“Whoever sets their sights on Kail, I’ll kill them.”
Yuri said this while revealing her stance towards the sly foxes eyeing her husband. Upon hearing this, Arthur stiffened as he stared at Yuri.
This was a passionate side of her that was completely opposite from her usual cold demeanor. Normally, Yuri wouldn’t care much or would just brush it off.
“You’re… not being yourself…”
“What do you mean by ‘myself’?”
“Hmm… Isn’t it about being cool and letting things slide?”
“Sorry, but – I’m actually a fiery woman.”
She didn’t specify exactly where, but Arthur and Sera easily figured out which place she meant when Yuri touched her abdomen and below while making that statement.
Seeing this, the two realized just how much marriage and pregnancy could change a woman’s personality.
Understanding Yuri’s feelings, Arthur gulped and cautiously opened his mouth.
“What if, what if I were to set my sights on Kail?”
“…Indeed. If I killed you, Arthur, Kail would be very sad.”
After saying this, Yuri considered the relationship between Arthur and Kail before continuing.
“In that case, instead of killing you, Arthur, I’d kill Kail and then myself too.”
“Huh, Huh?”
“Kail won’t be sad, and I can end my life together with my beloved husband. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
Sera wanted to protest where exactly this was ‘killing two birds with one stone,’ but held back as she looked at Arthur.
‘You must be having a tough time too…’
Anyone who had watched Kail and Arthur closely could easily tell that she liked Kail. Kail kept a respectful distance, and Arthur, fearing rejection, never approached him, so nothing progressed.
Now, with an obsessively jealous wife in the mix – surely Kail wouldn’t dare touch any other women.
“Alrighty-! Enough with the scary talk! We came to enjoy a nice atmosphere, no need to make things tense!”
Sera changed the subject with these words.
However, Yuri’s gaze never left Arthur.
Arthur felt like he was walking on thorns throughout the entire bath.
* * *
A revolutionary wind blew through the Empire.
Revolutionary groups backed by foreign kingdoms and bourgeoisie who amassed vast capital through technological advancements led this movement.
They recruited Experts and above-level superhumans, urged sorcerers to embrace freedom, and brought in equipment far superior to traditional gear.
The successive great wars, which humanity staked its fate on, spurred technological advancement. At the heart of this were the Magic Tools created by Sera.
“For humans to create such tools…”
“Analyze it! Reverse engineer and copy it!”
The Magic Tools Sera created using the system sparked a revolution in Magic Studies. She indiscriminately scattered these magically perfect tools under the pretext of eradicating the Evil God Cult.
People had no intention of leaving these tools alone once they got their hands on them. They successfully reverse-engineered the Magic Tools and began stealing the artistic technology contained within.
“Damn knight bastard! Die!”
The magic wands enabling anyone to use magic were part of this development. Even a very weak spell, if it hits a vital spot, can kill a knight.
With countless protesters wielding such Magic Tools, ordinary knights below Expert level started getting swept away helplessly.
“There he is! That royal bastard who summoned the accursed Evil God!”
“What are those?”
Second Prince Rayge, returning from a mission outside the Imperial Capital to build achievements for becoming emperor, frowned upon seeing the protesting crowd surrounding the palace.
The escorting knights quickly drew their swords and stepped forward upon seeing the mob rushing towards them.
“Your Highness, please retreat.”
“Handle it yourselves. I’ll go ahead into the castle.”
“Underst—”
BOOM!
From afar, a Level 1 magic spell struck the knight’s helmet. The knight’s Aura-reinforced skin didn’t even scorch, but the fact that a sorcerer could cast such spells was incomprehensible to the escorting knight.
What was more astonishing was that after one person fired a spell, the entire mob began firing spells all at once.
“Your Highness!”
Each individual attack might be harmless, but among them were threatening spells of Level 3 or higher. Realizing this, the escorting knight quickly deflected the dangerous spells with his sword and helped the prince retreat.
Rayge, belatedly realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, quickly spurred his horse towards the Imperial Palace.
Everywhere he went, mobs emerged from alleys firing spells at Rayge.
‘Crazy, crazy -! What is this?’
Only then did Rayge realize the state of ruin across the Imperial Capital. It was as if some enormous force had obliterated it.
No wonder there was no response when he completed his mission and reported back. Rayge thought the Emperor was simply busy. He never dreamed something like this had happened.
Even if something did occur, he never imagined it involved the Evil God Cult or that the Empire’s commoners would rise up on their own.
‘What exactly happened─!’
“Hyiiing-!”
“Ugh-!?”
A spell shot from somewhere targeted Rayge’s horse. Unlike Rayge himself, the horse, without any special abilities, collapsed to the ground after being hit.
Falling from his horse, Rayge momentarily felt dizzy. By the time he regained his senses, he was already surrounded by countless citizens.
Soon after, Rayge, arrested and taken to the revolutionaries’ headquarters, surrendered and questioned them.
“What is going on? What is Father doing?”
“Your idiotic younger brother summoned an Evil God in the Empire’s capital. The Emperor assisted by allowing the use of the Imperial Treasury. You’re the bloodline of trash trying to summon an Evil God to destroy the Empire. Understand?”
“What… such nonsense.”
Rayge thought the revolutionaries were deliberately lying to him. What? Who summoned an Evil God? And who supposedly helped?
Logically and reasonably speaking, isn’t this impossible?
If the Empire were truly affiliated with the Evil God Cult, why would they have wasted so many talents and resources leading the charge to eradicate it?
Why would the Emperor join the Evil God Cult!?
“Why would Father do such a thing!”
“Well… You need to understand how nobles think.”
The revolutionary officer standing before Rayge scratched his head as if nobles were incomprehensible. As he shook off dandruff, he grinned and stabbed the dagger he used to scratch his head directly into Rayge’s thigh.
PSSSHH-! In his arrested and unresisting state, Rayge bit his lip to hold back a scream as the blade pierced his thigh.
“Bastard…! If you guys get caught doing this…”
“We’ll explain our plan. First, we’ll display your head on a spear and bring it to the Imperial Palace. Then maybe the stubborn turtle hiding inside will peek out?”
“Crazy bastards…! Is this the world you desire─!”
“Our only wish is simple: a world without the Empire.”
Hearing the sudden change in tone as the officer whispered into his ear, Rayge realized this man wasn’t targeting the Empire out of pure intentions.
He wasn’t angry at the current royal family for summoning an Evil God or seeking accountability – he was merely another kingdom’s spy aiming to destroy the Empire using this as a pretext.
“—You bastard.”
Before Rayge could say anything further upon realizing this, the officer plunged a dagger into Rayge’s neck.
Having quickly noticed Rayge figuring out his true identity, the officer regretted not torturing him more. Too bad.
In any case, the revolutionaries obtained the Second Prince’s head, impaled it on a long spear, and headed straight for the Imperial Palace.
“Emperor, hear us!”
The voice of the revolutionary leader, aided by a sorcerer, reached the Imperial Palace.
“The trash you spawned has met this end! Soon, you shall follow! Confess your sins now if you wish to die honorably!”
Whether the Emperor came out or not – it didn’t matter to the revolutionaries.
If he came out, it would be over. If not…
“Behold -! That filth who sold their parents and children to an Evil God! Their son is dead, yet they don’t even show their face!”
They could exploit the situation either way.
The people swept up in the revolutionary tide gradually began to foster animosity towards the Empire under the influence of trained agitators.
The Empire had already fallen.
Public sentiment among the citizens had hit rock bottom.
* * *
[—And so, I’m thinking of appointing you as the new king. What do you say? Son-in-law.]
“I refuse.”
Kail frowned at the Duke’s proposal.
Me? Become king?
‘Is the country doomed?’
