Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Usman carefully examined the person’s appearance. He was going to ask Haliman to capture him.

“Where are you going?”

“Let’s go over there for now.”

Saying so, he pointed in the opposite direction from the person from the Hillenton Empire. Isilis followed his gesture and moved as well.

Usman quietly commanded Haliman, who followed.

“Catch the knight of the Hillenton Empire in the back!”

“Understood.”

“It’s okay to get hurt in one place, be sure to secure a new recruit.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

As Haliman quietly disappeared behind him, Usman moved his steps towards Isilis, who was ahead. His steps as she approached her were light.

Seven months ago.

Soldiers stood in front of Berthas, who arrived at the capital of Hillenton with an army after three months.

“What’s going on?”

“Berthas Hillenton. I have come to arrest you on Your Majesty’s orders.”

“Arrest? Who to whom?”

He had no intention of being as obedient as he had been before. Since he came here to usurp the throne, he didn’t have to stick with the same attitude as before. Seeing Berthas acting arrogant, the soldiers panicked.

“Obey the orders of the Emperor!”

“If I don’t want to?”

“I will force you…!”

“Do you have the ability to do that?”

In an instant, the throat of the soldier who had been talking to Berthas was cut.

Sounds of astonishment could be heard from around, but Berthas continued on. As long as the gate to the Capital was open, he would go to the Imperial Palace. Hillenton’s Imperial Palace was closest to the Capital’s walls.

It was the will of the ancestors never to run away when the enemy invades and to fight back. The wooden door of the Imperial Palace was not a proper door, so he was able to cut through it with his aura.

When he saw the gate in front of him, Berthas cut through it. As the palace gate was cut like paper, the soldiers inside panicked and aimed their swords.

“I will kill anyone who resists! Surrender!”

“Berthas Hillenton! What a monstrous thing to do!”

“I have come to find my place.”

“Didn’t you already declare when you drank the spring water of oath and not inherit the throne!”

“I’m not trying to inherit the throne. My child will succeed the throne.”

“…What?”

He could hear the voice of the guards guarding the castle shouting.

The soldiers who had already heard of Berthas Hillenton’s reputation laid down their weapons one by one. The reason they made the decision so easily was as they were tired of the Crown Prince’s evil deeds and the unbearable Imperial Family.

Seeing the soldiers surrendering so easily, the guard commander’s expression darkened and stiffened.

Suddenly, a distraught voice fell from his lips.

“Raise your sword right now! You are still guards protecting the imperial palace!”

“If you want me to protect the imperial palace, at least give me a decent salary!”

“Right!”

Berthas shouted again while watching the guard commander, who was devastated by the sword pointed at him.

“If you surrender, I will spare your life.”

Seeing that no one was aiming a sword at Berthas, the guard’s commander eventually threw his sword away. The palace gate was completely pierced. As soon as the gate was breached, the soldiers followed Berthas, who rode his horse straight to the inner castle.

A shout came from afar.

“Who is it?”

“I think it’s Sir Hector.”

“He arrived on time.”

The North Palace was also pierced. Soldiers carrying Berthas’ flag continued to pour in.

“What about the other side?”

“It will be soon!”

An arrow flew between the two as they rode on horseback. Looking up, it was the Crown Prince of Hillenton.

“Berthas, you b*stard!”

“If you shot, you should have hit me.”

“How dare you mock me?”

“I already know that you are not good enough. If you surrender obediently, I will spare your life.”

He never intended to keep the Crown Prince alive.

Other soldiers around him were listening, so he said that, but Berthas didn’t want to leave behind a burden. It was also a hindrance later. They believed they had their leash on Berthas tight, but the poorly fastened leash made him aim for their necks. It was the biggest mistake.

“What nonsense?! Get down on your knees right now! Did you forget when you drank the spring water of oath? As promised, you cannot take over the throne of Hillenton!”

“Who said I would take it?”

He wouldn’t take the throne of Hillenton even if someone offered it to him.

“Then, why are you aiming for the throne!”

“I am not aiming for the throne. I intend to liberate the afflicted Empire of Hillenton!”

“What did you say?”

“To think that the Imperial Family was only fulfilling their own self-interests without taking care of the country properly… Do you know what the Empire is like now?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!”

The Crown Prince’s appearance as he cried out with his face turned red was so pitiful that it was impossible to describe. He shouted, not seeing the eyes of the soldiers looking at him with pitiful eyes.

“If you are a citizen of the empire, of course, you have to work hard for the Imperial Family!”

“Wrong!”

Berthas shouted before the Crown Prince could even finish his words.

“You are wrong. If you are a member of the imperial family, you should know how to take care of the people of the empire! One, the sin of not taking care of the people of the Empire who were in pain due to the imperial family living a luxurious life! Two, the crime of breaking the promise with the emperor to lead the empire to peace! Lastly, since you broke your promise to me, I will also break your promise to you!”

“Are you going to break the oath…?!”

Rather, it seemed that they wanted to break the oath. For them, that was the only way to control Berthas.

“The oath is that I will not ascend the throne! As promised, I will not ascend the throne.”

“Then, why did you do this!”

“Didn’t I tell you?! I can’t stand to see the suffering of the imperial people any longer. When I went out on the streets, there were many hungry people and more and more people begging. The number of people wearing rags increased, and the number of people who could not work and wandered around increased. More and more people lay down on the streets because they were homeless, and more and more people abandoned their children. Don’t you feel anything when you see it?”

“What nonsense! The Empire is booming like nothing else!”

“Since you are only in the Imperial Palace, you can say such things.”

Berthas sighed. He didn’t expect it to be like this.

To say that a person who did not have at least the basic qualifications that members of the Imperial Family should have was the description of the Crown Prince. He couldn’t forgive them for doing this to his father. Was it what caused the previous Emperor to die?

“Berthas, you b*stard!”

The Emperor of Hillenton soon appeared.

Berthas frowned at the sight of him wearing a pile of gold and silver treasures. He did not appear before the rebellious army with a sword but with great adornment.

‘…Is he late because of that?’

Berthas opened his mouth, thinking that the emperor believed that authority comes from clothes.

“Uncle.”

“Uncle?! I am the Emperor of this country!”

“Look at this.”

As Berthas started this whole matter, the first thing he prepared was something. It was to uncover the secrets of the previous Emperor’s death.

“Do you have anything to say about the death of the previous Emperor?”

“That’s right, Your Excellency.”

When Berthas successfully expanded the borders and returned to the capital, someone approached him.

“The previous Emperor was assassinated. He didn’t just die.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“What?”

“What did you do at that time, and tell me now.”

Count Montfils.

He was one of the previous Emperor’s servants. He was now a vassal who was clinging to the current emperor and reaping the sweet water.

There was only one reason he approached Berthas.

It was because the Emperor ordered him to find out his intentions, and Berthas knew all of this from the report of the spy planted in the palace. Knowing that the video stone, which was always in the emperor’s office, had disappeared, he inquired and found the person with the video stone.

That was the Count right in front of him.

Berthas came and intimidated him and got the video stone about the previous Emperor’s death. A video stone showed the current Emperor pouring poison into a cup that the previous Emperor would drink.

The Count, who passed the video stone, opened his mouth.

“That… will you forgive me?”

“You gave me this, so I’ll let it slide.”

“Thank you…!”

This would mean that he was holding it as a means to intimidate the Emperor. When he refused to surrender, Berthas revealed that he was a sword master and that he dreamed of overthrowing the Empire.

For a person who would die anyway, knowing this information was useless.

The Emperor shouted loudly at Berthas, who took out the video stone, though he couldn’t stop the video stone from shining brightly and displaying the video.

The video floating in the sky of the imperial palace started with the current emperor pouring poison into the cup of the previous emperor. Even when the previous emperor collapsed after drinking that cup, it shocked everyone.

Although he had only seen the video once, Berthas couldn’t hold back his emotions.

‘Father…’

He couldn’t remain immersed in sentimentality. After calculating, he shouted.

“You are not the rightful successor, so you must step down!”

“You b*stard! That doesn’t mean you can sit here either…!”

“I am, but my child is different. My child will sit there!”

With his words, everyone except his soldiers and knights gasped in surprise. There was a sound of ‘huh’ here and there, but he didn’t care and opened his mouth again.

“So, get off that seat right now! Advance!”

Berthas spurred on his horse and started the entry into the inner circle of the imperial palace. Soldiers jumped in after him, and knights also rode their horses. The knights who watched the video did not resist.

“Kill those who resist!”

The resistant knights threw down their weapons after hearing Berthas’ cry. Before he could even enter the palace, the door to the castle opened, and the Emperor and the Crown Prince fell on their knees in front of him.

The knights captured the Emperor and Crown Prince, who were trying to escape through a secret passage in sympathy with Berthas’ will.

“Berthas, you b*stard!”

“Shut up. Thinking of what you guys did to the previous emperor, it’s not enough to even cut your throat right now.”

Everyone nodded their heads at his words that were bursting with rage.

“Drag them away!”

Looking at the backs of the people who had bullied him since he was ten years old, Berthas felt dejected.

“It’s such an easy thing…”

“Duke.”

“Not anymore.”

He said to the adjutant who approached him.

“I’m the regent now.”

“Long live His Excellency the Regent!”

“Long live!”

“Long live Berthas Hillenton!”

“Long live…!”

People were asking him to lead the country well.

Berthas smiled bitterly. What would they do if they knew that he was planning to bring the entire country to Larchen?

‘…It doesn’t matter.’

It had nothing to do with him. After all, he had no regrets or meaning for this country.

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