Normally, seeing a clan's genealogy would not take Governor Fidel's attention in the midst of an investigation.
He didn't know why, but something pushed him to keep holding the book and open its contents. Examining the leather cover of the ancient-looking book, Governor Fidel unlocked the book to see its contents.
But as soon as he started, he stayed frozen in shock. He stayed still in a daze, so much that it had already caught his partner's attention.
While the mysterious temple cleric destroyed the runes on the teleportation array, he asked, "Governor, is there something interesting in that genealogy book?"
Governor Fidel did not answer. Instead, he wordlessly went to one of the wooden crates around and lethargically sat on it while continuing his read.
The mysterious cleric was confused by his actions, however, he did not disturb the governor any further. Instead, he did his task of inspecting all the other paraphernalia and proceeded to summon some knights who were already free to help them tidy up the evidence.
The longer Governor Fidel read the introduction of the genealogy, the darker the lines on his forehead became. "To think that the Vesala had this kind of past…" He finally uttered, successfully getting the cleric's attention again.
"Have you found out something Governor?" The temple cleric asked carefully.
Governor Fidel had a serious look on his face before responding with a nod, "I think that I have found the source of the enmity of the Vesala Clan towards the Empire… However, I still need to report this to the Emperor to have it further verified."
Hearing the news the temple cleric looked at Governor Fidel with understanding. Now that there was crucial information discovered, they must not delay their return to the capital.
"Inform everyone to fast-track the operations! We must return to the capital soon!" Governor Fidel announced.
–
Callan immediately spawned from the nearest shadow on Roman's quarters.
"Did the Empress order us something to do?" The young astute man was tactfully sitting on a wooden chair by the window. He emitted a scholarly aura but the way he speaks has traces of cunningness and ruthlessness.
"You got it right, Roman! Finally, the Mistress ordered us to go all out and create chaos in the Empire!" Callan could not mask his excitement at the thought of having to devour as many lives as he could without holding back.
Roman's eyes flickered in delight, seemingly unable to get enough of the news he clarified, "Did our Mistress order that? For real?"
"Indeed! However, please wait until I am able to talk with the Master before we start. Our goal was to ensure that he successfully sneaked out of the Capital and went back to the territory." Callan replied with a hint of reprimand. He saw the thirst in Roman's eyes and he could not help but warn him from getting too excited.
"I know, I know… now off you go! Just tell me when to start~~" Roman replied nonchalantly, waving Callan to depart immediately.
Helpless from this comrade's reaction, Callan could only retreat through the shadows and go to the Duke's place in the capital.
His talk with the Duke was rather easy. After relaying Empress Carolina's message, the Duke immediately prepared his men to find a means to create his substitute and put up a teleportation portal that was not powered by mana but by the curse.
With this cursed teleportation array connected directly to the Vesala territory, he would be able to reach the east almost instantly. However, this came with a great cost, he had to sacrifice a large amount of life force.
With the knights restraining him inside the palace, the only people he could use were those on his side, particularly the cursed army who were not included in the roster of servants belonging to the palace.
It was a great loss for Maxim, but the dire situation left him with no choice.
After ensuring that the preparations for Duke Maxim's side had no problems, Callan contacted Roman to finally let chaos loose in the capital once again.
Receiving the notification in his dark quarters, Roman grinned with a sinister expression as he immediately burned the note with his purple aura,
"Ahh… too bad, I cannot do anything inside the palace for I am afraid that I would implicate the First Prince and Mistress…" He mumbled as his entire body seemed to disintegrate like dust and carried out by the wind from the windows.
His figure appeared on the nearest watchtower from the Imperial Palace. As if the people stationed in the tower were no threat to him, he just snapped his hands and the guards fell on the stone floor, with their heads rolling.
After getting rid of the unnecessary presence in the watchtower, Roman stood on the highest point and saw how peaceful the capital seemed to be even after the Emperor imposed a lockdown on all the people.
"It would be nice to break hell loose just right on the Emperor's nose right?" He chuckled as he eyed the district that was nearest to the palace walls.
He did not teleport nor move to go to his target area, he just pointed his fingers and a concentrated purple ball of cursed magic appeared on the tip of his index finger.
"Let's see you light up in this boring Empire!!" He crazily shouted as he flicked the purple ball towards the area that he wanted.
Swoosh!! Booom!!!
A violent explosion immediately shook the entire palace walls and darkened the late afternoon skies. Seeing the mess he just made, an inexplicable delight appeared on Roman's contrastingly scholarly face.
"Waaaah!! So beautiful!! The contrast of the skies to the darkness of the burnt buildings… such a work of art!!" He praised himself and the sight he saw.
What happened next was that a faint purple fume rose up in the air and drifted towards his direction. The excitement in his face was so obvious that one would think that he was actually in a delirious state.
"Ahhh!! Such a nice treat!!! This is heaven!!!" He greedily absorbed the fumes that came his way into his body.
"Not good! I can't just make it only one!!!" After marveling for a while, he decided to conjure another purple ball of cursed mana. He seemed to have tasted a kind of forbidden fruit that his face now showed a hair-raising kind of thirst from the purple fumes he absorbed earlier.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
A series of explosions rang in the entire Capital.
And in the midst of these explosions, there was one man standing on top of a watchtower laughing crazily at the scene he had created. "Ahahaha!! Ahahaha!!! So beautiful!! This is satisfying!!!"
"What on earth!" Emperor Valentin, upon hearing the first explosion, immediately stood from his office table and looked at the view from his windows.
What he saw made his entire body shudder and his heart sunk.
The area just next to the palace walls was reduced to a pile of rubble and flames. The screams of the people within and outside the palace walls haunted his entire being as the smoke rose up in the golden skies as if crying to the heavens for help.
He ran outside his office and immediately called for the guards, "Call the General and the Third Prince!! Immediately stop the perpetrators!!"
But before he completed the orders, the next series of explosions rang again making the entire palace shudder in panic.
"Vesalas…" He gritted his teeth as he finally ordered, "Prepare me the armor and sword! We will go to fight!"
There's no time to wait for the news from the two territories. With the sudden attack happening he was sure that the Vesala siblings had finally chosen to let their cards out. In return, he would also do so.
"Your Majesty, where to?" The imperial knight assigned to him immediately asked.
"To…" Emperor Valentin very much wanted to say that they had to first go to lock the Empress up, but remembering the people, he clenched his fists tight and mouthed his reply through his gnashing teeth, "To the area of the explosions!"
Kazimir, who was still recovering from his fallen spirit and body, also heard the series of explosions. There was a great sense of anxiousness in his heart that made him frantically walk out of his bed and walk into the windows to see the commotion outside.
"Husband…" Arielle called out worriedly but seeing the expression on Kazimir's face, she did not stop him but instead assisted his trembling body to see what was happening.
"This…" Kazimir trembled as he finally saw the chaos outside the palace. "This can't be…"
He immediately turned and pulled his robes to cover his body, not minding the untied red blood hair waving around his thin build, he took the sword at the bedside and instructed Arielle.
"Immediately go back to our palace and take our son, Monti to a safe place. No matter what, do not go out until I or someone from the family personally fetches you."
"But Kazimir!!" Arielle was shocked by Kazimir's sudden actions, she was extremely worried because he had not yet recovered his full strength.
"Please… take yourself and our Monti to safety. I promise to come back…" He bent his tall body to let his forehead touch Arielle's, coaxing her to do what he asked.
He held Arielle's shaking body to his embrace as he gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
"I need to be there, for the people need me the Prince, the most."
