The people who have seen the edict are not just any random folks you can see anywhere. Each one is a key figure of the empire, holding significant roles. Many of them watched the battle between the empire and the temple from the sidelines, but neither side could force them to choose a side.
Now that the emperor’s victory seems almost certain, their hearts have turned toward him. These imperial officials are indispensable, no matter who comes to power.
An empire is not a ship that moves solely with a captain; it needs experienced navigators, helmsmen, and other crew members.
“If this is true… damn it.”“Has such a crisis ever struck since the founding of the empire?”
They frowned after reading the edict. Even the empire’s administrators sensed that this matter would not be easy. The battle between the emperor and the temple was, to them, merely a struggle over who would be the captain. Whoever became the captain, as long as they weren’t too close to the defeated, they would still be employed under the new captain.
However, the Death God seemed intent on not leaving the empire intact. Those with their feet to the fire were in a panic. The foundation of their power was the empire, and if the empire fell, their status would be reduced to that of commoners. They never wanted to see such a thing happen in their lifetimes.
‘In a situation like this…’‘We must join hands with the Church Country, right?’
Transcending their values and factions, the hearts of the ministers gathered here became one. The only question was who would take the blame.
According to the information received, the current empire lacked the strength to face the Death God alone. The idea of joining hands with the temple lingered in their throats, but who would dare to bring it up first?
The temple had attacked first, but they had extended their hand. If they pretended to lose and took it, that would be that. The problem was, whoever suggested it would incur the emperor’s wrath.
In fact, it was awkward to propose peace before even assessing the damage. One thing was certain: whoever first suggested peace with the temple would undoubtedly fall out of the emperor’s favor. The chancellor, Duke Brandon, looked around.
No one seemed willing to speak, so he was about to open his mouth. But then, a dull sound was heard.
Thud!“Your Majesty, I beg for forgiveness.”
The man stepped forward before the emperor, knelt, and pressed his head to the ground. Everyone couldn’t help but stand up in shock. Even the emperor was startled, rising from his throne and stepping forward. He personally placed his hand on the shoulder of the Celestial Dawn Knight Order’s captain, Xerox, and tried to lift him up.
“What crime could the captain have possibly committed? Do I not recognize a loyal subject? Please rise. I assure you, the captain has merits, not faults.”
This was the man who had annihilated the Holy Knight Order and rushed back without rest. Even though the maids brought wet towels to wipe him, the bloodstains on his clothes remained.
The emperor stood up, placed his hand on his shoulder, and praised his achievements. The Celestial Dawn Knight Order had suffered the greatest losses in this battle. Captain Xerox had even sacrificed his own cultivation level to repel the temple’s holy knights.
“I have heard that the Celestial Dawn Knight Order has suffered severe losses. Reports also say that the captain’s vitality has greatly diminished. This is all due to my lack of virtue. If there is any fault, it is mine. I promise you.”
For a warrior, cultivation level is of utmost importance. Warriors are a breed obsessed with becoming stronger, almost to the point of madness. Xerox had given that up for the empire.
The Celestial Dawn Knight Order had shown indomitable fighting spirit, suffering near-total annihilation, and Xerox’s strength had plummeted. After such losses, fighting for the imperial family, even if they had lost, they could not be blamed. Rather, they deserved rewards for their efforts.
But they had won, achieving the feat of annihilating the Holy Knight Order. The temple’s humiliating attitude in requesting peace with the empire was largely due to his contributions.
Excluding the Death God, Modrig, he had exerted the greatest pressure on the Church Country. How could this be a crime?
Even if he had faults, they would be far outweighed by his merits. Xerox had achieved clear merits and, not being a politician, had no political enemies. The ministers present also unanimously praised his achievements. Yet, the captain of the Celestial Dawn Knight Order did not raise his head.
“I used the relic left by the masterless swordsman to achieve victory, but the Celestial Dawn Knight Order also suffered great losses. As a result, both the temple and the empire have lost valuable pieces to use against the Death God. This sin is too great for me to bear.”“The captain achieved the best possible outcome under the circumstances. At that time, neither I nor the captain knew of the Death God’s existence. No one can blame you. Not even yourself.”
The emperor clicked his tongue inwardly. He looked at Xerox with sad eyes.
The so-called ministers here had made all sorts of excuses to avoid the decisive battle, only showing up after the temple had withdrawn. If the temple had won, they would have immediately surrendered.
The most striking among them was Duke Valder, who had clearly been on the temple’s side but refused to participate and hid at home. He now sat boldly in the corner, keeping his mouth shut.
Having committed wrongs, he remained silent, simply sitting still. Thanks to this, he avoided a gruesome fate.
Even such people did not admit their faults before the emperor, so why was this innocent man apologizing? Xerox, still not standing, quietly spoke.
“Your Majesty, a guilty person has a mouth but cannot speak. If we must join hands with the temple, if the situation truly demands it…”
A blind swordsman cannot see ahead. Comrades who could only be identified by their energy vibrations flashed through his mind. He would never feel their magical power again.
“I, Xerox, will not oppose it.”
He uttered these words with some difficulty. No one stopped him, but guilt tightly gripped his throat.
The emperor hesitated, then quietly nodded. If Duke Valder or those who claimed neutrality had said such a thing, they would have incurred his wrath.
But perhaps the person who had sacrificed more for the emperor than anyone else had spoken.
No anger arose. Instead, his anger somewhat subsided. The emperor patted his shoulder and told him to rise. Then, he quietly returned to his throne and slumped down.
“To think that the Death God would appear at such a time.”
For a moment, hatred for the Death God surged. If that creature hadn’t threatened the empire, there would have been no need to negotiate with the temple again.
But then again, if that were the case, the Church Country wouldn’t have given up so easily.
The empire’s domain is within its territory, but the temple’s domain spans the entire continent. Many of the continent’s nations worship the Three God Faith. Even within the empire, the church’s authority was not below the emperor’s.
If they had the leisure, they would have rallied the people and mobilized the faithful to launch a new counterattack against the emperor.
The only reason they couldn’t was entirely due to Modrig’s efforts. In a sense, that Death God is the empire’s greatest contributor. His merits were enough to warrant a dukedom.
As his mind was in turmoil, a voice came from outside.
“Your Majesty, we have located Prince Edmund.”“Where is he?”“Well… he’s right here.”
The emperor’s eyes widened. He immediately ordered him to be brought in.
However, seeing Edmund not alive but dead, he was at a loss for words. Seeing the Third Empress being carried in beside him, he staggered in shock. Even seated, his head spun.
“Was it the temple’s doing…?”“It was suicide. At least, that’s what the temple claims.”“Suicide. Suicide. Do you think that’s possible?”
The emperor sneered. However, the temple was also wronged. Edmund hadn’t been poisoned by them.
Duke Valder, seeing his nephew’s corpse, tightly closed his eyes. He had almost ended up like that. Considering the relationship with the Church Country, the emperor couldn’t arbitrarily execute the three archbishops, including Halonen.
But people like Duke Valder or Third Prince Edmund, who were ultimately the emperor’s people, had to pay with their lives if they committed such acts.
“Your Majesty, if I may dare to say, Edmund probably wanted to die. Even if he had come before Your Majesty alive, he knew he would eventually die. Even if he survived, his life would never see the light again.”
Hearing his brother’s words, the emperor realized there was some truth to it.
The temple wanted to negotiate with him. Even if Edmund was a traitor to the empire, he was still the emperor’s son. They would have preferred to capture him alive and present him rather than kill him outright.
“Your Majesty, Princess Ardein requests an audience.”
As the emperor was feeling complex emotions upon seeing his dead wife and son, another knight approached and bowed before speaking.
“Ardein?”
The emperor looked somewhat bewildered.
“Why now? Where has that child been all this time?”
Regardless, he had her brought in. The emperor was very curious about what the captain of the imperial guard had been doing during this chaos and what achievements he had made.
He hoped she hadn’t been holed up in the Dragon Vein, training, and only now realized the situation. If so, his parenting would be a complete failure.
