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Scapegoats (1)
Ysnay, Evelyn, Dina, and I were inside a carriage on the way to the palace. The others stayed behind to take care of the aftermath of today’s incident.
Several powerhouses were guarding the carriage. A normal person would have thought they were there to protect us.
The truth, though, was that their purpose here was to stop us from escaping.
In other words, we were fucked up.
It’s normal, though. Our operation ended causing the death of two thousand people just in the capital. And the number was hundreds of times greater around the empire.
Even if the emperor did not know about the deaths in the rest of the empire, the two thousand deaths in the capital were enough for him to send us to the gallows.
Someone needed to take responsibility for this, after all.
And we were the perfect scapegoats. In fact, I’m pretty sure the emperor is celebrating in the palace right now. He finally found an opportunity to get rid of us after all.
To be honest, the situation is pretty serious. Two thousand deaths are not something even the emperor can shrug easily.
It can be seen from the fact a beyond-twelfth-layer powerhouse is escorting our carriage. According to my observations, he is from Hidden History.
And Hidden History only acts when they feel the empire’s existence is being threatened.
In other words, two thousand deaths in the capital, plus hundreds of thousands of deaths around the empire are enough for them to move.
I’m not worried, of course. I already have countermeasures ready for this situation.
But first…
“Ysnay, eliminate the memories of all the people that witnessed me facing the Immortal except the people close to me. Also, eliminate the information about Immortals.”
“Mm?” Ysnay raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“It’s too soon to reveal my true strength. Plus, if too many people know of it, the information can reach to Emilia’s ears through spies. I’ll be truly fucked up if that happens. ” I shrugged and said.
Ysnay nodded. “I understand. Should I also eliminate this problem for you? I can erase the fate of the people that died today. It will be as though they never existed.”
“It’s not necessary.” I shook my head. “I already have a plan to use these deaths.”
Ysnay shrugged. She then snapped her fingers and smiled.
“Done.”
… So fast.
I did not even feel anything.
“… Your control over fate is as incredible as always, Ysnay.”
“Thank you. By the way, this favor will cost you a little bit.”
“Mm?” I was surprised.
“Don’t look at me like that. I would have done it for free if I was your woman, but you refuse to accept me so I don’t think it’s wrong to charge a small price for this.”
“… Is it not the point where you help me unconditionally to show me your worth and make me fall in love with you again?”
“Hahahaha, come on, both of us know that will not work.”
… Yeah, she is right.
Besides, it’s not a bad idea.
Quite the opposite, it’s pretty great.
I don’t want to owe anything to Ysnay if it’s possible. And if we make our relationship a purely interest-based one, I will not feel so bad if I have to kill her later.
But–
“What is the price?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Ysnay smiled mysteriously.
I narrowed my eyes. This is suspicious.
“You know that there are some things I will not do no matter how much I owe you, right?”
“Of course, of course, I know my limits.” Ysnay giggled. “Don’t worry, it’s not something that will affect you or the people close to you. Mm… How about this? This time I’ll help you for free, but the next time you need my help, you will need to pay me with something.”
… How suspicious.
Is she plotting something?
But it doesn’t make sense. I can easily break my promise if I think it will bring me troubles.
I thought for a moment and finally, I decided to agree for now.
“Okay…”
“It’s a deal.” Ysnay smiled happily.
I wonder what she is plotting… I should be warier of her.
How troublesome… The worst part is that I can’t simply kill her… Ysnay’s way to Immortality will just allow her to revive somewhere, and by then, I will be unable to keep an eye on her actions. Moreover, we will truly turn against each other.
And don’t need more enemies right now.
Well, I will just pay the price she asks for if I think it is reasonable.
While I was lost in my thoughts, I felt a complicated gaze fall on me. When I followed the gaze, I found Dina looking at me and Ysnay strangely.
Dina opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but she just shook her head in the end.
I smiled wryly.
It looks like this sister of mine’s mood is a bit complicated now. huh.
It’s normal, though. She just discovered that her beloved brother is not who she thought he was.
Although she already knew I was keeping some secrets, she could not help but feel bad when she learned these secrets were bigger than anything she imagined.
Moreover, it was obvious that Evelyn and Ysnay knew more than her about my secrets, causing my sister to feel even worse.
I sighed. I then grabbed her hands gently and smiled at her.
“Sister, is anything wrong?” I asked.
Dina looked straight into my eyes for a few seconds. Then, she sighed.
“… Claus, about what happened today…”
“… Please wait for a bit longer. I don’t want to burden you with this right now. I’ll explain everything to you when I think you are ready.”
“… Brother, only answer me something… Am I a burden to you?”
I furrowed my brows. I then glared coldly at Ysnay.
It was her fault for saying unnecessary things.
Sighing again, I smiled at my sister.
“How can you be a burden to me? Don’t you know how much I love you, sister? To me, helping you is a pleasure.”
Dina blushed and looked away. Her lips, though, were curved up in a happy smile.
“… How corny.” Evelyn muttered dissatisfied.
I shot her an amused look. “Are you jealous, headmistress?”
Evelyn harrumphed and ignored me. Hey, why is this girl angry with me?
I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but the carriage arrived at the palace at that moment.
Then, the beyond-twelfth-layer practitioner that escorted us opened the door of the carriage and bowed.
“Please follow me.”
We followed him obediently until the palace’s hall. There, the emperor was seated in the throne waiting for us.
Several ministers and important people were standing on both sides of the hall, and each one of them looked in our direction as soon as we appeared.
I could feel that some of these gazes were filled with gloating. One of them, in particular, was coming from Earl Riea. It seemed like he was taking pleasure in our misfortune.
I smiled and nodded at him, not minding his expression. The earl snorted and looked away. However, he seemed ready to enjoy a good show.
Father-in-law, how much do you hate me?
Well, even my father looks in a good mood, as though he can’t wait to sentence me to death. What can I expect from my father-in-law?
The emperor looked at Evelyn, Dina, Ysnay, and I and asked in an ice-cold tone.
“Speak, what do you have to say in your defense?”
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