Chapter 302

Chapter 302

Lark gazed at me for a while before finally speaking.

"Ash."

I was inwardly tense, given that the situation was such that it wouldnt have been odd if Lark had suddenly thrown a punch or spat out a curse.

But instead, this first Prince suddenly spread his arms wide and exclaimed,

"Its time for a hug!"

He bellowed while wearing a broad smile.

"..."

Right, this guy... had such a character!

Surprised, I froze. Lark approached me with big strides and tightly embraced me with his thick arms.

"Urgh!"

He laughed heartily.

"Its been a while! My younger brother! Have you been well?"

"Urgh..."

I was doing fine until moments ago, but now, thanks to your spine-crushing hug, not so much! Let me go! It feels like Im dying!

After a short while, Lark released me from his embrace. I took heavy breaths and checked if my ribs were intact. That jerk! He squeezed me on purpose!

"You seem to be governing this place quite well, Ash."

While I was checking on the health of my spinal erector, Lark casually gestured towards the mansions surroundings.

"I observed the expressions of the citizens on my way here. Everyone seemed happy. I never thought youd have such talent for governance."

"My expression isnt too bright because of your hug..."

"In the Imperial Capital, you only caused problems... but now seeing you again, makes me proud."

"You only brought that up because you wanted to play on words, didnt you?"

In the Imperial Capital, I remember speaking formally to this gentleman, but now our conversation flowed more naturally.

Lets chalk it up to an increased sense of brotherly intimacy.

I guided Lark to a table and took my seat first. Lark sat down across from me.

When Aider served the tea, Lark declined with a wave of his hand and asked,

"Dont you have milk?"

"...Milk?"

Whats with this health-conscious guy... is that why hes so tall?

Aider quickly served a cold glass of milk, which Lark gulped down with satisfaction. I cautiously brought up a topic.

"Did you come alone, brother? I assumed youd bring your subordinates with you."

"All I desire is peace, Ash."

Thud! Setting down his empty glass of milk and wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Lark spoke.

"Peace for this country and the children who will live here... Its my duty to protect it."

Children.

I remembered, this guy was married. He even had three kids.

A flashback of Lark, harmoniously interacting with his wife at the Imperial Capitals party, crossed my mind.

"Ash, youre obviously included in the list of people I need to protect."

"..."

"If I punished you for every mistake you made, would you still be alive?"

I gave a bitter smile.

"So... you thought it would be enough to discipline me alone, and thats why you came by yourself?"

"Youre an adult too. Its not discipline. I came to persuade you."

Its basically the same thing, just different wording.

This powerful knight believed that he alone would be sufficient to persuade me, hence he came alone.

My eyes drifted to the longsword at his waist. If Lark wanted to, he could probably turn this entire mansion upside down with me inside.

"Ill cut to the chase and speak my mind. Hand over Duchess Bringar and her Knights to me."

Lark stated bluntly, fixing his eyes on me.

"Do that, and I will overlook your acts of treachery. Neither Father nor anyone else in the Imperial Family will know of the deeds youve done."

"Treachery, you say..."

"Ash. Right now, our Everblack Empire is fighting enemies on four fronts."

I remember.

The Guardians meeting held in the Imperial Capital. I recall the content vividly.

"The divine front led by Father to fend off the foreign gods in the northern territories. Fernandezs covert front, holding off the underground forces in the center of the Imperial Capital."

"..."

"And my dragon-blooded front, at war with the Bringar Duchy in the west. Lastly, your monster front here, repelling the beasts."

Four destinies threatening the downfall of the empire.

The Emperor and his sons were each fighting on their designated fronts.

"Duchess Bringar is one of the four fates identified to bring down the empire. We must kill her."

"..."

"In order to do that, I personally set fire to the Bringar Duchy, our long-time allies and brother nation. Countless people died. But if we dont capture the Duchess, this war wont end. All those sacrifices will be in vain."

He didnt need to voice the implied So, hand her over.

He had laid out his cards; now, he simply stared at me, waiting for my response. Such a straightforward personality.

A low chuckle escaped my lips, and I smirked.

"And if I cant?"

"Excuse me?"

"If I cant hand over Duchess Bringar to you, what will you do?"

Even after holding a victory celebration in the Imperial Capital, he still hadnt finalized matters, allowing Duchess Bringar to escape.

And here he was, trying to persuade me.

When executing orders, he might be a competent field commander. But as a decisive leader acting on his own volition, he falls short.

In some ways, a true soldier - that was Lark.

And this nature would later become his critical weakness in the war for the throne against Fernandez.

Well, stories of the future can wait.

To my brother, who was naturally inclined towards peace yet encased in a killers instinct, I decided to provide a way out.

Swoosh!

I handed Lark the prepared documents. He accepted them with a puzzled look.

"Whats this?"

"Just read."

With a skeptical look, Lark spread out the contents of the folder. Soon after, his eyes widened in shock.

Of course, this folder contained information Serenade had collected from the Imperial Capital.

In other words - it was a collection of evidence of Fernandezs treason.

Thud!

After quickly scanning the contents, Lark slammed the folder onto the table, snarling menacingly at me.

"This is a lie."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Its... a lie. Why would Fernandez... commit treason? He has no reason!"

"Typical of you, starting by searching for a reason for the treason."

The subversive forces within the Imperial Capital were actually the Aegis Special Forces.

They had secretly installed a human sacrifice magic circle called the Shutdown Protocol in the underground of the Imperial Capital.

Under the guise of eliminating subversive forces, Fernandezs political enemies were being eliminated one by one.

Most of those so-called enemies were nobles who supported Lark.

With so much evidence laid bare, Larks blind faith in Fernandez was all too typical of him.

This indecisive embodiment of a man! Was it because he drank too much milk?

"Lets say, for arguments sake, that its all lies, brother. Even so, shouldnt you go to the Imperial Capital first to verify this information?"

"..."

"If its false, then come back and mete out a suitable punishment to me for defaming your innocent younger brother. But if its true?"

"..."

"You can prevent a crisis in the Imperial Capital in due time. Wouldnt that be far more urgent than dealing with Duchess Bringar?"

Looking down at the folder with trembling eyes, Lark seemed on the edge. I sighed, pushing him further.

"Think about it. If, hypothetically, Fernandez does rebel, who in the Imperial Capital would face the greatest danger?"

"...! Father!"

"Oh, come on, brother. Thats not it. Cant you really see the bigger picture?"

I slowly pointed my forefinger toward Larks chest.

"My beloved sister-in-law and three lovely nieces and nephews..."

Your wife and children.

"Theyre in danger."

Would be the first ones targeted.

I snapped this clueless soldier back to reality.

"...!"

Larks face drained of color. I clicked my tongue.

"The primary reason to kill Duchess Bringar is because of the Dragon Blood, right?"

An almost limitless source of magic power.

The heart of magic left behind by the last dragon. Thats what Dragon Blood is.

The prophecy of annihilation is just a secondary reason. The Imperial Family attacked the Bringar Duchy and tried to kill Duchess Bringar to steal it.

Lark silently nodded in agreement, and I added,

"Lets assume you kill Duchess Bringar and present the Dragon Blood to the Imperial Family. What if Fernandez truly rebels and, in the process, gets his hands on this Dragon Blood?"

"...!"

"Fernandez is a very competent magician. If he acquires the Dragon Blood, the situation becomes irreparable."

Lark was already half-convinced by my words. I smoothly concluded,

"So, Ill detain Duchess Bringar here on the southern front. Better to have this fearsome Dragon Lady under surveillance in the southern front fighting against monsters than to let her escape and scheme somewhere unknown. Its far more... assured and safe from a management perspective, right?"

"..."

"While I keep Duchess Bringar safely detained here, you return to the Imperial Capital and verify the truth of the documents I gave you. How does that sound? As I said earlier, if it turns out to be false, come back, and happily capture both me and the Duchess. Its that simple."

Of course, that wouldnt happen.

Because Fernandezs rebellion is real.

Fernandez has expedited his rebellion.

In that case, to align with the game and tempo Ive experienced before,

Lark, who stands against Fernandez, must also expedite his countermeasures against that rebellion.

Its an inevitable family feud after all.

Now.

Lets accelerate it.

The bloody civil war among members of the Imperial Family.

To exploit everything available for my benefit.