Chapter 52: Hide and seek (7)

"Human, is it okay to leave these all here?"

Raon didn't even look at the unconscious Number 7 and just pointed toward the jiangshis.

Choi Han nonchalantly chucked Number 7 to the ground and started to speak.

"Cale-nim, we didn't expect there to be this many."

The original plan was for Raon to use the highest-grade magic stones to create a teleportation magic circle and move the jiangshis. Furthermore, their plan was to leave traces of having infiltrated this underground tomb even if they couldn't destroy it.

"Choi Han, but we can't leave these here!"

"That is true."

Raon and Choi Han continued their discussion while looking at each other. Cale's voice interjected into their conversation.

"We will leave them here for now."

Raon's eyes opened wide. Choi Han looked toward Cale in shock as well.

"H, human! There is no way that you would do that!"

"Cale-nim-"

Unlike the shocked duo, Cale was calm. He kicked the unconscious Number 7 with his foot as he spoke.

"Based on Number 7's reaction before he fainted, it is highly likely that there are jiangshis in other locations as well."

'I agree with that part, human!"

Cale turned toward the jiangshis.

"We need to figure out the other location as well. Don't you think so?"

The corners of Cale's lips twisted up. He soon put on the mask.

"Let's hurry it up a bit. We have a lot of things to do."

"Human, what do we need to do?"

Raon's eyes sparkled after figuring out that Cale had some sort of plan.

"It's not that difficult."

Cale motioned to Choi Han who placed Number 7 over his shoulder like a potato sack.

Cale turned around from the jiangshis and headed toward the door.

"Erase all traces of us having come to this underground tomb."

Number 7 had said the following while disarming the traps on their way to Area 5.

'They become disarmed if you move them opposite the way to activate them.'

Choi Han cautiously looked at Cale and asked.

"Cale-nim, reactivating the traps that have been disarmed...?"

"I remember them."

Cale had recorded the entirety of Number 7 disarming the traps.

Choi Han looked at the door that was destroyed.

"Then what about this door?"

"Just leave it as is."

Choi Han thought about it for a moment before smiling innocently.

"I guess the enemies will find it scary. An existence who knows all of the traps and can disappear without a trace had infiltrated the underground tomb only to purposely destroy the door and not touch anything else."

Cale nodded his head as if he agreed and then lightheartedly commented.

"Let's get moving."

Shaaaaaaaaaaaa-

Raon erased all of the magic light orbs floating around the area.

Raon looked at the area that was covered in darkness again before hearing Cale's voice and turning his head without any hesitation.

"We will see it again soon."

That one sentence was enough for Raon to follow Cale.

* * *

"Olivia."

"Yes, Royal Father."

Olivia smiled as gently as possible. She kept peeking at the door as she did that.

'…Why is the signal not coming?'

The Purifier said that he, in his priest outfit, would come to find Olivia once everything was over.

The Purifier was going to say that he was worried about her health to pull her out of here as naturally as possible.

'Was it supposed to take this long?'

However, the Purifier did not show up despite the expected amount of time passing.

'Did something happen?

Did he perhaps get caught?

'No. Then it would not be this quiet.'

If the Purifier's group got caught while doing what they planned on doing, the Emperor's Palace would be in an uproar right now.

An outsider would have infiltrated the Emperor's Palace. But it was silent right now.

'It is suffocatingly silent.'

The Emperor's Palace was eerily calm.

'What should I say now?'

Olivia had chatted about a lot of things with the Emperor already. It started with asking if the corpses of the First Imperial Prince and Fourth Imperial Prince were found before asking if the Emperor's body and heart were okay. The Emperor then asked concerned about her injuries and she said that she was okay while making it clearly visible that she was still in pain.

She had brought up anything and everything she could think of to extend this conversation.

'This is the limit.'

However, that had arrived at its limit now.

'Most importantly, I have never chatted with Royal Father this long before.'

The Emperor had cherished the First Imperial Prince and Fourth Imperial Prince to the point it seemed like favoritism. As for his other children, he paid just enough attention to them so that it did not look like he was neglecting them.

"Olivia."

The Emperor called out to Olivia again.

'Shit.'

She swore internally while making eye contact with the Emperor. The Emperor's face was covered in black lines that resembled spider webs just like her face.

A gentle smile appeared on the Emperor's face. He resembled a father talking to his child.

"I think we can end our conversation now. Isn't that right?"

"…Royal Father."

Olivia called out to the Emperor almost in a murmur. The Emperor looked at her and asked.

"Instead, how about you tell me the real reason you came here today?"

'I knew it.'

Olivia's heart sank while looking at how the smile had disappeared from the Emperor's face.

'As I expected, there was no way the Emperor would look at my visit as an innocent one.

What should I do?'

Olivia had that thought but had another thought at the same time.

'What else? Just hit it head on.'

She had basically come back from the dead.

It had not been very long.

After that, all sorts of unbelievable ugly truths had smashed through Olivia's mind.

These past few days…

She had never had anything happen in her whole life that shook her as the events of the past few days.

The existence of a father who was trying to figure out his child's intentions when Olivia experienced something like that in the past few days…

'There is no need to be afraid.'

She had nothing to be scared about.

It was nothing compared to the destruction of this world.

'Your Majesty."

Olivia no longer called the Emperor Royal Father.

"Yes, Olivia."

She asked the Emperor who was still warmly calling her name.

"Do you suspect me?"

The Emperor's eyebrows slightly rose up. Olivia could see her smiling reflection in the Emperor's eyes.

'Yes, I am able to not show my full self even in front of the Emperor.'

The issue of the Purifier's group was pushed back a bit in ranking in Olivia's mind.

She focused on the Emperor.

"Olivia, what do you mean by that? Why would I suspect you?"

"The incident in Precinct 9. Were you not suspecting me as the villain responsible for that?"

Tap.

The Emperor lowered the teacup in his hand.

Olivia could see the clothes that were tightly wrapped around the Emperor's arm only revealing his hand.

"Olivia, why would I suspect my own child? I know how seriously you were injured during the incident."

"Pfft."

Olivia chuckled.

The Emperor's eyes opened slightly wider. He looked as if he didn't expect Olivia to laugh like that.

She shook her head.

"Your Majesty, you have never considered me to be your child. I know that very well as your child."

"…Olivia."

"I will become the Empress."

Olivia looked directly at the Emperor who had an odd smile on his face.

"I will overcome every obstacle in my way and follow after your footsteps, your Majesty."

She had wanted to become the Empress from the beginning.

She would not have participated in the Imperial heir candidate test if she did not have that thought.

Of course, there have been some changes to her feelings.

"I am willing to do anything and everything to get there."

'I really can do anything and everything.

Even if I have to point a sword at the neck of a blood relative, my own father.'

"I came to deliver these words."

Even if it required her to flip over this entire Empire…

"I am really truly willing to do anything and everything for it."

'I can do anything and I will make it happen.

If I can destroy this motherfucking destruction and start new…'

"Hoooo."

The Emperor smiled.

'As expected.'

Olivia realized it at that moment.

'As expected, you can only understand it like that.'

She could clearly understand how the Emperor took her statement about being able to do anything and everything based on his reaction.

"…Hmm. I understand why you were curious to know if we found the corpses of the First Imperial Prince and Fourth Imperial Prince. You are willing to do anything and everything… Do you want to become the Empress that badly?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"I did not know that you had such a strong determination."

The smile on the Emperor's face became gentle again.

'Good.'

Olivia thought that this was good.

The Emperor had misunderstood Olivia's comments about being willing to do anything and everything.

'He probably understood it as my willingness to do anything he or the Huayans patriarch asks me to do as long as I can become the Empress.'

He probably saw a person bowing down after throwing all pride out the window because she was crazy for power.

"Olivia, can I interpret your desire as I please?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Good. I will attentively watch what you do."

"Thank you very much, your Majesty."

'Yes, pay close attention.

You and the Huayans patriarch will see something different from what you expect.'

"I can't help but be disappointed that we did not have such a conversation earlier."

"I agree, your Majesty."

Olivia felt that the Emperor accepted the reason for her visit to the Emperor's Palace after this conversation.

'Yes, this guy is not someone who would believe that I came here to console him as his daughter.'

Olivia thought that it was a good idea to go forth like this instead of relying on that farce of checking in on him.

However, she couldn't help but be concerned.

'Why is it so quiet?'

There were no signs from the Purifier until now.

'Did something really happen?'

Olivia had managed to get the Emperor to understand her visit thanks to this conversation, but it was all useless if their original goal was not complete.

"Olivia, I will call you again soon."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"We can talk in more detail at that time."

"I understand. I will wait for your summons, your Majesty."

"What about the second test?"

Olivia calmly answered the question the Emperor nonchalantly asked.

"I plan on being in the top three of the second test, your Majesty."

"Hooooo. Good, I want to see what you have planned."

"Thank you very much, I will make sure to meet your exp-"

She could not finish her sentence.

Baaaaaang—!

There was a loud noise and everything started shaking.

"Ugh!"

Olivia's body shook from being shocked by the explosion and the sudden shaking. She was unable to maintain her balance as her injuries had not fully recovered.

'Now's the time.'

However, she decided that this was her chance. She moved to move next to the Emperor.

"Royal Father! Are you okay?"

"…Yes. I am okay."

Even Olivia could tell that the Emperor was fine while sitting down. However, when else could she show herself looking after the Emperor like this?

'What is going on?'

Olivia's heart started to beat wildly.

'The Purifier is clearly responsible for this.'

If something was to happen in the Emperor's Palace, it was definitely the Purifier's doing.

Baaaaang—!

There was another explosion.

Slam!

The door opened and knights urgently moved in.

"Your Majesty!"

"What is going on?"

The Emperor calmly asked and the Knight Captain of the Imperial Palace urgently responded.

"There was an explosion, your Majesty!"

"…Where?"

"Your bedroom is currently caught up in the explosion."

"...!"

The Emperor jumped up.

"Lead the way."

"You must evacuate, your Majesty!"

"Lead me to the bedroom! No, I will go myself!"

It was rare for the Emperor to raise his voice like this as he pushed the Knight Captain aside and headed out. Olivia urgently followed behind him.

She was chatting with the Emperor in one of the studies of the Emperor's Palace, a spot completely on the other side of the bedroom.

The Emperor always met with visitors here.

Baaaaaang- baaaaang!

There were more explosions.

"Get them!"

"Catch the intruders!"

It was loud outside. Olivia opened a window in the hallway.

The Imperial Palace knights and black mages were running through the rear garden.

They all looked up.

Olivia looked up as well.

"...!"

A person wearing black clothes was quickly moving through the Emperor's Palace building roofs and getting away.

'The swordsman!'

Olivia knew that this was the swordsman of the Purifier's group.

– Hey Second Imperial Princess.

She then heard the Dragon's voice in her mind.

Olivia looked at the back of the Emperor who was running toward the bedroom.

She had never seen her father being so rushed before.

– Let's go back. Our work is done.

The Dragon's voice was bright.

– Ah, you don't need to worry about our Choi Han! He will run away a little longer before he gets to a blind spot and I teleport him out!

There was an explosion at the Huayans Estate followed by an explosion in the center of the capital at the Emperor's Palace.

Another person in a black outfit with a hideous red crest on the chest was seen in this explosion site as well.

Once the capital was swept up in chaos once again…

That night…

"Cale, a few people from the House of Huayans left the capital."

"Cale-nim, Eruhaben-nim said that a couple people left from the Imperial Palace as well and met up with the people from the Huayans."

Sui Khan. Choi Han. Cale opened his mouth after hearing the two of their answers.

"Someone's following them?"

"Yes. The Holy Knights from the Church are following after them. They are keeping a distance to not be noticed. They shouldn't get caught since priest Durst is with them."

Sui Khan responded.

Cale held a map of the capital and the nearby area as he spoke.

"The place they are headed toward shouldn't be far from the capital."

The video communication device started ringing at that moment. Raon connected the call and they heard Eruhaben's voice.

– I saw the Huayans patriarch heading into the destroyed Emperor's Palace.

"Eruhaben-nim, please observe while not getting caught."

– Okay.

Cale looked at the map while speaking to the group.

"The enemies will feel wary about the fact that the Emperor's bedroom, the place connected to the location with the jiangshis, was the one to be attacked."

They will inspect the underground tomb in shock but the only sign of entry they will see is the destroyed door.

They will feel a sense of crisis, and although it might take some time, the enemies in the end will-

"They will definitely move toward the location with the other jiangshis. We cannot miss that moment."

No matter what happened, they should be able to gather a lot of information from the enemies that were moving after something happened.

Cale was planning on using all of the information they gathered.

"Cale."

Sui Khan asked.

"Will you strike at once after we gather the information?"

"Yes, team leader-nim. We will strike like a storm at once. We will do it so that the enemies can't get their minds straight."

Cale was slowly gathering information as the night of chaos passed by.

A few days passed like that.

"Your Royal Highness, are you ready?"

Olivia looked at the Purifier and nodded her head.

"Yes sir. I am ready."

The second test, Hide and Seek, will end in a few hours.

The public execution will soon follow in the central plaza.

—
Translator's Comments

Almost there!

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]