Chapter 153

Chapter 153
## Chapter 153

In terms of raw combat ability, Casval had never been considered a top-tier talent among the knightly ranks.

He would have found it a daunting task to best a single peer in an honorable duel; consequently, he was utterly powerless when a group of warriors converged upon him simultaneously.

In short order, Casval was overpowered and forcibly hauled into Lucian’s presence, unable to offer any meaningful resistance.

“Your Grace, how do you justify this behavior toward a representative of the Emperor?! Are you truly prepared to be branded a rebel?!”

“A rebel, you say?”

Lucian responded to Casval’s accusation with a brief, dry chuckle before tilting his head slightly.

At that cue, Dennis, who had been standing by in silence, moved into the light.

Fixing Casval with a freezing stare, Dennis began to speak.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Sir Casval. My name is Dennis. To the casual observer, my role here is nothing more than that of a personal aide.”

“To hell with that! What is your point? I’ve never heard of you in my life!”

“That is to be expected. You are a stranger to me as well. However, I am intimately familiar with the fabrications you have been spreading.”

“Fabrications?”

“My true purpose was to serve as the ‘Eye’ of the previous Emperor. I was sent to the Duke’s side as one of the late sovereign’s final contributions.”

“…!?”

The sudden revelation left Casval paralyzed with shock.

For an undercover operative—especially one belonging to the Crown—to discard his anonymity so brazenly was a staggering move. Such an admission was practically an affront to the dignity of the throne itself.

Soon, Casval’s shock ignited into a burning indignation.

He was repulsed by the idea that a man claiming to serve the former Emperor would bring such dishonor to his legacy. As a loyalist who valued the bond between master and servant, Casval found the display revolting.

“If you speak the truth, have you no sense of decency?! If you were truly the ‘Eye’ of our late master, you should have chosen death over disclosure to protect his name…!”

“You are correct. Emerging from the shadows is a transgression beyond forgiveness for one in my position. Once your acts of sedition are fully exposed, I will take it upon myself to accept my punishment.”

“Sedition? What nonsense have you been spouting this entire time?!”

“You are well aware. The First Prince recently made an effort to contact those beyond the capital using an enchanted relic. Who do you imagine was on the receiving end of that signal?”

Casval felt as though a heavy blow had landed squarely on the back of his neck.

The faction supporting the Second Prince was indeed aware that the First Prince had managed a brief outward communication via a magical device.

Yet, they hadn’t viewed it as a major threat.

The previous Emperor had been extremely selective, sharing such artifacts with only a few trusted souls. They had operated under the assumption that the recipient was likely a minor soldier or a low-level informant; they figured it mattered little if such a person learned of the internal palace struggles.

Their logic was that the information was useless unless it reached a powerful noble capable of raising an army or launching a political coup.

‘To think that very informant was stationed right here.’

He couldn’t believe their fortune had turned so sour.

Dennis’s voice cut through Casval’s internal panic.

“The First Prince’s message to me was clear: ‘This is a coup. Mobilize the troops. Summon the Duke. He must come to my aid at once. Cedric has betrayed me.’”

“…”

“The connection was unstable, and his desperation made him difficult to follow at times. But the core truth was undeniable.”

The Second Prince, Cedric, had seized control of the power vacuum and placed his brother under guard.

For Dennis, who was privy to exactly whom the late Emperor intended to crown, this was an earth-shattering development.

“Sir Casval, answer me this. Why does the Second Prince hunger for a seat that was never intended for him?”

“Never intended? He is the blood of the late Emperor! His claim to the throne is as valid as anyone’s!”

“That misses the point. The late Emperor’s chosen successor was always the First Prince.”

“…The late Emperor passed without leaving a formal testament. Therefore, he never officially appointed a legal heir.”

It was widely understood that the previous ruler favored the First Prince.

Casval didn’t bother to dispute that common knowledge.

However, a personal preference expressed during one’s life was a far cry from a legally binding decree of succession. Who could prove the Emperor hadn’t had a change of heart in his final moments?

History was full of monarchs who abandoned their favorites to ensure the state’s stability. It was entirely plausible the Emperor had turned to the Second Prince at the very end.

“Because of that, neither I nor the Second Prince can be rightfully called traitors. In the absence of a designated heir, he is a legitimate candidate.”

“But the Second Prince is fully aware of his father’s true wishes. That is why he keeps the First Prince as a figurehead, isn’t it? He plans to usurp the crown later through a staged ‘voluntary surrender’ of power.”

“I cannot speculate on what has yet to happen. But would it be truly shocking if the First Prince chose to step aside for the greater good of the realm?”

Finding himself backed into a corner, Casval brazenly stuck to his guns.

Even with the truth laid bare, he had no intention of yielding the high ground of political legitimacy.

“Your Grace! I do not care what stories this man has fed you, but if you snub the Imperial summons based on nothing but rumors, your loyalty will be questioned by all! Do not forget that!”

Even with his cover blown, Casval refused to break, instead choosing to hurl threats at Lucian.

Then, acting as if he had accepted his fate, he lowered his head with stoic calm, inviting Lucian to execute him if he dared.

Lucian simply gave a mocking grin at the performance.

“So, you’re prepared to die here to ensure your master’s path remains clear? Such devotion in a subordinate is almost touching.”

“…”

“But it is also profoundly tragic. You see, the Second Prince never possessed the right to inherit the throne in the first place.”

“What…?!”

“Do you recall our previous discussion? Regarding the specific requirements to operate those magical relics.”

Only a true, direct scion of the Imperial bloodline is capable of triggering such an artifact.

As those words hung in the air, Casval’s face drained of color.

At that moment, a specific memory surged to the forefront of his mind—the sight of the Second Prince failing repeatedly to activate a magical device, no matter how much effort he exerted.

Ignoring the stunned Casval, Lucian turned to his subordinates with a sharp command.

“Lock this conspirator in the cells and call for a messenger! I intend to demand a full explanation of the Second Prince’s true motives!”

—

The news of Lucian imprisoning an Imperial Inspector rippled through the neighboring provinces like wildfire.

The local lords were stunned by what appeared to be an open act of defiance against the crown, but they soon received the official narrative from Lucian’s camp.

“Is it true? The Second Prince has the First Prince imprisoned and is merely ruling in his name?”

“The word is that the Duke was lured under the pretense of the First Prince’s command, only for an assassination attempt to be made.”

“So the plan is to use the First Prince as a shield for the dirty work and then gracefully take over via abdication?”

“How scandalous. To think such a greedy soul was hiding behind a mask of humility all this time.”

Naturally, Lucian’s version of events wasn’t universally accepted.

Without hard proof, many viewed it as nothing more than a self-serving narrative. Some suspected that Lucian was the one using the First Prince’s safety as a convenient pretext to launch his own bid for power.

“Who can say for sure? Perhaps the First Prince really did order the hit, and the Duke is just pinning it on the Second Prince because he can’t bring himself to attack his preferred candidate.”

“I’m more concerned about Duke Lucian’s end game. He might be trying to wipe out the Second Prince so he can sit on the throne himself.”

“Would he really try to seize the Empire after all the honors the late Emperor bestowed upon him?”

“It’s shameful. There’s no honor left. Just a mongrel born from a noble line.”

With the nobility divided, Lucian made a public declaration to the entire realm that he was sending a formal envoy.

He stated that if there was nothing to hide, the First Prince should present himself to the envoy in person to clarify the situation.

He made it clear that if only the Second Prince appeared, he would interpret it as a sign of foul play and march to liberate the First Prince.

Lucian, the Lord of Asagrim and the formidable Conqueror of the North, had essentially declared the possibility of war.

The atmosphere became incredibly volatile, threatening to plunge the entire Empire into a massive civil conflict.

Amidst this rising pressure, Lucian held a meeting with his top advisors.

“The time for the envoy’s departure is nearly here. What is the word from the rest of the country?”

“The outlook is grim. While many lords are remaining neutral for now, there is a palpable wave of skepticism directed toward Your Grace.”

“That’s hardly surprising. As it stands, my accusations lack physical evidence.”

Lucian was certain because of the Red Stone he used for his private correspondence with the Emperor, but the other lords were oblivious to the existence of such a powerful artifact.

Even if he tried to explain the mechanics, they would likely dismiss it as a convenient fiction he had invented to suit his needs.

“Your Grace, your actions were perhaps too impulsive. We have the context to believe the spy, but the public does not. Without their support, you risk being labeled a common traitor.”

“Even if it becomes clear the Second Prince is treating the First Prince like a puppet?”

“It’s a hard truth, but the Second Prince is still a royal. Most will see it as a standard power struggle where one brother bested the other; they won’t view it as an act of treason.”

While such actions were hardly noble and would tarnish his public image, the political elite often viewed such ruthlessness as a necessary evil.

The nobility might look down on the Second Prince’s methods, but they wouldn’t necessarily question his right to rule.

“Legitimacy is everything. Unless we find a written will proving the late Emperor specifically chose the First Prince, his claim remains strong enough to stand.”

“…Phew.”

Lucian let out a long, weary breath after hearing Raymond’s assessment.

It wasn’t a sigh of regret or a realization of failure.

It was the physical manifestation of the stress that came with preparing to reveal a secret he had guarded with his life.

In a time of peace, simply knowing such a dark chapter of Imperial history would be a death sentence. But in the midst of a revolution, it was a weapon more lethal than any blade.

After steadying himself, Lucian looked at his council and spoke.

“The Emperor committed the First Prince to my protection. In truth, the autonomy of Asagrim, the command of the Blue Rose Knights, the vast military strength, and the recruitment of unsanctioned sorcerers were the price for that commitment.”

“We are all aware of those arrangements.”

“It might sound like sacrilege, but I struggled to comprehend the Emperor’s logic. By any objective measure, the First Prince didn’t seem fit to lead. I couldn’t understand why he would grant me so much power just to ensure I supported his son.”

His retainers nodded in agreement.

Even out of fatherly love, there were boundaries to such things.

A ruler who gives a subject too much power inevitably undermines the authority of the next monarch. By over-strengthening Lucian to protect his heir, the Emperor risked the heir being overshadowed or even replaced by his own protector.

The late Emperor was far too shrewd to overlook such a basic political reality, yet he had dumped an unprecedented amount of resources into Lucian’s hands.

“At the start, I assumed it was merely the irrationality of a father blinded by affection. I thought even a man as great as he was subject to human weakness.”

“And that wasn’t the case?”

“No. He had no other choice. The Second Prince never had a legitimate claim to the throne from the beginning. No matter how poor a leader the First Prince might be, he had to be the one to succeed.”

“What? Are you saying the Second Prince isn’t a true member of the royal line?”

“The late Emperor sent me a private message detailing the truth.”

After a moment of heavy silence, Lucian finally shared the secret he had carried alone.

“The Second Prince is fundamentally incapable of using the Imperial artifacts that respond only to those of the true bloodline.”

“…!?”