The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 180

143. As Planned

“Raise your head.”

The Emperor’s low voice echoed through the hall.

Caryl, having come directly from the warehouse behind the academy, headed straight to the Imperial Palace.

The two guards who had escorted him disappeared immediately after confirming his entry.

*They must have rushed to report to their respective factions.*

《Caryl McGovern met Bran Gaunt.》

*They would relay that information, prompting some to wonder and others to doubt.*

It was perplexing enough that a mere scribe from the Imperial Library met Bran before even meeting the Emperor.

*‘I remember from my past life that Bran Gaunt was a distant relative of Azif, the vice-commander of the Knights of the Golden Order. The question is, how much does Azif know about Bran’s talent?’*

The fact that Bran was still a scribe suggested that Azif hadn’t recognized his potential, or that Bran was subtly avoiding him.

*‘The latter seems more likely. Bran Gaunt was already one of Olivon’s close aides before Olivon even ascended to the throne.’*

In fact,

In his previous life, Caryl’s half-brother, Tiren McGovern the second, entered politics much later than now.

*‘Tiren and Randal arriving at the Imperial Palace due to the goblin raid is a change in the present world that I initiated.’*

If Tiren became a disciple of the court wizard Cardin Ruel, Olivon would have two of the best strategists at his disposal.

*‘That won’t do.’*

Caryl, who had anticipated that the guards outside his room would be loyal to Luon and Olivon, wasn’t surprised that his meeting with Bran had reached their ears.

*‘What matters is what happens now.’*

Even if the two princes had soldiers waiting to monitor him, they couldn’t enter this inner sanctum.

And the events that transpired here would be the focus of everyone’s attention, including Bran Gaunt’s.

“I greet His Majesty.”

Not the Sun Hall where ministers convened, but the Imperial Palace, inaccessible without the Emperor’s express permission.

Caryl knelt before Tyran Schtean and spoke.

“Do you know the absolute gap of the Empire?”

The Emperor, seated on a simple chair unlike the ornate one in the Sun Hall, posed the question.

He was also aware that Caryl had met Bran on his way to the Imperial Palace.

However, he didn’t inquire about it, seemingly dismissing it as a trivial matter.

“Yes. Isn’t it an unwritten rule passed down from the Old Empire era?”

The interior of the Imperial Palace was neat and austere, contrasting sharply with its opulent exterior.

The decorations in the room seemed incongruous with Tyran Schtean’s usual flamboyant persona.

Yet, strangely, the Emperor appeared more at peace than ever.

“The distance to greet the Emperor in the Sun Hall cannot be less than 150 meters, regardless of status.”

Caryl answered without hesitation.

“That’s right. For 250 years, violating that rule must have been a rare occurrence. And in the current Empire, you will be the only one.”

*‘Not the only one.’*

Caryl thought to himself at the Emperor’s words.

In the current Empire, Tyran Schtean was infamous for directly beheading his father while he sat on the throne in the Sun Hall.

Moreover, he continued to use the throne stained with the blood of the former Emperor, without replacing it.

As someone who had personally disregarded the absolute gap, such rules likely held little significance for him.

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

Caryl offered a wry smile as he looked at Tyran Schtean.

“Tell me why I broke the rules and summoned you to approach me that day.”

The Emperor spoke, assuming Caryl already knew the answer.

“Isn’t it to showcase Your Majesty’s authority? The ministers in the Sun Hall are largely ignorant of my existence. By placing me in that position, you demonstrate that Your Majesty remains involved in matters beyond their knowledge, thereby reinforcing the perception of imperial power.”

“Kekeke…….”

The Emperor chuckled at Caryl’s response.

“As expected, you are as I perceived. You are more suited for this role than my two sons.”

“You flatter me.”

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed.

“If I promised to grant you this position and asked for your assistance, would you pledge your allegiance to me?”

“…….”

He posed the question casually, but the words that escaped the Emperor’s lips would have shocked anyone else.

“A promise…….”

Yet, Caryl remained composed, unfazed by the unconventional proposition.

“How can I trust the promise of someone who has already broken a promise?”

“……What?”

The Emperor’s face hardened.

“When I arrived at the Sun Hall, you had Lord Belin and Kwell, two knights, flanking you. I explicitly requested that you keep Lord Kwell by your side.”

“Kekeke……. Do you believe politics is as simple as you portray it? Immediately dismiss Belin, the commander of the Knights of the Golden Order, and appoint Kwell as a royal knight? Especially given the situation on the northern border? It was an impossible scenario from the outset.”

“Is that so?”

Caryl continued to speak, his composure unwavering despite the Emperor’s rebuttal.

“Well, it’s of little consequence. My request for you to keep Lord Kwell by your side was solely for your safety, devoid of any ulterior motive.”

“…….”

“Then, what are your thoughts on the promise made to me? I explicitly asked you to prevent the Empire from attacking the Three Kingdoms. Yet, contrary to that promise, Prince Luon led an army of 70,000 to assault Twin Armor.”

“It was unavoidable. At times, decisions must be made to uphold the Empire’s prestige. If the Empire merely sends envoys without raising an army, the barbarians in the south will also lose respect for it.”

Caryl nodded at the Emperor’s explanation.

It wasn’t a gesture of understanding his and the Empire’s position.

It signaled that the pleasantries were over.

“You haven’t honored any of your promises properly…… How can I possibly enter into another agreement with you?”

Caryl’s words were audacious enough to warrant immediate execution.

To question the Emperor’s promises to his face…….

“But didn’t you intervene in Luon’s affairs? As a result, the Istrian Three Kingdoms survived, Luon’s incompetence was exposed, and tomorrow you will receive an award from me for the return of 40,000 prisoners. Isn’t that the case?”

However, the Emperor didn’t become enraged. Instead, he rested his chin on his hand and spoke with a hint of amusement.

“Have you decided to offer a carrot instead of a whip? Your Majesty.”

The Emperor chuckled at Caryl’s words.

“That hinges on the answer you provide now.”

For some inexplicable reason, the Emperor was thoroughly enjoying his conversation with the boy before him.

“You can be either an enemy who rebelled against the prince or a hero of the Empire.”

Even though he instinctively sensed that Caryl would one day hold a sword to his throat, ironically, since his return to the throne, the boy Caryl had occupied his thoughts more than his own sons.

He now gazed at Caryl with anticipation, eager to hear his response.

“Then, may I ask you just one question?”

“Speak.”

“Which of the three did you originally intend to hold a funeral for……?”

At that moment,

The Emperor Tyran Schtean’s face hardened. But it wasn’t out of embarrassment.

“Kekeke……. If you say…….”

Rather, with expectant eyes, he said to Caryl.

“Can you make it happen?”

* * *

Step- Step- Step-

Caryl emerged from the Imperial Palace and walked down the hallway.

Various surveillance magic spells were cast in the hallway, but fortunately, there were no high-level spells capable of reading thoughts.

That meant that,

He was free to organize his thoughts.

“Hmm…….”

Moreover, unlike before, he was unescorted, as the Emperor had ordered the soldiers to leave him be.

Caryl stretched expansively and looked around, as if he had been feeling confined despite it only being two days.

*‘The Emperor still has no intention of passing the throne to either of the two princes.’*

He wasn’t contemplating killing them both rashly. He was the Emperor of the Empire, unlike the incompetent rulers of the Istrian Three Kingdoms.

*‘He must need a puppet. Someone who will follow his commands even after he abdicates.’*

But perhaps because they inherited the Emperor’s blood,

Ironically, Luon and Olivon were too intelligent to be mere puppets.

*‘Olivon once told me that Tyran Schtean’s most beloved son was Cromen……. I suspect it was because he was the easiest to manipulate.’*

Caryl felt a pang of bitterness at the thought that there was virtually no genuine affection behind the Emperor’s decision to hold a lengthy two-month mourning period.

*‘Now there is only one person left to meet.’*

Thus far, everything had proceeded according to plan.

However, even that was not without its unpredictable element.

That is,

Mart McGovern.

*‘Will he make a move…….’*

The only person who would be suspecting Olivon in Cromen’s assassination by now.

*‘The execution is scheduled for tomorrow.’*

* * *

One week before Caryl’s journey to the Empire,

It was when he received the news of Cromen’s death and was conversing with Dushala.

-Dushala, there is something I asked Hasir to do before you all headed south.

Dushala nodded in response.

She recalled Hasir seeking her out upon Caryl’s arrival, as she awaited Caryl in the Digon tribe’s territory after the Twin Armor incident concluded.

-Yes. I remember. He went north, correct? He investigated the Vestal Marquisate in the south and then came up to Tatur with me.

She shrugged slightly and said.

-Now he’s gone to inspect the passage in the northern mountains that will be used to transport the prisoners.

-He probably won’t be in the mountains now. He’ll be in a place where there are immigrants.

-Huh? Where did he go again?

Dushala pursed her lips at Caryl’s words.

-Well, it’s time to shift our focus to the north, not the south. He will have a lot to do in the future. And so will you.

Caryl chuckled.

*‘According to the original timeline, the Empire’s second purge of heretics commences around this time. And concurrently, Olivon, having won the war against Luon with popular support following the Emperor’s death, ascends to the throne.’*

The first decree he issued upon ascending to the throne was to abolish the purge of heretics.

Eliminating the racial discrimination that persisted on the continent initially faced resistance from the nobles and imperial citizens, but because slaves and servants were undeniably present within the imperial citizenry, it gradually garnered immense support over time.

*‘That’s why we fought for you, risking our lives.’*

For the late King Olivon.

Caryl smiled wryly.

But now, due to his intervention, the current Emperor remained alive. And Cromen’s death had prevented the purge of heretics from occurring at all, saving more northern immigrants than in his previous life.

*‘Through this southern campaign, even the 150,000 troops of Digon have pledged their allegiance to me. If we combine the four tribes of the Great Plains, the five great families of the south, and the Digon tribe, we command nearly 450,000 troops.’*

Compared to the Empire’s 800,000 troops, it might still be insufficient in terms of quantity and quality, but it was not an impossible number to wage war with.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the power of the south now rivaled the three-way balance of power on the continent.

*‘It’s not the end here.’*

Caryl’s eyes gleamed.

*‘The immigrants of the north.’*

Unlike the south, the immigrants were organized into small-scale tribes, and their overall strength was limited, but the abilities of individual members were by no means inferior.

*‘Excluding the Digon who possess magic power, they are no less formidable than the four major tribes or the five great families.’*

It was already proven that their physical abilities surpassed those of the imperial citizens.

In fact, Caryl himself had demonstrated it in his previous life.

*‘If we can compensate for their lack of magic power, they can become soldiers even more powerful than the imperial army.’*

Caryl had already discovered the solution in the magic mine and Cheongrin [a type of magical artifact or substance].

*‘What remains is to see how many northerners Hasir can gather. Among them…….’*

The most crucial tribe.

The Jannabi who wield the deadly poison Myeong (未明) [likely a reference to a specific poison or toxin].

-Please believe me. I will not disappoint you.

When he departed from the south, Hasir had said those words to Caryl. A verbal promise could be insignificant and easily broken, but Caryl had nodded in response.

*‘Because I know you better than anyone. I trust you. You hold all the keys to this execution.’*

Caryl’s eyes shone.

*‘If he handles things well……. The most captivating event in the history of the Empire will unfold within the Imperial Palace.’*

Caryl recalled his conversation with Dushala and slowly opened his closed eyes.

He gazed towards the northern mountains in the distance.

As expected, there was still no discernible change.

*‘Tyran Schtean.’*

Tomorrow, when his trial is held.

According to his plan, something entirely unexpected will occur.

*‘Based on your assumptions, I have no intention of aiding either of the princes.’*

His steps as he walked down the hallway were heavy.

*‘But I have even less intention of helping you.’*