Chapter 13
‘Judging by their age, they’re probably not a knight—an Esquire, perhaps?’
The boy had a striking appearance that even made the assassin flinch.
However, the way he held his sword looked completely unskilled.
‘If he screams, that would be troublesome. I’d better finish him quickly.’
The assassin lunged at the boy, preparing to strike.
At that moment, his eyes fell on the gruesome sight of his dead comrades.
Those were his fellow assassins who had been headed toward the Imperial Palace.
‘Wait… what is this…?’
A faint blue aura shimmered along the assassin’s blade. It was the symbol of a transcendent being—an Aura.
“Spare… me…”
The assassin thought that perhaps he could let the boy live, seeing as he looked young and pitiful.
But that was before he met the boy’s expressionless eyes.
‘Those eyes… they’ve already seen enough death to make a person shudder!’
Before the thought even fully formed, a blue flash streaked through the air.
In an instant, Ern’s sword severed the assassin’s neck, and he looked down at the fallen man without a trace of emotion.
“Ern, a ruler must cherish the lives of their people. They are the foundation of this empire.”
Izaya’s voice was calm, but firm, as he spoke.
For a moment, Ern recollected the words before frowning in determination.
“But never forget—those who threaten your life must never be spared.”
“Killing those who aimed for your life is no reason for guilt. Had you not acted, you would be the one dead.”
Reflecting on the past for a brief moment, Ern furrowed his brow.
‘Who’s worrying about whom?’
Shortly after Ern dealt with the assassin, men in black uniforms appeared.
“Master.”
They were the Shadow Sword—a secret order that had protected the imperial family for generations.
“Was the mission completed?”
“All eliminated. As expected, the Duke of Lauchen was behind it.”
The leader of Shadow Sword observed the headless corpses carefully.
“We could have handled it, but you personally intervened…”
Before he could finish, Ern interrupted.
“No need.”
Ern then looked toward the Empress’s palace and glared at the Shadow Knights.
“So, don’t even think about spying on Izaya.”
Gretchen, the leader of Shadow Sword, sighed deeply.
‘It’s not spying—they’re close protection. But who exactly is harboring these impure thoughts…’
Meanwhile, Melanie carried an incense burner toward the Empress’s palace.
‘I can’t believe she doesn’t even know how to light sleep incense.’
Previously, she had directed every little task herself, so she hadn’t realized such a thing.
‘Well, at least this way I get to see the Empress.’
She briefly entertained the weak thought of saying something to provoke the Empress’s emotions.
‘Pathetic. Just yesterday I was boasting I’d prove my worth…’
As she wore a wry smile, a guard appeared before the Empress’s bedroom.
“I’ve brought sleep incense for Her Majesty.”
Melanie assumed she would be let in immediately.
But the guard’s reply was unexpected.
“Please wait a moment.”
‘Is he waiting to ask the Empress’s permission?’
Melanie nodded and stepped back. The guard appeared to wait for a response from inside the room.
Confused, Melanie tried again.
“Sir, please notify Her Majesty of my visit.”
The guard continued staring at the door without saying a word.
Growing impatient, Melanie spoke directly.
“Her Majesty the Empress, this is Melanie!”
The guard glared, but Melanie ignored him.
“I’ve brought sleep incense. May I enter?”
A voice came from inside.
“Yes, come in.”
Melanie gave the guard a sharp glance and stepped inside.
“Why did you bring this?”
Izaya’s tone was more curious than accusatory.
“Well… I heard you didn’t know how to light sleep incense.”
Melanie awkwardly explained and placed the incense burner down.
“Then please rest comfortably.”
Instead of bowing and retreating as usual, she offered a brief greeting before quickly leaving.
Then, a soft voice called out.
“Thank you for your effort. It’s late, so go rest.”
Melanie felt a rush of warmth. Just a few words, yet it felt like her work had been rewarded.
‘Come to think of it, she’s always been this kind…’
As she left, the guard outside stared sharply at her.
“Um… excuse me?”
Melanie asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.
“Do you happen to notice anything unusual in the room?”
“No, nothing at all,” Melanie replied without hesitation.
The man nodded, showing a faint look of disappointment, and moved on.
In the dim early morning, the Duke of Lauchen asked his subordinate, who arrived late, with a grim expression.
“The assassins didn’t reach the Empress’s palace?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Could they have been discovered?”
“Not that I know of. No corpses were found, no new prisoners, and Gretchen didn’t show any sign of alertness.”
The Duke rubbed his chin and murmured with a frown.
“Could it be… the assassins fled?”
His aide intervened.
“I understand that if an assassin flees, the guild will eliminate them. They wouldn’t do such a thing unless they lost their minds.”
The Duke’s expression grew serious.
“Perhaps we should contact the guild again.”
Before he could, a message arrived from the guild.
“What does it say?”
Reading it, the Duke smiled with satisfaction.
“They said they will send more assassins this time.”
His spy chuckled.
“That’s troublesome.”
“Monstrous…”
The masked assassin trembled, staring at the boy who had slaughtered all of his companions.
Despite the sheer number of victims, the boy remained unscathed and pristine.
‘Where did such a monster even come from?’
The masked man noticed the boy looked strangely tired.
‘Wait… silver hair, violet eyes—that’s the Emperor?’
Indeed, the boy had the unmistakable appearance of the rumored Emperor.
“E-Emperor?”
When he spoke, the boy answered flatly.
“Why?”
The assassin was stunned.
‘So the one eliminating assassins was the Emperor all along!’
If he reported this to the Duke, he could perhaps be forgiven for failing the mission.
Making up his mind, he tried to escape.
‘I can make it—I’m fast, one of the fastest in the organization…’
But his eyes widened in horror.
The Emperor was suddenly standing right in front of him.
“P-please spare me!”
“Why should I?”
“If I die, the guild master will come personally to make up for it!”
“Master?”
The Emperor looked intrigued, and the assassin nodded.
“Yes. That person is skilled in disguise, so even if Your Majesty is transcendent, finding them will be difficult.”
Thinking for a moment, the Emperor remained silent, studying him carefully.
“If you spare my life, I’ll bring the Duke’s head to you!”
The Emperor responded simply.
“No.”
“What?”
Ern recalled Izaya’s behavior he had observed for some time.
Whenever she called for her father in the middle of the night, she would jump up at his arrival. That foolish determination flashed through his mind.
Quietly, he continued.
“I can kill that person myself anytime. But do you know why I’m letting them live?”
He considered the situation: the Duke had a good reputation among nobles and citizens alike.
If the Duke’s assassination was traced back to the Emperor, he would face public criticism.
“Because there’s no justification for killing the Duke?”
The assassin guessed. Ern shook his head.
“Too boring if I kill them too early.”
The absurd statement left the assassin about to protest.
Ern’s violet eyes gleamed with deadly intent.
“Therefore, die here.”
In one swift strike, Ern dispatched the assassin. He then turned to Gretchen.
“Investigate the assassin network sent by the Duke.”
Gretchen watched his retreating figure and sighed in exasperation.
‘This must be the reason His Majesty halted the previous plan.’
