房客(糙汉)何璐程曜坤

Chapter 500 163 - Perserios territory - part 5 - Countering the plan that was thirty years in the making (part 32)

　　"So that's how it is..."

　　"Zoemi. Do you mind coming with me? I have a little errand to do and you are the only person I trust enough to complete it together with."

　　Horeo added, turning towards the black-haired boy and looking at him with his gold eyes, shining brightly with the spell he was already constructing.

　　"With pleasure, cousin. But... I thought that you didn't want to choose that way."

　　Zoemi nodded in response, leaving Miriette's side and approaching the gold-haired prince.

　　His words were what made the first prince change his expression into a morbid smile of a true tyrant.

　　"Because I didn't. But as you can clearly see for yourself, my hand is being forced. And I am not someone who tries to ignore my problems until they go away."

　　Horeo declared, dropping the mask of the benevolent, kindhearted boy and reaching out his hand toward Zoemi.

　　"Hold on. What are you kids talking about? I this some... eh...? Youngest?"

　　"..."

　　Aspakeony frowned and asked in annoyance, trying to step in between the two of them – but she was stopped by silent Miriette grabbing her shoulder.

　　"It should not take long. We will be right back with a solution ready, so you all can just relax and wait here... yes, definitely wait here."

　　Horeo looked down at everyone as if they were beneath him – except for Miriette and Zoemi – before Zoemi grabbed his hand and they both disappeared in a flash of murky light.

　　"Where did they go? I need to go with Zoemi, I can't let anything happen to him!"

　　"Uncle Benevirau! Calm down! Whatever they are planning, it's the first prince who came up with it, so it can't be anything all that reckless!"

　　The dark-blue-haired man began panicking once he lost the dark-haired boy from his eyes, but the blond-haired girl got to him and assured him in a confident voice.

　　...not knowing how far away from ruth she actually was...

　　--------

　　Two young men appeared in front of the gate to the royal castle, getting the curious look of the people walking by as well as the guards watching the gate.

　　*click*

　　*##############################*

　　*CRACK* *CRUSH*

　　*RUMBLE*

　　The first prince reached out his hand and snapped his fingers which caused the sun to shoot out a beam of light that hit straight into the royal castle, shattering the mana-blocking barrier created by the royal scientist – also shattering all the windows in the entire structure as well as half of the city.

　　The panic that ensued was deafening with citizens running as far away from the castle as they could while the people inside the castle tried to scramble together trying to understand what has happened.

　　"I need to apologize. The truth is I activated the Wrath of Light the next day after promising you that I would not do it."

　　Horeo leaned toward his best friend and epxlained with a serious expression, not sounding as if he was really sorry in the slightest.

　　"I know – you seem to forget that I can see the unique shadows of people and spells. Having your own shadow shrunk to match other light magicians' level of power and having the sun being blocked by the spell in the orbit was enough of a giveaway."

　　Zoemi smirked mockingly at his best friend who seemed to be forgetting a very important detail about him.

　　"Oh. I did forget about that."

　　Horeo raised his brows and snickered, completely ignoring the chaos that he caused, including a bunch of gold-haired armored magicians running their way from the gate of the royal castle.

　　"Say... do you remember how my power back then compared to the sages you have already met?"

　　The gold-haired prince asked, turning towards the gold-haired magicians, benevolently paying them the tiniest bit of attention.

　　"My prince. You were, by far, the strongest living person I have met until this point."

　　"That's what I like to hear~"

　　Zoemi didn't hesitate with his answer, being reminded of the gargantuan shadow piercing the heavens and reaching towards the sun itself during the awakening of the first prince.

　　Neither Vanterl, Benevirau, either of the Ghosts of Bellcephora nor even Zoemi himself could come close to the sheer amount of mana at the disposal of the young Horeo back in the days.

　　"Y-your highness! Wh-what happened here?!"

　　The man in charge of the armored magicians stepped forward and asked with a pale face as his knees and shoulders trembled.

　　"I don't see any familiar faces – are you all new recruits of the King's Guard?"

　　Not bothering to answer the question he was asked, Horeo raised his brow and questioned the terrified man.

　　"W-we are the members of the Light Order, and respond directly to her majesty, the queen Ho..."

　　"Do you choose to stand by my side or the losing side?"

　　The man answered, doing his best not to stutter, but the young first prince didn't care for his words in the slightest as long as they weren't something that he wanted to hear.

　　"P-pardon...?! Y-your highness?! Wh-what do you mean by that?!"

　　The member of the Light Order flinched and gasped, taking a step back, as all the blood was drained from his white as chalk face.

　　"I came for the crown. My parents have done enough damage already. Are you joining my side or choosing to die together with them?"

　　Horeo asked slowly, with a smile that suggested he doubts the mental capacity of the person he was talking to – which was exactly what was happening.

　　"Y-y-you highness! You speak about treason...! I will have to take a rest you for..."

　　*###* *thump*

　　Before the man could finish his sentence, a thin beam of blinding light shoot out of Horeo's index finger pierced through his head and the mage's body fell lifelessly to the ground with the clank of the armor hitting the road.

　　*thump* *thump* *thump* *thump*

　　...as did the bodies of the armored knights who stood directly in the line of fire, as the blinding beam didn't just stop after killing the first person, and just made its way all the way into the castle wall, breaking off a massive chunk of stone it was constructed with.

　　"I will give you all a chance. Join my side and you will live long enough to learn loyalty towards me. The other option is death."

　　Horeo raised his hand and called out to the remaining armored magicians, stunned after seeing their comrades getting killed as if their lives were worthless.

　　Everyone activated their enchantments, but whether it was an instinctual behavior or an actual attempt to prepare to face and stop the first prince, unfortunately for all the members of the Light Order present, that action was taken as making a choice.

　　Spheres of light appeared all around the gold-haired young man and began orbiting around him and Zoemi, the next moment they all fired at the same time, creating a massive cone of light that swallowed the armored light magicians, leaving only a charred road in its wake.

　　"Why are everyone except you, Mitriette, Veo, Patishi, and Teo, so stupid? Can't anyone else use their brain? They are lucky that I have no hatered towards fools like them."

　　Horeo asked, shaking his head while stepping through the ashes of the people who opposed him and entering the royal castle grounds.

　　"My prince!"

　　As soon as the two of them walked through the gate, they got surrounded by another group of gold-haired armored individuals – with the difference of them being actual knights this time and not mere knights-wannabe donning armor as a mark of status instead of a gear used for battle.

　　This group was also different because of their first action – every single person kneeled on one knee and bowed to the first prince.

　　"Now, that's better. A proper greeting from the King's Guard. What is your decision?"

　　Horeo looked at them, raising his head proudly, and waited while the spheres of light slowly orbited around him, seemingly stagnant.

　　"WE FOLLOW THE MIGHT OF THE KING!"

　　Every single knight shouted out the call of the King's Guard without lifting their heads.

　　"Then follow me, and I will show you how a king should be."

　　The first prince nodded his head benevolently, moving past the kneeling knights, allowing them to stand up and walk behind him and Zoemi.

　　"Where are my parents?"

　　Horeo asked, leaning his head towards the leader of the King's Guard.

　　"My king, the former king, and his queen were having a meeting with the family heads of the high noble houses in the meeting hall. The meeting began shortly before you arrived and it is very plausible that they are still there."

　　The man answered without stuttering or even the slightest hesitation while addressing Horeo.

　　"Why the King's Guard isn't guarding them?"

　　The gold-haired young man asked dismissively, which caused the knights behind him to breathe out in relief once it was clear that he wasn't blaming them for anything.

　　"Guarding the meeting was passed onto the Light Order, the King's Guard was ordered to stand back and not interfere."

　　"They might as well let their safety in the hands of children."

　　Yarvestreg, one of the two most well-known members of the King's Guard answered in a grim tone, and her partner, the other half of the duo, Karestas, nodded in agreement and joined in with a sigh.

　　"Take them all out. Capture them if you see fit. If not, I don't care. I don't want anyone interfering with the meeting, after all."

　　"YES, MY KING!"

　　Horeo waved his hand dismissively and the entire King's Guard cheered and teleported away in a flash of bright gold light.