The God's Games

Both of the dukes commanded their own knights, not to mention the presence of the Order of the Shattering Light supporting them, making their forces formidable.

In other words, a great battle was looming?

The players who reached this conclusion were thrilled.

The chance to witness and participate in such an event was something they eagerly accepted.

The most pitiful, perhaps, were Duke Dzemael and Duke Haillenarte who were completely unaware that their plans were doomed.

They still believed their scheme was foolproof, expecting to destroy the Kingdom of Orinthia the next day, crush the Church of Light, and impress the various foreign envoys with the might of the Order of the Shattering Light.

Their goal was to make the nations abandon resistance against the demons and resign to their fate.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

They had already coordinated with their informants within the palace, positioning their people early on inside the royal grounds.

With a single command, their forces would surround the entire conference room.

At the same time, they had stationed personnel close to both the queen and the princess, believing that these two lives would be enough to force King Varis to surrender.

Duke Dzemael had planned everything meticulously.

However, when they casually entered the palace the next day, they noticed the strange looks in the eyes of those around them.

The man was a guard from the palace, someone Duke Dzemael had seen several times.

During the day, this guard would often greet him, and Duke Dzemael had once thought he was easy to recruit, even considering the possibility of turning him to his side.

At that time, the guard had seemed agreeable enough, though he didn't appear too bright, as if he hadn't fully grasped what Duke Dzemael was implying.

With the rebellion at hand, Duke Dzemael had no time to think too much about such matters.

But now, it seemed as though this guard knew exactly what was about to happen.

No, impossible.

Their secrecy had been impeccable.

How could anyone know their plans in advance?

Duke Dzemael shook his head, trying to clear away these strange thoughts, and continued forward.

Once seated in the conference room, Duke Dzemael felt the atmosphere grow even more peculiar.

Some glances seemed to hover around him, as if something unusual had occurred—something everyone else knew about except for him.

What on earth had happened?

On the surface, Duke Dzemael smiled calmly as he sat down, but inside, he was deeply troubled.

This sense of exclusion was unsettling, as though he were standing outside a door that everyone else had already passed through, unable to step inside.

Still, as a duke, he had his pride to maintain.

Duke Dzemael didn't ask any questions, instead observing those around him, waiting for the right moment.

However, the occasional glances that came his way continued to irritate him.

What had these people heard?

Then it occurred to him—whatever they had heard didn't matter.

Soon, they would all be prisoners in his hands.

Let's see if they still dared look at him that way when the time came.

Duke Dzemael's heart swelled with pride, and an uncontrollable smile spread across his face.

Seeing him smile like that, the people nearby looked at him with even more peculiar expressions.

Once King Varis took his seat, he first glanced around the room.

Seeing Duke Dzemael's nonchalant demeanor, he knew that Duke Dzemael had no idea they were already aware of the two families' upcoming plans.

Then King Varis glanced at Hanjun, who was leaning lazily against his chair, seemingly dozing off.

It appeared that Hanjun, after enduring the tedious meetings of the previous day, found the meeting so boring that he could only rest in his chair.

The brave heroes who had been with him had disappeared, as they had already accepted a mission to the Freehold of Veranil.

Duke Dzemael, of course, noticed this as well.

He saw it as a golden opportunity.

Without the heroes by his side, Hanjun was merely a boy of fourteen or fifteen—how could he possibly resist them or the members of the Order of the Shattering Light?

At that moment, Duke Dzemael was entirely convinced that the assassins they had sent to kill Hanjun had been dealt with by the heroes, not by Hanjun himself.

In summary, they had once again underestimated Hanjun's abilities.

This led Duke Dzemael, when everyone had gathered and the meeting should have begun, to stand up, cast a glance around the room, and boldly declare, "Now that everyone's here, allow me to capture you all in one fell swoop!"

He clapped his hands, giving a signal to his men.

Immediately, around a hundred knights surrounded the round table, trapping everyone inside, with long, spiked spears pressed threateningly against their backs.

Even under such circumstances, the people in the meeting room—representatives from the various delegations—neither panicked nor attempted to flee.

Despite facing the sharp spikes, they remained completely calm and unmoved.

This was entirely beyond Duke Dzemael's expectations.

In his mind, the situation should have played out differently.

Where had things gone wrong?

Trying to mask his anxiety, Duke Dzemael shouted loudly, "What's this? Do you think someone is coming to save you? It's useless! The entire palace is under my control now. Escape is impossible for any of you!"

He spoke with great conviction, but the exaggerated volume and forced confidence betrayed his nerves.

The delegations at the meeting were well aware of what was going on, as the palace guards had quietly informed them upon their arrival that the palace was secure and there was no need to panic.

At first, they had felt some apprehension, but seeing the scene unfold just as the guards had said, their initial tension turned into calm. Your next chapter awaits on empire

Since King Varis had learned of the plot in advance, they knew he would have made proper preparations.

The safety of the guests was assured, and witnessing this firsthand would also benefit future diplomatic relations.

This was precisely why King Varis hadn't dealt with Duke Dzemael and Duke Haillenarte earlier.