Chapter 757:Will He Become An Emperor?

Chapter 757: 757:Will He Become An Emperor?

The others also heard Lancelot recounting the tale of Alaster. The room remained quiet for a while as everyone processed what they had just heard. The story had not been easy to listen to, especially for those who had once trusted Alaster and believed that he had started his journey with good intentions.

"I didn’t know he was such a man." Duke Osantra spoke with a frown, and then added,

"Power really corrupts everything!"

He had supported Alaster through everything. In fact, they even had some familial ties through the late Duchess. Still, the man had severed everything in the span of a moment without giving it a second thought.

"Thank God it’s finally over."

"I have been having nightmares since the past few days about what’s going to happen. Finally, we can have some peace."

Rathlos also nodded his head. The tension between his brows finally relaxed, and he leaned back slightly in his chair. For the first time in days, his shoulders did not look as stiff as before.

"Once he comes back, I must have a long vacation. I have been tired cooping up here."

"Tension... Do you think it’s over?" Duke Lancelot snorted, causing the two to look up at him.

"You... What did you mean by that?" Rathlos asked with a bad premonition.

"This isn’t the end but the beginning of all sorts of troubles."

"Why are you saying that?" Duke Osantra asked, his expression becoming serious again.

"Ethan didn’t reveal it, but I got some news from other sources. Ethan hadn’t informed us of the full thing. He had played quite a significant role in the battlefield."

Both Rathlos and Osantra looked at him carefully.

"I don’t know much, but he had shown strength capable of defending against the Emperor. I always knew he was hiding something, but my gosh, this kid really knows how to lay low." Saying this, Lancelot looked toward Rathlos and noticed the change in his expression.

"So?"

"So now it will be difficult for other Emperors to swallow Arcadia. Originally, they planned to swallow Arcadia, but now things might change if Ethan’s intentions say otherwise."

The moment they heard this, a look of absolute horror appeared on their faces. The relief they had felt moments ago vanished completely.

Before anyone could say anything else, a faint sound suddenly came from outside the study.

Lancelot’s ears twitched.

He glanced toward the closed door and chuckled softly.

"Amber and you others... No need to hide and listen. It’s not as if we are discussing something secret. Come out."

The door slowly opened, and a group of Ethan’s ladies walked out with flushed faces. They had not intended to hide anything. They were simply interested in the conversation and had ended up listening from outside.

Sophia swallowed her saliva and stepped forward.

"What do you mean by that, Lord Lancelot?"

"Yes, Father. Why did you say that?" Amber asked with a frown.

"Instead of asking me this, you should ask Ethan."

Lancelot leaned back in his chair and looked at them with a serious expression.

"With no one to control such a land, anyone can become greedy. And naturally, Ethan is well received throughout the Empire. If he wants to sit on the throne, except for enemies, no one will object. What a ruler needs is the trust and support of the people, which Ethan already has."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"And now that he has strength, he just needs to say yes, and then everything under his vast land would be his."

Hearing this, a deep frown etched onto everyone’s faces, especially the wives of Ethan.

Being the wife of an Emperor might sound nice, but they did not like the thought of Ethan becoming involved in such a struggle for power.

"I don’t think he will like it." Sophia voiced her thoughts while shaking her head.

"Who knows? Greed changes people. Even if he becomes Emperor, it won’t be bad. It’s just..."

"What?"

Duke Lancelot paused and let out a quiet sigh.

"It’s just a matter of whether he can carry out his original intention or let himself be swallowed by greed and power."

The room became quiet again.

"The allure of power can even change the dynamics of every feeling and every shred of love."

He looked at everyone for a moment before slowly leaning back.

"So all we can do now is wait."

.......

A few days had passed since the battle.

The four Emperors had finally gathered after taking some time to recover from the heavy battle. They sat inside a large meeting hall, but the atmosphere was nothing like their usual gatherings.

At the head of the hall was an empty seat that belonged to Ezekiel, who used to occupy it with quite a lot of naughtiness. But now, no one sat there.

The sight alone made the other three Emperors feel a strange heaviness in their hearts. They had spent countless years together. They had fought against one another, argued over territories and resources, and even clashed in small battles, but none of them had ever imagined that one of their seats would become empty like this.

Caelus slowly looked toward the empty seat and sighed. His fingers lightly tapped against the armrest of his chair as he remembered the countless meetings they had attended together.

Ezekiel would often sit there with his arms folded while listening to their arguments. Sometimes he would interrupt them, and sometimes he would simply remain silent while watching the others argue.

Those memories now felt strangely distant.

There should have been some happiness in losing an enemy. One less Emperor meant less pressure, because one less powerful ruler meant more room for the remaining three.

Yet none of them could feel happy.

Ezekiel had been their enemy, but he had also been one of them.

For countless years, the four Emperors had remained involved in minor skirmishes. Their forces had fought over borders and resources, but none of them had ever allowed those conflicts to turn into a major war.

They already controlled huge pieces of land.

Governing such territories was not easy. The bigger the piece of land, the greater the difficulty in handling it. There were countless cities, villages, noble families, armies, and smaller kingdoms under their control.

That was why the petty kingdoms around them had mostly been left alone.

There was little reason to waste resources conquering every small kingdom when their existing territories already gave them enough trouble.

But Arcadia had destroyed that balance.

Caelus lowered his gaze toward the reports placed before him. His brows slowly tightened as he read through the information, and his expression became more serious.

"I was looking at the report. The situation of Arcadia is quite grave. The national treasury has been depleted, and it’s surviving on borrowing."

Alderic leaned forward and picked up another report. He quickly scanned through the pages before placing his finger over a section.

"Most of their resources were already used during the war. Their army has suffered heavy losses, and many regions are still struggling to recover."

Caelus nodded slowly as he listened.

"Their food reserves are also running low. Several farming regions were damaged during the fighting, and repairing them will take time."

Ophelia quietly looked through another report. Her fingers moved across the pages as she read the details, and she finally raised her eyes. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"The trade routes have also been affected. Many merchants are refusing to travel through the damaged regions because of the remaining monsters and rebels."

She placed the report down with a tired expression and leaned back slightly.

"Even if someone takes control of Arcadia now, they will inherit a huge mess."

Alderic gave a small nod.

"And that is not even mentioning the political situation. There are still many nobles and forces that might refuse to accept whoever takes control."

Caelus rubbed his forehead and let out a quiet breath.

"Arcadia is basically a wounded beast. Taking it is easy compared to keeping it alive."

For a moment, none of them spoke.

The empty seat at the head of the hall seemed to make the silence even heavier.

Alderic finally spoke. His eyes moved between Caelus and Ophelia, and his expression became slightly tense.

"The situation is in a mess, however..."

He paused and looked at the two.

"It’s not up to us to decide for now. We need to know his intentions, because if I had so much strength and was in his position, I wouldn’t have left such a piece of pie to fall into someone else’s hands."

Everyone’s expression became serious.

Caelus slowly leaned back in his chair while Ophelia lowered her eyes in thought.

"Yes, we need to know his intentions. It’s better not to provoke him now."

Queen Ophelia spoke with a sombre face. Her voice was calm, but there was a clear heaviness in her words.

"So what are we going to do if he said yes?"

Alderic asked, and the entire place fell into deep silence.

Caelus looked toward him and slowly shook his head.

"What can we do? It’s not as if we can fight. Seeing that figure’s strength, I wonder if our Ascension Realm might be able to support it."

"I don’t think it would be that strong. It’s not as if a God can descend down here."

Ophelia then spoke, her expression remaining serious.

"We shouldn’t underestimate it. If it’s really the blessings of Goddess of Light as he described, things might not be simple. Who knows, it can allow a person to bypass and appear."

Her words made everyone ponder for a while.

Caelus lowered his gaze and quietly tapped his fingers against the table. Alderic remained silent as he thought about her words, while Ophelia continued to stare at the reports before her.

"But before we decide that, we should wait for the representative of Valorant. The new Emperor has already been selected. He is taking care of the trouble and will soon be here with us."

Caelus spoke calmly as he looked at the other two.

"Hmm! Then let’s wait for him to come. We will decide after that."

Alderic nodded, and the three Emperors fell silent once again as they waited for the representative of Valorant to arrive.