Chapter 888 – 888. God’S Atlantis
I entered the reception room.
Two men were waiting for us.
One was a man I already knew. The Third Prince, Gidin Justia. Leaning back in his chair, he waved his hand at me.
The other man was sitting with his legs crossed. Golden hair that reached his waist. Sharp eyes and a composed demeanor. He was the Second Prince, Herix Justia.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Your Highness Herix. And it’s an honor to see you again, Your Highness Gidin.”
“Are you the Sir Sung Yujin who won the hunting competition? You’re more ordinary than I expected.”
Herix spoke bluntly. His calm, red eyes scanned my body up and down. I felt displeased. If I had my way, I would have punched him in the face right then and there.
“Brother, judging people by their appearance is not a good habit. He conquered and now controls the 2,350th district, which the Imperial Family couldn’t.”
Gidin said. At first glance, it seemed like he was defending me, but Gidin’s eyes were looking at me as if observing a strange creature.
“Your Highnesses. Are you ignoring me? I’m quite disappointed.”
Elena stepped forward with a smile on her lips. Herix and Gidin sighed almost simultaneously. Then, they stood up and greeted Elena. They exchanged formal courtesies.
“Duke Baldert… You haven’t changed since I saw you two years ago.”
“Your Highness Gidin seems to have matured a bit more. It’s a blessing for the Empire.”
Elena replied leisurely. She then naturally sat down on a chair.
Herix looked a bit uncomfortable.
“I didn’t expect you to come with Sir Sung Yujin. It seems you cherish Sir Sung Yujin.”
“Yes. He’s a cherished knight. As you can see, he’s quite capable.”
“He not only won the hunting competition but also conquered the 2,350th district, so it seems he is indeed capable.”
I stood next to Elena. It was an awkward position for me to sit in a chair.
“Sir Yujin.”
Gidin called me. He handed me a luxurious box.
“Thank you, Your Highness Gidin.”
“No need for thanks. It’s just handing over the prize for winning the hunting competition. Open the box and see for yourself.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me. It was awkward to just take the box. I opened the box in front of them.
There was a red cloak. It was a cloak that looked luxurious even at first glance. I took the cloak out of the box. The fabric was incredibly soft.
“The Hecate Cape. It’s an SS-rank cloak.”
Gidin said. He looked at the cloak in my hand with regretful eyes. If it weren’t for me, this cloak would have been his.
「Hecate Cape
Increases all stats by 1.
Acquires magic resistance of A-rank or lower.
Adapts to polar environments.
B-rank natural healing effect.
S-rank stealth available.
Rank: SS」
I knew it, but it had amazing abilities, befitting a prize.
“Sir Yujin. Do you know the name Hecate?”
“I know her as a goddess of magic.”
Hecate is a goddess from Greek mythology. She’s not one of the twelve gods of Olympus, but I know she’s a goddess that even the master of the heavens can’t treat lightly.
“You know it well. Every magician worships her. Did you know? The Imperial Family offered treasures equivalent to the 10-year budget of a large city to the goddess Hecate to obtain that cloak.”
“It’s an incredibly expensive item. I wonder if I should even receive something like this…”
Once it was in my hands, I didn’t want to give it to anyone else.
“You are the winner, so you are qualified to have it. Use it carefully.”
Gidin said to me, trying to hide his disappointment.
“Speaking of Hecate.”
Herix opened his mouth. He glanced at the red cloak in my hand and then turned his gaze to Elena.
“Wasn’t the divine seat that the Duke contracted with Hecate?”
“Yes. That’s correct. Only a very few people, including Your Highnesses, know that fact in this world. Please keep it a secret.”
The divine seat that Elena contracted with is the waning moon in the darkness. Her true name is Hecate.
“I’m sorry. I have a habit of saying things as they come to mind… I’m trying to fix it, but it’s not easy.”
Herix said nonchalantly. Yet, he was watching my reaction.
“You don’t seem surprised. Did you know who Duke Baldert’s contracted divine seat was?”
“Yes. I knew.”
I answered calmly. In fact, I hadn’t known for long either. The only other thing I knew was that the skill Elena received from Hecate was related to illusion magic.
“That’s unexpected. Duke Baldert seems to cherish him very much.”
“I said from the beginning that he’s a cherished knight.”
“You did.”
A cold air flowed between Herix and Elena. They seemed to be wary of each other. Gidin just glanced around and didn’t say anything.
After a while, a maid brought tea and refreshments. However, no one reached for the tea or refreshments.
“Duke Baldert. No one would think that you came to see us for no reason, just for one knight. Isn’t it time to talk about the purpose of your visit?”
Herix said, crossing his arms. Elena looked at him and then turned her gaze to Gidin.
“Your Highness Gidin. I heard that your life was threatened at the hunting competition.”
“…That’s right. If it weren’t for the help of a banished person named Kang Myungjin, I would have been in danger too. Ah, come to think of it, Sir Sung Yujin is in the same legion as Kang Myungjin, right? What a mysterious coincidence.”
“Do you really think so?”
“What do you mean by that, Duke Baldert? Just because I know that Sir Sung Yujin and Kang Myungjin are in the same legion, what do you think I did…”
“No. The coincidence I’m talking about is not that. The terrorist attack at the hunting competition, the assassination attempt on Your Highness Gidin. Do you really think it was that dangerous?”
“…I almost lost my life to the attackers. If it weren’t for Kang Myungjin, I might not be here.”
“Your Highness Gidin. I discovered a suspicious person yesterday, and I interrogated them to get information.”
“……”
Gidin’s face contorted. At the same time, Herix’s atmosphere turned cold.
“Your Highnesses. I am Elena Baldert. I am the Illusion Duke that people talk about. If I personally interrogate someone, there is nothing I cannot find out. Because the target’s mind is in the palm of my hand. I can forcefully dig up even the things the target doesn’t know or has forgotten. I have that ability.”
“…Are you. Are you saying you’re going to interrogate me?”
“If necessary, I am considering requesting an interrogation of Your Highness from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“……”
Silence.
After a heavy silence, Gidin sighed and shook his head.
“You are indeed terrifying. You wouldn’t even bat an eye no matter what I said. So, just in case, I’ll ask. Illusion Duke, did you cast an illusion on me?”
“I did not. But… How do you distinguish whether you are under an illusion, Your Highness? Do you have a way to tell if this is a dream, a mere delusion, or just reality?”
Gidin and Herix acted. Gidin fiddled with his necklace, and Herix stroked his bracelet. I realized that those items were meant to counter Elena’s illusions.
“…This is definitely reality now. To have to doubt whether reality is reality… It’s truly terrifying. I am willing to be honest with Duke Baldert. Duke Baldert’s visit to me and my brother was all calculated, wasn’t it? But…”
Gidin glanced at me.
“Your knight is not of the same status to converse with us. Even if he is your most cherished knight.”
Herix said it outright.
“Yujin. Go outside for a bit. It would be good if you could wait at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. I don’t know how long it will take…”
“I will wait at the entrance of the Imperial Palace.”
I bowed to them and went outside. As I stepped into the hallway, the heavy air felt much lighter.
‘Let’s go quietly. If I wander around the Imperial Palace and get caught up in unnecessary trouble, I’ll be the only one who gets tired.’
I could roughly guess what they were going to talk about anyway. Elena was planning to use this opportunity to bring down the Crown Prince from his position by involving the Second and Third Princes.
‘…Is it even possible?’
I recalled the original story.
In the original story, the Crown Prince maintains his position until the end and ascends to the throne as Emperor. However, he doesn’t enjoy his power as Emperor for long. After all, the protagonist of the original story is Kang Myungjin, and the Emperor is one of the villains.
I leaned against the wall at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. I waited quietly for Elena.
At that moment. I felt a sense of pressure.
“You’ve arrived! Duke Ronmasid!”
The Imperial Knights bowed deeply towards someone approaching. The Imperial Knights were as tense as privates in front of a general. Their attitude was more respectful than when they faced Elena.
I looked at the Duke Ronmasid they were talking about.
A huge physique reaching 2.2 meters. Short crimson hair and scars on his face. His body was full of bulging muscles.
Like Elena, he was one of the Imperial Five Dukes. The Iron Duke. Holind Ronmasid.
Also known as the guardian of the Justia Imperial Family, he was the most loyal of the Imperial Five Dukes and always resided in the Imperial Palace.
His brown eyes turned to me.
“I don’t recognize your face. You have quite a bit of power… Who are you?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duke Ronmasid. I am Sung Yujin, a knight of Duke Baldert.”
“Are you the one who won the hunting competition? Congratulations on your victory. It seems you’ve already received your prize. Why are you waiting at the entrance of the Imperial Palace?”
“I am waiting for my lord.”
“Did Baldert come? Did she go to see His Majesty the Emperor?”
“She is currently talking with the Princes.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Ronmasid didn’t seem interested in Elena or the Princes. He maintained political neutrality. The only thing he protected was the Imperial Family, and the only one he followed was the Emperor. Even the Crown Prince couldn’t give him orders.
‘This is perfect.’
It was lucky that I encountered him here. It would be difficult to find him separately later.
“Duke Ronmasid.”
He stopped walking into the Imperial Palace at my call. He turned around and looked at me.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Will you listen?”
“I can listen. However, don’t think that I will act based on your words.”
“It’s a simple question. Do you happen to know about a family called Felsman?”
His brown eyes wavered.
“…I don’t know.”
His firm voice echoed. I decided to abandon my plan to provoke him. He was reacting more sensitively than I had expected. If I continued, I could be in danger.
“I understand. It seems I’ve just wasted the Duke’s time. I apologize.”
“Where did you hear about the Felsman family?”
“I just happened to find out.”
“……”
Ronmasid turned and walked back into the Imperial Palace.
And 30 minutes later, Elena walked outside. She seemed quite pleased. It seemed things had gone her way.
“You look happy. Did you get what you wanted?”
“Not perfectly, but I’ve gathered the cards well enough.”
***
The Ten-Year Festival was coming to an end.
With tonight’s ball and tomorrow’s closing ceremony, the Ten-Year Festival would be over.
Clop clop clop.
The luxurious four-horse carriage of the Baldert family sped along. The destination was the Justia Imperial Palace, where numerous nobles gathered.
Inside the carriage were me, Elena, and Kang Myungjin.
Elena was one of the Imperial Five Dukes, so it was natural for her to attend, and I was participating as her partner. In Kang Myungjin’s case, he was participating as the master of the legion that Elena sponsored.
Kang Myungjin, dressed up, looked quite handsome. Of course, I was confident that I was no less handsome than him.
“……”
We didn’t engage in small talk.
We each needed to organize our thoughts for our respective plans.
Kang Myungjin would use this opportunity to aim for the leap of his legion.
Elena was determined to bring down the Crown Prince.
And I was wondering how I could make Elena fall for me. Elena was so perfect that there was no room to wedge into her heart. We had built basic trust, but nothing more than that was possible.
“We’ve arrived.”
Elena said. We got out of the carriage.
The glittering Imperial Palace welcomed us.
