CH 83

“I greet you, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, little brother. Welcome, I have a very important story to tell you,” Prince Breiman greeted him with a smile, and Enoch turned to see a grave expression on the Emperor’s face.

Besides, next to Breiman was Count John Batten, who supported him.

Enoch stared at Breiman and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Enoch, I heard you and Count Spilet were close to the fortress.”

When Erin was mentioned, Enoch’s nerves became sharp. However, he acted calm as he bowed his head politely to the Emperor.

“We’re working together to develop a magic stone mine, Your Majesty. Is there anything wrong with Count Spilet?”

“Breiman said he found something very important about her.”

Enoch’s gaze at Breiman could freeze someone to death for a moment, but his expression changed immediately.

“Brother, what did you find?”

“I’m going to tell you ahead of time in case you misunderstand. I asked His Majesty to forgive me for keeping her in captivity for a while.”

Advertisements

“…Are you saying you admitted to kidnapping and forced detention?”

“Yes, I deeply reflect on that and take responsibility for it.”

“How will you take responsibility for the detention of a noblewoman?”

At Enoch’s sharp reply to Breiman, the Emperor waved his hand to calm him down. “Enoch, that’s not the point.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Breiman, explain to Enoch.”

Breiman nodded and turned to Enoch. His face had a gentle smile as if to appease his agitated brother.

“I’ve been thinking about it since the hunting competition. Count Spilet was the first to discover the magic stone mine, and there she encountered a monster.”

“What about it?”

Enoch looked directly into Prince Breiman’s eyes, and raised one corner of his mouth as if ready to hear some bullsh*t.

When their eyes met, Breiman wanted to contort his lips for a moment, but he said in a lower voice than usual, “Isn’t it strange? Even after encountering a monster, she left unscathed.”

“I went to get her myself. What’s wrong with it?”

“How long did that take? No matter how fast my brother went, a normal person would have died as soon as they faced the monster.”

“So, what are you really trying to say?”

Count John Batten, who was next to Prince Briman, stepped forward.

“As the Crown Prince already knows, there are only two types of humans that monsters do not attack. One is if you are the black magician who summoned the monster.”

Advertisements

“Count John Batten, what nonsense are you saying? Do you want to die? Are you saying Count Spilet summoned monsters for show?”

Breiman blocked Count John Batten, who was trembling from Enoch’s wrath. “Woah, calm down. Brother, Count was just talking about the circumstances.”

“A-and another thing…” Count John Batten trailed off. Although he supported Prince Breiman, he knew well that Enoch was a terrifying man.

Prince Enoch Dwell Rikephoros could have killed him immediately if he wanted to, unless it’s in front of the Emperor, like now.

Because of that, paradoxically, he was also supporting a slightly more noble and weak prince.

In addition, if the Crown Prince, a powerful magician, became Emperor, nobles like John Batten would become the hands and feet of the Imperial family and live without prayer.

Count John Batten did not want to live in such fear. But right now, his body trembled, and his mouth refused to move.

Prince Breiman glanced at the Count and spoke instead. “Another possibility would be that Count Spillet was a being who the goddess had blessed. A Saintess, so to speak.”

Freezing at Breiman’s words, Enoch took a step back and bit his lip. It was a worrying situation. If Erin’s special abilities were revealed, she would never be able to live as comfortably as she did.

“So, brother.”

Enoch beckoned the Emperor’s aide to come and handed them the paperwork he had brought.

Then he threw the bottle filled with the monster’s blood on the floor. A dark red liquid squirmed inside the rolling bottle, and it looked like it was trying to crawl out.

“Have you done this?”

“What is that, Enoch?” The Emperor glanced at the bottle as he received Enoch’s documents.

“I looked into where Count Spilet was imprisoned and found that. I also captured the circumstances that he used black magic around it and summarized it in the report.”

“Ah, little brother. I was going to tell His Majesty. We used the blood of a monster to test Count Spilet.”

Advertisements

“…Test, you say. If Count Spilet had been an ordinary person and not a magician or a Saintess, she would have died immediately, just as brother said.”

“But she didn’t die after all, so Count Spilet needs to be tested.” Breiman bowed once toward the Emperor. “Your Majesty, although it is true that what I did was too much, Count Spilet must be investigated. She is the owner of the magic stone mine. If she’s a magician, we shouldn’t put such a huge thing in her hands.”

“Prince Breiman, it looks like you’re trying to get others to cover up what you have done.”

“I’m sorry that you misunderstood, little brother. I will apologize to Count Spilet separately for my disrespect.”

As the two princes debated, the Emperor, who had been going through the report, raised his hand. Seeing the gesture, both Enoch and Breiman stopped.

“Breiman, it is a great sin to capture and imprison an aristocrat like that. Using monster’s blood and bringing in a black magician in the process is a mistake that cannot be ignored.”

“I admit it. I was in a hurry, so I used an unreasonable method.”

In principle, the Empire forbade black magic but encouraged those who had already become black magicians to secretly used them.

They used black magic only by order, so the level of contamination by demons was relatively low.

Prince Breiman said he took two of them.

“But it is necessary to verify whether Breiman’s statement is true. Whether she’s a black magician or a saintess, we’ll have to find out what she really is.”

“Your Majesty, Count Spilet is…”

“Enoch, this is the law of the country. Even the Emperor must obey them. Are you saying that you, the Crown Prince, will break it?”

Meanwhile, the Emperor, who had been relatively tolerant of Enoch, rebuked him harshly. Enoch gritted his teeth, but in the end, he had no choice but to retreat.

“No.”

The Emperor looked at Enoch in pity, then turned to Breiman. Even though he had defended Breiman, the Emperor’s eyes were surprisingly cold.

“Breiman, I understand what you mean. But I can’t just ignore your reckless behavior. As a way of repenting of your sins, you should stay in the Imperial Palace for a while. Don’t meet anyone, and don’t go out until I give you my order. Do you understand?”

Advertisements

Count John Batten hurriedly went out to protect him. “Your Majesty, this is a harsh treatment for the Prince. He only had the Empire in mind…!”

“Count John Batten, step back. I will follow His Majesty’s orders.”

His expression calm, Prince Breiman bowed in front of the Emperor and turned around. Count John Batten looked at the Emperor as if he was cruel but eventually followed the Prince.

Enoch glared at them as they left. Then he turned back to them Emperor when he heard him mutter, “Is he really my son?”

When Enoch looked at him in confusion, the Emperor waved his hand in dismissal and said, “Enoch.”

“…”

“You’re angry. He touched the woman you like.”

“…Father.” Enoch was startled by the Emperor’s straightforward words, but he did not deny it.

“Come on, I am your father. You look like me, but you’re more careful than I am, making things complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Count Spilet had been the Crown Princess, who would dare to attack her with such suspicion?” A smile grew on the Emperor’s lips, which looked like Enoch’s. “When I was the Crown Prince, when I welcomed your mother, I did not even look around her and proposed marriage first. I made sure they knew no one should touch her.”

The Crown Prince’s proposal was no different from an order.

Although she could have refused, no family would let go of the honor of having their daughter become the next Empress.

“…So Mother hated Father very much.”

The Empress was originally the Crown Prince’s escort knight. She was a master recognized for her outstanding skills and chosen from an early age by the Imperial Knights.

“Yeah, I ordered a girl with a lover to be tied to me. No, it’s not necessarily my fault. Who would have known that the two of my escort knights were secretly dating?”

Enoch did not respond to that. He only waited for the Emperor to continue.

“Unfortunately, if Count Spilet is a black magician, it can’t be helped, but if she is a saintess, there is no way. You are probably aware of that.”

“A black magician… She’s not.”

“If you say so, then so be it.” Surprisingly, the Emperor immediately believed Enoch, but the words that followed were firm. “But the temple must verify it. It will be very complicated. Besides, she’s not Duchess Clifford now.”