CH 368

At that moment, Sarkegaar, disguised, was in contact with Owen de Gatmora.

Upon arriving at the location where the brain trust meeting was said to take place, Sarkegaar encountered only one person.

Owen de Gatmora.

No one else was present.

"...What sort of trick is this?"

At Sarkegaar's words, muffled by his black robe, Owen de Gatmora closed his eyes slightly.

"Actually, I wish to convey an impertinent message."

"Impertinent?"

"Yes, quite impertinent."

Owen spoke while looking at the mysterious figure in the black robe.

"The Imperial Royal Family wishes to borrow your names without permission just this once."

"...What do you mean?"

The Royal Family was mentioned by a member of the revolutionary faction. Sarkegaar sensed that the situation had become twisted in a bizarre way.

"Due to a previous incident, the Royal Family has learned that borrowing your names can help resolve complicated matters quite easily."

Through those words, Sarkegaar naturally realized.

Owen de Gatmora was a traitor.

"So, my confessing directly like this is to inform you that I don't wish to create an uncomfortable relationship with your side, but to resolve the Empire's problems."

"..."

"The First Prince wishes to maintain a good relationship with you all. He also acknowledges that you are needed by the Empire."

The First Prince.

Bertus de Gardias.

Sarkegaar believed he was in contact with the revolutionary forces, but in reality, he had encountered a spy of Bertus.

"So, whatever happens this time, I sincerely hope that you can understand with a generous heart."

They were planning to do something under the name of Darkland.

"Even if the First Prince doesn't know, do you think you'll be safe?"

"Regardless of whether I'm connected to the revolutionary forces or the Royal Family, you can obtain what you want through me. In fact, isn't it better for you to deal with the Imperial Royal Family rather than the revolutionary forces?"

In front of the unidentified demon, Owen de Gatmora didn't show any signs of panic, loss of composure, or fear.

"Isn't that enough?"

The words of the Merchant Guild Master were true.

However, the fact that they were being used left a bad taste in Sarkegaar's mouth.

They were ultimately weak.

Just because they wanted to use them didn't mean they could do so without any issues.

Like this, they could be used by a completely unexpected force.

------

Saviolin Turner, dressed in a black camouflage outfit, silently watched the corpse-filled conference room with the Shanafel Knights.

It was a dirty job.

Although it involved executing the traitors of the Empire, they had to disguise it as the work of demons.

Saviolin Turner agreed with Bertus's statement that this was the best course of action.

However, looking at the massacre and the acts of disguising the cause of death as the work of demons, even she, desensitized to slaughter, felt like she was going to retch.

Was it truly necessary to go this far?

Among the revolutionary forces, there were faces she recognized.

Some of them were people she never expected to see here, and one of them stood right before Saviolin Turner.

Her eyes wide open, she looked at the lifeless body of Duke Arthur de Grantz.

And then.

Though it was just a nominal title, she had occasionally encountered her as a supervising teacher.

"Follow me, you say?"

"Ah, got it..."

"Am I going to eat you? Why are you always so nervous? Oh, hello? Should I call you a teacher? Or should I call you Lady Turner?"

"Teacher is fine."

"Ah, yes. Hello, teacher."

A slightly rough, but always bright, young girl's image overlapped.

What would happen to that child's expression from now on? How would that child live?

She hadn't seen it with her eyes, but she felt like she knew without seeing. Saviolin Turner gritted her teeth.

Saviolin Turner closed the wide-open eyes of Duke Grantz.

Although she knew it wouldn't make anything better, she felt like she had to do it anyway.

"How did you divert the guards' attention?"

"I expect the guards to arrive here in about 15 minutes."

"Good. We'll withdraw first."

Saviolin Turner had completed her secret mission.

She had a premonition that another storm would arise in the empire.

------

Emperatos Imperial Palace, Winter Palace.

Bertus was drinking tea.

It was not his usual black tea or milk tea, but a tea with a green hue.

Bertus was not alone.

"It's called green tea. Have you ever tasted it? The leaves are the same as black tea, but the taste is quite different."

Before Bertus, equally a royal, Oscar de Gardias sat stiffly.

"No... I've heard of it, but never tasted it..."

"Is that so? Then you must not know what it tastes like?"

"That's... right."

When Oscar was called by Bertus, he felt an odd fear. They often encountered or conversed with each other as fellow royals, but it was very rare for Bertus to summon him directly.

"Please, have a taste."

"Uh, yeah... Sure."

At Bertus's invitation, Oscar took a sip of green tea, but he had no time to savor the trembling taste and the fragrance that touched his nose.

Why.

Me.

That thought was all that filled his mind. Bertus stared intently at Oscar, who had taken a sip of green tea.

"How is it?"

"Well... the fragrance is pleasant..."

"Now that you know the taste and aroma of green tea, you might be able to dream of drinking it."

Not understanding the meaning of his words, Oscar felt chills all over his body before he could become bewildered. Bertus gazed at Oscar with a subtle smile.

"Do you think someone who has never tasted green tea can dream of drinking it? No, they might dream of it, but can they experience the same taste and aroma?"

"Ah? No... that can't be..."

"Exactly. One cannot experience sensations in a dream that they have never felt before."

The unknown cannot be known.

Thus, it cannot be dreamt.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can a sensation be reproduced in a dream.

"A person who has never eaten meat might dream of eating it, but the taste, texture, and aroma in that dream will be nonexistent or entirely different from reality. The same goes for everything else. In the end, that's all it is."

Bertus took another sip of his green tea, gazing at the wintry landscape.

"You can't dream about what you don't know. Even if you do, it'll be vastly different from the real thing."

"..."

"But I don't understand why people yearn for dreams about things they have never known or experienced. They don't even know what it is or what kind of world it might be."

Oscar's fingers were trembling. He tried to hide it, but he simply couldn't.

Bertus's gaze and words, though not violent or aggressive, pierced deeply through Oscar's heart.

"I don't understand why everyone is so eager to dream about a world they can't see or know."

Oscar couldn't bear to meet Bertus's eyes.

"Do you... plan to kill me?"

At Oscar's pitiful words, Bertus laughed lightly.

"Brother, killing someone means they pose a significant threat to me, or their death would somehow benefit me."

"..."

"Your life holds little value or threat to me, or the empire."

A worthless life.

At those words, Oscar stared wide-eyed at the tea water.

He was a member of the revolutionary forces, but not among their leaders. He wasn't even that important there.

That's why he wasn't a crucial target for Bertus, even now.

"Killing a member of the royal family over a mere ant's dream? It's more pitiful than anything, hardly worth stepping on."

Oscar couldn't say a word against Bertus's blatant contempt and sarcasm.

"So, from now on, know your place and behave accordingly."

"..."

"Answer me."

At Bertus's cold command, Oscar opened his trembling lips.

"I'll... remember that."

Oscar de Gardias was an ant.

An ant can do nothing when its dreams crumble before its eyes.

After Oscar de Gardias retreated, Bertus downed the now-cold green tea in one gulp.

In the overcast sky, the rain began to drizzle.

"I wanted to express my gratitude in person, if possible."

-Sssshhh

With a gloomy smile, Bertus stared quietly at the window as the winter rain began to fall.

Not long ago, Bertus had summoned Saviolin Turner to the Winter Palace.

"What is the task I must undertake?"

"It is to root out the cancerous cells of the empire."

"Cancerous cells...?"

"Have you heard of the republican revolution?"

The Emperor had already granted permission.

Bertus explained to Saviolin Turner about the series of events that had occurred since the closure of the Orbis-class school.

Bertus had been aware of the revolutionary forces for quite some time. Just as Charlotte knew that such a situation was inevitable.

They had already identified a few key members and even some minor figures.

However, it was difficult to address them recklessly, as they were like volatile bombs, and time was spent on grasping the whole picture.

It wasn't until the visit of the Merchant Guild Master, Owen de Gatmora, that the situation was accurately assessed.

Through the business of Reinhardt's Magic Research Society and the Rotary Club, Bertus' forces had gained a direct connection with the Merchant Guild.

Until then, the connection had been indirect, but since then, a close link had been formed between Bertus' forces and the Merchant Guild, knowingly or unknowingly.

Owen requested a private meeting with Bertus and confided in him about the revolutionary forces.

He claimed to have very important information concerning the fate of the empire.

However, it was not an easy matter to handle. The exposed revolutionary forces mostly consisted of people who could exert significant influence on the empire, and if the royal family directly intervened in handling them, it could trigger a massive uprising from the remaining forces.

Thus, they were keeping an eye on the situation through Owen de Gatmora, who volunteered to be a spy, while trying to find a suitable method.

And then.

The demons appeared.

"We will gather the leaders in one place, and after eliminating them all, we'll disguise it as an attack by the demons."

The demons provided a powerful smokescreen that could conceal the truth behind all the incidents. There might be people who could deduce the truth, but the message of the demon remnants had too strong an impact across the entire continent.

With a single mention of the demons, all minor noises could be brushed aside.

After slaughtering all the leaders, they would disguise it as the act of the demons.

The remnants of the republican revolutionary forces might think it was a conspiracy by the empire, but the general public would be deceived by the mention of the demon and not see the truth.

In fact.

The demon remnants tried to make contact with the revolutionary forces and succeeded in doing so.

Thus, it would be persuasive to the remnants that the leaders were massacred by the demon's attack. It wouldn't be unconvincing to say that something went wrong at the negotiation table, and the enraged demons slaughtered the leaders and disappeared.

There would be debates within the remnant forces about whether it was truly the act of the demons or not, but their divisions would not be harmful in themselves.

And then, Owen de Gatmora would take on the role of the temporary leader, absorbing the remaining revolutionary forces. He would then publicize a falsified truth regarding the deaths of the leaders.

The revolutionary forces would fall entirely into the hands of the royal family.

Upon hearing Bertus's plan, Saviolin Turner nodded with a stern expression.

She was devoted to the empire.

Thus, she agreed that those seeking to overthrow the empire must be eliminated.

"But how do you plan to disguise it as the work of demons?" she asked.

"We have some demon captives being used for research purposes. We simply release them at the scene and kill them afterward."

"...I see."

"So, it's a secret that Shanafel is deployed at the scene. There will be support to handle the scene manipulation. Shanafel's main focus should be on cleanly eliminating the escort troops. Can you do that?"

"...Yes, I can."

The emperor's approval had been secured beforehand.

A barrier to block spatial teleportation magic had already been set up at the meeting place arranged by Owen.

Shanafel would kill all the revolutionary leaders, manipulate the corpses' wounds, and scatter demon bodies to disguise the scene as a battle against demons.

The conditions and meeting place were selected to make such a disguise as easy as possible.

They were like thorns in one's mouth, difficult to remove.

The remnants of the demon forces.

The conveniently timed excuse would shield the empire from all controversy.

It didn't matter if the truth was revealed.

It was a fact that the revolutionary forces had dared to betray humanity by trying to join hands with demons.

-Aaaah

Bertus looked out at the falling winter rain.

"Tsk."

In the end,

The fact that he had killed the parents of his classmates weighed heavily on him.