166. Dark Core (1)

Since taking this position, the mind has always wandered in the air, unable to settle down in the body. The second prince awkwardly touched the armrest of the throne he was sitting on. inherited, no. The throne he usurped from his father was lurking beneath his body in such a heavy and cold way. It felt like sitting on the corpse of a giant demon. As Kyle’s index finger nervously stroked the marble ornament, the one standing closest to him among the ministers lined up in the palace opened his mouth. He was Count Leon Benning.

“It seems that the disposition of the former first prince, Louis Loir, must be executed quickly, Your Highness.”

Tuduk. Tuduk. My fingers tapped the armrest irregularly. Kyle stared blankly at the red carpet under the throne with unfocused eyes. One of them cleared his throat, and Kyle slowly raised his head to look at Leon Benning. Kyle’s dead eyes reached the Count, who bowed his head respectfully.

“… The reason is that?”

“This is because it is necessary to break the morale of the resistance forces still lurking within the capital, and at the same time, to announce Your Highness’s legitimacy to the entire kingdom as soon as possible.”

The ministers were looking at Leon Benning, not Kyle. It was because every word he said would decide the life or death of the ministers, and would become the cornerstone to build the hegemony of the newly born kingdom.

“Your Highness, if we remain silent to sort out internal affairs, the chaos in the capital will increase and give the survivors time to gather their strength. Before that, I request that God blockade the capital and block the Marquis, and at the same time turn the attention of the citizens of the capital to the issue of Louis Loire’s legitimacy.”

Leon Benning’s words were interpreted very slowly in Kyle’s head, like sugar cubes placed on lukewarm water.

“Are you saying we’re going to have Lewis publicly executed?”

“The facts have already been announced. All that remains is to publicly execute Lewis after we have confirmed the visit.”

Some servants swallowed dry saliva. He sensed that the time was approaching. Kyle nodded and asked Leon Benning as if he were asking.

“And?”

“And then… You are going to the place where Your Highness should be, receiving the blessings of the citizens. It means that the only thing left to do is to become the true owner of this country. If so, you won’t have to worry about the first princess who ran away like a rat and the wicked Count Agon family helping her from behind.”

“When?”

The corners of Leon Benning’s mouth went up very faintly.

“All preparations have already been made. If your Highness’s name goes down, we’ll prepare the stage right away.”

Took, Kyle Loire stopped his fingers from continuing to tap the armrest. An emotion close to anger, which had not been seen in a while, hung over his face. Lewis let out a long sigh and cupped his face with his left hand.

“Right. brother… I mean, you have to kill Louis, Louis right now.”

Her eyes were burning with an unknown desire. There was something similar to miasma rather than life in the eyes that had lost their focus in a daze. The whites of her eyes were exposed between her fingers, red and bloody. Kyle grabbed my face and squeezed his hand, as if trying to crush it.

“I want to do that myself.”

Leon Benning nodded. If Louis Loire is killed, and the first princess is captured and disposed of, the role of the suggestion planted in Kyle Loire is over. All that remains is to manipulate the fake king, who remains only as a puppet, from behind the scenes.

What kind of changes will you face if you have achieved your goal? Leon Benning was curious. His curiosity soon turned into an emotionless smile, drawing an eerie arc over his lips.

“Anyway, I’m ready, Your Highness.”

“Prepare the execution ceremony.”

Kyle, like a doll that automatically responds to that, immediately gave permission. The ministers broke into a cold sweat at the sight of Leon Benning seemingly manipulating Kyle at will. I thought that the 2nd prince was just relying heavily on Leon Benning, but rather it seemed that he had become a puppet controlled by Leon Benning.

Leon Benning bowed his head towards Kyle.

“As you command, I will prepare. majesty.”

Kyle said in a low voice.

“I will confirm with my own two eyes that proud older brother, His Highness, who has fallen miserably at my feet, and sever his head.”

Kyle’s shoulders trembled slightly. Leon Benning, who lowered his head, slowly changed his smile to a deep one. As soon as he raised his head again, a full smile covered his face. Its appearance was as if someone had painted a mischievous smile over the pale marble. Kyle, however, did not know whether Leon Benning’s smile was real or false. No, it would be more accurate to say that he had no interest in the authenticity of that smile.

“Start preparing.”

command fell Leon Benning’s smile deepened.

“We will make preparations for the execution right away.”

Kyle Loire rose from his throne. Standing behind the throne precariously like a marionette whose thread had been cut, Kyle looked around at the ministers. Kyle took a step back as if possessed. The cautious voices of the ministers flew through her back.

“majesty?”

“… Today’s meeting is over. Disband each minister.”

The servants did not think of following Kyle recklessly. Instead, all they did was look at Leon Benning, who was looking at Kyle with narrow eyes as he walked out of Daejeon, with fearful eyes.

Tuck, Tuck.

The gates of Daejeon opened without a sound or sign as Kyle approached. Kyle stood still in the crack of the open door for a moment, then disappeared across the hallway with several knights following him.

“What are you doing? Without haste to prepare the execution ceremony. It seems that the Lords are not even listening to me.”

cynical voice. But the ministers knew that it was a warning from Leon Benning. And, he knew very well what the consequences would be if he ignored the warning. The ministers rushed out of Daejeon in a panic. It was a pathetic appearance that could not be seen as the appearance of ministers who were in charge of a country’s power, but Leon Benning did not look down on them and did not intend to rebuke them.

All the ministers who were filling up the war had left. In the empty Great War, Leon Benning glanced back at himself. The shadow he cast shimmered, and the witch, Lilia, appeared in it.

“Sometimes, I feel like I can’t read your thoughts at all.”

“Have you ever tried?”

Leon Benning laughed at the witch and asked a question. Lilia shook her head excitedly.

“Please. It is said that exploring the unknown is my main job, but the unknown—the unknown and the incomprehensible (不可解) and the incomprehensible—are completely different matters.”

The witch’s red eyes met Leon Benning’s dead gray eyes. The witch did not want to be interested in Leon Benning. No, the person named Leon Benning was an object that could not be interesting even if he tried to be interested in it in the first place.

“I consider myself a hedonist. Follow your instincts, pursue pleasure while doing what you want to do… such an honest person. Decades ago, when you first came to the Mage Tower and offered cooperation, I thought you were the same type of person as me.”

The witch’s eyes rolled like red apples, scanning Leon Benning’s figure from head to toe. Leon Benning asked in a dry voice, as if he wasn’t very curious.

“So, how about now?”

“I do not know. I don’t even want to know Count, don’t you think you want others to understand you too?”

“Was there ever a fool in the world who sought understanding from a witch who used black magic?”

Leon Benning asked a question that was beside the point, as if he didn’t want to continue the conversation on this topic. Lillia shook her head and asked.

“So, you’ve spent quite a bit of energy trying to prevent the margrave from entering the capital, do you think it will succeed?”

“Your question is wrong. It doesn’t matter if what happens there in the first place succeeds or fails. Even if they succeed in completely breaking through our forces and joining each other, there is nothing we can do.”

Leon Benning snorted.

“If the news of Prince 2’s coronation as the new king is delivered to the west, south, and north, even if the quality is reduced, an incomparable amount of troops can be brought to the royal capital compared to their meager remaining forces. 1 The time given to the princess now is not a preparation for a counterattack, but a postponement of execution.”

Leon Benning said so and approached the throne. It was a gesture as if he didn’t like the three-panel staircase between his position and the throne.

“… So, after all this is over, what are you going to do?”

Leon Benning spun backwards. Lillia had to stare at Leon Benning’s inorganic, lime-like eyes that came before her eyes without properly detecting any signs or signs of it. The Count asked Lillia in an emotionless voice.

“You talk a lot today, witch. Is there anything you want from me?”

“It could be. Right now, I just wonder if I can definitely get the guy I’ve got my eye on.”

Leon Benning shrugged as if he was not interested in the slightest.

“Do whatever you want.”

Leon Benning left only those words and went to Daejeon himself. There was only a cold chill in the place where everyone had disappeared. Lillia melted into blood again and disappeared between the carpets at the center of the battle. By all means, in the hope that he will be able to face the prey he last spotted.

—

am i stupid?

My sense of time has already faded. Louis was staring blankly at the wall of the confinement room. The sun seemed to rise and set several times outside the window, but Louis never fell asleep during that time. Fragments of thoughts that could not be called thoughts drifted in the sea in my head. The outside of the window was painful and I didn’t want to look at it. It’s because I was afraid of seeing the worst.

The worst thing Lewis could imagine was not his own death. Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of death. However, it was just that there was no time left in Lewis’ head to remind himself that it was the fear of death. It’s just that soon they’ll come and pull him out of the room and cut his throat. Lewis let the words go as if thinking of something else happening in the world.

A miserable life, complicated family affairs, the pressure of position, and a fight for life.

Read at noblemtl. com

None of that is left in my head now. For the past forty-eight hours, the only thing Louis Loire could think of as he faced the wall of his solitary cell was the face of his half-sister.

Michelle, please don’t try to save me. You must always put your life first.

The inaudible prince slammed against the walls of the solitary cell, creating an echo that only Louis could hear.

Once upon a time, there was a time when she called herself brother. This was before I knew the truth about him and her biological mother. Michelle seems to have believed that calling Louise older brother was a way to wrap the relationship between him and her closer to family. When asked why they call themselves that even though they were born on the same day, Michelle replied that it was because Louise was born a little earlier. The only reason. Louise was both happy and uncomfortable that she called him brother.

Maxim will protect you well. The 4th escort, Hugo will protect Michelle.

After trying so hard to calm herself, the uneasiness took shape and attacked Louis again. Just as the swells on the sea do not disappear immediately when the wind stops, the thoughts that remained like aftereffects tainted with subtle violence and destroyed reason. In this way, the castle of reason in the form of a sandy beach gradually faded away as it was cut away by the surging waves. Consoling myself that it would be okay was like scooping up grains of sand that were being swept away with both hands and bringing them back to the sandy beach.

blank.

It was the sound of a door opening. Louis could then hear the dull sound of military boots hitting the hallway. When he turned his head, a knight wearing a helmet was standing in the doorway, staring at him.

“majesty.”

Even in such a situation, being called Her Highness was quite funny, but Louis didn’t have the strength left to even give a small laugh. Louis quietly surrendered himself to the knight who raised his arm. The knight didn’t want to say what he was taking Louise here for, and Louise didn’t bother to ask why out loud.

“Kyle… What are you doing? Where are you now?”

The voice he heard for the first time in two days cracked like dry earth. The knight who helped Louis answered in an insincere voice.

“His Highness will accompany you to the execution site.”

The word “prisoner” sounded particularly clear. the road leading to death. Those words lingered between my brain and my ears, neither being accepted nor rejected.

“Is Michelle still alive? Leon Benning… What are you planning to do with her?”

Did he think he was going to die anyway? The driver answered all of Lewis’ questions.

“I don’t know if the princess is alive or dead. The Count will fend off the hordes of margraves advancing towards the capital. 1The response to the princess will be decided then.”

While descending the spiral staircase of the castle tower, Louis said nothing more. A carriage was waiting below. It was a wagon that was not decorated so fancy and could be used to escort political prisoners. As Louis climbed into the carriage in handcuffs, the door was closed.

“Let’s go.”

“All right.”

The wagon rattled off, and Louis’ head slammed against the wagon’s window in response to the wagon’s shaking.

Rumble, rumble.

The carriage was taking Louis very slowly toward his death. Even in that situation, Louis thought of Michel rather than his own death.

Lastly, I wanted to see your face, but I also thought it was fortunate that I didn’t get to see it. Louis took a long, thin breath, closed his eyes, and—

rattle!

I opened my eyes again at the shaking of the wagon. The carriage stopped moving further. The surroundings were noisy and chaotic. Louis, in his stupor, listened to the noise to see what had happened.

“It’s an assault! Enemy knights have attacked!”