Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 299

Chapter 299. Yulian (2)

As soon as the 'Black Knight' appeared, the once rowdy vicinity of the audience chamber began to grow as silent as a grave.

It wasn't just that.

Thanks to the reputation that had been established and the events that had unfolded at the First Gate, all the subjects were now looking up to him in awe.

Some even knelt down in reverence. The manifestation of a 'hero' that previously only appeared in myths was enough to stir their hearts.

"... The Black Knight!?"

In that atmosphere, Pintel couldn't mask his astonishment. Although his whole body ached from exhaustion and wounds, as soon as the 'Black Knight' appeared, those discomforts began to dissipate like melting snow.

After all, it was only natural.

"The Black Knight... surely, it was supposed to be Sir Yulian!?"

Pintel glanced at Yulian, who was standing calmly beside him. Yulian, firmly holding his place, showed no sign of surprise even with the 'Black Knight' appearing right before his eyes.

"Th-th-the Black Knight has appeared!"

"He must have come to deal with Yulian on our behalf!"

"The Black Knight!"

"The Black Knight!"

Everyone chanted his name. With the cheers of the subjects at his back, the 'Black Knight' slowly approached Pintel.

Had he truly appeared to penalize them? Although the word 'penalize' seemed absurd in the current situation, Pintel clenched his fists tightly.

"C-come on, kill him, black....!"

"Ridiculous."

Interrupting some noble's shout, the quietly walking 'Black Knight' spoke up.

"W-what!?"

"What is it that you truly desire?"

The 'Black Knight' suddenly turned his gaze from Pintel to the crowd. Pintel flinched at the sight but soon regained his composure.

"Are you looking for the culprit of this incident? Or are you searching for someone to blame for the chaos?"

"Wh-what do you mean...!"

"Yulian is not the culprit of this mess."

Clearing his throat, the 'Black Knight' continued speaking after a brief pause.

"Yulian is not the culprit of this chaos. The real culprit is the Fourth Prince."

As he spoke, the 'Black Knight' turned his gaze towards the corpse of the dead Demon King.

Because he had turned into the 'Demon King', it was difficult to distinguish human features from the traces left by the demon, but the contours of the face undeniably belonged to the Fourth Prince, 'Eulsis'.

"It was Eulsis... Eulsis's doing."

At the 'Black Knight's' declaration, the surroundings began to stir. The idea that the Fourth Prince was the culprit was shocking enough.

"Don't be absurd! How could His Highness Eulsis commit such an act!"

"You, you're in the same league as Yulian!"

Nobles began pointing fingers at the 'Black Knight' and shouting loudly.

Then, scanning the area, they shouted to others.

"What are you all doing!? Drag him down immediately!"

The nobles shouted to drag down the 'Black Knight'. However, unlike before, the imperial army, the knights, and the subjects showed no sign of movement.

"Is what you say true?"

Instead, some people started to show signs of believing what the 'Black Knight' had said.

"You might have your own feelings towards 'Yulian', but those are unknown to me."

Taking a moment's pause, the 'Black Knight' spoke again.

"If not for him during this incident, the empire could have faced ruin."

The murmurs grew louder among the crowd following the 'Black Knight's' statement.

"Don't spew lies!"

"You're conspiring amongst yourselves, putting on a play...."

The nobles, who were voicing their rage, felt the cold stares upon them and took a step back.

"If the Black Knight says so, then it must be true."

"I might not trust others, but I can trust the Black Knight."

The once ominous air began to settle down gradually.

Nobles, still unsatisfied as they hadn't dealt with 'Yulian', trembled with unappeased rage but understood the situation.

To the subjects, the 'Black Knight' was inviolable. Directly refuting his words would only bring backlash onto themselves.

"It seems... things have settled somewhat, Sir Yulian."

"It appears so."

Pintel turned his gaze to Yulian. Yulian only graced him with an enlightened smile.

***

Though the commotion related to the 'Demon King' had ended, the imperial palace still had a significant challenge to address.

The death of the Emperor Adratan and the imperial prince, the pinnacle of imperial power, needed to be disclosed to the public, and its repercussions minimized.

Due to this, the secretariat seemed overwhelmingly busy.

"I see, so that is what transpired."

Unsurprisingly, Sedn, the head of the secretariat, also appeared extremely busy. Going through various documents and verifying them, he adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"I understand what happened in the audience chamber. All of this was orchestrated by His Highness Eulsis."

Sedn nodded as he spoke. The fatigue was evident in his eyes. After all, he had been summoning and interrogating people deep into the night, so such exhaustion was to be expected.

"You don't appear fatigued at all."

"What, I am quite exhausted myself, Sir Sedn."

"Really?"

Removing his glasses briefly, Sedn pressed his fingers against his eyes.

"You're free to leave. There wasn't much you shared with me anyway."

"Are you sure?"

When I inquired, Sedn, pressing his eyes, responded.

"I'm not sure if it's right for me to say this, but I know. Contrary to the infamy, you don't seem to act against the empire."

Sedn spoke with conviction. Watching him, I felt slightly embarrassed.

"... Is that so?"

However, since he saw me in good light, there was no need to deny it.

"Thank you for thinking that way."

After offering a simple thanks to Sedn, I left the secretariat.

When the night's view of the imperial palace greeted me, it felt new.

Though I had seen the 'imperial palace' at night countless times, I had never seen it as devastated as this.

"Though it's been in the game several times."

Since it became a reality, it was bound to feel new.

"Sir Yulian!"

As I stepped outside, Pintel, who had been waiting, came to greet me. 'Twilight', Rim Hashar, also seemed to be waiting.

"Are you alright? They didn't do anything inappropriate at the secretariat, did they...?"

"How is your injury, Sir Pintel?"

"Huh? Oh, yes...!"

"And Sir Rim Hashar?"

I looked over the Twilight who were waiting in the rear with Rim Hashar.

Though they bore some injuries, they didn't appear to be hindered in their movements.

"You've all worked hard today. Since you must be tired, it would be best to head back."

"We will escort you to the mansion!"

Despite Pintel offering to escort me, he had more injuries compared to the other Twilight members.

Seeing him staggering, I said,

"Twilight, please escort Sir Pintel. I'll return on my own."

Though it might seem a bit cold to Pintel and the Twilight who had waited, I wanted time to organize my thoughts.

As I walked back, feeling the chilly night air on my skin, I reflected.

"What should I do from now on?"

I had defeated the Demon King, and with Milena's help, the 'Demon God's Horns' were destroyed.

Though the demon Barbatos's remnants remained, meaning demons wouldn't disappear entirely, they wouldn't appear in large numbers as before.

This meant that the Rozenda continent became peaceful, which also meant—

"The Sword Saint was no longer necessary."

As I expected, once the 'Demon King' lost power, the 'Sword Saint' Trait vanished.

No longer did this world require a 'Sword Saint'.

This thought left a faint bitterness lingering at the tip of my tongue.

It felt like this meant that the reason for my arrival in this world and my own presence had become unnecessary.

"Well, it shouldn't mean that."

After talking to 'Milena', I realized that I needed to face this world properly.

That's why I became overly immersed in the title of 'Sword Saint'.

"What's wrong with being overly immersed?"

I countered my own thoughts. Just as I was clicking my tongue in disbelief, I felt a presence nearby.

The presence descended from the sky.

"The Black Knight has returned once again."

The Black Knight landed on the ground and slowly straightened up. Afterward, he began to slowly remove the mask he was wearing.

"Even knowing my identity, is it necessary to call me that?"

As he removed the mask, Uruhar's face was revealed.

"Why such cold words? In front of the audience chamber, were you not more 'Black Knight' than anyone else?"

"Kuheum."

Uruhar cleared his throat.

Naturally, the 'Black Knight' that appeared in the audience chamber wasn't me.

I had asked Uruhar to fulfill the role of the 'Black Knight'.

The reason, quite simply, was to prepare for any 'unexpected situations'.

'After all, the reason for storming the palace was to kill Eulsis.'

Even though Eulsis became the 'Demon King' and committed irrevocable crimes, royalty was still royalty.

There were numerous laws protecting him, so I had to find a way to protect myself.

And that was the role of the 'Black Knight'.

Surely, the palace will be filled with the subjects.

If, under the gaze of those subjects, the 'Black Knight' defended me, not even the imperial family could easily execute me.

"To think you anticipated such a situation and prepared for it."

At Uruhar's words, I chuckled.

"Well, since it was a venture to behead a prince, it seemed wise to prepare for the worst."

"... Indeed."

Beheading a prince.

Hearing those words, a myriad of emotions flashed across Uruhar's face.

"What was the reason I became a part of the Imperial Knights?"

"If you question it so much, why not look for another occupation?"

"... No, I considered resigning, but quitting the Imperial Knights doesn't seem wise."

When I asked why, Uruhar gave a sheepish smile.

"The pay isn't bad."

"A rather materialistic reason."

Laughing softly, Uruhar scratched his head.

"This might just be my guess, but I realized something when you asked for this favor."

He then opened his mouth with a rather serious expression.

"The Black Knight."

Did he want to say that he realized the identity of the 'Black Knight'?

Even if he did figure it out, I had no intention of denying it. Someone like Uruhar could be trusted with the truth.

"... The Black Knight is too gravely injured to move personally, isn't he?"

What kind of nonsense is this?

***

Though the full extent of the chaotic incident in the capital wasn't known, it became increasingly clear that the mastermind was 'Fourth Prince Eulsis'.

Many within the imperial court were taken aback. The once seemingly feeble Fourth Prince orchestrating such a scheme was a shocking revelation.

Since the founding of the empire, this unprecedented event meant all departments of the imperial palace were operating around the clock to handle the situation.

This included even 'Blind Eyes', with Ordwin Valadir, the commander of 'Blind Eyes', involved as well.

"... What is this amidst such a situation?"

With dark circles under her eyes, she looked up at Yulian.

Yulian wore his usual smile.

"Can't you tell by looking? It's a letter of resignation."

Clacky's Corner:

After causing a ruckus, he resigns. Hahaha.

P. S.

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