140 Approach of Darkness

In one corner of the palace, a separate building had been constructed for state affairs.

Rather than coming and going separately, the building was designed to be connected to the center of the palace, making it convenient for the Emperor to call when needed. In this building, there were various departments, including a study where the Chancellor, Hector Kazaf, conducted his work.

Hector, who had been busy gathering information related to Maximen from the intelligence department, was in the midst of tidying up his attire when the Emperor's sudden visit occurred.

"His Majesty has arrived," his subordinate informed him.

Hector looked around and asked, "Is there any new information from the Academy?"

"No, there isn't."

Hector nodded and waited for the Emperor.

Soon, the Emperor arrived, and the members of the intelligence department and Hector all bowed respectfully.

"Raise your heads," commanded the Emperor.

Everyone raised their heads at the Emperor's command.

By the Emperor's side, there stood the long-hidden figure of the Chief of the Royal Guard, Javier Leonard.

"So, Maximen is at the Academy?" the Emperor inquired.

"That's correct, Your Majesty."

"He wanted to have a conversation with Adrias Cromwell? Do we know what kind of conversation he wants?"

"We haven't received any information on why he wants to speak with Adrias Cromwell yet," Hector replied.

The Emperor scanned the surroundings after Hector's response.

"I have something to discuss with the Chancellor for a moment, so please withdraw."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After everyone except Javier and Hector withdrew, the Emperor began the conversation in earnest.

"Maximen, has he realized the existence of Original Sin?"

"That is unlikely, Your Majesty. For now, we are trying to find out where Maximen has established a connection with Adrias."

"I don't understand why that insignificant Maximen would capture the attention of the entire empire."

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Emperor spoke impulsively, "Perhaps we should just eliminate Maximen at this point?"

When the Emperor pointed to Javier, Hector narrowed his eyes.

Javier remained motionless, like a doll, even in such a situation.

"I dare not speculate, but the damage wouldn't be minimal, wouldn't it? Certainly, compared to the power of the Empire, Maximin is nothing more than a firefly. However, Maximin's abilities are highly specialized in escaping..."

"Hector."

The Emperor called his name sharply.

Hector, with goosebumps from the inexplicable chill, managed to answer, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"This won't do, that won't do either. What on earth can we do? Is the Empire's ruler truly capable?"

"No, Your Majesty. You are indeed the rightful ruler of the most powerful nation on this continent."

"Is it acceptable that our empire cannot punish a single individual?"

"No! With the empire's strength, an individual like Maximen is nothing!"

"Then, let's consider killing Maximen. What do you think?"

"I will communicate with our agents nationwide."

Hector merely nodded.

He could sense that the Emperor's arrogance was gradually reaching its limit, despite his efforts to restrain it.

"Javier, can we trust you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Hector looked at Javier, who responded mechanically, but there didn't seem to be any doubt about the possibility.

Javier Leonard was also one of the Top Ten on the continent.

With the scattered Aura Masters and Warlocks throughout the nation, could they capture Maximen without any casualties?

Just as they were discussing this, a sound interrupted their conversation.

Knock, knock.

Even though they had been ordered to withdraw by the Emperor's decree, someone was knocking on the door...

"Come in."

The Emperor spoke, and a woman in white attire entered. She bowed her head and silently extended a magical communication device with both hands.

"Hegel contacting at this time... It's fortunate that the Chancellor is here as well; it will be easier to discuss."

The Emperor took the communication device and immediately established a connection.

"Have you been well, Your Majesty?"

"Hegel, it's been a while. So, what brings you here?"

"I have found traces of Wrath."

There was a momentary silence, and the Emperor nodded.

He seemed unaffected, but a smile was drawn on his lips that couldn't be erased.

"Good work."

"We have identified the location, but it may take some time to bring it in."

"Is there a problem?"

"It's not an object; it's the Chief's child."

"What?!"

Hector, caught off guard, exclaimed before covering his mouth.

The Emperor didn't scold Hector for his reaction; instead, he seemed inwardly surprised.

"You mean the child is alive?"

"Yes."

"Understood. We will meet and discuss this later."

After ending the call, the Emperor changed the subject.

"We may have to let Maximen go for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Wrath is the more immediate concern."

"I'll wait for Hegel to arrive. Continue to provide updates on Maximen."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

As the Emperor left with Javier, Hector wiped his forehead with relief.

'In the early days, there were benefits for me as well, but lately, even those advantages have disappeared. Maybe it's time to consider other options.'

Experiences of various political struggles in the palace made him feel that the Emperor, whose standards were increasingly ambiguous, was becoming more dangerous.

As a loyal member of a noble family, he had followed the Emperor since his ancestors' time, but he could sense that the time for a decision was approaching in order to survive.

'It's getting difficult, very difficult.'

.

.

.

.

As Isabelle woke up, Maximen immediately left.

Before leaving, we made a simple promise that if she fell asleep again, they would contact me.

Meeting in the Empire made me nervous, so we agreed to contact separately when I was outside the Empire.

There was no rush for the remaining requests, so I decided to think about them gradually.

'If Surahan had died, the situation would have become complicated. It's fortunate we managed to save him somehow.'

Maximen concealed Isabelle's appearance and, together with Bart, Berial, and Deos, who had arrived belatedly, urgently moved Surahan, who was in a near-death state, to a treatment facility.

Fortunately, my first aid had worked well, and he could be treated without any issues. If Surahan had died, it would have been a problem no matter how much Surahan had rushed in first.

Knock, knock.

"Your Highness, Count Adrias Cromwell has arrived."

As I organized my thoughts while walking, I suddenly found myself in front of the entrance.

The place I had just arrived at was the mansion of the Alben family, located in the capital.

Bart had called me here due to matters related to Maximen.

"Very well, come in. Adrias alone may enter."

The servant who had guided me this far inclined his head to me and then left.

As I entered the room, I saw that Bart was with someone.

'Carlos Alben.'

I had seen him briefly in the port city of Muriel, perhaps about half a year ago.

He was an unexpected figure, but I didn't show any surprise.

"You're here. It's been a while, Carlos."

"You came? You've got some nerve."

"It has been a while, Your Grace Cromwell."

Ignoring Bart's grumbling, I offered a courtesy to Carlos.

"Your Highness, I will take my leave now."

"Where are you going? You were waiting for Adrias. You're becoming more cunning."

"Haha. You're being too harsh, Father. Please bear with me and let me play along."

He was waiting for me?

Even though I was present, it was quite Bart-like to speak so bluntly to his own son.

Nevertheless, their relationship seemed good on the surface.

"You were waiting for me?"

"I was trying to subtly ask, but it got messed up because of Father. Yes, I rushed here because I wanted to hear about Maximen Cronell's story after hearing it at the Academy."

That's what it was.

Looking back, Carlos was the eldest son of a prestigious magical lineage, yet he had become a wandering knight, which was quite unusual.

Considering Dianne's love for knights, there must have been something within the family.

"Now, let's sit down and talk. I heard a bit at the Academy, but I haven't heard all the details."

"What do you want to hear?"

"From the beginning to the end, everything!"

It was quite a demanding request.

Still, I was confident in presenting the information in a somewhat embellished manner.

"There's no need to say, but since Carlos is here, I should tell you in particular."

"As expected of Your Grace Cromwell."

"Adrias, you seem to be getting more insolent these days."

Bart didn't hold any grudges against me, and despite his eccentric personality, he often made jokes. He was expressing our growing closeness, and fortunately, Bart only joked around.

"At first..."

I began to explain, carefully concealing the information about the deity. I adjusted the details and spoke about it while highlighting my skill in potion-making, as well as the recent rumors about me curing Lucia's illness that had been spreading. I decided to take advantage of this.

"Maximen sometimes carries a coffin with a person inside. The person was sick, so they asked me if I could take a look and I did."

"Huh? I know Maximen travels with Isabelle. Are you saying you cured her illness?"

"It's not a complete cure. I just woke her up from her sleep."

At that moment, Carlos asked, "Isabelle, during the Terafin Incident...?"

"Yes, that's right. She's a vampire."

If you trace the cause of the Terafin Incident, Isabelle's involvement would be the most significant. If her true identity hadn't been revealed, the Terafin Incident might not have occurred.

'She's just a vampire.'

Her identity as a direct vampire wasn't disclosed yet, and her potential as a head of the family was high. As an heir hostage, she held great value.

However, the problem was that she was Maximen's lover.

Even though Maximen was somewhat famous at the time, he wasn't renowned to the point of being called the strongest swordsman. The title of the strongest swordsman only started to stick to his name after he graduated.

"During his time at the Academy, Maximen was an outstanding prospect, but once he graduated, he chose a mundane wandering life. He even declined the Emperor's title when it was offered. Then, by pure chance, Isabelle, a vampire, was exposed within the Empire, and Maximen raised his sword to protect her. That marked the beginning of the Terafin Incident and the origin of his title as the strongest swordsman."

When I thought about it, Bart was Maximen's junior. Two of the Ten Greats attended the Academy at the same time, which was quite surprising.

So, Bart might be even more curious about Maximin.

'If Maximen and Bart were to fight...'

It was hard to imagine.

In reality, in the game, they rarely encountered each other.

Bart belonged to the Empire, and Maximen was usually a wandering swordsman, staying away from the Empire.

Personally, I thought Maximen would win.

After all, I had seen his skills up close, and it would be a natural assumption to make.

"If I ask you tell me what the cure is that woke up Isabelle, you won't answer right?"

"To be honest, I don't really know what the treatment is. To begin with, isn't it strange that I supposedly cured a woman I just met?"

"What do you mean?"

"The story is that I woke her up by chance. I was just lucky."

My words seemed plausible, and Bart nodded in agreement. Since Bart knew that Maximen had been wandering for over forty years to cure Isabelle, hearing that a stranger had cured her right away would be hard to believe.

After explaining in detail about the battle between Suhrahan and Maximen, Carlos stood up.

"Lord Cromwell, it's getting late. How about having dinner here before you leave?"

"Who decides that?"

Bart interjected, but Carlos didn't pay him any attention and waited for my response. I appreciated Carlos' offer, but I shook my head.

"Thank you for the suggestion, but I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be on my way."

"Busy by yourself."

It was funny to see Bart complain about this, as if he was disappointed.

Carlos' offer was kind, but I had other places to visit while I was in the capital. So, I had no choice but to decline.

We concluded our conversation, and with Carlos' farewell, I left the mansion. As I was leaving, I noticed Dianne approaching.

"What's this? Is the discussion over already?"

It seemed that Dianne had hurried over, eager to hear Maximen's story.

I nodded awkwardly in response to her question. She sighed when she realized she had missed it.

"I was asked to help Professor Shirin with something, and that's why I'm late."

"I'll tell you everything. Since everyone else has already heard it."

Carlos laughed as he spoke, and Dianne finally extended her hand to shake mine.

"It's been a while, big brother. It's not often we get to see you, so I came right away when I heard Adrias had arrived."

"Haha..."

Carlos laughed awkwardly, and I lowered my head as a gesture of farewell.

"Well, I'll be on my way."

"Let's meet again next time, Lord Cromwell."

I nodded and left, leaving Carlos to wonder what he was busy with now.

I hadn't given it much thought, but Carlos was curious about a world he had never experienced before.

"Adrias Cromwell."

As I headed to the Everlast headquarters with thoughts of Carlos on my mind, someone called out my name.

The person had an ordinary appearance and was dressed in plain clothing. However, that very ordinariness made me uneasy, given my experiences from my past life.

"Who are you?"

Despite the slight unease, I didn't feel the need to be overly cautious. I was currently in the capital of the Empire, and I had some means to protect myself if necessary.

"I'm a messenger. Here..."

He quickly approached me, handed me something, and then disappeared. I was taken aback by his speed, and I didn't even have a chance to refuse whatever he was giving me.

'Another unusual person?'

I couldn't help but wonder about the identity and motives of this person who had vanished so quickly. What was I getting involved in now?

I examined the item he had given me, and it turned out to be a small note. I sensed a faint magical aura emanating from it, indicating that it was enchanted with a spell that would ignite it automatically after some time.

'It contains sensitive information.'

I decided to take a look at what the note contained. Carefully, I unfolded the piece of paper, and my brow furrowed when I saw the sender's name.

'A gathering?'

The message contained a reference to a gathering, and I couldn't help but wonder what this meant and what kind of event I was being informed about.