“Benedictine needs to die.”
As soon as the three walked out of the royal palace and back to the tavern, a consensus was reached.
The trio managed to make their way out of the throne room in one piece, but it was obvious Benedictine was a serious and responsible leader. The way he handled the Voyagers...it would just be a matter of time before he finds out what the Voyagers truly want.
In other words, he was a problem, and problems must be removed.
The two found themselves a tavern, where they rented a hotel room and started talking through the watches.
“We need someone else to be the Emperor or the Empress. The Empire of the Moon has taken massive losses, but it still has a lot of military strength and influence.”
Jean closed her eyes as she contacted her observers above the city, ordering them to scan through the city and gather as much information as possible.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
“I might have found just the choice.”
Hundreds of men in blue armor ravaged through a well-decorated mansion. Two men in black were leading the charge. They kicked down doors and broke through walls. Countless inside the mansion were arrested by these soldiers. Servants. Maids. Guards. Women screamed and men cried, forming a symphony of pain.
A young man, barely eighteen, was standing in front of the mansion. His fists closed in tightly. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he was dead silent.
A circle of Moon soldiers stood around him. Officially, they were to keep the man safe from “rebels” or “traitors”, but anyone with a brain knew their real job was to imprison the man.
A man in black armor walked into the circle. The Moon soldiers took a few steps back. Sometimes, knowledge meant death.
The man’s voice was ice cold.
“Prince Leon. I apologize for the commotion, but we have evidence that there are traitors hiding in your mansion, and per the orders of Emperor Benedictine, treason must be punished with lightning speed.”
The man shook in fury.
“Commotion? Your men are ripping apart my house! Those are my people they’re arresting!”
“Those are traitors that my men are arresting.” The man in black smirked. He was talking to a member of the royal family, but he had no fear. The prince had next to no real power. With Benedictine on the throne, the prince couldn’t lay a finger on him. “Do you need to see the evidence?”
Prince Leon’s lips trembled. Evidence? These people have total control of the situation! If they’re feeling generous, then they might bother to forge some evidence. If they don’t feel like it, they could easily have him arrested for treason as well! Multiple members of the royal family have fallen victim to Emperor Benedictine’s executioners. A prince with no power would be no different.
He was dead silent.
The man in black armor tilted his head mockingly. The sight of the royalty, so powerless, gave him a strange sense of pleasure. He stood by and watched as the Moon soldiers finally finished their job. Dozens were dragged away. Imprisonment, torture, and execution awaited them.
Finally, all the soldiers and most of the original occupants of the mansion departed, leaving Prince Leon with a handful of servants. Well, scratch that. The handful of servants that survived the arrests immediately packed up their belongings and fled. Stay there a couple more days and it might be their turn. It wasn’t that there were no men loyal to the prince, but all of those men were taken away by the Moon soldiers.
Emperor Benedictine knew all the royalties might be a threat. He had to weaken them. The first thing to do would be cutting off their underlings.
Looking at his ruined property, Prince Leon sat down on the ground. He was angry, but moreover, he was helpless. But he didn't dare do anything.
Thanks to all the recent death among the royal family, Prince Leon has ascended to the level of the Crown Prince. If Emperor Benedictine died, he would be the next Emperor. But instead of being thrilled, Prince Leon was frightened.
His status put him on a tightrope. One mistake, one sign of disobedience, and Emperor Benedictine wouldn’t hesitate to put his head on a spike.
A squad of Moon patrols walked by him. One of them threw him a mocking smirk.
Leon sighed. He stood back up and walked back into the door. Perhaps he should gather whatever riches he had left and flee the city. It should be enough to convince Emperor Benedictine he was no longer a threat.
The mansion was almost torn down by the search parties, but Prince Leon still found himself a few bags of riches. He was about to leave when he saw a figure sitting in the shadows.
“It’s a pity. I thought you would muster your courage and make a stand after how those men treated you. Instead, you want to run with your tails between your legs.”
Prince Leon dashed to a counter and grabbed onto a sheath. He pulled his sword out and pointed it at the stranger. Blue runes lit up.
“Who are you?”
The figure took a step forward, revealing the terrifying form of Jean Turner.
“I am nobody. Well, not exactly nobody. I am a mercenary.” Jean shrugged, looking past the blade. If she wanted to she could kill the prince with a single tap on the watch, but the prince was worth more alive than dead.
“Ahhh...has his grace finally decided to take me out?” Prince Leon’s face turned red. He thought Jean was a mercenary hired by Emperor Benedictine to silence his threat once and for all. “I have already done everything he wanted! Why would he be so hell-bent on killing me?”
He gripped onto the sword tightly. If this mercenary wanted to use his head to get her paycheck, then he would make sure she has to fight for it.
“Oh no.” Jean held her hands up innocently. “That’s not what I meant. In fact, Emperor Benedictine wants me dead as well.” She looked at the prince, whose distrust was bright as day. “It’s a long story.”
“Time is all I have.”
“Fair enough.” Jean nodded, glancing at the wreckage around her. “Basically, I was formerly employed by the late Emperor. Now he’s dead and I’m here. Do you see the problem?”
“Benedictine wants to make an example out of you...to make the others fight harder.” Prince Leon’s eyes widened in realization. “If what you say is true, then we are on the same side.”
“Indeed. If Benedictine continues to reign, it will just be a matter of time before we are executed.” Jean words were cold. “We need to take him out.”
Prince Leon smirked as he returned his blade into his sheath.
“You think I haven’t thought of that before? He controls the army. He has a secret system of spies under his command. If I make a move, he will find out.”
“You don’t need to do anything,” Jean reassured. If she wanted forces, she wouldn’t have come to Leon. “All I want is when Benedictine dies, you will take his place and become the Emperor.”
Prince Leon’s eyes widened as he understood what Jean meant. Honestly, it wasn’t a conclusion difficult to reach. As an outsider mercenary, Jean could never control the Empire herself. There would simply be no loyalty toward her. It would take an army just to keep the throne.
If he said yes, he would have a decent chance to become the Emperor, judging from how confident the woman was.
But at the same time, if he said yes and became the Emperor, he might be a puppet of Jean. His domination would only be in name. From his brief experience with Jean, she was anything but a fool. She would never go through all this trouble just to let someone else claim the prize.
Sit back and let a member of the royal family wield the throne, or step forward and take the throne for himself and risk becoming a puppet?
He was torn. A part of him decided the Empire would be the best under Emperor Benedictine, but another part desired the power the throne would grant him.
Plus, Emperor Benedictine humiliated him and threatened his life. If he stood back and did nothing, there was no telling when Benedictine’s men would suddenly barge into his room and drag him away.
Jean saw the dilemma, and she decided to give it a push. Behind her back, she warped a bottle of red potion onto her right hand and crushed the container. Pieces of glass were returned to her watch as the red potion evaporated into the air. Some of them entered Jean, but nothing happened.
Others entered Prince Leon.
Gradually, Leon’s greed overwhelmed his logic and loyalty to his country. Screw the Empire of the Moon. Screw the royal family. He wanted to become the Emperor, and no one could stop him!
“That’s a deal. If you kill Benedictine, I will take the throne and do your bidding.” Leon finally agreed. “But you need to take care of Benedictine first. I’m not doing a thing before that.”
Jean smiled. The potion was the work of Demon. It could manipulate a person’s brain and bring out the worst desires of that person. She was in contact with the potion as well, but she didn't feel anything different. Thankfully the case was different with Leon.
Prince Leon made a good point. Benedictine would be a tough target to assassinate, but even now, Demon and Blink were dealing with that problem.
A week has passed since Prince Leon met up with the mysterious mercenary. Since then, he hasn’t heard a word from her. If he has never met Jean, he would be glad everything was nice and peaceful. His highest ambition would be dying of natural causes.
But after Jean came, Leon felt something different. Everytime he closed his eyes, he imagined himself sitting on the throne. Armies of elite guards in blue armors would stand guard around him and strike down anyone at his command. Advisors and generals would obey his every word. Even Jean would have to submit to his power.
But none of this could be achieved if Benedictine was alive.
With every day that passed, Benedictine’s control over the Empire grew tighter and tighter. Most of the regional lords around the empire have sent in envoys to announce their submission to the new regime. It was just a matter of time before the rest follow. He started closing in his grip around the army. Everyday, a couple of mid-level officers would disappear and be replaced with men completely loyal to Emperor Benedictine. If Benedictine had to use foul play to control the military a week ago, he had no need for that now.
This made Prince Leon aggravated, but there was nothing he could do. All he could hope for was that Jean didn't get captured or killed by Benedictine. If that was the case, she better not give him out.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
A maid walked in with her head lowered.
“Your grace, it’s time to attend the Offering Ceremony.”
Prince Leon glanced at the maid coldly. She was one of the people who just so happened to be wandering around looking for a job after most of Leon’s servants were taken away. She ended up working in Leon’s household, replacing those who were arrested or chose to flee. Leon would be a fool if he believed she was just a normal maid, but he didn't do anything about it. If keeping a pair of eyes and ears around him was enough to convince Benedictine not to kill him, then so be it.
With the help of the maid, Leon started changing into a set of sky blue ceremonial clothing.
The Offering Ceremony was a tradition made since the creation of the Empire of the Moon. Legend says that after the Battle of the High Hills, where he saved the empire from invading beasts at the cost of tens of thousands of his men, the first Emperor hosted an Offering Ceremony in honor of those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause. It was a glorious moment. Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, generals, officials, members of the royal family, and even the Emperor himself, bent the knee to pay respect of the fallen.
At that time, the Empire was in disarray and the people were doubtful if their Emperor could protect them. During the ceremony, the Emperor made a two hour long motivation speech to all the tens of thousands of audience. By the time he was finished, most of his audience was ready to die for him. The Empire became more united than in any previous years.
This became a tradition for the Empire of the Moon. This time, Emperor Benedictine announced he would be hosting the Offering Ceremony in respect to all the men who gave their lives fighting the Empire of the Sun.
Leon knew this was just an excuse. Benedictine needed to hammer his strength and compassion into the mind of his people. An Offering Ceremony was the perfect choice. After the glamorous ceremony, the people would be zealous toward their new Emperor.
It would be next to impossible to take him out.
