307 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Episode 307 "I have a condition." "A condition?" The master of Kassel Tower chuckled at Baros's words. "It seems the young one doesn't have good ears. I'm offering to do everything for you, and you want to impose conditions?" "How can I trust you? Even to believe your promise, conditions are necessary." "Haha, you're a greedy little boy." An amiable smile lingered on the old man's lips, reminiscent of a rural villager, but his gray eyes showed no trace of laughter. Baros merely smiled back at those chilling eyes. Facial expressions were merely the shapes created by skin on the face, often unrelated to one's true intentions. Such people were not uncommon in the Imperial Palace. Though, of course, they didn't possess monstrous strength like the old man before him. "You must know we have no reason to necessarily choose you, right?" "If you target another royal close to the throne instead of me, it won't be the Winter Mage chasing you down this time, but the Imperial legion." "There are ways to deal with your mind without persuading you." "If you could bypass the Imperial magical barriers, you would have done so already." While smiling, the fierce exchange of glances between his unwavering black eyes and the old man’s gray eyes continued. “Ha! What a bold kid you are.” When the old man let out a hollow laugh, Baros realized his gamble had paid off. "What is it that you want?" "...There's someone who disrupts my mind every time we cross paths. Eliminate him or investigate the cause." Now that the old man conceded, Baros replaced his informal language with a semi-polite tone, signaling a shift in demeanor to match the elder's. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed as though the old man's gray eyes softened just a bit. "Is it possible that a prince of the Empire cannot handle one person?" "He is the king of a nation. And a superhuman at that." "What?" "King Logan Maclain of the current Maclain Kingdom. He is the one." "Ha, indeed." The old man laughed as if he found it amusing. But soon, the laugh ceased, and he wore a peculiar smile. "The King of Maclain, huh. Yes, I've heard rumors of that young genius. But if that king dies or falls into disaster, wouldn't chaos ensue?" "It's precisely what I hope for." "So, the Empire has been considering war, it seems." At the old man's words, Baros inadvertently clenched his teeth. He realized too late that he had revealed too much. But. 'Since things have become so entangled, I must use them as a stepping stone.' The Imperial Guards appeared at the meeting place set for his encounter with Kassel Tower. Returning empty-handed would not only mean losing his position, but likely his head as well. To Baros, these people had become an indispensable lifeline. "Well, it's not bad. I've been keeping an eye on him anyway." Keeping an eye on him? Why? Just as an unsettling feeling crept in, Baros was about to speak again, but the gleaming gray eyes silenced him. "Prince of the royal family, descendant of the previous generation. Now that the time has come, I’ll go along with your tune, but no more of this. You understand the basics of a transaction, don't you?" Time? What time? Though he had many questions, he understood instinctively. If he pushed for more under the guise of a transaction, the old man wouldn't comply so easily as before. "The basics of a transaction are to give and take. How could I not know?" However, he had no intention of being a pushover either. "But it was you who proposed to make me emperor in exchange for 'that condition,' not my demand." "It sounds as if you don't wish to be emperor. Truly, it’s remarkable how all your ancestor's descendants share the same hypocrisy..." Baros's face hardened at the insult to his ancestors. However, the gray aura emanating from the elder seeped and pressured his entire being to the point he could not speak. "Remember this, child. You may deceive the whole world, but you cannot deceive yourself." The old man's voice, which reminded him of a simple country man, felt particularly eerie. "The contract of the Black Serpent is a contract bound to the soul. Now your choice can never be undone. No god, no magic can break this contract." As if delivering a proclamation, the voice resonated, and the gray aura of the old man seemed to envelop the entire world, squeezing Baros’s breath from his lungs. "Cough. Cough. This, this is..." Unable to withstand the pressure, Baros gasped in anguish. "So do not forget your promise, Prince Baros." With the old man's voice, whose expression returned to a smile, the pressure that bound him vanished as if it had been a mere illusion. However, Baros could not bring himself to smile like the old man. "What have you done to me!?" "What have I done? We merely had a conversation." The lightly chuckling expression on the old man’s face further chilled Baros's countenance. "You think I'm a fool...!" "Didn't you say it yourself? If I could override the Imperial magic barriers, we wouldn't need to have such a lengthy conversation." "...!?" "It wouldn't do to get so frightened after a little scare. Especially as a future emperor." At those words, Baros's expression hardened once more, but he said nothing further. Despite having much to say, he felt further discussion would be futile. His decision was also based on faith in the protective magics of the Imperial family. As the old man had mentioned, if they could pull a trick on him without his knowing, such an extensive conversation wouldn't have been necessary. "Just don't forget the promise." "Do not forget your promise, especially regarding the sacred kingdom. Make sure you..." "Your father will understand if you relay my words. The Emperor surely knows the movements of the Holy Nation. That should suffice..." * * * "You intend to use them?" The Emperor's question snapped Baros out of his reverie. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am confident that there’s no need to burden my brother and Prince Jera of the Eastern Wings further." "Do you even know what needs to be done?" "We just need to eliminate Logan Maclain and his close associates, isn't that so?" The Emperor's expression hardened slightly at Baros's direct and forceful words, prompting Baros to continue. "This time is different. Even if we fail using them, there won’t be any possible connection to our Empire. There was an uproar recently, due to my actions..." At this, everyone present watched Baros with heightened interest. The Emperor, too, glanced at Baros with a curious expression before a voice unexpectedly interjected. "It seems our prince has changed quite a bit since we last met. To admit one's faults so easily..." A smile played in the blue eyes of Jera, the Eastern Wing King, Gerard van Aserion. His interjection was impolite, interrupting the dialogue between the Emperor and the prince without consent, yet none rebuked him. As one of the Empire's four pillars, with allegiance only to the Emperor, he earned his right to speak. "Gerard." "I apologize, Your Majesty. I was just gladdened by Prince Baros’s growth as his guardian." "He's still lacking in many ways." Even with the Eastern Wing King's praise, the Emperor’s words remained cold. Acknowledging the Emperor's judgment, the Eastern Wing King stepped back without a word, bowing his head. The contrast in tone between their words was so stark that one might mistake who the real father was. Baros suppressed the urge to twitch his face and lowered his gaze. 'I'd rather have a cold evaluation.' Warm-sounding words from the Eastern Wing King were empty, their sincerity uncertain. "The reason I was summoned seems aligned with what Prince Baros mentioned—it’s about the Maclain operation?" Facing Gerard's candid gaze, the Emperor nodded lightly. "Any method is fine. Ensure the 'plan' proceeds smoothly." "Are the methods up to my discretion?" "Yes." "In that case, I too support Prince Baros’s perspective." Baros's gaze shifted towards the Eastern Wing King at those words. The Emperor's expression turned curious as he studied the Eastern Wing King. "We all know Prince Baros has been influencing various nations in the East. It would be more efficient than Prince Clid, who has always been in the West." At this, the expression of Prince Clid, who was quietly listening to Gerard, crumpled slightly, mirroring someone present. 'Even his facial expression is similar.' Could it be intentional practice? Though such trivial likenesses of his half-brother grated on Baros, he didn't let it show. Not a single slip should be visible. The Eastern Wing King was equally displeasing, but right now, he was backing Baros. Perhaps moved by Baros's earnest demeanor, the Emperor, who had shown little reaction until now, nodded indifferently. "Very well. But do receive the Eastern Wing King’s support." "...What?" "And have him manage them. Some coordination must be possible?" He couldn't reveal how daunting it sounded. "Yes, Your Majesty!" He could only give a firm answer, planting a trust he didn’t quite hold. Thus ended the unexpected audience between three parties. "You've changed in many ways." "Ah, have I, brother? This humble one only tries to follow your example." "...The scheming nature remains the same." On Clid's impassive face, a faint disdain emerged. However, Baros, amused by the visible change in his seemingly stone-like demeanor, only deepened his smile. "I merely wanted to make amends for my recent blunders, though it seems I've troubled you with an unnecessary visit." "Pfft." "Unnecessary visit...? Hardly." Did he gain something? The cryptic words lightly twitched Baros's eyebrows. "Ah, our imperial princes are so affectionate towards each other. I wonder if there won't be any more bloodshed this time," came a sly voice from someone draping arms over the shoulders of both princes. Both princes' faces twisted in simultaneous displeasure. For once, their thoughts seemed to align. The figure, heedless of their considerable height difference, made the action appear ridiculous, and the cheeky comments were utterly unconvincing. "Not so? Do we have to witness that sight again?" With words seemingly meant to sow discord between the princes, Clid swatted Gerard’s right arm off. "I am busy and must take my leave." He turned abruptly, not even finishing his sentence, prompting Gerard to click his tongue and shake his head. "Seems he grows stiffer with age. Wouldn't you agree, Baros?" Though tempted to mimic his half-brother’s indifference, Baros refrained. His past mistakes lay heavy over his future, with this man as the overseer. "So, how will you begin?" Sigh. "Please, just don't interfere." "Interfere? I'm clearly the helper, didn't you hear His Majesty say so?" "That is why I'm saying it." "Haha. Such words would sadden a godfather. Oh, how about heading to the Eastern Manor first? It's geographically closer." "No thank you." "It's been a while since you've seen Louisa, hasn't it? Hardly fitting for cousins to not meet." Baros ignored the voice beside him as he mulled over his thoughts. 'Telling them to come under Eastern control just as my father said...' He sighed with a headache, faced with the most immediate problem. Because of this, he completely failed to notice the flicker of gray aura passing through the Eastern Wing King's mysteriously shining blue eyes. * * * "You said you wanted to change the atmosphere in the council, Louisa." "Yes." "Then you must achieve something noteworthy—something everyone can acknowledge." "..." "Go to Maclain. Investigate that person." "...You just want me to investigate?" "Investigation comes first. The actions of that king may be closely tied to the beginning of the era when the gods departed." "And afterward?" "If it's determined there's no connection, then deal with it promptly. However, if there is a link, we'll take a different approach. The chaos in the kingdom doesn't necessarily require the king's death." "Understood." In the dim stone chamber, under a black robe, the strikingly beautiful face with shimmering black hair and pale skin, set with blue eyes, bore a remarkable resemblance to someone famous in the Empire.