Chapter 81

After the bloody battle with the Sword Saint, Yuwon, who had wiped off the blood early and changed into new clothes taken from his Subspace Bag, approached the Imperial Palace.

He had left the palace with confidence, but his return was different.

‘I wiped off all the blood, but… if I walked through the main gate, the knights would definitely notice the smell of blood on me. And it wasn’t just that—the Imperial Palace had far too many eyes and ears that belonged to others.’

A prince returning from an outing reeking of blood was hardly something to brag about.

‘The other princes’ factions are already scheming for an excuse to tear me apart. No need to give them a gap. Better to enter quietly today….’

In truth, it wasn’t something worth agonizing over.

After only the briefest hesitation, Yuwon secured his Mask tightly and slipped over the palace wall in silence. Soon darkness embraced Yuwon, and he vanished from sight.

His stealth, once renowned in his past life as an Assassin, had now reached the level of an art in its own right.

Once Yuwon decided to hide, even someone searching with eyes wide open would not sense the faintest trace of him.

Sshk—

His steps were so silent that even when his feet touched the ground, the brushing of his clothing was louder than his footsteps.

‘Better get inside, wash, and rest. I also need to check some of these wounds.’

As he wove through the darkness, the only thing in Yuwon’s mind was to reach the Fifth Prince’s Palace, wash, and examine his injuries.

Even Yuwon disliked having tiny lingering irritations from scars left all over his body.

Speaking of unpleasant things, climbing his own residence’s wall was also something he didn’t enjoy.

‘No need to scratch at something only to make it fester.’

Yuwon deliberately avoided the Main Palace and the other princes’ residences, circling wide to move only through areas adjacent to the Fifth Prince’s Palace.

Of course, even with such care, it wasn’t possible to avoid everything perfectly.

Sshk— sshk—

With each step Yuwon took, the scenery around him slid rapidly behind him. He moved through the vast palace for a long while in utter silence.

After about twenty minutes, the distant outline of the Fifth Prince’s Palace entered Yuwon’s view.

‘Finally arrived.’

At this point he was close enough that being discovered wouldn’t cause major trouble.

Yuwon gathered strength in his toes to speed up. And in that very moment—

“Things between the Fifth Prince and the Emperor have been quite suspicious lately. I believe you should hasten your actions.”

‘…!’

A voice rang out from somewhere deep within the darkness, halting Yuwon’s steps.

Startled, he immediately stopped and held his breath, focusing on that voice.

‘What is this all of a sudden…?’

Two figures dressed head to toe in black. They seemed to want their identities hidden as much as Yuwon did, their faces thoroughly concealed as they whispered quietly in the dark.

“I suspect the Emperor may have already made a decision… or so it seems. Do you have any insight?”

“…I know.”

If fog could be expressed as a voice, perhaps it would sound like this.

Judging from their conversation, the man who appeared to be the superior spoke in a voice dripping with damp, unpleasant chill.

‘How can a person’s voice sound like that?’

Just hearing it made Yuwon’s brow furrow. But the more repulsive it was, the more he sharpened his hearing.

‘There’s definitely something in this conversation. It’s better not to be discovered, but if it comes down to it, I’ll risk a fight—there’s something here I need to hear.’

Perhaps thanks to Yuwon’s painstaking effort to conceal his presence, the two men continued to speak, unaware of him.

“As expected… I figured you might know something. But that… as you surely already know, may I cautiously offer one piece of advice…?”

“….”

Taking the silence as permission, the man continued.

“It seems the Emperor has already made a decision. As you know, the Fifth Prince has grown enough that it wouldn’t be strange for the Emperor to enforce that decision. If the Emperor happens to name the Fifth Prince as the next heir to the throne, it would cause major disruption to our plans. If that happens…”

The unpleasant voice sounded again.

“…Are you thinking of civil war?”

“Yes, though that must be avoided, we can no longer rule out the possibility.”

“…Do not worry. That will not happen.”

“Then do you have another way?”

“As always, wait quietly for the right time. When the time comes, I will seek you again.”

“But if what we fear becomes reality, I will have to overcome all the obstacles I have warned you about thus far.”

“…I clearly told you to wait. Are you planning to talk back to me?”

“N-no. This foolish subordinate was momentarily blinded by loyalty and overstepped. Please forgive me.”

“Blinded by loyalty… fine. If you’re that worried, I shall ease your concern myself. Listen well. The current Emperor killed all his brothers, abandoning the bonds of blood to become Emperor. Yet amusingly, he now wishes desperately to spare at least his own children, as if he has forgotten what he did. Do you understand what this means?”

“I still do not fully understand.”

“Click, foolish thing… Though it’s true the Emperor’s heart leans toward the Fifth Prince, he will never hand over the throne so easily. The Fifth Prince is the one who resembles Emperor Yulaios the most. And not the Emperor as he is now, but the Emperor before his coronation—cold-blooded, without pity or tears.”

“Then…?”

“The world acts as if something will erupt any moment, but we still have plenty of time. Because the Emperor knows me, he will never trust a Fifth Prince who resembles him so deeply. One way or another, he will require a guaranteed safeguard for the survival of the other princes before he passes down the throne.”

“If the Emperor tells the Fifth Prince that he will pass down the throne on the condition that he spares his brothers, would the Fifth Prince actually refuse? We’re talking about the throne.”

“Whether the Fifth Prince wants to leave such risks alive is the key. And the Fifth Prince could claim the throne even without agreeing to that condition.”

After a brief silence, the subordinate finally spoke the answer.

“…Instead of formally inheriting the throne from the Emperor, he will make sure no one but himself can inherit it.”

The man with the bizarre voice gave no answer. But neither Yuwon nor the two men speaking needed any further words.

‘This bastard… he’s smiling right now.’

Yuwon could instinctively tell without seeing. Beneath that mask of unknown identity, the man’s face was curved in a smile.

The next morning.

Yuwon had returned to his place as if nothing had happened. Terrien and Bernid came early to check on him, concerned after Yuwon had been out until late.

“Your Highness, did the matter you went to see yesterday go well? Nothing happened, did it?”

“Oh, nothing to worry about. I just went out and took in some fresh air.”

“That is a relief. You were later than expected, so I was worried something had happened.”

“What is there to worry about if something does happen? Who would dare try to harm me?”

“Haha, well, that’s true.”

Depending on how it was used, poison could become medicine, and medicine could become poison—such was the relationship between the two.

In that sense, Yuwon knew of a few herbs that worked almost as well as holy power for light wounds, and thanks to them, not even a small injury remained on him now.

With not a trace left to raise suspicion, Terrien was easily deceived by Yuwon’s words.

“So, what happened to that equipment you entrusted? That was why you went, wasn’t it?”

Bernid, who had been quietly waiting for their conversation to end, joined in.

“That? I’m wearing it right now.”

“Huh? What? You’re wearing it right now?”

“Yeah. Under the clothes. Looks flawless, right?”

“That… wasn’t it armor? Armor can be hidden under clothes?”

“Oh, of course I can’t wear the whole full plate mail right now. I’m only wearing the upper piece.”

Yuwon lifted his collar slightly and showed them the sturdy armor worn beneath. Bernid and Terrien leaned in, eyes shining, examining it.

“Wow, this is armor?”

“Yeah, looks good, right?”

“Good? It’s amazing. Isn’t this the armor made from those scales that even deflect magic, the one you talked about before?”

“That’s right.”

Terrien was simply amazed, but Bernid interjected from the side.

“But does the defense stay the same? Comfort is nice and all, but defense is the priority for armor.”

“I checked yesterday. It’s only been adjusted so a person can wear it; the defense is the same.”

“Huh… I can’t believe that’s actually possible. I thought making it into armor would naturally reduce the defense… At this point, shouldn’t you tell us? Who did you entrust the job to?”

Yuwon smiled faintly. He hadn’t even spoken yet, but he was already looking forward to their reactions.

“The Master of the Nameless Artisan.”

“What? Who? Th-the Master of the Artisan?”

Bernid’s eyes widened. Beside him, Terrien’s face froze like ice.

“If you look closely, this one also has the Artisan’s mark, but it’s stamped on the inside so I can’t show you. Ah, not that you need to see it anyway.”

“…?”

“Yes?”

The moment the Master Artisan was mentioned, the two were already half-frozen.

Before they could respond properly, Yuwon took out the armor he had prepared for the two of them from his Subspace Bag.

“How long are you going to stare? What are you doing? Try them on.”

“?”

When had they become so in sync? Terrien and Bernid exchanged matching expressions of shock.

“You thought I’d make only mine and wipe my hands clean? I take care of my own people. Ah, but manage them well. You can’t buy these even with money.”

Only then did Terrien finish processing the situation. He quickly reached out and grabbed his equipment.

“Thank you! Your Highness! Even if it costs my life, I will protect this with all—”

“I’m giving it to you so you don’t die, so why are you saying you’ll protect it even if you die? Enough. Take good care of it.”

“Yes!”

“Go try it on. We need to see if it fits.”

“Yes, understood!”

Overjoyed at the command that wasn’t quite a command, Terrien took the armor and headed into another room.

Only Yuwon and Bernid remained.

“You’re not trying yours on?”

“Huh?”

Yuwon jerked his chin at the remaining set of armor.

“Take it and try it on.”

“This… is mine? I thought it was that Hastings guy’s…”

“Why would I take out Hastings’ stuff here? It’s yours. Go on, try it. It should fit perfectly.”

“You— damn you…!”

Something seemed to swell in Bernid’s chest, and he opened his mouth to say something—then stopped.

“If you run off with that, medicine or poison, I’ll hunt you down to the end and kill you myself. So wear it and stick close. Don’t get stabbed and die somewhere stupid.”

The sentiment didn’t last long.

As the saying went, kind words bring kind words in return—so Bernid’s reply, following Yuwon’s harsh tone, was nothing like what he had originally intended to say.

“Y-you devil! How much more thoroughly are you planning to exploit me…!”

Bernid, who had trembled with emotion just moments ago, now trembled with irritation as if nothing had happened.

It was a peaceful morning—so peaceful that the fierce battle with the Sword Saint felt meaningless by comparison. But the peace was suddenly shattered by an unexpected visitor.

“Yurion―!”

“…?”

Yuwon and Bernid widened their eyes at the familiar voice.

“You bastard, get out here―!”

There weren’t many people who could call Yuwon “you bastard” this casually. And among them, there was only one person who would barge in like this.

“What now?”

Second Prince Arencar Aphahiel had come to see Yuwon for the first time in a long while.

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