Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Merciless Great Emperor Konstantin
While Lu Hong toiled away at teaching, Mage Danni of the Green Tower waited quietly within the solemn and magnificent Imperial Palace. The mage's face was a portrait of calm, seemingly immune to any ripples of emotion that might disturb her heart.
Before long, a palace maid hurried back, bowed to the mage, and said, "His Majesty is waiting for you in Yangchun Hall, Tower Master, please follow me."
"You're too slow, I'll go myself." Without another word, Danni breezed past the maid and swiftly headed toward Yangchun Hall, apparently in response to a matter of great importance.
"How did you get here so quickly?!" Emperor Konstantin, who was still pulling up his trousers, quickly sat down to shield himself from Danni's disdainful gaze with the coffee table in front of him.
"Doing this in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of being called depraved?"
"That's because there were no state affairs today, haha!" Emperor Konstantin laughed to cover up his embarrassment and quickly changed the subject, "It's rare for you to come to the palace, what's so urgent that you would disregard the rules?"
"I saw that badge," Danni said solemnly.
"What badge?" Emperor Konstantin was stunned. "What kind of badge would be so important to you?"
Suddenly, Emperor Konstantin slammed his fist onto the table and roared, "Is it the Hell Sect causing trouble again? Tell me where they are! I'll lead my men to annihilate them!"
"It's not about the Hell Sect. I will handle matters of hell myself—you needn't trouble yourself," Danni said calmly.
"Then what is this badge? Is it important?" Emperor Konstantin was confused at this point, unable to recall any badge that would be so significant to the Tower Master of the Green Tower.
"Do you remember now?" With the power of nature, Danni outlined the appearance of the badge in the air. Before the badge was fully depicted, Emperor Konstantin's face turned pale, and he shot up so violently that the coffee table in front of him was knocked over, causing his half-fastened trousers to slip down again. Ignoring his own image, he stared at the forming badge and said gravely, "You've found my sister?!"
Danni shook her head, "Sit down first, you're making my eyesight dizzy. I've only found the badge that Funie was wearing, not her."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Konstantin regained his senses, his face flushing as he quickly pulled up his trousers and then asked, "Where was it found?"
"In the possession of a person a year ago."
"What did you find out from them?"
Danni shook her head again, "I didn't ask anything."
"Why didn't you ask? Is it because of this person's identity that made it inconvenient for you to inquire?" Emperor Konstantin was slightly displeased.
"I've checked his background; he's a half-beast abandoned by his own mother, nearly killed by bandits. And this badge was something his mother left him. Since Funie does not wish to return, we will not be able to find her," Danni explained.
"Is it because she had a half-beast son?" Emperor Konstantin's face fell slightly, "She's my sister; no matter what she's done, I will forgive her!"
"But she probably doesn't think the same. The presence of a half-beast offspring is an insult to the royal family!" Danni continued, "So now, what do you think we should do?"
Emperor Konstantin closed his eyes, tapping his right hand lightly on his thigh, and after a long moment, he said, "No matter what, since my sister is still alive, I must find her!"
"And the child?" Danni pursued, not believing that Emperor Konstantin hadn't considered the child. Although he didn't mention it, Danni had to ask. Emperor Konstantin might seem a benevolent ruler, but he had inherited every bit of the emperor's ruthlessness. This child was, after all, Funie's child, and Danni feared that Emperor Konstantin, for the sake of the royal family's reputation, might dispose of him in secret.
"Even if I don't take action, others in the royal family will. Don't forget, the empire has more than one royal house! The Prolo family, for the sake of their honor, wouldn't let such leverage fall into the hands of the Shehe family unless you can keep this secret permanently," Emperor Konstantin said sternly.
Danni nodded, understanding Emperor Konstantin's meaning. The child would be safe as long as his heritage remained hidden, so if Danni wanted to protect him, she must keep this secret, "I will keep this secret, as for the whereabouts of Funie, you should look for her yourself. Although I'd like to assist, the portal to hell has shown signs of expanding recently, and I must address it."
"If you need any help, just ask," Emperor Konstantin nodded and tossed a token into Danni's hand, "Channel your power into this token, and within half an hour, someone will seek you out. You may command them for anything."
"No need," the beautiful woman tossed the token back, not wishing to owe any favors.
"Fine, let's forget it," sighed Emperor Konstantin, feeling the path to make this beautiful woman part of his harem had just become longer.
"Since everything has been explained, I shall take my leave," said the beautiful woman, walking away without looking back.
"Wait, you came all this way, stay and have some fun before you go! Hey, hey! Danni! Won't you reconsider the position of the master of the harem?" Emperor Konstantin hurriedly yelled after her, but seeing the forces of nature grow stronger around the beautiful woman, he quickly changed his tune, "Take care, take care, you're welcome to visit again!"
Watching the beautiful woman leave, Emperor Konstantin withdrew his gaze and glanced over the maids and guards standing in the four corners and at the entrance. He channeled the power of Holy Light into the token that he had given to the beautiful woman. In a flash, several men in black knelt behind the Emperor saying, "We await Your Majesty's orders."
"Kill!" ordered Emperor Konstantin emotionlessly. Before the maids and guards could even react, those men in black had already silenced all the servants in the hall.
The servants had definitely overheard their recent conversation, and Emperor Konstantin did not hesitate to silence them, displaying the emperor's mercilessness at this moment.
"Send out all the Black Guards to search for my sister's whereabouts, and kill everyone who knows anything about her after interrogation!" After giving his orders, Emperor Konstantin gestured, and the Black Guards invisibly dispersed within the great hall.
Three days passed quickly, and finally, the day of the duel with Gunnar arrived. This duel was widely discussed at Kains Academy, as both Nono and Gunnar were strong students from the Knight lineage, and the duel was bound to draw a lot of attention.
Gunnar arrived quite early, coming to the dueling stage half an hour ahead of time. By then, the area below the stage was already filled with students who had come to watch, not just from the Knight lineage, but also students of all professions had gathered there.
"What are you looking at! A bunch of filthy, petty people!" the Priest students sneered contemptuously at the Thief students, wrapped tightly in black cloaks. How dare these lowly characters who only brave the shadows try to catch a glimpse of their beauty? That's asking for death! Pah! Rascals!
"What? You trying to start something? Believe it or not, tonight I'll steal all of your underwear, and tomorrow morning, I'll give one to each male student at the academy?" retorted the Thief student with a cold laugh. Was it so wrong to look around casually? Why don't you scold the Knight students when they look at you? Talk about double standards!
"You! A bunch of ruffian thieves, Holy Light will punish you!" shouted the Priest students, their faces red with anger. They were furious but dared not talk back. After all, Thieves were truly skilled at stealing, and if they really did, their profession—80% female—couldn't possibly prevent it!
"Hmph! I can't stand you people. Don't be afraid, Holy Light sisters, I will protect you!" At this moment, the Hunter students couldn't sit still any longer. Due to their profession caring for animal companions, they seldom found girlfriends. Now, with the Holy Light sisters being bullied, it was the perfect opportunity to gain their favor.
"I'll remember you guys. Tomorrow, I'll poison your beasts and see how long they last!" the Thief student laughed menacingly, shaking a vial of poison in his hand.
"No, bro, come on, let's talk this through!" The Hunter student panicked; their companions were their lifeline.
"No backbone!" the Priest sisters scorned disdainfully.
Painted crimson with the effort to gain favor, the Hunter students finally roared, "You thieving scum, we're going all out against you today!"
"Don't be afraid, Thief friends. These Priests are nothing but troublemakers, stirring up strife. We'll back you up!" At this point, the Druid students also jumped in to support the Thief students.
"You damned Druids!" exploded the Priest sisters, their anger boiling over. The Druids followed a healing path, much like the Priests, and competed for business daily, so there was no love lost between them.
"Oh?" Mage and Shaman students casually took their seats to watch: "There's drama to enjoy."
"Hey, hey, Mage friend, make some room."
"Why should I, a Mage of such status, make room for you?" The Mage student looked disdainfully at the Shaman student.
The Shaman student's face changed as he rolled up his sleeves, "Dare to say that again?"
"What? You want to fight?" The Mage's eyebrows raised as he brandished a magic wand, pulled out of nowhere.
What was happening? Wasn't today supposed to be my duel with Funie? Why are you all fighting? Gunnar looked on bewildered at the commotion among the various professions below the stage, full of question marks. He very much hoped Nono would arrive soon, otherwise, this one-on-one would turn into an all-out brawl!