“Baron Hog Melros.”
Kain’s voice, as he called the second-class chamberlain of the Ministry of the Interior, was exceedingly cold.
At once the atmosphere in the audience chamber shifted, and the imperial knights guarding Kain’s side all wore startled expressions.
Today was the day several neutral nobles—who had declared neutrality amid the power struggle between the imperial family and the Empire’s Five Pillars—were scheduled for an audience.
That schedule had been managed by Baron Melros, and compiling information on those scheduled for today’s audience and reporting it to the emperor was also part of his duties.
Yet today, the report Baron Melros had submitted contained details that were completely different from what Kain remembered from the setting.
For example, among those scheduled to meet Kain today was Count Tailid Penber, a member of an old loyal family that had offered unwavering loyalty to the Felberg imperial house for hundreds of years.
His territory simply happened to be too close to the lands of Duke Hans Deneb, the most recent addition to the Empire’s Five Pillars, so ten years ago he had declared neutrality for geopolitical reasons.
Even after declaring neutrality, Count Penber had never sided with the Five Pillars and had always fulfilled the minimum duties owed to the imperial family; even within the loyalist faction, no one pointed fingers at him.
This was a fact Kain, who had personally supervised every detail of Empire Heroic Legend’s world setting, knew better than anyone.
Yet.
No matter how many unpredicted variables had arisen from the application of numerous hidden DLCs, the report Baron Melros had just submitted was suspiciously filled with slander and defamation against the Penber family.
Melros had tried to disguise it, but to Kain’s eyes it was glaringly obvious.
Highly suspicious.
Kain was no fool.
No matter what, he could not possibly have forgotten the families and characters he himself had created.
Moreover, even without his memories from before the possession, he still had the Wanderer Privilege that allowed him to instantly view portions of any character’s setting book.
There was no way he would fall for such a petty trick.
Without wasting time on pointless deliberation, Kain stared straight at Baron Hog Melros and opened his setting book.
< Hog Melros (Baron) >
Possessed Traits: Weak Traitor (D), Noble (D), Inept Chamberlain (E), Court Etiquette (E) — Additional traits unavailable for viewing.
Summary: The Melros family is an unremarkable house with a small territory that has always suffered from chronic financial difficulties.
In recent years, however, the family’s longstanding money troubles were suddenly resolved, and Baron Hog Melros began living a life of luxury.
Compared to major characters like Count Steiner Landerck or Damien Pavel, Baron Hog Melros’s setting book was pitifully meager.
While examining it, Kain focused on the “Weak Traitor” trait and the part stating that the family’s financial woes had been resolved in recent years, allowing the baron to live extravagantly.
Moreover, the baron had not hesitated to slander Count Penber, who was clearly set as a loyal subject, and the report contained such sophisticated information manipulation that even Kain would have been fooled without his developer memories.
“Can you swear that every piece of information you have submitted is accurate without the slightest error? If there has been a mistake, I will grant you time to reorganize it.”
It was a question meant to confirm whether this was deliberate defamation.
“I have reviewed and verified it multiple times, Your Majesty. I did not include any information uncertain enough to require further confirmation.”
Baron Melros answered the emperor with brazen lies, his expression unchanged.
Of course he did; he had no idea Kain could open status windows and check people’s information.
“Quite the bold claim. I shall keep it in mind.”
Having glimpsed something of Melros’s true intentions, Kain could afford to relax.
He was already certain of the baron’s smear campaign, yet he decided to wait a little longer and cautiously check Count Tailid Penber’s setting book one final time.
According to the trait system Kain had implemented in Empire Heroic Legend, if a character who had been loyal ever harbored thoughts of betrayal, the “Loyal Subject” trait would disappear.
Although Count Penber had been forced to declare neutrality for territorial reasons, he had never cooperated with the Five Pillars faction, so it could not be considered betrayal.
In other words, if the “Loyal Subject” trait still remained when he opened Count Penber’s setting book, Kain would be able to guess why Melros had the “Traitor” trait and why this smear campaign existed.
“Count Tailid Penber has arrived.”
“Let him enter.”
When Melros announced the count’s arrival, Kain granted permission.
Count Tailid Penber entered under the sharp gazes of the escort knights.
“This unworthy subject, swayed by foreign winds, greets His Imperial Majesty.”
While the count performed the ceremonial bow with a sorrowful expression, Kain silently opened his setting book.
The “Loyal Subject” trait was still there.
Kain made his decision.
“Baron Denver3.”
Kain called for the knight he trusted most.
Baron Heinrich Denver, who had been standing close by, approached at the emperor’s summons.
Once responsible for guarding the prince, he now led the Imperial Guard that protected the emperor at closest range.
“If I order you to arrest Baron Melros, will you obey?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Without asking why?”
“For us, the reason Your Majesty commands is unimportant. We are Your Majesty’s sword.”
Unlike the central nobles entangled in complicated politics, Baron Denver had walked the straightforward path of a knight his entire life.
Moreover, until quite recently he had lived a relatively light life as both bodyguard and drinking companion to the former “wastrel” Kain, so Baron Heinrich Denver’s thinking was exceedingly simple.
“Imperial Guard, arrest Baron Melros.”
With his decision made, Kain issued the imperial command.
The ten Imperial Guards lined up on both sides of the audience chamber advanced toward Baron Melros without a moment’s hesitation.
This was an imperial order from Kain, who had revealed the power of his Sigil to protect the citizens on coronation day and cast off the stigma of “wastrel” at the same time.
Not a single guard dared question it.
In an instant the mood in the audience chamber flipped.
Traitor Hog Melros, crushed by the pressure of the approaching guards, began slowly retreating, his face pale with terror.
“W-what is everyone doing? I-I am a loyal subject of the imperial family! I am a baron of the empire!”
He even invoked his title, but it had no effect.
The man before them was merely a baron, and what moved them was the imperial command.
“Y-Your Majesty! What in the world is…! There must be some misunderstanding!”
The baron raised his voice again, claiming innocence.
Because he shouted so confidently, he almost seemed genuinely wronged.
Unfortunately for him, he was a turncoat who had accepted gold in exchange for betraying emperor and empire.
Having opened his setting book, Kain knew this clearly.
Knowing his own guilt, he could easily imagine what would happen once the approaching guards seized him.
It probably would not end with simple execution.
As the guards reached out to grab his arms, Baron Melros suddenly remembered the spell scroll he had been given by the person who bribed him, along with instructions to use it if he was ever captured.
—If your betrayal is discovered and you face arrest, use this scroll.
He did not know who had given it to him.
But he had no other choice.
Damn it! To think it would come to this!
Baron Melros felt the evil, origin-unknown mana emanating from the scroll hidden in his pocket.
The unpleasant sensation crawling up his fingers made him hesitate.
This was exactly why he had never wanted to use it.
But now there was no time to hesitate.
A mere upper-rank mage like Hog Melros had no way to escape the grasp of the approaching Imperial Guards.
Even if, by some miracle upon miracle, he slipped away right now, could he really escape the imperial palace?
No, he would probably be caught before even leaving the Sun Palace.
Reluctantly, he had no choice but to use the scroll.
“If it has come to this—so be it!”
A cornered rat will bite the cat’s nose.
Since he was already exposed, he no longer hesitated.
The baron instantly pulled the scroll from his trouser pocket.
At that very moment, the guards who had closed in drew their swords in unison as they saw Melros about to tear the hidden scroll.
“Protect His Majesty!”
At Baron Heinrich Denver’s shout, the Imperial Guards moved as one.
The two closest to Hog Melros swung their longswords, while the others and the court mages formed a protective perimeter around Kain.
Sensing the dangerous turn of events from his throne, Kain injected mana into the back of his left hand, awakening the Sigil to use the Authority of the Star Throne.
The moment the dormant Sigil responded to his mana.
“KYAAAAAAAARGH!”
Hog Melros’s scream echoed through the audience chamber.
A guard’s longsword had severed his right arm in a flash.
“The scroll?”
“Check his condition!”
Yet the severed right hand still tightly clutched the untorn scroll.
Tearing the scroll would activate the engraved magic circle.
That was why the guards had rushed in and cut off the arm before he could rip it.
Regrettably, the scroll Baron Hog Melros had hidden was not the ordinary kind produced by the Magic Towers.
In other words, the method to activate its magic circle was different.
“KYAAAAAAA!”
Using the blood spilling from Melros as a medium, the scroll’s magic circle activated.
At once, the dormant evil dark mana began devouring the baron’s entire body.
“Black magic!”
A court mage present in the chamber shouted at the top of his lungs, far too late.
As a mage walking the path of magic, he had instantly recognized the birth of the sinister mana that constituted black magic.
“GRAAAAAAAH!”
Hog Melros, now corroded by black magic, writhed in agony as his body twisted grotesquely.
His skin turned pitch black, a magic circle symbolizing black magic slowly appeared on his forehead, and waves of jet-black mana surged around him.
Finally, when the entire process was complete, there was no longer a “human” there.
Only a single demon, shrouded in dense darkness, remained.
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