[translator - kiteretsu]

    [proofreader - kyros]

    chapter 83

    the black sword that kaylen sent into the royal palace, though imbued with only a small amount of dark mana, was still a sword created by kaylen, who had completed the four swords.

    "i didn’t expect the sword to disappear without leaving a trace."

    as the sword vanished, kaylen recalled the overwhelming amount of mana he briefly sensed.

    "what on earth is happening inside the royal palace?"

    "could the king be involved?" the king had summoned the prince and left with him.

    the sword that had pursued the prince disappeared without a trace in the presence of immense magical power. although it was fleeting, the sheer magnitude of the mana was truly overwhelming.

    even kaylen, who thought it would be difficult to find an equal among humans after completing the four swords, felt a sense of caution from the massive dark mana he had sensed.

    "i need to investigate this."

    while the campaign against the demon realm''s colonies unfolded, if the command structure opposing them was found to be connected to the demon realm, the outcome of the battle would be all too clear.

    “excuse me, lord kaylen?”

    lost in thought while standing still, kaylen was addressed by the maid guiding him.

    “...i was just lost in thought for a moment. my apologies.”

    “oh, no, it’s fine.”

    “is working in the royal palace difficult?”

    kaylen, offering a kind smile, asked the shy-faced maid.

    “no. everyone here is kind and good-natured, so it’s quite a pleasant place to work.”

    “considering the size of the palace, i thought there might not be many maids. do you have a lot of work to handle?”

    “you probably only saw the maids in the outer palace. inside, many more maids are stationed.”

    “i see.”

    “when there are many visitors, things do get busy on our end... but during my time working here, we haven’t had too many guests.”

    as the conversation began to flow, the shy maid started to chatter on about life working in the royal palace.

    “recently, though, the saintess came to visit, so we’ve been putting extra care into hospitality. by the way, lord kaylen, have you met the saintess before?”

    “yes. i’ve had the honor of meeting her after she extended an invitation.”

    “she’s truly beautiful and kind. one time, i tripped while carrying food, but instead of reprimanding me, she smiled and bestowed the blessing of healing... it was so touching. oh, i hear she’s coming back in three days. even from afar, i’d love to see her again.”

    "that’ll be my opportunity to investigate."

    though he wanted to release the six swords and infiltrate the inner palace immediately, kaylen decided that waiting for the saintess’s visit would be a better move.

    "who knows what might happen inside the palace? moving recklessly could... raise suspicion."

    by conducting his investigation on the day of the saintess’s visit, even if chaos broke out, initial suspicions would likely be directed toward her.

    kaylen’s eyes gleamed sharply.

    ?

    saintess theresia was incredulous.

    “you’re saying you won’t... go to stop the monster wave?”

    “yes. the royal family has decided to prioritize defending the capital.”

    at the luncheon hosted by the bormian royal family, theresia sighed deeply while exchanging glances with princess violet.

    "i had such a good first impression."

    the saintess recalled her initial visit to the bormian royal palace. back then, princess violet, even at a young age, had displayed wisdom and confidence, naturally earning her favor.

    "but why are they acting like this now?"

    the last time they met, they had promised to respond with full force.

    "it’s not like they’re afraid of monsters."

    theresia was well aware of glacia, the mana suit princess violet was wearing.

    a suit that continuously infused its wearer with ice mana, eventually freezing them completely.

    there had only been a handful of glacia’s wielders throughout history, and all of them met the same fate—writhing in agony before turning into frozen statues.

    though princess violet didn''t show any signs of suffering now, she was surely fighting against the freezing power with every passing day.

    someone enduring glacia’s torment daily wouldn’t hold back out of fear of mere monsters.

    “to defend the capital, your highness, as the wielder of an s-rank mana suit, you should personally step forward to stop the monster wave.”

    “the monster army might take a detour...”

    "looks like the saintess applied quite a bit of pressure."

    from her perspective, it must have been exasperating.

    she had come all this way to help, only to find the kingdom refusing to cooperate because of internal power struggles.

    it wasn’t surprising that she would mention leaving out of sheer disillusionment.

    however, having seen the first prince in person, kaylen believed that political power struggles were just a surface-level excuse.

    the immense dark energy he had sensed when his shadow sword vanished—that was likely the real force behind the current crisis.

    "tonight, i will uncover the source of that dark energy."

    disguised in the white armor of a holy knight, kaylen silently melted into the shadows.

    the way of six swords

    first sword – union

    merging his body completely with the shadow sword made of dark energy.

    kaylen’s form vanished without a trace.

    with the sun setting and only the moonlight illuminating the palace, he slipped further inside.

    "let’s go."

    he advanced deeper into the inner palace without hesitation, drawing upon his years of infiltration experience.

    "still no sign of dark energy."

    the deeper he went, the darker it became, but the overwhelming energy he had felt earlier was nowhere to be found.

    he passed the reception room where he had encountered prince diether hart.

    even after reaching the location where the shadow sword’s signal had disappeared...

    there was nothing but darkness all around.

    the potent mana he had sensed earlier was completely absent.

    "strange. it should be around here."

    kaylen scanned his surroundings.

    based on what he could tell, he had just passed the entrance to the inner palace.

    this area was somewhat separate from the main structure, resembling a detached palace.

    lily palace.

    looking at the inscription on the building’s entrance, kaylen recalled the information he had gathered over the past three days about the royal palace.

    the lily palace—the very place where the biological mother of the first prince and princess violet, queen diana, once resided.

    queen diana was once known for her harmonious relationship with the current king. however, eight years ago, she committed a "grave sin" and was executed. the exact nature of her crime was never disclosed, but the fact that her family, the house of duke revren, fully accepted the royal verdict without protest suggested her guilt was undeniable.

    after her execution, the position of queen was filled by a concubine from the house of duke oblaine. this change ignited the fierce rivalry between the first and second princes, which now defined the struggle for the throne in the bormian kingdom.

    ''if princess violet had not been chosen by glacia, it would have been difficult for queen diana''s children to retain their status after her execution,'' kaylen recalled.

    how grave must diana''s crime have been for even her children to bear its consequences?

    now, kaylen stood before diana''s former palace. though he felt nothing at the moment, his instincts told him otherwise—something was here.

    despite his keen senses, the palace appeared utterly empty. there were no traces of maids managing the residence, no flickering candlelight piercing the darkness, and not even dust had gathered over time.

    ''...there really is no one here.''

    yes, it was too empty.

    if this palace had been truly abandoned since the queen''s disgrace, it should have been covered in dust. yet, the pristine condition of the space only heightened his suspicions.

    without hesitation, kaylen ventured further into the palace. upon reaching the largest chamber at the heart of the residence, he finally heard something.

    "violet. so, the saintess is taking a firm stance, is she?"

    "good. then tell her you will join the battle. but not right away—we must inflict maximum damage on the oblaine duchy first."

    the voice of prince diether hart echoed eerily through the empty room.

    "what''s the point when the kingdom is in crisis? think about our mother, violet. the oblaine duchy must suffer, even just a little."

    kaylen closed his eyes and focused entirely on the voice''s source.

    "violet, just hold on a little longer."

    sharpening his senses, kaylen quickly pinpointed the origin of the sound.

    it was... directly above him.

    looking up at the ceiling adorned with intricate lily patterns, kaylen instinctively drew his sword for the first time.

    [translator - kiteretsu]

    [proofreader - kyros]