Jonathan continued speaking with a calm expression and voice.

“The late emperor always taught me that showing mercy, even to enemies, is a virtue. To engrave that teaching forever in my heart, I am going to make a difficult decision here and now.”

People still kept their mouths shut, waiting for the emperor’s next words. The madness and disappointment in their eyes gradually faded.

“Though execution would be fitting for Brien Shannon, the murderer of the late emperor, following the late emperor’s teachings, I wish to show mercy and commute the sentence to life imprisonment. However, we will cut the tendons of one arm and one leg, giving him the opportunity to repent for his past sins every time he sees his disabled body.”

Having finished his prepared speech, Jonathan put down the sound amplification magic tool.

Until then, the square was buried in silence to the point where the rustling of fallen leaves in the wind could be heard.

And in the very next moment, everyone opened their mouths and began to shout, “Waaah! Waaah!” A huge roar that could tear eardrums.

“Long live the merciful Emperor!”

“Long live the generous Emperor!”

“Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years!”

People were ecstatic. A cheer twice as loud as the coronation resounded throughout the square. The air in the square trembled, and the dirt floor vibrated.

Jonathan boarded the golden carriage again, leaving behind the cheers of the people. With a satisfied smile, Jonathan recalled the conversation he had with Killian a few days ago.

‘How about taking advantage of Prince Caspian’s murder case, Your Majesty?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘To show the people that while there are cruel figures in the imperial family, there are also those who are not, and that Your Majesty is a merciful figure.’

‘… A merciful figure?’

‘Do you remember when I advised against Madam Brien’s execution last time, Your Majesty?’

‘Of course.’

‘There’s one more good reason to delay her execution, Your Majesty. If you show mercy at a place full of people who have come to see her execution, the people will be moved and praise Your Majesty’s benevolence.’

‘Hmm…’

In fact, he was half-doubtful at the time of the conversation. But nothing that Killian had argued for so strongly had ever gone wrong. Including the fire suppression device installation announced this time.

Thinking he had nothing to lose, he went ahead with it, and judging by the reaction in the square now, it seemed like a good decision.

‘Duke Killian Drea… Indeed, quite a useful man.’

If he became an opponent, he would be the most formidable person to be wary of, but if he became an ally, he would be an invaluable comrade.

When he was in the position of crown prince, capable Killian felt like an obstacle. So he was jealous of him and hated him.

But now that he had taken the emperor’s seat, things were different. He couldn’t help but covet Killian Drea, who was not only capable but also widely respected.

‘If only Veronia, that woman, were still alive! If the two had married, it would have been the perfect picture. Of all things, that woman had to die!’

The good mood was all spoiled by the sudden memory of his sister’s death. Tsk, Jonathan clicked his tongue and shook his head to organize his thoughts.

‘Only petty men regret lost cards. Anyway, I need to make Killian Drea my definite man.’

It would be perfect if there was a mature unmarried princess among the royal family, but no one came to mind. Hmm, as his worries deepened, he sighed involuntarily.

‘If I can’t make him my definite man, I should cut off the sprout from the beginning. Before it’s too late.’

Jonathan rubbed his face and fell into deep thought.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Have you truly gone mad, Emperor?”

Upon returning to the palace, Jonathan had to deal with an angry Sandra. Although it hurt his ears and was annoying, he wasn’t in a particularly bad mood. In fact, he was a bit pleased, thinking he had scored one against Sandra.

“Mother, your words are excessive. Mad, you say? Although I am still your son, I am now the emperor of this great empire. So please mind your words.”

“…”

Sandra’s shoulders flinched at the sharp gaze. Jonathan was right. He had now become the true emperor. If she made a mistake, even as his mother, she could be severely punished.

Sandra swallowed a sigh and opened her mouth again.

“I’m sorry, Emperor. This one lost her senses for a moment and misspoke. I will be more careful in the future.”

“Please do, Mother.”

One corner of Jonathan’s mouth curled up in a pleased smile. At that sight, flames flickered in Sandra’s eyes again, but this time she clenched her molars and endured it.

“However, Emperor. You’re letting that woman live! The risk is too great. Far too great.”

“What could be dangerous about it? The fact that she is the criminal who murdered Father remains unchanged.”

“…”

“Moreover, didn’t we need to show that the imperial family doesn’t treat human lives like ant lives? That’s why I made the decision.”

“T-that is…”

Sandra was greatly irritated by Jonathan’s statement, which touched on Caspian’s matter, but she had to endure it, clenching her fists tightly.

She barely managed to hold back the harsh words that were about to burst out, but she couldn’t hide her facial expression. Jonathan furrowed his brow and spoke in a concerned voice.

“My, Mother. You seem to be deeply worried. Please don’t worry too much. It’s not good for your skin that you’ve been carefully managing wrinkles all this time.”

It was clearly a sarcastic attitude. Though his voice was full of concern, it was transparently obvious that he was trying hard to suppress a smile from leaking out. Sandra’s boiling blood surged in reverse.

“The true culprit who murdered Father is a secret only known to us two, isn’t it? There’s no risk of the secret leaking out, so please put your worries aside, Mother.”

“Emperor!”

Unable to contain herself any longer, Sandra burst out. Sandra bit her lower lip tightly. She bit so hard that her entire lip turned pale.

The sight was so ridiculous that Jonathan wanted to burst into laughter, but he held it back. Then, in a deliberately solemn voice, he continued his next words.

“Worrying won’t make your concerns disappear. It’s all futile and useless. I’ll send you a gift of high-quality wine, so have a glass and rest well, Mother.”

“…”

Sandra had to give up. It seemed Jonathan would not reverse the decision he had already made.

She turned around and left the audience chamber without even a proper farewell. Her trembling arms and legs creaked, but she was able to walk out steadily without falling.

Bang. As she closed the door and walked down the corridor, she could hear Jonathan laughing loudly behind the closed door.

“Ugh… Jonathan…!”

Sandra gritted her teeth and lit fires in her eyes.

‘This won’t do. If I stay still like this, I’ll end up getting stabbed in the back hard by Jonathan, who has no sense of compassion and only greed. I need to make a move before it’s too late.’

Sandra’s small head began to spin rapidly.

[This is the timeline separator]

Killian was starting his day by checking the pile of letters on one side of his desk. At that moment, he heard a tapping sound, tok tok, tok tok, from the window side.

When he went to the window, there was a carrier pigeon. Killian immediately opened the window and untied the letter attached to the pigeon’s leg.

“Who could it be?”

Killian immediately unfolded the letter and checked the contents. The sender was specified at the beginning of the letter.

[Greetings, Your Excellency the Prime Minister. This is the Coslow Magic Tool Workshop of the MacBurney family. It would be proper etiquette to visit you in person to discuss this important matter, but due to the urgency of the situation, I am hastily informing you by letter first.]

It was a name he hadn’t seen in a very long time, but he recognized it immediately. It was the workshop where he had ordered the magic tool piercing he had been wearing all this time.

This piercing was a magic tool that allowed one to see the original form of a magically transformed appearance.

Thanks to wearing this piercing continuously, he was able to recognize Veronia at a glance, even though she had changed her appearance by altering her hair color and eye color, and even adding burn scars and tattoos.

As Killian quickly checked the contents, his face gradually twisted into a grim expression. The content was that the workshop had been forced to disclose Killian’s name as the client of the magic tool piercing due to threats.

[… I am truly ashamed that we could not fulfill our moral responsibility until the very end, Your Excellency. Please do not forgive us…]

The magic tool craftsman repeatedly expressed his apologies. And at the end, he added this:

[… Those who found out Your Excellency’s name belonged to the Ashmore Information Guild. We sincerely hope that no great harm comes to you…]

“The Ashmore Information Guild…”

Although not mentioned in the letter, it was clear that either Veronia or Onyx was behind the Ashmore Information Guild.

‘Did Veronia request the investigation, or was it Onyx… So he was a member of the Information Guild!’

Recalling Onyx, who had shown perfect skill and movement in the dart game, Killian went beyond speculation to near certainty.

He put the read letter deep into a drawer and immediately stood up. He needed to meet Veronia right now. He had to make the first move before she disappeared.

“Prepare a horse. Right now!”

No sooner had Killian’s order fallen than a fully prepared horse stood before him. He quickly mounted the horse and spurred it on.

‘I can’t be late. If I miss this chance, it’s over.’

Killian rode out at a furious pace.