“I didn’t even feel the slightest hint of his presence…”
The Fifth Prince is said to have no power over them, but has he always been this weak?
However, considering the backstory of the Imperial Guard, it may be natural.
All of them possess supernatural powers.
“I am the Imperial Guard’s captain from the first squad. Nice meeting you.”
“I am also pleased to meet you too,” Raymond replied with a nod.
“Because it was sudden, I couldn’t follow the etiquette. I was sent here to pick you up, so if you are angered, please let it down,” the Imperial Guard said with his head slightly lowered.
Even when other princes come to the palace, they won’t bother to follow the etiquette, but what’s the difference? It’s just lip service anyway.
“I’m quite angry that this notice just came suddenly. Anyway, never mind that part.”
‘It’s not that I care.’
Before coming here, the Imperial Guard made some changes to his assessment of the Fifth Prince.
He looked a little surprised, but Raymond couldn’t see him clearly because he was covered with a helmet.
“I’ll take you to the dining room.”
“An Imperial Guard as Guide… This is very reassuring.”
Raymond said it with a smile on his face. It wasn’t sarcastic; it was actually pure joy.
The voice of the Fifth Prince, who was full of energy, spread a smile on the lips of the Imperial Guard.
Of course, he wasn’t seen because of the helmet.
“Yes, Your Highness the Fifth Prince. I’ll protect you even if the assassin pops up right away.”
“The shield of the Imperial Family will never be breached, so I’m relieved.”
What’s the point of being attacked at the palace in the first place?
Still, a bright smile spread to the face under the helmet of the captain as Raymond smiled and thanked him purely.
Even if it’s just a word of goodwill, having this conversation with the Imperial Guard itself was not a bad experience.
This isn’t the real Fifth Prince in front of him now, anyway.
“I will protect you even if an assassin from the Kingdom of Edgar, the kingdom of night, comes at you, Fifth Prince.”
There is a Three Kingdoms Alliance that is hostile to the Pilias Empire, so it is not possible that the best assassin of this time, Harsha Xin, is here.
Although this Empire was falling apart, it was still an Imperial Palace residing deep within the Imperial City.
‘It’s never going to happen.’
There was absolutely no way it was going to happen.
“An Attack!”
“The palace has been attacked!”
“Imperial Guards! Protect the Emperor!”
The Empire seemed to have fallen far earlier than Raymond thought.
“Oh, my….”
He managed to bear the thought of swearing.
It’s been five years since he saw the Emperor’s face, and he couldn’t believe that this would happen when he decided to finally see him.
‘I’m unlucky enough to have no luck.’
He was just a little startled, not scared at all by this current situation.
This is because if he recalled what was written in the book, it is clear that most characters do not lose their lives here.
Above all, the Fifth Prince, Raymond Pilius, survived the attack on the banquet hall at the beginning of the first volume.
Of course, he loses his life with another Imperial Family member at the climax of the first volume, but at least he will not die yet.
“The Imperial knights must protect His Highness the Fifth Prince!”
The Imperial knights, who followed him as attendants shouted at the top of their lungs, drew their swords and surrounded Raymond.
Raymond was confused by the sudden change of situation and tried to open his mouth.
“Is this an Imperial family member? I’m quite lucky.”
The assassin appeared in space.
Although, the Empire is said to have fallen, but this was still the Imperial Palace. It was not easy to assassinate the Emperor.
It was just scouting work to find out any information about the Emperor’s Guards, but he didn’t expect an Imperial family member in his way.
Besides, there aren’t many Imperial knights to protect him.
Most of the Imperial Knights and Imperial Guards were concentrated on the Emperor.
“It’s my first time facing an Imperial Guard.”
The assassin was confident in his victory.
Looking at the scene, the Imperial Guard opened his mouth.
“An assassin, eh.”
‘Someone sent a real assassin?’
Raymond was freaking out.
“But don’t worry, Fifth Prince.”
Srrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The Captain took out his sword.
“I have promised to protect you.”
Raymond felt determination in his voice.
“The shield of the imperial family is not meant to be broken.”
“I can believe it. I made it before an Imperial Guard.”
“I won’t let you down.”
Before that, he took a step forward.
An unusual power flowed out of his body; the assassin, who was initially confident of winning, was also nervous.
“Is this the Imperial Guard’s power…?”
The moment the assassin muttered in a voice of interest, the long sword of the Imperial Guard appeared between his hands.
A short and sharp small sword also popped out of the assassin’s sleeve.
‘Fast!’
Only after more than 10 clashes between the small and long swords did Raymond notice that the battle had begun.
‘It is clear that the Fifth Prince was not talented, but I never thought It would be this bad.’
Raymond sighed at the level of the body, which wanted to see the confrontation between the two strong men but did not even see the afterimage of the movement properly.
Although Raymond was one of the few villains in the first volume, he had very little involvement in the main story, so there were few parts in the novel about him.
He didn’t know that he wouldn’t be talented.
‘I’m more of an extra now.’
A character that passes by briefly. After provoking the main character, he is brutally broken, leaves the scene in a lonely way, and loses his life in the massacre due to the event that exterminated the Imperial Family members.
‘And that day, the whole Pilius family would be wiped out.’
His thoughts did not last long.
This is because it was interrupted by sharp blade fragments sounding in front of his feet.
The Imperial knights who saw it stepped forward and made a fuss.
“Fifth Prince, Your Highness! You have to back off!”
“It’s dangerous here.”
But Raymond shook his head and opened his mouth.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
It can also be seen that he was very stubborn.
“The lineage of the House of Pilius cannot escape from here.”
But today was different.
There’s no fool in this place right now.
There was only the Fifth Prince, who inherited the blood of Pilius.
“Fifth Prince!”
“We will risk our lives to protect you!”
The Imperial knights made a fuss again.
Whether or not, Raymond left. He did not take his eyes off the two people in front of him.
Even if he could not follow the afterimage, his eyes were still following them.
He thought that he could gain something, even though he was only watching.
“That’s not what rumors say.”
Feeling Raymond’s eye contact, the first attack by the Imperial Guard happened.
‘I can’t let him down.’
Raymond’s eyes shone sharply before the Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guard recovered his power by raising his spirits.
Only then did the Assassin realize that he had underestimated the Imperial Guard’s power.
“Oh, my….”
When the assassin, who realized his mistake, tried to step back, the sword wielded by the Captain was nearing him.
“Is this an Imperial Guard…?”
It was clearly visible to Raymond’s eyes.
Blood spurs throughout the assassin’s body.
He collapsed like a puppet with a broken string.
“Fifth Prince, I’ll take you to a safe place.”
Raymond smiled as he looked down slightly at the Captain.
It is said to have fallen, but it is still an Empire after all.
No one expected that the defense of the Imperial Palace, which is considered the safest in the Imperial City, would be temporarily breached.
The invaders’ goal was, of course, to kill the Emperor.
More than 30 assassins attacked the Emperor, who was moving to the dining hall for breakfast, but the result was a total annihilation for the attackers.
Although the palace’s defense was said to have been breached, there were still countless shields and Imperial Knights next to the Emperor.
It was an attack that shouldn’t have been successful in the first place.
The leaders of the Empire also judged it not as an attack to kill the Emperor, but as a powerful reconnaissance to confirm the defense system.
“Report the damage to the palace in detail.”
The present Emperor, Ronald, was old and sick, but his voice still contained the dignity of a monarch.
The Imperial Guard, who was on one knee, raised his head slightly and reported the damage.
“Hmm.”
Ronald’s expression was relieved. He was relieved that the damage was not as serious as he thought.
The Imperial Guard was also a little relieved at the sight and spoke again to continue the report.
“…and the Fifth Prince was also attacked.”
“Was the Fifth Prince in the Imperial Palace too?”
“Yes, he was.”
The Emperor, who was keeping his calm earlier, was shaken.
“I think he has accepted the Emperor’s invitation for breakfast.”
“Oh….”
The Emperor, Ronald, sent breakfast invitations to the Fifth Prince, Raymond, every morning.
It lasted for five years, but Raymond had not even accepted entering the palace.
‘Why did he have to accept this morning’s invitation?’
“Raymond….”
A slight tremor came from the voice of the emperor, who quietly uttered the name of the Fifth Prince.
“Where is the Fifth Prince now?”
“He is escorted by an Imperial Guard and his Imperial knights to a safe place near the dining hall. As soon as the safety of the palace is confirmed, he will return to the Fifth Palace.”
“No, he can’t return now.”
“Your Majesty?”
His mouth was faster than his mind. Ronald unknowingly uttered his innermost thoughts.
He felt all the Imperial Guard’s eyes were on him.
The Emperor opened his mouth with a stiff face.
“I’m going to have breakfast. Tell the kitchen to prepare a meal first.”
“Your Majesty! Your safety has not been confirmed yet!”
“Yes! There must be some assassins left.”
The commander of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Knights came forward.
“It’s been five years.”
The Emperor’s voice resonates quietly in the Emperor’s room.
It was calm but possessed strong power.
The eyes of the men gathered were the most powerful in the whole Empire and the Emperor’s escort.
“I can’t even eat with my own son at breakfast after five years? Or…”
Attention was drawn to the commander of the Imperial Guard, the Empire Shield’s leader, and the Imperial Knights Commander.
“Has the shield of the Imperial family weakened to such an extent that It could not protect my family’s breakfast?”
His voice became a sharp sword and dug into the hearts of the men present inside.
The Emperor’s words had many meanings.
‘Is this how the Empire fell?’
This was his meaning.
And…
He still needed to show everyone that the Empire was still alive.
His subordinates understood the Emperor’s will.
“Your Majesty, the Imperial Palace is safe now. We will now accompany you on a safe journey to the dining room.”
He was the Marquis Blizzard, who replaced a vacant Imperial Guard position.
“It’s been five years, hasn’t it? I’ll send more escorts to the dining hall for you and the Fifth Prince.”
The moment of the father-son reunion has come.
“Can you explain it again?”
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, did not understand the current situation. So he asked the Imperial Knight in front of him to explain.
“We were ordered to give safety to the Fifth Prince until Your Highness reached the dining hall.”
“Do you mean by sending the entire 6th platoon of Imperial Knights, the entire Golden Heart Knights, just to escort me?”
“Yes, it is.”
He didn’t expect to be escorted by the entire Golden Heart Knights, consisting of over 20 men.
Raymond never imagined that after five years of not setting foot on the main palace, it would have such a huge ripple effect.
‘I can’t go out like this…’
He didn’t expect the palace to be attacked. He wanted to go back to his palace and stay there, but he didn’t expect the Emperor to come out like this.
“Fifth prince, Your Highness…”
Alex next to him carefully urged him to answer.
Raymond wanted to run away, but he didn’t dare to, so he opened his mouth.
“I want you to take me to the dining hall.”
“We’ll keep you safe.”
It’s not far from the dining hall.
Maybe it was because there was an attack a while ago, but there were unusually many armed people along the way.
They finally arrived in front of the dining hall, and there were as many as two platoons of Imperial Guard members present.
“Your Majesty is waiting for you.”
When the Imperial Guard opened the door slowly, speaking in a small voice, a large dining room appeared.
The Emperor, Ronald, was sitting at the top of the dining hall.
“Welcome, son.”
It’s been five years since they met. Parental love was smeared from the Emperor’s gaze at his son, who has returned to his embrace again.
Breakfast was over quickly.
The Emperor looked at Raymond with a pleased look during his meal, but there was nothing special to say.
It was their first meeting in five years, but there was little conversation to talk about.
After the meal, Raymond was able to see the Emperor standing up first with the Royal Guard with a sad expression.
The Emperor was busier than anyone else, especially now that the Palace was attacked.
Even under such circumstances, he took time to eat breakfast with Raymond.
He could see how much the emperor cared about Raymond.
‘But, still, the Emperor was old and sick.’
The sun has not lost its vitality yet, but the fact that it is a dying sun remains unchanged.
It was highly likely that the throne would be succeeded by the First or Second Prince, or the Third prince.
[The First Prince, who is talented in swordsmanship, is strong, but his personality is like an angry flame and he is supported by the military and knights. The Third Prince was very talented in magic at a young age, and he is supported by the Red Tower and Yellow Tower of the Southern Magic Tower Union, but unlike in the past, he has lost his wits and is blinded by jealousy towards the other prince, he always acted rashly.]
Monarchs supported by wizards and knights are common settings. The problem lies with the Second Prince.
[The Second Prince is unique. He was placed in the darkness of the Empire below, with overwhelming wealth and insidious schemes. The assassins are behind supporting him.]
A ruler over the darkness of the Empire
“What are you thinking so hard?”
‘He’s not a good man either.’
He didn’t expect him to appear at the right time.
