Chapter 396

The terrible tragedy that occurred in Panam spread across the world at an astonishing speed.

The locals named the event “The Nightmare Night.”

The old King Danon was found with his upper body split in half, and Queen Eleonora burned to death in the detached palace.

The palace was set ablaze in various places, and the detached palace was completely burned down, causing many assets and supplies to be lost in the flames.

The knights also suffered severe losses.

Andrea and Marcello, who were in charge of the king’s escort, were slaughtered, and Cesare, who was pursuing the assassins, went missing.

Three of the kingdom’s core forces lost their lives in a single day.

The Imperial Guard knights also suffered nearly seventy casualties, and the number of dead soldiers was several times that.

In the history of Panam, there had never been such a devastating blow in a single night.

The enraged guardsmen searched every corner of the capital for the perpetrators of this atrocity, but to no avail.

The agents had already left the capital, and the dead bodies were all charred beyond recognition, making identification impossible.

A few longswords were found in the ruins of the detached palace, but they were hardly conclusive evidence.

Imperial-style longswords were favored by all nations except Dane, and even Dane was gradually adopting longswords over the traditional one-handed sword and shield.

The identity of the culprits remained a mystery, and the investigation headquarters of the Imperial Guard was filled with endless debates.

Some claimed that the Danes had stabbed them in the back, while others speculated that the Empire had sent an assassination squad.

A knight with a vivid imagination suggested that the Holy Kingdom, unable to bear King Danon’s corruption and indulgence, had punished him in the name of God.

Perhaps he had momentarily forgotten which country’s knight he was.

Naturally, that knight was arrested on charges of treason and taken to the interrogation room.

There, he would either be re-educated on what “loyalty” meant or never come out again.

And some nobles believed it was the work of the first prince, Borvik, born out of wedlock.

When King Danon intended to pass the throne to his legitimate son with Eleonora, Borvik orchestrated the attack to assassinate both of them.

Amidst all this, Evian was the only one free from suspicion.

No one believed that the incompetent playboy Evian had the capability for such a thing.

—

It didn’t take long for the Panam Imperial Guard, already overwhelmed by the investigation and aftermath of the assassination, to face new chaos.

No, it was the beginning of a great upheaval that would sweep not just the Imperial Guard but all of Panam.

The king and queen were gone, leaving only the young legitimate prince, Elesion, who had become an orphan overnight.

Taking advantage of the central chaos, nobles who smelled power began to move.

Ambitious nobles sought to use Elesion as a puppet to become the real power behind Panam, while the first prince, Borvik, gathered supporters to eliminate Elesion and ascend to the throne.

For them, uncovering the truth was a matter for later.

The military power Panam had built to pressure the Empire began to turn its blades against itself.

Just as Leopold had hoped.

Reading the report, Leopold smiled at the rare good news and sipped his tea.

Many agents had been lost, but the result was nearly perfect.

Detailed information would have to wait until Count Median returned, but for now, the threat from Panam was effectively gone.

The next capital had long been prepared.

“Let him in.”

As Leopold softly uttered these words, Persval, who was guarding him, opened the door to the office.

Beyond the wide-open door, a man with tanned skin walked in nervously.

“So, you are Evian. Just as Count Median described.”

“I greet the Sun of the Empire!”

Evian, the second illegitimate son of King Danon, bowed to Leopold.

Leopold chuckled at the flattery of being called the “Sun of the Empire.”

If it were Hashalleur, she might have sarcastically remarked that his head was as bright as the sun, but Leopold wasn’t the type to enjoy such cruel teasing. After all, mocking others only hurt his own pride.

“I’ve heard about the tragedy in your homeland. Truly a tragic event. I never thought Eleonora would meet such a fate…”

Leopold sighed, feigning a sorrowful expression.

“Yes, you must be deeply troubled as well. Please accept my condolences.”

Leopold offered conventional condolences without revealing that he was the mastermind behind the atrocity.

If Danon in the afterlife had seen this, he would have been furious.

“…Thank you. I also offer my condolences to Your Majesty.”

Evian also pretended to speak in a heavy tone, expressing his condolences.

He had lost his father, but the Emperor had also lost his sister.

At least, that’s what he believed.

“Thank you. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss regarding this matter. As people in our positions, we cannot afford to dwell in sorrow forever.”

“…Thank you for Your Majesty’s consideration.”

Evian stood up and sat politely on the sofa in the office.

Those who knew Evian’s usual demeanor would have been shocked by his uncharacteristic politeness.

That politeness clearly highlighted the gap between the Emperor of the Empire and the illegitimate son of a kingdom.

“Good. Then let’s get straight to the point. It will be more comfortable for you that way… Yes. I assume you are well aware of the current situation in Panam. So, I’ll ask you directly.”

Leopold rested his chin on his hands and observed Evian with a sharp gaze.

“Doesn’t it feel unfair to be born as an illegitimate son?”

Evian’s face twitched for a moment.

Leopold smiled contentedly, reading the emotions in that expression.

As he had expected, this young man seemed like a useful pawn.

“No matter how hard you try, you can never ascend to the throne. Even if you showcase your talents, you’re seen as a threat and have to worry about your life. It’s a miserable and tragic life. I know well how dreadful that can be.”

Leopold began to speak in a sympathetic tone, as if understanding Evian’s plight.

Evian listened to the Emperor’s proposal without even blinking.

Shortly after, Evian withdrew from the academy and returned to Panam, accompanied by a few personnel assigned by Leopold.

It was the moment the seeds of conflict that would plunge Panam into civil war began to sprout.

—

It wasn’t just Panam that was in chaos.

Dane was also bewildered by the sudden decapitation of their ally, who had been preparing for an alliance.

Moreover, they were even suspected of being the culprits.

The Dane royal family naturally denied the allegations, but without concrete evidence, they couldn’t completely shake off the suspicion.

They couldn’t announce the alliance now, as originally planned.

If the Holy Kingdom, Panam, and Dane had united to announce the alliance as planned, it might have been different. But revealing the alliance now would only provoke the Empire’s wrath.

“The situation has completely gone awry. Who on earth killed King Danon…!”

The nobles, who knew about the king, the crown prince, and the triangular alliance, gathered in a secret meeting room to discuss the events in Panam day and night.

“If it’s not the Holy Kingdom or us, then the answer must be the Empire! The Empire must have caught wind of it!”

“None of the Empire’s masters were reported to have left the homeland. Could it be Borvik’s doing, as the rumors suggest…?”

Of course, they too couldn’t identify the culprits.

The fact that the Emperor’s sister was also killed and none of the Empire’s masters were reported to have left at the time made them uneasy.

If the Empire had sent a master to lead the assassination, their spies would have reported it.

But no master had gone missing, and there were even reports that Hashalleur, the Dane assassin, was resting at her mansion.

In reality, it was just a stand-in with blue eyes and slightly tanned skin, her hair dyed black, but the spies, limited by distance, couldn’t possibly discern this.

“…We’ll leave the truth for later. What’s important now is not to confirm who did it, but to decide how to respond. The triangular alliance has collapsed before it even began, and the Holy Kingdom hasn’t sent any word yet.”

The King of Dane sighed, calming the nobles.

With the best plan, the triangular alliance, now in ruins, they needed to overhaul their existing strategies.

“Your Majesty is right. Now is the time to discuss countermeasures.”

The nobles nodded and began racking their brains to devise new plans.

Some suggested strengthening the alliance with the Holy Kingdom to jointly counter the Empire, excluding Panam.

Others advocated for a cautious approach, training more rune warriors and building up strength for the next opportunity.

There were even those who proposed sending troops to take advantage of Panam’s chaos, using the pretext that Panam was accusing Dane of being the culprit.

“…That’s not a bad idea. Since we can’t be sure if Panam’s next king will oppose the Empire like Danon did, it wouldn’t hurt for us to share in their wealth.”

And, true to Dane’s warrior culture, many agreed with the war advocates.

Facing the Empire head-on was daunting, but sitting idle was unsatisfying. The proposal to seize Panam’s wealth and territory was just what they needed.

“It will be a good opportunity to test the strength of our rune warriors. The warrior we sent earlier was discovered and killed too quickly because he acted alone.”

The mysterious assassin who killed three Empire nobles and then took his own life.

He was a warrior secretly sent by Dane to test their rune warrior training.

Though not trained as an assassin, he managed to kill three nobles before being discovered, which was quite an encouraging result.

“Yes. That sounds good. Let’s mobilize our forces and watch Panam’s situation. When the civil war breaks out in full swing and they can’t spare attention for the borders, we’ll march. Do you all agree?”

“Yes! Everything will proceed according to Your Majesty’s will!”

In the end, Dane decided to invade Panam, taking advantage of their chaos.

A complete reversal from their previous stance of forming a solid alliance.

Such is the nature of diplomacy.

A friendly relationship without mutual benefit cannot exist. Once a weakness is exposed, an equal alliance turns into prey.

=======[ Hashalleur ]=======

A few days later, I finally returned to the Empire.

With the treasures collected from the pirate ship and the Panamians rescued from slavery in tow.

I entrusted the personnel who returned with me to take care of their safety and rode straight to the capital.

Though I had promised ten days, it took half a month, but for cutting off the head of a nation, it was a swift return.