Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Translator: Yonnee

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[ Miss Artius and I will watch from the tower, Your Highness. It’s been a while since I last saw you in action with your magic. ]

Albert smiled tilting his head to the side as he heard Mercy’s words. As he crossed his arms, there was not a single hint of fear in his countenance.

“You should work, too, you know.”

[ Your Highness can handle it all by yourself anyway. ]

“I don’t want to take the lives of those who are afraid.”

The moment he’d show his overwhelming power and kill Rosteratu, the other nobles wouldn’t dare stand against him.

No, even at the event that he’d be confronted, he was still confident about succeeding the throne. However, he didn’t want to take the innocent lives of those who were afraid.

He knew that a lot of blood would be spilt, but he still wanted to reduce the casualties as best as he could. Albert was a benevolent ruler.

[ Yes, I understand. ]

Mercy replied somewhat reluctantly. Her illusion magic could cripple many people at once.

[ What about Miss Artius? ]

“The safest place she could be is with you at the tower.”

[ Please send us a signal once we can come out. ]

“Yes, you also have to speak after all. About how Rosé had been a great support to me while I was trapped in the tower.”

The first person Mercy would be meeting inside the tower wasn’t Albert, but Rosé.

Many people would be gathered here. Albert intended to take this opportunity to use the crowd as witnesses for Rosé.

The plan was smooth, and so there was nothing to worry about.

[ It’s amazing how things are going so smoothly. ]

The rebellion within the magic tower hadn’t been this smooth either. There was a traitor in the middle, and the battle that decided things had been brutal.

…But she had a hunch that, despite this uprising being bigger than the one she had been in, it’s going to end up as just a one-sided pummeling.

And it was all because of just one person.

“We’ve prepared enough.”

Albert rested his chin on one hand and let out a slow exhale.

Not all efforts could be directly translated into results, but he was the kind of man who always produced results beyond the effort he had put in.

This, too, was the scariest thing about Albert Grey.

“Seems like our conversation can stop here.”

After hearing the necessary reports, Albert was about to end the call, but Mercy added one last thing as though it was an afterthought.

[ Ah, after everything’s settled, I’ll have to go back to the dungeon. ]

Mercy muttered with determination. She was talking about her imprisoned father.

To be more precise, the man… who had once been her father, but not anymore. He had already abandoned all his morals as a man and lived like a dog following Rosteratu’s every command. He had forgotten his dignity as a mage. And, because he couldn’t bear his daughter’s disgusted gaze towards him, he kept beating that child.

[ It’s time to burn bridges. ]

Ever since she became the lord of the magic tower, her disposition towards the former lord had become unyielding. However, she had been delaying her eventual meeting with him so far. Mercy herself was surprised by this as well.

She thought she had gotten rid of all emotions tied to that man, but she still felt the vague emotions of love and hate surging within her. Because it was still true that he had once given her affection.

Mercy was in a dilemma. She wondered if she would even be able to slash the man’s neck.

Albert was giving her enough chances and enough time to do it, so Mercy was just waiting for the right time.

And here, it finally was. She realized it now. People wouldn’t change so easily, and neither would that man. If he would survive through this coup, he would just seek a chance to cut her own head off.

That’s why she would have her perfect revenge.

She would tell her father about how the corrupt world, which he was protecting so much, had collapsed.

She’d tell him how the coup had succeeded, that Albert had escaped from the tower his own father had trapped him in, and that he killed Rosteratu.

And, that the king her father used to serve was no more.

[ Still though, I guess it’d be better to kill him outright. ]

“Cutting off his head would bring him to death the soonest. Or, well, it doesn’t have to be like that. If you want him to be in pain, break his ribs one at a time.”

[ If I think about what kind of treatment he’s given me before, I’d love to do that… ]

They were talking about family, but these two people were indifferent. This kind of conversation was natural for them.

But then, Albert suddenly remembered Rosé.

“Family… how pointless.”

Rosé had talked about the time when she lost her family, as though it pained her so.

Because he couldn’t understand this feeling, perhaps that’s also why he couldn’t understand why she became a dragon’s contractor.

[ Your Highness? ]

As she didn’t understand what Albert was talking about, Mercy asked. But he answered calmly, narrowing his eyes.

“It seems like it’s also possible for one’s existence to be precious to someone else.”

His long eyelashes fluttered. After thinking about Rosé for a moment, he then recalled what he was supposed to ask.

“And the black magic Marquis Evnen had done?”

[ Ah, right. I got there at the right time, so I had the chance to search the mansion thoroughly. But how did Your Highness know? It was pretty well-hidden. ]

“Report.”

With no intention of answering her question, he just ordered her to deliver the report.

Mercy knew that Albert wouldn’t answer anyway even if she tried to ask again, so she shrugged and continued her report.

[ Marquis Evnen had offered children as sacrificial lambs in order to boost his own magical power. But it seems like after a few times, he gave up on it. ]

According to Rosteratu’s command to search the marquis’ residence, Mercy was there to search the mansion thoroughly.

She was also curious about it, since Albert hinted at it last time they met at the dungeon prison—that Marquis Evnen might have something to do with black magic.

Eventually, Mercy found an altar that had been hidden by the marquis’ magic. The sheer amount of blood found on that altar was evidence enough that he had been in league with a dark mage.

[ But that’s all there is. It’s still unknown whether he’s hidden the rest of the evidence. ]

That’s all the proof she could find. No one knew about the involvement between Marquis Evnen and a dark mage. Or perhaps, it was more correct to say that they hadn’t been allowed to live.

Albert liked to deal with things neatly. He didn’t like how ambiguous it was now, but… if that dark mage still couldn’t be found until this day, then it was reasonable enough to think that they might not be alive anymore.

‘Then there’s nothing more to tie back to Rosé.’

The misdeeds that Marquis Evnen had spearheaded should be condemned, but it was fortunate enough how no one knew of the whereabouts of the dark mage, who might or might not be Rosé’s mentor.

As long as the truth about her being a dark mage would never be revealed, then it was fine.

Listening carefully to Mercy’s report, Albert let out a silent exhale.

Everything was going so smoothly.