"No, it can't be... it can't be…" Hearing the final words, Prince Edessak clutched his ears, retreating to a corner like a frightened hamster.
Lynn looked at his denial with little surprise and continued, "So, are you just going to stand by and watch those people die?"
Prince Edessak's murmuring stopped abruptly. His face turned pale, his gaze conflicted. After a few seconds, he looked at Lynn with trembling lips, whispering, "I... but..."
"...Then what do you plan to do? You won't let this happen, right?" Suddenly, as if grasping at a lifeline, Prince Edessak looked desperately at Lynn.
"But I'm just a spectator." Lynn blinked and spoke casually, "You can't expect me to do anything. After all, it's your mess."
Prince Edessak's face became even paler.
"But I can give you a hand, maybe help you escape this manor," Lynn changed his tone, smiling as he looked at Prince Edessak. "If you still have a conscience, you could report this to the church."
"What will you do?"
Prince Edessak's body trembled. He looked at Lynn, his mouth opening and closing before finally muttering, "I'll go."
In the end, he couldn't bear to watch so many people die, even if it meant...
"I'm going to die anyway... so it doesn't matter much…" Prince Edessak tried to comfort himself. Then, he looked at Lynn and asked, "How will you get me out...?"
Though Trissy had escaped through a secret passage, her departure had led to a lockdown of the entire manor. It was now under strict surveillance by people sent by Augustus Royal family to watch him. Even if he wanted to leave, it was nearly impossible.
"That's easy. Close your eyes. 3, 2, 1!" Lynn snapped his fingers after counting down.
Prince Edessak felt dizzy for a moment. When he regained his senses, he found himself standing outside St. Samuel's Cathedral.
Looking at the cathedral, quieter than usual because of the New Year, Prince Edessak hesitated but ultimately walked in.
"I am Prince Edessak. I need to speak with Archbishop Saint Anthony; it's urgent…"
Before he could finish speaking, the clergyman before him interrupted, "Prince Edessak, the Archbishop has been expecting you for some time…"
…
Outside the cathedral, Lynn stretched lazily as he watched Prince Edessak being led inside by the waiting Nighthawks.
"Well, that was the path you chose. If you hadn't planned to report, I wouldn't have helped you leave."
Since Prince Edessak had become a key witness, his fate was no longer to be silenced. In fact, once he stepped into St. Samuel's Cathedral, even if he wanted to die, the church wouldn't allow it.
As for the Augustus family, it was unlikely he could return to them.
"But such a family willing to abandon anyone so easily, isn't worth staying with…" Lynn smirked and turned his gaze to a certain direction.
"The Evernight Goddess should have already dealt with Trissy… Hmm, is Klein already fighting the Despair Witch?"
…
Despair Witch, a Sequence 4 Despair from the Demoness Sect, was even more confused than Prince Edessak.
Having used Mr. A's power to reach the Eastern District and prepare for her plan, she was suddenly confronted by a mysterious young man. In an instant, She found herself teleported to a desolate wilderness along with another person.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where we are?" Despair Witch recovered quickly and flashed a seductive smile at the young man across from her. As she spoke, the temperature around them dropped subtly, as if something ominous was gathering in the air.
Klein standing opposite to her didn't answer her question. Nor was he swayed by her charm. Instead, he silently commanded the Wraith hidden in the air to possess Despair Witch.
'A Wraith!' Just about to attack, Despair Witch suddenly found herself unable to move, her pupils shrinking in alarm.
…
In the Loen Kingdom's royal palace, King George III, who had just learned of the simultaneous disappearance of Trissy and Prince Edessak and Despair Witch's unfulfilled promise, furrowed his brow, feeling an ominous sense of foreboding.
It seemed as if an invisible hand had been controlling everything from the start, knowing all their moves and effortlessly crushing their plans.
But how was that possible?
King George III couldn't figure out who could be behind all of this. They had been so careful, how could there have been a leak?
Was there a traitor?
As King George III began to suspect betrayal, he heard footsteps. Looking up in confusion, he saw a man in pitch-black armor, covered by a cloak of the same color, holding a scepter, and walking into the palace as if he owned the place.
"Who are you?" King George III shouted, hoping to alert the guards. At the same time, his hand moved toward a box beside the throne, which contained a high-sequence sealed artifact.
King George III scrutinized the man's appearance—undeniably handsome, with chestnut hair and blue eyes, a small mustache on his face, and a black crown studded with jewels atop his head. He looked more like an emperor than an assassin.
'No, he was...!'
King George III froze as he suddenly realized who the man was. This was someone he had seen countless times in portraits: the former emperor of Intis, the Black Emperor, Roselle Gustav.
'Impossible! How could it be him? Unless…' George III recalled the characteristics of the Black Emperor and the legend of Roselle's tomb that had never been destroyed, his face growing pale.
"So, you recognize me." Roselle chuckled as he watched the array of emotions play across George III's face. He then turned his gaze to another direction, smiling slyly, "No need to hide. Come out! Or were you planning to ambush me?"
"Your Majesty Roselle, you jest." The only Sequence 1 Hand of Order in the Augustus family emerged from the shadows, smiling. But when his gaze landed on Roselle, his expression grew grim and despairing.
The moment he saw Roselle, the Hand of Order knew that all their plans had failed.
The old Black Emperor had returned; there was no way a new one could rise.
The Hand of Order's only thought now was to appease Roselle's wrath and preserve what was left of the Augustus family.
(End of Chapter)