Chapter 68

The Capital. Grantera.

The bustling streets suddenly fell silent. People lost their smiles, the market became desolate, and the number of drunkards wandering the night streets drastically decreased. Even those who frequented the red-light district stopped coming.

The fact that the Emperor was on the verge of passing away was no longer a secret. Those who needed to know already knew, and even those who didn’t were aware through rumors. The atmosphere was tense.

The Emperor hadn’t been able to drink water properly for days, and his breathing was growing shallower. Everyone with any sense was on edge. To anyone who saw him, it was clear that his life was nearing its end.

“Your Highness, allow me to offer my congratulations in advance.”

The Third Prince, Edmund von Illumina, nodded with an expressionless face. He had just been holding his father’s hand, shedding tears, but as soon as he returned to his room, his demeanor changed completely.

The tears had already dried, and a faint look of joy crossed his face. Soon, he would become the Emperor of the Empire.

Nominally, he would ascend to the pinnacle of the Empire, theoretically holding the power of life and death over his subjects. Of course, this was only possible because Ardein and Arsein, the legitimate heirs of the Empress, had been removed from the competition. As the son of the Third Consort, he had originally been a step away from the throne.

“Duke, your words are inappropriate. How can I accept congratulations when my father is about to pass away? As a son, how could I possibly celebrate?”

Though Edmund had nodded, his words flowed smoothly.

The current Emperor’s younger brother, Duke Valder, chuckled softly. As the head of the Temple faction within the Empire, the Duke was Edmund’s greatest supporter and was quite pleased with his nephew’s actions.

The rigid and inflexible former Crown Prince, Arsein, had been a difficult person to approach.

He always smiled but never let emotions sway him, always handling matters with strict fairness, making him a rather prickly individual. The Church Country certainly didn’t want someone like him to become Emperor.

So what if Edmund was dark-hearted and greedy? To Duke Valder, he was far better than Arsein.

After all, it was easier to make money, secure interests, and, most importantly, control someone like Edmund. As long as his own interests were secured, Edmund would bow his head to the Temple without hesitation.

‘Uncle, do you look down on me because I’m the son of a concubine?’

But that was Duke Valder’s personal opinion.

To him, Edmund was like an obedient puppy, but that was to be expected. The Prince hadn’t yet grasped the full extent of his power.

Someone like Edmund always prioritized strengthening his power above all else. Everything else came second. For now, he had nothing, so he needed the backing of the Temple faction and would bow his head to Duke Valder, never forgetting to address him as “Royal Uncle.”

‘We’ll see.’

But whether he would continue to do so after ascending the throne was anyone’s guess.

A cold light flickered in Edmund’s eyes before disappearing. In any case, the day to confront the Duke was not now. First, he needed to ascend the throne and command the world.

Only after pulling in the Imperial secret organizations and fully establishing his own loyal forces could he send the Duke off to the countryside with a suitable title. By then, the Temple would realize they had raised a tiger.

However, it was uncertain whether that day would come soon.

For now, he needed his uncle and his backing. He wasn’t in an overwhelmingly strong position in the competition for the throne.

“If only Your Highness could take the throne without conflict, but where would that be possible? Your Highness is wise, so I’m sure you understand what I’m saying…”

“Legitimacy. That damn legitimacy is always the problem. What does it even mean to be legitimate or not?”

The Third Prince couldn’t help but grimace. He was the son of a Consort, and so were the other Princes and Princesses. The Empress, the legitimate wife, only had Ardein and Arsein as her children.

Even after those two had died or fallen into disgrace, the stigma of being the offspring of a concubine remained. Duke Valder cleared his throat, as he too had concubines.

“The Fifth Prince, Arsin, is one of the biggest threats. He may not have outstanding talent, but his mother, the First Consort, is the daughter of Count Marcus.”

Count Marcus Felman. But he was called Count Marcus, not Felman.

His personal reputation overshadowed his family’s. He was born into a family that had fallen so far that their title was meaningless, but through his own abilities, he revived the family. Before him, most people didn’t even know the Felman family existed.

This Southern magnate was truly a legendary figure. Amidst the Empire’s chaos, he provided wages and jobs to wandering people, initiating large-scale construction projects to generate profit.

He gathered refugees, distributed land, and in exchange, enlisted the heads of households as soldiers, building a massive private army. If fully mobilized, he could easily command an army of over a hundred thousand. At least in the current situation, no one could touch him.

While he ruled the Southern Empire like a king, for the Empire, he was a necessary evil. If he were to disappear, the Southern Solzent Kingdom, always waiting for an opportunity to rise, would pounce like a wildcat, tearing into the Empire’s flesh.

In troubled times, those with military power hold the real power. Count Marcus not only had military power but also personal martial prowess, making him a rare talent. The people of the Southern territories might not know the Emperor’s name, but they all knew his.

The Empire’s territory was too vast, and control didn’t reach the distant regions, leading to such situations. Of course, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“We gave him the position of Frontier Count to protect the Empire, yet he uses that power to threaten his master. But in the end, he’s just a guard dog. He won’t dare to rebel.”

If the Empire were to send a general and conscript the local people to form an army, how difficult and time-consuming would that process be? And how much would it cost?

In theory, direct control is good, but only in theory. It’s not as efficient as entrusting local defense to the locals. Of course, that’s assuming Count Marcus remains loyal to the Empire and the Imperial family.

“Marcus Felman. Would that ambitious man really plot rebellion? Even if he did, with the Church Country behind us, who would support him? The central authority is still alive, and no one wants to break the great ship that is the Empire. So everyone seeks to make money and gain power within their positions, but they won’t cross the line.”

The Prince’s confidence was well-founded. Once rebellion breaks out, the delicate balance that barely holds everything together would be destroyed.

That’s something no one wants. Beyond the seas, the Odal Empire presses in, and far to the west, the newly formed Demon Emperor’s Empire rises, threatening the Empire.

The Elves in the southeast are unreliable allies, at best neutral. The Southern Solzent Kingdom has already begun invading nearby kingdoms, growing its strength, and it won’t be long before it becomes an empire itself.

That means, even if a powerful figure were to overthrow the Imperial family and succeed in a revolution, there would be nothing left to gain.

If they were to seize the Empire? They’d have to immediately figure out how to stop Harmail with a military split by civil war. That’s the worst-case scenario everyone fears.

“Your Highness, but we can’t be too optimistic. In the face of ambition, what choice the Count might make—it’s better to be cautious than to think too idealistically.”

So perhaps what the ambitious figures in each region desire isn’t to destroy the Empire’s facade. They likely don’t even think of changing the Imperial family.

They’ll keep the Illumina bloodline on the throne and instead manipulate the Emperor from the shadows. That’s clearly what this ‘Royal Uncle’ intends to do.

Of course, that’s assuming everyone thinks rationally. People are more vulnerable to desire than one might think, and if that weren’t the case, the Death God wouldn’t have come into existence.

“Of course, you can worry about that after ascending the throne.”

Duke Valder slightly dragged out his words.

“Your Highness… the days of calling you that are numbered. You will soon ascend the throne. I only hope you don’t forget how you were able to rise to the throne. The price the Church Country paid for you.”

Edmund’s eyes turned cold, but outwardly, he simply smiled.

He must not forget. These people conspired to assassinate the Crown Prince, so they could just as easily assassinate him. Of course, easier said than done.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince are distinctly different, and the Crown Prince and the Princes also differ in status. The Empire has secret forces and organizations that are loyal only to the Emperor, forces that even the Emperor cannot freely command.

They protect the Emperor, but they do not obey his orders.

The first Emperor prepared these secret forces for just such a situation, in case the Emperor lost the people’s hearts, the treasury ran dry, and power slipped from his hands.

Once an Emperor loses absolute power, recovery or restoration is impossible. Because even the forces that should be his limbs would have been infiltrated by others.

‘If I become Emperor, I will gain absolute authority over the Imperial protective magic formations. And the right to use the Dragon Vein. All the hidden powers of the Empire will pledge loyalty to me, and then I can negotiate with the Church Country behind my uncle on equal footing.’

To prepare for such a situation, these forces cannot be commanded by the Emperor during peacetime. They only activate when the Empire is on the brink of collapse.

One of the reasons Crown Prince Arsein was so easily assassinated was this. Of course, the fundamental reason was that almost everyone, nobles and Temple alike, wanted him dead.

But it was also because the secret forces within the Imperial family had significantly reduced the level of protection for him, as he was no longer the Crown Prince. They are loyal not to a single Emperor but to the enduring Imperial family.

Whoever becomes the next Emperor, as long as they bear the Illumina name, they will accept and be loyal to that Emperor.

If a Prince assassinates the Crown Prince appointed through proper procedures, that’s rebellion. But killing another Prince is part of the struggle for the throne.

These secret forces, according to the rules established by the first Emperor, are strictly forbidden from intervening in the Imperial succession struggle. Otherwise, the power reserved for the Empire could be consumed in internal strife.

In any case, the winner of the succession struggle has some ability, so the first Emperor didn’t view his descendants fighting amongst themselves too negatively. At least it was better than an incompetent inheriting the throne.

“Now you must return. You’ve been away for too long.”

At Duke Valder’s words, Edmund nodded. His younger siblings were already by the Emperor’s side, pouring out a lifetime’s worth of tears. Such acting skills were essential for the Imperial family, though some took it too far.

“Father! Your Majesty! Please open your eyes! If you leave like this, I will smash my head on the ground and follow you! I will not let you go alone!”

The Prince banged his head so hard it made a loud noise, and surely everyone was inwardly cringing. The Seventh Prince, Arjein. Of course, Edmund’s inner thoughts weren’t much different.

The Emperor is about to pass away, so who are you trying to show such filial piety to? With such short-sighted thinking, it’s no wonder you’re not even qualified to compete for the throne.

If the Emperor passes, the Seventh Prince will be like a kite with its string cut, likely to be sold off as a hostage to another country.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Duke Valder frowned.

He didn’t shout loudly, considering the location, but his voice was stern.

“What’s all this noise? Why is it so chaotic outside? Who dares to cause a disturbance at a time like this! Whoever it is, they should be made an example of!”

His shout suddenly froze. An overwhelming pressure emanated from afar, making everyone’s hair stand on end and their bodies stiffen.

If one didn’t know the source of this pressure, could they even be called a member of the Imperial family? This was clearly the Dragon Form Technique, which all Imperial family members train using the power of the Dragon Vein!

‘Master…?’

But even with the Dragon Vein’s assistance, one can only progress faster than others, not reach the level of a Master. Yet this power, this pressure, was undoubtedly that of a Master. What was going on? Had an Imperial family member reached the level of a Master?

‘Who… who is it?’

Even Edmund’s relaxed expression stiffened. If the source of this pressure was one of the Princes or Princesses, a powerful competitor he hadn’t anticipated had just appeared.

An Imperial family member as a Master! What could that mean? It meant the first Imperial family member to inherit part of the first Emperor’s legend had been born. Even without any backing, their legitimacy alone would be a threat.

“Step aside! Do you think you can stop me from seeing my father?!”

Hearing the voice of the Dragon Form Technique’s user, Edmund’s expression stiffened completely.

This time, he couldn’t even maintain his composure. He staggered unconsciously, but fortunately, no one paid attention to his disgrace. Everyone who knew what was happening had already risen in shock.

“Ah, Ardein?”

The door was nearly smashed open as a woman rushed in.

Tears streamed from her eyes, but no one paid attention to that. What mattered was that her once decaying flesh now radiated vitality. Archbishop Armata, who served the Goddess of Healing, Hilrae, was so shocked he froze mid-prayer.

“Ah, Father…!”

But could she even see that now? The Princess’s eyes were fixed on the bed in the center and her weeping mother.

The Empress, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, sobbed and then, upon seeing Ardein, fell back in shock. The maids screamed and rushed to support her.

“Is it really you…? Ardein. Have you returned? Is this not a dream?”

“Mother… Mother…”

“You wretched child! You wretched girl! Do you know how much my heart ached when I heard you left without a word? Do you know how much His Majesty worried about you?”

The Empress immediately recognized her daughter, who looked even younger than before her illness. Of course, she was her own flesh and blood. How could she not recognize her? She had reminisced about her daughter’s pre-illness appearance countless times in her heart.

“Even a wretch like you is still my daughter. It seems the gods have allowed me to see you once more before I follow His Majesty in death.”

The Empress finished speaking and then slapped her own cheek hard.

The sound echoed through the room, and everyone fell silent. The sobbing woman, choking back tears, placed her hand on the Emperor’s chest.

“But… this is truly not a dream. You… you’ve really returned. And even the illness that plagued you is gone. I don’t know what miracle you encountered, but come here quickly. Before His Majesty leaves us forever, you must show him your face at least once.”

The Empress couldn’t hold back her sobs and finally burst into tears.

“He wanted so much to see you well again… But even before he leaves, we must fulfill his wish. Your Majesty. It’s me. Please open your eyes. Our child… Ardein has returned. The illness has left, and her skin has become smooth again… Your Majesty, our daughter has returned…”