Game Time: PM 5:40
Southeastern Continent, Shavin Empire's capital Teron, Imperial Palace
William Burke rubbed his forehead, looking slightly weary, and put down the scroll in his hand. He softly asked the guard in front of him, who seemed hesitant to speak, “Is he still not gone?”
“Yes, Emperor,” the young guard replied, looking somewhat flustered as he bowed. “His Royal Highness, Prince Kangda, said he would wait outside indefinitely. Although your subordinate has tried to persuade him, he still…”
This was the study of the Emperor of the Empire, William Burke. The Emperor, known as the ‘Merchant King,’ would spend some time here every day. The exact duration seemed to have no logic; it could be a dozen minutes or two to three hours, but usually no more than half a day.
However, today, the Emperor had stayed in his study for eight hours.
“Never mind, let him in,” William sighed and smiled at the young guard in front of him. “You can rest early today. After Konda comes in, you can go back.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
…
Two minutes later, Konda Bohe, his face ashen, slowly walked into the study and bowed slightly to his elder brother, “Emperor.”
The Prince looked very haggard. His face was bloodless, his clothes were wrinkled, and he had two large dark circles under his eyes, making him look like a short-tailed summer bear.
“Cut the act. If you really treated me as the Emperor, you wouldn’t have stayed here so stubbornly,” William pouted unhappily, then stood up and walked in front of his younger brother, patting his shoulder. “I let you in as your elder brother.”
Prince Kangda let out a dry laugh, “But I’m not here to chat about family matters.”
“Sit down. Say what you need to say, then get out,” William sat casually on the long table piled with scrolls behind him, waving his hand. “Just so you know, whatever you want to talk about, it can only be ‘family matters’.”
Konda paused, then looked at his profound-eyed elder brother and asked in a deep voice, “Because outside the scope of ‘family matters,’ you’ve already made your decision, haven’t you?”
William smiled at his brother, who had always had a poor reputation, and sighed softly, “Why are you so intelligent, yet you insist on being a Useless Prince who accomplishes nothing?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Konda plopped down in the main seat behind the table and rolled his eyes at his brother. “I’ve always thought of myself as a pillar of society.”
William smiled noncommittally, “Stop with the nonsense. Just say what you need to say.”
“You should know why I’m here, brother,” Konda said in an unprecedentedly serious tone.
The Emperor, sitting across from him, merely raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
“I stood outside your rotten study for several hours!”
“Yes, I thought I had expressed my stance quite well.”
“What do you want to say?” Konda’s eyes widened.
“What do you want to say?” William narrowed his eyes.
Konda looked deeply at his brother and said in a deep voice, “I don’t think we can just let the matter of Faraosis go.”
“So my stance was to make you stand outside my rotten study for several hours,” William gave a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “But I didn’t expect you to still be so stubborn.”
“Do you really believe Fara committed treason?!” Konda suddenly became agitated, raging, “Tell me, my brother! Do you really believe Faraosis, our God of Law, our Great Astrologer, our Mage Guild President, committed treason?”
William was silent for a long time before slowly speaking, “Of course, I don’t want to believe it, but I have to.”
Konda laughed in extreme anger, “Give me a reason, brother!”
“The reason is simple,” William sighed, his gaze lingering on the potted Dancing Flower in the corner of the study for a long time before he spoke softly, “Because the people who proved Fara committed treason are Marshal Galahad, Garros, Tsar's Sword Knights, and Hurricane Mage Group.”
He looked back at Prince Kangda, “So do you understand?”
A shadow crossed the latter’s face, and he fell silent.
“Alright, whether you understand or not, I’ll explain it to you,” William Burke stood up and stared into Konda’s eyes, saying in a deep voice, “To question whether Fara committed treason means I am questioning our Imperial Marshal! Questioning our Grand Duke! Questioning our strongest Knight Order and Mage Corps! Questioning the victims who died tragically in Banser City a few days ago! Do you understand?”
Konda looked at William indignantly, “You used to call him Ossis.”
“Yes, but I am the Emperor,” William’s calm voice contained anxiety and anger. “So from the day I received the news, I could only call him Fara!”
Konda laughed mockingly, “You really are a good Emperor.”
“I never thought I was a good Emperor, but I must try my best to do what a good Emperor should do,” William looked tired. He whispered, “You and I both know very well that the probability of Fara committing treason is zero, just like the probability of Marshal Galahad and Garros telling a colossal lie, but this thing happened anyway. What do you think I should do?”
Konda sighed, “Should you just sit by? Accept it calmly?”
“We have already lost the God of Law,” William clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, “We cannot lose the Marshal and the Grand Duke again. Believe me, my brother, I am not investigating this matter for the sake of the Empire…”
Konda stood up and calmly looked at his elder brother, “I cannot accept it.”
“You must accept it. In three days, Faraosis’s treason will be made public.”
“What if I have an objection?”
“Then I, as Emperor, will allow you to retain your objection.”
“Understood, Emperor, then I shall take my leave.”
“Konda…”
“Goodbye, Your Majesty.”
Konda Bohe left.
William, leaning alone against the long table, let out a long sigh and turned his gaze back to the potted Dancing Flower, a gift Fara had given him in the past.
“My dear Majesty, if I meet with misfortune, please do not take any drastic actions. The dark forces capable of defeating this old man are by no means ordinary. The Empire may be facing an unprecedented crisis, but you need not worry. Some of my ‘friends’ will never stand by idly. If the worst happens, please be patient and wait. The crisis is destined to be resolved, and the gloom is destined to be dispelled. Heaven bless Shavin.”
Recalling the letter Fara had left him before he departed, William slowly walked out of the study, looked up at the sky, and chuckled bitterly, “Heaven bless Shavin? Ossis… But when will this sky clear up?”
…
Osiris Mage Tower
As Faraosis’s apprentice, Archmage Luther had been feeling uneasy these past few days. He had received news that the Banser City incident had been successfully resolved, and he knew that Marshal Galahad and Grand Duke Garros, who accompanied him, had long since returned to Teron. However, his teacher had remained uncontactable until now, which gave Charles an ominous Premonition…
However, on the evening of this very day, Prince Konda Bohe, an Imperial Prince with whom he usually had no dealings, quietly visited.
“Fara is dead.”
The Prince’s opening statement struck Luther like a bolt of lightning.
…
Game Time: PM 6:50
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…
King's Capital Troon, Grand Duke Garros’s Mansion, Underground
The abyss-like black eyes beneath the mask slowly opened, and the body slumped in the stone chair was re-infused with a soul.
“You’re here?” Silver strands of hair swayed before his eyes, and he could feel the clear, yet slightly concerned, gaze of their owner without turning his head.
Ink did not respond, only gently clenched his fist, then felt a sharp pain erupt throughout his body. This sensation, as if his entire body was burning, had been with him for some time now. Although he could easily ignore it, his current weakened state truly displeased him.
【Ashen: Remaining time 47 hours】
The side effects of the Indestructible Abomination had not yet subsided. With all attributes fixed at 1 and all values fixed at 1%, Ink now found even moving quite difficult. The pain, enough to drive an ordinary person to collapse even in reality, constantly lingered without any sign of weakening…
“Is it very painful?” The Dark Elf girl standing behind him asked softly again, “Do you want me to…”
Ink gently shook his head, “Just an expected price.”
Just this simple movement caused a series of crisp cracks to erupt from his body. The pain that burst forth in that instant was enough to make most normal people cry out, and even if they could barely endure it, it would inevitably affect their bodies, such as words stopping abruptly mid-sentence or muscles involuntarily spasming. This kind of instinctive reaction could not be controlled even by willpower.
But Ink was not affected in the slightest, only smiling playfully, his hollow eyes seemingly repeating to something unseen, ‘Is this all you’ve got?’
“William Burke convened all core nobles and officials again today,” Ji Xiaodao, standing behind Ink, said softly, with water-blue ripples shimmering in her hand. “The matter of Faraosis’s treason will be made public in three days. Also, he is concerned about your physical condition.”
Shimmering light spread over Ink’s body, alleviating the pain he was enduring.
“Interesting reaction. I originally thought he would be more agitated,” Ink nodded, then gently pushed away Ji Xiaodao’s hand on his shoulder. “Healing magic?”
The girl casually dispelled the water-blue light and said offhandedly, “Water magic that Garros collected before. I saw I could learn it, so…”
“Don’t bother,” Ink coldly interrupted her. “This is a side effect of the equipment’s trait. Anything you do is futile until the effect ends. This is an expected price. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The slender Dark Elf turned around and leaned against the stone chair Ink was sitting on, her back to him, and said softly, “I should be able to kill you with a simple move right now, shouldn’t I?”
“That’s right.”
“And you also know that I haven’t been controlled by ‘Original Sin’.”
“And then?”
“Nothing. Do you want me to call Garros down…”
“If you can’t do it, then say less of these boring nonsense words in the future,” Ink casually brushed aside a strand of silver hair, his voice devoid of emotion. “As for Garros, he’s already here.”
As soon as his words fell, Grand Duke Garros, dressed in casual clothes, appeared before them. He first nodded to Ji Xiaodao, who had turned around, then bowed to Ink with a noble’s etiquette, “My Lord, Marshal Galahad just paid a visit.”
“Oh?” Ink raised his hand, gesturing for Garros to straighten up, then leisurely asked, “What did he say?”
“His Royal Highness Prince Konda Bohe visited Marshal Galahad at the military camp earlier and questioned God of Law’s treason,” Garros said in a deep voice. “Furthermore, I received news that he went to the Imperial Palace earlier today, and then went to the Osiris Mage Tower, and has not returned since.”
Ink leaned casually back in his chair and sneered, “It seems that Prince Kangda is truly not simple. But that’s good… Garros.”
“Yes.”
“Starting today, you personally keep an eye on His Royal Highness Prince Kangda,” Ink raised a hand to adjust his mask and instructed, “Also, notify Galahad to send a few knights to patrol around the Osiris Mage Tower and the Prince’s residence, openly.”
Garros immediately nodded, “No problem, I’ll arrange it right away.”
“Oh, right,” Ink called out to Garros, who was about to turn and leave, and smiled, “Send someone to tell the Emperor that Sin Duke and you, Grand Duke Garros, both believe there might be other hidden reasons behind God of Law’s treason. Since the truth is not yet clear, making a hasty conclusion seems inappropriate. It would be best to postpone the matter scheduled for three days from now.”
“Your will.”
“Go. Keep a close eye on Konda’s side.”
“Yes!”
Then Garros left in a hurry.
“Why postpone the condemnation of Fara?” Ji Xiaodao asked Ink, quite puzzled. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Ever since the truth about her not being controlled by him came out, the girl was no longer as respectful as before when it was just her and Ink, and her speech was relatively much more casual.
“My goal is not to make ‘Fara’s treason’ a foregone conclusion,” Ink gently shook his head. “I just need him to die…”
Ji Xiaodao paused, “So since the goal has been achieved, why not directly… Wait a minute…”
Ink closed his eyes and ignored her.
“You know that even if Fara is ‘condemned,’ the Emperor won’t dispel all his concerns, and he will definitely be dissatisfied with this matter. So, it’s better to proactively question the truth of this matter with Garros. That way…”
“That’s enough.”
…
Chapter 135: End
