Chapter 5

Night fell upon the Grand Palace.

It was the time when the footsteps of people visiting the emperor became sparse.

It seemed that all the people in the capital who were qualified to have an audience with the emperor had visited during the day.

The emperor, too, despite being said to be gravely ill, did not seem like he would depart for the Lord's side anytime soon.

Only a few imperial palace attendants remained in the sickroom.

They didn't even pay attention to me anymore, as if I had become a part of the scenery.

The only person who worried about me was Theo.

“Your Highness, please take a rest while you can. At this rate, Your Highness' health will fail first.”

“Should I?”

Suddenly, something came to mind as the cause of my weak stamina.

「Fledgling Knight: F

Please get some exercise.

Going outside and getting some sun is also important for the body.

─ Might -10

─ Horsemanship Penalty

─ Reflexes Penalty」

Was it because I lowered the stamina stat too much when creating the character?

I felt like I was getting tired too quickly.

I stretched from my seat to loosen my stiff body.

“Huh?”

Right at that moment, something I hadn't seen before caught my eye.

The hand of the emperor lying in bed, which I hadn't paid attention to while dealing with people.

A ring was on his right index finger.

But, that ring.

If I wasn't mistaken, hadn't I seen it somewhere before?

“Your Highness? What's wrong?”

“Shh, be quiet for a moment.”

“……”

I approached the emperor's side, or more accurately, towards the ring, as if possessed.

As if the ring was calling me.

The ring, examined up close, was a simple, plain copper ring.

But as if to prove that magic was imbued in it, a purple light glittered along its edge like a sheen.

I remembered that some letters were engraved on the inside, but since the emperor was wearing it on his finger, it was hard to tell for sure.

But that alone was enough to feel the aura of a jackpot.

“What, why is this here?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No? On the contrary, it's great.”

I looked at Theo.

The guy was confused, not knowing the reason for my surprise.

The name of this ring was Constantine's Ring.

Among the items appearing in , its rarity was not high, but its effect was top-tier.

「Heart of Iron and Blood

Your heart has been tempered with iron and blood.

Now, you will not be easily shaken no matter what happens.

─ No stat bonus

─ Increased Mental Fortitude

─ Increased Reflexes」

The description alone might not seem impressive, but being able to move without hesitation when faced with an assassination attempt or an emergency situation meant that it practically gave you an extra life coin in times of danger.

This was an effect verified by numerous users.

Therefore, even in the highly free-form , obtaining Constantine's Ring was considered a standard play.

No one investigated who Constantine was or why the emperor had it, but everyone wanted the ring that gave them an extra life.

Some even jokingly called it the One Ring.

However, as it was imbued with good magic, obtaining the ring was not easy.

The way to obtain Constantine's Ring was mostly in the mid-game, by restoring the ruined capital and exploring the royal tomb.

It sounds easy just listening to it, but it's not really an easy task.

First of all, restoring the capital occupied by other factions is not easy, and the royal tomb has been unmanaged for a long time, so it has turned into a labyrinth.

Even if you defeat the endlessly pouring skeleton army, the capital could be taken back by other factions, so you usually end up getting the ring after a lot of hardship.

Getting this at the beginning of the game is a huge advantage.

This time, it's a real boon, a boon.

“Why on earth is this here?”

I thought for a moment and realized it was a stupid question.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Constantine's Ring was the emperor's property.

And now was before the emperor was placed in his coffin.

It was only natural that Constantine's Ring was not yet buried in the royal tomb.

The reason such a precious ring remained on the emperor's hand seemed to be because no one had noticed its value or knew of its existence.

Well, its appearance was too ordinary.

Who would think this was the emperor's property?

At that moment, a reckless but dangerous plan came to mind.

What if I moved the location of a certain object from someone to myself?

There was no better opportunity than now, when everyone's attention was away from me.

But to do that, I needed someone's cooperation.

When I turned around with a smile, Theo trembled.

“Your Highness, could it be?”

“Why?”

“You're not, are you?”

“I didn't say anything?”

“Just by looking at your face, I can tell you're plotting something.”

“Our minds are connected.”

Theo was disgusted.

“God, please. We can't cause trouble here. This is in the presence of the emperor.”

“There's something more important than being in the presence of the emperor. It's my command.”

“Still, you can't.”

“You just have to close your eyes. I'll take care of the important stuff.”

“Oh my.”

“You're a member of the Emperor's Royal Guard. Have some guts.”

It was when I was arguing with Theo to persuade him.

Suddenly, an interruption came.

Zeta had finished her work and returned to the sickroom.

Zeta's eyes widened when she saw me still there.

“Your Highness? I didn't know you were still here.”

“Isn't that Your Grace Zeta? You haven't gone to sleep yet.”

“Yes, I have a lot of work.”

I acted nonchalantly.

Theo looked at me with a loathsome expression.

But he showed loyalty and didn't tattle on what I was about to do to Zeta.

Thanks to that, Zeta, who had been cold all day, gave me a slight smile.

“His Majesty would be pleased to know that Your Highness is so devoted.”

“I only hope he is.”

“But it is already late at night. There will be no more visitors, so let's go to sleep. We don't know what will happen tomorrow.”

“That's, true.”

I looked at the emperor, or more accurately, the ring, with a look of lingering regret.

Ugh.

If not now, there won't be a chance to get that ring.

Or I'll get it much later.

That would be too much of a waste of time.

The person who saved me from my dilemma was none other than Zeta.

Zeta, who had easily pushed me into the pit of despair, just as easily pulled me out.

“I have prepared a separate room in the Grand Palace. Please rest there tonight.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“You're welcome. It's nothing compared to Your Highness' concern for His Majesty. But please do not let your health suffer from too much worry.”

“Of course.”

My conscience was pricked when Zeta was genuinely pleased with my actions.

But I forced myself to ignore the pangs of conscience.

Anyway, no one knew what would happen soon.

For all I know, I could be killed tomorrow by the army brought by an angry Isak.

No one was going to take responsibility for my fate.

In the first place, was a game about navigating through a chaotic era.

A chaotic era is bound to come with confusion.

To survive that confusion, you need schemes, conspiracies, and machinations, and you need to get used to them.

Compared to that, moving a ring like this was a trivial matter.

Guided by an attendant, I moved to the separate room that Zeta had prepared.

“As expected of the Grand Palace. It's much better than the detached palace. It's close to the sickroom too. Very good.”

The room I lived in in the modern era could be called a doghouse compared to this.

My original room would probably fit in here about ten times?

Despite the unexpected luxury, Theo had a sullen expression.

“Your Highness, you're not really going to do it, are you?”

“No? I am going to do it.”

“How?”

“You and I, together. Tonight.”

“Please leave me out of it, please. Grand Captain Zeta warned me that if I fail to stop Your Highness next time, she will really give me a flogging.”

“You?”

“No? Of course, she would hit Your Highness. I'm just a poor victim caught up in an unfortunate incident. It's always been like that.”

She's merciless, really.

Is the Grand Captain of the Royal Guard allowed to beat up a royal?

Anyway, whether that was legal was a separate issue.

Theo pleaded, but I didn't even pretend to listen.

Compared to the future that was about to befall me, the threat of being punished was nothing but an empty bluff.

“What if this is something that absolutely must be done?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What if this can prevent the tragedy that is to come?”

“Uh-uh, don't come closer.”

I approached Theo, appealing to his emotions.

It was a clear fact that just as Theo was loyal as a member of the Royal Guard, he was also loyal to me as a friend.

I was convinced that if I kept pushing hard, Theo would reluctantly follow along.

I deliberately made eye contact with Theo and grabbed his arm.

Then something unexpected happened.

A purple flame sparked before my eyes.

At that moment, it felt like an unknown power was draining out of me, and Theo, who had been vehemently opposing me, had a dazed expression.

Then he suddenly showed motivation.

“Hmm. Let's do it right away.”

“Wait a minute. You haven't even heard the reason yet. A moment ago, you were trying to stop me.”

“It seems like a crazy idea, but if it's something Your Highness is doing, there must be a valid reason.”

It was a change of attitude faster than flipping one's palm.

It was so fast that it was bewildering.

Did he take some kind of drug while I wasn't looking?

No, I'm sure he didn't eat anything?

Or did he decide to mess with me on purpose?

But for that, Theo's gaze was too serious.

“Now, let's go!”

As I was being pushed on the back by Theo, something suddenly came to mind.

A trait that was set when I started the game.

「Descendant of a Demon: SS

There is a legend that the blood of a demon is mixed in your bloodline.

There is no way to prove if the legend is true, but people listen to your words more than others.

─ Charm +40

─ Increased initial notoriety

─ Bonus to Command, Persuasion, and Intimidation」

I couldn't believe it, but that was the only possibility.

I never imagined the trait would activate like this.

I've never even used it in the game.

“Now, let's get a move on. The night is short.”

“No, wait a minute. Can't we rest for a bit before we go?”

“Alright, let's move out!”

No, no matter how much I think about it…….

He's definitely trying to mess with me, right?

***

Late at night.

There were those who roamed the corridors of the Grand Palace, where darkness had fallen.

It was me, and Theo.

We hid behind a pillar and waited for the patrolling attendant to pass through the corridor.

The lantern in the attendant's hand floated like a will-o'-the-wisp in the dark corridor.

“Is he gone?”

“He's gone. Now's the time.”

“Let's move quickly.”

We carefully tiptoed through the corridor.

If someone saw two grown adults doing that side by side, it would be hilarious.

Even with the emperor in a critical condition, the Grand Palace was thoroughly guarded.

Wherever we went, there were patrolling attendants or Royal Guard members.

Zeta must have meticulously designed the routes in preparation for any potential intruders.

“An attendant will pass by here shortly.”

“Then let's catch our breath here for a moment.”

But fortunately, a current Royal Guard member was my bodyguard.

Theo used the Royal Guard's information to break through the Grand Palace's security network one by one.

This is why an insider traitor is scary.

Because they can obtain important information without any suspicion.

Of course, that also applied to me.

If we were caught by a guard, I planned to make the excuse that I was taking a walk because I couldn't sleep.

It would look a bit suspicious, but who would say anything about a royal taking a night walk?

“We've arrived.”

“Phew. I really thought my heart was going to burst.”

Thus, we successfully reached the emperor's sickroom without being caught once.

The only ones guarding the sickroom were two imperial palace attendants.

And even they were dozing off, probably tired from greeting guests all day.

“To allow an intrusion so easily, Zeta must not have expected to be breached by an insider.”

“No, when you put it like that, it makes me feel strange. It's like I'm a traitor.”

“It's fortunate for us.”

“……”

I opened the door to the sickroom without making a sound and went inside.

The emperor was lying quietly in the dark room with the lights off.

He was still breathing, but that was all.

There seemed to be no possibility of him suddenly screaming and getting up or opening his eyes.

Constantine's Ring was still glittering with a purple light.

It was a color that felt very ominous.

But at the same time, it was very beautiful.

I felt possessed again.

It was as if someone was whispering in my ear.

Telling me to put the ring on my finger, to execute the plan right away.

My…… ring.

My…… precious!

“Your Highness? Let's hurry.”

“Shh.”

I quietly approached the emperor's side.

It was not difficult to remove the ring from the emperor's finger, which had become thin due to illness.

I put the silently removed ring on my finger.

The ring fit my finger perfectly, as if it had found its owner.

The moment I was admiring the ring with a feeling of utmost satisfaction.

An unknown voice was heard in my ear.

「You have obtained Constantine's Ring. From now on, you are the new master of the Heart of Iron and Blood. Be careful not to lose the ring.」

“What did you say? Theo, did you just say that?”

“What do you mean by that……”

“Didn't you hear something just now? Like a person's voice……”

“No? I didn't hear anything.”

I, flustered, thinking we might have been caught, and Theo, bewildered, not knowing what was going on, looked at each other.

But now was not the time to worry about an unidentified voice.

Crackle.

Suddenly, a purple flame sparked from the ring.

A vivid flame that caused no harm.

I put my hand in my pocket to hide the light coming from it, but the more I did, the more the flame flickered flamboyantly.

The flame grew without end, and eventually, the light became so intense that it filled the room.

So much so that it would be strange if it wasn't discovered from outside.

“What is this light?”

“It's from the direction of His Majesty's sickroom? Did something happen?”

Oh, damn it.

As soon as Theo and I looked at each other, I realized there was only one thing to do.

“Run!”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere!”

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