Chapter 175: The Turmoil In The Imperial Family (2)
Things have truly gone mad.
Ray shook his head at the unbelievable situation unfolding before him.
Overnight, assassins roamed the halls, and, as he suspected, chaos ensued.
Just a few days into caring for the emperor, and they were already at each others throats.
The situation gave him a headache.
The emperor had just begun to move out of his sickbed when a prince died.
While it might seem like the death of just one prince, it was an event that would greatly impact the empire.
The public announcement of the princes death was tantamount to a declaration that the royal conflict had officially begun.
Seeing this, Ray began to make his move.
More casualties would be problematic.
Frankly, the identity of the next emperor mattered little to him, but he wanted to avoid further deaths.
They would be problematic for both the Holy Kingdom and the emperor himself.
If the emperors children killed each other, it could worsen his condition.
Isnt it said that illness comes from the mind? Thats not always true, but to some extent, it must be acknowledged.
Ray gathered information within the imperial palace.
From knights, maids, and various nobles, he learned the following:
Someone had killed the guards and entered the fifth princes bedroom.
And the fifth prince had been cleanly killed, his throat pierced through.
The information was simple, yet it helped narrow down the list of suspects.
The culprit must be a Sword Master, or someone of similar skill in aura use.
His conclusion was based on the secrecy of the incident until morning.
Silently eliminating all the guards and infiltrating the fifth princes bedroom would be difficult unless one were among the Seven Heavenly Generals.
Someone like Soyeong could do it, but Ray doubted such a powerful assassination organization existed within the empire.
Thus, the assassin must have been an elite, someone known to everyone in the imperial palace.
This explained why the guards were caught off guard and killed instantly.
However, when Ray scanned the nobility within the palace, he didnt detect any significant mana presence.
If they had attempted to assassinate the fifth prince, they would have been easily subdued.
Thus, the nobility was ruled out as suspects.
That left only the servants and the internal military forces, but the internal forces would have raised suspicions among the guards.
So, they too were excluded.
A plausible suspect came to Rays mind.
Someone with skills nearly that of a Sword Master and capable of lowering the guards vigilance.
Could it be the second prince?
The mana he had sensed from their first meeting was exceptionally strong.
If one had to pick a likely suspect for a perfect assassination, the second prince would be the first choice.
Of course, he could look for more precise information, but a better approach was available.
The assassin would surely attempt another assassination.
It was the cleanest method with no loose ends.
Ray just had to wait and thwart the next assassination attempt.
Ughhh!
The emperor struggled to get out of bed.
It was like watching someone giving birth, as if he were about to deliver another late-life child.
Ray cheered him on.
Dont strain too much; you could hurt yourself. Take it easy, gently.
Grrr
Ray felt the urge to smack someone, but given the situation, he restrained himself.
After about ten minutes, the emperor finally managed to rise from the bed.
Ray also stood up, well aware of what was about to happen next.
As he anticipated, Ray laid the emperor back down.
Grrr!
Ah, dont struggle too much. We have to do this again.
Rays casual tone lacked any semblance of reverence for the emperor.
Though curious why Ray wasnt using divine power for healing, the emperor had no choice but to comply, feeling his body gradually regaining movement.
Ray observed the emperors struggle in bed and spoke.
As soon as you can move properly, Ill announce that youve awakened. Given the current situation in the royal family, if we reveal it too soon
Ray made a throat-slitting gesture.
Thats the end. So many crazy people around. Tsk, tsk.
He spoke with such authority that he almost seemed more imperial than the emperor himself.
But he was not wrong.
For the second prince, the emperor being alive was more of a nuisance.
If the first prince, as the heir apparent, remained alive while the emperor awakened, there would be no further moves to make.
Thus, Ray intended to delay the announcement of the emperors recovery.
It was not something to be carelessly disclosed, as revealing it too soon could invite assassination attempts.
While such attempts were unlikely with Rays protection, one could never be too cautious.
At that moment, Ray sensed someone outside the door.
Sleep.
He swiftly cast a spell, sending the emperor back into slumber.
It was regrettable to put him to sleep after such an effort, but it was necessary to avoid detection.
Knock knock
The third prince entered the room shortly after knocking.
He greeted Ray.
Greetings to the Saint. How have you been?
Thanks to you.
Ray glanced at the emperors complexion while speaking.
A quick look confirmed that the emperor was sound asleep.
Then, he broached the subject.
I heard about the fifth prince.
Haha Its a scandal, but such things happen in the royal family.
Everyone who needed to know understood that it was an assassination, not an accident.
If they were trying to cover it up, they should have acted more decisively.
But Ray saw no need to pretend ignorance.
Did he suffer a mishap with his carriage?
Noble carriage accidents were quite frequent.
Horses gone wild or overturned carriages leading to deaths were not uncommon.
The third prince looked incredulous at Rays comment and then laughed.
Eh? Haha. No, the fifth prince was an aura user. A mere carriage accident wouldnt kill him.
Was he attempting to lend credibility to the lie that the fifth prince had died in an accident? It implied that a carriage accident was too trivial.
He continued the conversation.
Maybe it was a wyvern pack. There was an attack on a nearby village recently.
Hmm
Wyverns, huh
An intriguing excuse.
Indeed, wyvern nests were located behind the empire.
Given that wyverns were considered among the strongest monsters, they could justify the fifth princes death.
In reality, they were fighting and attacking each other.
It seemed like the royal family had already agreed on a story.
The fifth prince had gone out of the imperial palace for a change of scenery and was coincidentally attacked by wyverns.
Such an implausible excuse, it made one wonder who had concocted it.
Claiming he was struck by lightning while walking would have been more believable.
Sensing Rays skepticism, the third prince quickly changed the subject.
How is His Majesty?
Ah, he should be waking up soon.
Is that so? Thats good to hear If theres anything you need, please let me know. Ill do my best to help.
Hahaha. Bring some peace, would you?
The double meaning in Rays words made the third prince twitch.
Is he talking about peace between the Holy Kingdom and the empire, or peace within the royal family?
Unable to respond directly to such an ambiguous statement, the third prince forced a laugh.
Hahaha. Peace will naturally be achieved.
Feeling that something was off, he stood up to leave.
I have matters to attend to. Please take good care of His Majesty.
Yes.
As he left the bedroom, he hesitated before speaking.
Saint, try not to delve too deeply into the royal affairs.
With that, he exited.
Ray then smirked.
His message had been clear enough.
What remained to be seen was how the royal family would react.
The third princes warning not to delve too deeply into royal affairs suggested that significant developments were on the horizon.
Peace will naturally be achieved? Lets see about that. Hahaha, these fools. Ill be the one to enforce peace.
Ray was the most suspicious figure in this unfolding drama.
In the emperors chamber, he laughed malevolently while the emperor slept.
With the arrival of dawn the following day, Ray continued to collect information.
But it was more than just information; it was evidence he was after.
He was gathering all the incriminating information about the royal family.
Any scandal, wrongdoing, or anything that could damage the royal familys image was being meticulously documented.
For the more covert operations, he relied on Soyeong and Heukyeong.
After all, he needed to keep up appearances and refrain from any actions that might arouse suspicion.
It was important not to tip them off too soon.
Roughly a week later, the findings brought by Heukyeong and Soyeong were impressively detailed.
Scrolls with formulas, records of dealings it was irrefutable evidence.
Any effort to dismiss these revelations would surely backfire.
This trove of information seemed ideal for curtailing their freedom of action.
Amidst such fierce internal strife, subtlety was paramount.
Ray, clearly delighted, erupted into laughter.
Hahaha. Perfect.
Soyeong, driven by curiosity, ventured a question.
Forgive my boldness, but what do you intend to do with these?
Heukyeong, too, was curious but remained silent.
This? Im simply going to return it to its rightful owner.
What?
Soyeongs expression, though she said nothing, conveyed disbelief bordering on shock. Are you out of your mind?
Why give it back to them? How did you even uncover these in the first place?
Certainly, they would conceal it even more diligently the next time!
Reading their thoughts, Ray shook his head.
They wont dare to be reckless. Knowing that an unknown adversary possesses their deepest secrets is a formidable check on their behavior.
Do you really believe that? They might instead attempt to eliminate the threat.
Just watch. The first prince, already high in the line of succession, has no need to rush his moves, even if this leaks out. But the story is different for the second prince. Should his weakness be exposed, he might never recover. So, if anyone is likely to make a move, its the second prince.
Then, we just have to corner the second prince.
It sounded like a plan to strike hard!
Ray patted Soyeong and Heukyeong on the shoulders.
Youll have to work hard for a while.
In summary, Ray was instructing them to steal back the parchments that he intended to return to the owner.
Soyeong grunted and nodded in agreement.
Soyeong acknowledges the command.
Heukyeong acknowledges the command.
Alright, lets get to work. Hahaha.
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