Chapter 68:

Chapter 68:

Chapter 68: When the Embarrassing History is Revealed

Are you not excited about the play, Minister-nim?

Upon seeing Sushias appearance, Ascals eyes widened.

Velvet hat,

Silver necklace,

Pastel blouse,

Half gloves,

Leather bag,

A-line skirt,

Flat shoes.

Her outfit was more elaborate than expected. Even considering the era, Sushias fashion sense was quite good.

It had a refreshing feel that managed both practicality and fashion, not without reason was she a lady of a dukes family.

In contrast,

Black coat,

Black pants ( and belt),

Brown shoes.

Ascal had dressed simply.

Wow. A fashion terrorist.

I prioritized practicality.

Shall I help you with your outfit later?

With that, Sushia took a step closer. She seemed to have sprayed a light perfume; a pleasant scent wafted around her.

Ascal said,

If Im still in the empire later on.

Ascal felt a confusion within himself as he said this.

By now, wasnt it okay not to escape from this damned empire?

To be honest, a lot has changed up until now.Lia becoming a tyrant seems unlikely. The Empire is at peace.

Wouldnt the Crown Prince naturally become the Emperor anyway?

Thinking so would be a grave mistake.

The Empire still harbors two calamities.

And the second of these is a disaster of volcanic eruption magnitude, a natural catastrophe too formidable for any one person to tackle.

To put it bluntly, its like those dragons from Western fantasy novels waking up from their slumber in the Empires territory.

Enraged at humans for establishing a nation within its domain, the dragon unleashes its fury, spewing breaths of fire in a wild rampage.

Fortunately, the Empire manages somehow to subdue the dragon, but not without suffering damage comparable to losing an arm and sustaining second-degree burns all over the body.

The Emperor and his treacherous advisors.

Airship crash.

Declared a public enemy by the holy nation.

Rebels beginning to stir.

The dragons active period.

Theres no easy solution.

Yulia Barba, what battles have you been fighting?

Still, the situation has improved.

The Crown Prince governs the nation.

No airships have crashed.

The holy nation has fallen.

The rebels have become the leaders of tomorrow.

If only they could handle the dragon, wouldnt everything be alright?

Breathe, dodge the breath...

Walking down the street, Sushia looks at Ascal as if hes lost his mind.

Minister-nim, could you please keep your distance just a tad?

......

Soon, they arrived at the theater.

The Golden Theater, located in the heart of the Empires bustling district, was opulent at first glance.

Ascal hesitated.

Despite years of noble life believed to have diluted it, the soul of a commoner etched into his instincts hesitated to enter such a place.

Minister-nim, not that way.

Isnt this the entrance?

Haha, this is why its troublesome. Thats the thing with country folks. We go this way. Theres a separate entrance for VIPs.

The lights came back on one by one, accompanied by sound.

And then, an actor appeared.

The first to come out was a man with black hair, wearing a black coat and a half-mask. The audience, who had been holding their breath, let out a small gasp of awe.

It feels strangely familiar.

Under the light, the man began a soliloquy.

Oh, endless darkness. Soothe the whirlwind deep within my heart.

This is going to be tough.

The dialogues of plays from this era tend to be overly embellished and cringeworthy.

But it seems to resonate well with people of this era.

Ascal glanced at Sushia, who appeared utterly engrossed, unable to take her eyes off the play.

The light of greed, this vile and despicable holy nation disturbs my heart. I can no longer stand by and watch the wicked deeds of those pretending to be holy.

He can no longer stand by and watch these cringe-worthy lines.

Ascal squirmed in discomfort.

Regardless, the lead actor continued with his lines.

Darkness. Within your black embrace, I find the truth, and that truth is the unveiled hypocrisy of the vile holy nation. Night, conceal my path. I, the Prince of Night, shall punish the false holy nation!

Ascals eyes widened.

Why is the Prince of Night here?

Wow. Impressive. The Prince of Night... I wonder what he looks like in real life.

Ignoring Sushias raving next to him, Ascal recalled the lines.

The Prince of Night punishing the holy nation.

This was clearly a story about him. Although far from the truth.

But how could this alias be known to anyone? Only a very few are aware of it.

Even the details of the costume are exactly the same.

No, rather, theirs might be even better.

As if they had seen it in person, right beside him.

My knights, reveal yourselves!

Under the command of the Prince of Night, knights began to appear one by one.

A cat-like creature in black attire knelt on one knee.

At your command, anytime. The blade of the Nights Assassin is solely for you.

Its a familiar scene.

Laika? No, its similar but a different person.

And then, the knights knelt in succession.

I, the Nights Sentinel...

That actor was imitating Devon.

I, the Nights Staff...

That was Kains likeness.

Ascal grew serious.

Even if the concept of portrait rights doesnt exist in this era, is it really okay to just use the Evaluation Departments staff like this?

And whats with the name Knights of the Night? It sounds like something a grade-schooler could come up with, yet somehow it could be better.

So cool...'Lets ignore Sushia.'

I need to find the leak.

As a highlight, the final actor makes an appearance.

Clip-clop.

All eyes are focused.

Minister-nim, that actress is the hottest star right now. Her acting, voice, looks, everything is perfect! And to think she started from obscurity and went through so much hardship.

Be quiet.

Finally, the last member of the Knights of the Night appeared.

She said,

Beside the Prince of Night, there always stands the Princess of the Night.

It was Serena Barba, the Empires second princess.

It was you...

Sushia shed tears of emotion.

Indeed, its Seri Lavione. Im so moved, tears are coming out.

Me too, tears are coming out...

Out of embarrassment.

[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: /OracleTls]