Chapter 002: After the Storm (Part 2)

Three more days passed, and all departments in the capital had largely stabilized. Prince Fischer had also mobilized loyal troops from the towns surrounding the capital to defend it, while the Imperial Guard, originally under Prince Fischer’s command, remained motionless under the surveillance of the Northern Legion… After all, the Imperial Guard was the strongest military force in the capital and the only one directly under the royal command—of great significance to the royal family. At this moment, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Dax, was dead, and his deputy, Redcliffe, was one of Prince Fischer’s men. It was only a matter of time before he assimilated the Imperial Guard through his connections.

Sending the Northern Legion to monitor them served two purposes: first, to show trust in the Green family, and second, to prevent those loyal to the eldest prince from doing something reckless! One must be prepared for anything…

Once Prince Fischer’s men fully took control of the Imperial Guard, all these problems would naturally be resolved. However, after all this, it seemed Prince Fischer had forgotten one thing—rewarding those who had contributed! After all, politics was like a high-stakes gamble. Those who bet on Prince Fischer had now won and deserved rewards. But if Prince Fischer delayed giving them rewards, who would dare to demand them?

Moreover, it seemed Emperor Austin III had been dead for nearly seven days. It seemed… probably… seemingly… a state funeral was also needed. Could it be that Prince Fischer was reluctant to publicly reward those who had helped due to his father’s death? Every noble wondered, but during this special period, whatever Prince Fischer did or didn’t do was beyond their right to speculate recklessly.

…

The stench of blood still filled the imperial palace. The spring breeze couldn’t dispel it. The grand imperial palace resembled a huge tomb, filled with the smell of blood and decay everywhere. This putrid odor could be sensed not only by the nose but also seen with the eyes. Walking in the palace, one might accidentally step on pieces of flesh belonging to unknown people—not because those handling the corpses were careless, but because these pieces were dragged in by ants, rats, and other creatures in the palace, making it impossible to clean them up quickly.

Yet, in the side palaces of the palace, everything had already been thoroughly cleaned long ago.

Not only were the floors and walls spotless, but the surroundings were also filled with various flowers, preventing the stench of blood from the imperial palace from reaching here. This side palace was like the only peaceful place in a battlefield of chaos.

At that moment, Prince Fischer slowly entered through the door of the side hall. The soldiers guarding around him all knelt down upon seeing him, but Prince Fischer merely waved his hand slightly before frowning and stepping deeper into the side hall.

After passing through countless corridors and doors, Prince Fischer finally arrived at a luxurious room. Yet, he had no mood to pay attention to such things at the moment. He quickly pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Everything in the room was exquisitely luxurious, appearing extremely extravagant. But the most eye-catching item was a large bed in the center of the room. On the bed, Du Fan still had his eyes tightly closed, unconscious. His wounds showed no signs of healing, though the bleeding had stopped, which was quite alarming.

Fortunately, the exposed wounds were still gently moving, seemingly the only proof that he was still alive.

At that moment, a white cloth was lifted, revealing a priest in robes standing with his back to Prince Fischer. Holy light flickered in his hands, shining repeatedly on Du Fan. Yet, aside from causing brief glimmers of light, it seemed to have no effect.

Prince Fischer didn’t know whether he was relieved to see Du Fan or this priest. With a bitter smile, he softly asked, “Saint, how is Duke Du Fan today?”

The person who had been healing Du Fan turned around and smiled faintly…

That smile carried a hint of sorrow, yet also a sense of beauty that could captivate hearts (of course, from the perspective of those who appreciate same-sex relationships). Then he sighed softly and said, “It’s you, Your Highness… I, Nicholas, have done my best, but Du Fan’s injuries are too severe… There’s nothing more I can do. Right now, he’s barely clinging to life thanks to a little holy water. It would be quite normal if he passed away in the next second.”

Prince Fischer stared at Nicholas’s enchanting face for a moment before sighing and asking, “Is there… really no other way?”

Nicholas shook his head and said, “I’ve tried every method I could… But not only me—even if Lord Anthony were here, he would likely be helpless…”

Prince Fischer sighed and slowly walked over to Du Fan, taking a few glances at him before saying, “Why did he end up like this? Although that Oscar is quite formidable, even he couldn’t have hurt Du Fan to the point where he became beyond recovery!”
“He… ruined himself like this,” Nicholas said, not noticing Prince Fischer’s expression, and sighed inwardly. “Given his actual strength, he’s at most at level six. Against Francis, he definitely wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back… So, Your Highness, how do you think he could possibly deal with Francis?”
Before Prince Fischer could reply, Nicholas grabbed the Holy Radiance Staff placed beside Du Fan and continued, “It’s all because of this Holy Radiance Staff. I don’t know exactly why, but this artifact must have given Du Fan immense power, allowing him to confront Francis… However, this power was likely obtained by unleashing the potential within his body. In other words… when using this thing, Du Fan must have damaged his core essence… And later, when fighting that guy from the Bauhinia Dynasty, Lord Du Fan used a secret technique similar to the Holy Church’s Recovery Art. If he hadn’t been injured after using it, I still might have had a way to save him. But the problem is… he was severely injured after using it! Now his body has been completely destroyed by that guy’s combat energy… To not die is already a stroke of luck… Even if he could be saved, it’s utterly impossible for him to regain his previous strength!”
Prince Fischer frowned repeatedly as he listened. “How do you know all this, Saint?”
Nicholas shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure either. These are all speculations. And if I had known the outcome would be like this from the start, I would never have given him a chance to fight… Your Highness, if Du Fan’s condition were to become known, trouble would surely arise…”
Prince Fischer remained frowning. “What do you mean?”
Nicholas sighed and said, “Why is this happening? Surely you know the answer, Your Highness. Well, Your Highness… I’ve done everything I can today. I’ll go back and see if there’s any other way to save Lord Du Fan!”
With that, Nicholas stood up, casually covered Du Fan with a white cloth, then sighed and slowly walked away.

Prince Fischer said nothing, merely staring in the direction Nicholas had left. After a moment, he frowned and turned to Du Fan, murmuring, “Du Fan, Du Fan! Are you my blessing or my curse?” After staring at Du Fan for a while, Prince Fischer suddenly reached out and gently patted him, saying calmly, “Master, how is the situation today?” A faint magical fluctuation came from the air, and moments later, Abraham appeared as if out of thin air. He bowed slightly and said, “Your Highness, there’s still no progress today. In fact, Du Fan’s condition hasn’t improved at all these past days… I’ve observed carefully that each time Saint Nicholas uses a different method, but no matter what he does, it has no effect on Du Fan… Based on my experience, Du Fan is beyond redemption! Unless some deity can restore his original essence… But in my opinion, that’s absolutely impossible! All the Holy Church has been doing these days is just wasting time!” Prince Fischer nodded and asked, “Is Du Fan really that important to the Holy Church?” Abraham replied calmly, “Your Highness, someone who can drive back the strongest person on the continent must be extremely important to anyone!” Prince Fischer sneered and said, “It’s a pity that this person can’t even move now. If he could return to his previous state… that would be astonishing. But it’s fine that he can’t—at least for us, it only brings benefits, no drawbacks!” Abraham nodded but remained silent. Yet Prince Fischer still said grimly, “A duke who’s as good as a cripple is indeed much better than a powerful duke who can’t even be controlled!”