Chapter 189

The fact that a monster could burst into mental waves at any moment while lurking in the capital, where the great nobles had gathered, drove Valenciaunos crazy.

However, as always, the solution to the problem lay not in a hot head but in a cold heart.

Jeilliris called in each of the great nobles who came to the capital and continued the preliminary negotiations before the oath of loyalty.

Sometimes she took the lead herself, and other times she sent court officials or foreign ministers.

“I will do my best in my position. If I hesitate over trivial matters after coming this far, the world will laugh at me. Act as if nothing has happened.”

Valenciaunos knew that her words were correct.

He unleashed all the experience he had accumulated over 59 years of life, including before his return, and prepared to capture the infiltrators who wielded green flames.

The first thing he did was apologize.

“I apologize for the insult in front of my subordinates. I will express my apologies for my abrupt words and actions.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Chief of Police was taken aback by the unexpected apology.

His opponent was none other than Valenciaunos, presumed to be the bandit behind the kidnapping of the saint and the red-light district.

Perhaps he thought that Valenciaunos would retract his command to suppress information about the infiltrators.

“Therefore… do your best to control the rumors. This story must not reach the newspapers or the politicians.”

However, the apology was a pretext to emphasize the command even more.

Valenciaunos did not take to the front lines for several days.

Instead, he gathered Barbatos, the Chief of Police, the Commander of the Royal Guard, the Commander of the Security Corps, Hadrian, and Sererassie to devise strategies and synchronize their efforts.

“It seems the magic tools can arrive by tomorrow.”

“Today, the plainclothes officers followed his trail. He can use both transparency and spirit form, making him adept at concealing himself.”

“We need to find out how many times he can use it.”

The officers were armed with the magic tools created by Sererassie, and the Black Iron Knights took action according to the officers’ signals, with the budget for these operations being handled by Hadrian and the administrative officers.

“Brother, I’ve made five more infiltrator detection magic tools. And this is a lightning enchantment scroll that can attack spirits. I didn’t create it; I procured it from a good one circulating in the market.”

“The encirclement is complete. However, with all personnel deployed here, there are signs of unrest in the back alleys across different areas.”

“I’ll handle that part.”

Valenciaunos personally mobilized the student council of the Street of Learning, the vigilante group from the old slums, and the gangsters from the red-light district to manage the back alleys.

“Jin, spread some money around.”

“Konel, let the wolves loose.”

“Bandit, don’t you have any thoughts on expanding your influence?”

Their task was not to chase the infiltrators but to chase those who chased the infiltrators.

The Chief of Police and Barbatos lamented the absurdity of a gangster protecting citizens.

“Is it reasonable that an infiltrator doesn’t get caught until he enters the imperial palace?”

In a world where magic and miracles were common, there was no such thing as absurdity.

* * *

August.

“Brother, come here. This magician has committed a mad act, hasn’t he?”

Sererassie glared at the non-magic user in the back alley of the Magic Street and pointed at the books and summoning circles he possessed.

“What did he do?”

“It’s likely that the power given to this recent infiltrator comes from an ancient one.”

“Right. The one wielding the green torch.”

“So it seems there are foolish and brave individuals who think that tracking the energy of the ancient one will lead them to the infiltrators empowered by it.”

“Goodness!”

Valenciaunos swore loudly, disregarding the presence of the student members who had accompanied him.

The ancient ones were beings whose physical and spiritual existence was indistinguishable, and receiving their power meant that a part of the ancient one’s physical body was transplanted.

Therefore, summoning a single ancient being “just a little” and then applying blood magic and light magic to track the owner of a drop of blood theoretically meant that one could locate the infiltrators.

“‘Theoretically’ is there for a reason.”

Sererassie looked around the house.

“Did you think summoning ‘just a little’ would be as you desired?”

In her eyes, the house was filled with the energy of the ancient one.

The non-magic user was already out of his mind.

In his gaze, green light flickered ominously.

“Brother, if this continues, a magical realm might open here.”

Valenciaunos nodded and killed the non-magic user, igniting the flames of incantation to completely burn his house, laboratory, and corpse.

Later, he received reports that Jin and the student members had dealt with the foolish and brave individuals one by one and confined them in the punishment room within the academy.

To capture the new student girl, he sought out Angelo’s assistance once more.

Subsequently, he emphasized the vigilante’s mission once again to Konel.

Valenciaunos was not particularly enraged by this incident.

He knew that a deliberate malice without enemies was more efficient, and such incidents had already occurred more than ten times.

Hence, he sought out Helena of the Bronze Knights.

“Especially around the academy, various rumors have been spreading rapidly.”

“Is it a rumor or a fact… or not?”

“I plan to enlist all those who spread such rumors. Perhaps a recently appointed knight and officer will receive them for training and form their own troop, what do you think, sister Helena?”

That meant he would grant her a direct unit.

Helena responded like a girl in love or a dragon in front of gold.

“Those who disturb the peace of the capital by spreading such rumors should experience a rude awakening in real combat! A splendid idea!”

“Right. The student union will send the kids soon. Don’t just kill them; drill them mercilessly to make them elite. It would be nice to have some knight-level heavy infantry or heavy cavalry too.”

Valenciaunos smiled leisurely, and on his way to meet Jeilliris, Tenitia asked.

“You don’t seem so different than expected.”

“Surprised?”

Tenitia nodded, and Valenciaunos spoke with parted lips.

“Actually… completely new strategies or attacks do not come easily. Of course, having met a new enemy requires new responses, but ultimately, we can only modify existing responses to create the new ones.”

“When likened to the development of swordsmanship… it seems so.”

“The enemy is alone, while I command hundreds of officers and thousands of gangsters. So, I will press him with sheer numbers. No, saying that would be an insult to fairness. There’s no need to draw him out using tricks. A great army does not need military tactics.”

Valenciaunos skimmed through the last of the documents and said casually.

“It seems they have become able to conceal the power of the ancient ones through the study of artifacts. When we meet him, we may sense the energy of an ordinary human or even a clergy.”

Tenitia was shocked.

“Pardon? No, Your Highness.”

Valenciaunos calmly ascended to Jeilliris’s office.

* * *

Valenciaunos often met privately with Jeilliris.

This was a very unusual occurrence since typically private meetings with the emperor and his elder siblings hardly took place unless one intended to kill the other or vice versa.

However, with the sun rising in the west, there was no way Valenciaunos could defeat Jeilliris, and since she had already executed their half-siblings, no one would find it strange if she eliminated one more.

Thus, the attendants and knights were not overly concerned.

Hadrian was a bit different.

Due to lineage and his assigned duties, he often found himself seeing Jeilliris just after Valenciaunos.

This meant that he was allowed to report before the other waiting officials.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, including the Minister of Finance, did not necessarily have to report through him.

“Hmm.”

In any case, he found Valenciaunos’s frequent private meetings strange in many ways.

If he felt that there were many waiting officials and time might be delayed, he would insist on a private meeting even if it meant waiting until evening.

He was not reporting anything particularly significant, secretive, brutal, or disgraceful.

The documents held by the Deputy Commander of the Azure Knights standing behind Hadrian were as follows:

– A magical realm occurred in a certain province, resulting in 30,000 deaths, and the magical realm was closed with the help of the Azure Knights and neighboring lords.

– Neighboring lords have started a territorial conflict demanding ‘compensation,’ and the one inciting this is the Empire’s Foreign Minister.

– Resources, including the unique produce of the province, have been diverted, and those mines were under contract with the Ivory Tower; negotiating contract renewals could restrain the Ivory Tower.

Hadrian did not know about Valenciaunos’s personal affairs, nor did he want to know, and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter to him.

He simply found it peculiar that details that could be submitted in writing were insisted upon being reported in person, as if there were an obsession with the very act of meeting in person rather than the content itself.

‘It had been jokingly suggested once that a brother who wanted to see his younger brother’s face wouldn’t be able to make that expression.’

Hadrian carefully adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses and looked at Valenciaunos.

Though the entire world deemed him arrogant, sadistic, and frivolous, the Valenciaunos awaiting to stand before Jeilliris was quite different.

His glittering golden eyes, the pleasant smile naturally resting on his bloodied lips, and the decisively drawn jaw were all that of a knight before a noblewoman.

‘It’s as if I’m constantly telling you how honest and loyal I am to you.’

Hadrian entered the office with Valenciaunos.

Valenciaunos faced Jeilliris as usual and began his report.

He was tasked with tracking down the infiltrator, who was originally a torturer but was now known as a mad magician.

“…I’m worried about the lack of additional movements. His objective is surely to disrupt the oath of loyalty. However, Your Majesty is diligently meeting various counts and dukes and firmly treading upon the imperial road. To shatter such a well-structured stability, an even greater explosion would be necessary.”

“Are you on guard against that?”

“I haven’t been able to ascertain who sent him. Perhaps there may be no connection with the great nobles.”

“That sounds like it could happen in the future.”

Hadrian interestingly regarded the somewhat unfamiliar report.

Jeilliris responded concisely to most reports.

After listening to a three-hour presentation about a large-scale canal project, she once simply said, ‘Good. Proceed’ and waved them off.

That was because she trusted the administrative officials and court nobles, who had, since Jeilliris’s ascension, been taking implicitly less in bribes and kickbacks than customary, and the emperor’s praises were mostly delivered through bonuses and dictated letters from maidservants.

In any case, the emperor mostly listened quietly to the reports.

For her to engage personally with golden eyes, sometimes adding in remarks, nodding gracefully, interjecting, or turning the questions around was truly unusual.

“…Thus, I feel uneasy. The infiltrator seems to be teaming up with the great lords, and the great lords will politically pressure Your Majesty through his presence. The merciful Your Majesty’s…”

“No. Valen, enough. I like flattery, but I can’t bear to hear anything that resembles mercy.”

“Then the beautiful majesty of…”

“Indeed. Good!”

Hadrian almost choked when he saw the emperor revealing her pearly teeth and laughing heartily.

Had he not felt the sheer force emanating from her, he might have thought it was all an act.

The emperor gently grasped Valenciaunos’s hand with her ringed fingers.

“Do not worry too much. I’ve heard you haven’t slept for more than ten days. I am greatly concerned that your health might deteriorate. I am also soothing the great lords while keeping an eye on them. Moreover, didn’t they come up here at least? If things go awry, I’ll just have to draw my sword.”

Hadrian was astonished to the point of forgetting the imperial meeting.

‘Emotional comfort from the emperor?’

It was miraculous that he didn’t shout right there.

He looked at the nonhuman twins with bewilderment and disbelief.

As if they could only see each other, they laughed together.