Chapter 110
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 110
Seeing how exhausted I was, Crown Prince Kiaros entered the room with me.
Not long after, a Raven who had been tracking the person who took the vial arrived to report.
"He entered the Temple within the Imperial Palace. The one where the High Priest and other priests are currently staying."
Just as I thought!
I quietly let my eyes gleam with understanding.
"It appears he is one of the priests the High Priest brought with him."
The High Priest was currently staying in the Temple within the Imperial Palace with several other priests.
The Raven glanced at Crown Prince Kiaros before speaking.
"Should we strike now and arrest them all immediately?"
"Hmm."
Crown Prince Kiaros folded his arms and fell into thought for a moment. Then he spoke in a low voice.
"If we do that, they'll likely claim it was the priest's independent action and cut off the tail. But the High Priest might be involved as well, so overturning the entire Temple with only this much evidence doesn't seem like a wise decision."
The High Priest might be a collaborator—I couldn't believe those words were coming from Crown Prince Kiaros's mouth!
I glanced at him and asked carefully.
"Do you suspect the High Priest, Your Highness?"
Crown Prince Kiaros then spoke slowly.
"Since the First Emperor established the Empire, peace has lasted a long time, and the Temple has gradually declined. If something happens to the Imperial Servants and chaos spreads across the Continent, the Temple would rise to power again."
His reasoning was absolutely correct.
I knew the future, so it made sense for me, but I was amazed that Crown Prince Kiaros, who didn't know the future, could deduce this much. He was truly a magnificent ruler befitting the Empire's future.
As my eyes widened, Crown Prince Kiaros added slowly.
"Of course, I cannot be certain yet...."
Of course, from Crown Prince Kiaros's perspective, that was true. But I was inwardly certain.
'The High Priest is definitely involved.'
In the original story, as soon as Jayden left the Imperial Palace, he discovers that the priests show unconditional loyalty to the High Priest.
'Even to young Jayden's eyes, the priests appeared utterly mindless and fanatical. They were specifically chosen and brought by the High Priest. There's no way they would act independently.'
And there was one more thing I mustn't forget.
Using the Imperial Servant's blood as bait was something I had done alone. The High Priest's plan to enter the Imperial Palace had been arranged long before that.
'In the original story, the High Priest never stayed in the Imperial Palace at this point in time.'
That meant the High Priest had a different purpose unrelated to the Imperial Servant's blood.
'Diverging from the original story, the reason he would come directly to the Imperial Palace is....'
I glanced sideways at Crown Prince Kiaros.
The target the Gaejo Faction most wanted to eliminate, yet had failed to assassinate unlike in the original story, was sitting right beside me.
In any case, Crown Prince Kiaros was still in his dark period, and the High Priest, being of the Gaejo Faction, would know that....
'Could he have come to kill Crown Prince Kiaros directly?'
Victor had definitely warned me to be careful earlier. And that was despite me staying in the Imperial Palace under Crown Prince Kiaros's protection.
In other words, there was someone within the Imperial Palace who could take my life regardless of any guards....
'The High Priest is an experimental subject.'
According to the original story, the High Priest would continue to maintain the appearance of someone in his forties.
'What if the High Priest himself possesses transcendent power? Power enough to kill someone like me in an instant....'
Against Crown Prince Kiaros, I would need to exercise some restraint, but I suspected that someone like me could be disposed of in an instant.
'I can't tell him all of this situation either... And if I do, I'd have to reveal that I know the future, which would be even more suspicious.'
While I was lost in thought, Crown Prince Kiaros spoke.
"I was supposed to see you off on your last day leaving the Imperial Palace, but I'll have to cancel that for now."
At those words, I lifted my eyes to look at Crown Prince Kiaros.
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"What would you think if I tried to approach the High Priest?"
It was an ambitious proposal, but his answer came quickly.
"Absolutely not."
Crown Prince Kiaros immediately shook his head.
"I'm concerned that Miss Namia Loapi might be put in danger. I'm not comfortable with it."
"I'll always take Kibon with me. The moment things become even slightly dangerous, I won't hesitate to use him as a shield."
Now that I understood my enemies could target me directly, I couldn't simply sit idle.
"To catch a tiger, you must first enter the tiger's den."
My eyes gleamed as I began to explain my plans going forward.
* * *
On a dark night, within the Temple inside the Imperial Palace.
The High Priest, who had received a beaker of blood from a priest, let out a sinister laugh.
"This is the blood of an Imperial Servant...."
The blood of Imperial Servants was excellent experimental material.
I had been regrettable that I had already used it all up.
It couldn't be helped. Fifteen years ago, I had collected a small amount of blood that the current Emperor had spilled in the Southern Region. Since it wasn't deliberately extracted, the quantity wasn't large.
However, the effects of that experiment were remarkable.
'I was able to see the future.'
It was hazy but certain. The first test subject had predicted Crown Prince Kiaros's second period of darkness.
Namia Loapi, who belonged to the guard unit, had prevented the assassination, but at that moment, Crown Prince Kiaros had shown a very bewildered expression. The period of darkness was confirmed.
After that, I collected the remaining Emperor's blood and attempted once more. However, that experiment failed.
It was difficult to determine whether it was because the remaining quantity was small or if there was a problem with the test subject. The sample size was simply too limited.
'Well... that test subject itself had some issues. It was unavoidable since they volunteered....'
But if I could obtain Crown Prince Kiaros's blood, another opportunity to see the future would arise.
The blood of Imperial Servants was that attractive.
'It's thanks to Victor Awin.'
He was an excellent young man, but deeply deficient. It stemmed from his unfortunate family circumstances, which contrasted sharply with his individual exceptional abilities.
That personality of his, which required him to get along with everyone, also originated from that deficiency.
The Gaejo Faction had always recruited those with such deficiencies.
However, Victor Awin grasped the opportunity of becoming the heir to Marquis Awin and left the Gaejo Faction.
'But usually, those types come back.'
That was the reason I didn't kill him outright then.
Fundamental deficiency cannot be filled from the outside. Ultimately, unless one's heart changes, it returns in another form.
In the end, Victor came back on his own two feet. He wanted to destroy Namia Loapi, he said.
And he wanted to eliminate Crown Prince Kiaros Polariud, who coveted Namia Loapi, he said.
'There will be more uses for him in the future.'
Since he was someone who had left once before, I couldn't use him for anything truly critical, but still, keeping someone with this level of ability wasn't a bad idea.
In a year or two, he might even actively participate in the experiments.
After all, hadn't I myself grown this powerful in the same way?
"In any case, this is an unexpected harvest. Fortune smiles upon me."
His original purpose for entering the Imperial Palace had been something else entirely.
Once I accomplished that purpose and left the Imperial Palace, I would finally be able to plunge the Empire into chaos.
'And when chaos comes, the Temple's golden age will surely arrive as well.'
He smiled thinly and stroked his beard.
* * *
That night, when Crown Prince Kiaros heard my plan, he nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression.
[If that's what you want, give it a try.]
[Then, would it be alright if I used the Crown Prince's name once more this time...?]
[What a strangely redundant question. Do you still have more to sell?]
He even laughed playfully at that. However, for safety's sake, he insisted that I must bring Kibon along.
So the next afternoon, I finished all my preparations and pulled the bell cord.
And not long after, Kibon arrived. I spoke with enthusiasm.
"You heard from the Crown Prince, right? Let's go quickly."
"Yes? Where to?"
"The Chapel."
In other words, to the Temple within the Imperial Palace.
"But would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I need to change clothes and do my makeup. The Empress sent me so many outfits before—let me pick one from those."
"Ah... Yes."
And when I changed into the outfit I had selected the day before and set out confidently with several scrolls in hand.
Kibon cried out in shock.
"What on earth is this appearance?"
I blinked and answered.
"A good appearance?"
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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