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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Come on, we’re going to the Imperial Palace.”
“Why the palace?”
“I need to report to His Majesty. It’s also the safest place in the capital right now.”
“Ah.”
I had Emilia prepare immediately after returning to the residence. Repairing the entrance would take at least a day, and I couldn’t sleep soundly in a place with a compromised barrier.
Even if I could, Emilia would stay up all night guarding me. It seemed we would have to impose on the Imperial Palace for the night.
As a knight under the Emperor’s direct command, I also had a duty to report to him in person.
‘I hope this is okay…’
I suddenly recalled the unsettling gazes of Sergei and Ludwig and felt a surge of anxiety.
The two most influential professors at the Imperial University had warned me, in no uncertain terms, to stay out of this incident.
They had told me to pretend that I hadn’t even encountered the intruders.
Of course, I couldn’t do that.
I knew what they were up to. But I had no idea what the consequences of defying Ludwig a Count and the former Marshal of the Imperial Army would be.
‘Surely they wouldn’t dare harm me.’
They were educators, after all. I trusted that they wouldn’t do anything drastic to a student.
At least, I wanted to believe that.
“Brother… All my maid uniforms are torn or scorched. I’m wearing this for now, but it’s probably not appropriate, is it?”
She was supposed to be accompanying me to the palace as my attendant. She should be wearing a maid uniform.
I was about to tell her to wear one of her scorched uniforms when—
“Of course—”
“Sorry. I’ll go change into one of the scorched ones.”
“No. You look perfect.”
I was stunned by Emilia in casual clothes.
A thin, flowing top and a narrow skirt.
Was it the outfit I had bought her on our outing? I remembered thinking that it looked like something a modern-day secretary would wear.
Emilia had been puzzled by the style, but seeing her in it now, I was certain.
Emilia looked good in anything.
“Doesn’t it look strange? I’ve never seen or worn clothes like this before.”
“No. It’s perfect. You look so cute.”
“Hmm… Cute? I thought there was another word.”
Emilia turned around, looking at herself in the mirror, and then glared at me.
“Say it again. What did you say?”
“C-Cute.”
“You’re so clueless.”
“What…?”
“Never mind. Let’s go.”
“Uh… okay.”
She seemed to be in a bad mood today. I had no idea why. I let her push me out of the residence.
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“Ha ha ha. We’ve both been bitten by our own students.”
“…”
Sergei chuckled, but Ludwig remained silent, puffing on his pipe.
What had gone wrong?
He had thought his warning had been clear enough. Perhaps his expression hadn’t been threatening enough.
“Where did these monsters come from?”
“Professor, have you heard of the Ubermensch Project?”
“Ubermensch…?”
“Yes. The plan to create the ultimate soldiers by surgically modifying their internal circuits. You may not have heard of the project name, but you know the result. It was a failure.”
The Ubermensch Project.
The attempt to artificially alter innate internal circuits, creating the most efficient and powerful circuits possible. But modifying internal circuits required open-heart surgery, and the survival rate was extremely low.
“Even after repeated trials, the survival rate couldn’t be raised above 0.1%. One in a thousand… There were seven suicide bombers at the Imperial University. That means at least seven thousand people died for today’s attack. It’s not something the Kingdom could have done.”
Ludwig clicked his tongue.
The Kingdom’s intelligence agency was less than twenty years old. It was unstable and limited in its operations. It wouldn’t be able to conduct human experiments on this scale within the Empire.
But this incident was a perfect opportunity to secure funding for a special task force to crack down on the intelligence agency. If he could convince the Emperor that the attack was their doing…
But the problem was Schlus Hainkel. His sharp mind would likely see through their deception. They had to silence him. But Schlus had refused.
“We should have offered him a reward. I didn’t know he was so greedy for recognition now that he’s a knight.”
“He’s not after recognition.”
Ludwig shook his head.
Schlus Hainkel wasn’t that kind of person. People change, but Schlus wasn’t motivated by fame or glory in this matter. He just had a feeling, but he had no concrete evidence.
“Then… is he trying to protect the intelligence agency…?”
“That’s not it either.”
“Ha ha ha… Of course not. That’s… impossible…”
Sergei chuckled nervously.
Schlus had stopped the attack and quelled the rebellion. He was a hero. Why would he protect the intelligence agency? It didn’t make sense.
“Perhaps Schlus has already figured out who is behind this.”
“Professor? How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
“It was a slip of the tongue. Forget I said anything.”
Ludwig clutched his head.
He had spoken without thinking. It was a shameful mistake for the head of the esteemed Bermenstein family. But it also meant that he strongly suspected it.
“If that’s true, then it explains why His Majesty wants to eliminate Schlus. Ha ha. If I were the Emperor, I would also eliminate someone who knows too much and keeps too many secrets.”
“Professor Sergei.”
“Oh… my apologies.”
Sergei covered his mouth theatrically.
It was his way of showing consideration. He had made an even more outrageous statement to cover up Ludwig’s slip of the tongue.
Sergei, who wasn’t interested in exploiting others’ weaknesses, often gained people’s trust this way.
“What if Schlus tells His Majesty that we tried to silence him?”
“He won’t. He can’t.”
Ludwig spoke with conviction.
Schlus had always distinguished between those who could become his allies and those who couldn’t.
He would shower his allies with favors, while ruthlessly excluding those he deemed unworthy.
Ludwig and Sergei were currently in the ‘potential ally’ category. He wouldn’t antagonize them openly.
“The bigger problem is the identity of the attackers. An organization capable of sacrificing seven thousand lives within the Empire, without the Emperor’s knowledge…”
Ludwig trailed off, stroking his chin.
An organization of that scale shouldn’t exist. It was a level of fanaticism that defied explanation.
‘Wait a minute…’
Fanaticism…?
He thought he had found a clue.
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I requested an audience with the Emperor as soon as I arrived at the palace. It seemed they had been expecting me.
The audience was granted in less than ten minutes. I entered the audience chamber and reported the events of the day in detail.
I had nothing to hide, so I could speak freely without fear of making a mistake.
Unidentified assailants had breached the barrier at the Imperial University.
They had modified their internal circuits to create powerful explosive spells.
They were too dangerous to capture alive, so I had killed them all on sight… I made no mention of Sergei and Ludwig’s pressure.
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Who do you think is behind this?”
“I have no concrete evidence yet.”
“Let me rephrase. Who do you suspect is behind this?”
“At this stage, I suspect a religious group.”
“A religious group?”
“Yes. A cult that worships a dark god, perhaps.”
“Hmm…”
I subtly hinted at the truth, careful not to appear too knowledgeable. The Emperor stroked his beard, deep in thought.
“I see. You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I left the audience chamber, but a sense of unease lingered.
The Emperor’s contemplation might have been about whether or not to eliminate me. Being competent was an asset, but being too competent could be a liability.
I had to make my move soon.
“That was quick.”
“It was a simple report. It didn’t take long.”
“Did you ask about our accommodations for tonight?”
“…”
I feigned surprise at Emilia’s question.
My poor acting made Emilia’s face twitch slightly. But it didn’t matter if she saw through my act. As long as the people in the palace believed it.
“Oh dear! I completely forgot. It would be inappropriate to bother His Majesty with such a trivial matter when he’s preoccupied with more important issues.”
“Hmm… This is troubling…”
“Indeed. I’ll have to find someone else to ask.”
We walked down the hallway, putting on a theatrical performance.
Then we waited. The palace staff would have overheard our conversation. But no one came.
Aria, who had always appeared as if by chance whenever I visited the palace, was nowhere to be seen.
Was she not in the palace today?
‘Did she abandon me?’
Had Aria given up on me? A sense of foreboding washed over me.
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