The Head Priest of Flames had come straight from the Church of Flames, all to tell the Holy Priest of Flames about this news.
The other Head Priests who heard the news were also shocked, at least the ones who knew what it meant.
"After all this time..."
The Head Priest of other Churches were also curious about what was going on in the Church of Flames. From their reactions, they should feel as if something big had happened but they didn't know what.
If it was enough to shock the Head Priests of the Church of Flames, other Church members realized that it was certainly a big deal, maybe even related to the meeting that was going on inside.
"You're right. We must inform him. But even we can't interfere in the Meeting of Saints. Wait for him to come out first."
The Head Priests of Flames landed on the ground, agreeing to wait. Even though it was big news, they couldn't enter the Palace to inform. Not only were the other Churches going to stop them, but it was also the same as directly offending all the Holy Priestess who were present in the meeting. They were sure that if they did that, even Lerian wasn't going to save them.
****
Gabriel had killed the Emperor of Arecia. After killing the man, he looked around, quite confused.
With the kind of words that the Emperor was using to threaten him, he expected that some calamity was going to strike him and the Empire if Emperor Alecton was killed. However, everything seemed very normal for now.
Everything was the same as before. The air was still gentle. The sky was still clear. He couldn't feel any killing intent or any danger either.
"Was he really bluffing?" he wondered.
Duke Callum stepped closer to Gabriel, also observing the body of the old emperor on the ground.
"Congratulations on becoming the Emperor of Arecia. Within a day, everyone should know about it. It should be legal as well. But there is still something we need to deal with," he stated, pointing back at the three youngsters who were on their knees, crying.
Gabriel turned around, noticing the Prince and the Two Princesses. The three of them didn't have a hand in the fate of the Arecia Clan. They weren't even born when that happened.
"Even though their Royal Titles are invalid now, they were still once considered Royals. If they can gain enough support in the future, they might lead a rebellion," Callum warned Gabriel. "It's better to rid trouble from its roots."
"They can't lead a rebellion," Gabriel answered. "After what happened today, do you think any of the remaining Noble family would dare support them? As for the public, they have already picked a side. Even I know just how bad of a reputation the young prince has."
Gabriel was quite confident that these three had no cards in their hands. If anything, they were even more useless than they were in the beginning.
"What about foreign help? There are many Empires who always wanted an excuse to invade. They won't care about public sentiment or the prince's reputation once they get an opportunity. Ours is also one of the only few Empires which doesn't have the support of any Church," Duke Callum reminded Gabriel.
He didn't believe in giving mercy to the enemies, especially when one killed their parents. Bad blood was already established between the two sides after all.
"To avoid any future troubles, we need to be careful," he further added. "I don't want you to regret it in the future. Maybe these people can't hurt you now, but their lineage will continue growing. It might not be in the next hundred years, but what about the next thousand years? You won't always be in the Empire, acting as a deterrent to all who have bad thoughts for this Empire."
"If even Saint King's lineage can fall once, what about yours? I don't want to force you, but I still think you should avoid all troubles if possible. That's all I'll say. After this, the decision is yours."
Duke Callum said all he had to say before taking a step back, leaving the final decision to Gabriel.
Even Gabriel knew that his words weren't wrong. As long as he lived, he didn't think any Noble was going to dare rebel, but he wasn't an immortal. Sooner or later, he was going to die. Could he really leave potential snakes lurking in the darkness to hunt his future descendants? Can he really allow the past of Arecia Clan to repeat itself?
Princess Shia felt her heart being gripped by fear. The first time she met Gabriel, she didn't feel like that. In fact, Gabriel was her saviour. But how... She truly felt scared. The young man who was once her saviour was going to kill her with his own hands?
She could only close her eyes as she watched Gabriel step closer to her.
She stabilized her breathing, even though her heart was racing.
"You saved my life once. If not for you, I would've already been dead. I owe you a life, and if you want to take this life from me, I would accept."
She didn't dare open her eyes. She didn't want Gabriel to see how terrified she truly was. Even in death, she wanted to be brave and accept death like a Royal.
Even in death, she wanted to repay what she owed Gabriel... A life for a life...
Unlike Shia, the other two siblings were much more different.
Eldest Princess Azia was on her knees, shivering. Her face was covered in tears. She was always the timid one, but now, she couldn't even speak. It was as if she had already lost her voice.
She felt as if her body was already weak, all over.
As for the Prince of Arecia, the young man had already wet his pants as soon as he watched his father die.
He was always the brave and arrogant one, but only because he had the backing of his father and the Royal Knights. In one day, he lost all his backing and was already at death's door.
"E--Emperor! Don't kill me! I'll do anything you say! I'll be your loyal dog in this life and in the next! Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"
Gabriel was like the grim reaper for the Prince who was the most scared of death. The young prince placed his forehead on the ground, like a lowly servant, begging for forgiveness.
He also didn't forget to remind Gabriel that just like the Nobles who were allowed to live, he didn't have anything to do with the fate of Arecia Clan!
Gabriel watched the reaction of all three youngsters. All of their reactions were different from one another. One was brave, one was scared and one was already wetting his pants.
