Antor stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a pillar as he watched a servant pour wine.

How fascinating. He’s right in front of them, yet they truly can’t see him.

He was currently inside the king’s bedchamber. He had followed a servant inside, but no one noticed Antor’s presence. Beside him, a small bird no bigger than his palm flew around, sprinkling tiny particles of light.

“What precious wine this is. So, who sent it?”

“It’s a gift from Prince Alkeron of Isthmia, Your Majesty.”

“Since I’ve received such a fine gift, I should return the favor.”

Antor watched the king chuckling with satisfaction, a crooked smile playing at his lips as he regarded him with indifference. Look at everything he’s accomplished so far. How much effort has he put into strengthening the nation, working day and night, even cleaning up after the king?

Yet the man completely ignores all that and names Achilleon as his successor without a single word of consultation?

It was so absurd he could only laugh bitterly. He felt a deep sense of betrayal toward his father. After the servant withdrew, the king began drinking in earnest. Antor watched with dry eyes as his father played lewdly, pouring wine over a dancer’s body, then pulled a small bottle from his robes. Even approaching right up to his face, the king remained oblivious.

The sacred beast’s concealment ability only provided visual effects – it couldn’t erase his presence or sounds.

However, the two intoxicated figures remained unaware of Antor’s proximity. He dropped two drops from the bottle into his father’s wine cup. The king drained it in one gulp.

“……”

At that moment, Antor’s expression twisted with profound sadness. Farewell, Father. What a shame that mere poisoning is the best option in such an entertaining situation. Even waving his hand right in front of the king’s face wouldn’t get his attention. 

How fascinating would his expression be if a sword suddenly flew from thin air and pierced his belly? He was curious to see his father trembling with terror.

It would have been amusing to watch him die with swords piercing his entire body while making meaningless resistance, not even knowing who was attacking him. What a pity.

“Cough, hack…!”

Anguished groans came from behind him. The sound of a cup crashing to the floor and shattering, followed by a body collapsing heavily.

After confirming the king and woman foaming at the mouth with tongues lolling out, Antor leisurely left the bedchamber just like he had entered.

If it had been this easy, he should have eliminated his father long ago and claimed the throne. Antor laughed loudly, intoxicated by his sense of victory. That’s why he failed to notice that the bird had disappeared at some point.

Nor did he realize that a shadow was hiding behind a pillar, watching him stroll casually out of the room.

* * *

“Your Highness! Prince, Your Highness…!”

Alkeron and his generals were engaged in heated discussion around a map studded with flags. Just as they had concluded that invading Hitais through the Lagonian desert would be the most reasonable route after examining various options, a man came running urgently.

He was a spy they had planted in Hitais.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, that is….”

Unbelievable words flowed from the pale man’s mouth.

“What did you say? Who died?”

“There’s no mistake. The King of Hitais has met with misfortune, and…”

“Are you saying Antor did this?”

Alkeron frowned sharply as he pressed for answers. The faces of Alkeron and his advisors, who had deliberated until the last moment but ultimately decided to continue their alliance with Antor, also turned pale.

“No. I can’t be certain whether Prince Antor directly participated in the king’s death, but I clearly saw him walking out of the king’s bedchamber with my own two eyes. The king died afterward.”

A chilling silence descended instantly. He had killed the living king and coveted the throne. This was a matter of entirely different dimensions from princes fighting bloody battles for succession rights. This was treason.

“Your Highness, you must make a decision.”

“Is Prince Antor truly the culprit? If so, could he have walked out of the room so brazenly? It seems more plausible that he ordered someone else to do it.”

Even the spy seemed uncertain, looking like he couldn’t believe what he had witnessed with his own eyes. In any case, the situation had changed rapidly. But the spy’s next report was truly like a bolt from the blue.

“But, Your Highness.”

“What else?”

“The last drink the King of Hitais consumed before his death was… the wine Your Highness sent. And they say it contained poison.”

* * *

“Unfortunately, I cannot accept your request for support from the Sacred Inspection Corps, Prince Achilleon.”

The High Priest politely declined.

“As you know, sacred power is disappearing, and we have lost many excellent personnel. We have few people to spare. Moreover, the Sacred Inspection Corps moves solely for the king and the temple.”

This meant they couldn’t lend the temple’s power to someone who was merely a prince. Achilleon accepted this.

“I understand.”

After confirming all the necessary information, Achilleon left the temple. He didn’t know what decision Isthmia would make, but if Alkeron maintained his alliance with Antor, they would need more troops on their side.

That’s why he had wondered if he could borrow the temple’s assistance, but the High Priest was adamant.

Would he have responded the same way to Antor? Those two had been in frequent contact.

Though he had made the effort today, Achilleon hadn’t particularly expected the temple’s help. He had simply visited to gauge the possibility that the High Priest might be in league with Antor. 

Fortunately, judging by the High Priest’s attitude, the likelihood of him siding with Antor seemed slim. Also, the two didn’t seem to be exchanging as actively as before. In that case, there was a chance of victory.

However, one troubling point remained: how had Antor captured a sacred beast during the hunting festival?

When he brought this up, the High Priest waved his hand dismissively, saying it was preposterous.

With the current depletion of sacred power making it urgent to recruit more priests, they couldn’t spare personnel for such personal purposes.

If that was the case, did it mean Antor had hunted the sacred beast alone without the temple’s help? Was that even possible?

Unable to reach a conclusion, his steps felt heavy as he prepared to return. On his way back to the training grounds, General Hoperon and Foreign Minister Mishers were waiting for him. The two immediately reported on training progress.

“Isthmia won’t be able to move easily. Even if they ally with the Second Prince, it won’t be possible until well after the Harmony Conference. So they’ll likely attack in late winter or early spring at the earliest.”

The foreign minister’s report matched Hari’s prophecy. However, Achilleon intended to act earlier than that timeframe.

“We’ll launch a preemptive strike.”

Just then, something vivid caught Achilleon’s eye. A small blue bird flying from the direction of the main palace was heading toward the White Jade Palace, sprinkling light particles. Hoperon and the foreign minister were too busy continuing their discussion to notice the bird.

Hari’s bird.

Why was the bird that should be playing quietly in its cage…?

While Achilleon was intently watching the bird shrink to a dot in the distance, a pale servant came running urgently, shouting breathlessly.

“Third Prince, Your Highness, disaster has struck! You must come immediately. His Majesty…!”

* * *

The sudden tragic news of King Mempion’s death threw the entire nation into great turmoil. An atmosphere of unease pervaded the capital where the king’s funeral was being held. Due to the dark clouds filling the sky, the city looked gloomy, covered by a giant coffin lid.

“What on earth is happening…”

“Did you hear? They say it was assassination. Who in the world would commit such a heinous act?”

“It was poison, wasn’t it? They say the wine imported from a foreign country was laced with poison.”

“Are they insane?”

“Rumor has it the wine came from Isthmia.”

“But don’t tribute gifts go through security inspection? That wine would have been the same.”

“Then it might have been an inside job…”

The nobles watched the king’s funeral with somber faces, while commoners were deeply shaken. Though he had been fond of wine and women with a fiery temperament, Mempion was the king who had established Hitais as the most prosperous nation in Rodos.

The sudden death of the king praised as a conqueror came as a great shock to the people.

Crack.

At that moment, a massive lightning bolt struck straight across the sky. As thunder roared like an explosion afterward, people scattered in all directions, trembling with even greater fear. 

Throughout the funeral, fierce torrential rain poured down. The city seemed submerged in a great flood.

At the same time, Ipea, who had just arrived in Lagonia, witnessed the lightning striking the royal castle of Hitais. The enormous bolt that seemed ready to split the world in two was visible even from a great distance.

Hurrying her steps, Ipea conveyed Hari’s message to Geta.

“War?”

[Yes, so don’t worry even if Prince Achilleon’s army comes. He’ll be trying to protect the Lagonian people.]

Achilleon? Wasn’t he the one who had brutally dragged away the fleeing Hari? He had even tried to burn the temple and kill Lagonian people. Why would that brutal prince, who remained a terrible memory, try to protect Lagonian people? 

Though Geta found it puzzling, she urgently spread this news throughout the village.

That night brought unprecedented torrential rain.