Chapter 297 – 297. Duke’s Thirteenth Sabotage (13)

– One –

“…What did you say now?”

– Ah, the being who claims to be a demon, just told me that he sang the eternity of the imperial family…

Bang!

Regal slams the table.

His face was terribly crumpled.

“Is that your intention?”

– Yes… ?

Regal’s face hardens in a crumpled form.

Regal felt deeply displeased with the agent’s question, but he admitted that the question was inaccurate and resolved to endure it for once.

“As you judge, the alleged demon was already aware of the brainwashing trigger we had set up, knew the full story of our plan, and knew when we would attack the system, so it didn’t bother to twist the situation. I asked if it seemed like he was intentionally trying to hurt us by singing about the eternity of the imperial family.”

– Ah… If you ask me for my judgment, I think it’s pretty clear that the entity claiming to be a demon knew the whole story and deliberately sang the Imperial Family’s Eternity to sabotage us.

Regal’s expression softened.

As if asking him to continue explaining, Regal nods his head.

– Do we really have no contact with the devil at all? If so, it is highly likely that the self-proclaimed demon is actually something other than a demon, or is actually an illusion, in other words, an illusion.

“I see. It’s been thousands of years since demons haven’t descended or manifested on earth, so it’s unreasonable to assume that they’re real demons.”

On the surface, Regal seemed to have found the opposite sex.

But his eyes contained mad rage.

– Yes. Assuming that’s the case, the purpose of the existence called the devil is to neutralize the plan to be implemented in the system this time, to separate the imperial family from the king, and at the same time to aggravate public opinion about the king.

“I guess so… That would be a reasonable inference…”

Regal groans quietly.

Since it is an indisputable fact that they have never summoned a demon, they are still in an advantageous position to infer the whole story of the demon summoning.

First of all, it was not difficult to deduce the enemy’s purpose.

As the operative pointed out, it is clear that the enemy’s only goal is to cause tangible and intangible damage to Regal.

In fact, the enemy forced Regal to suffer enormous damage by shouting that short sentence, ‘Eternity of the Imperial Family’.

“The problem is behind the scenes…”

– As of right now, the imperial family and the imperial family are the most suspicious.

Regal is about to nod, then shakes slowly.

“That’s true, but something’s not clear. Did the idiots, who only knew the emperor, have time to prepare for such an operation while the system was being invaded? No, for a moment…”

Regal is troubled.

Before simply analyzing the phenomenon, it seemed that it would be first to identify a more fundamental problem.

After a long silence, Regal organizes his thoughts and opens his mouth.

“In order to more clearly confirm the background, we will have to figure out how the secret of the eternity of the imperial family was leaked. First, ask the butler to investigate about it, no, no. Let me talk to the butler myself. You continue to monitor the atmosphere of the system.”

– Yes, Your Highness.

Piririk.

Regal ends communication.

Pirik.
Beep, beep beep beep, beep, beep.

After taking a deep breath, I pressed the identification number assigned to the private network terminal of the butler.

Brillililili.
Brillililili.
Brillililili.

Even after waiting for a long time, communication with the butler is not established.

The communication magic tools using the private network possessed by the limbs of Regal are all portable.

That’s why it rarely happens that the butler doesn’t receive the communication requested by Regal in time.

It was because the head butler prioritized the conversation with Regal above all else.

Brillililili.
Brillililili.
Toow, toow, toow.
Took.

A beep is output indicating connection failure due to timeout.

Regal’s forehead wrinkled.

Try again.

Twice, three times, four times.

Put in a communication request without a break.

Still not connecting

It was gradually getting cooler as dusk fell, but cold sweat broke out on Regal’s forehead and nose.

‘What happened at the mansion in the islands… ?’

Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the lack of communication with the butler.

Whoa…

Regal catches her breath, calming her simmering emotions.

The moment he tried to connect again,

Pirik.

– Majesty.

Communication was connected from the butler.

Regal opened his eyes wide and looked at the owner’s face on the display panel.

“Hey… Why the hell are you like this?”

I couldn’t find the usual neat appearance in the butler at all.

As if he had been beaten by someone, even bloodstains and bruises were etched all over the butler’s face.

– I am very sorry for the bad performance, Your Highness.

“I’d rather hear about the inspector than apologize.”

– Your Highness, don’t be surprised and listen. Now, we are escaping the system by using a secret passage drilled underground.

“What?!”

When Regal heard the unexpected news, he couldn’t come to his senses.

There was no smile on his face all day.

“Did the imperial family move the imperial army so hastily after only hearing the words of a demon whose identity was uncertain?!”

– The imperial family moved, but that doesn’t mean they escaped, Your Highness.

“Then why the hell, no, no.”

Woo woo woo.

Regal suppresses her boiling anger and nervousness again.

It was because he was aware of the fact that he seemed to be overly shaken by the huge failure he hadn’t tasted in a long time.

“Please calmly explain each one.”

– Yes, Your Highness. First of all, I will report that the imperial family has moved. In the course of resisting the rebel attack, Imperial forces have taken over a telecommunications center in the archipelago by surprise. In the process, the head of the Imperial Army’s operations had activated emergency protocols and was intercepting all connected communications. However, the last conversation the duchess had with the operative who had infiltrated the rebels passed through the system’s communications center, and the head of the Imperial Army’s operations obtained the entire conversation and reported it to the imperial family.

“Umm…”

Regal couldn’t hold back the moans that burst out.

Was it too complacent?

Or was it just that I was too unlucky?

This misstep hurt me to the point where my bones would ache.

“So, did the Imperial Family Task Force come to the mansion?”

– That’s right. However, the circumstances alone made it impossible to detain the Highness or the Duchess or conduct a seizure and search of the mansion, so I went back immediately after notifying the date and notifying that the Duchess and Her Highness would appear at headquarters.

“Damn it…”

Regal was starting to get nervous.

It’s too early.

No, more than that, things went way too far from what I had planned.

That was the biggest problem.

“Then, it sounds like the visit of the Imperial Task Force has no direct connection to your emergency escape from the system.”

– That’s right. My escape is largely due to the island’s resident subjects, no, the mob.

“Mob?”

Regal gives strength to the eyes.

The brow furrows.

An unexpected development follows.

– That’s right. Shortly after the demons disappeared, riots broke out in the islands.

“What else is that…”

Right before communication with the butler was established, the operative who had talked with Regal was observing the situation from outside the system.

Therefore, it was natural that it would be difficult for him to know the situation inside the walls.

And since Regal himself has nothing to do with demons, he can be sure that the entity that appears in the system is not a demon.

Therefore, in order to find out who is behind the fake demon, you can find time to think about it rationally.

However, since everyone in the system has no clue as to the authenticity of the devil, the task of verifying its authenticity must be preceded.

It was clear that it was a riot.

The situation had changed so rapidly that Regal had briefly overlooked it.

Kuz i.E.
Ugh.

Regal bites his lip roughly.

Rumble.
Tick, drop, drop.

Blood runs down his chin.

– Hey, Your Highness! Please fix!

Swoop.
Chew!

When Regal senses the bleeding, she roughly wipes it up with her sleeve and scatters it.

Every movement of his was nervous.

“Since we were accused of summoning demons, are we sure it really caused a riot in the islands? So the mansion was attacked by a mob?”

– I’m sorry, but that’s right… Because they were frightened, they recklessly attacked the mansion. He destroyed property, set fire to the mansion, assaulted servants and enlisted men, and did not hesitate to even kill them.

“Are you caught up in it too?”

– That’s right… The enlisted soldiers made a gap, and with two operatives escorting them, they barely escaped the mansion and escaped to the outside of the current system.

“Right…”

Swish, flinch.

Regal tries to stroke his chin, but hesitates.

It was because he felt a sharp pain in his lips.

Swoop, tock.
Tok, tok, tok.

Instead, he taps the top plate with his index finger, keeping his palm spread out on the desk.

Nervousness and anxiety are evident in each of his movements.

“Why are those pigs and dogs acting so radically? No matter how frightened they are, do they dare to commit such atrocious acts against the empire’s only ducal family…?”

– Kheum, Your Highness.

As Regal murmurs to himself, the butler, who was examining his complexion, opens his mouth in a low voice.

Regal’s gaze goes to the display panel.

“Do you have any hopes of finding out something?”

– Yes, Your Highness. I think it’s because of the eternity of the imperial family.

“The imperial family, ah…”

Tup.

Regal touches her face.

He immediately understood the situation.

– The Imperial Army and Islands Defense Forces killed 60,000 rebels with cannons and magic tools, but the rest of the rebels approached the walls. After the rebels closely adhered to the wall, the Imperial Army and Islands Defense Forces hesitated to use artillery magic tools against the rebels who approached the wall.

“I guess so. Did 60,000 survive because of that?”

– Yes. In addition, the biggest reason why they were not aggressive in killing the rebels close to the wall was because all the siege weapons were destroyed before the rebels even approached, and there was nothing the rebels could do in reality. .

“But when they heard about the eternity of the imperial family, all at once became idiots and collapsed?”

– That’s right. The moment the news reached the inside of the system, everyone in the system seemed to have no choice but to be convinced of the existence of the devil. It is clear that he judged that he could not turn 60,000 people into idiots at once unless he was a transcendental person.

“Okay…”

Suddenly, a sound of pain escaped from Regal’s mouth.

Truly the perfect trap.

Due to someone’s manipulation, Regal has to be one of two things.

Become the leader of the rebels and a traitor, or become a devil worshiper.

In order to prove that the existence of the devil is false, you have to come forward and reveal that the rebels are fake and that you are brainwashed civilians, and at the same time you have to reveal the trigger you set and the story behind it.

If that happens, he will inevitably become a traitor, giving the imperial family a justification to attack him and the Whiskey family.

However, if he remains silent to hide the existence of the rebels, he cannot reveal that the existence of the devil is false by any means.

Unless a miracle happens that the mastermind behind the fabrication of the fake devil directly reveals that it was his own creation, he has no choice but to remain a devil worshiper.

This also gives the royal family, media, subjects, and even the church a reason to attack themselves.

“Even if you keep silent, even if you explain, somehow you’re bound to be attacked…”

– Majesty…

Regal lowers his head.

Regal’s face darkens.

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with a suitable solution right away.

Took.

Regal stops his fingers.

With his head down, he growls.

“First of all, let’s solve the immediate problem.”

I raise my head.

Madness in the eyes

“First of all, I think we need to find out where the information about the eternity of the imperial family was leaked. Researchers and servants belonging to all research institutes, all operatives, and all related people should be targeted. Even the wife is an exception,”

– Majesty.

The butler cuts him off.

Regal distorts her face and tries to yell at her, but she can’t turn away from the owner’s earnest gaze.

Suppress your tantrum once again.

“…Do you have something to say about this?”

– Yes, Your Highness. It is because there is something to guess about the leaked route.

“Tell me.”

– There was an incident where 30,000 rebels were wiped out in the north, right? In my opinion, it seems that secrets related to the eternity of the imperial family were leaked to the outside world at that time.

“Hmm…?”

Regal’s eyebrows widen.

Suddenly, his face turns into surprise.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

– Yes, Your Highness.

Regal regains his sanity and continues his thoughts.

Due to the brainwashing and prohibition imposed on all of the employees and subordinate operatives belonging to the research institute and mansion, it is virtually impossible to have security problems.

No, it’s close to impossible.

Since they are simple consumables, even if their intelligence is somewhat degraded, they put more effort into maintaining security and brainwashing and restraining them.

On the other hand, key researchers and high-ranking operatives have a slightly different story.

They applied brainwashing and restraint rather loosely, as their intelligence and judgment should not suffer.

Instead, they are constantly monitored and checked by each other.

If the secret about the eternity of the imperial family was leaked out, it is highly likely that it was leaked by them.

Then there are the two most recently deceased high-ranking operatives.

These are Beluga and Tullamore, special combat agents.

And of the two, only Tullamore is associated with the rebels.

“Damn it… Even the background was self-evident…”

– Yes?

The butler raises his eyes.

Regal organizes his thoughts and conveys them to the owner of the house.

The butler’s mouth slowly opened.

– As your Highness said, after tracing the leak route, it seems that even the people behind it have become clear.

“Sure. Thanks to you, I was able to organize my thoughts.”

Words of congratulations flowed from Regal’s mouth toward the butler, but the butler neither showed modesty nor was genuinely pleased with it.

Things weren’t too good for that.

“After all, it’s a trick done by the people in the north…”

Sigh.

Regal gnashing his teeth, burning with anger and hostility.

And then

Haaaaa

He looks up at the sky and lets out a hollow sigh.

Tup.

Covering his eyes with his right hand, he tries to calm his throbbing head.

It feels like everything has been blown away.

“It looks like we’ll all have to return, Chief Butler.”

– Are you going to give up on capturing them this time?

“That’s right. Things aren’t looking good right now. No matter how coveted the experiment subjects are, that’s all at best. We can’t just let the dogs and pigs plunder our base while chasing the prey? And we still have a relationship with the imperial family. Must not go wrong irreversibly, so it seems that I have no choice but to return to my home for now, even in order to respond to the Imperial Task Force’s request to appear.

Regal’s original plan was to take advantage of the slaughter of the imperial army and invade the northern unexplored lands with his privates.

Then, when the traces of the saintess and eight test subjects were captured by the soldiers, his final goal was to capture them all by fully deploying prototypes and powers.

If they were tired enough to deal with a large army of 200,000, it was assumed that they would be able to take advantage of this opportunity to capture them.

If they didn’t get tired, or if they seemed to be able to deal with enough of their own troops, they would immediately retreat and try to capture them again by mixing with the second expeditionary force.

However, due to the move they made, he was now being forced to retreat to his own territory, his home base.

A terrible sense of defeat engulfs his body.

“For now, let’s move after securing the safety of the territory, vassals, and ourselves.”

– All right.

“Then see you at the manor.”

– Yes, Your Highness. I’ll just step away.

“I know.”

Piririk.

The room is dyed with silence.

But inside of him, an unstoppable anger quietly burned.