Chapter 170

Her lips, curved in a splendid arc beneath the nose veil, parted.

“I warned you, yet you insist on falling off the cliff. I see no reason to stop you. I will show you the evidence.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Frank, the head butler of House Ruthius, appeared with someone.

He was shabby and disheveled, but not unrecognizable.

He was Hamilton Asla, the chamberlain who had served the emperor for decades.

The emperor’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

“H-how…?”

He had definitely locked him in the Red Room a few days ago. The plan was to dispose of him after the Duke of Ruthius’s funeral, once things had calmed down.

‘But how did he manage to escape?’

The Red Room was a space prepared for the royal family’s evacuation in an emergency, so its very existence was top secret.

Even for those who knew of its existence, it was a place impossible to access by ordinary means.

Besides himself, only three others could access it: Dante, Igrid, and Hamilton.

But Dante was locked in his bedroom, and Igrid wasn’t even staying at the imperial palace.

So who could have freed Hamilton! And how would they know where he was!

‘Could it be?’

The emperor recalled the day Astell had helped Dante escape from the Red Room.

She was the only outsider who knew how to enter the Red Room, a fact the emperor was well aware of.

However, the reason he hadn’t been too concerned was that she was in Akron.

The informant he had planted in the Ruthius household had also reported that Astell had only arrived at the mansion this morning.

He had heard that she then went straight to the guesthouse, finished preparing for the funeral, and headed to the temple. It would have been impossible to free Hamilton in that time.

‘How on earth… Ah!’

The emperor gnawed his lip.

‘She manipulated the time.’

Astell must have returned at least half a day earlier, not this morning. She must have infiltrated the imperial palace and freed the chamberlain.

It was clear she had hidden the chamberlain in a safe place and then pretended to have just arrived this morning.

In other words, she had been suspicious of the Ruthius household’s employees for quite some time.

And yet, far from trying to root out the informant, she showed no sign of suspicion. All so she could use them at the decisive moment.

‘I’ve been completely outplayed.’

To make such a mistake at the very end.

Normally, he would have been suspicious, even for a moment, but why had he been so complacent? It was because he had been too elated by the Duke of Ruthius’s death.

The emperor released the tip of his tongue he had been chewing on. His mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood.

The High Priest pointed at Hamilton and asked.

“Princess Astell, is he the evidence you spoke of?”

“The nobles will know who this man is. As for the rest, you can confirm it with him directly.”

The nobles nodded. There wasn’t a noble who didn’t know the emperor’s chamberlain.

“Witness, step forward.”

Hamilton took a few steps forward. His grimy face was as despondent as someone who had given up on everything.

“I am Hamilton Asla. I have served His Majesty the Emperor for forty years.”

“Then you must know the authenticity of that video.”

“Yes, everything in the video is true.”

“……!”

Sounds that could be gasps or cries of despair erupted from all around. The High Priest struck the dais.

“It is not over yet, so be silent. Chamberlain, do you have proof?”

“I am the proof. I was by His Majesty’s side when he… did that to the Duchess of Ruthius.”

Speaking calmly, he took out a tattered document from within his coat.

“This document is the contract I drew up with the undertaker when I arranged the Duchess’s funeral. I killed the undertaker and made it look like a suicide.”

Hamilton confessed even his own crimes. This was proof that his words were true.

The High Priest stroked his beard.

“Why are you testifying now, of all times?”

“Until dawn today, I was imprisoned in a secret location within the imperial palace. A secret place known only to the royal family.”

“Who imprisoned you in such a place?”

“His Majesty. If Princess Astell had not rescued me, I would have been murdered before long.”

“Are you saying the emperor would have tried to silence you by killing you? After keeping you by his side for twenty-one years, why would he suddenly do so?”

“That is… likely because I discovered His Majesty’s secret.”

“And what is that?”

“Hamilton! Shut your mouth!”

The emperor suddenly roared. His face was twisted like a demon’s.

Hamilton squeezed his eyes shut and said.

“His Majesty used Prince Igrid to plant an explosive artifact in the Duke of Ruthius’s bedroom. That is what caused the fire at the Ruthius estate.”

“……!”

People covered their mouths. Gazes filled with a fury that went beyond shock were fixed on the emperor.

The High Priest asked again.

“If you are bearing false witness, you will not escape the goddess’s wrath. Hamilton Asla, are your words true?”

“They are true, without a single lie. The Duke of Ruthius was murdered by His Majesty.”

“Do you have proof?”

Before Hamilton could open his mouth, Astell raised her hand.

“I’ll show you the proof.”

At her gesture, another video began to play on the white wall behind the dais. The terrified face of Igrid appeared.

“How did you know that?”

“Know what?”

“How did you know the fire was caused by an explosive artifact?”

“I-It wasn’t me! I didn’t order it, Father told me to plant it! It’s true!”

“The chamberlain said you ordered it… Why are your stories different?”

“That’s… I really didn’t want to do it! But I couldn’t disobey Father’s command! I just, I mean… right! I thought it was just to startle the Duke of Ruthius! I didn’t know such a huge explosion would happen!”

The video ended. Astell stared directly at the emperor.

“Are you going to claim that video is a fabrication as well, Your Majesty?”

“……”

A muscle twitched beneath the emperor’s eye. After glaring silently at Astell, he let out a short laugh.

“Fine, let’s assume it’s all true. So what? Are you going to punish me?”

“……”

“I am the master of this empire, and your master. If a master kills a servant, who can hold him accountable for the crime?”

Even if the emperor commits a crime, he cannot be judged. Because the emperor himself is the executor of the law.

“I express my regret for the tragedy that has befallen House Ruthius. Therefore, the imperial family will take responsibility for the fire at the Ruthius estate. I will send Igrid to the Panton Monastery tomorrow.”

In other words, he would offer up Igrid, so the matter should be buried here.

The attendees sighed in dismay. They could not help but lament the fact that they had served such a shameless man as their emperor.

“You’re certainly making frugal use of a prince who was already scheduled to be sent to Panton. Do you really think you can smooth things over like that?”

“This is not smoothing it over, it is a resolution.”

The emperor’s shameless attitude poured oil on the flames of the people’s anger. The sound of teeth grinding could be heard from all around.

“Haaah….”

Astell let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky. After appearing to ponder for a moment, she turned to face the attendees.

“Guild members, listen. As of this moment, the Guardians declare a strike.”

“……!”

The guild members’ eyes went wide.

“The duration will be until the emperor steps down of his own accord. Until then, we will suspend all official gate conquests.”

In other words, she would turn a blind eye to individuals conquering gates on their own.

However, there weren’t many hunters who would conquer gates out of a sense of duty alone, without any success rewards. Perhaps only those of the priest class?

Besides, in this situation where everyone was thoroughly disappointed with the emperor, no one would risk their lives to conquer gates.

The emperor’s eyes narrowed.

“……By whose authority?”

“By the guild master’s authority.”

“How dare you, you parasites living off my land? As long as the Guardians are in the empire, you have a duty to protect it!”

“Then we’ll move to Akron. This works out well. We were planning to establish a branch there anyway.”

Go, Guild Master!

Having learned the emperor’s hideous true nature, the guild members clenched their fists and cheered for Astell. They thought it would be best to abandon the empire, whether it fell to ruin or not, and move to Akron.

The hunters who had escaped from Akron felt the same. If Astell wished it, they were willing to return to Akron.

“The Magic Tower will join you.”

Kaiel stood up in support of Astell.

“Master of the Magic Tower!”

Kaiel ignored the emperor’s roar and continued speaking.

“From this moment, we will seal the Magic Tower and suspend all magical support within the empire. This will last until the emperor of the empire is replaced.”

“We nobles also support the Guardians. We will suspend all political activities until the imperial authority is transferred.”

Even the nobles turned their backs on the emperor. An emperor who, succumbing to his personal desires, had destroyed a great house was no different from an enemy to the nobility.

All that remained was the Temple. The High Priest made a holy sign.

“The Temple will begin holding prayer meetings starting tomorrow. They will not end until the sinner who deceived everyone has been properly judged.”

This meant they would widely publicize the emperor’s sins to all who visited the Temple.

With the core powers of the empire turning their backs on the emperor, even the commoners, who had been cautiously watching from the sidelines for fear of getting caught in the crossfire, grew serious.

The Guardians’ strike was a serious crisis. If a gate were to open now, the commoners would be in the most danger.

Faced with a matter directly linked to their lives, the people began to shout.

“The emperor must step down!”

“The murderer must pay for his crimes!”

“Step down! Step down!”

The attendees surged forward. The emperor’s royal guards were caught between the angry crowd and the paladins, unable to move.

“I am the emperor! The master of the empire! H-have these worthless things gone mad….”

Overwhelmed by their fervor, the emperor faltered and stepped back.

The people’s gazes, moving past agitation to murderous intent, were chilling. No matter how much he bellowed, his voice was drowned out by the chants. His authority held no sway.

No one was on the emperor’s side. Surrounded by the crowd, he felt fear for the first time in his life.

Driven into a corner, the emperor reached out to Dante.

“Crown Prince! Protect me and execute these traitors!”

The only one who could get him out of this situation was Dante. With the power he possessed, he could surely kill all of them.

“What are you doing! I told you to protect your father!”

Dante tilted his head. From between lips that seemed unusually red today, a languid voice emerged.

“Who is my father?”

“Who is your father?”

These were the words the emperor had said to Dante countless times. In the moment the emperor froze, a stone flew from somewhere and grazed the top of his head.

“Aargh!”

Startled, the emperor cowered, wrapping his arms around his head.

It would have been better if he had at least roared in anger. It was a truly pathetic and unsightly display.

The people were seized by an indescribable sense of betrayal.

They had realized that the being they thought so great they dared not even look at him was, in fact, nothing at all.

And then, a volley of stones began to rain down on the emperor.