Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Hi, please check out this patreon link 21 chapters per week and up to 40 additional chapters!!

Chapter 198

There were a total of ten individuals who held the surname ‘La Orr’ in the Orr Empire, excluding Kishiar. Enon had told him that six among them had emerged over the past 300 years. None of them, apart from Kishiar, had shown themselves much to the world before their death, and only a few portraits of them remained. The first thought that crossed his mind upon hearing this was, what?

In truth, he had committed the sacrilege of wondering if there was something wrong with the imperial bloodline.

"Do you guess what I mean? To put it exactly, this is an old problem related to 'blood'."

And now, his sacrilegious speculation had become reality, straight from his own mouth.

"Yuder, how much do you know about the First Emperor who founded the Orr Empire?"

"He was born with the blood of the Sun God, received blessings as such, was the greatest swordmaster in history, and was friends with countless heroes..."

As Yuder began to recite in a low voice the explanation he heard every Founding Day about the First Emperor, Kishiar cut him off in the middle. "That's right. Everyone knows that story," he interjected.

"The Emperor could use divine power and sword aura. And the Empress was a mage. They had five children, four of whom became the ancestors of the current four Duke houses. In other words, they all share the same origin."

Kishiar continued calmly with his explanation.

The Imperial family and the four duke houses, both sprung from the same parents as siblings, originally didn't intermarry. However, as generations passed, the situation gradually changed.

Who first felt the need to break the taboo and extend a hand was now impossible to know. The important thing was that one of the best ways to achieve political objectives, then and now, was through marriage.

Human greed revived the fading bloodline. Then something surprising happened. It was revealed that the likelihood of children displaying strong traits of the superior bloodline, which had been gradually fading, was higher when descendants sharing the blood of the First Emperor intermarried.

Feeling the need to preserve the constant 'blood of the god' for governance, the Imperial family began to continuously marry within the four duke houses. What started out of necessity soon became a tradition, which exerted an influence stronger than law.

Even during times of bad relations between the Imperial family and the Dukes, the Emperor's spouse was always chosen from within this circle. For the Duke family, producing the Emperor's spouse was also the best way to maintain their power. The Duke's family had more freedom to marry other noble families, but they often chose to marry within the four Duke houses.

And the bloodline, having grown excessively pure, began to change gradually as time went by.

"Desiring the blood of the god even against natural law, we started to breed monsters."

At the word "monsters" casually thrown out, a sarcastic smile appeared at the corners of Kishiar's mouth.

"About 800 years ago, a certain Crown Prince, who was born with excellent abilities, died just before his coronation. History records it as a tragic explosion accident that occurred in the Imperial Mage's office, but in reality, his vessel, unable to withstand his overly inflated abilities, shattered all at once. It was a horrifying death, with his physical body bursting and no remains to be found."

The Imperial family was taken aback when they discovered the cause not long after. But they agreed that they could not abandon the effort to preserve the blood of God. Fortunately, there were no more unfortunate cases of individuals who were born with too powerful abilities for their bodies to handle and consequently died for a long time.

Every hundred years or so, when such individuals appeared, the Imperial family would hurriedly strip them of their legitimate inheritance rights and send them far away after awarding them the empty title of Duke. The first 'La Orr' surname was a grand gift an Emperor gave to his beloved but power-hungry Prince. However, this changed afterward.

The individuals banished did not even have the chance to mourn their lost power and family before their vessels began to crack, all suffering in agony until they all died before they reached the age of thirty. It was a horrifying death, when the life force was drained to its limit and the remaining power in the body exploded once the limit was reached.

"They must have realized they could not leave them in the palace or anywhere visible, even knowing they were going to die in that manner. For safety reasons."

"Shouldn't you be saying that to other people, not me?"

As he turned his gaze and responded, a languid reply came back.

"Other people? Who are you talking about?"

Whoever it was, he just wished that he wasn't the only one who heard Kishiar's words about being a charming existence. Kishiar laughed softly, looking at the silent Yuder.

"It's sad that my sincerity doesn't get across when all I want and think about now is you."

"...Isn't it because of the effects of the second gender manifestation that you're thinking this way, like you mentioned before?"

"I've thought about that issue. If it were, this conversation would have taken place in bed by now."

So, it meant that this was a continuation of completely natural feelings that had been ongoing since before. Kishiar, who made such a tremendous remark as if it was nothing, sent a smirk toward Yuder, who had closed his mouth.

"I've always liked you from the beginning. Isn't that right?"

"..."

"As an assistant who's so cold yet charming, I, a Commander whose only merit is his face, ought to at least be honest."

"What I said back then was a slip of the tongue."

"A slip of the tongue, you say. Does that mean you think I'm not good-looking?"

"Why are you twisting the story? That's not what I meant."

"This is disappointing. Who else could one think handsome if not me? Could it be the living rose of our group, Gakane Bolunwald? Or maybe that pharmacist from the medical division who seems to be quite friendly with you? Either way, it's really going to hurt my pride. Answer carefully."

He had heard of this Enon before, but what on earth was this new, unheard-of nickname for Gakane? The more they conversed, the more he felt like he was being swallowed by a large snake, but he had no choice. Gritting his teeth, Yuder lowered his head and mustered the strength to spit out his words.

"I think you're handsome. But..."

"Who?"

"...You, Commander."

Read up to for just 10$ on /al_squad

[Select the $10/month plan or the Foundation Establishment tier to access the chapters]

Hi, if you like the story, please rate and review this novel on novelupdates. Thanks!

Check out the latest chapter 418 in /al_squad [Patreon members can access ad-free chapters, up to 21 chapters per week and up to 40 additional chapters!!]

Support us on Patreon for ad-free content, up to 21 chapters per week and up to 40 additional chapters!