The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Decided to Divorce - The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Decided to Divorce chapter 49

49

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Once a noble of high repute, now the family name itself had been lost.

The house had fallen long ago, and there was no inheritance to be found.

Thus, they could only resent the world and yearn for a powerful miracle.

‘Have I finally come this far…’

No longer clinging to the lost past.

Restoring the family’s honor or scraping together money are utterly trivial matters.

For he could possess nothing of his own, only to shatter and overturn everything.

“Killing the emperor would be enough. The crown prince would do as well… And if even that proves difficult, then I must slay as many as possible.”

All that remained for him was a frail body and a corrupted will.

Still, he managed to handle magic, albeit crudely, and eventually reached a respectable level through sheer effort.

In doing so, he discovered items hidden by his family, among them forbidden spellbooks.

“I understand why my family was destroyed… but I cannot accept it!”

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The Agnes Empire had extended the sins of his ancestors to him.

As a result, he lived in poverty, entangled in all sorts of humiliation.

Was it just for bearing this bloodline that he had to suffer so much?

“I won’t die alone. I will sever the royal bloodline.”

He discarded a considerable sum of money to disguise himself as an ordinary noble.

Secretly collecting corpses, he utilized forbidden magic.

Thanks to this, he created quite a number of undead, which he could release at any time through a summoning circle.

“It’s you who have made me this way. You must be annihilated just like me!”

The man quietly made his way through the crowd, approaching the emperor.

The imperial knights were positioned all around, but he was not particularly anxious.

With this number of undead, he could buy as much time as needed.

“I will end this with my own hands. Having forsaken everything, what is this life to me now?”

***

The Imperial Knights must always protect the safety of the emperor and his direct descendants.

For ages, many villains have challenged the emperor’s authority, scheming and plotting to overthrow the empire.

Therefore, they could not afford to be complacent for even a moment, and must fulfill their duty even at the cost of their lives.

“A noble of the Grand Ducal family, yet… How could one cursed be allowed into the imperial palace?”

The captain of the Imperial Knights, Karaf Roberta, watched with concern.

He had been keeping an eye on Alter Radiant for some time.

Although it was proven that the curse was not contagious, as the captain of the Imperial Knights, he could not simply stand by.

Moreover, since the emperor had personally contacted Alter Radiant, he had to be even more vigilant.

“However, I cannot defy His Majesty the Emperor’s command…”

As a mere knight and a subject, Karaf had to obey the emperor.

Even if one holds the position of the Imperial Knights’ Commander, that fact does not change.

One must always protect the Emperor’s person, regardless of the choices he makes.

“The Northern Duke cannot leave his territory. But His Majesty must not come to the Northern lands.”

Perhaps the Emperor considered the Duke’s circumstances and thus brought the youngest son of the Duke’s family into the imperial palace.

Since it would be difficult to meet with the Northern Duke for a lifetime, contact must be made through his offspring.

After all, he was the only Duke in the Agnes Empire and a dear friend.

“The Northern Duke is an honorable knight. I am not worthy to judge him.”

Karaf has long stood by the Emperor’s side.

In his youth, the Emperor repeatedly fought on the northern frontiers, and Karaf himself wielded his sword without hesitation.

At that time, the Northern Duke stood firm against the enemies, upholding only his pride as a knight.

Thus, they were able to thwart the enemies’ invasion and achieve a long peace.

“…If he is the child of the Northern Duke, he deserves proper treatment. Even if cursed, his lineage does not disappear.”

It was then that Karaf finally turned away from Alter Radiant.

He knew why the Emperor was particularly watching Alter Radiant.

But as the Emperor’s escort knight, his closest confidant, he remained silent.

“He must still be unable to forget that woman.”

Before being a ruler, the Emperor is human, and cannot be unshaken by emotions.

Especially in his youth, it was easy to be engulfed by those feelings.

It was a passionate love, so he could not easily turn away from it, and because it was unfulfilled, he dwelled on the past.

“He certainly resembles her. To inherit the beauty of his mother, even though he is a son…”

Karaf vividly remembered Uriel Astille.

As a disciple of the Archmage, she wielded considerable magical power.

Moreover, she advanced fearlessly against the demons, truly deserving the title of a valiant warrior.

Not to mention her clear beauty, it was no wonder the Emperor’s heart was stirred.

“If it had been a daughter, what would have happened… Hmm?”

Karaf sensed an out-of-place atmosphere and immediately took a defensive stance.

There was no apparent danger, but his seasoned senses were reading the change.

Of course, it could be a mistake, so he thought it best to observe more closely.

“Something is moving. Weapons are forbidden, so… could it only be magic?”

Surely, among the nobles, there must be someone capable of wielding magic.

But the royal court mages were on watch, and any magic would be suppressed before it could even be activated.

Yet, considering the safety of the Emperor, a more cautious approach was necessary.

‘Almost all the forbidden magic must have perished by now…’

Once, forbidden magic had caused turmoil within the Agnes Empire.

Casualties had emerged indiscriminately among nobles and commoners, and even the palace’s barriers had been shattered.

As a result, an imperial edict was issued by the previous Emperor, and it was only after the execution of numerous dark mages that the forbidden magic disappeared.

“Death shall be reversed!”

Someone raised their voice and spread their arms wide.

Then, from the ground, a dark magic circle began to form, and something started to pour out.

The royal mages responded immediately, but the dark mage, even while being crushed, calmly activated the magic.

“oooh…”

“Ughhh…”

One after another, rotten corpses began to reveal their outlines from the magic circle.

Though they had already lost their vitality, they were slowly moving by the force of magic.

The forbidden magic had defied the laws of death, creating a vast horde of undead.

“The main force, hold this position! The first unit, encircle the enemy; the second, evacuate the VIPs!”

“Ah…”

“What in the world is happening?”

Karaf drew his sword and immediately took command of the royal knights.

At the same time, knights and soldiers began to swarm in from all directions.

The dark mage, already missing a left arm and right leg, continued to summon the undead.

“I have already embraced death! You will not stop me!”

Using forbidden magic, the dark mage had discarded his human flesh.

Because of this, he felt no pain and could focus solely on casting his magic.

As long as his head remained intact, the magic would persist, so he had forsaken the rest of his body first.

“Hehehe… The royal court ends here! Just crumble along with me!”

Zombies and skeletons kept multiplying, and soon they rushed towards the VIPs.

The royal mages couldn’t cast additional magic because of the VIPs, and the royal knights were blocked by the crowd.

If things continued this way, a multitude of undead would soon overrun the place.

“Your Majesty, the situation is urgent…”

Karaf hesitated as he began to evacuate the emperor and the royal family.

Another surge of magic rippled, and a chill briefly infiltrated the banquet hall.

The undead no longer moved, and even the dark sorcerer couldn’t hide his panic.

Only one of the distinguished guests was glaring at the enemies, exhaling a frosty breath.

“Hoo…”

Alter finished casting his spell and surveyed the surroundings.

The magic could have gone awry, or someone else might have been caught in its range.

But the cold had surged precisely towards the dark sorcerer and the undead, while the guests frantically fled.

“Where did such a powerful mage come from…”

The dark sorcerer, protecting only his head and chest, belatedly recognized Alter’s presence.

The undead he had summoned were all frozen, and the spellcasting came to an abrupt halt.

Above all, no one was harmed, which only fueled his anger.

‘It’s not over yet. I need to deal with this before it escalates.’

Alter steadied his breath, ready to release the cold again.

The undead were merely a decoy to sow confusion.

In reality, the dark sorcerer would transform his own body and charge at the emperor.

‘It seems a bit much… but I can still use more.’

The curse etched in his heart was irritating, but he couldn’t back down now.

If his body had truly been under pressure, he wouldn’t be able to stand like this.

Yet he stood unfazed, thinking he must still be alright.

‘If I just freeze them like this…’

“Don’t step forward anymore.”

Brillie grabbed Alter’s wrist and restrained him in an instant.

Alter wanted to say something, but he had to keep his mouth shut.

“Look. It’s already gotten cold, hasn’t it?”

Brillie lightly stroked Alter’s hand to check the temperature.

Of course, she couldn’t have deduced its state until she touched his skin directly.

It was just an instinctive thought that she had to dissuade Alter.

“But…”

“No. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Brillie firmly responded without letting go of Alter’s hand.

She felt that if Alter were to collapse, she would be engulfed by a wave of devastating emotions.

Moreover, there were still people in the banquet hall who might be swept up in the aftermath of the magic.

In any case, it would be detrimental to Alter, so she had no choice but to hold on.

“That’s enough. You’ve done what you could.”

“If we don’t deal with it now…”

“I too… will reverse death!”

The dark mage bit his tongue, spraying blood.

His body then grotesquely twisted, transforming into a massive zombie.

Although things had turned out much differently than planned, achieving the goal was all that mattered.

“… Hand me the sword!”

Brillie reached out decisively towards the royal knights.

The royal knights flinched but could not bring themselves to hand over their weapons.

Asloer watched the scene and immediately proclaimed a royal command.

“Hand over the sword at once!”

Hearing this, one of the members threw the sword they were holding.

Brillie caught the sword and swiftly drew it from its sheath.

“The royal family will be annihilated!”

The dark mage charged at the emperor with a fierce cry.

Brillie took a slow stance and then launched forward.

‘I’ll cut it down in one strike.’

Brillie thrust the sword, recalling all the experience and skills she had accumulated.

In truth, it didn’t matter if the emperor died or someone else got hurt.

All she wished for was the safety of her fiancé, Alter Radiant.

‘Don’t step forward. I will… finish this.’

Brillie naturally reproduced the thief’s steps and then came to a halt.

Light yet swift steps, a silhouette that even shadows couldn’t touch, a trajectory never once cut through.

What would happen if she led that movement with her sword?

“Ugh… Nghaa…”

The dark mage took a step forward and then his body tilted.

He felt no pain, but he was aware that his lower half had been severed.

The diagonally cut lower half had already fallen, and the remaining half was merely rolling on the ground.

“Take it.”

“Huh…”

Brillie returned the sword to the royal knight and turned back to Alter.

It was a momentary glimpse, and only a few skilled ones could catch that sword strike.

Alter was captivated by the silence, looking only at Brillie.

‘Wasn’t it the Sword Saint who was supposed to come out and slash… Has he already reached that level?’