Episode 158
Chapter 14.
The Imperial Family’s plan to cause a rift within the Monlepe ducal house through this opportunity ended in failure.
“A telegram arrived saying that due to major issues within the family, it will be difficult for them to engage in activities for the time being.”
“The person we planted in the ducal house has not been in contact for several days. They say it is because they are unwell, but…….”
“We failed to win over the person you mentioned previously. They say they wish to observe how the situation unfolds for a while.”
Successive reports of failure reached them.
This was because the factions within the ducal house, which had been divided, naturally unified into one as Edenber spent time closer with Rune.
The problem had been that the Head of the family and the Divine Beast were awkward with each other, but once that part was resolved, there was no reason to risk danger to reinstate the previous Duke.
Moreover, because those who had been bribed by the Imperial Family spilled the information they knew in hopes of being forgiven for their crimes, the Imperial Family ended up inadvertently cultivating internal spies.
That was not the end of it.
“Unless they know what we are thinking, how on earth could Monlepe present such a negotiation proposal to the beastmen’s forest first!”
The Empress’s palace reception room.
The Empress, with Reinhardt de Aliope before her, was huffing in rage.
“Furthermore, what? The beastmen accepted it positively? Without even answering the proposal sent from our side?!”
“It is possible that Lady Erzébet had a hand in it…….”
“What did you just say?”
“It is nothing.”
Reinhardt de Aliope smiled brightly, saying it was nothing.
However, his mind was turning faster than ever.
‘As expected, perhaps I should try Lady Erzébet for the next body…….’
Once he had a doubt, everything seemed suspicious.
As Reinhardt de Aliope suspected Asil of being a beast-person, he wondered if it was because of Asil that the Monlepe ducal house bypassed the Imperial Family to interact with the beastmen.
Even if it wasn’t because of that, those who were with the young lady were followed by an uncanny amount of good fortune.
Look at now.
Isn’t there a rumor that the two men of Monlepe, father and son, who used to look at each other like sworn enemies, have suddenly become close?
All of this happened after Lady Erzébet visited the Monlepe ducal house every single day.
Whether the young lady had a hand in it or it was simply a matter of timing was unknown, but it seemed better than his current body, which was suffering repeated failures.
‘Above all, if I change to that side, there are many personal connections that follow.’
However, there was one thing that weighed on his mind, and that was the young lady’s family.
Count Arcian Erzébet and the Countess.
No matter how one looked at them, they were not ordinary individuals.
He had met them a few times while wandering around to discover the young lady’s true identity, and the momentum they exuded was never common.
It felt like dealing with predatory beasts that would bite your throat the moment you showed your back.
One could understand Count Arcian Erzébet, given his role as a heretic interrogator in the Great Temple, but it was certainly strange that even the Countess possessed such spirit.
‘If the young lady is truly a beast-person, then those two must be beast-people as well.’
If so, they would be the greatest obstacle to what he intended to do. The beastmen wouldn’t have sent just any random people to an enemy country.
Although his mana circuit was said to be recovering, it was still as fragile as a sugar bowl. Whenever he tried to use even a little power, it fluctuated wildly.
Therefore, his current self would be insufficient to deal with those two.
Should he take more time?
Or perhaps there is another way to gain power…….
“……Crown Prince. Crown Prince!”
When he emerged from his thoughts, he saw the Empress looking at him worriedly from the opposite side.
“It seems the shock is great. Indeed, who would have known His Majesty would make such a decision.”
Shock? Decision?
He didn’t know what any of this meant. Wasn’t she just enraged at the Monlepe ducal house?
“Still, do not worry too much. I will change His Majesty’s mind by any means necessary……”
The Empress held his hand tightly and comforted him.
Reinhardt de Aliope thought about asking why on earth she was acting this way, but stopped.
It was based on the judgment that he would naturally find out when the time came.
That judgment was not wrong.
That afternoon, Reinhardt de Aliope was summoned by the Emperor.
—
The Emperor summoned Reinhardt de Aliope while avoiding the eyes of others, like a person who had something to discuss in secret.
And without any introductory greetings, he got straight to the point.
“Prepare to leave as soon as the Divine Beast Thanksgiving Festival is over. This is the last mercy I can bestow upon you.”
“……I am not sure what you mean by that.”
“Did you not hear from the Empress?”
The Emperor’s eyes, as he said those words, were filled with sadness, disappointment, anger, and regret.
“As of today, you cannot be called the Crown Prince, and your conduct is restricted to the interior of the Crown Prince’s palace. However, as there is a celebration in the Empire, the public announcement will be made after some time, and after that, you can no longer stay here.”
In other words, it meant a deposition.
No matter how much he intended to discard his current body, discarding it by his own will and being forced to let go by another’s command were strictly different, so Reinhardt de Aliope’s atmosphere sank coldly.
“Why is that?”
“……What?”
“Why the deposition? Were you such a dull person as to believe the words babbled by foolish people?”
“How insolent! Do you truly not know why I made this decision?”
“Is it not because ruffians are babbling that I have received divine punishment?”
At that, the Emperor’s face filled with fury.
“Do you think there is no reason other than that?”
“Then what other reason is there?”
“Was it not you who joined hands with the previous Marquess Skya and brought the Basilisk inside!”
Bang!
The enraged Emperor struck the handle of his chair.
“Not content with trying to deceive me by passing off a Basilisk as a Divine Beast, you even threatened my life—just how long do you intend to pretend you don’t know!”
How on earth did he find out?
That was the thought that flashed through Reinhardt de Aliope’s mind for an instant.
In order not to be caught for backing the Basilisk incident, Reinhardt de Aliope had Karon executed immediately.
He had killed all the priests who joined hands with him and burned all the evidence.
Even so, the fact that the Emperor knew meant he must have missed something.
A human who is of no help even in death. Reinhardt de Aliope felt like tearing Karon to death once again.
“I will ask. On that day, did you truly have no intention of harming me?”
“I did not.”
“If so, what was the reason for bringing in the Basilisk and standing me before it?”
He was talking about using him as a shield to block the charging Basilisk.
The Emperor, who became even more furious thinking about that time, raised his voice.
“Can these intentions truly be said to have no thought of assassinating me!”
“If I had intended to do that, I would have done it long ago……”
“What did you just say?”
“…….”
Reinhardt de Aliope flicked his finger instead of answering.
Since he was being deposed anyway, he thought it wouldn’t be bad to kill that talkative fellow and briefly wear that shell.
If he switched to Lady Erzébet’s body after staining the Empire with chaos…….
“I asked what you said!”
This time too, Reinhardt de Aliope did not answer. He simply stared at the Emperor with eyes containing a bizarre atmosphere.
It was at that moment, just as the Emperor, who felt a strange chill, was about to press him again.
“Your Majesty!”
The Chief Chamberlain hurriedly sought him.
Like the string of a stringed instrument snapping, the tension that had been pulled tight broke abruptly.
Reinhardt de Aliope immediately lowered his hand, and the Emperor unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
“What is it?”
“A request has come from the Great Temple. To commemorate the return of both the Saintess and your Divine Beast to their places, they are asking if we should showcase the ‘Origin of God’ for the first time in a century.”
……The Origin of God?
Was it the aggregate of divine power that God was said to have made by gathering the remaining power after creating the four Divine Beasts at the time of the nation’s founding?
Divine power and mana only differed in their way of expression; their essence was the same.
The eyes of Reinhardt de Aliope, who needed even greater power regardless, flickered ominously.
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