章節 512: CHAPTER 671
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
'Seven.'
Despite the various tragedies that had occurred, Dante had rapidly gained absolute power in the empire over the past three years.
Usually, power gained so quickly is precarious.
However, with only seven traitors, it was a testament to how well Dante and his advisor, Kashmir, had been doing.
Euria handed Dante a diagram of the traitors' locations that had been previously drawn.
'Three 10th grade officials, three 7th grade officials, and one 5th grade official?'
Jin also glanced at the traitors' positions out of the corner of his eye.
'They're too insignificant to be recruited to assassinate the regent of the empire.'
At first glance, they were all people who didn't even have a trace of political power or remarkable abilities. They were just ordinary officials.
Dante also had the same question. He couldn't think of anything these officials could do to assassinate him.
However, outward status and abilities can change at any time. Zephyrin had proven that, and the power of a prophet's chaos control could transform people into different forms.
"Well, I believe you're all too busy to even consider betrayal."
At those words, quite a few of his servants spit out swearing in their hearts, saying, "What the fuck is this?", but those who lied were not included.
Silence ensued. Even when Euria was verifying the liars, the room was silent for almost ten minutes, and the officials couldn't figure out why Dante was acting this way.
Then, after a long period of contemplation, Dante eventually turned his head towards Jin and gestured for him to come closer.
'What?'
'I knew those seven could be traitors, but what's the best way to ask the next question?'
'How did you become so stupid in my absence? You are asking that question now.'
'I've always had a somewhat dense side to me.'
'I should have properly organized the question list for you beforehand. You don't need to worry, Dante. Ask if there's someone who passed information to Runcandel. That way, you'll find out whether they have only had a change of heart or have truly betrayed you.'
'Oh, I see.'
Dante cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Since there aren't many questions left, you must understand my eccentric behavior."
"No, it's not!"
"No, it's not!"
Euria thought about listing the liars as well, but stopped because there were too many of them.
"Among those here, has anyone informed the Garden of Swords about me or the Empire?"
Of course, the answer was no. However, the seven who were first highlighted by the power of truth were telling lies again.
Jin soon found out why the Garden of Swords had enlisted such ordinary people as its helpers.
'The entry to the imperial castle. If the Prophet didn't endow them with special abilities, it means that they only need entry in the Imperial castle.'
The reason for the need to go in and out of the imperial castle was obvious. The internal structure.
The Vermont Imperial Castle was the largest external building in the world and had the most complex internal structure. Particularly secret areas such as the emperor's residence or underground passageways were unknown to most other powerful forces.
'Even the seven traitors who have been identified as low-level and mid-level operatives cannot know all those secret areas.'
It is only natural that the forces such as Runcandel, Zipfel, and Nameless could not find out even after planting numerous spies in the imperial family for a long time. In addition, the location of the secret areas of the imperial family changed irregularly.
So why them?
Jin made an assumption.
'The tunnel that the prophet made in the past Sota Desert...… What if she needs the help of an imperial servant to make it? She might need a rough idea of the internal structure of the palace, if not a very detailed one.'
Even with that assumption, there were still questions.
Dante has been out on missions alone in the contaminated area many times, so such a moment would be more appropriate if he was assassinated.
'I can gradually find out why she chose the imperial castle instead when he was on a solo mission.'
First, he needed to confirm what information they had provided and whether his assumptions were correct.
'Jin.'
'Finally, ask if any of the gathered subordinates have received chaos or other special abilities.'
Dante nodded.
"Final question. Among the subordinates gathered here, has anyone been bestowed with chaos or other special abilities?"
"No!"
Not a single person lied this time.
That meant even if they captured them immediately, there would be no other casualties.
'Detain those individuals.'
As Jin whispered, Dante revealed the anger he had been suppressing.
"Hairan!"
"Your orders, lord patriarch!"
"Capture Kima wrights, Julian wrights, Edmond Kell, Deva Roskela, Bernard Qian, Killane Knash, Ata Boin immediately."
Hairan's elite who attended the meeting arrested them before even 15 seconds had passed.
The subordinates were shocked by the sudden turn of events.
They had been summoned out of nowhere and now they were being intimidated by these thugs.
Or some even thought that Dante had finally vented his vengeance for Ron and turned into a tyrant.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?"
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this to us?"
"I will tell you my truth so that other subordinates do not misunderstand. The person standing behind me is the princess of the Free Nation Tikan and a contractor of Azmil."
"Ah...!"
Everyone exclaimed. If the girl in disguise is Euria Alfrion, then the identity of the man who was exchanging whispers with the regent was obvious.
There was no reason to hide his identity anymore.
"We are from Vamel Alliance, Jin Runcandel. Our alliance informants have discovered that the imperial family has betrayed Zipfel and sided with the Garden of Swords. Therefore, it was urgently needed to find out if there were any people in the Empire who were in contact with the Garden of Swords."
The imprisoned traitors knelt before Dante. Dante immediately covered Euria's eyes as he drew his sword, and struck one of the men's necks.
Thick, pouring blood quickly stained the golden floor.
"Hee, hee."
"Oh, it's a misunderstanding. I didn't betray."
"Shut your mouth. The one who died painlessly earlier was just lucky. You guys are unlucky."
The traitors trembled and looked around. Not only Dante and Jin's party, but even the servants who had anger and hatred for the terrible overwork under the Regent were staring at them as if they were going to kill them.
Even if they didn't like Dante, it was true that all the servants gathered here were dedicating their lives for the empire.
Everyone felt a great sense of pride that the imperial capital was in such good condition in this chaotic era, and they thought there was no other way than Dante's way for empire.
But those traitors were trying to ruin it all.
"If you want to save yourself even a little bit of bad luck, it's best to answer my questions very truthfully in detail from now on."
As Dante gestured, the attendants quickly handled the corpses and wiped the blood. Euria, who opened her eyes again, saw that there were only six people left, and thought that Dante had unexpectedly brutal power.
"First of all, what was promised by the Garden of Swords?"
Jin had expected it to be eternal life, as foolish people like the Barton and Seygalga's elders had said in the past.
"... survival."
One of the traitors met Dante's eyes. He had the most calm eyes among the remaining six. He was determined that such a day could come someday.
"Survival?"
"Your Majesty...we have personally met with Madame Rosa. To be precise, it was a meeting through some kind of crystal ball, but we were able to see the power that Runcandel possesses through a conversation with her. She said she would destroy everything in the world except for Huphester."
"So, you betrayed the empire to go under Rosa's wing and live a petty life, is that it?"
"If you truly care about the Empire, you must surrender to Madame Rosa even now. I may be a traitor, but this is the only advice I can give you."
According to Euria, the traitors, including him, sincerely thought so. Not only the empire, but the whole world would be powerless against Rosa.
"I won't blame your weak choices. So you should accept the punishment that will come to you in the future."
"...You intend to annihilate our entire family."
"Everything in your family will be erased from this world. But if you confess the information you provided to Rosa, I will spare the innocent children and servants."
Euria showed a blue string, revealing that Dante's words were true. The traitor who was talking to Dante lowered his head.
"There is not much information that low-ranking subjects like us can know, Your Majesty. The information we provided to Rosa was the entire structure of the palace, as promised."
At that point, Jin recalled the Prophet's Tunnel once again.
"Did they explain what they would do with that information?"
"No, they did not."
It was the truth. As Jin expected, they had no information that could be passed on to Runecandel other than the rough structure of the palace.
In fact, Rosa didn't ask them for any other information.
"I'll keep my promise. Take them away."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching the traitors being dragged away, all of the servants were wearing distorted faces. Their anger was directed at Rosa and the Garden of Swords, not at Dante.
Jin stepped forward.
"The prophet in the Garden of Swords has the ability to create special tunnels. It is highly likely that they asked traitors about the internal structure for the purpose of making it. Maybe they didn't just try to assassinate the regent, they might have tried to invade the imperial castle through the tunnel."
Therefore, their next task was to confirm whether tunnels had already been formed inside the palace.
Dante had already thought of a way to do that.
"We'll destroy the entire palace to find out. Since it's full of the symbols of the lost imperial family anyway, there's nothing to regret. We'll start immediately, so prepare yourselves."
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
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babayaga01
babayaga01 You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
章節 513: CHAPTER 672
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
As soon as Dante gave his order, the faces of his subordinates turned pale. They had never seen Dante break a promise before.
"Your Majesty, are you serious about destroying the palace?"
"Right now?"
They spoke cautiously, their mouths barely moving under the weight of the situation.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"The palace has been a symbol of the empire for thousands of years! It cannot be destroyed so easily!"
"Your Majesty, although many of the main pillars of the Vermont family betrayed the Empire, this Imperial Castle belongs to the Empire, not the Imperial Family."
"To the Empire..."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"Even if this doesn't happen now, I've been thinking about downsizing the palace. How many people and resources are wasted on maintaining this grand golden palace?"
"Your Majesty, we trust that you listen to Sir Jin's advice. But isn't this decision too hasty?"
"If we wait until our suspicions are confirmed, it will be too late. What if a legion of chaos emerges from an unknown tunnel and assassins start pouring out? How will we cope then?"
"But...!"
"Enough! I have no intention of reversing my decision. You subordinates should accept it. If I have to break this insignificant palace to ensure the safety of the empire, I will do so, no matter how many times."
Dante's sharp voice silenced his subordinates. If they said one more word, there would undoubtedly be consequences.
Jin thought Dante's imperial demeanor was still impressive, and he believed this decision was a hundred percent correct.
However, he also thought that if he stepped forward, the situation would be even better.
'Maybe Dante doesn't know this, but all of them are deeply loyal to the Empire. However, there are complaints from overwork and pressure.'
Jin cleared his throat.
"Ahem. May the Vamel Alliance present one formal opinion on the demolition of the palace, as per Sir Mageil's suggestion?"
"Please speak, Sir Jin."
"As Sir Mageil said earlier, the prophet's tunnel is just a suspicion. Also, as the regent said, once it is confirmed, it is an irreversible problem, and the regent is unlikely to change his mind."
"Shouldn't you advise Your Majesty to reconsider...?"
"How can I stop something that even the imperial courtiers can't stop? Instead, the Vamel Alliance, which was the first to mention the tunnel, will take some responsibility for the demolition of the palace. As an alliance."
The subordinates murmured to each other, exchanging glances.
Jin smiled at them with pure kindness, but the subordinates worried about what the 12th flagbearer would take.
"Currently, the free nation Tikan has the world's highest level of capabilities. Equipped with various cutting-edge technologies, including an improved mana cannon lances looted from the previous imperial family."
"Are you saying that you will share those technologies?"
"Yes. We will share more than before. I will dispatch Lady Amela, who has made the greatest contribution to the increase in Tikan's defense capabilities, and other personnel to help with its development. The Vamel alliance will also provide some of the essential materials needed. From the moment we build the new city that will become the center of the Empire, regardless of the existence of underground tunnels."
Now that Jin has shown his cards, the servants thought the next thing he would say was about what he would get from the empire.
"We will also support the defense of the entire Empire and share technology related to battleships. This should be enough of a reward for destroying the symbol of the old era."
But when he mentioned additional support, subordinates wondered why Jin was doing this.
"The Vamel alliance and the Empire are allies, and the Regent and I are the closest friends. The world is facing a crisis of destruction and chaos. I hope everyone knows that we are not trying to support the Empire in order to take something from it later."
Anyway, even if he didn't destroy the imperial palace, Jin intended to do so from the beginning.
Now that Rosa had become an evil god, and even after they had defeated her, the crisis facing the Empire and Dante was no different from the crisis facing the Vamel Alliance and Jin. After all, there were still Zipfel and Kinzelo left even if they defeated Rosa.
"Thanks for expressing your dislike, I received an unexpected gift from Sir Jin. The benefits that Sir Jin has promised are incomparable to this palace."
Dante already knew about this matter, but he still felt a bit uncomfortable.
His subordinates were confused about whether they should like or dislike this situation, but within a few days, they became convinced that they should like it.
Amela came to the empire and showed various equipment. The artifacts developed by Qwaul far exceeded the common sense of subordinates.
"... It seems that the demolition is not proceeding as quickly as I thought. It worries me that it's taking too much of your time."
Destroying the largest building on the earth was not a problem that could be solved in one or two days.
Jin and Dante were searching for tunnels at the demolition site. The top-level members and delegates who knew all the secrets of the castle combined their information to estimate the location of the tunnels, and Jin personally confirmed each new location.
It was because Jin was the only one who could properly sense the energy of chaos.
"It's okay. We've solved most of the urgent issues, so now your safety is the most important matter. And this is fast enough. We can't just break everything down as much as we want."
"Thank you for saying that. By the way, Joshua Runcandel is suspected to be the one who sent assassins to the palace... If that's true, he's really like a cockroach. He was stripped of his flagbearer qualification, became a beggar, and yet he came back."
"Even if he is not at the level of Elder Sister Luntia, he probably got stronger too. That doesn't seem to be much of a problem, but I'm worried about which sword he gave to the imperial family."
It was difficult to guess who the assassin was that Runcandel gave to Airan Vermont.
'Among the people I've encountered in the Garden of Swords so far, there aren't many who can defeat Dante now.'
Except for Rosa herself, Padler Runcandel, Lionel, and Luntia.
However, Luntia is currently unable to come out in the human world, and the destructive swordsmanship of Padler and Lionel was not suitable for assassination.
'Of course, there may be other people who can defeat Dante, and if their purpose is not assassination but a surprise attack through the tunnels, they alone will cause catastrophic damage to the empire....'
-<….. Runcandel gave a monster to the Airan Vermont, the Vermont imperial family, to kill Dante Hairan, the sword emperor.>
Gave a monster.
Jin was bothered by that part. "....Runcandel" was either blanked out due to a lack of record magic achievement or for some other reason, but the vague term "monster" was accurately stated.
It was unclear whether the term "monster" referred to an extraordinary entity with no equal or a strange being born from chaos, among other possibilities. Before encountering it, there was no way to know for sure.
Above all else, Jin was more concerned with the possibility of assassination than an invasion, because the term "monster" was in the singular form.
"Isn't there a high possibility that it could be the former patriarch of Runcandel or the ten great knights you met?"
"That could be true."
As they began demolishing the palace, a strange feeling seemed to settle heavily in Jin's mind, as if something had been placed on top of it.
'Why do I feel so uneasy? Nothing has been confirmed yet....'
Perhaps it was because he was reminded of the chaos that had tainted the Garden of Swords, but Jin struggled to suppress the sticky, ominous feeling.
Clang!
The sound of buildings being demolished could be heard from all around.
If it weren't for the absolute support of the people towards Dante and Jin, who had been demolishing the intact buildings for days with no results, the mood in the capital would have been much more negative.
Jin, Dante, and the pillars of the Empire hoped that no underground tunnels would be discovered.
However, exactly ten days have passed since the demolition began, Jin's prediction was proven correct.
"It's the energy of chaos, Dante."
"Have you found something!?"
"It's on the first floor, third chamber. Prepare the troops and let's go."
As the third chamber began to be demolished, energy of chaos, which had been hidden, was revealed. No one else seemed to feel it.
Even upon closer inspection, the third chamber being demolished did not seem to have any notable features.
Swish!
As Jin drew Bradamante, Dante and the troops waiting with him assumed a defensive posture.
As the blade, imbued with shadow force, cut through the floor of the third chamber in a straight line, those who witnessed it could not help but hold their breath.
'What the hell is that thing!'
'There really is a tunnel under the palace...!'
What was revealed as the floor split apart under the blade was not a layer of earth and rocks, but chaos in the shape of a black well, unlike anything else.
About a hundred people could enter at once through the entrance of the massive underground tunnel.
"How could we have known nothing about this while it was forming under the palace?"
"Zipfel didn't even notice when the Prophet formed a tunnel in the Sota Desert. I wished it didn't exist, but it's out now."
Jin looked around at Dante and his troops.
"There's a high possibility of there being another entrance. Now that the existence of the tunnel has been confirmed, we need to increase the demolition speed and evacuate the people near the palace as planned. You and I should go inside to check it out."
Dante nodded his head in agreement. The two of them immediately entered the tunnel, and the others carried out their assigned roles.
The tunnel was impressively deep and the bedrock was still intact. Unlike the complicated structures of tunnels Jin had experienced in the past, this one was relatively simple.
Even as they reached the end of the underground passage, Jin was engulfed by an unpleasant and ominous feeling. It wasn't that he was afraid of an unknown enemy, but for some reason, he broke out in cold sweat and his heart began to race.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, I guess it's finally showing. I've been feeling weird since we started investigating. I don't know why. It's not something to worry about..."
The moment Jin said that, he suddenly felt a chill in his spine. Although he didn't feel any particular energy, he had a strong feeling that if he moved incorrectly, something would deeply cut his body. No, he was certain.
Dante also felt the same sense of crisis, slightly later than Jin.
And the only person who could make the two of them so tense without any warning was one person - the only one known as the "god of death" among the assassins.
'No way...!'
With a wicked sound, a single sword swept past both of them. Dante's back was grazed, and Jin narrowly avoided it.
And the moment their eyes met with the surprise attacker, Jin could finally recognize the identity of the ominous feeling that had tormented him.
[Die....]
"Elder Sister... Yona."
Jin couldn't help but grit his teeth as he watched the approaching figure once again.
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
創作者的想法
babayaga01
babayaga01
You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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