novelraw Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Tragedy
Marcus and his private soldiers arrived at the scene of the incident.
It was about 20 minutes after Heni's death.
“What in the world happened here?”
Marcus stared at the scene with an expression of utter disbelief.
A sight of unidentified corpses torn apart hideously unfolded before him.
Naturally, he could not help but be curious about the reason.
“We reached the snowy mountain while pursuing the fleeing guard. After that....”
Lensis immediately began the report.
The unexpected death of Heni and the reunion with Unnormal.
Even the fact that those bastards attempted self-destruction.
Come to think of it, right before they died, they were spouting some incomprehensible bullshit about congratulations and the next stage.
“I feel like I've been thoroughly played.”
After hearing the whole story, Marcus firmly shut his lips.
He was displeased because things did not go as intended.
Meanwhile, the private soldiers were searching the ragged corpses of the Unnormals.
They were probably trying to scavenge something, but there was no gain.
There was no way they could find any meaningful clues among the crushed pieces of meat.
“...Let us return for now.”
Marcus gave up and withdrew the soldiers.
Whish.
The weather grew harsher by the minute.
Because of the swirling blizzard, I could not open my eyes properly.
By the time we returned to Keford Airport after pushing through the rugged snowy mountains, everyone had become like drowned rats.
‘Am I stuck here without a choice.’
I, Ered, took off my soaking coat and stared at the outside scenery.
The whole world was covered in white.
The boundary between sky and earth became blurred.
The biting wind seemed to threaten with a high-pitched cry.
‘If a magic airship is launched in this kind of weather, it won't be safe.’
Even though I came all the way to the North.
I haven't gained a single proper thing.
‘Was it even their design that we came to the North following Heni's tracks.’
I even had such a thought.
The meaningful words the Invisible Man left behind before dying kept lingering in my head.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Marcus had an expression of being immersed in his own thoughts.
After a long while, he opened his mouth with a low voice.
“In the end, there is no choice but to investigate the inside of the Imperial Palace.”
Marcus made a decision.
The scouting mission is over.
He intended to directly confront the mastermind behind Unnormal.
The moment Marcus puts his decision into action, a fierce storm will blow in.
That storm will be something an ordinary Prominence cadet cannot handle.
If I am swept away in the wrong direction, I will be torn to shreds.
“It will not be an easy fight.”
Lensis opened his mouth with difficulty.
It was a single sentence imbued with many meanings.
Even for him, a rising star from a prestigious noble family, Marcus's decision would be a matter that cannot be taken lightly.
“I suppose so.”
Marcus narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“We must approach cautiously. We must keep the worst-case scenario in mind as well. I intend to take out insurance in preparation for this.”
“...By insurance, you mean?”
“A member of the Imperial Family exists behind Unnormal. If that rumor is spread, the entire Imperial Palace will be shaken. It is news that any honorable Imperial Family member would be more than indignant about. Eventually, a movement to root out the mastermind will naturally arise. Even if I do not step forward personally.”
Marcus answered Lensis's question without hesitation.
...According to Marcus's words, a bloody wind will whip through the Imperial Palace.
Perhaps it will even turn into a factional war.
Rather, Marcus might be aiming for that.
To root out the mastermind regardless of the means and methods.
Even if it causes unprecedented chaos in the Imperial Palace as a result.
Uprooting.
A so-called grand cleaning.
“What do you two think?”
Marcus raised his head.
His eyes were sunk infinitely deep.
I swallowed hard.
“Do you have the intention to stay with me until the end?”
Before I could even answer, he added more words.
“There is no need to answer immediately. Rather, it would lack sincerity.”
Certainly, this was not an issue that could be answered easily.
“I will not force a decision. I only hope that you move in the direction you deem right.”
Marcus was trying to step into a dangerous path himself.
In order to hold hands with such a man, considerable determination was required.
If things went well, it would be like gaining a backer named Marcus.
However, in the opposite case, I could lose everything.
I stood at a crossroads.
I wondered which path was the right one.
I agonized over it.
It was a problem difficult to decide even with the insight of a Prominence.
However, one thing that was clear was that Marcus was a righteous person.
‘I have watched him by his side, albeit for a short time.’
Marcus knew how to be considerate of those below him and was never arrogant.
He intended to actively jump into this incident.
Even while risking the loss of the privileges he could enjoy as a member of the Imperial Family.
He was a possessor of firm and upright convictions.
‘Marcus might be the person best suited to be the next Emperor.’
Wouldn't that alone be enough value to be with him.
“Ered. If you take my hand, I am willing to officially become your sponsor.”
My eyes snapped open.
The impact brought by Marcus's statement was substantial.
Marcus declared that he would actively support me without sparing the power and resources he possessed.
It is not easy to obtain a more reliable support than a Prince of the Empire.
Unless one receives the Emperor's attention.
“You have the talent to become an outstanding Prominence. I want to pre-empt you before you bloom further.”
Marcus smiled meaningfully.
‘He noticed that my heart wavered greatly.’
I suppressed my emotions as much as possible to maintain composure, but I could not help the subtle emotional change right after hearing the word sponsor.
“I hope you decide after careful consideration.”
***
The blizzard that swept through the North only subsided the following day.
It was truly a terrible blizzard.
Though such a blizzard would be nothing compared to the storm that would soon blow into the Imperial Palace.
Thanks to Marcus's Ghostwing, I was able to return to Neustadt comfortably.
“Then, I shall look forward to a positive answer.”
Marcus patted my shoulder and moved away from me.
Lensis silently followed behind such a Marcus.
‘The time to decide must not become too long.’
From the moment Marcus sets foot in the Imperial Palace, the storm will begin.
He wants someone who will brave danger for him.
He would have no intention of becoming a sponsor for a jackal that swallows what is sweet and spits out what is bitter.
“Phew.”
As I returned to the lodging, the exhaustion I had forgotten rushed in all at once.
Part of it was that my body was tired, but the mental fatigue was greater.
I experienced many things at once, and the things to think about increased by that much.
‘...Let's think after sleeping first.’
It is not too late to decide the next move after making my mind and body clear.
I closed my eyes.
Sleep poured in at a terrifying speed.
***
5 AM.
It is a somewhat early time to start the day.
I did not wake up from sleep voluntarily.
“...Damn it.”
It's that nightmare again.
A dream where my entire body is burning in flames.
Recently, my sleep has been restless.
I don't know how many times it has been already that I woke up from sleep startled.
Ironically, I am suffering from nightmares more frequently than during the Redstone days when I rolled around like a dog.
Rather, that time was better.
Because there was no worry of being caught up in all sorts of conspiracies.
“...Heugh!”
I was about to wipe my forehead, which was damp with sweat, with my hand when I flinched.
...Flames were consuming my right hand.
“W-What!”
Startled, I frantically brushed off the fire stuck to my hand.
“…….”
When I regained my senses, the fire that had been stuck to my right hand had vanished into thin air before I knew it.
As if it had never existed from the beginning.
I checked my right hand.
It was perfectly fine.
There was not even a trace of a burn.
Come to think of it, I don't think I even felt the burning pain.
‘No way....’
I was seized by an ominous feeling.
Hallucinations and auditory hallucinations.
It is a common side effect occurring in Prominence who use the power of Red Magic Stone.
‘Damn it.’
A chill came over me.
I haven't even taken off the cadet tag yet.
I've just reached the prime of my life, and already side effects?
‘...There's no way. It's just because I'm tired.’
I tried hard to shake off the anxiety.
After joining Obsidian, bizarre incidents occurred in succession.
They are even still ongoing.
The cause of the periodic nightmares might be because of the mental turmoil resulting from that.
‘The outside is noisy.’
I approached the window, the source of the noise.
“Why did such a thing....”
“What is to become of the Empire's future....”
Inexplicable lamentations.
I, Ered, roughly tidied my disheveled hair and came out of the lodging.
The streets were crowded with people.
“Extra! Extra!”
At the center of it was a newspaper boy.
I could see the citizens of the Empire competing to purchase newspapers.
‘I wonder what happened while I was asleep.’
I approached the newspaper boy and handed him a coin.
The moment I saw the front page of the newspaper I received.
My spine went cold.
Marcus was dead.
***
I could not take my eyes off the photo of Marcus decorating the front page of the newspaper.
Marcus is waving his hand toward the citizens of the Empire while wearing a gentle smile.
I can no longer see his smile.
‘It is true that Marcus made a dangerous decision. In the worst case, he could have reached death.’
Marcus himself must have been prepared.
‘Still, this is too sudden.’
It was just last night that I returned to Neustadt with Marcus.
A tragedy occurred in less than half a day.
‘Moreover....’
I turned the newspaper and read through the article on the back page.
Marcus was taken down by Unnormal?
What a load of dog barking.
I threw the newspaper down as if slamming it.
It wasn't even worth looking at further.
The newspaper article was dotted with all sorts of lies.
‘The media has already been controlled.’
Marcus was eliminated even before he could properly start the storm.
On the other hand, the fact that a member of the Imperial Family existed behind Unnormal was not recorded in the newspaper at all.
There was nothing even similar to that content.
In other words, there was a high probability that Marcus was eliminated before he could expose that fact.
‘The mastermind behind Unnormal had the ability to eliminate Marcus at any time.’
I concluded as such.
The death of Marcus proved that fact.
Even if the mastermind is higher in rank than Marcus, harming a Prince of the Empire is by no means an easy task.
It means the mastermind is a much more powerful ruler than I thought and possessed a cold-hearted side.
‘The mastermind would have known that Marcus's existence became a threat.’
Marcus persistently pursued Heni's whereabouts overtly.
From Engrove to Keford Airport.
Nevertheless, the mastermind left Marcus's life alone.
However, as soon as he tried to expose the truth, they got rid of him without mercy.
‘The mastermind grasped Marcus's intention one step ahead.’
There is no other way to explain it besides that.
‘Is that possible?’
I cannot comprehend it at all.
‘At the time Marcus made the bombshell declaration at Keford Airport, the only ones in that place were me and Lensis. But by what means....’
At that moment, the back of my head felt stiff.
A heavy impact, as if struck by a club, rushed in all at once.
‘Lensis. What happened to that fellow?’
No matter how much Marcus is the center of the topic, Lensis is his direct guard.
Since something went wrong with Marcus's safety, Lensis wouldn't have been safe either.
Nevertheless, Lensis's name could not be found anywhere in the newspaper.
‘Did he not get caught up in the incident?’
Marcus is dead, but his guard Lensis is living perfectly fine?
The puzzle pieces that were scattered in a complicated manner were fitted into their proper positions and derived one result.
Grit.
My fist was clenched tight.
I kicked back my seat and stood up.
After throwing on whatever clothes my hand touched, I finished preparations to go out.
Just as I was about to leave the lodging.
Boom!
The front door, torn out along with its hinges, slammed into the opposite wall.
Beyond it was an unexpected person.
Lensis.
It was an unexpected development.
Thud.
Thud.
The fellow who broke the door slowly intruded into the house.
...I know the reason why the fellow came.
‘Since you eliminated Marcus, is it my turn this time?’
I cracked my wrist joints and stood side by side with the fellow.
“To crawl in on your own feet. Thank you for saving me the trouble.”
I glared at Lensis and chewed out the words.
“You damn son of a bitch.”