Chapter 68: Impact

Chapter 68: Impact

Razel: No one dares to make fun of my harem.

Rudel: Making a girl cry is unforgivable!

Ixion: Says the man who always makes them cry...

It was evening and an engagement party was being held in one of the great halls reserved only for the imperial family.

"It is a great honor for me to officially announce the engagement between Larry the 77th prince and Cleo, the youngest daughter of the Beinz family."

"Give them a big round of applause for this beautiful couple."

Everyone present was divided into relatives of the bride and relatives of the imperial family, meaning princes and princesses.

The total number of guests was more than 500, where 300 of them were the total number of sons and daughters of the emperor.

From the youngest prince and the princess with the lowest status among their brothers and sisters.

This was a mandatory event in which they had to attend.

One of the guests was Blake, who by order of rank in the line of succession they were to go and greet the couple.

"Congratulations Larry, I'm sure you will have a good future."

"Thank you very much Blake nii-sama."

"You too Cleo, welcome to the imperial family."

"Your words are appreciated, Blake nii-sama."

It was a formality the greeting, so only the individuals recognized whether it was false or true their honest wishes.

When Blake finished greeting, a person behind him called out to him.

"Blake nii-sama, please wait a moment."

That person was Cid, who quickly finished his greetings.

"What do you want from me, Cid?"

Blake was looking at Cid in a threatening manner, but that was normally how his gaze was, so Cid could recognize whether or not it was hostile.

"Brother please desist from your statement against the Rosenbergs."

Blake didn't even close his eyes or sigh because of the request he had predicted.

"No."

"Brother please! Razel and Elize are my friends, I've known them since the beginning of school and I know they're not bad people."

"You know what happened to their family from years ago and I'm sure you researched Razel's family background, none of them plan anything bad against the empire or you."

"Cid... there's no turning back."

"But brother!"

"Cid, the evidence is on our side. The Rosenbergs have not only raised their hand against the imperial family by attacking me. They have shown hints of rebellion."

"But brother!"

"No buts, this discussion is over."

Blake walked out of the room so as not to be disturbed.

Watching his brother leave, and helpless, Cid squeezed hard and cursed his situation.

"If I had better social skills, maybe I could convince him..."

"Even if you did, you wouldn't have accomplished anything, Blake will always be willful and stubborn in front of others."

Cid turned to see who told him that, he was surprised to see who it was.

"I am surprised that you would say that, Regulux."

Prince Regulux finished greeting his brother.

The other princes and princesses went to greet then for the bride's family to come.

Regulux and Cid went to sit at a nearby table.

"You tried to convince Blake? Precisely you?"

"Why do you say that like it's the weirdest thing in the world, huh?"

"Because it's weird that after what you did months ago you're now coming to the defense of the Rosenbergs.

Regulux's mouth twisted into a knot.

(That was since I was an idiot back then. I'm really sorry for ruining everything.)

"I was a fool back then, I'm sorry for what I did."

Cid looked a little doubtfully at his brother, but then said.

"I was a little doubtful about Razel and Elize's kindness too, but then I understood that I was very distrustful."

"Let's say I believe you for now, can't you think of anything?"

"Sorry, but no, I told Sirius if he can convince him, but he's out chatting with the others so we can only wait."

Cid remembered something, he didn't want to tell Regulux, but seeing that he showed remorse for his actions he told him.

"Hey, I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but I'll tell you."

"Livie's been looking for you ever since she found out you came."

Regulux's worried expression slowly faded to one of panic and cold sweat.

"L-L-Livie you say?!"

"She's here!!?"

Regulux stood up as he looked from side to side.

"I must run away before she kills me dues Elize!"

"Do it!"

Regulux ran out of the place.

On one of the balconies of the palace, the party was still going on, Blake was with his arms resting on a railing.

He was looking up at the moon in the starry sky.

He enjoyed that as it was all he could do on the day his mother became seriously ill.

The former Empress Annabel was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, Blake inherited those features.

As a child, both, he and his older brother spent time playing with her in the palace garden.

His greatest childhood memory had to do with his mother.

While Sirius caught bugs, Blake rested on his mother's lap.

His mother always told him the same thing.

"You are a very aware child for a very little boy, I'm sure you will do great things one day. I hope you can support your big brother."

"Yes! I'll show you that I'll help Sirius nii-sama improve the country! Okaa-sama will be proud of us!"

His mother smiled at him despite coughing.

One day, she simply fell into bed, and after a while, the same way. The empress passed away.

It devastated Blake so much that he realized her died because she was weak-bodied.

(If my mother's body was strong. She would still be alive, but she was not.)

(That's why I understood that day that weakness is an enemy. If I had the same kind of body, I would have died because even the best healers in the empire could not heal her.)

(Throughout my education in the palace I was able to learn what the reality of society and managing a country is like. That is why I am sure that someone as kind and clueless as my older brother is not worthy of being emperor.)

Being so focused he couldn't hear someone's footsteps.

"Nice night isn't it, Blake-kun."

"Sirius nii-sama..."

Blake's sharp gaze was directed at a very handsome young man, his long blond hair reached to his hips and his red eyes gave him a friendly feeling.

Crown Prince Sirius came to visit him.

He walked over and rested his back against the railing.

"It's nice to have quiet in this place."

"Says the one who takes naps all day."

"Hahaha, it's just that it's really nice to take breaks, you should take one."

"No thanks, I'm working hard for my future."

Blake felt a slight displeasure at that tone, then became angrier when Razel said...

"If we lose, only if we lose, not only will Rosenberg Household and its territory be yours, I will kill myself for offending a spoiled little prince."

"... You're a haughty brat, aren't you?"

"At least I'm not an idiot who is manipulated by that bald guy, by the way..."

Razel declared in front of everyone present that the prince was a puppet, but the next thing he did was just as worse.

He grabbed the glass of water that was on Olgren's side and then poured it on his head.

"I'm sorry, but this is intentional."

"So you can learn not to want to make fun of my girl"

Razel flashed a slight smile, which had a hidden message.

"Only crows should be the only vermin targeting beautiful girls, not weird, bald old men."

Olgren's eyes widened like plates, and he muttered as several veins bulged on his forehead.

"You fucking brat! Did you!?"

Razel turned around and grabbed Eli and Barbara's hand to get the hell out of there.

Glenn was behind them.

Blake's face was one of irritation while Olgren's was red as hell.

(... Does that little bastard even know it?)

(No. He can't. If so he should be part of us and in an important position, there's no way he knows... unless...)

"Well, have you thought about what you did?"

"Yes. I apologize."

When we left the conference, Eli didn't say anything, but when we got home.

"Razel you're stupiiiiiiiiiiiiid!"

He punched me hard like those comedy animes where you go flying.

Which happened and I crashed into the wall.

"Do you know what you did!!!?"

"You were definitely cool and awesome how you stood up for me and declared in front of everyone that you would defeat them, but it was still very stupid and manly, but stupid!"

"You make me fall more in love with you, but you were so stupiiiiiiiiiiid!"

Eli was upset about what I did.

To all this, even I was surprised.

I never thought in my life to do that, but I did it now. Won't this be a thing of what Astraea did to me?

I feel like I could rule the world if I told Amy, my lover, the former witch of calamity, to take over the palace.

An epic fight between Amy and the sword saints would happen, but I don't want to. That's being a traitor.

I rethought what I said as they put restraining spells on my body.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no use being sorry."

"I'm really sorry."

"... Just because you make that face, doesn't mean I forgive you. Hmph!"

Eli started behaving like a spoiled rich girl, or a tsundere.

She placed her arms under her large breasts and puffed out her cheeks as she looked away.

I apologized more and more and she turned away.

She kept saying "Hmph." Every time I asked for forgiveness.

I used my secret weapon.

"I guess I'll go sleep at my parents' house since I messed up."

"...!"

Eli quickly turned around and grabbed my hand.

"I-It's not like you made me feel guilty for what you said. I-I just think you're overreacting, you deserved punishment and you got it."

"Yeah, I learned my lesson, I'm sorry."

"Good, now let's go eat and get some rest so tomorrow we can start getting everything ready."

(Eli I'm sorry, but you get swayed by your emotions, still, you're very cute.)

With that thought, I went to shower and then eat.

At Olgren's mansion, he was sitting in his armchair in his sitting room while drinking a glass of aged wine.

It was a very expensive and old wine, a collector's rarity, but that didn't matter now.

Olgren picked it up and threw it against the floor.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!"

"That fucking braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

The veins in his forehead seemed to want to burst.

"Not only did he dare to humiliate me, he also confessed to me that he knew I manipulated the idiot prince and furthermore that I'm part of the crows!"

Olgren's teeth gnashed loudly and began to bleed due to his anger.

"If the leader ever finds out that someone discovered my identity, he'll kill me without even explaining anything!"

"I don't know how he found out, but this is not good. No, wait a minute."

Olgren stopped being angry and then thought of something.

"Come to think of it, wasn't it that boy who first reported Licht?"

"He was also the one who described him, and how he dressed."

Sweat beaded on Olgren's forehead.

"If I'm not mistaken, he and the third prince fought that huge monster we brought in years ago but he was asleep and we could never use magic to brainwash it."

Apparently it was Olgren who was responsible for bringing Xerxes from the demon continent to the empire. This was never revealed to be part of the event.

"Also, the day we attacked the academy it was Licht who was there, there was no way he knew that since we thought of it at the last minute."

"He was also present in the lawless city with the third prince..."

Sweat dripped more and more from his forehead.

"... The Lautreamont war had a winner which we never foresaw, where that boy defeated a dark knight..."

Olgren stood up.

"No kidding!"

And he revealed something very important.

"That kid!"

Which was wrong.

"Does he know who Licht is!?"

"Everything involving him has to do with him! There's no other solution, he knows Licht!"

Olgren was wrong, if he had thought it through better, he would have deduced that Razel was Licht.

"... That explains that confidence, he plans to tell Licht about us so he'll come kill us, the bastard is very cunning."

"I should inform the leader, but he said not to call him unless it's to tell him the Rosenbergs' heads are cut off."

Olgren bit his thumb as he paced in circles in his break room.

"I must eliminate him before he tells Litch to assassinate us. Yes, I must be the one to move the chips."

"Gorororo, you won't get away with this you snotty little shit."

"Making a mockery of me, the last right hand of the leader of the black crows will cost you dearly."

"Gororo! Gororo!"

Olgren laughed like a madman as he looked at the sky, then went to the phone to make a call.

On that night, a call was made with only one goal.