Shaaaaah!
The round table shone with a golden light. At least it meant that what Fake Ezekiel had uttered was a clear truth.
Treason.
It was treason from none other than the 5th Princess!
From Ezekiel’s perspective, it was simply astonishing. During the distant past when he was in the Imperial Family, what kind of person was the 5th Princess?
‘I’ve never seen her step outside the library.’
Her timid personality played a role, but apart from researching magic scrolls, the 5th Princess had never shown much interest in anything else. It implied that, in her own way, she must have been satisfied with that life.
Thus, this information carried significant implications.
What kind of treason could someone who never even left the library be planning? So far, he had no clue.
“The round table is shining…! It’s not a lie!”
The cat-headed reacted in shock.
“…The 5th Princess is plotting treason?”
“What kind of treason exactly?”
It wasn’t just the cat-headed; most assembly members wore expressions of disbelief.
‘I need to clearly understand the type of treason.’
Ezekiel thought quietly.
It was necessary to grasp the nature of the treason.
Was it simply aimed at seizing the Emperor’s throne for herself, or was it a treason that threatened the peace of the entire continent? The two were vastly different.
“Well, before that…”
Fake Ezekiel’s gaze turned toward Ezekiel.
“New member information takes priority.”
At that, everyone’s eyes suddenly focused on Ezekiel. They looked as if they had just realized they had forgotten something important.
The compass-headed shrugged first.
“It’s natural for new members to be the first to reveal information, but I guess I forgot because the shock was too much. My head’s spinning today!”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true!”
Everyone had an eager look on their faces.
It was an expected order of events. Given the crucial information mentioned today, they would surely expect Ezekiel to provide something just as significant.
Ezekiel pondered for a moment.
‘The topic was about the princesses.’
As he was about to speak, he found the conditions rather tricky.
He needed information that could cause a shock, wouldn’t overlap, and wouldn’t reveal his identity… But surprisingly, his contemplation didn’t take long.
Eventually, something popped into his head.
He wasn’t sure if it was something he should say, but it was important to secure an advantage at the secret assembly. It would definitely be useful for him in the future.
“The Empire originally had six princesses.”
Shaaaaah!
The round table gleaming with golden light was just the beginning.
This part was completely expected.
However.
“What, what, what did you say?”
“Uh…?”
The size of the shock everyone felt far exceeded what Ezekiel had anticipated.
Originally, there were six princesses in the Imperial Family.
There was an eldest sister born before Ether, but during the Emperor’s negotiations with the Demon Lord, the princess was sacrificed.
Ezekiel deliberately used this information.
Though she was a princess, there was no longer any news of her, and there was no way to utilize this information now.
‘Even if they know this fact, there’s nothing they can do about it.’
This point was crucial.
They were about to reveal something that would leave all the assembly participants in deep shock, yet they would have no means to utilize that information effectively.
“There was another princess…?”
Starting from the cat-headed who couldn’t hide their surprise, everyone was in quite a tumult.
“…So there were a total of six princesses in the Empire?”
“Where is that princess now?!”
They bombarded Ezekiel with additional questions, but…
“I think this is enough for now.”
Ezekiel firmly cut off any further inquiries.
If he could hold the cards, it was wise to do so. It would be much more convenient to handle these folks later.
“…Alright.”
It was at that moment that Fake Ezekiel nodded.
“Now, let’s return to the 5th Princess’s story.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Fake Ezekiel. Was it because of the shockwave of unexpected information, that no one even blamed the quick change of topic?
“…What kind of treason are we talking about?”
“The 5th Princess, who rarely reveals herself?”
Ezekiel also focused on that point first.
If it wasn’t just a treason aimed at seizing power, but rather a treason threatening the peace of the empire, it would become quite serious. Knowing this, the very existence of the empire could be at stake.
At last, Fake Ezekiel spoke up.
“The Green Magic Tower has a barrier set up to prevent mana from leaking out. It was established by the 5th Princess.”
“The intricate barrier? One with thousands of tiny barriers working together?”
“The Green Magic Tower is adjacent to the Demon Realm. If it weren’t for the 5th Princess, it would have been disastrous.”
Fake Ezekiel quietly nodded.
“Right.”
The renown of the Green Magic Tower, the 5th Princess’s barrier, was well-known.
Though it was commonly referred to as a barrier, it didn’t simply refer to one barrier. Countless puzzle-like barriers were interconnected, creating a glorious result.
“In fact, there have been issues with the fragments of the barrier for a while now. But the 5th Princess hasn’t made any adjustments.”
“…”
A silence fell for a while.
Though Fake Ezekiel’s statement was brief, it already hinted at significant implications. It clarified that it wasn’t merely the Emperor’s throne in her sights, but rather a threat to the peace of the entire Empire.
“W-What should we do…? If the barrier gets breached, the damage would be unimaginable…!”
“The Green Magic Tower is in dire straits. Though if we look further, we all have serious problems…”
Various questions flooded in from all directions, but Fake Ezekiel blinked in a state of faux awe and didn’t mention anything else.
All he added was a simple line.
“That’s all for the information today, thank you.”
Fake Ezekiel abruptly got up and left.
“Ugh… Leaving behind thunderous news… I have no idea what to do now!”
There was no denying that. Originally, information holds value only when it can be utilized, but the news brought by Fake Ezekiel was merely a huge spark.
The cat-headed tugged at its own hair.
“What are we all going to do? Should we trade one piece of information at a time? It seems too abrupt to wrap it up like this…!”
Everyone had already blurted out a piece of information. It seemed those who wanted an extension intended to stay in the assembly hall and exchange additional information…
But the reaction wasn’t great.
One of the participants shook their head.
“I think I’ll call it a day. The information shared has been too monumental. I wouldn’t know what to say if we were to continue….”
“Well, that’s true. Ah… It can’t be helped.”
As the mood shifted towards wrapping up, the only one maintaining a calm demeanor was the compass-headed.
The compass-headed asked Ezekiel.
“As the atmosphere leans towards ending here, what will the new member do? Will you withdraw as well?”
“Why? Looking for an extension?”
“Hahaha, it’s more like begging than an extension.”
The compass rubbed its palms together.
“You seem to be someone who knows precious information. I thought you might have some insight on how to deal with the 5th Princess’s treason. If you’re willing, could you share even a tidbit…?”
Ezekiel felt a sense of discomfort at that moment.
“Hmm…”
“Um.”
Everyone merely coughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact, except for Fake Ezekiel, who was the only one not leaving the meeting.
He understood instantly. They all wanted to hear at least something.
Given how significant Ezekiel’s information was, if it were ordinary, they would not have expressed such requests or attention. He could already sense that he held a decent position within this assembly.
However…
‘It’s a problem that I don’t know either.’
The idea that the 5th Princess was plotting treason was incredibly shocking even to Ezekiel. He needed time to organize his thoughts. He couldn’t possibly have an immediate response.
But he couldn’t just say he didn’t know outright.
“This assembly is boring, to say the least.”
With those words, he took his leave.
Why was the 5th Princess dreaming of treason? How should he respond, and what actions should he take in the future?
His emotions were quite conflicted.
*
Immediately after escaping from the virtual world of the ‘Black World’, Ezekiel received a letter from the Imperial Family.
‘Not from the secretary, but the Emperor himself?’
Such an occurrence was indeed rare. Who would have thought he would receive a direct letter from the Emperor?
‘What could it be about?’
Before opening the contents, he paused for a moment to ponder.
Could it be another assignment? Considering how the Emperor usually treated Ezekiel, that seemed quite plausible.
The more expectations one had, the greater the disappointment. Ezekiel internally chanted countless times: Don’t get your hopes up unnecessarily.
However, something within him kept stirring. Despite his efforts to shake it off, it seemed expectation had firmly taken root.
And after checking the content.
“…!”
Ezekiel stared at it as if he had been electrocuted.
[ The Sun Elixir is ready. ]
A mere line, but the content was enormous.
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