Unknown

     

    “Let’s split the world in half, Michael.”

    Sometimes I think like that.

    If two rivals join hands, wouldn’t they truly be unrivaled in the world?

    What if Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola joined forces?

    What if Chamisul and Cheoreomcheoreom were combined?

    Of course, if you do something like this in reality, you are likely to be hit with the hammer of the law.

    Monopolies ultimately don’t help the world. They just enrich the rich.

    But, this is the world of “Nine Stars”, far removed from the real world I lived in.

    Even if Michael and I join hands, no one can stop us. No, to be precise, even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

    The strongest knight, the pinnacle of military power, and the necromancer who leads the infinite immortal army.

    If we form an alliance, becoming the masters of the world will not be just a dream.

    However, there is one problem here –

    “Interesting.”

    Michael nodded and said.

    “It’s definitely an attractive offer.”

    This might surprisingly work, right?

    Michael’s reaction was better than I thought.

    If Michael joins hands with me here, there’s no need to wait and see the rest of the story.

    It just ends here. A happy ending, “The Collusion of Two Villains.”

    And so, the world fell into the hands of villains. Applause.

    In fact, from the world’s perspective, it might not be a happy ending. But that’s none of my business.

    “Michael, I already know your plan. You plan to get rid of the Emperor sooner or later, and deal with the troublesome ministers, right? I’ll help you. It’ll be much easier if we do it together.”

    “⋯It looks like you’ve been following me around diligently in your own way.”

    Michael’s eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t deny what I said.

    It’s a bombshell statement that blatantly implies treason, but anyway, it’s just Michael and me here.

    It seems like they thought it didn’t really matter since they both knew each other well.

    “Yes. You have a point. If you and I join hands, everything will be easier. But….”

    For a moment, I felt an ominous feeling. Michael looked straight at me with a cold, mocking smile.

    “You’re mistaken. I can rule the world on my own, without your help. I have no intention of sharing power with you.”

    Well, this is what it ends up being.

    The only stumbling block was this: if Michael, the person involved, rejected this proposal, everything would fall apart.

    “You’re surprisingly cute, Richie. You could even call yourself naive.”

    Michael chuckled, revealing his white teeth.

    “You must have had the confidence to convince me with that clever tongue, but you misjudged. I will conquer the world with my own power. You can just watch, sealed away like before.”

    If this is the case, I’ll go out.

    I took a step back.

    Michael’s movements were faster. He grabbed my wrist before I could even raise my hand.

    “I don’t know what trick you used last time, but you escaped like a rat. This time will be different. I’ll prepare a more secure seal, so look forward to it.”

    There is no way to escape.

    I could only mutter in despair.

    “Fuck.”

    ***

    Deep within the dungeons of the Order of the Sun, in the darkness where not a single ray of sunlight reaches—

    The fact that Lich was imprisoned under strict surveillance was known only to a very few in the Empire.

    The palace minister Droger was one of them.

    The adjectives used to describe the Drogers were long and complex.

    One of the nine wise men who dared to approach the Emperor’s shoulder and whisper in his ear.

    Instead of presiding over the law and order of the empire,

    In addition, the Duke of Kallas Estate, the head of the Etiquette and Traditions Research Society—

    Anyway, to sum it all up, the Draugr is one of the most important figures in the Empire.

    Even Michael is so powerful that he can hardly be easily ignored.

    Therefore, even though Michael had not given any information, Drauger was able to use his own information power to successfully determine the whereabouts of the lich.

    “Duke Droger, I apologize, but our knight commander has ordered that no one approach this prison—”

    “All sinners on this earth are under my jurisdiction. You fool. If you have any complaints, have Michael come to me and confront me directly.”

    “Ah- I understand.”

    The young knight opened the door, unable to hide his embarrassment. For a subordinate simply carrying out his duties, it was simply embarrassing.

    The drow clicked his tongue and entered the dungeon. The attendant followed behind, holding a torch and looking anxious.

    The prison was full.

    ‘They say they follow the mercy of the light, but what they actually do is truly horrific.’

    Even a quick glance revealed the prisoners’ dire condition. Their emaciated bodies were bare, their bones exposed, and signs of torture were visible.

    “Michael, do you have so many enemies? Are they all enemies of the Empire?”

    It was common for those who opposed Michael to disappear without a trace one day.

    Drauger was certain that many of them had been secretly removed from this dungeon.

    Step, step—

    After a long walk, I reached the innermost part of the prison. There, I found a door that seemed even more heavily guarded than the others.

    “Open it.”

    The knights looked at each other, and had no choice but to open the prison door. Droger entered.

    “Oh, is this a visit?”

    A calm girl’s voice was heard, out of place in the gloomy atmosphere of the prison.

    Rich Estelle.

    Estelle was lying on her side in bed, leisurely clipping her fingernails.

    “What, it’s Grandpa again. This is boring.”

    “⋯Again? Hmm. I guess someone else got here before me?”

    “Well, that’s true—I guess I’m surprisingly popular. Everyone lines up to get my autograph.”

    Estelle appeared fine on the outside. She seemed in good shape, even cracking silly jokes.

    “I see. Well, there’s no reason to torture him, after all. If the rumors are true, he’s immortal, so he can’t be executed.”

    All that would be done would be to just lock them up.

    So, Estelle seemed to be living a relatively leisurely life in prison without a single fingertip being injured.

    “I am Drogon. Although I am a weakling, I hold the position of Minister of Justice of the Empire.”

    “Minister of Justice? Hey-”

    Estelle stretched out her words, half in admiration, half in mockery.

    The dragon pulled up a chair and sat down.

    “I’ll ask you straight out. Why did you come here? And why, leaving the soldiers behind, alone?”

    “Well, why would that be?”

    “⋯It’s not a good attitude to answer a question with a question.”

    “But that’s because you’re asking something Grandpa already knows. I don’t really like seeing you around every once in a while. If that’s the case, it’s not fun, so why don’t you just go back? I’ll even trim your toenails.”

    Estelle, having lost interest in the dragon, picked up the nail clippers again.

    Drauger sighed for a moment. Estelle was right. He already had an easy time guessing why Estelle had come here.

    ‘If Rich was truly an enemy of the Empire, he would never have come alone and been imprisoned.’

    What if ‘heroes’ Michael and Estelle were in on it from the beginning?

    If so, many of the questions that have been raised so far will naturally be explained.

    In short, the empire was fooled for a long time by the game these two played together.

    “But at some point, Michael betrayed Lich. Yeah. It had to happen eventually. Their honeymoon ended, and Lich was sealed… But what if the resurrected Lich came back to form an alliance again?”

    The calculator in Drogue’s head was spinning.

    It was a somewhat different inference from the actual facts, but it wasn’t completely wrong either.

    “Oh, right. I have something interesting. Want to hear it?”

    As if suddenly remembering something, Estelle took out a small crystal ring from her bosom.

    It seemed like an ordinary accessory with no function at first glance, so it didn’t seem to be confiscated even in prison.

    “What is that?”

    “You wouldn’t know because the Empire doesn’t use it. There’s a tomboy named Camula who made it. Well, to put it simply, it’s a secret recorder that can record conversations at specific moments.”

    “⋯Recorder!”

    Droger’s eyes widened. He could now fully grasp what Estelle had wanted to do.

    “You preserved the conversation you had with Michael alone. Indeed, cunning. You didn’t come to meet Michael without thinking about it…”

    “If you’re interested, I’ll play it for you.”

    As Estelle pressed a part of the crystal ball, a voice flowed out with a small noise.

    One was Estelle, the other was Michael.

    The dragon listened intently to the conversation, forgetting to swallow.

    —Let’s split the world in half, Michael.

    —Interesting. It’s definitely an attractive proposition.

    —I can become the master of the world on my own without your help. I have no intention of sharing power with you.

    —I will conquer the world with my own power. You just watch.

    “Michael, this wicked bastard⋯!”

    Undeniable evidence of treason.

    This alone was enough to push Michael over the edge. Drogue had no choice but to grit his teeth.

    ‘But wait a minute.’

    Droger calmed down and thought to himself, trying to calm the fever that had risen to his head.

    It’s not just the Drogers who come to find Estelle.

    These people possessed intelligence no less powerful than the Drogers. The powerful figures of the Empire must have also heard this conversation.

    However, no one reported Michael.

    Why?

    The imperial powers are not fools. There must be a reason they didn’t do it.

    “You look like you have a headache.”

    Estelle still spoke like a man.

    “Well, isn’t that the problem? Grandpa and everyone else are weak and no match for Michael. That’s why everyone’s hesitating, right?”

    “⋯Ugh.”

    Drauger couldn’t refute. It was frustrating, but Estelle was right.

    The most powerful weapon that shatters all logic and evidence is force.

    Michael had a power stronger than anyone else.

    The ministers are afraid of Michael’s power and are hesitant to act.

    “Even if we all work together, we don’t know what the outcome will be. That’s how strong Michael is.”

    And soon, the Droger came to the same conclusion that the other ministers had already reached.

    “I see. Richie, I decided to use you.”

    Admiral Lee Dok.

    Use poison to remove other poisons.

    In order to bring down Michael, who had taken control of the empire, Estelle was needed.


    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys