Chapter 160

The massacre of the Sigmilus family.

The Sigmilus family, a prestigious noble house of the empire known for producing exceptional magicians for generations, was tragically wiped out overnight, with all its members becoming prey to monsters.

Due to the delay in discovery caused by the murder of all involved, it took over two days for the eerie screams and leaking dark energy from the mansion to reach the capital.

“This… this is…”

“Good heavens!”

The knights, hastily dispatched upon hearing the report, were left speechless by the horrifying scene.

The once magnificent Sigmilus mansion was now unrecognizable, filled with corpses hollowed out and swarming with insects.

The marble floors were sticky with mucus, and the walls and pillars were covered in strange cocoons.

Monsters resembling maggots crawled everywhere, oozing sour mucus.

Looking up at the ceiling, moth-like monsters mixed with caterpillars clung densely, flapping their wings.

On their wrinkled rear ends, human skin clung, with tentacles sprouting from the eye and mouth holes, wriggling like genitals.

“Ugh!”

One female knight vomited upon seeing this.

No one reprimanded her.

She was a new recruit, and the scene was excessively gruesome for her first mission.

It took the knights two hours to eliminate all the monsters and burn down the infested mansion to purify it.

Despite a thorough search, not a single survivor was found.

It was truly bizarre.

While the number of monsters was significant, they were not enough to annihilate the Sigmilus family, a house overflowing with magicians.

After reviewing the investigation report, the Imperial Knights identified Ophelia, the only one unaccounted for, as the prime suspect.

She was accused of conducting forbidden experiments with monsters, being discovered by her family, and then killing everyone before fleeing.

Shortly after her identification as a suspect, numerous pieces of evidence were conveniently discovered.

The knights acted unusually swiftly.

Records of monster research, evidence of smuggling and hiding cloaks of concealment, large sums of money used for unknown purposes, and manipulated alibis.

These were sufficient to confirm Ophelia as the perpetrator.

A bounty was issued across the empire for Ophelia van Sigmilus.

The witch Ophelia.

It was the first time in a hundred years that the term “witch” resurfaced in the world.

“A witch?”

Isabella burst into laughter upon seeing the bounty.

—-

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a matter worth mobilizing numerous knights to capture Ophelia.

And it would have been a topic of conversation among the nobles for months.

But the rumors about Ophelia were forgotten within three days.

A more significant issue, dozens of times more critical, had arisen.

**The Emperor is dead.**

The official cause of death was heart failure due to old age.

The sordid truth, whispered among everyone, was that he died of a heart attack while raping a maid young enough to be his granddaughter.

A death befitting the empire’s tyrant, Ferdinand II.

==============

I heard about the Emperor’s death two days after returning to the special quarters.

“…So he’s finally dead. What happens to the throne now?”

“Since the senile Emperor died without naming a crown prince… it will be decided by the electors’ vote.”

Freide, lounging on the sofa and sipping tea, shrugged as she answered.

Well, I knew it would be decided by a vote in thirty-one days.

What I was curious about was how the vote would turn out.

Although Leopold is close to the secular electors, Ernst only needs to sway one of the three to turn the tide.

Both princes must be incredibly busy by now.

“So, until the vote, will Empress Isabella act as the Emperor?”

Freide shook her head.

“I don’t know about Ka’har, but the empire isn’t that simple. While the throne is vacant, all matters will be discussed and decided by the court council. The chancellor Duke Bien, the Empress, the princes, and various nobles will gather.”

“That’s going to be one chaotic meeting.”

It seems like even deciding on minor issues will waste an enormous amount of time due to conflicts and checks.

“Better than being manipulated by the Empress, right? At least for you.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Everyone who needs to know is aware that I support Leopold.

If Isabella or Ernst’s faction had taken control of the government, I might have faced all sorts of pressure for thirty-one days.

“I don’t know why you got involved in the empire’s succession struggle… but you should be careful. Right now, you’re nothing but a thorn in the Empress’s side.”

As she got up to leave, Freide sighed lightly and advised.

Her serious expression, seemingly genuinely concerned, made me nod in agreement.

I had already planned to lay low for a while.

With Isabella commanding elite knights, going out to hunt monsters at this point would be suicidal.

Those bug knights… I could handle three or four, but who knows how many there are?

If I’m in the middle of fighting monsters and eight or more ambush me at once, even I would struggle to survive.

—-

After Freide left, I lay on the sofa for a while, pondering over the recent events.

Rana, who had been watching me, quietly went down to the dining room.

The Emperor’s death.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. I had heard from Ludwig that the Emperor was nearing his end.

But he wasn’t supposed to die at this time… his sudden death must mean someone intervened.

Circumstantially, it had to be Isabella, but I couldn’t be sure.

After all, Leopold stands to gain the most from this.

With the Emperor dead, if Ernst fails to persuade Leopold’s electors within thirty days, it’s over for him.

Thirty days. Not a long time.

Even if they were wary of Leopold’s growing influence, this was an extreme method…

What is Isabella thinking?

If her goal was to make Ernst Emperor, her actions have been too erratic.

The third prince’s faction is filled with nothing but scum.

Even in a disadvantageous situation, killing the Emperor to buy time…

They sure don’t make it easy.

Even with Claire, it was the same.

Sure, they easily abandoned her, but it was the perfect chance to assassinate me, and they just blew it like it was nothing.

Only three bug knights were sent after me, so I thought that was all there was.

But then, when I broke through the encirclement, three or four more showed up.

If all seven had attacked me at once, they might’ve killed me. But since they split their forces, I could take them down one by one.

I wonder if that’s strategic incompetence or if they never intended to kill me in the first place.

No, wouldn’t killing me and retrieving Claire have been the obvious move?

Their unpredictable actions left me utterly confused.

======[Ernst]======

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The room, lit by a lavender glow, was thick with smoke like a foggy haze.

“Is it true that Lady Sigmilus has lost her life, Mother?”

Ernst asked, almost accusingly, as he faced his mother, Isabella.

He frowned, feeling dizzy with every breath.

Isabella, reclining on a bed draped with translucent curtains, took a deep drag from the pipe of her water pipe and smiled strangely at her son.

Around her, young boys and girls, intoxicated by drugs and pleasure, lay sprawled helplessly.

Ernst tried hard not to show his disdain as he looked at them.

“Claire? Well, she’s probably dead. At least, we won’t be seeing her again.”

“You seem calm. Wasn’t she important to you too?”

Ernst didn’t like her, but Claire van Sigmilus was, in his eyes, a useful asset.

She was close to both the Third Prince faction and neutral nobles.

Losing her meant it would be hard to expand influence through social circles now.

“Important? Hoho… Ernst, you still don’t understand power.”

Isabella laughed leisurely, half-sitting up.

The thin blanket slipped, revealing her stark naked body.

Ernst averted his gaze slightly.

“Ernst, remember this well. Nothing in this world is truly important. Not to me, not to you.”

Exposing her naked body, still marked by the traces of passion, Isabella exhaled smoke nonchalantly.

“People are all the same. They just have different roles… In essence, they’re all just chess pieces. It’s natural for them to perish once they’ve served their purpose. Even if they break, there are plenty of replacements. Why bother clinging to each one?”

It was hard to completely deny her words. Especially for Ernst, who had commanded armies.

On the battlefield, soldiers were indeed like chess pieces.

But even he thought that viewing people as expendable wasn’t the mindset an emperor should have.

‘This woman should never be given real power.’

Ernst bowed his head, reaffirming his resolve.

But he couldn’t get rid of Isabella now.

Though the faction bore his name, the core of the Third Prince faction was essentially Isabella’s puppets.

Nobles gathered by such a woman were all despicable trash… but they were the backbone of the Third Prince faction.

At least among the military nobles, there were many pure Ernst supporters, but Leopold wasn’t an opponent they could easily defeat with just that.

So, unless he ascended the throne, eliminating Isabella now would be akin to mutual destruction.

“…Chess pieces, huh? Did you think the same about Father?”

“Ferdinand? Surely you don’t think I killed him?”

Of course, he did.

There was no one else who would’ve done such a thing.

“Then no? Our faction is in serious trouble because of his sudden death. What were you thinking, doing something like that…?”

Ernst’s voice carried a hint of reproach.

If the electors’ succession vote happened now, they’d likely lose.

The secular electors were more inclined to support Leopold.

Of course, Ernst had plans to win over at least one of the secular electors.

Ludwig was out of the question, but maybe one of the other two.

Duke Pailoon, constantly battling beastmen, might be persuaded if offered imperial troops and some masters.

Though the chances were low, given the recent calm among the beastmen, a large-scale invasion was expected sooner or later, so Ernst planned to offer support then to gain his backing.

Duke Bien, who always wanted complete autonomy like Duke Pailoon, could be swayed by ceding western or southern territories.

If that wasn’t enough, even a political marriage like Leopold’s could be proposed.

It would move Ernst further from his desired centralization, but ascending the throne was more urgent.

Both matters were questionable to resolve within thirty days, though.

“Trouble? I’ve given you an opportunity. I’ve moved up the moment of decision before the electors’ hearts fully solidify for Leopold. The rest is up to you.”

‘She says it so easily.’

As if guessing Ernst’s muttered thoughts, Isabella smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

It was a clear signal to leave.

With her other hand, she was caressing a young boy.

Ernst obediently left Isabella’s room.

It wasn’t a pleasant sight, and there was nothing more to say.

____

A few days later.

The Fourth Prince, Matthias, who had been receiving priestly training in the Holy Kingdom, returned to the Empire upon hearing of his father’s death.