CH 72

Even if the Imperial Palace Knights interfered, Giel was no ordinary knight. In the past, he never defiantly challenged Leonis.

Michael’s knights obstructed Giel with impressive force, but Giel’s force as he removed his sword from the fallen soldier’s waist was terrifying.

“S-Stop!”

Michael flinched and turned his back.

It appeared as though his head had become white. After tonight, the Duke of Cardian will go on the rampage, and Phil will fall to the abyss for the charges he has committed and the accusations he has leveled against him.

Giel could easily be pushed away, so he thought the throne belonged to him!

‘What’s wrong with Giel?’

However, the knights who swore allegiance to Michael could not compete with Giel. Giel hurried to Michael with a terrible fury as two escort knights fell to the ground bleeding.

Michael was taken away by the servants as they screamed. The third prince would kill the prince they were serving if they continued this way, which was disrespectful to their superiors.

“Your Highness, you must run!”

‘That crazy bastard!’

He thought Giel was stupid, but he wasn’t sure where he had heard that. Michael turned pale and ran away, flapping the hem of his robe.

While some of Giel’s servants ran from the First Imperial Palace to summon the emperor, the soldiers rushed at Giel. Michael was irrationally furious.

“Why the hell! Why is this happening?”

✦ ✦ ✦

Phil was going off on the soldiers and yelling and screaming. However princely he was, it was not obvious that the Duchess of Cardian had fled.

The Duchess of Cardian was abducted, and only a portion of the Second Imperial Palace knew it. Phil is, therefore, alarmed to learn that his slave has escaped.

“Why haven’t you found it yet!”

“No mouse can exit since the entry is fully blocked! Prince, you must first cure to your wounds.”

The servant brought a chair, and Phil sat on it while gritting his teeth. He had barely managed to stop the bleeding from the incision on his head, but blood started gushing anew, perhaps because of his anger.

Unlike usual, the prince did not use his powers, so the servant called a healer. It was because it was already midnight, and he couldn’t call the priest.

The healer looked at Phil and approached him.

Phil’s ability wasn’t powerful, but it appeared distinct from the healer’s unique ability, so he became irritated when the healer used it.

The sight of the prince, who quickly turned his head and glared at him, made the healer flinch.

“Blood is flowing again from the wound on the head, Your Highness. Please let me treat to the wound!”

As the servant spoke solemnly, Phil averted his head and pretended he was unaware. The healer caressed the prince’s hair as he slowly approached his back.

‘Shit!’

Unlike in the past, he was not uneasy with the healer’s power. That indicates that the imperial family’s power has entirely vanished from his body.

The moment Phil looked at the healer and erupted in rage, the healer swiftly let go of his hand. Even though the wound is still not fully healed, the bleeding has stopped, and the wound has partially healed.

The servant beckoned him to leave and not to continue.

The healer promptly bent his head and got up from his chair.

Phil shook his head and expressed his discomfort by turning his head away.

‘How could such a thing be possible! What kind of trick did you do!’

Even though losing his power was a problem, it was even worse if the fact was found out.

Fortunately, he had poor healing powers; even if he used them, he would still need to see a healer or a priest.  So, even though the emperor inflicted physical harm on himself, he chose not to look for Phil.

‘If I act as if I don’t know, it won’t be obvious that I lost my power.’

Except when it was for his personal benefit, it was impolite and shortsighted, but Phil understood it was risky if it was discovered he had lost his power.

Many people harbored resentment toward him.

The emperor was watching after Michael, knowing that if he couldn’t prove his power at some point, he’d have to hand over the emperor’s seat to Phil. As a result, many powerful nobles fell into the abyss, and many families ignored the harm done to their wives or daughters.

If the emperor had discovered that Phil had lost his ability, he could have lost all his positions and been ruined.

‘That cannot happen! The emperor’s seat is mine!’

Fortunately, his ability was ‘healing.’ This ability could be manipulated by buying a healer or a priest.

‘That’s right! Find that bastard……I’m going to take away his powers!’

Phil frowned and clenched his fists like a beast trying to find a way out. A scream came from somewhere as he thought about the healers he knew.

Phil was puzzled by the uproar because the scream was not Celia’s. Phil noticed the servant, who quickly approached the soldier beside him.

“Find out what’s going on.”

The soldier bowed his head and ran toward the scream. However, as soon as he vanished down the corridor, another scream could be heard. It belonged to the soldier they had dispatched earlier.

“W-What happened?”

Phil rose from his seat in an unexpected setting.

Three men were entering the hallway. Because the Second Imperial Palace was built entirely of pure white marble, its appearance was more unfamiliar.

His face was hidden behind a black mask, and he was dressed in a black cloak with a hood over his head. He could see brown hair that looked fake on his hood as if it were a wig.

Phil turned pale when he saw how heavily armed they were. Of course, these were not the escort knights of the 2nd Imperial Palace, and none of the Imperial Palace knights were armed like that.

“W-Who are you?”

The servants froze and surrounded Phil. The remaining escort knights and soldiers charged in, but the man in the lead and the other two knights were outmatched.

The man in front handed them over to the two knights and approached Phil. Except for a few, the servants trembled and began to flee when they saw him.

“A-Assassins!”

Phil was enraged when he saw them screaming and leaving.

“These guys! Where are you going? Protect me! Gasp!”

Phil was now alone with his only servant, Samuel. He wanted to flee, leaving the prince alone, but Phil grabbed his arm and pulled Samuel back.

Phil swallowed dry saliva and used Samuel as a shield. After stretching, he looked back to ensure no other knights or soldiers were approaching.

“Where is the Duchess of Cardian?”

“Heok! Heok…..Keugh……A-After all this……your guy…..cut this off!”

Leonis did not wait for Phil’s response as he swiveled his head in lunacy. Tears ran down his face like a cold sweat as he broke Phil’s right leg.

“Ugh… you crazy…….”

“Where is the Duchess of Cardian?”

The constant interrogation in his altered voice made Phil shake in anguish and rage.

“I, I don’t know! She must be showing her legs to any male she encounters because she put rose dew in my drink. Even searching for a girl who is so filthy… Argh!”

Leonis’ patience had its limits. Leonis had severed Phil’s right arm, and he shouted and became furious.

“Argh! It hurts! My arm! My arm! Samuel! Call the High Priest!”

A high priest named Hellion was in the temple of Nedesmer’s celestial god. The high priest not only could reattach the amputated limb but also regenerated it.

When Leonis shoved Phil, he couldn’t stand the pain and passed out. Leonis walked on the side of his arm that had been amputated as he appeared to pass out.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“I will give you five minutes.”

It was after Zeppel, and another knight had organized the nearby escort knights and soldiers. Leonis saw Samuel in the bloody hallway.

“The Duchess of Cardian must be brought in without any injury even a hair. Otherwise, I will cut off the prince’s right leg next time.”

Samuel sprinted away, promising to return with a pensive expression. The emperor would need to be contacted, but Leonis believed he could not do so.

‘Only when Nicole did it right……’

But he trusted him. Nicole had never disappointed Leonis.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Giel is drunk and making a fuss?”

Emperor Orkan, who was called while sleeping, was not in a good mood. He was always displeased with his third prince, Giel. Giel acted worse than Phil, yet he was too ordinary to be the evil emperor.

When Giel became emperor, he believed that either his aides would trick him and cause him to devour the empire or he would turn into a scarecrow monarch.

So, he joined a wise princess who could support Giel as her mate, but he was imbibing without winning her love.

If there was one thing about Giel that Orkan liked, it was his swordsmanship. One of the things that made the right-hand man proud of Giel was his skill with a sword.

Of course, it was before his drinking habit.

“That idiot!”

It was only reasonable that the First Imperial Palace’s knights could not defeat the adversary if it were Giel. Giel can’t even be hurt; until then, he’s an uncontrollable opponent.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Another servant stumbled in front of the emperor after becoming pensive. Orkan, perched on the edge of the bed, stood out and questioned what else might be happening.

“What are you doing again?”

He worried about the word once more, but the task he brought was more pressing.

“Your Majesty! Come to the Second Imperial Palace! The Duke of Cardian is trying to kill His Highness Phil!”

He questioned what kind of folly this was. If the Duke of Cardian decided to leave today in his official manner, then he did so. He was currently within the Duchy of Cardian after traveling there via a teleportation magic circle outside the capital.

“Why are you spouting such nonsense? The Duke of Cardian has already……”

“Your Majesty!”

Orkan’s head throbbed as another messenger came running. He wondered what all the hubbub was about.