"I admit I was behind their disappearance. But they deserved it!" Damien didn't kneel to the Emperor. Instead, he stood before him calmly.
The officials were kneeling around them.
The Sun was sitting on the throne, and his eyes were on Damien
To his surprise, Damien didn't tremble like his officials even though he was looking at him.
On top of that, he dared to meet his gaze.
'Arrogant.'
The emperor grinned at Damien.
Suddenly, they heard the Prime Minister's voice.
"What crime could be deserving of death? I hope your majesty won't listen to any lies and punish this evil-doer!"
Dozens of officials, whose dignity he had already bought, immediately demanded that Damien be punished.
Damien looked at them in disdain, "You guys are like eunuchs running their mouths. Truly shameless. But it's not surprising to see you behave this way."
His words pissed them off.
Their faces turned beet red out of embarrassment upon hearing his words.
They wanted to scold him, but they were in the presence of the emperor, so they kept quiet.
"Pfft!"
To their dismay, instead of scolding him, the emperor laughed like he had heard a joke.
"Oh, why is that?"
The officials heard the emperor questioning him.
"They don't have what it takes to be called a man!" Damien answered him.
"What is that?"
"I am afraid it's a word too dirty to be mentioned in this holy court."
"Just say it. We promise you won't be punished for running your mouth in the court today."
Damien smiled, "Balls. Seeing how they are kissing this shriveled old man's ass like he is their fathers, I believe they had castrated themselves in secret!"
His words were harsh but had a deeper meaning hidden within.
The Emperor was given the throne on a silver platter.
He fought for it.
He schemed for decades to get it.
So he knew what he was saying.
Basically, Damien's words could be translated into something entirely else.
He was saying that they had been purchased by the Prime Minister and had sworn their loyalty to him in secret.
Basically, the prime minister had created a coterie behind the emperor's back, and the officials who were speaking up for the prime minister at this moment were its members.
It was a crime.
After all, the officials could sway the emperor's decision.
And if many officials were led by one person, wouldn't that person gain the ability to influence the emperor's decision whenever he liked?
The prime minister stood up and defended himself, "Your majesty, he is speaking nonsense. Don't believe him. He has no proof to back up his words!"
The emperor ignored him and kept his gaze on Damien, "Do you know what you are saying? If you have no evidence to back it up, you will be punished."
"I am not the type to speak carelessly." Damien pulled out a wooden box from his storage space. "Here's the proof you speak of."
The emperor raised his hand and moved his fingers. Immediately, a shadow flashed out from behind his throne.
It was so fast that no one could catch its movement.
It vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving behind only a trail of black light.
When it disappeared, the wooden box was no longer in Damien's hand.
Instead, it was placed at the emperor's feet, and the content inside it was in his hands.
The documents showed that the group of nobles that were killed and the organizations that were destroyed were not only harassing and threatening him but also secretly committing capital crimes such as amassing resources and building an army in secret.
After going through the documents, the emperor's mood soured. He stood up and went to the prime minister, commanding him to stand up. When he got back on his feet, the emperor slapped his face with the documents.
"What is this?"
"T-this…" The prime minister's expression fell as he saw the so-called evidence that Damien had brought.
It gave detail of all his crimes and also showed concrete evidence that he was raising a private army and also funding the influential families who have joined hands with him so that they would be able to do it too.
"There's proof that you are behind this. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The emperor glared at him.
The prime minister stuttered like a newborn, but he couldn't form one coherent word.
In the end, he dropped down once again, "I am innocent."
The emperor demanded that everyone mentioned on the list be imprisoned.
Even though the Prime Minister was his father-in-law, he didn't show him any mercy and demoted him by several ranks and threw him in prison.
Due to this, the empress kneeled outside his room for half a day, pleading that he forgive her father. That day was exceptionally hot, and she was kneeling on his doorstep. The sun scorched her, and the hot tiles burned her knees and legs.
The emperor demanded she go away. But she stubbornly refused too. And it looked like she was ready to die if he didn't set her father free.
Reluctantly, the emperor placed the prime minister under house arrest and demoted him to the lowest rank official.
But that was what happened later.
Right now, the Emperor ignored the pleas of the trembling officials and turned to Damien.
"The wandering knights are behind you?"
"Mm-mm. How did you know?"
"Only they dare to act so overbearingly in the capital."
"I see. I guess it can't be hidden any longer. I am the legacy inheritor of the Black Dragon King, Ishtaq Baldwin."
The officials were shocked to hear this.
They finally realized why the emperor was so tolerant of him.
Ishtaq Baldwin was the friend of the king of the beasts, who was equal to the Emperor in terms of status.
Actually, it could be said that he was the emperor's senior.
The emperor knew a few other things, but he didn't say them out loud.
"You are quite good with words. What do you think about working for me? I need officials like you."
"Thank you, but no thanks. I already have a lot on my plate. I can't afford to add more. I am afraid it will become so heavy that I will stumble and fall." Damien declined him politely.
The emperor wasn't a stubborn man. Although he was rejected, he didn't hold Damien accountable. "You are free to leave."
He went back and sat on his throne.
Before going away, Damien whispered into the Prime Minister's ears, "Offending me should be the last thing on your mind if you value your value. No matter how you plot against me, it will only come back to bite you in the end. And if you force my hand, it won't end well for you. Your entire family might be implicated. Your daughter is the empress today, but it can change tomorrow."
The prime minister looked at him with bloodshot and protruding eyes, "Are you threatening me?!"
Damien replied, "Whatever you think it is, it is."
"You… you!"
The prime minister pointed at him in anger but was forced to lower his head when the emperor glanced at him.
Damien openly threatened the prime minister, whose daughter was the Empress, before swaggering his way out of the capital.
When this became public, everyone realized that he was backed by the Wandering Knight Organization.
So no one dared to plot against him, not even the Prime Minister!
After that, many things happened.
Due to health problems, he eventually settled down in the Ashen Mountains.
And right now, he was enjoying the banquet that he held to celebrate his cousin getting married to a female siren.
....
Author here:-
Flashback has ended!
We will be back to Mc's (Roy) story
