~Chapter 118~
Johannes held his sword and twisted his face as if in pain.
“Attack the two of them!”
But he didn’t respond right away to Piaje’s words. Piaje was startled by that, though he could also understand.
Black magic worked better the more unstable the mind was.
Recently, Johannes had been mentally stable. After strengthening his bond with Delphina, he was the happiest he had been in years. And that fact alone irritated Piaje.
Piaje couldn’t understand why Johannes became happy when he himself was so unsettled.
When the former Empress died in childhood, he should have cast a spell on him then.
Since the former Empress was dead, Yuria had judged Johannes would become a kite with its string cut. So they hadn’t bothered to put black magic on him.
“Brother, it’s useless. It’s only a matter of time. The people who went to the hunting grounds have already headed far away. Even if you stall, no one will come. So just submit.”
Delphina realized she had to help buy time for Johannes. She spoke to Piaje.
“Prince Piaje, won’t you regret this? What you’re doing now.”
Piaje frowned like he had heard something strange.
“Regret? Why would I regret it?”
“What you’re doing could start a war. If you kill Prince Ruan, the Eastern Empire won’t stay quiet.”
Piaje stared straight at Delphina.
“Is it right for someone who wants to be Emperor to do that? Are you not thinking about the suffering your greed will bring to the people?”
Piaje’s face was blank. Even now, Delphina didn’t seem frightened.
He knew she was only trying to stall for time. Such an obvious trick was laughable—but her words were enough to make him feel irritated.
They’re waiting for Elcayan and Calix to come back. How petty and predictable.
He had started moving only after seeing Elcayan and Calix go elsewhere.
Both of them would need time to get here. They must have gone deep into the forest hunting grounds.
They had both sworn to take first place in the hunt.
Even if they came quickly, by the time they arrived, it would be over. Thinking of that, Piaje answered Delphina.
“Well, it’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. I consider it a sacrifice for me to become Emperor. I don’t need to think about other people’s lives.”
Delphina nodded.
“I understand your will, Your Highness. So people’s lives don’t matter to you?”
“Right. It’s none of my concern. Why would that be important?”
“…”
“I’ll think about those things slowly after I become Emperor.”
Piaje’s eyes flashed.
“My mother and I have lived for this moment. Do you know how many evils we’ve committed to achieve it?”
“…”
“So no matter what nonsense you say to stall, nothing will change. We’ve already crossed the line of no return.”
Piaje spoke sharply to Johannes.
“Kill Delphina now, Brother.”
Johannes grabbed his head with his hands. But that was as long as he could resist.
In a confused voice, Johannes muttered,
“Delphina… I don’t even know why I’m doing this. R–run…”
“Hurry!”
Johannes began to move, his arms trembling. His hand slowly lifted. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Please…!”
With that, Johannes swung his sword. And the person he attacked was Piaje.
“W-what…?”
Caught off guard, Piaje stumbled backward. Johannes’s sword sliced off a lock of Piaje’s hair.
Piaje blinked for a long time, unable to believe it.
The look of confusion Johannes had worn just moments ago had vanished completely.
“You bastard, draw your sword. You dare order me to attack Delphina?”
Piaje tilted his head. Johannes looked too normal.
As if black magic hadn’t worked at all. Piaje shouted in panic,
“W-what? Why isn’t it working?”
“Is that what you’re curious about right now?”
Piaje’s face went pale. He stared blankly at Johannes’s face.
“D-don’t tell me you weren’t affected by black magic, Brother?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t.”
“Then how…?”
“I’m good at acting. To survive in the Imperial City, you need great acting skills. I wasn’t under black magic even when I brought Delphina here.”
Johannes curled up his lips in a grin.
Piaje looked like he couldn’t believe the situation. He had seen people break free from black magic before, but it was his first time seeing someone not affected at all.
“Well, since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you. I did get caught by black magic.”
Johannes reached into Piaje’s clothes. He searched the inner pocket and pulled out a black magic bead.
His face hardened.
He knew how many tragedies this bead had caused until now.
“But for a reason you don’t know, I broke free of it. Everything I ‘listened to’ from you until now was acting.”
Piaje muttered, unable to believe it.
“All acting?”
“Right. Your desperate struggle has ended up meaningless.”
Johannes had eaten a lot of the food Delphina made for him at the hunting competition—a special nourishing meal prepared just for him.
What Piaje didn’t know was that those who ate Delphina’s food had been freed from black magic.
Johannes, too, had been under black magic before coming to the competition. But it was completely cured by Delphina’s cooking.
And to keep Piaje from finding out, he had been acting all this time.
It was all Delphina’s idea.
Johannes had told Delphina that he had felt strange fatigue and lethargy for days.
As soon as he finished, Delphina said she wanted to personally serve his meal at the banquet.
“Your Highness, I think you’ll soon be caught by black magic. My grandfather had similar symptoms. So I’ll cook your food myself at the hunting banquet.”
“Your food?”
“Yes. And after that, please act as if you’re under black magic.”
Johannes looked toward the forest.
“Time to come out, Grand Duke Lohaim.”
At his shout, many people suddenly appeared. Elcayan quickly ran to Delphina.
From the moment Piaje ordered Johannes to kill Delphina, Elcayan had been holding himself back from rushing in.
Elcayan wrapped Delphina up in his cloak.
“Your Highness Johannes, please step away for a moment.”
Holding Delphina, Elcayan quickly moved away from Johannes.
“I’m fine, though.”
“Even so, we can’t be too careful.”
Even after seeing that, Piaje couldn’t come to his senses. After Elcayan appeared, others began to show up one by one.
He gaped in shock. Nobles of very high rank were staring at him.
The Duke of Rikeion and the Duke of Huat—and not only them.
“T-the Saintess?”
The Saintess and the High Priest also rushed out. The Saintess looked at the bead in Johannes’s hand and frowned deeply.
“Wow, it’s certain. It’s a bead filled with black magic power.”
As soon as the Saintess spoke, people gasped in shock.
“Is what I just heard true?”
“Prince Piaje, please say something.”
“Did Your Highness truly use black magic? I can’t believe it.”
Johannes had purposely followed Piaje here. And he had made sure everyone saw what Piaje was doing.
It’s all over. I’ve been caught.
Piaje realized it in that moment.
Not only would the Emperor’s seat be out of reach—he would now find it hard even to keep his title as Prince.
