Chapter 52: CHP 52 THE MAN BEHIND THE THRONE

Chapter 52 — THE MAN BEHIND THE THRONE

Gyro led the group toward the royal castle of Bilho. Morry and Ravian followed behind him, while Brine, Maddy, and Rony walked beside them. Kil Ful was still unconscious and needed treatment, so he had been taken to another room with the others responsible for his care. Everyone wanted answers, but Gyro knew they first had to confront the King.

When they entered the castle, they found several Sovereigns standing throughout the hall. Some were talking among themselves, while others guarded the entrances. The moment Gyro stepped inside, one of the Sovereigns walked forward and blocked their path.

"Stop. You cannot enter without permission."

Gyro slowly raised his head and stared at him.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

A terrifying pressure spread through the hall, and the temperature seemed to drop. The Sovereign’s confident expression disappeared as a chill ran through his body. Even the other Sovereigns stopped talking and turned toward Gyro.

Gyro’s eyes remained fixed on the man.

"Where is the King?"

The Sovereign struggled to speak, but before he could answer, another Sovereign quickly stepped forward.

"Please forgive him, Gyro. He didn’t know you were coming."

He turned toward the first Sovereign and motioned for him to move aside.

"The King is in his room. You may go directly to him."

Gyro withdrew his pressure.

"Good. Don’t waste my time again."

He continued walking, and the others followed him through the castle corridors.

Nobody attempted to stop them.

The Sovereigns watched silently as the group disappeared deeper into the castle. They could all feel it: the old man walking in front of them possessed power that most people in the kingdom could barely imagine.

After reaching the King’s private room, Gyro stopped outside the door.

"Brine, come with me."

Brine nodded.

The others took Kil Ful to another room for treatment, while Morry, Ravian, Maddy, and Rony remained nearby. They wanted to hear the truth just as much as Gyro did, but he decided to speak to the King privately first.

Gyro opened the door and entered with Brine.

Inside, the King of Bilho was sitting on a chair. A powerful Transcendent stood beside him, acting as his personal bodyguard.

The King looked up.

"Gyro. I was expecting you."

Gyro glanced at the Transcendent.

"Leave the room."

The bodyguard’s expression became serious.

"Your Majesty—"

"Go," the King ordered.

The Transcendent bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Now only the King, Gyro, and Brine remained.

Gyro walked toward the King.

"Tell me everything. Every detail. If you refuse, I will consider you an enemy."

The King stared at him for several seconds.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

"Fine. I will tell you everything."

Brine crossed his arms.

"Then start talking."

The King leaned back in his chair.

"Don’t misunderstand me, Gyro. I’m not telling you because I’m afraid of you. I’m telling you because you’ve already come too close to discovering the truth. Hiding it any longer would be pointless."

Gyro’s eyes narrowed.

"Then explain."

The King’s smile disappeared.

"My son is the one who started this plan. He has been following someone else’s orders."

Brine looked surprised.

"Your own son?"

The King nodded.

"Someone taught him a cursed technique. In exchange, my son promised to complete whatever task that person demanded of him. That person is the one my son calls his Boss."

Gyro remained silent, listening carefully.

"Do you know the Boss’s identity?" he asked.

"No. I’ve never met him. My son refuses to reveal his identity, and I don’t know where he lives."

The King paused before continuing.

"My son ordered me to tell the Valtara Kingdom that Aurelia had kidnapped him. The plan was simple. The Blood Brothers would kill the Valtara team, and we would blame their deaths on Aurelia. We would then accuse Aurelia of kidnapping my son and murdering the people sent to investigate."

Brine’s expression hardened.

"You were going to start a war between Valtara and Aurelia?"

"Exactly," the King replied. "If the plan succeeded, Valtara would believe Aurelia had murdered its people. The other kingdoms would become involved, and Aurelia would eventually be attacked by multiple kingdoms."

Gyro’s grip tightened around his stick.

"And all of this was done because your son wanted to obey some unknown man?"

The King lowered his eyes.

"Yes."

Gyro’s voice became colder.

"Why are you following his orders? Why would a King allow someone to use his own kingdom as a weapon?"

The King clenched his fists.

"Because I had no choice."

He looked directly at Gyro.

"He threatened to destroy my kingdom. He told me that if I refused to cooperate, he would destroy Bilho and kill everyone here, including my son."

Brine frowned.

"But your son is working for him. Why would he threaten to kill his own ally?"

"Because the Boss doesn’t care about anyone," the King answered. "He only cares about his plans."

The room fell silent.

After a moment, the King spoke again.

"My son has turned against me. He believes the Boss will give him power beyond anything a normal person could achieve. He no longer listens to my advice, and he considers my authority meaningless."

Gyro looked at him carefully.

"So you were forced into this plan, while your son willingly followed the Boss."

The King nodded.

"I tried to stop him, but I failed."

For the first time, the King’s expression showed genuine regret.

"I know what I’ve done is wrong. I allowed my kingdom to become part of a plan that could have caused countless deaths. I cannot undo that mistake, but I can help you stop it."

Gyro remained quiet for a moment.

Then he finally spoke.

"Very well. I understand your situation now."

The King looked up.

"You believe me?"

"I believe that someone is manipulating your son and threatening your kingdom. But don’t mistake that for forgiveness. You still have responsibility for the orders you followed."

The King lowered his head.

"I understand."

Gyro stepped closer.

"From this moment onward, you will not obey your son’s orders blindly. If the Boss contacts you, you will inform us immediately. Do not make another secret agreement, and do not send your Sovereigns against Aurelia or Valtara."

The King nodded firmly.

"I agree."

Gyro’s expression softened slightly.

"We are with you now. We will protect your kingdom while we uncover the truth."

The King looked relieved.

"Thank you, Gyro. I won’t forget your help."

He stood up from his chair.

"But I swear that I will deal with the man who manipulated my son. If he is responsible for threatening my kingdom and turning my son against me, I will stop him myself."

Gyro looked toward the door.

"You can make that promise later. First, we need to understand what this man is planning."

He paused.

"Because if he is willing to start a war between kingdoms just to achieve his goal, then this is much bigger than Bilho."

Brine nodded slowly.

"And we still don’t know why he wants the kingdoms to fight."

Gyro’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s what we’re going to discover."

---

SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN — THE BOSS’S HIDEOUT

Far away from the Kingdom of Bilho, the Prince entered a dark underground chamber.

The entrance closed behind him, and the sound of his footsteps echoed through the corridor. He walked past several pillars before reaching a massive room illuminated by a few dim lights.

Someone was waiting in the darkness.

The Prince stopped and lowered his head.

"Boss. I have returned."

For a few seconds, there was no response.

Then a voice echoed through the chamber.

"Did you succeed?"

The Prince clenched his fists.

"No. Kil Ful survived my Blood Bombardment. I was forced to retreat because a powerful presence was approaching."

Silence followed.

The Prince continued speaking.

"Nawek was with me. We couldn’t risk fighting another powerful enemy while I was already injured."

The mysterious figure remained hidden.

"So Kil Ful survived."

The Prince lowered his head.

"Yes."

A quiet laugh echoed through the room.

"Interesting. Very interesting."

The Prince looked up.

"What should I do now?"

The voice answered calmly.

"Nothing. Let Gyro investigate. Let the King of Bilho believe he has escaped my control. Let Aurelia and Valtara think they have uncovered the truth."

The Prince frowned.

"Then what is our next move?"

The mysterious figure slowly rose from his seat, but the darkness still concealed his appearance.

"Do not worry. I am the one who will bring war to the kingdoms."

His voice grew colder.

"I will make them turn against one another until no alliance remains. Their Sovereigns will fight, their kings will fall, and the kingdoms will destroy themselves."

He paused.

"Then the entire world will burn in the fire of war."

The Prince smiled.

"And when that happens?"

The figure’s voice echoed through the chamber.

"Then we will begin the real plan."

The lights flickered.

The Prince bowed his head.

"Understood, Boss."

As he turned to leave, the mysterious man spoke one final time.

"Remember, Prince. Your failure in the Forest of Peace changes nothing. Kil Ful may have survived, but he has only delayed what is coming."

The Prince left the chamber.

The mysterious figure remained alone in the darkness.

Somewhere far away, Kil Ful was still unconscious, the King of Bilho had finally revealed the truth, and Gyro had begun investigating the unknown enemy.

But none of them knew what the Boss truly wanted.

And the war he had promised to bring was only the beginning.

TO BE CONTINUED...