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At the gates of the Boreas mansion.
"This Knight Captain, this... What exactly happened inside? That Boreas kid, how did he go out and inexplicably come back covered in blood? And just now... just now from inside the mansion... screams were heard. What... what is this situation?"
Dawn was inherently an elite squad. All seven Water Kings were called 'Knight Captains,' and Sinos was the 'Commander.' At this moment, the 'Dawn' knight, questioned by a nearby noble, thought of the scene he had just witnessed. His face conveyed an absurd expression, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
"Someone died..."
The surroundings grew noisy.
"Someone... someone was killed?"
"Inside the mansion...? Servants?"
"...How is that possible? Didn't you hear James's words when he left? He even threatened to kill his own son. Look at this situation..."
"Patricide is patricide! Why hide it? This is clearly family infighting!"
"Patricide under the King's very nose?"
"What patricide? It's clearly a tiger devouring its cub!"
"James is dead..."
"Heh heh, what a drama of father and son destroying each other!"
"...The servants say that many people died along the way from here to the royal palace... They look like scum who infiltrated from the Adventurer Resettlement Zone..."
"These past few days, both the Second Prince and the First Prince have sent letters. I heard the Second Prince sent a letter to James, while the First Prince sent one to Allen."
"Is it true that the First Prince, who is currently the most influential in the power struggle, will abandon James and elevate Allen as the head of Boreas?"
"A struggle for family headship, huh..."
"Even a struggle for family headship should involve political maneuvering. Killing each other—what's the difference from beasts?"
"The father shows no mercy whatsoever. Allen Boreas Greyrat, so young, how could he scheme for the head of the family position? This boy... he's also reckless. He actually, in a moment of impulse, just... just killed his way back..."
The voices were incredibly noisy, each sentence creeping along the street. Carried by the wind, they swept into a carriage at the street corner.
Someone pulled open the curtain, their cold gaze fixed on the Boreas mansion's main gate from afar.
Like a beast choosing its prey.
—The current head of Notos, Paul's brother, Pilemon Notos Greyrat.
He listened to the nobles' discussions, staring fixedly at the Boreas mansion, which was surrounded by Dawn.
On his lap, lay a letter.
—Its cover bore the royal family crest and the Second Prince's personal seal.
He retracted his gaze. Pilemon casually tore open the letter he was supposed to send to James again today and glanced at it.
A smile even curved at the corners of his eyes.
This Second Prince, it seemed, was more dependable than he had imagined. Betting on him was the right choice.
I have long admired Duke James. My presumptuous recruitment now, please forgive me.
This action, if I were to claim it as abandoning the darkness for the light, would be shameless.
But, as the head of one of the Four Great Noble families, how can you remain dejected under someone like Darius? I believe my brother can give Duke James what he wants.
I, too, can give! And I can give more! Better!
Vast fertile lands outside the royal capital! They are yours! Endless wealth flows into your hands, isn't that delightful?
Half the annual revenue of the Flower Street in the Upper Noble District, yours! No need to expend mental effort, just enjoy the fruits of labor, isn't that delightful?
The largest underground organization in the adventurer district, yours! I heard you like chess? The 'King' of the underworld, isn't that delightful?
These are all my sincerity.
The Boreas family's influence is mostly in Lord Saul's hands? No matter!
What's mine, is yours!
This is my sincerity!
Come under my banner!
If you have any unmentionable difficulties! Or current worries.
I will certainly do my utmost to help you.
To show
My sincerity in recruiting you! —
The noble cursive script on the letter was written with powerful strokes.
Not a single sentence explicitly showed provocation or instigation.
But every word, every phrase, was agitating James's emotions.
In James's eyes, for these past ten days, it could all be summed up in one sentence.
—"I heard you, this 'head' of Boreas, are troubled. Coincidentally, I have a sword. Do you want to use it?"
Pilemon scoffed and tore up the letter in his hand.
The letter had served its purpose, so this already-written letter no longer needed to be repeatedly sent to a dead man.
He hadn't expected it. In just ten days.
It had already yielded a result...
He looked up, once again at the Boreas mansion gate, and at the string of footprints leading from distant to near.
This scheme was very discreet. The adventurer teams were all anonymous bounties, several layers removed. Many people were lost, but they were all insignificant.
The outcome was worth it!
The royal capital, Boreas, was completely finished.
With James dead and Allen imprisoned, the matter was now settled. Someone died, and someone would be held responsible.
Thus, the investigation would not continue.
The First Prince's influence would be greatly affected.
This round.
I, Pilemon, have won!
He leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. He immediately looked around at the chattering nobles in front of the carriage.
Admiring his 'spoils of war.'
The atmosphere within the Boreas family these past ten days, in the eyes of other nobles, might have seemed like James and his son were simply estranged after a long absence, or that Allen Boreas Greyrat, having suddenly gained influence, was merely smug.
But Pilemon knew very well.
This was not the truth.
This father and son of the Boreas family truly had a conflict, which was why they behaved this way.
And this conflict was completely irreconcilable.
They weren't merely distant; they weren't father and son at all!
And Allen Boreas Greyrat's return to the royal capital was even directly for the position of James's family head.
A struggle for family headship!
Boreas, living under one roof, yet having two 'voices.'
It was leaking from all sides, like a sieve.
So easy to exploit.
Heh heh.
So, from May 3rd, he poured oil fiercely onto the secretly burning kindling of the Boreas mansion!
—Secretly instigating the situation, gathering so many 'spectators,' further helping Allen gain influence, to acquire even greater prestige!
The greater Allen's prestige! The more uneasy James became!
Their irreconcilable conflict became even sharper!
For this, Pilemon even specifically dispatched people to monitor the Boreas mansion around the clock, to better control the situation.
—He discovered that every day, Allen and James would play chess by the window. After Allen left, James would often fly into a rage.
This continued for seven days. Today, he actually lost his mind to this extent?
Indeed, the Boreas family was full of madmen! Two fools!
The father publicly shouted that he would kill his own child!
And this son, who constantly talked about patricide, couldn't endure the slightest provocation. Two useless people!
Pilemon's expression was uncontrollably excited. He remembered Allen seemingly glancing at him as he left, and he threw his hand out! Fiercely slamming the carriage seat beside him!
Bang!
That brat from the Boreas family! How dare you provoke me! You want to conspire with that good-for-nothing Paul to seize the Notos family headship!
You, a mere brute who only knows how to wield a blade, will spend the rest of your life in Asura's prisons!
Thinking this, he narrowed his eyes.
Although he inwardly reveled, three things were still unexpected during these ten days.
The first, concerning James.
These past few days, he had continuously instigated James to act against Allen, intending for James to personally assassinate Allen.
But this man...
...actually held back.
Then... things became troublesome. Pilemon dispatched men to secretly bring knives in batches into the Upper Noble District, but he ultimately had to wait for a suitable time for the frame-up.
When would that time come?
It was entirely up to fate.
This was a last resort.
But, a turning point came.
The second and third unexpected events, mutually complementary, provided that timing, allowing Pilemon to compensate for the deficiencies in his first plan.
Two: The speed at which Allen and James's conflict escalated was too fast.
Three: Allen actually gained the First Prince's favor.
He heard that Allen had sent a letter to the First Prince on his first day at the Boreas mansion, and subsequently received a reply from the First Prince, whose demeanor was remarkably eager to recruit talent.
But Allen did not reply.
He consistently played hard to get. He even used Ariel's personal visit as a stepping stone to enhance his value, making this Second Princess completely into a laughingstock in the Upper Noble District of Asura today!
Would the First Prince allow such a thing to happen to himself? He certainly would not.
Thus, there was a second letter.
Allen had originally come for the position of family head. He would certainly not be so foolish as to repeatedly ignore the olive branch extended by the First Prince.
You can have one, you can have two, but not three or four!
Pilemon sniffed out an opportunity and set up an ambush in advance on the road from Boreas to the royal palace.
When Allen was invited to the First Prince's mansion.
That would be the best opportunity for 'provocation'!
Allen would absolutely not be killed.
But this reckless martial artist's rage would burn fiercely!
James's uncontrolled behavior this morning only added fuel to the fire of this plan!
Heaven helps me!
Heaven helps me!
Allen Boreas Greyrat.
I truly have to thank you, you worthless brat!
If you hadn't repeatedly provoked me and displayed your foolish thoughts so openly.
Where would I find such a good scheme?
Allen.
You are so arrogant!
How dare you still scheme for my position as family head!
You are so arrogant!
How dare you scheme for my Notos family's position as family head!
On what grounds do you dare!!
Pilemon violently turned to look at the Boreas mansion's main gate. Just half an hour ago, Allen's blood-stained figure had arrived at the gate.
The two had made eye contact for an instant.
At that moment, Pilemon actually had a fleeting illusion that Allen had already guessed his actions.
But the subsequent act of patricide proved that Pilemon's thoughts were, ultimately, just an illusion.
An illusion...
The wind from the carriage window swept across Pilemon's face, but it couldn't blow away his increasingly fervent triumph.
However.
Amidst this rage-driven behavior, his subconscious mind continuously sent numerous 'discordant' warnings to Pilemon.
Was it.
Truly an illusion?
A gaze across time stirred spacetime.
Providing an answer.
Click—11:56 AM.
Squish, a blood-stained boot landed in front of the Boreas main gate.
Allen stopped, retracting his gaze from Pilemon's distant carriage.
This 'sense of being spied upon,' which had lasted for days and was very obvious to a swordsman's crisis intuition.
Today, however, it only made him feel like he was bathing in a spring breeze.
A smile also curved his lips.
But because of the viscous blood on his face, it looked extremely grotesque.
"Ah!!!"
The nobles at the mansion gate gasped in alarm, seeing the young man who had been out for less than an hour and returned covered in blood.
The latter, however, merely tossed a piece of intestine from his shoulder onto the ground.
He nodded very kindly to everyone.
"Make way, everyone."
The nobles parted with a whoosh, clearing a path. Allen stepped over the iron gate on the ground and walked towards the mansion.
It made the woman who was repairing the gate and the maid watering flowers in the distance freeze in place.
Allen was unfazed.
He was thinking.
Human God was offline, so Allen naturally didn't need to mask his thoughts; he could freely sort them out.
Fortunately, he was of the Water God Style; his information processing ability was strong enough. Based on the continuously updated situational information, he had just managed to complete this strategic arrangement before May 1st.
This time, Allen's purpose in entering the royal capital was singular.
It was not the immediate act of killing James; revenge was not a rushed matter.
Nor was it for some boring succession struggle. Who was interested in the sordid affairs of the royal capital?
So what was the purpose, then?
—To avoid the Great Teleportation.
It fell into two directions.
One, Fittoa territory: The main difficulty lay with Saul. He didn't know the exact time of the Great Teleportation. To completely avoid the Great Teleportation, he had to make that stubborn old man move his entire family out of the Fittoa territory.
—Solution: Kill James, leaving the family head position vacant. Saul would not let Philip inherit the family headship, and Allen himself was still young.
Saul would personally take over for a while.
But by the time the succession struggle settled, the Great Teleportation would have already happened.
He wouldn't be able to step down from the 'stage.'
At that time, the Boreas family's industrial focus would have already been shifted, perfectly suited for post-disaster reconstruction. Their influence would be firmly established, and Darius's future reckoning could be maximally weakened.
The more complete the retained strength, the smoother the post-disaster reconstruction.
Two, Buena Village: The main difficulty lay with Paul. This guy was also a stubborn mule. If he, as 'his child,' tried to persuade him, it certainly wouldn't work.
If he reported false danger, Paul would come to the royal capital, discover he had been lied to, and then have to go back and continue living in squalor.
He fundamentally lacked a sense of responsibility.
—Solution: Provoke him, manipulate him, insult him, motivate him. Target the points that made Paul feel most guilty after the affair: women and children, making his conscience uneasy.
Simultaneously, bring down Pilemon, forcing Paul, caught in a situation overwhelmed by various emotions, to reclaim his honor and assume the position of family head.
In summary.
Combining all the desired outcomes, he had currently accomplished four things!
Allen walked, his fingers by his side, ticking them off one by one. This was his habitual action when making decisions.
One: Forcibly take Human God offline, removing the possibility of Human God interfering through Darius during his actions. Throughout the planning, he used desire to mask his thoughts, preventing Him from seeing his specific future.
In Buena Village, he took Human God offline for the first time, leaving two letters as a trap. Today, he took Human God offline for the second time.
The plan was complete.
Win.
Two: Spur Pilemon, making him act prematurely.
Two [Persuasion] uses, making him realize that 'Allen' was determined to kill James, and repeatedly emphasizing that 'Allen' would certainly kill James.
At the same time, continuously provoking the other party with martial force, planting the seeds in his mind that 'Allen is a reckless brute without strategy' and 'martial force might be useful.'
Continuously belittling him, insulting his cowardice, his fear of drawing his blade, and the fact that he hadn't yet placed his bet in the succession struggle, and deliberately mentioning the Second Prince.
Repeatedly emphasizing that 'Allen,' after killing James, would proceed to seize his position as family head.
Indeed, Pilemon acted based on the fact that 'Allen and James are in the same faction, and if they have internal conflict, it will certainly cause the First Prince's influence to suffer.'
Then, letters were exchanged, inducing behavior under the guise of observation.
Ultimately, today, giving the other party this knife, as a signal to act.
Even the dullest donkey would be whipped into action.
Indeed, Pilemon acted 'as agreed.'
The plan was complete.
Win.
Three: Establish a chain of evidence, spurring James.
To objectively link Pilemon and James. Pilemon, to incite internal conflict within Boreas, would inevitably contact James, attempting to instigate him.
He then used ten [Persuasion] uses to put immense pressure on James, to awaken his motive to kill him.
However, in terms of action, he overdid it. James's mind was completely focused on 'chess,' and he even showed signs of being on the verge of a breakdown.
Failure.
But, not a loss.
His second layer of insurance was still effective. Pilemon still attacked him 'as agreed.'
At this point, it no longer mattered whether James attacked him or not.
Because...
Allen had reached the mansion gate. He stepped into the mansion.
The dead man.
Would not speak to argue.
The plan was complete.
Win.
And then, the final step.
Four: Kill James, bring down Pilemon, and safely extract himself from the chaotic situation.
Allen looked up. Unbeknownst to him, he had already reached the study door on the second floor.
He did not knock; he simply pushed the door open and stepped in.
Before the chessboard, James stared blankly at the remaining endgame from yesterday. Seeing Allen enter, he ignored the blood covering him and greeted him with a joyful face.
"Allen! Play chess with me! You really changed your mind! Come!! Come!!"
Allen accepted the invitation.
With one strike, he severed his head.
Slish, slash!!!!
Amidst spraying blood, he casually picked up James's still-open-eyed head, twisted, and walked downstairs. Maids screamed along the way. Allen ignored them.
He reached the first floor, directly opened the reception hall door beside the main hall, and stepped in.
He walked around the table to the main seat, visible from the front door.
He plopped down.
He casually placed James's head on the table.
His posture relaxed, his expression at ease.
Soon, hurried footsteps came from the hall. The Mistress of Boreas, Boreas's eldest son, and second son all ran in frantically.
But they all stopped abruptly.
They stared blankly at the head on the table.
The Madam trembled all over, shaking uncontrollably. She stumbled to James's head. She reached out as if to confirm her husband's death, but then her eyes met James's.
The latter was surprisingly full of excitement.
The Madam recoiled her hand as if shocked by electricity. She finally 'saw' the reality before her, covered her face, and screamed in horror!
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!!!!!!"
The eldest son's furious anger was ignited by his mother's scream. Even the scene of being knocked unconscious by Allen two days prior couldn't suppress his rationality. Advanced Swordsman battle aura surged!!
One step! He was in front of Allen!! He grabbed Allen's collar, about to roar.
But he was once again slapped down by Allen.
The Madam was still screaming!
Allen dusted off his collar. His voice was low, yet for some reason, it covered the Madam's screams.
"I slap you because you offended me."
"I don't kill you, but it's not because I don't want to kill you. It's because I can restrain my ambition and desires. I repay kindness with kindness, and injustice with justice."
"James wanted to kill me and failed. So he naturally had to be prepared to be killed by me."
"So..."
He glanced at the eldest son of Boreas on the ground beside him, his mouth covered in blood, staring fixedly at him, already drawing his sword.
"Do you want to kill me?"
"Ah!!!!" The blade suddenly unsheathed!!!
Swish!
The sword broke, and the man also broke.
One strike, and he was cut in half at the waist.
The Madam's screams abruptly ceased.
Allen didn't even look at the split corpse beside him. He retracted his raised palm-blade.
"Sit."
"Have some manners. Don't let outsiders laugh at you."
The Madam's face was pale. She looked at her eldest son, who was now split in two on the ground. Then she looked at her second son, who was trembling all over and quickly sat down at the table.
She sat down at the table like a puppet on strings.
She was dazed for a moment, then vaguely glanced at Allen. She turned to the maids outside the door, who were all frozen in fear.
"Come... someone..."
"Pour... pour tea for Allen..."
Allen, however, suddenly turned to look outside the door.
—Butler Rielna, who was both a butler and a personal guard, arrived 'late.' He stood at the door, turned sideways, about to leave.
Allen suddenly chuckled.
"Rielna."
"Sit."
Silver Palace.
Ariel's mansion.
The Princess was dressed only in a nightgown today, sitting dazed in her bedroom.
On the dressing table, nothing.
This state had lasted for quite some time.
Ever since she was refused twice by Allen's consecutive visits, she had been like this, unable to find energy for anything.
'Did I do something wrong?'
Her cerulean eyes flickered. She looked down at the diary on her lap.
Still that page full of.
—Obtain him.
Suddenly, urgent knocking sounded at the door.
Thump, thump, thump!!!
Ariel didn't respond, but after a short while, Derrick Redbat pushed the door ajar. Confirming Ariel was still sitting at the dressing table, he gritted his teeth and walked in.
The latter frowned.
"Derrick Redbat!!"
The latter, however, ignored Ariel's reprimand and quickly spoke.
"Mr. Allen, he killed someone!!"
Ariel froze, turning.
"Him killing someone is not unusual, is it? What's there to say? After all, he doesn't want to see me."
"He killed James!! Almost in front of all the Upper Nobles!!"
Ariel froze. She abruptly turned to Derrick Redbat, no longer reserved.
"What!! Why did he suddenly become so reckless??"
Derrick Redbat looked bewildered.
"I don't... I don't know, Your Highness, you should go see..." He spoke halfway, then stopped.
Ariel turned, frowning, her expression flustered. She instinctively bit her finger.
"In front of so many people, this Allen will be apprehended by Dawn. No, with his skill, he might escape, but... if he's surrounded by two Sword Emperors... imprisonment..."
"If he's imprisoned... then later for the succession..."
Ariel's words stopped here, and she suddenly froze.
The densely written 'Obtain him' on the tabletop, written by her own hand, seemed to leap out of the diary, openly mocking her current state.
Ariel fiercely gritted her teeth.
She slapped the table.
"Go now! Maid! Help me dress!!"
"Your Highness, today's hairstyle..."
"Never mind that!!"
Sinos and Lilfa stared at the gruesome scene, and were bewildered for a moment. Only then did they seem to snap out of it.
The latter, his face filled with rage, snatched the Golden Sword from Sinos's waist! He then took one step towards Allen.
His speed was so great that the sound of the sword being unsheathed was left behind.
Clang!
The next instant, the sword was pressed against Allen's neck.
The latter seemed oblivious. His hand, holding the teacup, paused at his lips. He looked up at Lilfa.
His expression was calm.
Lilfa, seeing this, roared in fury!
"Allen Boreas Greyrat!!!!"
The roar made Sasha, who had been reinstated by Allen as a personal maid from a gardener, jolt. Her entire body involuntarily began to tremble.
She had been called to pour tea for Allen. This action had been ongoing for ten days. As a personal maid, this was her duty.
Lilfa glared at Allen.
"You are still young; you should be protected by the Boreas family, yet you personally committed patricide! You defy the King's law! Defy the King's law!!"
"I know your talent is exceptional! But you should not rely on it to commit wanton violence! What happened today, not even Her Majesty Reida, the Water God, can save you from this!!"
Allen scoffed, glancing at the blade by his neck. "If you're not going to cut, what's it doing here?"
Lilfa: "You!!"
Allen, however, ignored him. He just looked up at Sinos in the distance.
Sinos's forehead was sweating.
"Allen... why..."
But he couldn't speak another word.
Allen shook his head, raised his teacup, and was about to continue drinking.
"Don't drink it!!!"
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him from the side, gripping Allen's hand.
It wasn't Lilfa.
It was an urgent, crying female voice.
At this moment, with a thump, Butler Rielna, his face pale, sat up.
But Allen's glance made him sullenly sit back down. He then looked at the Madam opposite him, whose face was dazed, only staring at James's head on the table.
And Sasha, Allen's former personal maid, her hands trembling, her body shaking.
She gripped the teacup in Allen's hand.
Tears splashed onto Allen's sleeve.
Allen turned and quietly looked at her.
Sasha met Allen's gaze. She forcibly pried the teacup from Allen's hand and splashed it onto the ground beside them.
She squatted on the ground, covering her head, and began to cry. "Don't drink it, don't drink it..."
Allen turned to look at Lilfa, who was a little bewildered by this scene. He casually pushed aside the blade near his neck, picked up the teapot nearby, and poured himself a cup of tea.
He stood up and walked two steps to stand beside the Madam.
"Do you drink, or shall I feed you?"
The Madam suddenly stood up, twisting to run!
But Allen grabbed her by the neck, pulled her back to the table, bent her mouth open, and steadily poured the tea into her.
Gulp, gulp.
"Madam, you still like to use poison, just as before."
The latter was thrown to the ground by Allen with a thump, but she quickly scrambled up, about to run towards the door.
But after only a few steps, she bent at the waist and knelt, collapsing to the ground.
She still crawled a short distance towards the door, then twitched, and fell still.
This sudden scene left Lilfa and Sinos even more dumbfounded.
But they heard a familiar voice enter their ears.
"Look, who's killing whom? Father devouring son? Or son killing father?"
"When poisoning failed, he sent assassins. They followed me all the way to the royal palace, but I turned around and killed them all."
"Foolish, mediocre. This is the noble demeanor of Asura."
"What if I am young?"
"Should I just offer my neck for the slaughter?"
Sinos and Lilfa turned to look at Allen, their expressions aghast.
"Ah!!!"
The second young master, beside them, went mad. He stumbled out.
Before long, he was gone.
Silence all around.
Sasha, the cat-eared girl squatting on the ground, looked at the Madam's corpse in the distance, then stared blankly at Allen.
The latter wiped the tears from his sleeve, but only managed to get his hand covered in blood from his sleeve. He pursed his lips and wiped his hand on the tablecloth.
"Two years ago, forced by circumstances, I left without properly settling you. Ten days ago, you returned to being my personal maid."
"In these ten days, forced by circumstances, you served me poisoned tea daily. Today, you personally spilled the tea."
"We're even."
"I'll give you two paths, Sasha."
"One, stay in the Boreas mansion, continue as my personal maid. Of course, I can't guarantee I'll mostly stay within the Boreas mansion, but I can guarantee you won't be bullied or sent back to the backyard to be a sun-baked, wind-blown 'gardener.'"
"Two: 200 gold coins. You're free."
"Choose."
Sasha stared blankly at Allen. After a long moment, she avoided his gaze and spoke.
"Young... Young Master, I... I choose two."
Allen nodded.
"Second floor, my bedroom, on the table there's a bag of gold coins, 200 of them."
"Go. You're free."
Sasha froze, then gave Allen a deep look. She performed a maid's bow, then twisted and ran out of the mansion's main gate.
Allen looked up at Sinos and Lilfa. He pointed to the corpses on the ground, then the table, one by one.
"Martial Uncles."
Finally, he pointed to James's head on the table.
"This, they owe me."
"They must pay."
Lilfa stared blankly at Allen, feeling his sharp aura sting his eyes.
But in a moment of daze.
It seemed to be an illusion.
Allen, however, looked at his hand with some surprise.
He clenched his fist, then released it.
The air around his hand seemed to be cut by a sharp 'light.'
Allen's lips curved into a smile.
He held his palm flat before him.
Forehand.
Following one's desires, uniting knowledge and action.
He flipped his palm.
I think, I do, I obtain.
Emperor rank, the Sword of Light.
Indeed.
As easy as flipping a hand.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping past Lilfa's neck. The latter jolted, staring directly back at Allen.
The latter looked at Lilfa for a moment, but only shook his head.
Lilfa's face changed several times. He gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Even so, you shouldn't be so reckless. Who can prove what you say is true? Yourself? Al—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly froze. He abruptly turned to look at the door behind him.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hurried footsteps sounded.
Chaotic, noisy.
Allen also looked up at the door, a playful glint in his eyes.
The next instant, a figure entered his line of sight.
The newcomer reached the doorway, stopped abruptly, and froze.
And Sinos and Lilfa, who recognized the newcomer, also froze.
—The First Prince, Gravell Zafenn Asura.
He hadn't even changed out of his nightgown.
Gravell's gaze first fell on James's severed neck on the table, then on Allen, who stood by the table, smiling. He then looked at Sinos and Lilfa again.
He seemed bewildered for an instant.
Or perhaps it was just an illusion.
In just an instant, anger surfaced on his face. He strode forward, abruptly turning, and walked quickly to Allen's side.
He bowed, staring directly at Allen.
He grasped Allen's hand!
"Well killed!! Allen Boreas Greyrat, you killed him well!!!"
He pointed a finger at James's dead, still-open eyes on the table.
"He deserved to die! He deserved to die!!"
"James Boreas Greyrat! A disloyal and unrighteous man! You killed him well!"
"Colluding with the Second Prince, conspiring with the scum from the Adventurer Resettlement Zone, publicly assassinating a noble of Asura in broad daylight! Even if the other party was his own son!"
"Attempting to incite civil strife among the Four Great Noble families! His mind is full of petty schemes! Utterly corrupt!"
"Asura is ashamed of him!"
He glanced at Lilfa and Sinos, who were dumbfounded. He bent over, staring fixedly into Allen's dark gray eyes.
His honest, almost simple face, precisely because of its honesty, exuded a strong sense of trust.
"Allen Boreas Greyrat!"
"The head of Boreas rightfully belongs to you! The future of Asura! It should not be so stagnant! So corrupt!"
"The glorious crown upon His Majesty the King illuminates the path forward for you and me! Asura's future, with you and me, how can it not prosper for ages!!"
Allen leaned back in his chair, smiling at Gravell.
The final step.
Four: Kill James, bring down Pilemon, and safely extract himself from the chaotic situation.
Making the First Prince appear at the scene of the murder in the mansion. Using the consequence of him killing the Boreas family head, using self-interest, to coerce the other party into making a choice.
To defend himself.
James had to die. James deserved to die.
Therefore, he died clearly, openly.
Died.
Under my, Allen Boreas Greyrat's, blade.
In the name of justice.
Thump, thump, thump!
Clack!
Footsteps stopped. Something fell to the ground.
Allen looked up at the doorway.
Ariel, her hair loose over her shoulders, her face plain and clean, stared blankly at him. The dagger she had been holding, instinctively grabbed for courage when she saw the bloody scene, bounced off her foot.
And fell.
Finally, clack, it lay on the ground.
And Darius, who hadn't yet been notified by the First Prince, stood beside her, his face complex, but his eyes exceptionally bright as he looked at Allen.
Allen twisted his head.
He extended his other hand, grasping the First Prince's hand.
He slowly spoke.
His voice, however, clearly reached everyone in the reception hall.
"The glorious fire of Boreas shall surely be reignited by me."
Allen's posture was relaxed. He leaned back in the chair at the head of the long table.
Gravell bent over, holding Allen's hand, his eyes burning as he looked at him.
Reflected in his dark pupils.
A gaze from Derrick Redbat.
He looked at this scene in a daze. For some reason.
A sentence someone had said to him under a tree flashed through his mind.
—
"When I possess strength."
"Power will fawn over my blade..."
"And cling to it."
He not only wielded power.
He could also, by virtue of that power, attract authority to cling to his hand.
Allen Boreas Greyrat.
===
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Power Stones==Bonus Chapter