?829 Chapter 829: Same Choice
The assassin looked back, the border wall of the city clearly visible. As he stared at the towering border wall, the assassin couldn't help but be surprised that there was a hidden tunnel like this that they didn't know about.
Now he finally understood the reason poison was used to kill the previous city lord. If the City Lord wasn't poisoned, then even if they had gathered people strong enough to kill him, they couldn't have done anything.
The moment they had passed through the security, the City Lord could've left through this tunnel that no one knew about. And then, he could've had his revenge. The plan to poison had considered a lot of variables.
Although it took longer, it was also more foolproof. The poison ensured that the City Lord couldn't do anything. All they had to do was wait until he died on his own.
That was also why they leaked the information about the herb being brought through the sea so his son could be delayed. Although the pirates didn't manage to kill the City Lord's son, spoiling some of the plan, for the most part, it was a huge success as the city lord didn't get the herb in time.
Unfortunately, because the City Lord wasn't killed, a new problem was created, especially since he returned with another person and made him the City Lord. Moreover this person felt even more dangerous than the previous city lord.
"If we die inside the Land of Chaos, those people would be quite happy. The old city lord is dead. The new one will be dead as well. And the City would be gone in the next beast attack. You're making things easier for them."
The Assassin still tried to change Karyk's mind, hoping that he would go back instead of taking such a risk that was more beneficial to his enemies.
Unfortunately for him, Karyk had made up his mind. He wanted to see just what was the secret of the Land of Chaos. Why were the beast attacks never ending? Why was it called the Capital of the Celestial Empire in the book, before Elzerian Empire even existed.
He didn't know if the book's contents were true or not, but he had a feeling that he needed to check it himself. If the contents of the book were true and there was a reason the beasts kept attacking Elzeria, it could be useful for him.
Even a General of the Dynasty couldn't return alive from the Land of Chaos, which convinced Karyk that there were powerful beings hiding inside the land of Chaos. If those beings attacked the border City, it was clear that no one could stop them, except the army from the Royal Capital. Yet they didn't attack.
Moreover, even after knowing about their existence, the Emperor didn't place any army to the border City, as if he knew that the beings were never going to step out personally.
He could feel that there were strange undercurrents running beneath the surface of the land of Chaos, but it was impossible to decipher their true nature. However, he knew that this was an opportunity that he was looking for.
If he could solve the mystery, then he could definitely create a bigger headache for the Elzerian Dynasty.
"If they're going to be happy with my death, I'll give them an opportunity." Karyk smiled as he stepped towards the distant Land of Chaos.
****
Back on earth, Ryder returned to his mansion, greeted by his son who had been worried all this time.
"Uncle Janus...?" Nyx asked, realizing that Ryder had returned alone.
The last he remembered, his father was holding Caen by his throat while Janus was pleading with him to let his nephew live. He didn't know what happened after that as he was sent away. But he had a bad feeling about this. Did his father actually kill the son of Chaos?
"Have you eaten?" Ryder asked as he walked past Nyx.
Nyx shook his head, his mind still clouded with worry. "I couldn't bring myself to eat when I didn't know if you were alright."
Ryder sighed. "There are times when we need to do something against our convictions. It would be best if you stopped thinking about what happened today. I just did what had to be done. That's all there is to it."
"Tell your mother to get dinner ready. After a shower, we will eat together." He went upstairs, entering his room.
Nyx looked at his father until he disappeared. He didn't know what had happened, but he felt that he shouldn't be asking about it.
Curiosity gnawed at Nyx, but he trusted his father's judgment. He knew that his father hadn't eaten for a long time either. He went to his mother, telling her that his father was back.
In his room, Ryder stood before the study table, where the ancient book was still open. It was the same place where Janus thought he had stabbed him, not realizing that it wasn't the real him.
"I really hoped he wouldn't have done that. But somewhere, I also understand why he did it. If it was me, maybe..."
He closed the ancient book, taking his clothes off before entering the shower.
"What a troublesome prophecy... It dragged us all in..." He turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his tired body. As the water washed away the stress of the past few hours, Ryder couldn't help but reflect on the events that had unfolded and the information he came to find out.
"I thought I would be able to keep my promise, and live in peace with my family. But this prophecy... If it's true, it'll drag Nyx to his death as well."
Ryder clenched his fists, his conflict of thoughts clearly visible on his face.
Today, he had done something for which he could never forgive himself. However, he couldn't even afford to regret his choice as he knew that if there was another opportunity, he would've done the same thing.
