“Tell me. Why did you do that to me?”
Ian was unmistakably smiling.
But intense animosity was burning in his eyes.
Reading his gaze, Duke Garcia shrugged.
“I can’t believe you barged in just to say that. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you playing dumb with me?”
“Seventh Prince, you have become the king of a vassal state, and yet you come here to shove an ordinary scented candle to my face and say such things. There’s too little circumstances to base it off this, is it not?”
“An ordinary scented candle? Besides, the circumstances…”
Ian stared at him incredulously.
The First Princess and the Second Prince purchased this scented candle from the Kingdom of Magicians. And there was one other person doing the same.
The man right in front of him.
Duke Garcia had very much done the same.
‘But if he is going to continue to feign ignorance, I will thoroughly consider the case.’
Any talk beyond this was just a waste of time.
Now, there was only one way left.
Ian lit the scented candle without saying a word.
Flicker.
Startled by the sight, Duke Garcia instinctively covered his mouth.
Not stopping at that, he even distanced himself as well.
It was clearly the gesture of someone who knew what kind of effect this scented candle had.
“What are you doing!”
“Why are you covering your nose if you don’t know what this is?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s not like you can’t poison me.”
“But here I am, casually inhaling it after lighting it.”
“!?”
Duke Garcia’s face hardened after seeing Ian’s calm countenance.
‘What’s the reason for this? Was it true that the scented candle didn’t work?’
Of course, it could have been a fake scented candle.
But Duke Garcia noticed right away.
The strange aura emanating from the scented candle was something he was familiar with.
‘It is undoubtedly the scented candle that robs one of one’s greatest talents.’
Of course, this only worked for children.
That was why he prepared it.
Kaistein had birthed numerous people who excelled in swordsmanship for generations.
Originally, it was a trap that would have deprived Ian of his talent.
All of this was to take away Ian’s talent, make him dependent on him, and afterward use him as he pleased.
However, there was a separate, hidden effect that no one knew about, one that applied only to adults.
‘It may have the effect of making one confess.’
That was what made it scary.
He might needlessly spill his family’s secrets to Ian.
But Ian had no intention of letting go.
“Why are you so scared of a normal scented candle? Would you like to smell it? I like it very much.”
Instead, Ian brought the lit scented candle closer to the Duke.
Duke Garcia waved his hand to prevent the scent of the candle from getting closer.
“This is not a funny prank. Put out the candle now.”
“I don’t want to, though?”
“!?”
Duke Garcia could not stand it any longer.
“Are you out of your mind? I know what that scented candle is!”
“Of course you do, Duke Garcia. Isn’t this the scented candle you prepared to take away my swordsmanship talent?”
“What!?”
“And they say it can make someone confess if used on adults.”
“How do you know that?”
Ian didn’t know just a little bit.
It was as if all the deeply ingrained secret information was being laid bare.
This was the information that Countess Aria Reese had discovered.
Taken aback by this fact, Duke Garcia took a sharp gasp.
And it was a crucial moment.
Cough!
“Ugh, shit!”
Duke Garcia cursed without realizing it.
He was so surprised by this revelation that he unwittingly inhaled the scented candle’s smoke.
‘I’m in big trouble. I have to get out of here quickly.’
Duke Garcia tried to escape from the confinement room.
But right at that second.
Ian’s hand suddenly grabbed his.
“Where are you going? I still have something I haven’t asked you.”
“Do you think it is acceptable to do things this way? Even if I am in imprisonment, I am a duke of this country. His Majesty will never forgive you!”
“Even though His Majesty gave permission?”
“What?”
Duke Garcia was speechless.
‘This guy is really…’
The Duke realized that Ian already knew everything and that he was toying with him.
He wanted to strangle Ian to death right now.
However, it was not an action he could ever do, no matter how much he felt like he was about to explode from his temper.
‘Much less, I have spent a lot on that thing.’
He couldn’t afford to have a single rumor unnecessarily spread.
So, bottling up his seething anger, Duke Garcia showed a cold demeanor.
“Put it out, and I will tell you whatever you want to know.”
He also told Ian to let go of his hand.
But Ian’s answer was firm.
“I refuse.”
“!?”
And then he took out another scented candle from his pocket.
It was one of the scented candles obtained from the royal castle, not the Garcia duchy.
He lit the candle without hesitation.
Flicker.
In no time, green smoke filled the room.
Smoke this thick was sufficient to create an effect terrible enough to make even professional spies buckle.
Duke Garcia roared in anger.
“Hey, you crazy! What are you doing now!?”
He couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Is anyone outside?! The Seventh Prince is trying to poison me!”
No, he wasn’t just shouting.
Bang! Bang!
After shaking off Ian’s hand, Duke Garcia began to pound on the door.
He had to get out of here somehow.
But Ian spoke to Duke Garcia, his voice as cold as ice.
“It’s useless. It’s just the two of us here now.”
“!?”
“No one will come until our talk is over.”
“Seventh Prince—no, Ian Kaistein. You bastard really…”
Grit.
Duke Garcia couldn’t contain his fury.
His face, which had been putting on a cold mask until now, was flushed red.
He even felt the urge to kill Ian right this second.
But then, Duke Garcia’s body suddenly swayed.
His mind was getting dizzy from constantly inhaling the scent of the scented candles.
No matter how hard he tried to stay conscious, his body became increasingly heavier by the second.
At that moment.
“Look into my eyes, Duke Garcia.”
A pair of golden eyes emerged from the green, smoke-filled darkness.
Ian growled, his eyes flashing like a beast.
‘I didn’t use the scented candle just for this day.’
Although it was a scented candle that robbed some people of their greatest talent, this scented candle gave Ian, who had Faith, a new talent.
The sole reason he hadn’t used it until now.
‘I can finally ask you.’
It was to avenge his past life.
And to ask why the Duke betrayed him.
So, in a threatening voice, he asked.
“Speak. Why did you target me?”
Unbounded wrath surfaced on his face.
It was so intensely suffused in his voice as if to question his betrayal in his past life.
Gulp.
Duke Garcia swallowed his saliva as his mind became muddled.
***
The Fifth Prince was smiling.
Today, too, he was taking care of a patient.
Then, a priest next to him approached.
“The royal family has sent another messenger. This messenger asks that you enter the palace as soon as possible. What should I do, Your Eminence?”
“Just stay put. They will have no choice but to grant my request eventually anyway.”
The victory ceremony was tomorrow.
Already, patients from the royal castle and all over Kaistein came flocking toward him.
If they didn’t do something quickly, there would be problems at the victory ceremony.
“Those people will have no choice but to accept my proposal one way or another.”
“However, Your Eminence, the Seventh Prince’s supply depot is becoming more popular than we expected.”
That was true.
According to the original plan, he should have been the one to fully get the people’s attention, not the Seventh Prince.
However, Ian’s action split people’s attention in half.
This made it difficult to stick to the plan.
What they were aiming for was chaos in Kaistein and contact with Duke Garcia.
“Isn’t that the reason you came here, Your Eminence?”
With the way things were going, they would fail to optimally cause confusion.
It would be better to quickly meet the king and settle the negotiation.
The Fifth Prince Haverion smiled at the priest’s words.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going according to the plan. I heard that the royal family is having meetings every day to discuss my proposal.”
The nobles he had already won over had been stealing inside information.
Most of them were religious believers devoted to the Holy Empire.
There was no way they were lying.
“Time is on our side. The more time passes, the more anxious they will become.”
Nodding, the priest whispered quietly.
“Then, what should we do with the messenger from your brothers?”
“What did they say?”
“That is… They wish to meet you quietly…”
“Is that so? Ignore it.”
“Pardon? Are you sure?”
The priest looked perplexed.
Even though they were brothers, they were still candidates for the throne.
Nevertheless, Haverion smiled and whispered.
“Now I am not the fifth prince of this country but a cardinal of the Holy Empire. It would be difficult for them if they were to hinder the sacred healing ritual.”
Of course, the reason wasn’t because of hindering the ritual.
Who they were about to meet was not the cardinal but the Fifth Prince Haverion.
If they met him for no reason, they could have given him a justification to enter the palace.
Though, they wouldn’t come first.
“What if they come?”
“They won’t.”
“Pardon?”
“They may be my brothers, but we are rivals vying for the same throne. If they visit me first, they’re practically announcing to the world that they’re lower than me.”
It was true.
His other brothers were all older and higher in rank than Haverion.
Coming to visit him first where ordinary citizens, not to mention aristocrats, were gathering would be nothing short of an immense loss on their part.
‘It will be like I’m bragging that I’m above them.’
On the other hand, if they visit the cardinal Haverion, they might be known as believers of the Holy Empire.
It meant that they would not be able to come if he refused their visit from the beginning.
They were royals through and through.
That was how they had been educated since they were young.
But the priest tilted his head.
“Then, what are you going to do if the Seventh Prince comes to visit? He came from a serf background and received a proper education…”
“The same goes for him. It makes no sense to visit a cardinal as the king of Bahara.”
“However, Your Eminence…”
“Don’t worry, just let the next patients come in. You will have nothing to worry about.”
Haverion looked confident.
He had seen many things while facing countless nobles.
That’s why he knew perfectly how great the royals’ sense of pride was and how extremely unwilling they were to give in.
‘He has memories of his past as a serf that he wants to erase. Of course, his pride will be much higher.’
Haverion had completed a thorough investigation on the Seventh Prince, Ian.
He was amazed at how well he had done with the matter of Duke Garcia.
And he was sure of one thing, as he was good at reading people based on their actions.
‘He has a very high self-esteem.’
Besides, it didn’t matter if he really came.
‘All I have to do is kick him out using the patients flocking here now.’
Imagine how angry the patients who relied only on Haverion’s healing power without proper medical supplies would be.
Moreover, everyone here was on his side.
Ian wouldn’t even be able to utter a single word to him.
It would be quite a sight to see the hero of the kingdom falling into despair in an instant.
But there was no way the king would come to visit him in person.
People who knew how he left this place would never have said that.
It was then.
The priest was startled as he glimpsed the momentary glint in Haverion’s eyes.
“Your Eminence?”
Ignoring the priest’s surprised look, Haverion gave instructions with his characteristic smile.
“Still, just in case, prepare for contact with Duke Garcia with caution. You may use force if necessary.”
“Understood. Everything is the will of God.”
After the priest left, Haverion smiled and recalled his plan.
‘Duke Garcia is an essential card for the plan.’
He had to meet him by any means and get his cooperation.
Even if he had bad blood with him in the past.
‘Since I have come back to this country, I won’t go back without getting anything.’
Moreover, the pope of the Holy Empire was backing him.
There was absolutely no way he could fail with the heresy inquisitors by his side, as well as the priests and ministers, helping him.
In the end, the Kaistein royal family would have no choice but to bow to him.
“Now, please bring the next patient.”
Right at the moment he plastered a smile as bright as usual on his face.
Outside the treatment center, people’s voices began to grow louder.
Even if Haverion tried hard not to go outside, he couldn’t help but be bothered by the hubbub.
The priest who had gone outside came rushing back in with an urgent look on his face.
“Your Eminence! I think you should go outside.”
“Is there a problem?”
“That, that is…!”
As Haverion stepped out, with question marks filling his head.
He was faced with the sight of all the Kaistein people, who usually bowed their heads toward him, prostrating with their heads to the ground.
Standing before them was none other than…
“Are you Haverion? Nice to meet you. I am Ian Kaistein.”
It was Ian, riding Blue Emperor.
“Tell me. Why did you do that to me?”
Ian was unmistakably smiling.
But intense animosity was burning in his eyes.
Reading his gaze, Duke Garcia shrugged.
“I can’t believe you barged in just to say that. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you playing dumb with me?”
“Seventh Prince, you have become the king of a vassal state, and yet you come here to shove an ordinary scented candle to my face and say such things. There’s too little circumstances to base it off this, is it not?”
“An ordinary scented candle? Besides, the circumstances…”
Ian stared at him incredulously.
The First Princess and the Second Prince purchased this scented candle from the Kingdom of Magicians. And there was one other person doing the same.
The man right in front of him.
Duke Garcia had very much done the same.
‘But if he is going to continue to feign ignorance, I will thoroughly consider the case.’
Any talk beyond this was just a waste of time.
Now, there was only one way left.
Ian lit the scented candle without saying a word.
Flicker.
Startled by the sight, Duke Garcia instinctively covered his mouth.
Not stopping at that, he even distanced himself as well.
It was clearly the gesture of someone who knew what kind of effect this scented candle had.
“What are you doing!”
“Why are you covering your nose if you don’t know what this is?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s not like you can’t poison me.”
“But here I am, casually inhaling it after lighting it.”
“!?”
Duke Garcia’s face hardened after seeing Ian’s calm countenance.
‘What’s the reason for this? Was it true that the scented candle didn’t work?’
Of course, it could have been a fake scented candle.
But Duke Garcia noticed right away.
The strange aura emanating from the scented candle was something he was familiar with.
‘It is undoubtedly the scented candle that robs one of one’s greatest talents.’
Of course, this only worked for children.
That was why he prepared it.
Kaistein had birthed numerous people who excelled in swordsmanship for generations.
Originally, it was a trap that would have deprived Ian of his talent.
All of this was to take away Ian’s talent, make him dependent on him, and afterward use him as he pleased.
However, there was a separate, hidden effect that no one knew about, one that applied only to adults.
‘It may have the effect of making one confess.’
That was what made it scary.
He might needlessly spill his family’s secrets to Ian.
But Ian had no intention of letting go.
“Why are you so scared of a normal scented candle? Would you like to smell it? I like it very much.”
Instead, Ian brought the lit scented candle closer to the Duke.
Duke Garcia waved his hand to prevent the scent of the candle from getting closer.
“This is not a funny prank. Put out the candle now.”
“I don’t want to, though?”
“!?”
Duke Garcia could not stand it any longer.
“Are you out of your mind? I know what that scented candle is!”
“Of course you do, Duke Garcia. Isn’t this the scented candle you prepared to take away my swordsmanship talent?”
“What!?”
“And they say it can make someone confess if used on adults.”
“How do you know that?”
Ian didn’t know just a little bit.
It was as if all the deeply ingrained secret information was being laid bare.
This was the information that Countess Aria Reese had discovered.
Taken aback by this fact, Duke Garcia took a sharp gasp.
And it was a crucial moment.
Cough!
“Ugh, shit!”
Duke Garcia cursed without realizing it.
He was so surprised by this revelation that he unwittingly inhaled the scented candle’s smoke.
‘I’m in big trouble. I have to get out of here quickly.’
Duke Garcia tried to escape from the confinement room.
But right at that second.
Ian’s hand suddenly grabbed his.
“Where are you going? I still have something I haven’t asked you.”
“Do you think it is acceptable to do things this way? Even if I am in imprisonment, I am a duke of this country. His Majesty will never forgive you!”
“Even though His Majesty gave permission?”
“What?”
Duke Garcia was speechless.
‘This guy is really…’
The Duke realized that Ian already knew everything and that he was toying with him.
He wanted to strangle Ian to death right now.
However, it was not an action he could ever do, no matter how much he felt like he was about to explode from his temper.
‘Much less, I have spent a lot on that thing.’
He couldn’t afford to have a single rumor unnecessarily spread.
So, bottling up his seething anger, Duke Garcia showed a cold demeanor.
“Put it out, and I will tell you whatever you want to know.”
He also told Ian to let go of his hand.
But Ian’s answer was firm.
“I refuse.”
“!?”
And then he took out another scented candle from his pocket.
It was one of the scented candles obtained from the royal castle, not the Garcia duchy.
He lit the candle without hesitation.
Flicker.
In no time, green smoke filled the room.
Smoke this thick was sufficient to create an effect terrible enough to make even professional spies buckle.
Duke Garcia roared in anger.
“Hey, you crazy! What are you doing now!?”
He couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Is anyone outside?! The Seventh Prince is trying to poison me!”
No, he wasn’t just shouting.
Bang! Bang!
After shaking off Ian’s hand, Duke Garcia began to pound on the door.
He had to get out of here somehow.
But Ian spoke to Duke Garcia, his voice as cold as ice.
“It’s useless. It’s just the two of us here now.”
“!?”
“No one will come until our talk is over.”
“Seventh Prince—no, Ian Kaistein. You bastard really…”
Grit.
Duke Garcia couldn’t contain his fury.
His face, which had been putting on a cold mask until now, was flushed red.
He even felt the urge to kill Ian right this second.
But then, Duke Garcia’s body suddenly swayed.
His mind was getting dizzy from constantly inhaling the scent of the scented candles.
No matter how hard he tried to stay conscious, his body became increasingly heavier by the second.
At that moment.
“Look into my eyes, Duke Garcia.”
A pair of golden eyes emerged from the green, smoke-filled darkness.
Ian growled, his eyes flashing like a beast.
‘I didn’t use the scented candle just for this day.’
Although it was a scented candle that robbed some people of their greatest talent, this scented candle gave Ian, who had Faith, a new talent.
The sole reason he hadn’t used it until now.
‘I can finally ask you.’
It was to avenge his past life.
And to ask why the Duke betrayed him.
So, in a threatening voice, he asked.
“Speak. Why did you target me?”
Unbounded wrath surfaced on his face.
It was so intensely suffused in his voice as if to question his betrayal in his past life.
Gulp.
Duke Garcia swallowed his saliva as his mind became muddled.
***
The Fifth Prince was smiling.
Today, too, he was taking care of a patient.
Then, a priest next to him approached.
“The royal family has sent another messenger. This messenger asks that you enter the palace as soon as possible. What should I do, Your Eminence?”
“Just stay put. They will have no choice but to grant my request eventually anyway.”
The victory ceremony was tomorrow.
Already, patients from the royal castle and all over Kaistein came flocking toward him.
If they didn’t do something quickly, there would be problems at the victory ceremony.
“Those people will have no choice but to accept my proposal one way or another.”
“However, Your Eminence, the Seventh Prince’s supply depot is becoming more popular than we expected.”
That was true.
According to the original plan, he should have been the one to fully get the people’s attention, not the Seventh Prince.
However, Ian’s action split people’s attention in half.
This made it difficult to stick to the plan.
What they were aiming for was chaos in Kaistein and contact with Duke Garcia.
“Isn’t that the reason you came here, Your Eminence?”
With the way things were going, they would fail to optimally cause confusion.
It would be better to quickly meet the king and settle the negotiation.
The Fifth Prince Haverion smiled at the priest’s words.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going according to the plan. I heard that the royal family is having meetings every day to discuss my proposal.”
The nobles he had already won over had been stealing inside information.
Most of them were religious believers devoted to the Holy Empire.
There was no way they were lying.
“Time is on our side. The more time passes, the more anxious they will become.”
Nodding, the priest whispered quietly.
“Then, what should we do with the messenger from your brothers?”
“What did they say?”
“That is… They wish to meet you quietly…”
“Is that so? Ignore it.”
“Pardon? Are you sure?”
The priest looked perplexed.
Even though they were brothers, they were still candidates for the throne.
Nevertheless, Haverion smiled and whispered.
“Now I am not the fifth prince of this country but a cardinal of the Holy Empire. It would be difficult for them if they were to hinder the sacred healing ritual.”
Of course, the reason wasn’t because of hindering the ritual.
Who they were about to meet was not the cardinal but the Fifth Prince Haverion.
If they met him for no reason, they could have given him a justification to enter the palace.
Though, they wouldn’t come first.
“What if they come?”
“They won’t.”
“Pardon?”
“They may be my brothers, but we are rivals vying for the same throne. If they visit me first, they’re practically announcing to the world that they’re lower than me.”
It was true.
His other brothers were all older and higher in rank than Haverion.
Coming to visit him first where ordinary citizens, not to mention aristocrats, were gathering would be nothing short of an immense loss on their part.
‘It will be like I’m bragging that I’m above them.’
On the other hand, if they visit the cardinal Haverion, they might be known as believers of the Holy Empire.
It meant that they would not be able to come if he refused their visit from the beginning.
They were royals through and through.
That was how they had been educated since they were young.
But the priest tilted his head.
“Then, what are you going to do if the Seventh Prince comes to visit? He came from a serf background and received a proper education…”
“The same goes for him. It makes no sense to visit a cardinal as the king of Bahara.”
“However, Your Eminence…”
“Don’t worry, just let the next patients come in. You will have nothing to worry about.”
Haverion looked confident.
He had seen many things while facing countless nobles.
That’s why he knew perfectly how great the royals’ sense of pride was and how extremely unwilling they were to give in.
‘He has memories of his past as a serf that he wants to erase. Of course, his pride will be much higher.’
Haverion had completed a thorough investigation on the Seventh Prince, Ian.
He was amazed at how well he had done with the matter of Duke Garcia.
And he was sure of one thing, as he was good at reading people based on their actions.
‘He has a very high self-esteem.’
Besides, it didn’t matter if he really came.
‘All I have to do is kick him out using the patients flocking here now.’
Imagine how angry the patients who relied only on Haverion’s healing power without proper medical supplies would be.
Moreover, everyone here was on his side.
Ian wouldn’t even be able to utter a single word to him.
It would be quite a sight to see the hero of the kingdom falling into despair in an instant.
But there was no way the king would come to visit him in person.
People who knew how he left this place would never have said that.
It was then.
The priest was startled as he glimpsed the momentary glint in Haverion’s eyes.
“Your Eminence?”
Ignoring the priest’s surprised look, Haverion gave instructions with his characteristic smile.
“Still, just in case, prepare for contact with Duke Garcia with caution. You may use force if necessary.”
“Understood. Everything is the will of God.”
After the priest left, Haverion smiled and recalled his plan.
‘Duke Garcia is an essential card for the plan.’
He had to meet him by any means and get his cooperation.
Even if he had bad blood with him in the past.
‘Since I have come back to this country, I won’t go back without getting anything.’
Moreover, the pope of the Holy Empire was backing him.
There was absolutely no way he could fail with the heresy inquisitors by his side, as well as the priests and ministers, helping him.
In the end, the Kaistein royal family would have no choice but to bow to him.
“Now, please bring the next patient.”
Right at the moment he plastered a smile as bright as usual on his face.
Outside the treatment center, people’s voices began to grow louder.
Even if Haverion tried hard not to go outside, he couldn’t help but be bothered by the hubbub.
The priest who had gone outside came rushing back in with an urgent look on his face.
“Your Eminence! I think you should go outside.”
“Is there a problem?”
“That, that is…!”
As Haverion stepped out, with question marks filling his head.
He was faced with the sight of all the Kaistein people, who usually bowed their heads toward him, prostrating with their heads to the ground.
Standing before them was none other than…
“Are you Haverion? Nice to meet you. I am Ian Kaistein.”
It was Ian, riding Blue Emperor.
