Chapter 585 - 358: On the Eve of War (Part 2)

Chapter 585: Chapter 358: On the Eve of War (Part 2)

Consequently, his hatred for Figxin was pure.

Combined with the Spirit Control inflicted by the Prince, he had become a Death Warrior who would obey the Prince’s every command.

He was chosen to be the one who would assassinate the King.

There was nothing special about him; he was chosen mainly for his identity as a man from the Northern Domain.

A man from the Northern Domain was one of Figxin’s people.

This would be his pretext to attack the Northern Domain after ascending the throne.

Avenging one’s father—no matter where it was said, this was a reason that put one on the moral high ground.

With all preparations in place, the plan to assassinate the King officially began...

...

Sutton VI took off his glasses and put down his pen. Night had fallen. He rubbed his weary eyes, taking a brief rest.

He was well aware of his physical condition. Though his grave illness had shown signs of improvement—not only could he move about, but he felt much more vigorous—he understood that time was not on his side.

Time was far more terrifying than disease.

Having endured an illness that nearly claimed his life, he found he was no longer so afraid of death.

He used to be terrified of death.

Looking back on his life, he knew he hadn’t been a good King. He’d been an asshole in his youth and a harsh, conceited man in middle age. It was only thanks to the strong foundation his ancestors had built that the nation continued its rapid development, even though he’d done plenty of foolish things.

Of course, this development had nothing to do with him. The credit belonged mainly to the technological advancements from the research institutes. As long as he didn’t get in the way, he was guaranteed an easy victory.

As he entered his twilight years, he had more time to think. He began to wonder, ’If souls truly go somewhere after death, would I have the courage to face my ancestors?’

’Are my achievements worthy of the glory of the Sutton name?’

The answer was painfully obvious: no.

Therefore, he wanted to do something truly good for the nation in the final Chapter of his life.

While bedridden, he had diligently studied the trends of social development over the past few decades.

He might have been an asshole, but he was undeniably intelligent.

He had keenly observed that the existing system of governance no longer matched the current state of society.

The conflict between the newly rich—born of technological advancement and commercial prosperity—and the traditional nobility was growing increasingly apparent. Sooner or later, it would erupt to an irreconcilable point.

No one was willing to see the enterprises they had painstakingly built be snatched away by someone whose only claim was so-called noble blood.

Perhaps the old aristocratic system should have collapsed long ago. The only reason no subversive events had occurred was that the nobility still controlled most of the Transcendents, keeping things suppressed by force.

However, all this changed after the Zog Group appeared.

They had actually developed something that allowed an Ordinary person to kill a Transcendent.

Even if a single gun couldn’t enable one Ordinary person to fight a Transcendent, what about ten people? Or a hundred?

It used to be that any number of people was useless. Now, a gun had blasted a crack in that once-insurmountable wall.

The old King was certain they could—and perhaps already had—developed even more powerful things.

Once the gap between Ordinary people and Transcendents narrowed further, and the new rich saw a chance to overthrow the old nobility, conflict would become inevitable.

It was an unstoppable tide of the era.

After long contemplation, the old King reached a conclusion he found deeply distasteful, yet most logical.

The old nobility could not win.

The Sutton Royal Family faced only two possible fates. One: fight against the changing times and be sent to the guillotine by an enraged rebel army. After that, there would be no more Royal Family, perhaps not even a Sutton.

Two: the Royal Family could take an active role in the reforms. In that case, the people would likely preserve the Royal Family and the Sutton name. People are, after all, nostalgic. Perhaps in the future, the Sutton Royal Family might even retain its lofty status, albeit as something akin to a mascot.

Still, being a mascot was better than being beheaded.

But convincing the existing nobility to accept these reforms with as little bloodshed as possible was another challenge entirely.

Giving up privilege was an incredibly difficult thing.

His own time was running out. To see this step through, he could only trust in the wisdom of his successors.

And among his successors, the only one who currently seemed trustworthy was Figxin in the Northern Domain.

The child he hadn’t raised had turned out the best.

’I’ve really failed in so many ways in this life.’

Thankfully, he now had a chance to make up for some of those failures.

Making Figxin the Crown Prince.

This was perhaps the only truly correct decision he had made in his entire life.

What he had just been writing was the very edict to change the heir apparent.

’Announcing it tomorrow will inevitably lead to a whole new host of problems.’

"Sigh..." The old King let out a helpless sigh. He straightened his back, preparing to resume writing.

At that moment, the voice of a Guard came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, urgent intelligence."

’Urgent intelligence?’

The old King was puzzled. ’What could be so urgent at this hour?’

"Enter."

A fully armed Guard walked in.

Seeing him, the old King frowned.

"Which unit are you with? I don’t recognize you."

He was certain he had never seen this man among his personal guards.

"I’ve come to take your life!"

The Guard roared, suddenly pulling out a Magic Shotgun. He aimed it at the old King and pulled the trigger.

"For the Northern Domain!"

A dense spray of Magic Shells erupted from the barrel.

In an instant, a Magic Barrier materialized before the old King.

Every member of the Royal Family receives the finest education and training from a young age. Anyone with even a modicum of talent can be cultivated into a skilled Transcendent—and the old King himself was exceptionally gifted.

Though he was old and only just recovered from a grave illness, his foundation, which bordered on the Legendary, remained. Besides, dealing with assassins was a required subject for the Royal Family.

Acting on muscle memory, the old King had instantly deployed the barrier.

In an emergency, the body takes over, leaving the rest to adrenaline.

With one hand sustaining the barrier, he immediately prepared to counterattack with the other.

Meanwhile, his mind was racing.

’The other Guards haven’t rushed in. This isn’t a murder planned by a lone assassin. It’s definitely a premeditated, large-scale operation with powerful backing.’

’And his first words were "For the Northern Domain!"’

’That’s even more suspicious. Why would the Northern Domain make a move against me? Does Figxin want to rebel?’

’Setting aside the fact that I was about to give her the throne, even if she truly couldn’t wait to rebel, why wouldn’t she strike when I was at my sickest? Why wait until I’ve recovered enough to move?’

’It’s completely illogical. I refuse to believe the daughter I have such high hopes for could be this foolish.’

’Besides, what kind of assassin announces their affiliation? If they fail, there’s no need for an interrogation.’

’So, this is a frame job?’

The old King reached a conclusion.

’So who would want to frame the Northern Domain, especially by assassinating the King?’

The answer was obvious, but it was one the old King was unwilling to accept.

’My eldest son... he actually intends to move against me.’

Within seconds, he finished preparing a Lightning Technique, but he didn’t immediately unleash it.

His intuition told him something was off.

’What is it that’s off?’

The assassin was still screaming, "AHHH—" firing wildly at the barrier.

’That’s it. This assassin is too unskilled.’

The old King realized what the problem was.

’Even my son, as foolish as he is, wouldn’t have sent such a weak assassin to kill me.’

’There must be something else planned.’

The old King scanned his surroundings vigilantly. ’Where else could the real trap be hidden?’

He retreated to a corner, away from the door. He planned to cast the lightning spell, then immediately prepare a Teleportation Technique. ’The situation is unclear. I’ll escape first.’

Although the Royal Palace had a Magic Array that restricted teleportation, the King himself was not affected by it.

But the moment he cast the Lightning Technique, the surging current instantly dissipated. All the Magic Power in his body had been completely drained by that single, small spell.

’I’ve been poisoned!’

The old King realized the problem, but it was too late. With his Magic Power gone, the barrier could no longer be sustained.

The dense Magic Shells peppered his body, bringing immense pain. But the torture wasn’t over. The Elements imbued in the shells randomly triggered spells, one after another, hammering the old King’s broken body.

Sutton VI died at the hands of a third-rate assassin.

In his final moments, he saw his eldest son rush in, crying, "Father!" He was followed by the Guards who should have arrived long ago. They pinned the assassin to the ground.

The Prince threw himself onto his father’s body, wailing, putting on a performance of grief. But he couldn’t suppress the corners of his lips from curling into a smirk. The old King closed his eyes in despair.

’What a failed life...’

The next day, three stories appeared in all of Sutton’s newspapers: a eulogy for the late King; the news that the assassin from the Northern Domain had been captured; and a declaration of war against the "traitors of the Northern Domain," penned by the new King.