Why must the devil be Defeated?

In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's sleeping quarters were one of the most luxurious buildings, second only to the Audience Hall.

It encompassed nearly every word of praise one could bestow upon a structure, being a palace that exuded luxury, spaciousness, grandeur, extravagance, and splendor.

At this moment, inside and out, countless knights clad in heavy armor stood sternly at their posts, performing their duty to guard the Emperor's sleeping quarters with utmost rigor.

Several nobles and civil servants came and went, yet every entry and exit required meticulous scrutiny by many knights. By the time they were allowed to enter the sleeping quarters and see the Emperor, it was already two or three hours later.

This left many civil servants involuntarily heaving a big sigh of relief upon leaving the Emperor's sleeping quarters, exchanging glances with one another and whispering quietly.

"He really dared to personally transfer a ten-thousand-strong detachment from the Imperial Knight Order to protect himself; isn't His Majesty being too timid?"

"There's no helping it. Lately, there's been a Strange Thief who infiltrated the Palace, no telling if they planned an assassination, and there's the appearance of that Mysterious Person who can summon meteor showers, completely destroying the Leferut Family; it's not surprising that His Majesty feels scared."

"After all, the target of the Strange Thief has always been the Nobles, and it's not unlikely they would set their sights on the Royal Family. As for that mysterious strong figure, there's no need to say more, they directly annihilated an entire Leferut Family."

"His Majesty himself comes from the Leferut Family, and he almost fell from the throne in fright when he heard about the annihilation of the Leferut Family by that Mysterious Person."

"So, for the sake of his own life, it seems His Majesty can no longer care about much else."

"If the sleeping quarters could only accommodate those ten thousand knights as guards, I bet His Majesty would wish he could summon the entire Imperial Knight Order to protect himself."

"Even though he has the Royal Knights to guard him, the Imperial City has recently encountered troublesome times, with many places needing the Imperial Knights' dispatch. Yet, His Majesty arranges so many knights around himself..."

"What a waste..."

"Don't talk like that; no matter what, he is still the Emperor."

"Hmph, he's just someone who thought he could sit on the throne because the former imperial concubine had no interest in governing. After taking the throne, he's always been at the mercy of the Leferut Family. If it weren't for Princess Moro's emergence, with his weak character, how could he act so haughtily?"

"Shush, keep your voice down."

"Yes, we can talk about the Emperor all we like after all, he truly is incompetent, but the Imperial Concubine holds significant sway and many Nobles support her. If you don't want to lose your head, it's best to speak less."

The group of civil servants whispered to each other in this manner, with scorn in their hearts as they turned their backs on the sleeping quarters and left.

From this, it was clear how unpopular the current Emperor was.

Such was the Empire, valuing martial prowess and only respecting those with true ability. Even the Emperor, if incompetent, would face such private criticism.

Had it not been for the past support of the Leferut Family and later the support of the Empress, this Emperor might have already sparked a rebellion and been deposed.

Under such circumstances, no one noticed a shadow appeared as if by Instant Teleportation, and then with another Instant Teleportation, it entered the Emperor's sleeping quarters.

Among the full ten thousand Imperial Knights, not one noticed his presence, allowing him to infiltrate silently.

...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious room, the current Emperor was still receiving a few Nobles.

However, he was thundering furiously at these Nobles.

"Idiots! All of you are idiots!"

There stood a short, plump, middle-aged man dressed in opulent clothes, lacking any majesty and instead exuding a nouveau riche aura, cursing the Nobles before him.

"It's just finding someone. You failed to catch the previous Strange Thief, and now you've failed to catch this Mysterious Person too. Are you all just freeloading?"

The Emperor lashed out uncontrollably, frothing at the mouth.

The Nobles could barely conceal the disgust in their eyes but had to present themselves with genuine fear and trepidation.

After all, the man before them was the Emperor, and showing excessive disrespect would undoubtedly lead to trouble.

One of the Nobles began to speak.

"Please… please give us a little more time," he said softly: "It has been less than a day since that Mysterious Person committed the crime. With a bit more time, we will surely…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Emperor burst into a rage again.

"Give you more time? Who will give me more time!?" the Emperor raged: "That damn person obliterated the Leferut Family overnight, and previously rodents successfully infiltrated the Palace. If that person comes for me, when the time comes, can you bear the responsibility...!?"

Indeed.

In the end, the Emperor was just worried about his own safety.

The destruction of the Leferut Family was indeed a headache for many in the Empire's high-level echelons, but for a shortsighted Emperor, it was a secretly pleasing affair.

For he was Dilequis' blood brother, having once competed with Dilequis for the head position of the Leferut Family, yet he was no match for Dilequis and always lightly played by him.

His own family regarded him, void of talent, as if he was worthless.

Even servants had openly scorned him.

Finally, he was used as a political marriage pawn by Dilequis, thrown to the Royal Family to serve as a bridge—or rather, a Puppet—between the Royal Family and the Leferuts.

The Emperor had always harbored hatred for Dilequis and the Leferut Family.

Had it not been for the former imperial concubine's disinterest in governance and his deceptive sweet talk, he would never have been able to sit on the throne.

But after he became the Emperor, he had no real power and was constantly manipulated by the Leferut Family, ignored, and despised by everyone in the Imperial Palace.

It wasn't until ten years ago, when he encountered the current Imperial Concubine, that the Emperor felt he had finally risen to his feet.

Under the secret guidance of that Imperial Concubine, the Emperor made various decisions that overturned his own situation. He overthrew the former imperial concubine, taught the Leferut Family and those nobles who looked down on him a lesson, making them all choose to submit.

From that time on, the Emperor finally felt that he had taken control of the country.

Of course, the proud and complacent Emperor did not realize that it wasn't he to whom the nobles and even the Leferut Family had submitted, but to the Imperial Concubine.

The poor Emperor still thought the Imperial Concubine helped him gain real power, when in reality, those nobles only kowtowed to the pitiful Emperor out of respect for Moro.

In any case, the Emperor didn't care whether the Leferut Family would disappear.

Rather, he was thrilled and delighted to hear of the Leferut Family's downfall.

However, a mysterious strong character capable of summoning a meteor shower and annihilating the entire Leferut Family in one night exerted tremendous pressure on the Emperor.

Since that person destroyed the Leferut Family, wouldn't he, being a member of the Leferut Family himself, be the next target?

Unfortunately, a Strange Thief had successfully infiltrated the Imperial Palace recently, further compounding the timid Emperor's anxieties.

That was why the Emperor was so agitated.

"Go! Find them! Keep searching!"

The Emperor roared.

"We must capture that Mysterious Person and that Strange Thief from before as soon as possible. We can't let either of them escape. Whoever captures or... no, kills them will have achieved the greatest merit: those without titles will be ennobled, and those with titles will also receive rewards, even promotion in ranks!"

To ease his anxiety, the Emperor made these significant promises.

The nobles finally perked up a bit, agreed in unison, and then all retreated together.

The room was suddenly left with only the Emperor.

"Ha..."

The Emperor, as if drained of all strength, slumped into his chair.

"Where on earth has the Imperial Concubine gone at a time like this...?"

The Emperor felt a strong sense of unease.

Over the ten years, he had grown accustomed to following Moro's directions, and every time he did as she requested, clear results were achieved, causing this Emperor to become completely dependent on Moro.

It made this already ineffectual Emperor even more useless, prone to panic over the slightest issues.

When Moro was around, the Emperor would quickly settle down.

But without Moro, the Emperor felt unsafe everywhere and could not find peace no matter what, leaving him in a state of constant anxiety.

The Emperor totally failed to notice that a figure had appeared behind him at some point.

The Mysterious Person in a cloak stood behind the Emperor, emitting a faint sense of danger, which made the Emperor shiver and instinctively turn his head to look behind.

With one look, the Emperor's eyes widened.

"————!?"

He tried to scream in terror but was silenced by a hand covering his mouth.

"Mmmmm...!?"

The Emperor's muffled, terrified struggle was futile.

The Mysterious Person in a black cloak easily dragged him away.

It wasn't long before silent screams reverberated in the room.

...

"Uh... ah..."

Time passed before the controlled screams in the room turned into faint moans.

The Emperor of the Ragna Empire was seen bound and suspended upside down from the ceiling rafter, his head dangling, a cloth stuffed in his mouth, his face swollen and bruised like a pig's head, completely disfigured.

The cloaked Mysterious Person moved throughout the room, searching through bookshelves to find what they were searching for.

Only after a while did they find an ancient book on one of the shelves.

The cover of the ancient book had no text, no title, no author's name—just a picture.

A picture with shiny, willow-like branches.

"Found it."

Shane suddenly smiled.