After Kaiser came back to his palace, he burst into anger
“I’ll kill that son of a bitch over and over again!” he cursed.
He picked up a glass vase and slammed it into the ground, noisily flinging fragments all over the floor.
“What? ‘Wait until they authenticate the imperial seal?’ Hah! Hahahahaha!” Kaiser laughed maniacally.
“Y-Your Highness...” the head butler of the Fourth Prince’s palace stuttered.
“How dare they!” Kaiser picked up another piece of decor.
The head butler shut his eyes tightly. Fortunately...
“You sound quite angry,” a man nonchalantly remarked from the palace's first floor. Kaiser went as still as a sculpture. Although his real personality was quite different, Kaiser liked to show an image of self-control and restraint in front of the others.
“...Brother Kaizen? Why are you here...?” Kaizen asked.
“For the same reason as you. I can’t just stay in my bed at times like this, can I?” Kaizen said as he made himself comfortable in the chair he was sitting in. There was a bite to his words that made Kaiser shut his mouth.
“I heard you greeted the mages from the Magic Tower,” Kaizen continued.
“...Yes, that’s right.” Kaiser nodded.
“You also met Joshua Sanders.” One end of Kaizen’s mouth curled up slightly.
Kaiser’s eyebrows twitched.
“...Brother, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel well,” he said, an implicit yet clear request for Kaizen to leave.
“I’m sure you don’t,” Kaizen said dismissively. “I have a proposal. You must have already heard about the rumor that war will soon break out.”
Kaiser remained silent.
“Joshua Sanders will soon head to the border.”
Kaiser’s eyes widened; Kaizen had gotten his attention.
“If he survives the war and returns,” the older prince continued, “he wants us to formally recognize him as a prince.”
“That lowly bastard doesn’t know his place...” Kaiser muttered. Kaizen chuckled. Kaiser’s voice was so quiet that no one else should have heard, but Kaizen had read Kaiser’s lips.
“Either way, we’re suffering a loss. The whole Empire is in danger if he loses this war, but he’ll become incomparably influential if he wins it. Think about it: the citizens of the Empire have trouble sleeping due to nervousness. Right before the continent is about to be ravaged by the war, he rises victorious and returns to the Empire. He’s going to be seen as the last hero of the falling Empire.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kaiser sharply replied.
The enemies of the Avalon Empire were the two empires that practically ruled the continent. On top of that, the enemy’s army was led by the two strongest Skies of the continent: the Crimson Sky and the Martial Emperor. Although it would be impossible to emerge victorious after defeating all of them, the princes of Avalon had no chance of winning the battle for the throne if Joshua pulled off a victory.
‘...Besides, Heimdall himself would have to step in if the situation becomes really bad. Only if it can happen...’ Kaiser thought, unwittingly clenching his fists.
Kaizen’s voice brought Kiser back to reality.
“I also think so,” Kaizen said, “but there is no harm in preparing in advance. The current ideal scenario would be him beating the bush and us catching the birds.”
“Brother,” Kaiser said, raising his hands. It was really difficult for him to keep listening to Kaizen’s nonsense. “Why don’t we stop—”
“Take my hand,” Kaizen offered.
Kaiser flinched as he was about to continue.
“Brother Kiser is the worst hypocrite. An emperor can’t exist without a country? Nonsense, why would you need a country if you can’t become an emperor? I’ll support you, so please help me too.”Findd new stories at novel35.com
It looked like the second brother had a plan, but Kaiser didn’t expect much.
“There’s no reason to not tell you,” Joshua replied with a shrug.
Kiser was about to snap, but he restrained himself.
“...You sound like you’re going to answer my question.”
Joshua nodded. “That’s right.”
“Then...”
“We’ll be able to find out the forgotten truth in this place,” Joshua nonchalantly replied.
“What?” Kiser narrowed his eyes.
“I assume His Majesty was assassinated here?”
Kiser’s eyes widened; what Joshua said was basically a taboo. An emperor was basically a god in his empire—how could a god be killed by others? It was impossible and should never happen. That was the reason why the Avalon Empire’s officials had publicly declared that Emperor Marcus had gone missing.
A knight came forward, growling.
“You’re seriously—”
Kiser quietly raised his hand, stopping the knight in his tracks.
“...His Majesty didn’t get assassinated.”
Joshua’s smile deepened. “Aren’t you curious about the truth too, Your Highness?”
“...What?” Kiser frowned subtly.
“What will you do if I say I have a way to find out the truth?” Joshua slowly turned to Kiser, who had gone still as a statue. “Are you ready to face the truth, prince?”
“What are you saying...?” Kiser fixed his eyes on Joshua.
“I’ll show you if you say you’re ready.”
His next move put the knights on high alert. They jumped between Joshua and Kiser as Joshua put his hand into his pocket.
“Stop right now!” One of the knights yelled. “Or else—!”
“There’s no need to be tense.” Joshua quietly chuckled and pulled something out from his inner pocket.
“That’s...?” Kiser tilted his head in confusion. It was a round, earthen-colored object the size of a fist, but it was impossible for him to determine what it was until Joshua spoke up again.
“It’s Gaia, the primordial stone,” Joshua explained.
Kiser’s eyes bulged; he’d heard that name before.
“One of Gaia’s abilities is peering into the memory left on the ground.”
“Peering... at the memory?” Kiser repeated.
Joshua nodded. “That’s why it’s also called the ‘Memory Stone’.”
When he finally understood what Joshua meant, Kiser became petrified.
“That means...!”
“Yes, that’s right.” Joshua’s monotonous voice echoed throughout the suffocatingly silent room. “It means we can find out the truth of that day.”