The lands to which Mais fled did not cease to exist simply because Mais was not there. While the imperial city healed its wounds, the smell of blood had not yet completely dissipated from the palace. It seemed a new smell would soon join the old ones.
The palace of the World Empire was much larger than that of the Forgotten Kingdom. Surrounded by rivers, this palace in the center of the city was isolated from Yeşimağ. Similarly, despite the damage and deaths inflicted on the city, the palace appeared to be in quite good condition from the outside.
Yes, the building was solid, but the people inside were not.
On the day of the rebellion, the real battle took place far from the palace. That day was the final of the Star Path Tournament. Only servants and low-level officials were in the palace. Had some powerful ministers been present, perhaps the Third Eunuch would not have died and the First Eunuch would not have been captured. The Second Eunuch would not have had to shake the Gambler's Dice.
You might ask where the empire's mighty warriors were when the palace was attacked. The emperor hadn't left the palace that day, and most of the guards were patrolling the lower floors. Although the palace was weaker than usual, it was still fairly strong. The problem was that Emperor Laofeng had left the palace, and the pirates attacked with a strong army. Moreover, the First Eunuch was stronger than the arriving pirates, but their numerical advantage was a heavy burden.
The ministers and other powerful figures were back in the palace, but there was nothing they could do. More accurately, since the Second Prince was a prisoner, their ability to act was limited.
"Minister Zaturu! Tell me that the news we've heard is a lie!"
Some ministers who were looking for an opportunity to revolt within the palace had gathered together at this moment. They were drinking tea in the palace garden, talking among themselves, when a frantic crowd approached Minister Zaturu, directing shocked and angry attitudes toward him.
Zaturu was the prime minister. He appeared middle-aged, but he was actually quite old. During the rebellion, he had fought and even killed one of the most powerful pirates, but by the time he won, the war was already over. He had decided to support Leon and dethrone Lameon.
"What's going on?" Zaturu frowned. These elderly ministers rarely panicked.
The tourism minister, though not particularly powerful, had become the spokesperson for this group because he was a smooth talker.
"They're talking about hanging the prince. They must have already set out today!"
"WHAT?!"
A violent aura spread from Prime Minister Zaturu to those around him. Many ministers, including the tourism minister, took a step back. Zaturu leapt from where he stood and entered the palace. The other ministers followed him, gliding through the palace as if they were beyond ordinary humans, their feet never touching the ground.
Flying in the palace was forbidden under normal circumstances, but they didn't seem to care much about that right now. These were the people thinking of dethroning the emperor.
As the figures in flowing robes moved swiftly through the palace corridors, some veered off in different directions. It was clear that soldiers would be sent after them. This also indicated how difficult it was for the emperor to control his people.
They went down to the lower part of the throne room. They couldn't execute a prince in public. Spilling his blood would be nonsense. At the very least, he should be executed in the ritual hall beneath the palace.
It was an old temple often used for various ceremonies—sometimes with good intentions and sometimes with bad. Some said this was why the first empress had chosen these lands as her capital.
When Leon's council of ministers reached the doors of the hall, Zaturu furrowed his eyebrows and spread his arms behind him to stop those following him.
"Stop!"
BOOOMM!!!
With a sudden explosion, the door shattered from the inside and an indistinct figure was thrown toward them. Zaturu stepped out of the figure's path, and the others caught him in midair. Zaturu turned around and saw who it was, along with the other ministers.
"Advisor Wu!"
The old man had served in the palace as a minor official during the time of the first empress. His prestige in the palace was not to be underestimated. Why had this old man been thrown out of the ritual chamber in such a tyrannical manner?
"It is not your place to question the emperor's words!"
" How dare you speak out in the presence of the king!"
Suddenly, the hall was filled with intense auras. Chaos erupted. The Tao Guardians, who were sworn to loyalty to the emperor, surrounded one of the pirate captains, who had no right to be in this sacred place. As the auras of the surrounding pirates intensified, panic filled the air. The only people not panicking were those of true noble blood. The emperor, responsible for all this yet unable to control the people before him, looked at everyone with a distant gaze, as if none of this had anything to do with him. The other person was the young man who, apart from the emperor sitting on the throne (who had actually been disinherited), was the true heir to the throne. He stood in the most miserable position amid all this chaos. He was Prince Leon, covered in dirt and grime. Even as the Tao Guardian standing guard over him in the chaos drew his weapon and became drenched in sweat, Prince Leon remained calm, as if none of this were happening to him.
'Damn them! They have to interfere with everything, don't they?'
Contrary to his outward appearance, Emperor Lameon was not happy. Although the Tao Guardians were loyal to him, the pirates were not, and he was having trouble controlling them. The attack on Advisor Wu had completely exceeded his expectations. He hadn't even had time to stop the pirate.
"Your Majesty, would you kindly explain to this pitiful servant of yours what is going on here?"
At that moment, Zaturu entered the room. In an instant, the fire in the room, intensified by his aura, was extinguished. The Guardians hadn't released the pirate who had attacked Advisor Wu, but they restrained their auras. Similarly, the wild pirates who had been thinking of attacking them were frightened and retreated. After all, the prime minister was politically powerful and possessed tremendous cultivation.
Contrary to expectations, Lameon calmed down upon seeing him instead of panicking. Clearly, he would prefer an intelligent enemy to a foolish friend.
"A ceremony is taking place here. I don't think you're having trouble understanding that."
As the other ministers followed Zaturu inside, the tension in the room rose again. Zaturu did not look up to meet the emperor's gaze, but instead looked at Leon. He seemed to be waiting for a signal.
However, the cloaked prince looked as tired as he was calm. He saw the prime minister and the other ministers looking at him, yet he didn't move. He even turned his head away. This attitude left dark impressions on the faces of the ministers and the prime minister.
Silence fell over the area shortly after. As the masked pirate and the others watched from the corner, the prime minister sensed figures watching them from the shadows. From both the pirates' and the empire's sides.
If Prince Leon were executed here, bloody chaos would obviously ensue. However, this war would be between figures greater than them.
At this point, things were slipping out of the Prime Minister's hands as well.
"If you have nothing to say, we can begin the execution ceremony."
And so the ceremony began. The Minister of Ceremonies presided over the ceremony and did his duty. However, it was clear that he could stop what was happening at any moment. Even if it meant disrupting the sacred ceremony and exposing himself to the ritual's curse. He just needed a sign.
But that sign never came, and Leon was led to the execution platform. Still, they couldn't make him bow his head. The emperor said there was no need to insist on it.
Although the prince seemed reluctant, he was still the true heir to the throne. Despite his low cultivation and fatigue, it was still not easy to make him bow his head. This gave the ministers hope once again.
"But why does he seem to have given up the throne?"
Even these powerful figures couldn't understand what was happening, but no one was completely clueless. Those who understood Leon's situation couldn't fathom Lameon's attitude this time.
"Yes, if everyone has said their final words, let us hear the prisoner's last words," said Emperor Lameon. He looked at Leon with a cold and distant gaze.
Leon turned his head and looked at him. In front of all these noble bloods, many mixed emotions appeared in his eyes. But in the end, the remaining emotion was sorrow.
"You still call out to me as if I were some distant entity with no connection to you. Brother, don't you remember that I was the little brother who looked up to you? Why did you do this?"
Leon was to Mais what Lameon was to Leon and more. Mais was an ambitious child who had decided to fight his brother for the throne even when they were young. Leon, on the other hand, was not ambitious and only wanted to be like his brother.
Lameon looked at him. For a moment, the brightness of the torches in the ritual room dimmed, and the room grew slightly darker. The experts there knew it was the Emperor himself doing this. They respected his choice in this matter, however. As the darkness hid Lameon's face, his voice was the only clue to his thoughts.
"Are these... your last words?"
Leon looked away in disappointment and gazed ahead. As the executioner beside him raised his sword and sang a thick, ominous lullaby, the ministers, guards, pirates, and even the great experts watching from the shadows waited, ready for anything.
As everyone waited, the sword fell and no one did anything.