Perhaps everyone suspected it was Beatrice's doing, but they probably hadn't considered the method.
'Even the Empress Dowager is being ostracized. Nothing good will come of this.'
Beatrice was not a human who would not know that.
She denied it, her neck veins pulsing.
"You wicked thing! Do you know what you are talking about right now? Are you slandering your parents because you are mad with greed? I will not listen to any more of this nonsense!"
Of course, there were not many who believed her denial, which was close to hysterics.
The conference room was noisy and chaotic with the buzzing of people, but Carlyle's attention was focused on Asha, who was standing far away.
At first glance, she still seemed expressionless and indifferent.
However, Carlyle noticed that she was clenching her jaw and suppressing her anger, and on the other hand, she was secretly relieved that Gabriel's true identity had been revealed.
Perhaps Carlyle was the only one who noticed that.
'Has it made you feel a little better....'
Carlyle earnestly hoped that this would bring a breath of fresh air to Asha's heart.
However, at that moment, the back door of the conference room quietly opened and a servant approached quickly and whispered something to the Grand Chamberlain. Chamberlain's face also hardened and whispered something in Beatrice's ear.
And the story reached the ears of Matthias, who was next to Beatrice.
"What? That was also done by that bastard?"
Beatrice hurriedly covered Matthias' mouth, but it was already after everyone had heard it.
Carlyle looked at them with narrowed eyes and asked the people around him.
"It seems that the servant has brought important information about the High Priest. Shouldn't everyone here know? What do you think?"
As expected, the nobles who were shocked by the fact that Gabriel was a black magician shouted for the information brought by the servant to be made public.
It was not a level that Beatrice could control.
In the end, the servant who became pale, had a trembling voice.
"Uh, I was looking for the escort knights of His Majesty the Emperor who disappeared yesterday... They were in the prayer room of the Imperial Palace."
He swallowed dry saliva and continued.
"They are all dead...."
Gasps were heard from all over the conference room.
"What is the cause of death?"
"I don't know at all. In addition to the escort knights, all the other priests were lying on the floor in a circle, but there were no external injuries."
As the servant's words continued, everyone's eyes turned to Gabriel.
However, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. So Carlyle answered instead.
"Black magic feeds on a person's life force. You must have needed a lot of power to bring me down…"
Since it had already been revealed that he was a black magician, Gabriel did not bother to deny it.
"They are all people who have said they would give their lives for God."
"So you mean it's justified to kill them and use the power of the devil? That the process or means doesn't matter as long as it's for the cause of founding the Holy Empire?"
Carlyle gritted his teeth and shouted at the nobles sitting in the conference room.
"Are you really going to follow this crazy woman?"
His finger pointing to Beatrice was devoid of even the pretense of courtesy.
"Her Majesty the Dowager Empress did not know that the High Priest was a black magician!"
Count Levine, Beatrice's retainer, stood up from his seat, but Carlyle laughed at them.
"I heard your confession that you were just being used stupidly. I don't believe it that much."
Carlyle put his hand on the back of the chair he was sitting in and looked around at Beatrice's side and the Temple's side.
"Today's meeting was only to reveal the identity of Gabriel Knox. I don't want to negotiate. I'll see you again as enemies tomorrow."
With those words, he left the conference room with the knights he had led.
All those left behind were left to flounder in confusion, fear, betrayal, and anger.
* * *
In just one day, the situation had completely changed.
The morale of the Holy Knights and the Imperial Knights had hit rock bottom, and many knights refused to fight against Carlyle.
Not only had the prestige of the temple and the credibility of the Order fallen to the ground, but the families that had sided with Beatrice quickly declared their allegiance.
"They're really quick at this."
Carlyle, who was being briefed on the enemy's movements, smirked. Although there were still quite a few forces supporting Beatrice, the outcome of this battle was already a foregone conclusion.
He turned to the lined-up knights and shouted,
"I will now go and reclaim the throne that should have been mine!"
The ground on which the knights stood seemed to vibrate slightly with anticipation and determination.
"Tomorrow, we will all celebrate our victory!"
"Waaah!"
The knights cheered at Carlyle's declaration.
Since Carlyle Evaristo had declared that he would end this fight today, it was sure to happen.
"Advance!"
The long-awaited order was given.
With their morale soaring, the knights, led by Carlyle, marched towards the Imperial Palace.
The gate, which had been broken in the previous battle, was not guarded by anyone. It must have been difficult to station people here due to the defected knights and soldiers.
However, those guarding the inside had faces filled with determination, as if they had nothing more to lose.
Carlyle muttered as he observed the movements of the Imperial Knights stationed around Soleil Palace.
"It seems like that's the first and last gate."
Asha, who was looking at the other side with the binoculars that Carlyle had handed her, agreed with him.
"It seems like they've taken out all the weapons from the Imperial Armory."
The faces of the Imperial Knights and soldiers were all grim. They couldn't possibly not know that this was a battle that was already over.
"Do you want me to kill them all?"
Carlyle asked Asha softly.
At his intimate and gentle voice, Asha felt a shiver run down her neck for no reason.
"Would you kill them if I asked you to?"
"Of course."
"And would you spare them if I asked you to?"
"Yes."
Asha found Carlyle's joking even in this situation amusing and let out a small laugh.
"If anyone saw this, they would think I'm an evil woman who is manipulating Your Highness at will."
"I don't even want you to be called an evil woman. It's just a joke, but I'm telling you to live like a fox."
Asha felt a strange feeling again from Carlyle's words. She thought that Carlyle would rather pick on the part where she said, "manipulating Your Highness at will," than the word "evil woman."
'I told you to be careful with your words.'
Asha gulped for no reason.
[It's not a misunderstanding.]
Those words kept coming to mind…
However, it must have all been a joke.
Asha, who firmly grasped her mind that was about to drift into wild thoughts, made a decision.
"Show them mercy. I hope you don't chase after those who run away."
"My wife is also broad-minded."
"I can assure you that those who face me will not see it that way."
Asha's eyes lit up and she gripped the hilt of her sword.
"You can do whatever you want. I'll take care of the aftermath."
TL/N: My lovely killers 😍
Carlyle whispered as if making a secret promise, and then stood at the forefront of the army, his hair blowing in the cold winter wind.
Then he shouted loudly to the other side.
"I pity your plight, being driven to death without sin because of your evil master. I will grant you my last mercy! I will not chase after those who run away, so please cherish your own lives."
As soon as Carlyle's words fell, the ranks of the Imperial Knights seemed to waver slightly.
However, Carlyle did not give them any more thoughts.
Death to those who killed my father and stole the emperor's throne!"
"Waaaah!"
Carlyle's army rushed towards Soleil Palace.
Clang!
The first sound of swords clashing rang out, and in an instant, the avenue in front of Soleil Palace became a scene of fierce battle.
The branches of the carefully manicured landscape trees were broken, and red blood splattered on the white marble decorations. The grass, laid like a carpet, was trampled mercilessly by horseshoes, and corpses began to pile up on the avenue where not a single leaf had fallen.
At the forefront of that destruction were Carlyle and Asha.
"Ugh!"
"I gave you a chance to run away."
Asha muttered as she cut down a knight who had rushed at her instead of Carlyle, thinking she was easy prey because she was a woman.
Carlyle, who glanced at her, whistled as if he found it amusing.
"You seem to be keeping your word perfectly."
"Did I do that?"
"That you'll never show mercy to those who face you?"
Carlyle was leisurely blocking the sword of the knight who was running towards him, screaming.
"These guys will have to figure that out quickly if they want to save their lives."
"The smart ones have probably already run away."
The two of them continued their conversation with a faint smile on their faces, even as they dealt with the knights in front of them one by one. The Imperial Knights around them felt a sense of powerlessness at the sight.
The battle between the cheerful Carlyle army and the desperate Imperial Knights ended in less than half a day.
"Ha, ha! Are there any more?"
Carlyle, who was breathing heavily and looking around, realized that there was no one left to stop them on the path leading to the Iron Gate.
The surviving Imperial Knights were in a hurry to get out, and the knights under Carlyle's command were checking the damage and re-forming their ranks.
"Let's go, Your Highness."
Lionel wiped the blood from his chin roughly and extended his hand to guide Carlyle towards the Iron Gate.
Suddenly, Carlyle remembered something from the past and smiled.
"We'll have to get off our horses from here, right?"
"...Originally, we should have gotten off our horses from the entrance of Soleil Palace."
Lionel replied with a trembling expression, but Carlyle didn't even listen.