The Emperor Who Was Chapter 113 : Chapter 113

Chapter . 113

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“I am fine. I just had a headache for a mont.”

I made up an excuse as Sir Rolf asked, but Michelon appeared before my eyes in no ti and asked. He was incredibly good at sniffing out trouble.

“What is it? Are you sick sowhere again? Sir Rolf, Leontes is a frail weakling. He faints easily and bleeds too.”

“Sir Rolf, do not believe him. It is a lie!”

To exaggerate over fainting once, he was no friend. Sir Rolf hardened his expression.

“If it is a lie, I can duel Lord Michelon who has damaged Your Highness's honor. Please tell

honestly—”

“This is not the ti for this. The artifact I attached to Harald and sent has inford

of movents on Mount Petrafis.”

“Then are your brothers coming too? Sir Rolf, from now on it is a siege!”

“We already did—”

“It is a chance to fight in real combat, not just sparring with Alexander!”

Michelon's eyes sparkled at my words. I raised my voice again.

“My soldiers, take heart! My brothers are coming! Let us scour the entire area and wipe out all the looters so that not a single one remains in Montova until sunrise!”

No matter how much we won, victory after a siege is exhausting. Hearing that reinforcents were coming in that state, the soldiers' morale rose. Even having lost to , hearing that other troops were coming, the looters ran away without looking back.

“Are you suddenly trying to form an alliance with your brothers? I refuse!”

When Michelon objected, Yolande snickered.

“Lord Leontes is doing this so he doesn't have to form an alliance.”

“…I didn't even fight properly. Leontes had all the real fun alone!”

“Over there, there is a place where I scorched the tails of the fleeing bastards with fire; please go step on them a bit. They have slowed down.”

As Yolande said that and sent Michelon away, Sir Rolf also asked with a worried face.

“How do you intend to refuse them? This ti, it seems we cannot stop their entry.”

He was right.

When the Count of Montova refused entry due to my proclamation, my brothers imdiately went to Mount Petrafis to find

or the dragon egg. If they had been stationed at Montova Castle as planned, they wouldn't have committed acts like these looters, but they just didn't have ti because they were competing to find .

So, there was no justification to fight my brothers like those who committed murder and pillage on my land and insulted .

“I only told my soldiers that my brothers were coming, I did not say reinforcents were coming.”

“Your Highness?”

It is a won battle, but my brothers who were spying on my castle rush over at the news of my appearance, pretend to help a little, and try to make

owe them? Not a chance.

“First, I will clean up the battlefield neatly, then welco my brothers like a proper owner.”

I moved Harald to

and called Jero and the mages closer.

“To drive the bastards out of my territory as quickly as possible, we need a beast's pursuit.”

I intended to cast illusion magic on the Invisible Eyes artifact to track those who had not yet left my territory. Scrying magic was originally of the sa grain as tracking magic, but it was not illusion magic.

However, even magic without substance becos more vivid when it uses substance as a seed. For example, like birds of prey and beasts chasing prey.

“Jero, you do not have to do it. Harald must pay for his sins, but not you.”

“I also want to pay for the sin of being Her Majesty the Empress's spy.”

Jero said.

“You do not want to beco a beast like Harald, and didn't you suffer greatly from becoming a wolf.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

The werewolf of Petrafis grinned, revealing his teeth.

“But Your Highness, I have lived my life always being chased and soaked in fear. Thinking I would live and die like that forever. Thanks to Your Highness saving

this ti, fighting with all my might makes

feel truly alive. It is truly an honor to be given the chance to establish greater rit with sothing only I can do.”

Since he said that, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.

Together with Yolande, I attached Invisible Eyes to Harald and Jero, then cast illusion magic with them as the subject. A hawk sparkling with jewels flew up into the night sky, and a wolf, also sparkling, ran down the night road.

They were a bird of prey and a beast shining beautifully against the night, but to the defeated soldiers, they would appear as a dark, insidious, and dangerous pack chasing them.

“Where shall we send them?”

Yolande asked, conscious of Sir Rolf.

“To the largest group and the second largest group. Of course, the destination is the Empress's territory bordering ours. Drive them there. Since the most knights ca from there anyway, send them ho safely. Make sure to take all these many hands brought to us back intact so they don't get lost and wander.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

We will drive every single one of them like a flock of sheep to the Empress's territory without leaving any behind.

“Your Highness, there are no enemies left near the castle now.”

Just then, the Count of Montova approached and reported. After praising his hard work, I said.

“You have suffered much, so rest with the soldiers. I shall throw a big feast for my proud soldiers.”

“Pardon? Your Highness? It is a great honor, but the siege cost a huge amount of war funds, and the pillaging burned down all the farmlands and orchards, so the residents are on the verge of starvation.”

The Count of Montova said in surprise. He was the one who carefully asked if tax exemption was possible for this year as soon as I praised his hard work.

Since central nobles thought it was enough to just receive taxes regardless of what happened to the provincial territories.

Lords who ca up from the provinces to the capital were also imrsed in luxury and stained by such trends.

“Do not worry. The enemies will pay for the cost.”

Originally, I intended to pay. But if my coming here itself was the Empress's conspiracy, there was no reason not to get compensation. It was a siege anyway.

The invading side steals sothing even if they lose, but the defending side often finds it hard to cover defense costs with spoils even if they win.

The Count still had a worried face. However, Michelon, who appeared like lightning again, grinned.

“What are you worried about? Isn't he the Prince who saved Montova, which seed like it would fall imdiately until just now? Surely, do you think he cannot keep his own words?”

“A-ah, no, of course not, Your Highness. If I unknowingly offended Your Highness despite receiving your grace, please forgive , Your Highness!”

The Count was terrified. Michelon's favor and interest could feel quite dangerous. For him, he gave his own encouragent to Giuliano not to worry, but having witnessed the power of my forces this ti, Giuliano seed only desperate not to beco my enemy.

“How could I doubt your loyalty. Quickly comfort the soldiers. From now on, I will hold a big feast to comfort the exhausted soldiers.”

Giuliano did not let his loyalty be doubted twice. He imdiately had the villagers who had taken refuge in the castle prepare a feast, and flung open the doors of the storehouse.

anwhile, not to ntion Michelon who was covered in blood all over, we were not in a state suitable for a feast. Yolande also had her blood-soaked hair fluttering.

“Everyone go inside and dress fittingly for the feast.”

But since Vincent was dawdling behind doing sothing, I looked back and saw the earth wriggling.

The earth moved the piled layers of corpses, arranging them neatly. Like sowing seeds evenly in a furrow.

“What are you doing, Vincent?”

Vincent answered, blushing.

“Since you said there would be a feast... I, I... cannot digest if the sll of blood is strong. So just in case there are people like , I am covering the blood with earth a bit and tidying up the surroundings.”

“Oh my, my delicate husband!”

As Yolande smiled and kissed Vincent's cheek, Michelon teased.

“Vincent should be delicate. Since Yolande is a tomboy, for Nanette not to beco a wild child, hahaha!”

“Oh my, thank you for the complint, Lord Michelon! Although the expression is old-fashioned!”

“Isn't it really true? Michelon talks like an old man sotis!”

Since Yolande laughed it off, I also took this opportunity to finally say what I had wanted to retort usually.

“What did you say, are you done talking!”

“Why aren't you hurrying? Are you going to miss the chance to finally show off an outfit more splendid than Alexander's in front of people?”

“…Just you wait! While he is the real old man!”

After Michelon ran off angry, I told Vincent.

“Well done. Do not cover them completely with earth, just leave it like this for now. Separate only the bodies of my territory's people.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Then what shall we do about the fire.”

He ant he would tidy up by covering with earth if I extinguished it with water, but I shook my head.

“Just leave it. Wouldn't holding a feast while appreciating the fire set by enemies heighten the excitent even more.”

***

‘This is all because of Prince Leontes.’

Duke Benedict Francis Lauderdale had only that thought as he rode his horse from Mount Petrafis to Montova Castle.

Because he was afraid he might resent his sister, Empress Rhiannon, even in his heart.

The damage suffered on that cursed mountain was enormous.

Many Lauderdale knights died, and they lost most of the mages the Empress had invested in for all sorts of research, starting with the restoration of Lasilex, at such trendous cost.

His cloak was also wet with blood. It was a familiar sll of blood, but now he felt like he would lose his mind.

Because it was his son's blood. His heir, his son, Edward.

‘My son…….’

He thought of his son's blood-soaked head. Still ruddy and warm, so unlike a dead person. The warmth of his son he felt when he embraced him.

The Duke ignored the fact that the head, under preservation magic, was in his arms as he rode. Because having lost all warmth, it was truly a corpse's head.

‘How do I tell Margaret…….’

He saw it with his own eyes, but it was a death that could not be described.

When he remarried the twelve-year-old Margaret under Rhiannon's strong urging after losing his first wife, he was not yet the Duke of Lauderdale.

Although a branch of a branch, he had less property and lower status than his wife who had imperial blood. It was different from his first marriage with soone of similar status.

Everything had not been easy.

Even Cecile, Edward's younger sister, was his illegitimate daughter, not his wife's child.

Empress Rhiannon had rely forced his wife to acknowledge her as a legitimate daughter because she was a pretty baby and would be good for a political marriage. To his wife, who never defied the Empress for her son's future.

His wife was not a popular beauty like Cecile's birth mother, let alone his sister, but looking at his wife, one could understand why bloodline was emphasized.

He was different from his brother-in-law, the Emperor. He wanted to get along well with his wife.

At that ti, he had unavoidably forced his wife, but since Cecile had fallen out of the Empress's favor anyway, if Edward just continued to do well like this... seeing such a son, his wife would also be happy…….

‘I just, wanted to get along well with Margaret…….’