Chapter 93

The day before arriving in the capital. Latil, Haysin, and Kallain gathered to discuss how they would appear at the imperial council the next day and drive out the imposters. After much deliberation, they came up with the following plan. First, Haysin, as a foreign emperor, would enter the imperial council and lay the groundwork by expressing gratitude for the matter involving Sadi. At the same time, he would praise and elevate the "Special Envoy Sadi" to create an atmosphere where they could not label Sadi as strange when Sadi appeared.

"Surely the imposter and my brother will try to cover up their confusion and muddle through."

There were two scenarios. If they spoke as if they knew about Sadi, Haysin would say, "I've brought Sadi," and Latil would step forward. If they maintained the attitude of not knowing Sadi, Haysin would suggest hearing about Sadi, and Latil would step forward. In either case, Latil would appear with his face covered by a cloak, and Kallain would also appear with a cloak.

"Then Leean and the imposter will say all sorts of things to get information from you."

"I'll listen for a while and then subtly push them into a suspicious corner."

"Then, out of confusion, they will try to make you seem even more suspicious."

"At that moment, I'll dramatically take off my cloak and shout, 'Of course you wouldn't know! You're not me!'"

"I'll also take off my cloak at that time."

The people would murmur and be confused, but as agreed, the high priest would step forward and declare that Latil had a clear aura and was definitely not a black magician. Kallain would also testify from the side that Latil was the real one.

"They will still deny it. Of course, they will."

"At that moment, I'll tell your story. When you left your seat due to illness, you were actually with me, discussing matters related to black magic."

Latil nodded while examining the last letter from Tashir.

"If my brother argues, 'How can we trust a foreigner?' at that moment, Tashir will step forward and say that he and I often went on dates, so he can recount the events that happened between us. Of course, he will take my side no matter what I say."

When people are confused, Latil will deliver the final blow. Even if things go wrong, they won't be expelled as they were before. If things go well, they might even confirm that Latil is the real one. After the discussion, Haysin went to bed, but Latil fidgeted with the blanket and then went outside the camp, hugging his knees. As he gazed at the stream, Kallain approached and sat down beside him.

"Tomorrow, you'll regain your original position."

"It might not go as planned."

"At the very least, you'll be able to sleep in the palace."

Latil dipped his fingers into the stream, and the water flow was immediately disrupted by the small movement. Kallain watched and asked cautiously,

"Will you reveal that the former empress is involved?"

Latil withdrew his hand from the water. As the water flowed again, Latil stared at it and sighed. That was the problem. When they first set out from Karisen, Aini's words kept echoing in his mind, but as they approached Tarium, Latil kept thinking about his mother. His brother had acted openly, so he couldn't escape this matter. But his mother was different. Since she had acted with her face hidden, if Latil, his brother, and Kallain kept quiet, she could avoid being implicated. Thus, he had to ponder whether to reveal or cover up his mother's involvement. And the conclusion Latil reached was...

"...No."

"Will Prince Leean just stand by?"

"Since my brother is the one who involved our mother, he will stand by. He has to."

* * *

Finally, the day of the showdown arrived. When Haysin attended the imperial council, Latil joined the Karisen delegation and entered. Everything went according to plan. He was worried that they might ask him to take off his cloak, but fortunately, Haysin was nearby, so no such request was made.

'Now I'll return to my position.'

Walking on the marble-patterned floor, Latil stood among the delegation, clenching his fists inside his cloak to avoid staring too much at his mother, who was seated on the imperial throne, and his brother, who stood beside her. Since he had joined the meeting midway, all the people who were supposed to be there were already gathered, but the ministers and officials were all looking at Haysin, so no one paid attention to him. Not yet.

"Thank you for coming such a long way to express your gratitude, Emperor Haysin."

"Yes. Thanks to the special envoy sent by the Emperor of Tarium, we averted a disaster during the banquet. Thank you."

"I had heard the rumors, but it's true. You didn't have to come in person, though."

"If things had gone wrong, the nobles of Karisen might have been wiped out. I thought it would be better to come in person to show my gratitude rather than send a delegation."

Haysin, continuing the conversation, finally brought the topic to Sadi as planned.

"Sadi was amazing. While everyone was terrified of the zombies, she bravely stepped forward and fought the dead prince without hesitation."

"Was it really the dead prince?"

"Everyone there saw it. After the incident, Sadi was still amazing. But she was too modest, always trying to hide her achievements. There were too many witnesses, so her efforts to hide them were in vain."

The imposter showed more interest in the dead prince than in Sadi, causing the conversation to veer off course for a moment, but Haysin forced the topic back to Sadi. Just as he was about to mention that he had brought Sadi, Leean changed the topic again.

"Is Empress Aini well? I heard that the person who appeared as a zombie was her close attendant."

Haysin hesitated for a moment but quickly brought the topic back to Sadi.

"Thanks to Sadi, she is safe."

"Empress Aini is also remarkable. I heard she often talked about the dead Prince Heum. To notice the strange atmosphere first. She is very perceptive."

But when Leean changed the topic to Aini again, Haysin ignored the question and directly brought up Sadi again.

"I have brought Sadi."

By this point, anyone could tell that Haysin wanted to talk about Sadi. Perhaps because of this, Leean also pointed it out with a smile.

"I want to talk about matters related to black magic. It's more important."

Seeing that a natural introduction was unlikely, Latil finally stepped forward.

"I am Sadi."

Introducing himself. The appearance was a bit unnatural compared to the plan, but it was necessary because Leean kept trying to bury the topic of Sadi. The people, who had been focused on the conversation between Emperor Haysin and Prince Leean, were surprised and murmured when Sadi suddenly appeared.

"That woman came out even though she wasn't called."

"Maybe she's modest and doesn't want to show off?"

"She's really trying to make herself known..."

Latil felt embarrassed but held back and looked at Leean. Haysin quickly added,

"This is Sadi."

But Leean reacted unexpectedly. Instead of asking if Sadi was really Haysin's envoy, he directly scolded her.

"How dare you. Go back. We are not talking about you now."

Latil had planned to push Leean into a suspicious corner after answering a few questions. But Leean was acting completely on his own. Latil cursed inwardly. However, he didn't go back. This was a rare opportunity, and he couldn't let it slip away. Instead, Latil laughed loudly and sarcastically asked,

"Prince Leean, do you dislike meeting new people? Is there something that makes you uncomfortable?"

Before he could be scolded for being impolite, Latil dramatically threw off his cloak. He wanted to reveal himself dramatically as the cloak flew to the side like it was blown by the wind.

'Damn.'

But the cloak didn't come off. It flapped once and returned to its original position. Latil cursed inwardly. Even the cloak was not cooperating.

"She's really trying to make herself known."

"Creating a wind effect on her own. Isn't she embarrassed...?"

"Is this some kind of staging?"

As people murmured more, Leean and the imposter frowned with suspicion. Just as Latil was about to give up and go back, Kallain, who had quietly moved to his side, slowly removed his hood. Latil, feeling extremely embarrassed, wanted to shout, "Not yet!" but it was too late. He just tightened his lips and focused his eyes. Since he had already removed his mask, his face was revealed as soon as the hood came off.

As his face was fully revealed, the people stopped murmuring. Their expressions turned to shock. Their eyes widened, and their mouths opened even wider. Their eyes darted back and forth between Latil and the imposter. The rumor that a black magician had impersonated the emperor and entered the palace was known to all, but few of the ministers who had heard the rumor had actually seen Latil. They had only heard about it. Therefore, seeing two identical emperors standing in front of them was even more shocking. Leean looked at Latil with a stern face. Latil, trying to forget his embarrassment, called out to the high priest.

"High Priest!"

The high priest, who had been waiting, quickly stepped forward. Latil, without looking at the high priest, fixed his gaze on Leean and asked,

"My brother tried to label me as a black magician. High Priest, do you see me as a black magician?"

As the nobles' attention turned to the high priest, he smiled and replied,

"Of course not. His Majesty cannot be a black magician. How clear is his aura? And he wears the amulet necklace I gave him."

Kallain, who had been quietly standing beside Latil, added,

"I saw everything from the side, so I know this is His Majesty. He left the harem to protect His Majesty."

Haysin smiled and stood beside Latil.

"Prince Leean. The imposter. While Emperor Latrasil was absent due to illness, you two set up an imposter and took his place, didn't you?"

The people murmured even more.

"But at that time, Emperor Latrasil was actually with me. It's a pity for you. We discovered the traces of black magic earlier than others and discussed it in secret."

Someone in the crowd of ministers shouted,

"How can we trust a foreigner? How can we believe that this woman is not a spy working with your side, Your Majesty?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Tashir stepped forward and looked around with a smile.

"His Majesty and I went on many dates alone. His Majesty favored me the most among all the concubines, so I have many memories with him. If you wish, I can test the memories of both of you, Your Majesties."

The imposter remained silent, and the people were confused. Latil, watching the scene, took a step forward and coldly surveyed the crowd.

"Among the people gathered here, some were deceived by the imposter, and some colluded with the imposter knowing it was an imposter. Because my brother was by the imposter's side. Because they wanted to support my brother."

His powerful and cold words silenced the crowd.

"But now is the time when the threat of black magicians is beginning. At such a time, the imposter is..."

Latil pointed at the imposter and Leean with his finger.

"Useless. Those who do not know the truth should seek the truth. Those who know the truth but covered it up must choose here. Taste the short power and die at the hands of the black magicians."

The people alternated their gazes between Leean and the imposter. Not at Latil and the imposter, but at Leean and the imposter. The first button was wrongly fastened, but it seemed he had successfully persuaded the people. The strange thing was...

'Why are they both just standing there?'

They should be making their own arguments. Why aren't they stepping forward? They are both good at speaking, so if they said something, they could buy more time. But at that moment,

"Mother, please stop!"

Leean, standing beside the imposter, shouted in a pained voice and pulled the imposter's hair.