half wrong and half right.”
“Pardon…?”
“It’s true that her Eyes of Truth would be a big help to us, but she’s dying—she has a year at maximum. It’s called the power of a god for a reason. A human can’t handle such an ability, and there is no cure for such a curse in this world.”
“Then why…?” Jabel cautiously asked.
“You asked me if I still feel attached to my son.”
Jabel flinched.
“I certainly did, given that I thought it wasn’t a bad idea to make my own son sit on the throne, instead of a Britten like Kaiser. The world forgot about me, so I can’t take the throne.”
“Mmmm…” Jabel wasn’t sure what to say.
“Joshua thinks dearly of her, so I tried to control him using her,” Heimdall said. Jabel stayed completely silent. “But the moment I saw the Emperor, I started to have a desire that I thought I didn’t have.”
“That is…?”
“The Crimson Sky and the Martial Emperor are dead, and the Emperor even sold his spirit to the Demon Spirit. If people find out about that…”
Jabel’s eyes slowly widened.
“Won’t the Dark God become a hero when he reappears in a time like this? Of course, the best scenario would be the Demon Spirit sustaining a critical injury after fighting against Joshua.”
Jabel prostrated himself. He felt incredibly pathetic for doubting Heimdall.
“You will become the true ruler of this country, Heimdall…!”
1. It’s a Korean idiom about someone worrying about someone else without thinking about their own situation. ☜