166. conspiracy (4)
Asimov’s body trembled at Cain’s breath.
It felt as if the air in the room was full of hostility and crushing my whole body.
close. close.
Without realizing it, my teeth hit,
I couldn’t breathe properly,
My mind went blank.
I’ve had a similar feeling.
At the time of the banquet, His Majesty was angry and scattered life.
It was exactly the same pressure as it was back then.
tak- tak-
The sound of footsteps outside the door was so loud that it could not be compared with before.
‘Sellingford is coming.’
Graduated from the Knights School with a top degree.
A talented person who can’t be compared to his age.
However, the picture of Schellingford defeating the man in front of him could not be drawn no matter how much he thought about it.
It was the instinct as a person who had watched the countless battles taking place in the Imperial Palace.
‘Is it better to die like this?’
For a moment I had that thought.
In the end, he was destined to become in a state no more than death due to insomnia.
I don’t think it would be a bad idea to end a life that I’ve been running hard on here.
“Do not advise. If you only follow the safe path, you will never be ahead of others for the rest of your life.”
In an instant, Cain’s voice lifted Asimov’s spirit above reality.
“Whether it was the throne, the big money, or the fame.”
Asimov raised his head to meet his opponent’s gaze.
This man was speaking as if he had peered into his own heart.
‘I can’t die like this.’
The reason he survived the numerous dark battles within the Imperial Palace was because he was not recognized as a threat due to his weak impression.
After the onset of insomnia, the severity got worse, and no one was wary of him.
“Are you destined to become a vegetable man anyway?”
“There is no need to get rid of it. Because I was eliminated early in the battle for the right to succession.”
sneering scorn and contempt.
decided in it.
I will somehow survive and prove the worth of existence.
And I’m going to purge everyone who laughed at me so I won’t be able to open my mouth again.
‘I also thought that I would do my best to get to the throne and treat insomnia. Your Majesty is not devoting all your resources to cure my illness.’
He studied all kinds of fields, including cesarean studies and pharmacy, and this time attempted to poison the third prince.
But every moment I felt the limit.
This is due to the increased sleep duration and frequency.
Rather than the figure of himself ascending to the throne, it was easier to imagine his figure, who had fallen asleep before that.
There were limits to one’s own strength,
I needed decisive help from someone outside.
“If you only go on a safe path, you will never be ahead of others for the rest of your life.”
Then this man came and said.
Eyes different from those of nobles.
These are the eyes of a person who has overcome hardship from the bottom up.
Somehow I felt a sense of unity.
Even though I had heard rumors that he was from a slum.
‘A life to die anyway.’
I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to risk my fate on this man.
As he said, in order to get ahead of others, you have to choose a dangerous path.
tak-
Footsteps arrived right in front of the door.
And the moment the door opens.
“I will accept the offer.”
“You are wise.”
Asimov made his decision.
With an expression that had slightly shaken off the weakness that had been buried on his face.
***
Two weeks have passed since the signing of the pact.
After that, Cain visited the annex of the fourth prince two more times.
“You can get medical supplies here. Officer, does such a warehouse even exist in the basement of the Imperial Palace?”
“no. I’ve never been down. I’ve heard that there are other facilities besides the prison, but… .”
In the process, he completed the ‘checkpoint’ by asking appropriate questions to all the people he encountered.
“What time of the day did you most recently sleep?”
“I fell asleep in the garden four hours ago. I was taken to the bedroom and slept for two hours from 1 to 3 in the afternoon.”
After signing the oath, the attitude of the 4th Prince was calmer than expected.
Even in the face of an opponent who could kill him at any time, he was not shaken.
‘It’s more than I thought. I thought that the bare minimum would raise questions.’
John’s body.
Insomnia treatment.
How to make yourself emperor.
For example, the above questions.
But he didn’t mention the oath except when Cain spoke up first.
“Everything else is fine, but falling asleep in the bathroom is the worst.”
I didn’t even know what kind of conclusions I was drawing on my own in response to various questions.
Anyway, thanks to that, the checkpoints on the people in the Imperial Palace went smoothly.
The contract maintenance limit is up to 5 people.
One of them was worth using.
and a few days later.
The emperor’s messenger came and handed him an invitation.
“Let’s have dinner together.”
It was a short and concise message.
Cain finished preparations and visited the Imperial Palace on time.
Noon when the sun is in the middle of the sky.
With the guidance of the user, we headed to the towering tower next to the main palace.
As I climbed the elevator, I could see the landscape on the ground moving away through the glass wall.
ding-
The elevator reached the top floor in an instant.
The door opened, revealing a spacious and luxurious dining room.
There is only one table in the center.
There the emperor sat.
“I had a hard time coming here.”
“no. It is an honor to be able to dine together.”
Cain bowed, bowed, and sat across from the table.
Don’t forget to lower your eyes so that they don’t make eye contact.
“The last time I saw you at the ballroom was about a fortnight. Sorry for the late invitation. I have been very busy with work.”
“no.”
“I heard that you helped Yuhel a lot when she fell. That’s great.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
The king’s laughter was heard in front of him.
It seemed to have received some recognition.
Judging from the fact that it doesn’t pressurize the mana like before.
‘I’ll try again in another part.’
However, he could not be vigilant because he was a person who could not control his personality.
“Let’s talk while we eat first.”
When the emperor snapped his finger, the servants came in with food.
A white soup or crumbled bread was placed on a plate with teeth and grime.
“I prepared it in case it might be the food you will miss. I hope you like it.”
“… … .”
A diet the slum poor would eat.
Cain gauged the emperor’s intentions.
The intention to see a reaction by giving contempt.
If it shows any signs of discomfort, it will be judged unsuitable for handling and will be cut off.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Cain moved his hands in a dry gesture.
Instead of using the prepared fork and spoon, I picked up the bread with my hands and drank the soup from the bowl.
Seeing this, the emperor was stunned for a moment.
He soon burst into laughter and said.
“okay. There’s no way a slum has utensils like forks and knives. I was unprepared. I ate one.”
The emperor imitated Cain’s movements.
And so the bizarre way of eating began.
“May I ask what happened to the person who tried to harm Prince Yuhel?”
“It’s dead. In the end, he didn’t spit out any information.”
He couldn’t see if the emperor’s words were true because he couldn’t see.
However, even if the background was revealed, the emperor would not have intervened.
It was the emperor who wanted the prince and the princess to die and kill each other so that the strong survived.
“How about Asimov? Do you have any clues about treatment?”
“Yes. We are filling in the gaps that were lacking in previous research. The development of a treatment is very positive.”
“I’m looking forward to it. How about the Asimov you saw?”
What is Asimov?
Same sentence as before.
But this time, he was asking about the character Asimov, not his illness.
“He was a strong man. Contrary to my first impression.”
“I got it right. Even though he looks weak on the outside, he has poison on the inside.”
“… … .”
It will not be a simple analogy.
After all, the emperor knew that the fourth prince was behind the poisoning.
After the meal was over, the emperor sip coffee and approached the glass.
“Come on, would you like to see this?”
Cain got up and walked over to the emperor.
A wide view of the inside of the wall.
Not only the wall separating the number bands in each district, but also major buildings such as the cathedral and the National Police Agency were visible at a glance.
“How is it?”
“That’s great. I think it is a scenery that can only be seen in the Imperial Palace.”
“okay. I think so too.”
next moment.
The emperor, who was admiring the scenery, grabbed Cain’s wrist.
Woo-
The emperor’s mana began to flow into Cain’s mana circuit.
“Let’s take a look.”
“… … .”
Cain was quiet.
It’s something you have to go through at least once.
I did not intentionally avoid my hand.
“I have a pile of black mana. As Latino said.”
This was also expected.
However, Lightino also did not know his true identity, so it didn’t matter if the information was leaked.
“You said that you spend a lot of time outside the walls. Not a bad way. To achieve a goal, you need strength, and sometimes you have to take someone else’s things for strength.”
The emperor was referring to Cain’s black mana.
“How much mana did you kill at such a young age?”
The emperor burst out laughing.
Because it confirmed one of the predictions to be true.
The essence absorbed from the lands across the continent is converted into mana and sent to the mana tank in the basement of the imperial palace.
The giant statue collapsed and now the transmission has been temporarily halted, but there is still a huge amount of mana stored in the tank.
It is one of the emperor’s daily routines to go down to the Imperial Palace’s basement and absorb the mana of the tank through a specific device.
In other words.
The emperor thought that Cain was his ‘friend’.
Although there is a difference between the target and the human, the essence is the same in that it increases mana by taking life.
Cain answered the emperor’s question.
“I haven’t counted since it was over three digits.”
“It’s daring. I think I can understand why Latino chose him as a disciple.”
The emperor released Cain’s wrist.
Then he turned his gaze back to the glass.
“How do you feel outside the wall?”
“It is dry and desolate. Both land and people.”
“That’s right. Basically, there is not enough food. Farmland is limited, but the mouth to eat continues to grow.”
The emperor’s gaze turned towards the end of his field of vision.
“See that wall?”
“Yes. I see it.”
It was the wall that separated the 20th and 30th divisions.
“Heaven and Hell are dividing inside and outside the wall. It can be said that life is determined by the place of birth.”
“… … .”
“I feel a bit of guilt about that. I think we need to remove the wall.”
The guilt wasn’t true.
But the idea that the walls should be removed was true.
The inside of the wall was saturated, and the time to gradually expand the territory was approaching.
“… It seems like a difficult story.”
“That’s right. Too many people’s interests are intertwined. Depending on the benefit, some will agree and some will oppose it.”
The emperor spoke in a voice filled with deep emotion.
“I sometimes think like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if all the land on the continent became fertile?”
“… … .”
“Words like food shortages and hunger would be vulgar jokes.”
“… … .”
“The distinction between the inside and the outside of the wall will become meaningless.”
“… … .”
“There will be no more bloodshed for resources. What do you think? What if a world like that would come?”
Cain could feel it at that moment.
that the emperor had plans to put himself on the ark.