“… Royal father, this is all.”
“All right.”
As if tired, the Emperor leaned against the chair in his office and pressed his finger’s against the middle of his forehead.
At the sight of him feeling tired, the Crown Prince looked at him anxiously.
“It seems that the new Magic Tower’s Master is causing incidents all over the country. I don’t know if it was his power overflowing or that he was just venting his anger.”
“Power overflow… That can’t be it. I think he can handle his power very well. It’s obviously just venting.”
“Hmm…”
“He didn’t look guilty when I saw him kill. These reports also bear resemblance to that of Count Delight’s case.”
Milrode clenched his fist, and with an angry face, he raised his voice.
The Emperor acted as if he was looking over the reports again, and let out a deep sigh.
Gillian, who was standing next to him, poured tea into his empty cup.
“Is there no answer from the Magic Tower?”
“I asked for an apology and compensation several times, but there was still no reply.”
“How can someone be this selfish! No matter how strong a person is born with, the moment he took power, he wanted to use it like this!”
Flames dripped from Milrode’s eyes.
He played around with him in front of his eyes, he ruined the priests and spirit user’s lives and took Valletta away.
But this time, he also killed common people.
“That’s not all.”
“What do you mean?”
“The official statement has yet to be announced as it will cause commotion in various ways, but the strange thing that happened before, happened again.”
“… What? Something strange?”
“When I was still a prince, there was an outbreak of a strange disease called ‘Lost’.”
“That… Wasn’t that a curse? I heard that Royal father cleared everything up when you ascended.”
Milrode’s eyes widened.
So far, stories about Lost were the ones he heard about the most from his history class.
There were also rumors that it was his Royal father, whom he was proud of, who dispelled it.
“What do we do? Isn’t it an incurable disease with little to know solution?”
The end of Milrode’s words were shaking. The Emperor nodded with a serious expression.
Milrode clenched his fist and opened it, then rubbed his face with his tense hands.
“But I have heard Royal father has gotten rid of the disease in the past. Why don’t we use the same method from back then?”
At Milrode’s hopeful words, the Emperor did not say anything and just showed a benign smile.
The reason why he adored his son was because he has never doubted him at all. He always treats his idol as an idol.
Milrode’s idol was his father himself, and the dashing, overflowing with righteousness Crown Prince does not doubt him at all.
Of course, the Emperor also loves his son. How can he hate a child who looked at him honestly.
“Lost is a disease when a part of your body would just one day disappear. The origin, the cause, and the contagiousness is unknown. Depending on the part of the body, they could die instantly, and even if they do survive, they would slowly die within a week up to a month.”
“Yes, I have heard that it was a very terrifying disease. There was also talk among the public that it was a curse from God.”
“That’s right. The most important thing about Lost is to deal with it immediately. If one would take the medicine quickly, they could live.’
“Then the medicine…!”
“However, since the parts of the body would disappear abnormally, the only thing that can cure it is an alchemy potion. A high-grade or higher level potion is required.”
“Potion…? The number of high-grade potions in the Imperial treasury right now…”
Seeing his son seep into dismay, the Emperor touched his chin. He was truly a talented person who will become an Emperor, he has no regret at all. If he could add a little more selfishness and greed to that, he would be the perfect successor.
“Maybe a magician’s potion…”
“Hm.”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh.
Seeing his face as he shook his head, Milrode’s expression was filled with despair. Gillian, who was standing next to him, opened his mouth.
“A magician’s potion is, of course, not ineffective, but in the end, it’s nothing more than a copy of an alchemist’s. It can not compare to the real thing.”
“At that time, there were a lot of good alchemists along with Gillian, so we were able to solve it somehow, but now…”
The number of alchemists in the Imperial Palace was less than 50. Among them, the number of alchemists who could make high-grade potions would be less than 10, and they could make the standard 1 potion a week.
If Lost occurs on a large-scale, the quantity would be insufficient.
The Crown Prince realized that without difficulty. Milrode held back a laugh, staggered, lowered his head and leaned on the nearby sofa.
“Gillian…”
“Gillian has also gotten older, so the quantity that he could make has considerably decreased. A new…”
Looking at his son who had his head lowered, the Emperor changed to a kind voice. He had a greedy devil’s look on his face, but Milrode, who had his head lowered, could not see it.
“We need a new and excellent alchemist.”
“… Valletta.”
The name he had been waiting for came out of Milrode’s mouth.
His son was smart and strong. His short-coming was his hard-headedness and determination to walk only on the righteous path.
Perhaps it was because of his carelessness that he was easily beaten last time, but if he was with Gillian, he would not be easily attacked by the Magic Tower’s Master, who was unstable due to just being awakened.
“If we can join forces with the alchemists who are in hiding, we will be able to save the powerless and weak people without much damage to the Empire.”
“… But those people.”
“If the treatment they receive is lacking, we should give them more. The next Great Emperor will be you, so you just need to improve their treatment step by step.”
The Emperor sat down and reached out to Milrode. Milrode looked at him with a distorted expression, then slowly walked towards him.
“Royal father… I…”
“Son, the Emperor’s position is lonely.”
The Emperor affectionately stroked Milrode’s hair.
He spoke in a benevolent voice and held Milrode in his arms. Patting his back, the Emperor whispered in his ear.
“It would be great if you could save everyone by taking the right path, but you need to develop some flexibility.”
“Flexibility?”
“Yes, soldiers are forced to sacrifice their lives to save hundreds of thousands of people of the Empire. Hundreds of thousands of lives are saved.”
“That… isn’t that because of war?”
Milrode, who furrowed his brows, questioned.
His father’s arms that held him after a long time were warm and cozy, so Milrode raised his hands and hugged him.
The Emperor, who tapped his back a couple of times, let go of Milrode.
“However, it is inevitable everywhere for people in power to make a little sacrifice for the lives of the majority.”
“Royal father.”
“Gillian, you, and I are making sacrifices. Otherwise, none of the weak and powerless people would survive.”
Milrode nodded as if he understood.
The Emperor looked into his blue eyes.
“I know. In the morning, I will go to Duke Delphine and meet Valletta. If I explain the situation, she will offer to help.”
“What if she won’t help?”
“… Yes?”
The Emperor rubbed his chin and leaned against the chair.
Milrode swallowed his breath with a trembling gaze, as if he had never thought of such a thing.
The Valletta he knew was by no means someone who would ignore the death of the weak.
“Valletta will definitely help.”
Milrode took a deep breath and answered to cut his words off.
The Emperor still smiled unwaveringly and kindly. The child was confused, but still did not doubt anything.
“But that child, along with the Magic Tower’s Master, was abused by Count Delight for a long time. You don’t know how a person’s mind would change.”
“… That can’t be.”
“I didn’t ask that child about the details of Count Delight’s annihilation. Can you really assert that the child was not involved in that?”
“Royal father.”
Milrode clenched his fist and tightly closed his eyes.
The Emperor patted him on the shoulder. His trembling gaze clearly showed that a slight doubt had already begun to creep in.
“It’s because I’m worried. I’m saying that a child who has been abused for a long time may have taken the helping hand of a powerful being.”
“Please don’t touch Valletta.”
“If that child is willing to help us, there will be no need to doubt her goodness anymore.”
A tendon protrudes on Milrode’s clenched fist. He nodded slowly.
Seeing his son’s face full of faith, the Emperor calmly smiled.
“I will go to the Duke’s residence tomorrow.”
“Keep Gillian as your escort as we sort this thing out. It won’t be as easy as last time.”
“Yes, thank you. Well, take a rest comfortably, Royal father.”
“All right, Milrode my son.”
The Emperor patted Milrode on the back. Milrode faintly smiled amid the confusion and quickly turned around.
It was only when the door of the office closed and his presence completely disappeared that the Emperor wiped the smile off his face.
Benevolence disappeared in an instant, and all that remained was his true nature that was hidden beneath it. When he revealed this, Gillian looked at him as if familiar with it.
“When hope and faith are shattered at the same time, a person would despair. The time has come for Milrode to slowly turn his gaze to a different direction.”
“Is that so?”
“Valletta Delight is an unusual lass. It will be quite difficult to get your hands on her. It is even more impossible that she will walk in the cage all on her own.”
He had been filling the interests of the greedy Count Delight for a long time because he wanted to get his hands on her with a good relationship without any blemishes.
“You will get what you want.”
“Of course I will. I have given up on the medicine that you couldn’t make, but I think it would be possible for that child.”
The Emperor grinned greedily and covered his mouth with the palm of his hand. He had been hiding his murky blue eyes with age and kindness for a long time now, but only greed and desire can be seen in them.
“If he brings her along, you know what kind of education would be good, right Gillian?”
“Yes, I will make sure that nothing is lacking.”
Submission to his master, obedience to his orders whatever the reason was.
Gillian moved carefully and poured tea in the empty teacup.
The little girl certainly seemed to be remarkably self-reliant and was quick to judge the situation, and could distinguish her enemy from the non-enemy.
‘Although we seem to have been classified as her enemies already…’
In fact, there were many ways to get her to step into the Imperial Palace.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the Magic Tower’s Master is quite obsessed with that lass.”
“Yes, I think you could control him to some extent if you get a hold of that child.”
“I can’t wait to see how Milrode will turn out. He’s a son who always restrained and controlled himself.”
He was very much looking forward to how the child would react when things he believed in were broken, and the crisis of not having what he wanted and not having that child wrapped into his body.
The Emperor licked his lips with his tongue.
“You can see everything you have been waiting for.”
Gillian, who was next to him as he burst into giggles, simply put his hands behind him and did not say anything.
The night gradually deepened.
***
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