episode_0002

As the sun sets.

People are kneeling in the center of the massive stone arena.

A knight in splendid armor stands before them, unfolding a long parchment and reading aloud.

“Betraying humanity by colluding with the demons despite holding the grand position of Emperor…”

The men in front of the knight, with despairing expressions, have given up everything, their heads bowed with ropes around their necks.

“And also, disregarding the empire’s customs, mocking the imperial council, and persecuting their own kin…”

Their faces devoid of hope.

Perhaps they wish for a swift death, having endured brutal torture.

At least they won’t suffer further torment once they are dead.

“P-please… spare us…”

A boy who appears to be around 10 years old stammers, but the knight continues reading the parchment stoically.

“And mocking the empire’s laws, exploiting the empire’s citizens…”

Those witnessing this scene may find it hard to accept.

Because… the ones being dragged to the center of the arena like criminals are…

The Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Princes.

Brought to the arena like sacrificial animals by a noble family that had sworn allegiance to the empire, praising the Emperor as a holy ruler and receiving the love of the empire’s citizens.

The ones being humiliated in this dreadful manner are…

My biological father, Valoran, the Duke of Francesco.

Under the pretext of aiding the Eastern borders, Valoran led his army into the capital.

Through bribed gatekeepers, he successfully staged a coup, breaching the city walls.

That’s why…

Noble men of the royal family are being treated in such a manner.

A coup that succeeded through treacherous schemes.

To stabilize the situation.

The Emperor and the noble men.

These dignified individuals are being humiliated and persecuted here like criminals.

“Therefore, according to the verdict issued by the imperial council, I shall carry out the execution of the current Emperor and the collaborating nobles!”

As the announcer declares, executioners with black cloths covering their faces enter and stand beside the Emperor and the nobles.

– Out of the way, rebels!

– This verdict is invalid!

– Release the Emperor!

– Traitors! Valoran, step back!

– The empire belongs to the Emperor and the council!

But some of the empire’s citizens who cannot accept this situation shout out.

Seeing this, the enraged citizens’ loud voices fill the colosseum.

Seemingly displeased, the Duke beside me shouts.

“What are the executioners doing! Hurry! Execute those demon collaborators!”

“Don’t do it! Stop! They promised to spare us! Spare our families!”

Beside the Duke, a beautiful woman, Theodora Augusta, kneels and pleads.

Her bright gray hair and red eyes prove her noble lineage.

Despite her rich gray hair touching the ground, it seems unimportant now.

As the executioner raises his axe, she rushes towards the balcony.

Reaching out into the void, the cruel executioners raise their axes high.

And then…

– Thud!

With a chilling sound, 14 heads fall to the ground.

Watching this, Princess Theodora…

No, now known as Princess Theodora since yesterday, reaches out her hand in vain…

Unable to undo the death she has already faced.

“No! Nooo!”

Screaming and writhing, she collapses as if to faint, and I hurriedly support her.

“Your Highness… Are you alright?”

She is younger than me, but she is the Duke’s fiancée, soon to be my biological father’s new wife.

Well… There’s no way I’ll become a queen mother. If I kill the emperor tonight…

It’s my only lifeline to save my own life.

-Slap!

At that moment, my cheek stings.

And the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

Did my lip split a little?

“Devian!, what are you doing?”

Baloran’s sharp eyes glare at me.

Baloran, who always looked for an opportunity to kill me.

Now that the emperor who restrained himself is dead, he’ll soon try to kill me.

I politely bow my head to Baloran, who shines with a beastly gaze.

-Tsk.

For now… I must bow. Just in case he catches on and tries to kill me…

And I raise my head, forcing a smile, and brightly say, “I apologize, Your Majesty. But you see, you are marrying the queen mother tomorrow, and I was just trying to prevent you from hurting your face, Your Majesty.”

This beast of a man planned to marry the new bride’s father the day after he killed him.

Does he have any emotions?, or is he a psychopath like those I’ve heard of in this modern era?

I hide such thoughts and try to act as much as possible, feeling a bit relieved.

Baloran snorts and says, “Get lost…”

After hearing those words, I look around the room.

The attendants who have served our household for a long time look at me with fearful faces.

And in one corner, the empress and the second princess weep endlessly with a helpless look on their faces.

And I quietly hand over the sleeping Theodora in my arms to the palace doctor.

“Please take good care of the queen mother.”

And I bow to them once and leave the room with a simple greeting.

Expect… Baloran.

You won’t make it through tonight.

With that determination firmly in my heart, I head to the execution grounds.

As I walk along the long hallway, a handsome blond man approaches me and says, “Are you okay, Your Highness?”

“Yes, so… is the plan going well?”

Agrippa nods in response to my question and hands me a handkerchief.

“Your guards are somewhat subdued, so they will all attend the banquet at the appointed time.”

As Agrippa hands me the handkerchief to wipe my lips, he sees the blood and says, “Well… what about the watchtower?”

In the original novel, I had to mention that the princess was planning to escape through a secret passage in the watchtower tonight, so I say…

Looking around, Agrippa whispers softly in my ear, “I have already stationed soldiers at the place you mentioned.”

– Tsk.

“Really?, that’s a relief. What time is the party scheduled to start?”

“At night… 9 o’clock.”

Nodding in response to his words, I say, “Don’t make a mistake. Understand?”

Agrippa chuckles and says, “Don’t worry.”

“If it goes well… I’ll arrange a marriage for you, and your descendants will likely rule the empire.”

Although I say I’ll arrange a marriage for him, I really hope he gets married.

Agrippa will later become the supreme commander of the Allied Forces that will save humanity when the demon king is resurrected.

And my younger sister Mary will marry Agrippa, and their child will become the future emperor…

I have no regrets.

I… just dream of living peacefully and dying.

“Haha, I only need Princess Mary, not the empire.”

I don’t understand why this rough wild girl is so attractive to Agrippa, who is so handsome…

“Well… enough of that,”

I look back at the hallway I came from.

“Let’s finish this quickly…, we need to subdue the attendants.”

Even if I manage to kill Baloran, if the attendants don’t follow my orders, everything will be in vain.

I’ve prepared in advance, but… I’m a bit worried about what choice they’ll make.

Perhaps, like the emperor a while ago, my head might roll at the hands of my subordinates.

So, I can’t easily overlook this part.

“Don’t worry. The officers are on your side, Your Highness.”

I nod in response to his words.

“That alone gives me a little peace of mind.”

In reality, it doesn’t give me peace of mind. In fact, the generals only managed to capture two of them…

It should go well…

I’m a little worried and scared, but it’s something that must be done.

“It will go well. You’ve been preparing for quite a while, haven’t you?”

I smile at those words.

I am ready to execute the plan to kill my father, Valoran.

***

The die is cast.

An old saying by Caesar.

Just like now, in this moment.

I have cast the die.

In the darkness of the night.

I walk through the darkness, relying on a small lantern.

-Hoo… Hoo…

The hooting of an owl brushes past my ears.

I look around.

A brightly lit and magnificent palace.

The late emperor may have died, but the grandeur and splendor of the palace still shine.

Perhaps it is because the dwarves, elves, and dark elves worked together to build it?

Although it is an old building, its brilliance and grandeur do not diminish even though the owner has passed away.

-Tuk… Tuk…

The sound of my footsteps echoes softly on the stone path.

I walk into the darkness, leaving the magnificent palace behind.

Passing through the garden behind the palace, I reach the sturdy watchtower at the eastern end.

Perhaps this watchtower, which may have guarded this place longer than the palace itself, has now become a symbolic building that has lost its meaning.

I walk towards it.

-Knock, knock.

As I knock on the rusty iron door…

-Creak…

The sound of a rusty latch is heard.

“Gongja… Have you come?”

A familiar face appears in the darkness.

“Yes… Where is the princess?”

Agrippa shakes his head in response to my question.

“She has not arrived yet.”

I nod in response.

“She will try to escape today. So… make sure to guard her well.”

Agrippa looks puzzled at my words but nods.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“To be honest… it’s hard to believe. It’s surprising that there is a secret passage out of this tower… and to know when she will escape… it’s hard to believe.”

-Sigh.

“Then how about we make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“If I come back alive… there will be a mountain of things to do.”

Agrippa chuckles at my words.

“I don’t really like overtime work.”

-Sigh.

“But I’ll have to do it from now on. Because there will be consequences for the position you will take.”

“I do not aspire to that position.”

I stare at Agrippa intently.

“If Valoran dies today… and you want to marry Lady Mary, my approval is necessary, right?”

As the next head of the family after Valoran’s death, it is essential for the members of the family to marry Mary to Agrippa with my approval.

“So help me now that I have gained strength.”

“I’ll have to think about Lady Mary and the wedding feast.”

I chuckle at his words.

“I have already promised to pass on the Grand Duchy to your and Mary’s children…”

I pat Agrippa’s shoulder and continue.

“I’m counting on you.”

“I’ll do my best. Anyway, please come in. The mercenaries are waiting eagerly inside.”

I follow Agrippa’s lead into the watchtower.

Inside, I see three generals and a woman.

Among them, a familiar man nods respectfully and greets me.

“It’s been a while, Gongja.”

“Thank you for coming, Karl.”

He smiles warmly at my words.

He is as big as a bear, with thick neck muscles that make him stand out.

Karl claims that those muscles are extraordinary.

“Let me introduce our party.”

Karl points to a man with long black hair behind him, looking somewhat gloomy.

“His name is Hans. He’s a master of dual swordsmanship.”

Hans extends his hand in a friendly gesture in response to my greeting.

“I’m Devian Lion. Nice to meet you.”

Hans shakes my hand, returning the greeting.

Looking at Hans, Karl continues speaking.

“Unfortunately… please understand that he can’t speak well due to his tongue being cut off in the past.”

At Karl’s words, Hans looks slightly embarrassed.

“And the woman next to Hans is…”

Beside Hans stands a woman who looks agile.

“Hello. I’m Rebecca.”

I’m a bit surprised by the unexpected character.

“She’s an assassin who mainly uses daggers and poison.”

Karl explains further, and Rebecca returns to her usual expression, reaching out her hand and saying,

“Nice to meet you. Please don’t be alarmed by my appearance.”

Rebecca, with her slightly common and cute face, flashes a bright smile and shakes my hand.

“Oh, don’t worry! Just call me whenever you need an assassin.”

Despite her ordinary and cute face, the thick calluses on her palm hint at her exceptional skills.

-Chuckle.

I joke in response to her words.

“I have a lot of people to take care of later. I’ll be in touch often.”

“Oh… just contact me through Karl later~!”

“I’ll be in touch soon.”

I say to Rebecca, who even winks at me.

“The man next to Rebecca is Jason. He’s skilled with a spear.”

And next to him is a tall man with a well-balanced physique.

Reaching out my hand to the nearly 190cm tall man, I say,

“Nice to meet you. I’m Devian.”

Jason shakes my hand and replies,

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jason.”

“He’s a former giant soldier.”

I hear an unexpected revelation.

Is that so… you’re also a victim of Balor.

I feel a strong sense of camaraderie with Jason.

“Now… it’s time to start moving, everyone get ready.”

Agrippa begins handing out armor and weapons to the mercenaries.

Watching this, I calm my anxious heart.

It will be fine…, it will be fine.

Saying this, I look at Karl, Rebecca, and Jason, all armed like guards.

Jason, being a former giant soldier, looks a bit cramped in his armor, but it can’t be helped for now.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Saying so, I turn to Agrippa.

“If… I fail… please take care of things.”

Agrippa responds in a cheerful voice to my words.

“It will be fine.”

-Chuckle.

“Alright… I’ll be back.”

With that, I leave the watchtower.