Rebirth System: Blood and Ash

However, Aszer was no fool.

The king chuckled dryly, his voice echoing through the throne room before turning into a hearty laugh, booming through the castle.

"You come here to tell me that you, a Valerian prince, are willing to aid me in taking power from the current sovereign, and you expect me to believe you?"

The king laughed once more while Aric watched in silence before speaking, his voice the calmest and most level among them.

"What other choice do you have?" Aric asked. "Without me, your plan is set to fail, and my offer is to ensure that it doesn’t."

The king leaned back on his throne, seemingly in thought for a moment. "Why should I trust you?"

"You don’t. You would be foolish to. Our partnership will not be built on trust but on a shared desire for a common goal: for the current imperial rule to fall. If I wanted to thwart your ambitions, I could have simply told the emperor everything I know, and the Valerian and Draken empires would turn this kingdom to rubble. Even the Northerners would hesitate to fight both.

So, you see, you don’t need trust to know I am not against you—only common sense."

[The King of Byzeth is intrigued | Susceptibility increased by 2%]

Aszer stared at the cloaked form of the fourth prince, uncertainty flashing across his features.

"Why do this? Why help me?"

Aric turned away from the king as he heard the question, perhaps deep in thought.

"Because… I have nothing to lose," he replied, turning back to meet the king’s gaze.

"Yes, I am an imperial prince by name… but I’m certain we all know the story. The tale of the Forgotten Prince has spread across the empire, hasn’t it? Without Ki or mana, I’ve been abandoned by the royal family. I might be a prince, yet I live like a peasant, because in this world, it’s not a man’s name or birth title that matters—but his ability."

The king raised an eyebrow. "The ability to use Ki or mana?"

"Yes, but only to fools."

Aric scoffed. "Let me tell you what abilities truly matter—the ability to take another man’s life, whether by knife, magic, or even by orchestrating it. The method doesn’t matter. The ability to completely brutalize, chastise, and eradicate one’s enemies to such an extent that others dread enmity with you.

The ability to contaminate every single meter of land but the one beneath your feet so that competition never finds ground to grow!"

Aric paused, regaining his composure before continuing.

"In this world, what truly defines a person is their ability to become the worst of men. I may have nothing to lose, but that puts me in a position to gain everything. I get my vengeance and power, and you get to rule Valeria—is this not a fair business exchange?"

The king exchanged glances with his council, who had remained silent until now, then turned back to the prince.

"I would be honored if the prince would join us for a meeting in two days at sundown. Perhaps then we may discuss a way forward."

"Wonderful, I’ll see you then," Aric nodded, turning around to exit the throne room.

"Please, allow me to arrange a chamber for your stay… I am very hospitable," the king offered.

"I’ll have to decline, your grace. As I said, if I’m not in the place I’m supposed to be at the time I’m supposed to be there, it would be a problem for both of us."

The prince continued toward the exit but stopped at the door.

"And before you give the order, I want you to understand that the moment I find out I’m being followed—because I will, whether it is by a person or even a mouse—this information will immediately be relayed to the emperor. Have a pleasant rest of your day," Aric nodded, exiting through the large door opened by the guards.

---

The fourth prince, through the same method of travel he had arrived with, returned to the Midgard Province. The sun had begun receding into the horizon as he arrived back at what was now their base of operations.

Aric pushed open the door to see Serina and the old man sitting near the fireplace, both cradling cups filled with a hot liquid, as indicated by the trails of steam rising from them.

"Ah, you came back alive," Hitoki said, genuinely shocked.

"I told you," Serina said with a smug smile.

"It seems the king is still under the impression that his plans have not reached the imperial city," Hitoki speculated.

"No, he’s aware. In fact, I confronted him about it."

Serina and Hitoki nearly spat out the tea they were sipping when they heard Aric’s words.

He spoke as if what he had just said was another mundane event in his day, while taking off the cloak around him and setting it aside.

"You did what?" Serina asked, shocked.

"It’s fine. I’m here, aren’t I?" Aric assured them. "Hitoki, I’ll need all the information you have on the king’s council by tomorrow morning… I’ll pay well for it."

The old man nodded.

"Where’s Lerai? I need to speak with the bandit leaders," Aric asked, glancing around in search of the young mage.

"He’s been in the basement with Alan for hours now," Serina responded.

"Yeah?" Aric turned toward the hallway that led to the basement. "I’ll go meet him," he said, walking away.

He took the hallway path and then went through the basement door and down the stairs. The light from the torches barely illuminated the staircase.

As Aric stepped into the basement, his pupils dilated as his eyes widened. In a swift burst, his hand shot up, catching an arrow mere inches from his face.

"What the—"