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Chapter 330

“How are you?” he asked with a sly smile.

-I can’t say I’m well, thanks to someone.

The Martial Emperor’s words had a bite to them even through the crystal ball, making Lucifer’s smile deepen.

“We’ve united again, so don’t be too harsh,” Lucifer remarked with a chuckle and a shrug. The Martial Emperor snorted.

-You should never think I did that because I trust you.

“Of course you do.” Lucifer’s easy nod made the Martial Emperor frown discontentedly.

-How are you going to fulfill our promise?

“All the people in the continent know the news of the Hubalt Empire finally occupying Erhaim, so isn’t having Erhaim enough? Our soldiers have already exited Erhaim and gathered along the border of the Avalon Empire.”

Despite that, the Martial Emperor smirked.

-Well, you never know. You people might attack our land while pretending to attack the Avalon Empire.

“You have zero trust in me,” Lucifer plaintively replied.

-If you’re going to keep joking around, then the deal is off…

“We’re going to hit the Avalon Empire right away with or without the Hubalt Empire army,” Lucifer declared as soon as the Martial Emperor finished speaking.

The Martial Emperor’s eyes widened.

-What…?

“We mobilized all our soldiers out of Erhaim for that, including the Swallow Empire’s proud Ice Emperor. Wouldn’t that be enough to end this squabble about trusting each other?” Lucifer shrugged.

The Martial Emperor was astounded.

-The Swallow Empire is going to attack the Avalon Empire alone? Why so suddenly? Why would you bother taking the risk? You know, the Hubalt Empire might betray the Swallow Empire this time—and on top of that, the Avalon Empire is just a white elephant.

“Think of it as paying back your trust,” Lucifer said, cocking his head. “We can take care of the Avalon Empire on our own anyways.”

The Martial Emperor narrowed his eyes.

-What are you going to do if the Dark God shows up?

“Are you scared of him?” Lucifer said, grinning.

-What?

“That would be very disappointing… The Martial Emperor beat the Knight of God, but he’s now afraid…?” Lucifer trailed off, but the Martial Emperor was not blind to what the Grand Duke was up to. Lucifer’s opposite snorted.

-Stop trying to provoke me, you’re bad at it. Unlike you, I know loyalty. You didn’t forget about our promise, did you?

“I’ve already upheld the promise,” Lucifer said, so firmly that he sounded cold. That made the Martial Emperor’s eyes widen a bit.

“You mentioned the promise. Well, you know, the Dark God wanted to disappear from this world, but in contrast, the Darkness Emperor wished to come to the light along with the members of his organization. We wanted this tiring power dynamic of three empires to come to an end. Thus the four of us made more than one promise, didn’t we?”

Lucifer reminiscing earned him a growl from the Martial Emperor.

-Are you getting sentimental all of a sudden? Why are you dredging up the past?

“We shared a similar interest,” Lucifer continued, paying the Martial Emperor’s rough manners no mind. “Isn’t that how the impossible—four Stars joining forces—happened?”

-So…

“It’s still the same,” Lucifer said determinedly, making the Martial Emperor flinch. “You and I shared the same dream, unifying the continent, and the Avalon Empire can’t bother us anymore. However, the cumbersome flies are still everywhere.

“Still, the promises we made in the past have already been fulfilled: the people of the continent already think the Dark God is dead, and the Darkness Emperor, the leader of the assassin organization, is working out in the open. The two most powerful people in the Avalon Empire went missing, instigating a long civil war that is still scarring the lives of the people in the Empire. But… ” Lucifer’s eyes turned cold. “It looks like the promises we’ve abided by so far are about to break now.”

He received a blank look.

-What are you talking about…?

“You have ears, so you must have heard the news about the Sword Emperor and the Hero King showing up in the Avalon Empire.”

The mention of the two men made the Martial Emperor visibly stiffen.

“If the Dark God also dreams about unifying the continent, now is the perfect moment for him to show up again,” Lucifer said, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

-That’s…

Lucifer was right. The Emperor of the Avalon had already gone missing, so nothing was stopping the Dark God anymore. During the last civil war, the Avalon Empire had decayed and many powerful people had been killed.

“It has already been three years. Although I don’t know exactly why the Dark God wanted to disappear, I’m assuming that it has something to do with the missing Emperor of Avalon.” Lucifer looked straight into the Martial Emperor’s eyes. “As the situation is progressing in an unpredictable way, at least the two of us have to build trust.”

-…Have you verified the news?

“The news?” Lucifer repeated.

-The news about how the Hero King showed up.

“Ah.” Lucifer chuckled and held up a pale, round human head without hesitation.

-…Is that the Lion King’s head?

The Martial Emperor quietly groaned after he saw whose head Lucifer was holding.

Lucifer nodded. “He was with Cain de Harry, Joshua Sanders’s first knight.”

-…So it’s safe to assume the news is true. The Hero King, huh…? Problems seem to just keep piling up for some reason.

“I definitely didn’t expect that boy to have such power or to be capable of stopping us, but…” Lucifer trailed off for a moment.

“You and I finished our awakenings, so if we unite, we’ll be able to defeat not only the Hero King but also his father,” Lucifer declared with a gleam in his eyes. “After taking down the Avalon Empire, only the small kingdoms will remain. Why don’t the Swallow and Hubalt Empires decide which empire will reign over the continent once we take care of the rest of them?”

The Martial Emperor didn’t answer Lucifer’s proposal for a long time. The man on the other side of the crystal ball pondered something with a grim look for a long moment.

-How can I be sure that you won’t betray me again before the moment comes?

Lucifer shrugged. “The city is the key region and the heart of the continent. It’s also a fortress that can withstand ten attacks on its own, so handing over such a stronghold to you is quite a risky move for me too. ”

The Martial Emperor shook his head.

-Even if I consider that, taking Reinhardt is still not enough. You should take care of the Hero King.

That was as good as a “yes” from the Martial Emperor.

“Of course,” Lucifer replied with a sly smile.

* * *

In order to authenticate the imperial seal, the three highest mages of the Magic Tower had been dispatched. The first mage was Thetapirion Whitesox, the current Tower Master; he was the only disciple of the previous Tower Master, Ian tun Murray, and had also held the Storm seat until recently. The second mage to be dispatched was Marcus, the holder of the Earth Seat. In spite of the critical injury Marcus had sustained from Evergrant con Aswald, the most villainous mage of the continent, Marcus remained the most senior of the Seven Mages.

The woman who remained confident in front of the Empire’s prince was the last wizard that had been dispatched. She was also one of the Seven Mages, the holder of the Ice seat. The woman quietly lowered the hood of her robe, gathering the attention of dozens of curious people.

“Ah…”

“How can such beauty exist…?”

People all around her marveled, and some just held their breath. It was their first time meeting such a beautiful woman.

“I see I haven’t introduced myself.” The woman’s voice echoed throughout the silent room, clear as the sky itself. “My name is Iceline zin Rebrecca. I am in charge of authenticating the imperial seal as you requested.”

“T-the Cold-Blooded Slayer!”

The nobles loudly murmured among themselves. All of them had heard the rumor of the lady from the fallen earl’s family. In the Empire of Knights, a girl was born with an extraordinary gift for magic, but the girl was now known to be the most beautiful woman on the continent and just as merciless.

“…Indeed.” Kaiser pulled himself back together and smiled. “The rumors I heard are quite true. Anyhow, I really didn’t expect to run into the hero from our Avalon Empire. It’s truly fortunate news. To be honest, I was a little worried because it’s not easy to let outsiders handle the imperial seal of our Empire, although we have to do so for the authentication.”

Kaiser hinted at Iceline’s origins to try to make her feel like she was one of them, the people of the Avalon. Iceline saw through Kaiser’s plan immediately and coldly smiled.

“The Magic Tower is a supranational organization. We aren’t part of any country.”

Kaiser’s eyebrow rose, almost imperceptibly.

“Everyone on the continent knows about this,” Iceline continued, “and I’m here as a member of the Magic Tower right now.”

“How dare you…!” One of the nobles pointed at Iceline with a reddened face. Even if she was right, how could she say such a thing before a prince?

“…Hah.” Theta quietly chuckled. Although he already knew her temper, it seemed to be worse today. But of course, Theta could assume why she was acting like this.

“Joshua truly has everything,” Theta mumbled in a way that only he could understand.

Kaiser was uncharacteristically hesitant, thrown off by the clear line Iceline had drawn.

“Will you answer my question now?” Iceline asked.

“You know, I’m actually the one who wants to ask a question,” Kaiser said, changing.

“…What?” Iceline narrowed her eyes.

“Fair, objective, neutral… you’re acting noble in every possible way, but you’re saying god-knows-who has the real imperial seal?” Kaiser shook his head in disbelief.

“…That’s the truth. If you want, I’ll make a mana vow.” Iceline offered.

“You claim that your friend has the real imperial seal, I’m not sure what that claim is based on. I don’t even know who that friend is.” Kaiser gave Iceline a heavy look. “You’ll see it soon, but the imperial seal is being stored in a way that does not require assistance from anyone. Thus, no one can tamper with it.”

Iceline shook her head. “I’m not saying my friend recently acquired it. My friend has been keeping the imperial seal for the past three years—since the civil war broke out.”

Kaiser was struck dumb by Iceline’s statement.

“Okay, let’s say you’re right, Lady Iceline. But isn’t that still a problem in its own way? Only the emperor of the great Avalon Empire is allowed to carry the imperial seal, but a person that isn’t related to His Majesty in any way has the imperial seal…?”

The more Kaiser continued, the more tension filled the air. Some hot-tempered knights had their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to draw them any second.

“Who in the world is your friend?” Kaiser demanded.

“It’s me,” someone else interrupted as if they’d been waiting for that moment.

From within the warp gate in the center of the Imperial Palace, a man stepped out.

When Kaiser realized who the man was, he erupted into a fury.

“You bastard…!” he growled.

Almost as if it had been planned, all the nobles went silent at once. On the other hand, like the flower sprouting from the snow, Iceline broke into a glowing smile.

“Joshua!”