33 「PriceOfAPrince」 (2/2)

Jack brought his eyes right back towards the King before his eyes flickered to Renner, the youngest Princess of the King's children. Climb was now standing beside her, whispering in her ear.

”King of Re-Estize and its people, Six Great Nobles, I may have come here in response to a summons. However I have a personal mission of my own to undertake within the capital,” reaching behind his back, he pulled out a piece of parchment. Opening it and displaying it to the people within the room, held right out in front of him, was a sketch of Tuareninya from the shoulders up. ”I've been charged with finding this female by her family.”

The King rolled his jaw slightly seeing the image. The female was young, beautiful even. Kind of reminded him of his own daughter, Renner, who was standing beside the throne.

Was he helping a commoner? A peasant? Who was this girl?

”She belonged to a small village, where she was… Abducted by a Noble.”

The King raised a brow at this. It could be any number of nobles in the country, though that definitely made it easier to find out who could have possibly done this.

”How do we know this isn't some sort of ploy to weaken us against the Baharuth empire?” Marquis Boullope asked, assuming that this mission was to sow chaos between the Nobles and their King. Though it sounded like he was accusing him of being a spy as he slandered the name of Nobility by accusing a noble of abducting a village girl.

Renner was clearly frowning hearing the Marquis speak out in the way he did.

”I heard from the Blue Rose you can use Tenth Tier Magic!” Renner suddenly called out as if to point out how powerful this person was. ”Is that true?”

”I used it to summon a portal here to the Capital all the way from Carne Village, Princess.” He said with a slight grin across his lips hearing her speak now. While she sounded adorable, she definitely had a messed up personality. One that he could use though, nonetheless.

”Would you be able to demonstrate, for the nobility of course...”

Suddenly the Crowned Prince growled, ”Enough of this! Father, you are a fool ruining MY Kingdom, this charade has gone on long enough!” Drawing his blade and without hesitation, moved to stab his father without provocation.

The King Gasped, leaning away from his eldest son.

Gazef went to reach for his sword, but it was going to be too late, the blade was only seconds away. ”My King!” he shouted, knowing he wasn't going to make it as he pulled his weapon from the scabbard in order to at least attempt and intercept.

”Triple Magic「Reality Slash」”

Watching as time space was torn asunder, Crown Prince Barbro's hands clattered to the floor along with the sword. Blood sprayed from the wound, staining the side of the King's face. Yet the young man didn't scream, when the King looked up to his son to see why, his head had been split in three. Only his lower jaw still attached to his neck by skin.

Yet delayed, his body finally collapsed to the ground, blood spirting out of his neck.

Renner and her brother Zanac just stood there, staring. That was Tenth Tier magic, a mythical spell. He had torn through him like it was nothing and the way it tore through him, was unimaginable. It looked as if reality itself had split in two.

They all looked to Jack, speechless. The guards didn't know what to do.

The man had saved the king, but had killed the Crowned Prince in the process.

The King stared down at his eldest son, the one whom he had in line for succession. He had no idea how much contempt his son held for him, as he didn't just retire and give him the Crown along with the Kingdom. Sad eyes were on his face, as he had lost a member of his family.

He could only sigh at this. Jack had indeed saved his life, but he was curious of why his son suddenly acted out like this. There would have been plenty of different times and places he could have tried to kill him. Yet right when Renner asks for a demonstration… His mind hardly went there though, he was still shocked by the very idea of his son trying to kill him. Calling this meeting a Charade when it was for the betterment of the Kingdom itself. Yet he had known his son's outlook on this matter, how he had the same idea to take this man and put him under their control, rather than just talk it out with him.

Zanac was grinning widely, not caring. He had just practically inherited the line of succession right there and then. His eyes moved to Jack though, wondering if he was the cause.

Renner's lips though were parted. The man who had been attempting to marry her off, was now dead. That deal was off because this man, Jack, had just upright killed him. He could've just sliced off his hands, let him live, yet he had cut off his head. An immediate execution. Her eyes moved to the man, the tip of her tongue poking out briefly. Things were getting interesting.

Gazef knelt down and maneuvered the body away from the King. A couple members of the Warrior troop present also collected the pieces along with the sword.

If they were really wondering if Jack was the cause, they weren't wrong. He had used Dominate Person with silent magic to control the Prince combined with a form of telepathic suggestion. All he did was make his inner feelings known and allow him to act out without holding back.

The Nobles were horrified at the sight. Seeing the dead Prince. They didn't know whether or not to call for Jack's head, or to commend him for saving the King.

Gazef had been clearly shaken. He had witnessed Ainz Ooal Gown's magic, and now he had seen someone use the magic to slaughter a single person. Jack was a powerful Sorcerer, just like him.

Coming back to the King's side, Gazef's gaze was another placed upon Jack.

This man could help them single handedly destroy the Empire. Or he could single handedly destroy the Kingdom should he ever be given a reason. If anything, they were sure he had even more damaging spells at his finger tips. He used ones that wouldn't destroy the castle outright considering the scales.

”I suggest purging those whom prove disloyal to King and Country and liquidating their assets for the Kingdom and its people,” Jack's gaze rested upon Blumrush who immediately took a step back.

”Eh!? Your just a piece of shit Sorcerer who can't fight like a man! How dare you sugg--”

”SILENCE!” Zanac ordered as his father seemed unable to speak for the time being. His eyes were glaring through Blumrush before his eyes turned to Jack. He saw the powerful magic caster as a probable tool or even ally.

While Zanac would prove to be an aptitude successor to the Throne, Jack didn't see him as anything more than a member of a family line that failed the Kingdom. Even if he was capable of fixing it…

”This man has saved our King! My Father!” He stepped onto the floor in front of them all. ”Who knows! Maybe my maddened brother would have slain all of us after he was done with our King!”

He sounded reasonable, there could've been a chance. There only needed to be a chance.

Putting away the parchment he had in his hand, Jack would fold his arms in front of him, watching the Royal son go on to put on a good show.

”King Rampossa the Third… Don't you agree that your sons are inept heirs to the throne?”

The King looked up from the floor, gave a look at his middle child, then to the bloody trail that followed his eldest. His youngest son always appeared to be inept, even though he really was adept. The King was ignorant of this and slowly nodded, ”It is as you say.”

Zanac stood there, frozen with his back to the man who had just tried to defend. His father believed him not worthy of the throne? His eyes darted to Renner who seemed to be smiling slightly, as if laughing at him without making a sound.

Gazef gazed over the King, his resolve was practically diminished. Completely gone. He looked… Empty. His eyes moved to Jack who appeared indifferent and unsympathetic to the King's plight.

”Won't you abdicate the throne to someone stronger? More capable?”

Renner's smile vanished and her eyes shifted to Jack from her older brother. ”What?”

The King slowly nodded, ”I have tried to improve our Kingdom and ultimately, it is disrepair. I can see it.” His eyes were heavy, his voice filled with self-doubt as he felt he had failed his oldest son and the Kingdom itself from the turn of events.

”F-Father… You can't be serious,” Zanac took a step towards his father, his hands falling to his sides. ”You can't abdicate the throne to someone else!”

”You wouldn't mind being a Duke, would you? First Duke of the Imperium...” Jack's lips was possessed by a wide grin which almost stretched from one ear to the other.

Duke was the highest noble rank in the Noble hierarchy of just about any Kingdom.

Zanac just stood there again, staring at his father, before glancing over his shoulder towards Jack with a frown. ”You're puppeting my father aren't you…? This was part of your mission, wasn't it!?”

”No, if I was, he'd be slapping himself.” Jack spoke casually towards the Prince before looking towards Renner again, tracing her over. Cute, adorable, creepy. She had all those qualities. ”And if I was controlling him, I would be controlling all of you. All at once.” His eyes turned to Zanac, his head tilted to the side eerily.

The King turned his head towards those Nobles who stood near.

They weren't talking, they weren't fighting out against Jack, as they feared he'd vivisect them just like the Prince just moments ago. They could definitely sense his killing intent towards Blumrush, and he had already signed his death certificate.

The Royal Faction Leader Elias looked back to the King, cold and calculating was his strong suit in the public eye. He was a patriot and an opportunist.

”Will you support him in my stead?”

”If it is your will, Your Majesty.” His eyes wandered over towards Gazef and then over towards the other Nobles, giving a single dip of his head as a nod to them. The others quickly followed suit, nodding in support.

Elias held a lot of influence in both the Noble and Royal Factions, keeping the Kingdom Unified in that way. However he could only wonder, just how the other Nobles outside of this room will react… Would they reach out to bite the hand of their new master, or embrace it?

That was when Jack spoke up again, taking their attention again, this time quicker than before. ”So… I'll ask again, have any of you seen the girl?”

Renner sighed quietly as she peered over the girl's face again as he pulled out the Parchment. He was going back to this? ”Did you check the brothel?” There was only one brothel in the entire Capital, at least it was the only one left after the reforms. If a woman like that had gone missing, taken, it was likely that is the type of place she'd end up. At least, that was in her mind anyways.

Zanac couldn't stand what he was hearing. Even if he was granted the title of Duke, it meant he was no longer going to be King. It meant he was no longer a Royal, but a Noble instead.

It was a disgrace!

”The City of Re-Estize will remain under your Jurisdiction. Governmental, Senatorial and National Affairs will be handled elsewhere. This Capital is no longer suitable to represent the Country.”

”You spoke of an Imperium?” Gazef spoke as he stepped away from the King's side, walking towards Jack. He admired him greatly, simply from the potion and the ability to use high tier magic no normal human could dream of achieving.

”Yes… The Absolute Power. This Kingdom will become known as the Imperium of Unity,” Jack chuckled to aloud for all in the room to hear. The Absolute Power of Unity, his ultimate goal and agenda to Unite the World under his own banner.

Just like the Eight Kings of Greed and many rulers from the history of Earth itself.

”Hm...” With the sword drawn at his side, he swung, believing that Jack had indeed brainwashed the King. His intent was to decapitate the man. There was no way a mortal would be able to survive this.