#024

Before Cullen, as the Crown Prince, or rather, as the next Emperor, could even summon the ministers, they were already gathered. The Royal Guard came out to escort Cullen.

Cullen headed to the conference room, a place he had never set foot in before. The conference room, shaped like a temple, had white pillars supporting the ceiling and a large, rectangular lapis lazuli table in the center. Everything in that space was imbued with the weight of ages.

The air in the Grand Hall was chaotic. As Cullen entered, the nobles stood up to greet him. Duke Refellon approached to welcome Cullen.

Regardless of his distrust, Cullen listened intently to his words.

“It is a signal flare for an emergency. Something seems to have happened in Marquis Exion’s territory. It’s a magical item used only during a great famine, so the situation appears to be grave.”

Duke Refellon gestured to a seat on the opposite side. Marquis Exion sat there, his complexion pale. Unlike his son, Silfir Exion, he had a dull appearance, his skin a sickly blue, almost corpse-like.

The maids’ conversations flashed through Cullen’s mind. It had happened only recently, so he couldn’t possibly forget.

“Explain properly what happened.”

Recalling the rumors of the dead coming back to life, Cullen commanded. Duke Refellon glanced around, then bowed and said in a hesitant voice,

“It’s not certain, but it seems to be a grave matter that requires the High Priest’s intervention. I heard that…”

He hesitated before speaking.

“The undead have crossed the river and returned.”

“You mean the corpses are walking around?”

At Cullen’s blunt words, Duke Refellon looked around and advised,

“Such words go against the goddess’s principles, Your Majesty.”

Following the Duke’s guidance, Cullen walked to the very center and end. A knight removed his chair. Cullen looked down at it for a moment, then sat.

“Have you heard the rumors, Your Highness?”

As soon as Cullen sat down, Duke Renon spoke. At the address “Your Highness,” Duke Refellon glared at Duke Renon, but he was still the Crown Prince, not yet enthroned. He was not Emperor until confirmed by the High Priest at his coronation. Cullen found Duke Renon’s chosen title rather welcome.

“Speak,” Cullen replied calmly.

“It seems Duke Refellon hasn’t mentioned that part yet.”

Duke Renon sneered. He seemed more dignified when Cullen first saw him.

Meanwhile, Kihelene arrived. The nobles bowed again, and Kihelene acknowledged them with a nod. As Kihelene naturally walked towards him, Cullen responded dryly,

“It seems Duke Renon has a bad habit of picking on others. Such behavior is unbecoming of his station. Isn’t it the kind of thing a child would do?”

This time, Duke Refellon laughed. Even Marquis Grove, standing beside him, chuckled, and Count Linden stepped forward.

“It is only natural that the one who will become the Emperor of all things should know everything, Your Highness.”

“It would be far better to get to the point than to spout such nonsense.”

Count Linden’s face turned red. He was a middle-aged man with flushed, blond hair, and when he blushed, he looked like an overripe apple.

Meanwhile, Kihelene came and stood beside Cullen. Duke Renon stood up and pulled out a chair for her.

Kihelene’s face, seen after a long time, was terribly gaunt. Seeing her thin cheeks etched with sorrow made him feel uneasy somewhere in his heart. However, Cullen offered no words of comfort.

“Kihelene.”

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

Kihelene spoke quietly. When she addressed him directly as “Your Majesty,” Count Linden’s expression was worth seeing.

“What are the rumors, Duke?”

Kihelene asked calmly, as if she had overheard their conversation. Kihelene’s hand lightly rested beside Cullen’s. As he pondered whether he should take her hand out of courtesy, Duke Renon spoke.

“There is a rumor spreading that impure blood brings misfortune to the Empire.”

“That’s nonsense. You, of all people, Duke, shouldn’t be swayed by such talk.”

Kihelene said firmly. Duke Renon’s eyebrow twitched. Just as the Duke was about to speak to Kihelene again, a knight opened the conference room door and entered. He bowed and reported to Cullen,

“Your Majesty, the High Priest of the Aksha Temple has arrived.”

A murmur arose. Duke Refellon leaned towards Cullen and said,

“This is strange. We only sent word to the temple today, so even if they hurried, they wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow.”

The temple was located about two days north of the capital. It could be reached in just one day if one rode fast, as it was built as close as possible to facilitate imperial family procedures.

“Let him in.”

Cullen commanded. As soon as permission was granted, the knight opened the door. A priest wearing a black robe entered, as if he had been waiting. He bowed his head slightly and removed his robe. A familiar face was revealed.

It was Lasano, whom Cullen hadn’t seen since arriving at the palace.

“I greet the goddess’s great blessings and her stars.”

Lasano was undoubtedly the most striking figure in the room. His red gaze beneath his long, silver hair was fixed on Cullen. It was a color strikingly similar to the ominous light spreading from outside the window.

Marquis Exion exclaimed with joy and stood up. After a brief glance at Cullen, and seeing that he said nothing, the Marquis rushed towards Lasano as if he had found a savior.

“Oh, thank you. We desperately need the High Priest’s power right now.”

Lasano, unlike when he addressed Cullen, looked at the Marquis with a blank expression and spoke.

“Originally, I came here for another reason… but yes, the timing is right. It must be the goddess’s arrangement.”

This time, Duke Refellon questioned,

“What other reason?”

All eyes turned to the High Priest. Cullen leaned back in his chair and looked ahead. Lasano’s eyes curved into a smile. He was looking at Cullen.

“Another oracle has been delivered.”

This time, all eyes turned to Cullen in unison.

“Is that true?”

Kihelene asked, her eyes wide. A useless question, Cullen thought, leaning back in his chair.

Ignoring the prickling gazes on his skin, he focused only on Lasano’s face. He wore a polite smile, his intentions unreadable.

“Yes. The altar in the Great Temple flared up just last night. The revelation was received by High Priest Cheshire, who had just completed his appointment ceremony.”

The room buzzed. Those who had enjoyed peace by following tradition without change seemed overwhelmed by the series of events. Tension spread coldly through the air.

“What exactly does it say?”

“This is unprecedented in the Empire’s history! Two oracles in such a short time…”

“It’s ominous, truly ominous!”

Sighs were heard from all around. Cullen, ignoring the increasingly direct gazes, asked,

“Please tell us the content of the oracle, Lord Lasano.”

“Yes, Lord Cullen.”

Lasano corrected him with a gentle smile.

“Ah, I should call you Your Majesty now.”

“Not yet!”

Duke Renon stood up. He turned to the nobles in the hall and argued, his back to Cullen,

“The coronation ceremony has not taken place. Look at what has happened since the Crown Prince changed. Every single event is ominous. The former Emperor passed away on the day of the congratulatory banquet, and after that, Marquis Exion’s territory faced a crisis. The lighting of such a beacon is a rare occurrence in history. Something is clearly amiss.”

Kihelene quietly interjected. In a calm yet firm voice, she rebuked the Duke.

“Duke, you are going too far. Such an attitude is rather an insult to me.”

“Crown Prince!”

Duke Renon’s audacity in openly calling Kihelene the Crown Prince caused a stir in the hall. Perhaps the unprecedented two consecutive oracles had unsettled everyone, as even the nobles sitting next to Duke Refellon wore serious expressions.

Cullen quietly leaned forward. His index finger tapped the table rhythmically, making a tak, tak sound.

What a mess.

He repeated the thought he had held since first hearing the oracle. The series of events unfolding as if they were someone else’s problem evoked no emotion in Cullen. He had no interest in the nation’s safety. The Imperial Throne was merely a means to an end, and even that was a means he hadn’t wanted.

“However… tradition is tradition.”

Perhaps deeming Duke Renon’s words too blunt, another count who often associated with him spoke cautiously. Then Count Linden interjected,

“Is an Emperor with commoner blood not also against tradition?”

That’s true. Murmurs spread like an epidemic. Lasano did not try to quell the commotion. Duke Refellon opened his mouth to intervene, but was drowned out by the noise. The conference hall soon devolved into an argument, with some suggesting that Cullen’s appearance might be the cause of the ominous events in the Marquis’s territory.

He knew he was being treated as a figurehead emperor. He knew Duke Refellon had played dirty tricks on him, and that many had disliked him from the start. None of it mattered.

For Cullen, only the outcome was important. He had crawled through the dirt and lived a life different from these noble lords. Their insults were often true and did not bother him.

However, wasting time was unbearable.

Cullen straightened his back and pushed off the floor with his legs. The chair slid back silently. Kihelene, who had been watching the chaotic conference room with a stern expression, moved her lips. As she looked back at Cullen with worried eyes, she blinked in surprise.

Cullen drew his dagger and plunged it directly onto the table.

CRASH!

The dagger lodged halfway into the lapis lazuli table, a mixture of metal and stone. It was a horrifying sight, impossible for an ordinary person’s strength, and Count Linden recoiled with a gasp. Cullen, with his usual dry expression, gripped the dagger’s hilt tightly and said,

“I’ve always felt you people talk too much.”

He had nothing to lose. Therefore, he had nothing to fear. He didn’t care about offending these noble lords. Most importantly, he was currently in the highest position. Even if it was merely formal, it was a crown they had placed on Cullen’s head themselves.

“Didn’t I say we should hear the oracle? Isn’t that what’s important now?”

Duke Renon, who had been staring blankly at the scratched table for a moment, snapped back to attention.

“In the sacred conference hall, what on earth are you…!”

His face turned ashen. Cullen lightly pulled out the dagger, which had lodged with a shock, and straightened his body.

“I am well aware that you have complaints about me. Unfortunately, I am immune to the barking of beasts, so your nonsense doesn’t bother me much.”

Casting aside all formality, Cullen spun the dagger.

“As you say, I am better at killing people. If you wish to witness it firsthand, keep babbling from now on. You brought me here and made me sit in this seat, so as the one in the highest position, seeing blood is hardly an issue, is it?”

He walked slowly towards Duke Renon. The knights remained still. As Cullen said, he was, after all, the Crown Prince. Things might change if he killed someone, but there was nothing the knights could do right now. Cullen placed his hand on Duke Renon’s shoulder.

“Do you have anything more to say, Duke?”