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First Prince, Lukraizen Hysirion.

I was walking with Idella to have an audience with him.

Since I remained silent the entire time, Idella glanced at me nervously.

Just earlier, her expression had been filled with annoyance, but after witnessing my relationship with Iris, her attitude had grown noticeably cautious.

But I didn’t have the luxury to care about her now.

Of course not—my head was too full with thoughts of Iris.

The reason Iris wants to become Emperor.

I must find out what it is.

The quickest way would be to retrace the events leading up to now.

What has the Celestial Grace been up to lately?

‘The berserk ancient dragons. The miracle of bringing people back to life.’

Through these two phenomena, what does the Celestial Grace intend to gain?

And what did the Celestial Grace offer Iris in exchange for giving up the throne?

I must uncover what that was at all costs.

‘Iris genuinely wants to be Emperor.’

Then there must be a reason she absolutely cannot give up on it.

"His Highness the First Prince is still attending to official business, so you may need to wait a bit,"

An attendant informed us.

Idella and I were shown to a guest room.

If we waited here, the First Prince would eventually come.

I sat down and continued to go over the situation in my head.

I’d played the Flame Butterfly route countless times.

Though the main story had long since deviated and new events were constantly occurring,

some of my past knowledge might still prove useful.

Just as I was racking my brain, searching for even the smallest clue—

Knock knock—

A maid gently knocked and spoke,

"His Highness the First Prince is arriving."

Phew.

I let out a short breath and pulled myself together.

I adjusted my attire, and the door opened.

Idella and I stood up at the same time.

The First Prince walked in with a dismissive wave of his hand, skipping any formal greetings.

That alone told me how busy he must be.

He pulled at the collar of his shirt as he sat down, loosening it slightly.

Seemed he had just come from a meeting with high-ranking nobles.

"Hannon—no, Vikamon. It's been a while."

He saw right through me the moment he entered.

Naturally—if the Blue Tower Master were to send someone, I’d be the first to come to mind.

"Yes, it has been a while."

I didn't deny his guess and offered my greeting.

Idella, even more flustered than before, glanced nervously at me.

Once again, she quietly stepped back and cast a soundproofing spell.

She clearly didn’t want to get involved in these political matters.

A wise choice.

"I’m quite busy, so let’s get straight to the point."

"To deal with the ancient dragons, I plan to complete the Celestial Dragon Transformation spell developed by Zerion, and use it to drive them back."

"You're the one performing the transformation, and the Blue Tower Master and her daughter are supporting the research?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

He seemed to understand the situation even without being briefed.

Still the same sharp man.

"Lately, the Niflheim Count’s family has been showing signs of moving independently. Was that intentional?"

"We’re doing our best to sever ties with the Celestial Grace."

"You’re working hard to protect the family that cast you out, I see."

But the First Prince’s expression didn’t look pleased.

I could more or less guess why.

"Has there been an increase in nobles switching from your faction to the Third Princess’s?"

Upon hearing my next question, the First Prince fixed his gaze on me.

The reason he had been spending so much time meeting with high-ranking nobles…

It had to be to solidify his own faction.

The fact that he was devoting this much time meant that the struggle for the throne was intense.

"Yes. With Iris openly expressing her interest in the throne, the situation is changing. Even nobles who had been staying quiet are now joining her camp.

Of course, we’ve had some defections as well, though most of those were always the fence-sitting types anyway."

"It’s probably due to the civil war in Panisys and the dragon incidents.

With chaos erupting everywhere, the nobles are getting anxious and hedging their bets."

"It's instinct—to make sure the ground under them is secure."

He let out a dry chuckle with that sharp remark.

"But judging by your visit today, that’s not the only reason you’re here, is it?"

This is why talking to the First Prince is never easy.

With his unnerving intuition, he sees through people too easily.

"Yes. It’s only a possibility, but it may be due to the rumor circulating among the nobles."

"You mean the one about someone possessing the miracle to bring people back from the dead?"

It seemed his side had already done some digging.

"It's still being treated as just a rumor."

"No—it’s true. Sharin’s mother has come back to life."

"Hah…"

The First Prince let out a breath in disbelief.

"I’ve been thinking about this carefully."

I subtly shared the theory I had come up with.

The First Prince’s faction had yet to connect the Celestial Grace to the miracle of resurrection.

That’s why they were only observing the situation and not acting.

But I knew the Celestial Grace’s true nature.

That allowed me to grasp the situation faster than they could.

After hearing everything I had to say, the First Prince’s face stiffened.

With a complicated expression, he repeatedly tapped his armrest before asking:

“Do you really think Duke Robliage would do that sincerely?”

“I have lost my emotions due to the overuse of mystic arts.”

Though I had recently regained a portion of my anger, it was only a portion.

Therefore, aside from joy, my emotions were nearly empty.

“I believe Duke Robliage is not so different from me.”

Duke Robliage was born without emotions.

What he possessed was only the desire for self-preservation and ascension.

He is the type of person who could trample on anything visible to move forward — even if that includes his own family.

“And if it were me, I would gladly do it.”

Assassinate a person and use the offer of saving them to make others bow at your feet.

There is no more efficient method.

“It’s likely just a test phase right now.”

The nobles that the First Prince had referred to as "bats"...

He’s probably observing how they react and how they plan to respond, gathering information in the process.

That’s why nothing has surfaced yet.

‘Maybe Sharin’s mother was...’

It could’ve been a move to test the Master of the Blue Tower.

For now, it’s because she’s Sharin’s mother.

‘More importantly, it’s unclear if the resurrected person is truly brought back in one piece.’

Mystic power originates from corrupted beings who failed to become gods.

Ultimately, it’s an incomplete power.

It likely harbors fatal flaws, like the Veil Bandages

Resurrection is a divine ability.

It was never something mystic power could truly achieve.

It will undoubtedly bring new problems.

Which means, in the end, innocent people will just end up dead.

“We need to find the source of the rumors.”

“Yes. The sooner Lord Duke of Whitewood returns, the easier it will be.”

In other words, this wasn’t something that could be solved overnight.

“I’ll look into it personally.”

He would do whatever it takes to investigate.

Let’s leave this to the First Prince.

“Is that all for now?”

Though I had already burdened the overly busy First Prince, he took on yet another task.

This was workaholism to a dangerous degree.

“There’s something I want to ask about Iris.”

“Iris?”

The First Prince gave me a look as if to say, “You know her better than I do.”

He knew full well the deep bond between Iris and me.

His reaction was understandable.

“Iris placed little importance on the emperor’s throne. I’m curious what made her change her mind.”

“Hmm, and you’re asking me to find that out?”

“Given Your Highness’s nature, you must’ve planted at least one spy among the Third Princess’s faction.”

The First Prince clicked his tongue briefly.

Just as he could see through me, I could see through him as well.

“This is also beneficial for you, Your Highness. It could help stop Iris from seeking the throne.”

It was an offer that posed no disadvantage to him.

“Fine. I’ll look into it.”

He agreed in the end.

A brother investigating his own sister... This family really is a mess.

“Actually, I already have one likely theory.”

My eyes widened.

So he already had an idea?

“Iris’s mother, who died from the nightmare illness. Wouldn’t resurrecting her be reason enough?”

I froze.

So that was it.

I hadn’t thought of that.

To Iris, her mother was the only one who ever gave her familial affection.

And the one who made her long for family in the first place.

“...That makes sense.”

The condition of resurrecting her mother.

That alone would be enough for Iris to follow Duke Robliage.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

‘I thought Hania and I had filled that void.’

Maybe it wasn’t enough.

I grew troubled thinking about how to explain this to Hania.

But soon, a wave of denial rose in my mind.

‘...No.’

I remembered the bright smile Iris showed when she was with me and Hania.

That smile wasn’t fake.

How was she today?

The complex emotions on Iris’s face...

Even I, dulled in feeling, could sense how conflicted she was.

That expression wasn’t just about bringing back her mother.

‘There’s more.’

There had to be more reasons why Iris was clinging to the throne.

‘In the original scenario, she stubbornly sought the throne due to the bond with Duke Robliage, her only remaining family.’

But that’s not the Iris now.

She had clearly learned about a relationship that went beyond family.

「…Yes, that’s what I believe.」

I clenched my fist.

“That might not be the only reason. Could you look deeper into it?”

The First Prince met my gaze for a moment, then smiled softly.

“Looks like my sister’s made a good friend.”

“Why not use this chance to grow closer to her?”

“Our personalities don’t match. That’s just how siblings are.”

He said with a shrug and rose from his seat.

“I’ll look into it further.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

I stood up and bowed respectfully.

The royal family’s issues were now in the First Prince’s hands.

It was time to bring Duke of Whitewood back, to resolve the core problem within the imperial court.

I was going to revive the fear carved into the bloodline of the ancient dragon.