The round table glowed with a golden light. At the very least, it meant that
the words the fake Jaekiel had spoken were undoubtedly true.
Treason.
He spoke of nothing less than the Fifth Princess's treason.
Even from Jaekiel's perspective, it was simply astonishing. What kind of
person had the Fifth Princess been in the distant past when he was still at the
Imperial Palace?
'I never saw her leave the library.'
Her passive nature played a part, but from the start, the Fifth Princess had
never shown much interest in anything other than researching magical
scrolls. It meant that, in her own way, she had been content with that life.
That's why this information carried significant implications.
What kind of treason could she be planning—someone who never even left
the library? Jaekiel still couldn't quite grasp it.
"The round table is glowing…! It's not a lie!"
The cat-headed one reacted in shock.
"The Fifth Princess, committing treason?"
"What kind of treason exactly?"
It wasn't just the cat-headed one. Most of the gathering's participants
couldn't hide the shock spreading across their faces.
'I need to know exactly what kind of treason this is.'
Jaekiel thought quietly.
It was necessary to clearly understand the nature of this treason.
Was it simply an ambition to seize the Emperor's throne and become the
leader, or was it a treasonous act that threatened the peace of the entire
continent? The two were vastly different.
"Well, but before that."
The fake Jaekiel's gaze turned towards Jaekiel.
"The new member's information… that comes first."
At that, everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Jaekiel, as if they had
suddenly remembered something important they had forgotten.
The compass-headed one was the first to shrug.
"It's only natural for the new member to reveal their information first, but I
guess I was so shocked that I forgot. My head is spinning today."
"Now that you mention it, that's true."
They all had expectant expressions.
It was only natural. The information shared today had been nothing short of
extraordinary, so they were expecting Jaekiel to share something just as
remarkable.
Jaekiel hesitated for a moment.
'The theme was about the princesses, wasn't it?'
Now that he was about to speak, he realized the conditions were quite
demanding.
He needed information that would be shocking, wouldn't overlap with what
had already been shared, and wouldn't reveal his identity… However,
surprisingly, it didn't take him long to decide.
Something soon came to mind.
He wasn't sure if he should dare to say it, but it was important to establish
his dominance in this secret gathering. He might find this place useful in the
future.
"There were originally six princesses in this empire."
Shhhhhh.
First, the round table began to glow with a golden light.
That much was expected.
But.
"Wh-What, what did you say?"
"Huh…?"
The level of shock everyone experienced was far beyond what Jaekiel had
anticipated.
Originally, there were six princesses in the Imperial family.
There was an eldest daughter born before Ether, but during the process of the
Emperor making a pact with the Demon King, the princess was given away.
Jaekiel deliberately used this information.
Though she had been a princess, she was now someone whose whereabouts
were unknown, and there was no way to use this information.
'Even knowing this fact, there's nothing they can do with it.'
This was the most significant factor.
The plan was to drop something that would leave all the participants in the
gathering deeply shocked but provide information that they had no way of
using, and it worked.
"There was one more princess…?"
Starting with the cat-headed one, who couldn't hide his surprise, everyone
was agitated, and it was quite a spectacle.
"…Then there are a total of six princesses in the empire?"
"Where is that princess now?"
Additional questions were hurled at Jaekiel.
"But I think this much is enough for now."
Jaekiel firmly cut off any further discussion.
If you could hold onto a card, it was best to keep it. It would be much more
effective in dealing with them later.
"…Fine."
It was then that the fake Jaekiel nodded.
"Let's go back to the Fifth Princess's story."
Everyone's gaze turned to the fake Jaekiel. Perhaps it was because of the
barrage of shocking information, but even though the topic was changing
rapidly, no one complained.
"What kind of treason are we talking about?"
"The Fifth Princess, who hardly ever shows herself?"
Jaekiel also focused on that point.
If it wasn't just treason to seize the Emperor's position but a plot that
threatened the peace of the empire, it could be quite severe. This information
could potentially mean that the entire empire might turn into a hellish
landscape.
Finally, the fake Jaekiel began to speak.
"The Green Tower. It has a barrier set up to prevent demonic energy from
seeping through. It was created by the Fifth Princess."
"Do you mean that intricate barrier? The one that's made up of thousands of
tiny interlocking barriers…?"
"The Green Tower borders part of the Demon Realm, so if it weren't for the
Fifth Princess, it would have been a disaster."
The fake Jaekiel quietly nodded.
"That's right."
The Green Tower and the Fifth Princess's barrier were both famous.
Although it was referred to as a single barrier, it wasn't just one. It was a
series of countless interconnected barriers, creating an extraordinary result.
"In fact, pieces of the barrier have been showing issues for a while now. But
the Fifth Princess hasn't made any corrections."
"…"
There was a moment of silence.
The fake Jaekiel's statement was brief, but it already carried significant
implications. It was a clear indication that the goal wasn't just to seize the
Emperor's throne but to threaten the peace of the entire empire.
"Then, what should we do…? If the barrier is breached, the damage will be
unimaginable…!"
"The Green Tower is facing an imminent crisis. Of course, looking at the
bigger picture, we're all in deep trouble…"
Questions poured in from all directions, but the fake Jaekiel just blinked
with a certain sense of satisfaction, offering no further comments.
He just added a single line.
"That's all for today's information. This is it."
The fake Jaekiel was the first to stand and leave.
"Ugh… He just left after dropping news like a thunderbolt… I have no idea
what to do now."
It wasn't wrong. Information is valuable because it can be used, but the news
the fake Jaekiel brought was just a huge spark.
The cat-headed one tore at his own hair.
"So, what will everyone do? Should we exchange one more piece of
information? Ending it here seems…!"
Everyone had shared one piece of information. Those who wanted to
continue could stay in the meeting hall and exchange more, but…
The reaction wasn't very favorable.
One of the participants shook their head.
"I'll stop here for today, too. The information shared was so overwhelming
that if we continued, I wouldn't know what to say next…"
"That's true. Ugh… I guess it can't be helped."
As the atmosphere shifted towards wrapping up, the compass-headed one
was the only one maintaining a calm demeanor.
The compass-headed one asked Jaekiel.
"It seems like the mood is leaning towards ending things here. What about
you, new member? Are you leaving as well?"
"Why? Are you hoping for an extension?"
"Hahaha, it's more like begging than an extension."
The compass-headed one rubbed his palms together.
"You seem like someone who knows a lot of valuable information. I thought
you might also know how to deal with the Fifth Princess's treason. If it's
okay, could you at least say a word…?"
That's when Jaekiel felt a sense of unease.
"Hmm…"
"Mmm."
Everyone was clearing their throats and avoiding eye contact. Except for the
fake Jaekiel, no one had left the meeting hall yet.
Jaekiel understood immediately. They wanted to hear even a single word.
It was because Jaekiel's information had been extraordinary. If it had been
ordinary, he wouldn't have received such requests and treatment. He could
already feel that he had secured a higher position within this gathering.
However…
'The problem is, I don't know either.'
The fact that the Fifth Princess was plotting treason was also a shocking
revelation for Jaekiel. He needed time to organize his thoughts. There was
no way he could immediately think of how to respond.
But he couldn't just outright say he didn't know.
"This gathering, it's pretty dull without the leader."
With those words, he left.
Why was the Fifth Princess plotting treason? How should he deal with it,
and what should he do going forward?
His mind was in turmoil.
Shortly after leaving the virtual world, the 'Black World,' Jaekiel received a
message from the Imperial family.
'Not from the secretary, but from the Emperor himself?'
It was indeed a rare occurrence. He never thought he'd receive a message
personally written by the Emperor.
'What could it be about?'
He hesitated for a moment before opening the envelope.
Could it be another mission? Considering how the Emperor usually treated
Jaekiel, that seemed likely.
The more you expect, the more disappointed you'll be. Jaekiel repeated this
to himself countless times. He told himself not to get his hopes up.
But something kept rising in his heart. No matter how hard he tried to shake
it off, the feeling of anticipation had already taken hold.
And after checking the contents…
"…!"
Jaekiel stared at the message as if he had been struck by lightning.
[ The Sun Water is ready. ]
Just one line, but the content was astounding.