Chapter 45

A moment ago, there was no sound at all, right? Why can I suddenly hear Klein's inner thoughts? Latil was so surprised that he opened his mouth and stared at Klein. Seeing Latil's shocked expression, Klein also looked surprised, then soon smirked and lifted his chin.

"Are you that happy to see me?"

It seemed Klein had mistaken Latil's shock for joy at his arrival. Although Latil wasn't thrilled by Klein's pursuit, he was indeed moved, so he nodded his head obediently.

"Yeah."

Klein seemed surprised that Latil would agree so readily, and he was flustered, coughing awkwardly. But the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, indicating he was very pleased.

"I'm glad you came."

Latil admitted honestly. It was true. After wandering around several places and hearing nothing, to suddenly hear someone's inner thoughts was a pleasant surprise. Of course, Latil still didn't understand how this was happening, but if a few more cases like this occurred, he might be able to figure it out.

"Want to go for a walk?"

Still worried that what he heard might be an auditory hallucination, Latil tentatively asked. Klein's face immediately brightened, and he nodded quickly.

"Hand."

[I'm not a dog!]

"Hand!"

Seeing his inner rebellion and the simultaneous extension of his hand, Klein was shocked by his reflexive action, his eyes widening. Latil bit his lip and firmly clasped Klein's hand.

'This is cute.'

[Your Majesty's hands are small. They looked bigger, but they're smaller than mine when I hold them. The calluses... from holding a sword, I guess. I want to see you wield a sword. Maybe I should ask for a sparring match? You spar with the royal guards every day, right? How about with me? Should I pretend to sweat and take off my clothes after a sparring match? Your Majesty likes muscles. I have a lot of muscles. Damn, if you saw my muscles, you'd know that the dealer's muscles are just a big, puffed-up balloon. Ah, but Your Majesty's hands are really nice. They're firm but soft. But they're cold. It's okay, my hands are warm. Maybe Your Majesty will think they're warm when you hold them? It must feel good. They say warm hands make a warm heart, so maybe that's what you're thinking. Ah, your hands are really nice. Can I touch them more? Will I seem too easy? Well, what does it matter, we're married anyway... Damn, married. That's great!]

But the bombshell of Klein's inner thoughts that followed made Latil's face flush, and he turned his head away.

'No, not cute at all. Stop chattering in your head! It's embarrassing!'

* * *

"Klein..."

While reading a document, Latil suddenly muttered absent-mindedly. The head steward, who was organizing reports across from him, looked at him curiously.

"Yes?"

"No, nothing. Just that he doesn't seem to be a spy."

"Huh?"

Latil's words seemed out of the blue. He was reading a report about a conflict between the palace steward and the illegitimate child of the lord of the western territory. Suddenly talking about Klein was indeed strange. Latil shook his head and quickly grabbed the report again.

"Your Majesty."

Another secretary entered the public office and whispered a report.

"Grand Sage and Prince Leann have arrived."

"My brother came quickly."

Latil smiled broadly at the news of Leann's arrival and quickly stood up.

"Marquis Sablé, this isn't urgent. Let's discuss it later."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Although Latil and Leann had a minor disagreement on the coronation day, Latil loved his only half-brother very much. Besides, sibling conflicts usually resolve quickly unless they escalate. Excited to see his brother, Latil ran over.

"Latil!"

In the waiting room, Leann, who had been waiting for Latil, opened his arms wide and hugged his brother tightly, just as he used to before Latil became emperor. Only his mother and brother could treat Latil, the emperor, this way. Latil laughed and messed up his brother's hair, then belatedly greeted the Grand Sage.

"It's been a while, Grand Sage."

"You two always get along so well."

The Grand Sage, though not particularly close to Latil, smiled kindly, as he had known Latil since he was young and considered Leann like a son. After exchanging a few more words with his brother and the Grand Sage, Latil treated them to a lavish meal before explaining why he had asked them to come.

"Actually, Grand Sage, I wanted to see you because of a serious matter."

"I expected as much. What is it?"

"Do you know anything about exorcism methods?"

At Latil's question, the Grand Sage, who was drinking coffee, paused. After a moment, he asked, somewhat perplexed.

"Exorcism methods?"

It was indeed a strange topic to bring up in the modern world. Understanding the Grand Sage's confusion, Latil explained the recent events, omitting a few confidential details. The Grand Sage nodded when Latil finished but his response was not very helpful.

"Personally, I have always been interested in this topic and have been researching it. I've been trying to determine if these are real ancient events or if they are legends that evolved from ancient wars or plagues."

"Any findings?"

"I discovered that black mages rise every 500 years."

The old priest Hitra also mentioned the 500-year cycle. But Latil nodded as if hearing it for the first time. The Grand Sage's account was similar to what Hitra had said, but with a few additional details. Every 500 years, zombies, ghouls, vampires, and black mages, who gain power and authority by allying with these creatures, rise. Zombies are mindless but dangerous due to their large numbers and high infectivity. Ghouls and vampires, while less numerous and less infectious, can mimic humans. The central figure in all this is a being called 'Lord.'

"Lord..."

"Yes. We know very little about its true nature, but its existence and the 500-year cycle are definitely related."

Hearing the word 'Lord,' Latil recalled the death of the fake emperor assassin and added a detail he hadn't mentioned to the Grand Sage.

"The fake emperor assassin I mentioned earlier. He suddenly said 'Lord' and died while talking about Tella."

"!"

Latil's words made both the Grand Sage and Leann widen their eyes in shock.

"Really?"

"He called Tella 'Lord'?"

"Yeah. And a few days ago, during my coronation banquet, when we interrogated the attackers, they said they came on Tella's orders."

Leann glanced at the Grand Sage and asked.

"But Tella is dead, right? He was executed..."

"Exactly."

The Grand Sage's expression became even more serious, and he began tapping his knee with his fingers. He no longer seemed to find Latil's story absurd.

"If Prince Tella is alive and is the legendary 'Lord,' then ultimately, Prince Tella must be eliminated."

After a long pause, the Grand Sage finally spoke, as if unsure if he should say such a thing. Indeed, from the Grand Sage's perspective, suggesting the execution of a prince favored by the late king and the emperor's half-brother was difficult. Not to mention how to kill someone who was already dead.

"Is there no other way? What if a zombie outbreak occurs before we find Tella?"

"I apologize, Your Majesty."

"I'm going crazy."

"Zombies, I'm not sure, but ghouls and vampires cannot operate in sunlight."

"Sunlight?"

Latil nodded, recalling the legendary stories of vampires he had always thought were just scary tales.

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"I will continue to research."

"..."

"I will also use all my resources to find Prince Tella's location and keep you informed. I will look for other exorcism methods and weaknesses as well."

* * *

Latil suggested that the Grand Sage and Leann stay at the palace for a few days to rest, but they declined, saying they had too much to investigate and left that evening. Seeing the Grand Sage's eyes sparkle, Latil realized that this new and eerie topic had thoroughly piqued his academic curiosity. The Grand Sage took the matter seriously but also saw it as his next research project. Leann, being concerned about his brother, seemed to take the matter more seriously.

Days passed, and people gradually recovered from the shock of the casino dealer becoming the sixth concubine. Around this time, Latil had a sudden hypothesis while drinking iced water.

'My ability!'

During the peaceful days, Latil had not heard anyone's inner thoughts. He visited Klein several times, but his thoughts were no longer audible. He checked other people, but the same thing happened. This led him to wonder if his ability had disappeared. Suddenly, a good idea came to him.

'When I heard inner thoughts, the person was always surprised, emotionally weak, or strongly shouting in their mind. It sounds strange, but that's it!'

In the first situation, before Latil appeared, the nobleman was focused on finding the high priest. When he saw Latil, he was very surprised and flustered. In the second situation, the attacker who ambushed Latil from behind shouted 'Die!' in his mind as he attacked. In the third situation, the attackers in the prison initially hid their thoughts but gradually revealed them as they were interrogated and weakened. In the fourth situation, Klein. Initially, his thoughts were unclear, but when he desperately wished for a walk, his thoughts became audible.

'This is it. It's clear. I hear their thoughts when they are emotionally weak or extremely strong.'

Excited, Latil handed a water cup to Sir Seun and gave a hurried order.

"Sir Seun! Gather the First Guard Unit immediately! We need to give them a pep talk!"

Surprised by Latil's sudden pep talk, Sir Seun asked, "What?"

"Hurry!"

Despite his confusion, Sir Seun quickly gathered the First Guard Unit in the training ground. The First Guard Unit, already having received a harsh pep talk after the Lion's Palace incident, was tense and frozen when called again.

'But this isn't enough.'

No one's inner thoughts were audible yet. Latil hoped his hypothesis was correct and gave a cold order to the guard unit.

"None of you noticed the damage to the Lion's Palace because you were too complacent. You received a pep talk once, but you might become complacent again. Let's do it again. Pep talk."

The guards' faces turned pale at Latil's command.

"Run 50 laps around the training ground!"

Despite the emperor's personal direction, the guards had no choice but to start running. Latil watched them, gradually smiling. By the 43rd lap, a few inner thoughts began to be heard, and by the 50th lap, they were loud and chaotic.

'So my hypothesis was right!'

Celebrating inwardly, Latil maintained a cold expression and said,

"Actually, you're not receiving this pep talk because of the Lion's Palace."

Then why are you doing this! Many inner voices protested. Latil smiled coldly and deliberately tested them.

"Because you failed to notice a spy right next to you."

The inner voices became even louder. Most were worried or tense, like 'Who is it?' 'I secretly dated Lady Aline, what if I'm suspected of being a spy?' One voice, however, stood out, challenging Latil.

[It's a lie. I left no evidence.]

Latil's lips curled slightly.

'That's you.'