Chapter 182: Within the Imperial Palace (1)

Everyone turned their eyes to Karyl.

With his hand over his chest, he addressed the emperor, “May I defend myself?”

“Of course.”

As soon as the emperor granted permission, the hall fell silent.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

With that, Karyl took a deep breath and began, “This southern expedition has ultimately become a source of great pain and sorrow for the empire. I believe everyone here understands very well why that is.”

Murmur, murmur...

“As Prince Luon mentioned, I intervened in the battle at the Twin Armor. However, it was all for the sake of the empire.”

“You impudent knave!” Luon snarled. “What do you mean,

for the empire

? Everyone knows you raised your sword against me!”

“That’s correct,” Karyl acknowledged calmly. “At that time, no one knew who I was. Even now, if His Majesty hadn’t mentioned it, no one here would know that I am Kuwell MacGovern’s adoptive son.”

He then turned his gaze to Luon. “In the heat of battle, who would listen to a stranger telling them to withdraw their troops? I would have executed such a person for treason myself.”

“I... I...!” Luon stammered, his face red.

“A decisive action was needed,” Karyl continued, now addressing the emperor. “Because I had to save the prince, and along with him, his honor.”

“Hmm...” The emperor gestured for Karyl to continue.

“There were around two thousand people in the border area close to the Twin Armor. If they had perished, it would have been a grave dishonor for the empire and its prince.” Karyl then turned back to Luon. “Your Highness, I believe you understand that better than anyone else.”

Luon ground his teeth in frustration. He had intended to use those citizens as bargaining chips, and when the dungeon emerged, he left them there and fled—an act deserving of condemnation.

If all those people had died, nothing short of a victory at the Twin Armor could have prevented the story from spreading.

“It’s a common thing for an army to retreat during war, but abandoning innocent citizens is unforgivable. Your Majesty would not have forgiven such a transgression.”

Karyl addressed the vassals next, “To close the dungeon and save the people at the border, I had no choice but to seek help from the troops at the Twin Armor.”

He then pointed to Sir Azif among the vassals. “Pardon my rudeness at the time, Sir Azif. Let me ask you, what were the imperial forces doing when the dungeon formed?”

“...”

Azif’s face darkened. He was at a loss for words.

“And what happened to the border citizens after I intervened?” Karyl went on.

Azif’s silence spoke volumes, giving significant weight to Karyl’s argument.

This is a bit unexpected. I thought he would defend Luon. Well, it works in my favor. I had prepared to counter any excuse he might come up with, but it seems I won’t have to waste time with that.

Karyl wasn’t aware of Azif’s change of heart after the incident.

“Your Majesty, even without the dungeon, the imperial forces would have had to retreat. The Water King and Sea King suddenly appeared right where the imperial forces had set base. In such dire situations, drastic measures are sometimes required.”

Karyl smiled faintly. “I was confident. I knew I could definitely return the prisoners you left behind to the empire.”

He gestured toward the window. “And what was the result? We saved forty thousand important lives and spared the border citizens from being used unjustly and potentially sacrificed.”

“You’re ridiculous! Are you saying this entire charade was to save me? Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?!” Luon screamed, forgetting about the numerous vassals staring at him.

“Karyl,” the emperor called out.

The hall fell silent once more, and even Luon closed his mouth.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You claim you took these measures to save Luon. But couldn’t you have captured the Twin Armor before the monsters appeared?”

Karyl shook his head. “Your Majesty, with all due respect, the captain defending the Twin Armor was Marze, known as the Shield of Istan. Although I do not doubt Prince Luon’s exceptional military strategies, it would have taken an awful amount of time to capture it.”

“So you were certain that a dungeon would form before then?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why?”

“A dungeon doesn’t form without prior signs.”

“So you knew when the dungeon would form.”

“Yes. I had already cleared three other dungeons.”

Murmur, murmur.

The hall buzzed with whispers.

“The dungeon at the Twin Armor was a Minotaur’s S-grade dungeon,” Karyl explained.

In the last 250 years, only a few S-grade dungeons had appeared on the continent. The one in the south remained uncleared, with only the monsters swarming out of it being dealt with.

“Moreover, there were two Minotaurs outside the dungeon. Fighting the forces of the Twin Armor under such conditions would have been meaningless.”

“This is all your fault! The Minotaur dungeon wouldn’t have formed so quickly if you hadn’t cleared the previous dungeons!” Luon yelled.

“...”

Karyl didn’t respond right away. Intead, he locked eyes with Luon, piercing him with his frosty gaze.

“Are you sure about that, Your Highness?”

“What...?”

“I did not know that the final dungeon would form at the Twin Armor either. I was merely following the path of the previous dungeons as they took shape, and they unfortunately led to the battlefield. However...”

Karyl’s voice grew in intensity.

“...There are always three precursors to an S-grade dungeon. Ignoring those lesser dungeons would not have prevented the S-grade dungeon from forming. In fact, it would have led to even more monsters spreading across the continent.”

He placed a hand on his chest and sighed deeply, as though saddened.

“That would result in the deaths of countless innocent people.”

“You... You—!”

“As a prince of the empire, and for the sake of the empire’s honor in unifying the continent, you must be willing to embrace the people of other nations as well.”

“Hmm...”

The emperor exhaled and nodded, as if he had been anticipating Karyl’s words. Despite his own son being cornered, he wore a satisfied expression.

Karyl found the situation almost laughable, but he held back his laughter. After all, the person who had killed the most innocent civilians was none other than Titan Shutean, who sat on the throne.

“Then...!! How do you explain drawing your sword against me amidst that smoke?!” Luon shouted, turning his head. “Azif!! What are you waiting for?! Describe the events in detail and imprison that hypocrite for his heinous crimes!”

“Well...”

Azif looked distressed, unsure how to respond to Luon’s outburst.

“Didn't you cross swords with him?!” Luon went on. “Yes, you can’t deny that. You killed my knights!”

“Your Highness is correct. However, as I mentioned earlier, it was a necessary choice in a situation where I could not reveal my identity,” Karyl replied calmly, undeterred by Luon’s accusations.

“And...” He turned his head with a look of disdain. “I will ask Sir Azif. Please recall the memory of crossing swords with me and answer accurately.”

“...Understood," Azif nodded.

“Your Highness, you insist that I tried to assassinate you... If that had truly been my aim,” Karyl said, a smirk playing on his lips, “do you think you would be standing here with us?”

“You insolent wretch!”

“What are you saying?!”

The vassals stood up, outraged by Karyl’s remark.

“Silence, all of you!” the emperor commanded, and the hall fell silent. “Sir Azif, speak without reservation.”

“Karyl... Sir Karyl’s swordsmanship is indeed comparable to that of a knight.” Azif hesitated for a moment, glancing at Kuwell MacGovern before continuing, “No, he’s even stronger than that. His skills surpass mine, and I can’t think of many imperial knights who could face him alone.”

Murmur, murmur...

If Azif, the vice captain of the Golden Knights, attested to Karyl’s prowess, there was no mistake about it. The vassals were astounded that someone so young could surpass a Sword Expert.

“Is he truly that skilled?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then it is a joyous occasion. The empire has gained a remarkable talent. Kuwell, you became a Sword Master after reaching adulthood, did you not?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Hahaha... Perhaps this boy might reach that level even before coming of age.”

Hearing that, a smile tugged at Karyl’s lips. He was relieved that Gordon wasn’t present, as he had long surpassed the level of a Sword Master and had even shattered Gordon’s earth-element armor.

“Father!!” Luon shouted at the emperor, his patience long gone.

However, Chancellor Bryn Ennik, standing among the vassals, shook his head slightly. Continuing the discussion would only further expose Luon’s incompetence.

Trying to use this boy to strike at Kuwell and Prince Olivurn was too ambitious to begin with.

Attacking the prince’s forces was punishable, but Karyl had involved the people from the border and gained the emperor’s support, leaving no way to condemn him.

At least this commotion has shown that Prince Luon’s defeat at Twin Armor was inevitable...

Although bitter, Bryn had achieved his primary goal. Karyl’s interference had forced Luon to retreat.

Even if it ends here, it's not a loss.

Bryn quickly assessed the situation and let out a low sigh.

“Your Majesty, there is another reason I have come to the palace, despite the rudeness,” Karyl suddenly added.

“What do you mean?”

“You are aware that I have been in Tatur. It is a place where many free people, including immigrants, live.”

“Free people... You have quite the way with words,” Chancellor Bryn Ennik growled, sensing something unsettling in Karyl’s remark.

“As lowly as I am, I assembled soldiers for the dungeons hunts. Naturally, they make for a diverse group, including immigrants and barbarians.”

“Hmm... And?” The emperor looked at Karyl with a puzzled expression. They had already discussed the planned topic, so he was curious about why Karyl was now bringing up unrelated matters that hadn’t even been touched upon during their private meeting.

“I heard an interesting story from my soldiers.”

Karyl’s eyes gleamed as he pulled out a small vial from his robe.

“This is Twilight, a lethal poison.”

“...!”

At that moment, the hall erupted in whispers and murmurs.

“It’s colorless and odorless, and it’s such an obscure poison that not much is known about it. In fact, only the northern immigrants use it.”

“What does this poison have to do with anything here?”

“Well, what if I were to reveal the truth behind Prince Kromen’s death as a way to make up for the Twin Armor incident? What would you say to that?”

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

The vassals had been in an uproar moments prior, but now they were utterly stunned, staring at Karyl wide-eyed.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“The truth behind Kromen’s death? Are you saying there’s something about his death that I’m not aware of?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Karyl took a deep breath.

“Prince Kromen was poisoned,” Karyl declared as he held up the vial. “And this was what the culprit used.”

“What?!”

The emperor’s expression shifted from puzzlement to alarm and suspicion. Despite the anger in his voice, his eyes were cold, questioning not just the identity of the culprit but why the matter was being complicated to this extent.

“Do you claim to know who the culprit is?”

“Unfortunately, as a loyal subject, I cannot directly name the culprit, but I can tell you who was involved in bringing this poison into the empire.”

“Who is it?”

Without hesitating, Karyl slowly raised his hand and pointed at the culprit.

“It’s the First Prince, Luon Shutean.”

At that moment, a cry shattered the silence within the Sun Hall. But surprisingly, it didn’t come from Luon, but from further back in the hall.

“Impossible!”

It was Martte MacGovern.

“Sorry... I... Excuse me...” Martte, shocked by his own outburst, stepped back, covering his mouth with his hand.

While everyone gave him confused looks, no one noticed the fleeting smile on Karyl’s lips.

“You... What nonsense are you spouting?!” Luon growled at Karyl, his eyes blazing.

“Nonsense?”

Now the stage for my plan begins.

“Yes, it is nonsense.”

So, will you reveal the truth behind my nonsense, Martte?

Karyl paid no attention to Luon’s outburst. Instead, he focused on Martte, who stood far away.

Or will you remain silent?

Martte, feeling Karyl’s gaze, turned his head away, unable to meet his eyes. For some reason, Karyl wished that Zarka Hochi would awaken and witness this scene.

If you’re going to put on a show, it should be of this scale, right?

He looked around as if posing that question to everyone present.

The same goes for you.

Unlike Martte, who had turned away, one person remained calm and composed, staring back at him.

Karyl’s gaze shifted to Olivurn.