"Hmm. The fact that you're mentioning it now... surely means the results were good, correct?"

Kishiar asked with a sly smile in his eyes, and the Emperor let out a faint laugh.

"Your intuition's too sharp—it ruins the fun of saying it."

"Oh dear. But having such a clever younger brother should be something to celebrate, shouldn't it?"

"You’re praising yourself now?"

"I'm only stating facts... but since Your Beloved Majesty finds it dull, I’ll try to act a little more clueless next time."

"Don't bother."

Listening to the brothers’ drained banter, Yuder recalled the faces of those the Emperor had mentioned.

The Elder Priest who had been insulted by Kachian. The Chief of the Royal Mage Division, who had remained silent ever since agreeing with Revlin. The subordinate of Grand General Mucker.

If one looked closely, it was clear they hadn’t come alone. Beside the Mage Chief were a few others with badges from various associations, including the Pearl Tower. The Elder Priest had a silent, papal attendant seated nearby. And near Mucker’s representative were high-ranking administrators who had come in the capacity of foreign envoys.

In other words, not just internal Imperial officials, but neutral factions representing the entire continent.

Before going on leave, Emperor Keillusa had declared his intention to win over the trust and cooperation of those who had thus far remained neutral and passive. Today’s Room of Truth had been both the culmination and final proving ground of that effort.

Yuder was freshly struck by how significant this day truly was.

The corners of Emperor Keillusa’s lips lifted slightly higher.

"Anyway, as you said. They were planning to observe how I dealt with the Crown Prince and the noble faction today to decide their future alignment. And now, they’ve all made their conclusions."

The Emperor looked warmly at the Empress, Kishiar, and Yuder as he declared:

"Tomorrow, in conjunction with the official announcement of the Crown Prince's trial, various factions will begin openly declaring their support for his dethronement. And they’ll continue aligning with us from here on. As for the Grand Temple, there's even a chance that the Pope may move his planned retirement forward."

It was a declaration that could reshape history.

Only a year ago, the Emperor had seemed to be fading—powerless against the nobles, with no visible future.

Now, the dying man from back then was nowhere to be found.

"Congratulations!"

Kishiar, beaming with genuine joy, raised his golden fruit wine. The Empress and Yuder followed suit.

"It's a bit early for a toast."

"Don’t be so strict. Your Majesty, raise your glass as well—or else Her Majesty's wrist will begin to ache."

Emperor Keillusa gave a dry laugh, then finally lifted his glass. Kishiar, still smiling brightly, turned to the steward.

"Yuliver, you should join us too."

"I’m fine, really."

"Don’t be modest. How can we celebrate without you?"

"Just go along with him. If you don’t, it’ll get louder."

Obeying the Emperor’s command, the steward also lifted a glass. The five raised glasses clinked softly with a clear chime.

Yuder looked at their smiling faces reflected in the golden ripples of the wine, then quietly took a sip. The taste as it slid down his throat felt especially sweet and cool.

He’d had countless celebratory drinks after successful missions—but none had ever tasted quite like this. Perhaps it wasn’t the drink that was different, but the atmosphere.

Because they were all alive and smiling.

Because Kishiar was truly happy.

Yuder’s lips curved gently before he realized it. When the Emperor and Empress widened their eyes in surprise, Kishiar, still smiling beside him, lightly swirled his glass and gave a subtle glance.

It was a polite plea not to point it out and startle the rare smile of this young man who so seldom smiled.

The Emperor and Empress looked at each other, then both let out a short chuckle at the same time.

"Still, everything is going well—but the bit about the Pope retiring is a little unexpected. I thought he’d never give up a lifetime post."

"He must’ve concluded that we could adequately protect the successor he wishes to name. It's not public yet, but apparently, his health is rapidly declining. He's now only able to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° move about for short stretches each day. It seems he wishes to return to his hometown while he can still walk and spend his remaining days there."

In Yuder’s past life, the Pope had died at the Grand Temple. But apparently, even that was going to change this time.

So the Pope had a preferred successor... I never knew that. From the way Emperor Keillusa isn't saying more, it must not be someone from the noble faction.

"Come to think of it, when I saw him last, he didn’t look too well either. Still, it’s fortunate he made peace in his heart before going to meet God."

"And it seems seeing the new wielder of the Divine Sword before he dies left a small impression on him, even though he'd lost all drive."

"Did it? All he ever told me was how difficult it was to understand God's will."

"When the Duke of Peleta went to the Vatican to prove the Divine Sword, I distinctly remember receiving a complaint saying your tongue was more threatening than the sword itself. For that, I’d say his reaction was fairly mild."

Kishiar smiled shamelessly, as if he’d never done such a thing. Emperor Keillusa didn’t even bother to scold that expression anymore.

"Also, sometime tomorrow, an envoy from Nellarne will be arriving."

"Oh? That’s news to me. You’ve timed their arrival right after the trial announcement...?"

"Yes. They’re coming to coincide with the start of the Crown Prince’s trial. But not for the trial itself."

"For the next phase, then." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Exactly."

Starting tomorrow, the Crown Prince’s trial would focus on proving whether he had truly ordered the attack on Gwanaman Village, and whether he was responsible for the deaths of Maiki and Lenore.

While Kachian scrambled to deal with that, Emperor Keillusa would already be preparing the next wave.

"Now that the hardest part—getting the royal trial to pass screening—has been accomplished, it’s time to expand. More evidence of the Crown Prince’s negligence and misconduct will surface one after another. The criminals currently held by the Cavalry will soon be brought forward. And on top of that, the envoy from Nellarne will present proof that the Diaka faction and the noble party supported the group that tried to assassinate Crown Prince Ezein."

In short, the Emperor planned to block off every escape route and strike down not only Kachian, but everyone behind him.

One explosion after another, spaced out by timing. How far could Kachian last?

Not that I'm particularly curious to find out...

Those cornered sometimes reacted unpredictably, so Yuder wouldn’t relax until everything was truly over.

That’s enough.

While silently reviewing ways to protect those before him, the topic shifted from Kachian to what Kishiar had experienced during his leave.

With sparkling eyes, Kishiar talked about what had happened in Peleta and Airik. Yuder personally found it all trivial, but the Emperor and Empress were enjoying it so much that he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt.

The Emperor clapped lightly at the part where Yuder stood atop the tower and shot an arrow into a flying monster’s mouth without blinking. He showed special interest and regret upon hearing about the sparring session in which Yuder fought several elite knights of Peleta alone.

"I’d love to witness such a sparring match myself one day."

"Please don’t be disappointed. The Cavalry would always welcome Your Majesty’s visit."

The Empress showed curiosity about the food they had cooked in Yuder’s hometown and the scenery there.

"Where you grew up sounds quite similar to where I did. Would it be possible for me to taste the tea the Duke brought back?"

"I actually brought some back in small jars as soon as we returned. Would Your Majesty accept it?"

With a solemn face, Kishiar pulled a small container from his robes. Inside was the fine powdered tea that Yuder had made.

When did he...

Well, Kishiar had wanted to keep it anyway, and Yuder had already given him free use of it, so it didn’t matter who he shared it with. Still, the tea was modest and nothing compared to the fine brews in the palace—was it really okay?

Contrary to Yuder’s unease, the Emperor and Empress were truly delighted.

"At last, a reward for that disciplinary order."

"I’d like to try it right away."

"I’ll prepare it at once."

The steward promptly brought in a kettle and new teacups. Kishiar brewed the tea with smooth, practiced movements—more natural even than Yuder, who’d drunk it all his life. The two royals sipped it without hesitation, then smiled and nodded together.

"It tastes wonderful."

"To think you made something like this yourself—what a talent. Would you teach me the recipe sometime?"

They were completely sincere.