The moment he received Lionel's report, Carlyle felt his heart stop. It was a shock greater than when he heard the news of the emperor's death.
Lionel, who noticed that his mood was not good, lowered his voice and appeased Carlyle.
"It is unfortunate, but now is not the time to care about Pervaz, Your Highness! The chances of victory are high if we strike while the Empress's side is still in disarray!"
He didn't need to explain it to him.
Zyro was now a bomb with its fuse lit. The nobles who supported Carlyle were all tensely preparing for the day of the decisive battle.
Why didn't he understand that the fate of many people, and the fate of this empire, rested on his shoulders?
"I will send support to Viscount Dibbenham, who is close to Pervaz. Your Highness, please focus on attacking the Imperial Palace."
Carlyle clenched his teeth.
Lionel was right. Now was the time to focus all his energy on this task.
He clenched his trembling fists and asked.
"Where were they attacked from?"
"It is said that they were attacked by the savages and demons of the Abandoned Land, but something is strange. The damage to Pervaz Castle is more severe than anywhere else… …"
Carlyle's expression disappeared.
"Castle? Are you saying that the damage inside the castle was severe?"
"That is what the letter says, but it is not certain."
"Do you think this is a coincidence?"
"No. I think it is the work of our opponents."
Lionel knew too.
Pervaz must have been turned upside down because it was Carlyle's hideout.
'But there's nothing we can do about it now. The Countess of Pervaz and Baron Donovan will somehow stop them.'
Weren't they the ones who had protected Pervaz even during the 28-year war with the Lure tribe and the subsequent invasion of the Igram tribe?
Of course, the damage to Pervaz would be enormous, but for now, he had to take over the Imperial Palace first.
However, Carlyle, who seemed to be clenching his teeth and suppressing his anger, gave an unexpected order.
"Go to Pervaz immediately. Finish all preparations by today!"
"Yes? You're going to Pervaz now?"
"Since when did you start asking me twice, Lionel?"
Lionel shuddered at the look in Carlyle's eyes as he looked back at him.
He was now one step away from exploding.
'But why…?'
He could be angry that the Empress's side had hit Pervaz. But if so, he should stay in Zyro and prepare for a counterattack, why go to Pervaz? And so suddenly.
Lionel was also sorry to hear that Pervaz had been attacked, but Carlyle's situation was not very good either.
However, he could not ask Carlyle such a thing, who seemed like he would kill a few people right away.
"...Yes, I understand."
Carlyle did not even look back at the prostrated Lionel and ran out of the office.
Lionel was a little scared that he might have gone crazy with anger.
* * *
And after receiving the news from her that the Emperor was calling for him and that he didn't feel good, Gabriel decided to use the method he used to kill the spies in the Empress's palace. Fortunately, the next day was Monday, and he was the Emperor's Monday prayer leader.
[I will begin today's prayer, Your Majesty.]
[Ah, High Priest! I have a lot to ask you too.]
The Emperor glared at Gabriel with suspicious eyes and shouted. However, Gabriel showed a good smile without any hesitation.
[I will answer whenever Your Majesty asks. But before that, it seems that you still haven't recovered from your hangover, so may I first give you the blessing of vitality?]
[Yes, please.]
Gabriel put his hand on the Emperor's head on the pretext of blessing. That was the Emperor's fatal mistake.
{Room Atika Gellerop.}
Even though he muttered strange words, the Emperor did not look at Gabriel or ask what he was saying.
Black energy swirled from Gabriel's hand, and the Emperor, who bowed his head under it, was caught in the worst spell of black magic.
[Kendrick Felix Leila Bondel Evaristo. You will die at 11:24 AM today.]
Even though he heard the words insulting him, the Emperor just had a blank expression and didn't get angry. His golden eyes were cloudy.
After a while, when the Emperor came to his senses, Gabriel recited the prayer as usual.
The Emperor, who had lost his memory of a short time ago, thought he had just dozed off for a while, and did not find the situation strange or remember that he wanted to question Gabriel.
And at 11:24 AM, when he was preparing to go to lunch, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed and died.
"Thanks to the High Priest, we have averted a great danger. No, not only have we averted the danger, but now that everything has fallen into place… …"
Beatrice looked up at Gabriel with a benevolent smile.
"Tell me. Is there anything you want? I would like to give the High Priest a great reward."
However, Gabriel shook his head.
"Building the kingdom of God. I only ask that you keep that promise, and I did not do it to gain personal gain."
"How can you… The High Priest is a true servant of God, and an archangel sent by Libato to save this fallen land!"
"There is no reason to be praised for doing my due diligence. Of course, I do not mean to misinterpret Your Majesty's words. Thank you."
Even after doing the tremendous deed of assassinating the Emperor and giving Beatrice and Matthias the highest power in the empire, Gabriel humbly bowed his head.
Beatrice smiled even more contentedly and then asked as if she had just remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, how did you start the war in Pervaz? And it fits so perfectly."
"Ah…"
As soon as the talk of Pervaz came up, Gabriel's smile hardened and then relaxed.
"I didn't know things would turn out this way. I just… I had a feeling that something was going to happen at lunch today, and I was going to shake up His Highness Carlyle with the news of the Pervaz attack, whether it was good or bad."
That was really what happened. It seemed clear that something would be in Carlyle's favor, so he wanted to stir things up.
But he had no idea that Carlyle would immediately rush to Pervaz.
Although it was arguably a better outcome, Gabriel found it somehow unpleasant. The moment he heard the news that Carlyle had hurriedly left for Pervaz, the image of him and Asha together came to mind.
'There are still His Highness Carlyle's objects and property left in Pervaz.... So, that's all he went for. Not because of Count Pervaz....'
Even if Carlyle had rushed over because he was worried about Asha, it was not something he would have found offensive. However, he did not want to imagine that the human he hated the most and the human he liked the most had a special relationship.