[---]
Located in the capital of the Ironblood Empire was the royal palace. It's a place that was established ever since the founding of the Empire a thousand years ago. It started off as a small village hut; now it's a tall castle that spans far and wide.
Its rough appearance on the outside represented its long and bloody history.
Many who visited the Empire would often feel a menacing vibe that comes off from the old castle walls, but little did they know that inside the palace was a massive botanical garden filled with beautiful flowers and exotic plants.
It's so well crafted and mesmerizing that it's said that all who lay eyes on it would have their fatigue seemingly sucked away.
Built by the fifty-fifth Emperor, he initially did it in order to metaphorically say that while the palace does indeed represent the long history of bloodshed that the Empire has been built, there is still beauty underneath.
Which would sound great...
Until you realize that he was a man who had destroyed and conquered countless countries, mutilating the enemy leaders and parading them around the country as a testament to his strength and authority.
But despite its history, the current Emperor Regulus Malakith Ironblood still enjoyed leisurely sitting around the gardens. To him, who was constantly bombarded with managing the affairs of arguably the most powerful country to date, it was nice to relax in such a beautiful place...
"Hmm..."
The Emperor was wearing his usual crimson garments made from the finest of silk. He wore a black mask that covered half of his face, with the other half revealing the face of a man who was hit with age.
His gaze landed on the sight of a butterfly, landing at a beautiful crimson rose...
While enjoying a cup of tea, standing behind him were two knights clad in golden armor...a signature look of the Imperial royal guards protecting the royal family. Each of them was said to have the strength of fifty men and are capable of becoming heroes in their own right...
And yet...
"I've come to answer your summons, your majesty..." A chilling voice spoke, one devoid of emotions...
None of them were able to sense the man cloaked in black, who seemingly appeared between them out of thin air.
"W-Who are you?!"
Their senses quickly perceived him as a threat of the highest degree. Both of them immediately drew their blades and were ready for a fight to the death, before...
"Stop, both of you..."
With the command of the Emperor, both of the guards were shook.
"Do you know this man, your Majesty?" One of the guards nervously asked.
"I do, and if you were about to do what you just did, then you would all die a pointless death."
The Emperor said in a matter-of-fact tone as he continued to sip his tea.
"Leave us, I would like to speak with him alone..."
The guards wanted to disagree, but with the orders of the Emperor combined with the menacing aura of the cloaked man before them, they were forced to give them space.
Once they were out of sight, the Emperor let out a sigh.
"I thought I told you not to scare them like that...you might not know this, but almost half of the royal guards have developed some sort of paranoia because of you."
"I was trying my best to not be stealthy, but I apologize. I'll try to be more careful in the future..."
"You've already said that before...I- cough cough"
Seeing his dire state, the cloaked man was about to move in to help him, but he held his hand, essentially telling him that he could take care of himself. After letting out a deep breath, he took out his handkerchief and wiped the blood from his mouth...
"...How is your health faring these days, your majesty?"
"As you can see, death is constantly whispering in my ear. Half of my face is almost nothing but rotting flesh, and I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker as time passes on."
He let out a self-deprecating chuckle as he sipped from his tea once more.
"And yet here I am, still forced to manage an Empire all because my descendants are nothing but ingrates. A son who thought that winning the war and ruling the country were the same thing and a daughter who chooses to hide in the shadows of his brother's legacy out of fear...all of them are pathetic!"
"..."
"In the past, all I've wanted was to have kids...I thought that they were the greatest treasure the goddess could give me. But now they're nothing more than an eyesore, ahaha!...what about you, Damian? Have you thought of having little shits like them?"
"...In the past, yes."
Sensing the trouble brewing in his heart, the Emperor decided to push further.
"What about now? You know you're the only Phantom Order member who refused to retire...she would've wanted you to move on..."
"What she wanted for me was to become a weapon that would tear off all the cancer in this god-forsaken world, and I had become just that. Until the hands of death itself come to claim me, I have no intention of stopping."
Saying this, he moved in front of him, directly meeting the Emperor's gaze. Usually, this was a form of disrespect that would warrant the death penalty, but he didn't really mind it. Besides, the only creature capable of giving him the taste of death had already died once the war ended...
"Now enough about me and let's get to the matter at hand, your Majesty. Give me the name..."
The Emperor could only sigh.
Ever since the war ended, this has always been their daily routine. Sure, he had created the Phantom Order to do his dirty work, but now that the war against the demons was over, the Empire barely had any enemies left.
The ones that remained after the war were either silenced by him or were now too scared to make a move. At some point, he even ran out of names to give to him...but fortunately for him, it was different this time.
"The Oracle has made a prediction..."
He couldn't see his face, which was hidden under his hood, but he could tell that he furrowed his brow...
"She apparently had a vision that within two years, a great evil would emerge from the walls of the Thorfen Academy. An evil that would plunge the entire world into darkness if not stopped, a threat that is greater than the demon king himself..."
"...How accurate is this?"
"No idea, but it seemed like she was pretty shaken after she made the prediction..."
Which was saying a lot, considering she remained calm even after predicting the rise of the demon king.
"Thorfen Academy..." Damian muttered as he recalled something.
Thorfen Academy was a place where talents from across the globe gathered in order for them to continue developing those said talents. A diploma from that place was enough to guarantee a smooth life, be it a commoner or a noble.
"...Your daughter is enrolling there this year, no?"
"She is, much to my dismay. That girl is foolish if she thinks the walls of that academy would save her from her fate as royalty..."
"...And do we know the name of this so-called great evil?"
"We have no idea, that's where you come in..."
"...Search and destroy?..."
The Emperor smiled as he leaned in the table...
"Search and destroy. As the ninety-ninth Emperor of the Great Ironblood Empire, I hereby command you to infiltrate the academy to search for this great evil, and promptly eliminate it. I know this is probably gonna be one of the more annoying missions for you, but do try to enjoy yourself, yeah?"
Saying this, the Emperor took a stack of paper and handed it over to him.
"I've already pulled a few strings and got you into the academy as a teacher. Have you ever taught anybody before?"
"...Well, I have trained the new recruits of the Phantom Order back then, but..."
"Huh...well, I remember that place having weird teaching methods back when I attended it, so you could probably afford to be a bit strict. But don't overdo it, you're technically a history teacher on paper after all..."
"Understood..."
Damian bent down a knee as he said-
"I humbly accept this mission and I shall try to accomplish it with due haste."
Saying this, his shadow quickly enveloped him as he vanished without a trace...
Seeing this, the Emperor rubbed his forehead as he poured himself another cup of tea.
"Don't...if you finish that quickly then there's literally nothing left I could give you."
His gaze landed on the sight of the butterfly from before, crushed and already eaten by the carnivorous flower that it landed on...