The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1129.2
Chapter 1129.2
Death.
Not even royal relatives or the Grand Emperor could escape the harshest punishment for treason.
“However, to avoid collective punishment, I will spare his family. I hereby strip them of their noble status and banish them from the capital.”
The Grand Emperor’s eyes widened. “Thank you, Daughter of Heaven.”
When Davey saw her coldly stare down at him, he had no intention of asking what she was thinking. While she appeared arrogant and cold, he could sense that she was silently grieving inside.
“Now is Jang-Goong. Criminal Jang-Goong, hear my decree.”
The moment she mentioned his name, her expression twisted. Still staring at him, she asked, “Do you admit your guilt?”
“
Haaah.
I was too naive.”
“Tell me why...” She rose from the throne. Her small hand then slammed the armrest of the throne as she screamed, “Why did you betray me?!”
Jang-Goong looked up at her in silence, his expression hollow. He simply spoke, “To bring down you and this nation together.”
The Daughter of Heaven flinched in shock.
“Did you think the Ming Empire was pure? Far from it. Back when the Ming Empire and the Hyeon Empire were at war, I was separated from my younger sibling and dragged here, where I was sold into slavery as a gladiator.”
Jang-Goong had once been a slave in the arena, only to be recognized for his skill and rise through the ranks. With the Grand Emperor’s help, he had climbed all the way up to commander of the royal guard.
“Everything he said is true. I took my chance. I pretended to rescue you, sent you off to Heins Territory, and even poisoned you in the process. I went as far as making sure to warn you not to recklessly interact with Prince Davey.”
If she had died in Heins Territory, it would’ve triggered a cascade of political disasters. The Ming Empire would’ve severed ties with the Rowane Kingdom for good, and the Contas Empire—whose envoy had been killed—would’ve likely retaliated with full force.
Jang-Goong had gone to great lengths to eliminate any variables ahead of time. “Still, I never could have imagined Prince Davey would find you by chance.”
Everything had started to fall apart for them once Davey happened to find her before it was too late.
“If not for that... if you had died before even reaching Heins Territory...” He let out a bitter, mocking laugh.
“Seize Jang-Goong,” she ordered, her voice cold. “Turn him over to the Contas Empire.”
Her words caused an uproar among those gathered.
She turned back to Davey. “Are you alright?”
“I’ll let it slide this time,” Davey said calmly, looking at her, “but only on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Those twenty who tried to assassinate you? Hand them over to me.”
* * *
Those who had betrayed the Daughter of Heaven were left looking like living corpses.
Even if large portions of their memories were missing, their unwavering loyalty toward her hadn’t entirely disappeared. When they came to their senses and learned they had tried to kill the sovereign they had sworn to protect, none of them could remain sane.
Some had already attempted suicide. Others lived on, but been left ridden with guilt and despair.
Of course, like the saying of boiling the hunting dog once the rabbit hunt was over, the Grand Emperor had planned to use them as scapegoats after the fact to squeeze all value from them; simply pawns to pin the blame on while burying his own crimes.
Their existence, whether by intent or not, could never be welcomed back in the Great Empire of Ming.
Davey had spent some time teaching the Daughter of Heaven how to play chess. When the royal guards entered, he turned his head. “Careful, Daughter of Heaven. Wordplay can be dangerous.”
“
Ugh,
you’re too good. You’re way too quick-witted!” She puffed up her cheeks in protest, but swapping a piece or two wasn’t going to change the tide of war on the board.
“Come on, can’t you let one mistake slide?”
“Nope, I’ll catch a cold,” he rejected.
“You have no respect for the sovereign of a nation!”
“Is that so?” he said indifferently, glancing at the jade ring she had given him.
It wasn’t particularly rare, though it bore the symbol Evangeline liked, making it something he felt was worth keeping. Not to mention, it had belonged to a sovereign. That alone gave it an extra value.
“Daughter of Heaven!”
Only ten of the twenty guards who had turned on her remained alive. The other ten had already taken their own lives.
Some of the remaining had refused food and water, and even now, they only endured because they didn’t fully believe she was alive. If they were to confirm they had truly tried to harm her, many would likely have already ended their own lives.
The Daughter of Heaven visibly flinched at their appearance, fear flickering in her eyes. To her, they were a source of trauma. Nonetheless, her reaction only confirmed that the rumors of rebellion and assassination spreading across the world were true.
“Please kill us, Daughter of Heaven! We who were meant to protect you raised our blades against you. We deserve death a hundred times over!”
Their voices were weak and full of remorse, barely audible due to starvation.
As Davey stayed silent, the Daughter of Heaven asked cautiously, “Why... Why did you try to kill me?”
Of course, there was no answer they could give her.
“They won’t remember,” Davey said.
“
Huh?
”
“Like you said, they were absolutely loyal to you.”
She looked at him with a confused expression. “Then why would they...?”
“Because they were too loyal. Once that devotion was reversed, they became incredible determined to kill you.”
To go that far in trying to kill their sovereign only meant that they would’ve gone just as far to protect her.
“Please, kill us!”
“Kill us!!”
Banging their heads on the floor, they cried out in unison. The Daughter of Heaven looked like she could hardly bear it.
“Davey... I accepted your request and summoned them here, but I’m still afraid of them.”
“Yes. The truth is bitter. They’re sick, that’s all.”
At the word ‘sick,’ all eyes turned to him.
There were already many in the Great Empire of Ming who believed his presence had a negative influence on her. The longer he stayed, the more likely it became that foreign nations would start raising complaints.
Davey knew where he stood, and so had no intention of staying for long.
“A while back, all across the continent of Tionis, people began to change without warning. It was something like a natural illness.”
Since he couldn’t reveal the truth, he had to frame it a different way.
The Daughter of Heaven looked at them with wide eyes.
“The symptoms were emotional reversals. They began to hate the ones they loved most, and they rejected the ideals they’d once cherished.”
The guards had sworn their lives to her, and when their loyalty was reversed, they became the greatest of traitors.
“What are you...”
Even the guards looked at him like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“Fortunately, I’ve already dealt with the cause. Well, to be precise, I borrowed the help of a few beings tasked with protecting this continent.”
There were already rumors going around that he was working with beings akin to dragons. He figured they’d get the idea.
The guards clenched their jaws, some biting their lips until they bled.
“They didn’t intend to do it. No, rather they didn’t choose to. Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that they tried to kill you. They can no longer stay by your side.”
That was the law of every kingdom. No one who tried to kill their sovereign could remain in their midst.
He continued, “But do you wish to punish them?”
The Daughter of Heaven looked at them, clearly shaken by his question. “Bak-Woo.”
“Yes, Daughter of Heaven!”
“Is this truly the truth?”
He lowered his head all the way to the floor. “Please take my life! My memory is fragmented and incomplete. Even so, if disloyal wretches like us remain by your side, we cannot say when we might lose control again. Please give us your decree.”
He was asking for execution.
She rejected his request, “I don’t want that.”
They were not like the Grand Emperor, who had willingly turned against her despite being sane. Neither were they like Jang-Goong, who sought nothing but the ruin of both her and the Great Empire of Ming.
The men before her were both victims and perpetrators.
“Yet the law is the law. Even if I forgive you, your path will be one of thorns.”
“That is correct, Daughter of Heaven. If you show us mercy, many will begin to question your judgment. That must not be allowed! Therefore, please... Please take our heads!”
Davey spoke up, “I’ll take care of them. They could be useful.”
The Daughter of Heaven turned to look at Davey curiously.
He continued, “At least give them a chance.”
“May I ask why you’re going so far for them?”
“It’s nothing special. I’ve just got too many irons in the fire, so I need more laborers. Seeing innocent people swept up in something they didn’t intentionally do leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
There was no grand reason behind it.
“You all can no longer stay at the Daughter of Heaven’s side.”
The envoys lowered their heads without resistance, having already prepared themselves.
“Even so, she doesn’t want to kill you.”
“That is...”
“Alas, staying in the Great Empire of Ming is no longer an option for you all.”
That much was certain. At the very least, exile was inevitable.
“But it’s unfair to be tossed out like trash, don’t you agree?”
They slowly looked up at him.
“So, here’s what we’ll do.”
Not long after, in the royal palace of the Ming Empire, a line of men with their heads wrapped in cloth were dragged out one by one. Each of them was then beheaded.
As a result, all voices accusing the Daughter of Heaven of being a fool who had shown ridiculous mercy to traitors fell silent.
However, what the people didn’t know was that both the smell of blood and the rolling heads were fabrications.
“Alright, slaves. You’ve got a job to do.” In a forest far from the royal palace of the Ming Empire, Davey stood before the survivors that had been lined up in two rows. “There are many across this continent who’ve suffered the same misfortune as you.”
Their eyes locked on him, sharp and focused.
“Based on the information I give you, your job is to go find them. That’s the final command the Daughter of Heaven has given you.”
“Once we finally find them, how do we save them?”
“You’ll become the villains. Hunt them down and kill them.”
Their faces twisted in disbelief and horror.
“How could you make such a decision?! Even if we are criminals, we can’t just kill innocent people!”
“What I’m saying is not make them like you. Alive, but dead. Most of them can’t be saved anymore, not by any other means.”
While nations may or may not punish them, they certainly wouldn’t protect them.
People ignorant of the truth would never forgive them, and revealing the truth wasn’t an option either.
Unless they were one of the lucky few like Grand Duchess Kathryn, who hadn’t taken any lives, most of them already had blood on their hands.
“Give them a corpse and make the world believe they’re dead. For those you save, bring them to me. All of them.” He then paused for a second before continuing, “There is no place in this world for the dead folks like you to live. Instead, I’ll make one.”
‘You will be the bridge between humans and demons.’
Davey wasn’t about to let such a valuable opportunity slip by.
.
!
Chapter 1129.2
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