“The Crown Prince is to provide special protection for him.”

“…Yes, Father.”

Siervian heard her father’s voice, low and strained, after a long silence.

‘Treason.’

The relentless flow of truth made her head spin.

* * *

Several days passed quickly after securing that crucial witness.

In the meantime, the Emperor moved swiftly. He intended to cut off the lifeline of the Duke’s faction before they caught wind of the situation.

“Your- Your Majesty. What do you mean?”

The grey-haired nobles protested, unable to hide their bewilderment before the Emperor.

Siervian carefully observed the five nobles gathered in the Emperor’s audience chamber.

‘They say these are the most powerful figures in the nobles’ faction, next to the Duke.’

Siervian had overheard her father’s schedule and deliberately sat nearby.

Since her abilities were already half-exposed, she wanted to be there to advise her father if any nobles had suspicious thoughts.

“The evidence has already been secured. I did not summon you gentlemen here to seek your understanding. I brought you here to issue a warning.”

“You have evidence of treason…?”

The elderly voices began to lament again. They were not the current heads of their noble houses, but the previous heads.

That was because the younger heads, led by the Duke, were likely to be deeply involved.

“This is your last chance.”

The Emperor’s voice was chillingly cold as he lazily propped his chin on his fist and issued his warning.

The nobles exchanged hurried glances, taken aback by the young Emperor’s aura, which they had not seen in a long time.

[Thought: What is happening so suddenly!]

[Thought: Our family cannot be dragged into this.]

Normally, these nobles, who belonged to the nobles’ faction, would have spoken against the Emperor’s opinion.

But the gravity of this matter was different.

If the nobles’ faction were to be implicated in treason and destroyed, it would be disastrous.

“Your Majesty, do you have any idea why the Duke would commit such an atrocious act?”

One of the nobles, who had been listening intently, spoke up.

This was the biggest question in the nobles’ minds.

Why on earth had the Duke murdered the previous Emperor?

‘I wonder about that, too.’

The previous Emperor had actively supported the marriage between the Duke’s faction and the Imperial family.

Why would they have gone to such dangerous lengths to dispose of the previous Emperor, who was not as antagonistic as the current Emperor?

“I believe this matter is related to the Duke’s sacred duty.”

“Hmm…”

“Ahem.”

The nobles involuntarily swallowed at the mention of a sacred duty that supported the Empire coupled with treason.

The fact that the Emperor was being so open about it made them certain that the evidence must be overwhelming.

‘This is strange.’

Siervian had been carefully observing them in case anyone tried to inform the Duke’s family immediately and found herself puzzled.

Unexpectedly, they seemed to have doubts about the Harmin herb.

[Thought: Now that I think about it, it was very strange.]

[Thought: Such immense power. Why on earth did the first Emperor…]

Siervian realized that they had deliberately ignored this inconvenient truth in order to maintain their power.

Watching the pensive nobles, her father tossed a video orb containing the evidence before them.

“Make your choice. My blade will show no mercy from this day forward.”

The expressions of the former heads of the noble houses grew darker as they watched the video evidence projected from the orb.

They realized that the weight of the evidence had shifted decisively to the Emperor, and there was no way they could simply ignore it.

“How can we refuse?”

“We will follow Your Majesty’s commands.”

In the end, they bowed their heads to the Emperor’s command to actively cooperate in ousting the Duke’s faction.

Their expressions were uniformly grim, as if they sensed the coming bloodshed.

* * *

After the nobles left, Siervian decided to head to the Justice Guild. She intended to ask about the investigation into the mage Wilhelm who had caused the mining accident. She couldn’t just sit still and do nothing. However, surprisingly, her father stopped her and said, “Siervy, there’s something I need you to do.”

Siervian was startled by her father’s sudden request. However, she quickly understood the situation after her father explained.

“The Duke’s eyes and ears are in the palace more thoroughly than we thought.”

This had become clear during the assassination attempt. Siervian’s movements had been leaked in excessive detail. Of course, they had taken this opportunity to discover with certainty which bastards were hiding in the palace like rats.

“That’s why I said we need our own power that isn’t connected to the palace.”

If the Duke realized he was cornered, things could get messy. He might not just hire assassins to take care of things discreetly, as he had done this time, but instead gather a large army. After all, the wealth that the Duke’s family had accumulated over generations due to Harmin grass was unimaginable.

“Let’s go, Princess.”

“Yes.”

Sir Roid told her that the preparations for their departure to the city were complete. Siervian felt tense as she calmly boarded the carriage.

‘When I think of my own power, the welfare foundation and the Justice Guild come to mind.’

However, the welfare foundation was likely already under heavy surveillance. Moreover, there was a chance that the children could be put in danger.

‘Since Father has provided magic items, it will be easier for the Justice Guild to take action.’

The carriage quickly sped toward the city. However, as they left the noble district, Siervian gripped her necklace, still feeling slightly tense. She remembered being chased by assassins that day.

‘It’s fine now.’

All the assassins hiding in the Imperial City had been captured. By order of the furious Emperor, the Imperial Knights had all gone out and detained anyone suspicious. As a result, even petty crimes had temporarily disappeared.

‘Moreover, my escort has been greatly increased.’

Instead of moving with a small, elite group as before, an entire order of knights now escorted Siervian. Even so, she wondered if it was too ostentatious. However, she understood her father’s anxiety that she couldn’t be sent into the city without a heightened level of protection, so Siervian silently accepted their presence. Judging from the fact that she was slightly scared now that she was actually going into the city, it seemed to have been a good decision.

“We will escort you inside.”

“Thank you, Sir Roid.”

When they arrived at the welfare foundation, the knights began to guard the perimeter in an orderly fashion. As if that wasn’t enough, ten knights led by Sir Roid followed Siervian into the foundation.

‘I can’t go straight to the Justice Guild.’

To all outer appearances, the princess had been officially dispatched to conduct foundation business.

[Delphi, I have a favor to ask. Can you visit the Foundation without anyone knowing?]

After sending that message to the Justice Guild Master, Siervian sat down in the foundation’s office and waited quietly.

After a while, Siervian was able to greet the Guild Master, who knocked discreetly on the door.

“…Your skills are impressive.”

“You flatter me, Sir Roid.”

He arrived undetected at the door of the room where she was, despite the layers of guards surrounding the place.

Upon realizing this, Sir Roid’s face hardened. If the Guild Master had malicious intent, it would be as good as a breach in the security.

[Adante Roid]
Thought: To think that no one noticed his presence. I will have to provide special training to the men outside.

‘Oh, I overlooked this.’

Siervian mentally apologized to the other knights who would suffer as a result.

“Your Highness. You are safe.”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

The last time she had seen the Guild Master, he was covered in wounds. But now, he seemed to have recovered fully, as his complexion was healthy.

Of course, his expression was stiffer than usual, as if he had a premonition of what was to come.

“I have an official request.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

But once she began to speak, Siervian found it difficult to continue.

‘This is a truly dangerous task.’

It was far more dangerous than investigating those who were allergic to Harmin.

Perhaps, the Justice Guild itself would be put at risk in this fight.

“That is…”

The Guild had followed and trusted her until now. In the process, they had already been endangered several times. So, Siervian regretted having to ask them to get involved in this dangerous task.

Then the Guild Master, who had been gazing intently at Siervian, slowly knelt on one knee.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes…”

When he knelt, his large frame was at eye level with Siervian, who was sitting in a chair.

After making eye contact with Siervian for a long time, Delphi spoke calmly.

“I must repay your kindness, Your Highness.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you save the lives of my subordinates and myself?”

Delphi spoke as if he knew that she was feeling burdened.

To Siervian, it seemed strange that the Guild Master would say such a thing, since all the Justice Guild had done so far was put themselves in danger by following her.

“Your Highness is doing the right thing. Thanks to you, our Guild is able to serve this Empire.”

“….”

“So, please tell me what the request is.”

[Delphi Borgir]
Thought: Her Highness is a righteous person. She is someone our Guild should truly believe in and follow. Even if it means making some sacrifices.

Siervian gained courage from the calm brown eyes of Delphi and his sincere intentions.

So, she gripped the hem of her skirt and spoke with difficulty.

“This is a very dangerous task.”

“Yes.”

“But it is also for the good of the entire Empire. So, please help me.”

The Guild Master listened to Siervian. She slowly explained what she needed him to investigate.

“The Duke’s family has been secretly administering Harmin tea to adults with mana deficiency.”

“….”

“I need you to find evidence of this and the reason for it. If you can’t find the reason, then at least their experimental records.”

—