[Time shifts back slightly to just after Ryujeen was (sort of) exiled]

Duke Joldo: "Hmph, Largo… what’s a royal decree, acting all high and mighty! And to trust that nobody-knows-where-he-came-from brat and even pay him a fortune! Is he crazy?! Well then… I guess I’ll have to make him retire soon.”

Rodan: “Father, don’t kill Sophie. She’s going to be my wife.”

Joldo: “It’d be better to get rid of Sophie, too, but… her right of succession is higher than yours, so…”

Rodan: “No, no, absolutely not!”

Joldo: “Can’t be helped. Well, once she’s your wife, you better give her a good disciplining.”

Rodan: “Training Sophie… I’m looking forward to it.”

Rodan grinned, wiping away drool.

Rodan: “So what are we going to do? Should we ask the Assassin Guild again? Or maybe use that drug?”

Joldo: “The Assassin Guild charges a lot and there’s always a chance they’ll fail. I heard that a few days ago, a noble from the coup plotters tried to hire the guild to assassinate the king, but they were easily caught by that Ryujeen.”

Rodan: “Ryujeen…”

Rodan rubbed his arm, which Ryujeen had cut off, and his face turned pale with fear.

Rodan: “I never thought he’d be strong enough to beat Wald. There’s actually a swordsman stronger than that genius, Wald…”

Joldo: “But he’s gone now! … It’s good that he left on his own.”

In the end, Joldo decided to be stingy with the money he’d pay the Assassin Guild and instead used poison on the king and prince.

He didn’t want to kill them. The drug, when ingested, wouldn't kill them, but it would significantly lower their consciousness, damaging their intelligence and putting them in a confused state, erasing their will. He planned to break their minds and make them puppets.

And it was a good thing he didn’t hire assassins. The king and prince had been working late at night, and Rodan had been keeping them company, helping with their work.

It was perfectly natural for Joldo, out of concern for Rodan, to make him brew some tea.

And so, he successfully drugged the king and prince.

(Incidentally, the third son, Marquez, was the type who was stubborn and always insisted on the right way. Joldo found him annoying and had kept him at a distance. He disliked people who bothered him, even if they were his sons. He thought Marquez wasn’t suited for the world of political intrigue and decided to send him to a good tutor, hoping to make him a scholar. He wasn’t aware that the tutor was teaching Marquez that mistakes should be corrected.)

Joldo had actually wanted to give Sophie the same drug and make her a puppet. But Rodan insisted that a puppet wouldn’t be fun as a wife and that he wanted to train her himself, so Joldo had left it to him.

However, there was a miscalculation. He had mixed the wrong amount of the drug. He didn't intend to kill them, just break their minds, but he had used double the intended dose, and the King and Prince died from the shock.

So, he hastily killed the maid who had brewed the tea, making her the culprit from the Assassin Guild. (Joldo thought it was the maid who had mixed the wrong dosage, but in reality, it was Joldo’s instructions that were wrong.)

Then, he conspired with those he had already brought into the Duke’s faction, quickly disposed of the King and Prince's bodies, and took over as Regent.

Sophie was the first in line to inherit the throne, but she was still only fifteen and had little experience in politics, Joldo argued. He convinced the Duke’s faction to agree and took the seat of Regent for himself.

Then, Joldo quickly dismissed and expelled from the palace those who had been King Largo’s supporters, including the Chancellor.

Sophie was under house arrest. She was safe and secure.

The first thing he did was raise the tax rate levied on the people. It turned out that the Duke’s family had been quite tight on money, having been restricted from excessive spending by Largo, who was a frugal king. He announced that the tax rate would be tripled to get their finances back on track. (Of course, the official reason was different.)

But then, he received news that Ryujeen had returned to the capital to save Sophie, who was under house arrest.

It would be troublesome if he lost Sophie. The Duke had control of the palace, but Sophie was still very popular. And most importantly, she was the first in line to inherit the throne. If she made her claim, Joldo would lose his justification.

It was true that Ryujeen was strong. He was incredibly strong. After all, even the Sword Saint had lost to him. He wasn't someone you could win against in a direct fight.

But Joldo was confident that he couldn't handle assassination. Even the King and Prince, with their heavy security, had been easily poisoned by his own hands.

A mere amateur like Ryujeen couldn't possibly beat professional assassins.

He had heard that Ryujeen had captured the assassins sent by the nobles of the coup faction. But those assassins hadn't targeted Ryujeen. Ryujeen wouldn't have thought that he would be targeted directly. And those assassins had probably been cheap. If he hired top assassins, he would be safe. He was annoyed that he had to spend a lot of money on Ryujeen when he had tried to save money when it came to the King and Prince, but he had already realized that Ryujeen was formidable. It was far too dangerous for them to do anything themselves.

But Joldo received a report that the assassins he had hired had been defeated by Ryujeen. In the end, he was captured by Ryujeen, but…

Around the time the Duke was being captured by Ryujeen, at the Duke's mansion in the capital…

A carriage passed through the gate and entered the mansion. The one who emerged from the carriage was none other than Duke Joldo.

Why was Joldo there, when he was supposed to be in the royal dungeon, captured by Ryujeen?

When he heard that the assassination had failed, Joldo, anticipating that Ryujeen would come after him, had planted a shadow double on the throne (and ordered him to kill Sophie if possible) and secretly escaped from the palace.

(Incidentally, the Rodan in the dungeon was the real one. When his own life was at stake, he didn't hesitate to betray even his beloved sons. He was the type who only cared about himself. That was the kind of man Joldo was.)

Upon returning to his mansion, Joldo immediately had the valuables from the mansion loaded into a carriage and escaped the capital.

He planned to hide for a while and, when the time was right, assassinate Sophie. Then, he would return, claiming that he had been alive all along, and become king.

While the Duke’s faction in the palace had been eliminated, he had secretly secured the loyalty of several individuals, bribing them to be hidden supporters. Joldo had been preparing for this chance to take the throne for a long time. He was a meticulous planner. With the help of those individuals, he believed that assassinating Sophie wouldn't be difficult when Ryujeen wasn't around. She was an inexperienced girl, and she wouldn't stand a chance if she was betrayed by someone she trusted.

Joldo escaped the capital and, after a few days, arrived at a secret hideout in a town far from the capital. He decided to wait there for the opportunity.

It happened to be the day when Duke Joldo (he had already been stripped of his title, so he was a "former" Duke) and Rodan were to be executed in the dungeon.

The shadow double had been completely brainwashed with magical tools and drugs into believing he was the real Duke, so there was no risk of him being exposed. Once he was "dead," he wouldn't have to worry about being hunted anymore.

He regretted not being able to live in luxury, but once he killed Sophie, he would be the first in line to inherit the throne. He was sure there would be a chance.

But…

Joldo was sitting in his study chair, reading the local newspaper from the capital.

But he sensed someone else in the room, which was supposed to be empty.

He looked up, and there stood Ryujeen.

Ryu: "It's time for your execution, Duke."

Joldo: "Ry-Ryujeen…! …Help! Is anyone there? Intruder!"

Joldo cried out, trying to call for the guard knights, but Ryujeen's time-space magic had completely cut off the room from the outside world. His voice could not reach outside.

Then, a magic circle appeared at Joldo's feet…

At the execution ground, the Duke's shadow double was on the guillotine. He believed he was the real Duke, and he was cursing until the end.

But a magic circle appeared under the shadow double...

Joldo: "…?! Where am I?!"

Joldo had been in his study in his secret hideout in the town far from the capital. He was suddenly on the guillotine and panicked.

Ryu: "Did you think you could escape?"

Sophie: "Uncle Joldo, you must pay for your crimes."

Looking up, he saw a familiar head on the platform in front of him. It was his son, Rodan, who had already been executed. Rodan's eyes were open, and his vacant gaze was fixed on Joldo.

Joldo trembled and urinated himself at the sight.

He had just been enjoying a leisurely morning, drinking coffee… Suddenly, he was on the guillotine, about to be executed!

Joldo panicked and began to rant, but no one understood what he was saying.

Sophie turned and walked away.

When she was out of sight, the executioner raised his ax so that Joldo could see it.

Joldo: "St-stop it!"

The executioner silently cut the rope holding the guillotine's blade.

To be Continued...

Next Time

Punishment is necessary.

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