Chapter 143: Sixteenth Episode: Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 143: Sixteenth Episode: Chapter 7

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

”The God of Light comes from behind the blue sky, not to turn suffering into happiness, but to transform life into a symbol of truth and freedom,” a philosophical saying read. It was inscribed in a small chapel situated in the mountains.

”It's easier said than done!” Alfa III taunted as he read. ”In my opinion, a person must live free and easy, then die a hero's death! God of Light is only but a coward, He can't possibly decide all our fate!”

Prince O'Neil rose to his full height on the steps, ”I was just wondering why are you suddenly in the mood for hiking? Look at the scorching sun above us, to hike in such a weather condition is really a thankless job.”

Osli Alfa Morisette stretched himself, ”Young man, I'll answer your question shortly. Now stand up, there's still a long way ahead of us!”

Oscar wrung his handkerchief that was drenched in sweat and caught up with His Majesty the Third somewhat unwillingly.

Dunreel Hill was situated on the west side of Swan Hill. Although it was slightly lower than the latter, its condition was more dangerous. There was a stone trail that led right to the summit of the hill, and at the end of the trail was a stone castle belonging to Imperial Guards Capital Security Division. This small castle was actually a sentry post that controlled the beacon tower facing the northwest of the capital.

The steep cliffs on both sides of the mountain path gave out stern and forbidding airs. The narrow trail in the middle only allowed one person to pass through at one time. The emperor's spontaneous idea made the soldiers of the Capital Security Division suffer on the night before, as they climbed the mountain in the dark and guarded every precarious location.

The mountain breeze was rather chilling, and the sweaty climbers wrapped their coats tighter around them as they proceeded. Still, the cold wind that poured in from the opening of the collar made them shiver.

Strange-shaped jagged rocks hid among the trees. The melodious chirp of birds and low roars of beasts echoed between the hills as the wind whistled. The trail finally turned to a smooth terrain, where the highland plants were unusually luxuriant, and some even covered the slate-grey stone steps.

”Hold on! Let's… let's catch a breath!” the fifty-eight years old His Majesty the Emperor grabbed his son-in-law's arm. He was panting and puffing for air, seeming to have forgotten all the brave and proud words exclaimed a moment ago at the bottom of the hill.

”Your Majesty! Are you okay?” Oscar held onto the emperor gently. He helped him to sit on the trail and ordered the accompanying orderly to massage the emperor's legs.

”Do… do I look really bad?”

The concerned Oscar quickly nodded, ”Your whole face is as pale as a sheet of white paper, should we…”

Alfa III His Majesty waved his hands, ”We should keep moving, young man, we haven't even see the peak yet!”

”Why are you so persistent?” Oscar looked at the stubborn old man, slightly annoyed, ”I'm sorry if I offend you, but to be honest you're not at the age suitable for this kind of vigorous activity anymore! You…”

”I'm old, right?” His Majesty the Third challenged the young prince.

Oscar hesitated but nodded his head at last, ”Your Majesty, I know no one would ever acknowledge this in front of you, but your aging is obvious to everyone!”

Alfa III turned his head away, but he felt rather gratified at young prince's sincerity. Anyone else would have just flattered him with nice compliments, and the emperor himself clearly knew his own health and condition better than anyone else. He would feel a sudden wave of fatigue all of a sudden, and those headaches that attacked him without warning when he was dealing with official documents, not to mention his inability to handle women's affection anymore!

The emperor gave out a long and meaningful sigh, ”Do you know why I want to hike?”

Oscar shook his head.

”That's because lately, I've been questioning the concept of power! I need to conquer something, but I discovered things are not easy as I thought they would be!” the emperor, unfocused, seemed to be gazing into the uncertain distance.

”What is it that you wish to conquer?” Oscar looked at the old and feeble Osli Alfa Morisette with cautious eyes.

”You know, a countess from out of town made an appearance in Dulin lately, ahh… I'm captivated by her beauty!”

”Hahahahaha!” Oscar burst out laughing, ”Your Majesty, I'm glad to see you're still young at heart!”

”However,” the young prince asked after regaining his composure, ”a simple countess shouldn't make you worry so much, would you mind sharing with me your real concern?”

Alfa III His Majesty glanced at the young man with admiration and patted on the ground next to him, which Oscar then sat on obediently after giving a weak smile.

”Honestly, child, it's just a simple question but it holds such great meaning!” the emperor pointed at a condor that flew over their head out of the blue. ”Do you see that beast? It's like a hurricane, with the power to collapse every other flying creature under the sky, but suddenly a lightning from up above can immediately turn this beast into ashes. So, who do you think is the more powerful?”

”You mean… the sky? Oscar said and pointed his finger upward.

The emperor looked up to heaven and heaved a long sigh, ”I never regarded God of Light as a figure, but this coward seems to have everything in the world between His fingers!”

”Your Majesty, this is what a fatalist says, but the strongest never surrender to their fate!”

”That's how I realized I'm not one of the strong ones,” Alfa III ridiculed himself, ”even though I own the largest land in all Westland and have more than ten thousand people who bend their knees before me but do you realize? I'm still not excluded from bad habits and vices, unable to face the oppression of both body and mind.”

Oscar lowered his head but didn't say a word, he hasn't yet figured out what obstacles were obstructing the emperor.

”Then… in your opinion, what does it mean to be the strongest?”

Occasionally an odd-shaped white cloud would skid across the clear blue sky.

”To me, the strongest must be equipped with two elements; first, to be obstinate, second, live with no regrets or complains!”

Oscar was rather astounded, ”Your Majesty, I understand the latter, as anyone who lives in remorse could never go as far as a strong person! But to be obstinate… do you mean that by trusting one's own will and insist until the end?”

”No, to be obstinate means… when you see clearly a certain thing, then you lose the fantasies and trust in it, and also the expectation and reliance.” Alfa III dismissed the thoughts with a wave of a hand, ”That's why I would rather not tell the truth because the truth is always harder to accept!”

”Your Majesty! Why don't you just tell me the truth right now! What actually happened?” Oscar tried to catch up with the emperor who suddenly charged forward.

”Never mind, pretend that I didn't say anything!”

Young prince got lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the emperor's receding silhouette and abruptly turned around to grab a random servant.

”Go downhill and summon for my doctor!”

The mountains tend to clear up as they were approaching the peak, the rocks and low red pine trees basking in bright sunshine. The vast and lofty heights of the sky made those people standing at the foot of the hill with their head tilted to look at the divine palace appear tiny as ants.

The mountainous scenery in the distance resembled a deep blue ocean, with those magnificent peaks surged forward with momentum like huge waves. Smoke caused by lunchtime cooking rose up high from the small villages hidden in the mountains, like solitary boats roaming silently under peaceful mountainous shades.

On the beacon tower stood an Imperial Guards soldier, whose face glowed bright red after a year of living in the mountain. His profound gaze stared deep into the distance at the other corner of the sky. It was another beacon tower that he was observing. He looked forward to completing one glorious mission of delivering signs of the enemy, but simultaneously he was afraid that the war would burn down his hometown. Excluding this state of being in two minds, the stone castle situated on the mountains became his only reliance.

”Long live His Majesty the Emperor!” All of a sudden, the whole mountain echoed with such earth-shattering voice. The silhouette of the ruler of Titan finally appeared on the top of the peak. Imperial Guards quickly delivered loud cheers from the hill and below, all of them were cheering out loud at their fortune.

Everyone rejoiced over the safe arrival of His Majesty the Third at Beacon Tower 4! The cheers of the soldiers were not compliments to the emperor's physique, but they were all afraid the emperor misplaced his foot and fall into the foothills! According to the Titan Codex, the party involved in causing the emperor's accidental death were to be buried together alive. It definitely wasn't something people would regard lightly about!

In the midst of cheering and chanting, Osli Alfa Morisette spread out his arms wide as if wanting to hug the entire empire into his embrace. However, the violent mountain winds and the scorching sun above his head made him dazzled. The emperor quickly supported and balanced himself with the stone column of the beacon tower.

”Oscar, my child, do you remember what I told you in Westberg Fort?”

Young prince answered the question as he wiped off the perspiration formed on his forehead, ”Of course, I remember. You told me that the anyone who tries to drag Lobb off stage is the ultimate enemy of Morisette Imperial Family! And that I must find this person out and kill him in an instant!”

”Exactly! You must never forget this! Also, you must always my daughter Alanis!” Alfa III patted his son-in-law's shoulder at the gratifying answer.

On the other hand, Oscar couldn't stop shaking as he was frightened by the emperor's gaze. Hindsight told him that the emperor must have had discovered some secret, or not he must be facing some unsolvable, grave obstacle.

”Your Majesty! Your words terrify me so much! Do you realize that you sounded… apologies ahead, you sounded too pessimistic! I'm Alanis's husband, also your nephew, do I really not have the right to know what has happened?”

Alfa III shook his head firmly. The strong mountain breeze messed up the ruler's hair, and his wrinkly face exposed completely under the sunlight. Under this layer of brilliance light, concern and disillusionment still written all over his pale face.

”Let's talk about you instead!” emperor smiled weakly as he shifted his gaze to Oscar, ”Marshal Alan is occupied in the northern battlefield and he has no time to interfere with your petty tricks in the army, do you mind spilling the beans to me? What do you have in mind? I'm aware that you're assembling forces.”

O'Neil Andrew Morisette regained his composure before answering. He knew in one way or another he would have to face the emperor's questioning, but it was a little earlier than he had expected, as until this moment Silver Fox Alan still hasn't commenced the final battle that was already destined to lose miserably from the start.

”Indeed, you're right! Oscar nodded as he formed careful responses in his mind. ”Your Majesty, just a few days ago Alanis asked me if it was worth it to exchange a political conspiracy with the lives of soldiers?”

The emperor's lower lips protrude in a sulky pout, he knew someone would have seen through Alan's trick.

”I can't say for sure! But according to the established policy by the imperial family, there is a need to eradicate the potential threat in House of Lords by executing a large-scale cleansing action!”

Oscar shook his head firmly, ”And the cost for this is a crushing defeat of the northern army?”

Emperor gave out a helpless sigh, ”I have no alternative but to trust Marshal Alan, I have faith that he will not fail too miserably on the battlefield. He once gave me his words that the defeat of northern army would be limited within an acceptable range.”

”But Marshal Alan's left wing has already been defeated! That's two whole Corps! Is he really qualified to issue that kind of promise?”

Alfa III waved his hands impatiently as he headed for the other corner of the beacon tower, leaving the young prince behind.

”Does it cross your mind that what would happen even if Marshal Alan gained victory in this fight? Will the House of Lords surrender to you obediently? They will not because they know that you will definitely take measures against them! That's why they also wish to compete with you.”

Ignoring the argues of young prince behind his back, the emperor stared hard into the distant land.

”Your Majesty, it's still not too late to amend the policy! Unless you wish for every noble in the empire to stand up against you!”

”The last thing I ever wanted is for that to happen!” Alfa III finally lost it, ”But these men are thinking about replacing the Morisette Dynasty! My two sons and daughter will never be among their options and they're hunting for a candidate outside of the legal imperial family. As I said before, I will not compromise, never! Not until the day I die!”

Oscar's eyes widened in surprise, this was the first time he heard of this idea.

”Are… are you sure?”

”Of course! If not what do you think is going on in that old Kachev's mind? You underestimate this old thing! What he shows to outsiders is just a tail, the moles he has arranged in the capital and the noble community are beyond imagination! You can never know how many people in the capital's bureaucrats are serving him, and you can never guess how many nobles from House of Lords will cast their votes for my illegitimate child.”

”You're saying… that Kachev intends to seek the throne for his grandson through legal channels!”

”What other alternative does he have? To stage a coup d'état? That's equivalent to suicide!” the emperor replied through gritted teeth. He was not one of the strongest people, he has now regretted the absurdity of choices made during his youth.

”To create political smokescreens, political storm, and seizing political power, these are the specialties of the old Kachev! It seems that no one in Dulin is better than him at these! Now you should know why you are a Marshal?”

Oscar nodded with understanding, ”Bloody conflict could arise in politics, or not, it all depends on the attitude of the soldiers!”

”Exactly!” the emperor laughed slyly, ”Letting Hewitt family, who is not thriving in population, to be in charge of the Imperial Guards relieves me, although Marshal Alan has always regarded contending of military power as a top priority. He is an exceptional soldier, all of you would never understand the feelings marshal has for this country.”

Oscar nodded once again, but actually, he doubted Silver Fox Alan's loyalty to the imperial family. After all, this commander of Imperial Guards didn't hesitate when he put the lives of imperial family members on the table in order to complete the adjustment of the country's strategic structure.

”Your Majesty, does it not put you at rest that I'm taking control over Imperial Guards Military Intelligence Bureau?”

The emperor laughed out loud again, ”I would have been, and now that we're back at this topic again, I would like to mention you're doing something that worries me.”

Oscar scratched his head, ”You really will not let me off, will you?”

”Hehe! I knew for long you have your mind on the southern mountainous area!”

Oscar was rather surprised, ”But you didn't stop me from doing so, did you?”

”That's because I still haven't figured out what is your ultimate motive. If you're simply trying to stabilize the political situation in the south then I wouldn't be too bothered, but if you're…”

”Your Majesty!” His Highness Prince O'Neil bowed to the emperor in a humble reverence, he has long prepared the answers to these questions.

”The reason for my moving down south, apart from stabilizing the political situation, it is also to keep myself away from serious troubles!”

”Serious troubles?” His Majesty the Third was rather astonished at what he heard.

”Yes, that's right. To be more specific is to keep myself away from the troubles Your Majesty has created!”

”You're trying to say that… I got you into trouble?” Alfa III asked the young prince with disbelief, this was the first time someone accused him of bringing on trouble.

”Isn't this the case?” Oscar looked at the emperor with a serious face, ”Only you and Marshal Alan think that Alanis is the best heir to the throne, you haven't defeated Kachev and the nobles' plots, on the border there is also a war incited by the Deiss! Besides, can the Imperial Guards occupy the Kingdom of Riel forever? Faran and West Percy have been eyeing the west border of the Empire. Before these problems are solved, you should know what will befall me and Alanis!”

Alfa III frowned as he thought about what could possibly happen to his daughter and son-in-law.

”We will be faced with repeated jointly attacks!”

Oscar shuddered at the thought of it. The things he just said were not simply telling lies.

”The determined action of yours to dissolve the House of Lords to establish Lobble His Elder Highness as the imperial crown prince seems reasonable at first, but there will always be people who doubt your intentions, and I'm sure Kachev already has this figured out!”

”This old fox must have discovered that you're only setting a clear target in the opposition faction among the noble community, but the real purpose is to protect the ideal candidate in your heart, Princess Alanis, who is a much better candidate than her two brothers.”

”Me being Princess Alanis's husband, and your eagerness to gift me with Marshal Sword should have further aggravated old Kachev's suspicions. As you just said, the Imperial Guards will be fine under myself and Marshal Alan's supervision, and I'm sure old Kachev will be aware of this too. Without the army's response, all his political plots will remain just aspirations!”

”Then under such circumstances, what do you think old Kachev and those who tried to subvert the imperial power will do next?”

”Destroy the chain of rights in Imperial Guards, divide the military power, and get the Imperial Guards out of Alan and my control!” Alpha III rubbed the joints on his fingers in horror.

”Your Majesty, you are absolutely right!” Oscar nodded in agreement, ”So you are playing with fire. Once Marshal Alan is really defeated, I believe those hiding in the dark will attack him like crazy, do you think you'll be able to stand up against these pressures coming from all aspects?”

”As for myself...” Oscar smiled helplessly, ”Your Majesty, even my father thought this marshal uniform looks ridiculous on me. My qualifications and prestige in the army could not compare to that of Marshal Alan, and I don't even have the courage to compete with Kachev. To be honest, what achievements do you expect from me for being in Dulin?”

”Don't you forget that I almost died on several occasions in Deiss? I'm not sure then if I'm capable of fulfilling the tasks you entrusted me in the future political storm, Alanis and I are only the weak and passive party waiting to be bullied!”

The emperor pondered for a moment, and admitted that all this child said was all true. Indeed, the emperor was astonished to discover all these were entirely his own creation.

No matter what, Alfa III couldn't fully trust this young prince descended from the Andrew House. He only appointed him as the Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau because Silver Fox Alan was still dominating the bureau. Only now did he realize he has given the young prince the lofty status of a marshal but didn't confer the actual power that was equal to the title.

And was it true like Oscar said, that he hasn't got the strength to protect Alanis?

”What plans do you have for the south?”

Oscar clenched his fists in extreme excitement while trying hard to restrain emotions from showing on his face. Perhaps His Majesty the Third has tacitly given consent to his suggestion. This seemingly impossible mission was about to turn into a dream come true!

”Your Majesty! I would like to reorganize and consolidate the military administration system of all five southern provinces. Of course, we must first destroy the rebel army forces before this could happen!”

”Why now?” The confused emperor questioned young prince, ”The shooting incident is still open for investigation, up until now I still haven't figure out those thugs' destructive power.”

”Your Majesty, maybe you can view this matter from a different perspective,” Oscar smiled faintly as he spoke. The emperor was already halfway into his trap, he wasn't going to let him out so easily.

”Didn't you say earlier that you don't wish to be in bad relations with the noble community? Looking back at the meeting for expanding of House of Lords, you should have noticed the majority of the southern nobles kept quiet during the discussion! This means that they still have faith in the imperial family. If you send out an imperial family member right now to settle the complications down south, then these southern noble lords with unbelievably abundant funds must be gratified at the good news! They will definitely be elated over the imperial family's strategy if we return them a richly endowed and stable south! This is an obvious win-win situation!”

Alfa nodded at the idea, but quickly shook his head again. His thoughts were entangled in this unprecedented anxiety.

”Your Majesty!” His Highness O'Neil began his persuasion again, ”I'm intending in bringing Alanis to the south with me, don't you agree that this would be a perfect opportunity for Alanis, who has not much of practical political foundation? Her charm would undoubtedly conquer the hearts of the southern nobles! If you're really thinking of crowning Alanis as the future queen then this would be the best moment to establish her ruling ground! We can escape from Dulin's noble community, and obtain great support and assistance from the south, who is eager to be rectified!”

”No, no, no!”

”What?” Oscar felt his whole body trembled with fear and chill when the emperor shook his head violently at his suggestion. ”You… you don't agree with my thoughts?”

”Oh, no!” Alfa III suddenly turned around, ”It's not that I disagree with you, but honestly, Oscar, even though it's good to plan for the future but this isn't something that can be solved overnight. It even affects the fate of you and Alanis! What if…”