Chapter 460: Plans of Several Parties

Inside the room, Adalen sat on the sofa, eyes shining with excitement as he stared at his grandfather.

"Grandfather, what just happened... Was that on purpose?" he asked, his voice full of curiosity.

The real culprit had been Cassian, while Elina was merely a scapegoat in his scheme.

Considering that his grandfather had examined the recording stone, he should have seen the truth.

Clarisse, Dariel, Erald, and Rebecca sat on the other sofas, watching the Singularity of Light with the same curiosity as Adalen.

Only Seira stood about a meter away, her expression cold and indifferent, clearly uninterested in their conversation.

The Singularity of Light sipped his tea and replied calmly, "Yes, I did it on purpose. From the start, I knew the Demon Emperor Zerathos was inside Cassian. What I didn’t expect was that he would actually cause chaos in the banquet hall earlier. That went beyond my expectations."

He shrugged, as if to claim innocence.

Dariel chuckled softly and nodded. "Yes, I believe you, Father. Don’t worry."

As his son, he understood his father’s nature all too well.

He must have known that Zerathos would wreak havoc at the banquet but chose to do nothing.

Although the chaos had been terrifying, Dariel had to admit his father’s intelligence was undeniable.

By now, Ragan must have a splitting headache, considering how many representatives from other kingdoms had died—or turned into demons—because of his son’s collusion with them.

It was not impossible that a war would erupt later.

Dariel had no intention of getting involved. He and the Holy Empire of Valtanir would continue to watch from afar, waiting calmly.

If the situation turned increasingly unfavorable, he could always use his influence to pressure Ragan and the Great Empire of Velmora.

"But Father, is everything really okay?" Clarisse asked, worry lacing her voice. "You said you successfully killed Cassian and the Demon Emperor Zerathos, right? But I’m not sure that demon would die so easily."

Though she had not lived during Zerathos’ peak, she knew how cruel and terrifying he had been.

No one could guarantee he was truly gone, even after her father’s attack.

"To be honest, Demon Emperor Zerathos is still alive. Perhaps he will plot revenge against the Great Velmora Empire in the near future," the Singularity of Light said, a playful smile on his face.

Gulp!

Adalen and Clarisse swallowed nervously. If what he said was true, weren’t their lives at risk?

Sensing their concern, the Singularity of Light reassured them immediately. "But don’t worry. Even if he regains his power, he won’t be able to cause real chaos. The world has changed since a thousand years ago. Besides, the Great Velmora Empire is powerful and holds many secrets—even I don’t know them all. So, just relax."

Destroying the Great Velmora Empire might be impossible, but giving Ragan a headache? That was still very much possible.

With Zerathos’ vengeful nature, he would surely return—and when he did, the Great Velmora Empire would face havoc.

That was more than enough to weaken the Great Velmora Empire in the future.

Adalen and Clarisse let out a sigh of relief. With the Singularity of Light’s convincing explanation, there was nothing to worry about.

Suddenly, an idea struck Adalen. "Grandfather, how about giving me an item that can unleash extraordinary power? If that demon shows up and causes chaos, I’ll ask my father to eliminate it—and gain a reputation in front of everyone."

He had missed many chances to shine before, falling a little behind his brothers, Aldric and Cedric, in this battle for the throne.

Now, a future opportunity had appeared that could let him achieve greatness. How could he possibly let it slip away?

"Oh! That’s an excellent idea, my nephew," Dariel said, patting him on the shoulder. "If you achieve something remarkable, I’m sure Ragan will be impressed—and might even reward you or grant you special status."

The more Adalen shone in this battle for the throne, the greater the benefits he and the Holy Empire of Valtanir would gain.

The Singularity of Light did not refuse. He opened his right palm, and a golden dagger appeared.

He handed it to Adalen. "This dagger contains ten percent of my strongest attack. Even if the Demon Emperor Zerathos regains his peak strength, a single strike from this will be enough to kill him."

Adalen took it in trembling hands, eyes lighting up with excitement as he stared at the dagger.

"Thank you, Grandfather! Hahaha! Today’s chaos has really paid off!"

Don’t underestimate the ten percent his grandfather had mentioned.

He was the Singularity of Light—one of the seven strongest people on the continent.

Ten percent of his full power could even level an empire. This gift was truly invaluable.

"Tsk! You really are Grandfather’s favorite grandchild," Erald said with a small chuckle.

Adalen patted his shoulder and replied jokingly, "What are you talking about, cousin? You’re the one he loves the most."

The two exchanged a hearty laugh. Rebecca smiled at their playful interaction.

But Seira’s expression remained dark.

’They’re really annoying...’

she muttered.

***

Crack... Boom!

A glass shattered under Cedric’s hard press of his right palm.

His face was grim, as if he had just endured the worst day of his life.

Sitting across from him was Prime Minister Roswell, his uncle.

"What’s got you so worked up, nephew? Is it because of Mikazura earlier?" he asked casually, sipping his tea.

Having attended to the guests in the evacuation hall earlier, he hadn’t witnessed the incident firsthand.

But he had heard about it from his subordinates, so Cedric’s sullen expression and anger didn’t surprise him.

Cedric took a slow, deliberate breath and sank into his seat, his face still clouded with frustration.

"It’s not just that, Uncle. It’s also the way Mikazura defended Elina—it makes no sense at all," he said through clenched teeth.

Mikazura had been one of his main targets from the start.

Cedric had planned to befriend him and use him as a bridge between the Great Velmora Empire and the Eastern Empire of Izanagi to establish diplomatic ties.

Unfortunately, for reasons he couldn’t understand, Mikazura already had a close relationship with Elina—something completely outside his expectations.

Roswell crossed his legs and spoke calmly, "All right. Don’t worry about it too much. Even if you fail to win Mikazura over, that doesn’t mean your chances at the throne are gone. I have a way to give you the upper hand."

Cedric looked at his uncle with curiosity. "What is it?"

Roswell’s lips curled into a playful smile as he replied evenly, "The daughter of the Ashvale family—Margaretta Ashvale. I want you to secure her as soon as possible so we can take control of that family directly..."