Chapter 103

“How could I know who this is? How could you tie a man like this and bring him before me? Take him away now.”

The emperor turned around, belatedly trying to keep his calm.
It was a sufficiently predictable reaction. There was no way he would have graciously admitted it.

“Take off his gag.”

At Kael’s command, the knight removed the cloth around the mage’s mouth. The mage immediately coughed and gasped for air.

“Please s-spare me! Why are you d-doing this to me? Who are you to do this?!”

His eyes were still blindfolded. He had no idea where he was, who he was in front of, or what was happening.

“I’ll give you money. I get paid a lot for my work in the imperial palace. I personally met…”
“How impertinent! How dare you bring a street bum in front of me? What the hell are you doing!”

Just as the mage was about to talk about the emperor, the emperor’s voice stopped him.
When he heard the familiar voice, the mage stopped moving. His head was working busily, trying to somehow figure out the situation.
Kael gave a small nod, ordering the knight to remove the blindfold. And so, the black cloth covering the mage’s eyes disappeared.
After being dizzy for a moment by the sudden light coming into his eyes, the mage looked at the emperor and Kael in front of him. He didn’t know what to do. He curled up in a bowing position and avoided their gazes.

“Please s-spare me. I-I don’t know what’s going on, but please…”
“Just be honest and your life will be spared,” Kael said in a low, sinking voice, “What order did you get from His Majesty?”

It wasn’t a difficult question. All he had to do was answer what orders he had received and what he had done.

“Order? I don’t even know who this person is. I only know that he’s a vagabond from somewhere.”

The emperor drew a line with certainty. He didn’t forget to glare at the mage. It was a clear warning.

“Take him away now. What unsightly thing are you trying to do right now? Everything you’re doing is being disloyal to me. Will the North turn its back on me?”

His already loud voice grew even louder. Rather, the emperor decided to switch the guilt to the innocent party and criticized Kael.

“I couldn’t understand at all, so I went directly to the bar where the incident occurred. I thought I needed to examine the situation myself.”

Kael unhesitatingly told him what he had to say.

“But I picked up this bottle in that place.”

As Kael grabbed the glass vial and shook it slightly, the mage’s eyes shook. Only the emperor, who wasn’t sure what it was, glared at Kael with a frown.

“Do you know what this is, Your Majesty?”
“How could I know that? Did you come here to make such a fuss after picking up a glass bottle from some random place?”
“It’s a bottle used for potions. A bottle made of special glass to conserve mana.”

It wasn’t until he mentioned magic that there was a slight crack in the emperor’s confidence.

“When I asked the best mage in the empire, she told me that it must have contained a potion used for inducing hallucinations or manipulating someone. She said that the waveform left by the potions is the same.”
“…”
“I was doubtful when I heard it. My knight has no recollection of what happened after he entered the bar, and no matter what happens, he does not slash people in places other than the battlefield. And this bottle was found where the incident took place.”

The more calmly Kael continued speaking, the more the emperor and the mage’s mood changed. They were trying to conceal the truth, and it showed.

“The person who used that potion must have been there by coincidence. What does that person have to do with me? I don’t even know that mage. And don’t take sides just because he’s in the knights under your command. How do you know if the knight is lying?”

The emperor continued to draw the line, saying that it had nothing to do with him at all.

“Then can I confirm it?”
“You will pay the price for not believing my, the emperor’s, words and walking all over me. If you don’t get proof that your suspicions are correct even after ‘confirming’ it, slit that knight’s throat right here. Two amethyst mines. And block the passage to the East tomorrow. What do you think?”

Kael had to make an effort to stop himself from bursting out into laughter.
He didn’t think he had what it took to be the emperor since the time when he was the crown prince; but ever since he sat on the throne, he had been looking more and more like one.

“Very well, Your Majesty. Let’s do that.”
“Alright. Go ahead.”

Kael dropped the vial on the floor as soon as he said that.

“Ahhhh!”

Unlike Ramon, who endured the pain, the mage writhed in pain as soon as the bottle shattered.
A green pattern was revealed on the back of their hands. The pattern that appeared with a glow was the same.

“Drugs that manipulate others always leave a trace, Your Majesty. Just like now. It is revealed on the person who made the potion and the person who was targeted.”
“So what am I supposed to do? Whether that knight did it because he was hallucinating or because he was manipulated, the fact that he killed a knight of the imperial guard doesn’t change. That mage must have been coaxed by someone. How can you be sure that I was behind him? Do you have any proof?”
“Shall I bring the documents that verify that the mage used Your Majesty’s name and received money?”

The emperor quickly stared at the mage when he heard Kael’s words. The mage couldn’t raise his head and kept his body glued to the floor.

“You should investigate people well when you’re going to do something like this, Your Majesty. Isn’t it a lot of trouble to use such a light-mouthed and careless person?”

The emperor’s face twisted indefinitely as Kael spoke in the same sarcastic tone he had used.

“Why are you doing this, Your Majesty? Why do you want to turn the North into an enemy like this?”

Kael sighed in frustration and looked at the emperor.

“Who is controlling Your Majesty? Did you also drink a potion somewhere?”
“Stop right there. There’s a limit to how much I can turn a blind eye to.”
“What I want to tell you, Your Majesty,”

Everyone in the hall was startled when the cold, sinking voice echoed. It was just a low murmuring voice, but it contained a tremendous sense of intimidation.

“Do you know how many times this is? I did not abandon my loyalty when you touched the Grand Duchess’ brother, when you tortured the Grand Duchess, or when you didn’t punish the family of the lady who threatened the Grand Duchess at the party.”
“…”
“Even though you were constantly digging through the North, I was patient. No matter what happens, the North is the place that swore allegiance to the imperial family, and the place that protects the Empire.”
“…”
“Have you ever thought about what would happen if you lost the North?”

If the imperial family and the north collided, the imperial family would be overwhelmingly damaged.

“Who is it, Your Majesty? Who is whispering to Your Majesty to throw me away?”

Adeline’s hypothesis seemed to fit more and more because the emperor continued to do stupid things.
Someone was trying to make the emperor and Kael drift apart.

‘That person must be the culprit. The culprit trying to trample on me and Adeline.’

Kael looked at the emperor with sharper eyes than ever before.

“It’s my decision. Who would dare to control me? But you continue to insult me here and now. I’m going to repay all of this…”
“I’m just going to say this because you’ll never answer me if I ask who it is. Whoever it is, I will kill that person.”

He didn’t say he was going to punish them. Kael clearly specified he was going to ‘kill’ that person. The emperor’s eyes shook inevitably.

“Please tell that person explicitly. Whatever they wished for will never happen the way they want. And that I will cut their throat with my own hands.”

Kael was serious. That person was the one who tried to ruin Adeline’s life, encouraged conflict with the emperor, and even threatened the north. There was no reason to let them live.

“I will also tell Your Majesty this. I will first find that person and punish them, and since Your Majesty showed loyalty to the North before you lost your mind, I will be patient.”
“…”
“I will be the one to receive payment for everything that has happened so far, Your Majesty. I’m sure you will be determined to do that and keep working for it.”
“…”
“No matter what happens, there will be no full-scale war. I believe that the day will never come when the loyalty of the North will fall to the ground. However.”

Kael continued in a more resolute voice than ever before.

“The North will never forget, Your Majesty.”

He left the emperor, stunned and unable to say a word, and exited the hall.
He was extremely angry, but now, he couldn’t tell him to give Ramon’s life or to give him the mines, so this alone was a success.

“Your Grace.”

As he was struggling to control his emotions, Zion urgently approached Kael after hearing the news from his vassal.

“Count Felix has stopped his home confinement. He just got out of the mansion.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. And there’s one more thing. Count Felix’s name is on the list of guests for the inaugural party at the Mière Theatre that will happen in two days. Your Grace has also received an invitation, but we have not yet sent a reply that you will attend.”

Just as the emperor was doing something useless, Jeffrey finished his confinement.

‘It can’t be a coincidence.’

Kael clenched his fists and thought for a moment, then looked at Zion.

“Reply that I’m attending. I need to see his face.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

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