CHAPTER 131…………………………………………….
Decision
A building of the Papal Court, a little distance away from the Saintess’s garden.
A man peeked stealthily through the narrow, long window.
It was Dreivan, Commander of the Shadow Knights.
“So everything’s going according to plan.”
He muttered to himself without taking his eyes off the long telescope.
Through the multiple lenses of the telescope, the view of the chapel was clear.
Elnor, frozen, opening the door.
Second Prince Leonis rushing in.
The Saintess, unable to bear her guilt, stabbing herself.
Barteon acting as if the Third Prince tried to violate the Saintess, branding him a heretic.
And Elnor, losing reason in anger, thrashing about.
Everything unfolded exactly according to Pope Lucarion’s scenario.
“We must make sure the Saintess dies in front of Elnor.”
“She will be in the chapel. She always prays there when Elnor is on duty.”
“I’ve leaked that the Second Prince will be with her. The Third Prince will also be there.”
“When the two are in the chapel together, light this when Elnor enters.”
Inside the pouch given to Dreivan by Pope Lucarion was poison.
It was called “Leaves of Paradise,” only found in the Great Western Forest, made by drying the leaves that fell from fairy trees.
When burned, the smoke would cloud the mind and produce an aphrodisiac effect that beguiled its targets.
The plan was to burn it in the chapel with the two, hoping that the Saintess and Third Prince would lose their minds and desire each other.
Yet, perhaps due to their unwavering faith or their cold logic, that did not happen.
They merely collapsed, unconscious, unable to withstand the poison.
“It doesn’t matter. Kill the Third Prince and put the sword in her hands. Then she’ll… take care of the rest herself.”
Pope Lucarion knew the Saintess’s heart perfectly.
“She will end her own life.”
Up to this point, everything went according to plan…
“Hmm… unexpected.”
An unforeseen variable.
A black-haired knight blocking the overflowing divinity of Elnor.
The jet-black energy flowing along his blade enveloped his whole body, stopping Elnor.
Even bare-handed, he was able to hold back Elnor, who was radiating so much divinity…
Dreivan clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Did the Second Prince really have such a talent? Perhaps it was fortunate to have dealt with him now.
“No matter how skilled, there’s no way he could hold off Elnor completely…”
But through the telescope, a sudden blue light rose from the ground.
“…A magic circle?!”
Dreivan could hardly believe his eyes.
In the Papal Court, most artifacts barely worked. Most mana was purified to be consumed as divinity. Other rules and orders didn’t fully function.
Even the “Reversal Dagger” given to the Saintess was hard to get to work.
An artifact engraved with , meant to scatter mana.
If it had been a cheap, crude artifact, it wouldn’t have worked in the Papal Court. But the “Reversal Dagger,” crafted by the renowned Grimm family of artifact makers, succeeded.
And, just as planned, it inflicted a wound on Elnor that even her divinity could not heal.
Only at that level could magic work inside the Papal Court.
…Could it be?
Dreivan expected the magic to fail just by the circle appearing.
But contrary to his expectations, the magic circle disappeared along with Prince Leonis and his companions.
“Damn it!”
He rotated the telescope frantically but could find them nowhere in the chapel.
“Where on earth did they go?!”
Already a place filled with divinity.
It was hard enough being alone, let alone bringing others.
And there were no precise coordinates.
There was not enough time to solve all these challenges…
…Where did we end up?!
The they had used indiscriminately sent them somewhere even I didn’t know.
Gurgle.
As I tried to breathe, cold water flooded my nose and mouth.
…Underwater? No, the sea!
The sharp saltiness awakened me fully.
Of all places, falling into the ocean…
Through the murky water, only a shifting darkness was visible.
Magic… I need magic…
Perhaps because I had swallowed water. Perhaps because I had overexerted trying to cast it.
The circle didn’t spin properly.
Magic wouldn’t come.
I couldn’t even tell how deep we were.
As my body sank heavily and consciousness teetered on the edge of darkness—
Bang!
“…!”
A dark shadow grabbed my arm and lifted me swiftly.
Whoosh—!
“Kuh… ugh!”
“You okay?”
I couldn’t answer Ronan’s question.
I was too busy vomiting the seawater I had swallowed.
“Why did we fall into the sea… into the water?”
“I… tried to save you… so full… ugh…”
“Looks like the sea is your doing.”
“Shut… up… hurry… get me out…”
“Sorry.”
“…It’s fine.”
As we neared land, I saw Leonis sitting on the shore.
He was holding the still, cold body of his younger brother tenderly.
The had targeted three: me, Ronan, and Leonis.
Yet Emilion’s body came along—Leonis had truly held him as if they were one.
The indifferent crashing of waves echoed along the dark coast.
“Why… why did this happen…?”
Leonis no longer shed tears.
“Tell me… tell me…”
He looked at us with hollow eyes.
“Why… my brother… what did this child do… why… I… I don’t understand…”
“…It wasn’t your brother’s fault.”
“Then why… why!”
Ronan’s words brought him no comfort.
His face, stained with tears of blood unwashed by the sea, contorted with hatred and anger.
“Why! Why didn’t you kill them all?! Esric!”
The aimless rage and hatred turned to me.
“Did you forget the contract?”
“The contract ended, Your Highness.”
But I had no intention of accepting it.
“…W-what?!”
“Did you forget? Our contract was to help make the Third Prince emperor.”
Leonis blinked in disbelief.
Ronan also nodded silently, realizing what I meant.
“You never said you wanted to be emperor. You always said you would make your brother emperor. Even when making a contract with us, it was the same. So…”
I gestured toward the body of Third Prince Emilion in his arms.
“A contract that cannot be fulfilled is now void.”
“You…!”
Ronan gripped my arm roughly, but I didn’t flinch.
“Then….”
Leonis asked, voice shaking:
“…What am I supposed to do now? Huh? The emperor… should have been this child… so righteous… upright… who lives for others, not harms them… my brother… truly worthy of the emperor’s seat…”
“Don’t run away, Prince Leonis.”
“…!”
“Being good alone doesn’t make you an emperor. The North and East lend you their support not because you are kind. Certainly not because your brother is. They trust your abilities.”
Leonis had shown outstanding administrative skills, unmatched for someone of his rank.
Sometimes he charmed and commanded the masses with his speech.
He knew when to hide and when to show. In just half a year in the North, he had grown brilliantly.
“You didn’t want your brother to be emperor? You thought someone like that shouldn’t be emperor? So it should be your brother? Then why are you stepping back?”
“But… I… don’t have the character… I can’t become emperor… I…”
“Righteous, honest, diligent, altruistic—does that make you emperor?”
“….”
“That’s just the ideal you desire.”
“I… I just wanted everyone… to be happy and smiling… I thought Emilion could create such an empire…”
“Don’t ask others to realize your ideals.”
“…!”
“You alone can achieve your own ideals.”
“….”
Leonis bit his lip hard, pulling Emilion’s body closer.
“Now admit it, Leonis.”
What I had observed all this time.
“The one who should become emperor isn’t your brother…”
I said plainly:
“It’s you.”
The Emperor of the Leonhardt Empire had many wives.
The first, the official wife, unfortunately bore no children.
The second bore a son, and years later, the third bore a son.
The second wife’s son was the First Prince Calix. The third wife’s son was the Second Prince Leonis.
Relations between the wives were strained, but the sons largely ignored it.
The two princes spent much time together.
“If you become emperor, I’ll help you!”
“Just hearing that makes me happy! Do so, Leonis.”
Over time, their bond grew stronger.
Leonis genuinely devoted himself to helping his brother.
“You’re truly my brother!”
Even a small compliment thrilled Leonis. It gave him a reason to live.
But that bond ended when Leonis turned eleven, at the very birthday party he had gathered for.
“…Brother?”
“Leonis, you’ve arrived.”
Leonis arrived at the promised time to find Calix with a sword.
At his feet, the two mothers lay bleeding.
“They both tried to assassinate the prince.”
Calix pointed to his biological mother with indifference.
“My mother targeted you. Your mother targeted me. Their plot to assassinate the prince for their own sons was discovered. I secured the evidence and eliminated them immediately.”
“W-what… brother… what the hell…”
Calix’s words were true.
The two women conspired to kill each other’s sons to make their own sons emperor.
But before they could act, Calix caught them and executed them.
“The emperor sanctioned it.”
“…!”
Calix smiled faintly over their corpses.
“Happy birthday, Leonis.”
A birthday gift of his mother and grandmother’s corpses.
Leonis didn’t shed a tear.
He hated seeing his reflection in those blood-red eyes.
He vowed never to share his life with his brother again.
Meanwhile, another wife bore a late-born son.
The Third Prince, Emilion.
Leonis instinctively realized that Calix would try to kill him.
So he always kept him close.
He had to protect him.
At least his younger brother.
And yet…
Amid the crashing waves, Leonis looked down at Emilion in his arms.
He slowly, carefully, gently closed his brother’s unseeing eyes.
“All right… then I’ll do it myself.”
A fire sparked in Leonis’s eyes.
“I will become emperor.”
