The atmosphere in the study immediately became incredibly quiet. Neither the emperor, Budo, nor Lancer spoke, but the atmosphere in the room became more and more strange.
There is no doubt that as the emperor of the empire, he is not powerless, but in terms of strength, he is far behind Lancer and Budo. However, as the person who holds the lifeline of the entire empire, his imposing aura made Lancer break out in a cold sweat. This is the aura that only someone who can decide the life and death of countless people with a single word possesses!
And his next words indeed had such power. Once he chooses to support Lancer suggestion, the empire's intelligence department will be the first to be embroiled in a bloody storm.
On one side is an organization that has existed for a thousand years, and on the other side is a subordinate who has just been taken in. Logically, the choice should be self-evident, but...
"Father King!!"
The sudden shout made everyone in the room recover from the strange atmosphere. Lancer, in particular, looked with a surprised expression at the young boy standing at the study door and the small boy he was holding by the hand.
He knows that the young boy should be the emperor's son, but he doesn't know which one.
Perhaps the first emperor of the empire had already understood the impact of power struggles among the princes on the empire, so from his generation onwards, it was forbidden for princes to leave the palace before they came of age. Although it was impossible to completely forbid it, it did weaken the influence of the princes on the court to a certain extent.
But... generally speaking, princes shouldn't come to the emperor's office, right?
"Your Majesty, how about Lancer and I wait outside for you?"
"You may go..."
Lancer then left the study under the strange gaze of the two boys, one big and one small. As for why it was just Lancer? There's no doubt that Budo is the only 'exception,' as the two princes had already met Budo before.
The two were silent outside the study, especially Lancer, who felt incredibly awkward.
"Lancer."
"Yes!"
"About what happened today, just keep it to yourself."
Just keep it to himself?
The fact that a prince appeared in the emperor's study today can be a big or small matter. In a small sense, it means the prince is being unruly. In a big sense, it could even affect the future of the empire...
"Yes!"
Budo just nodded at Lancer reaction and said no more. In fact, what happened today was a complete accident, but Budo hesitated and decided to trust Lancer.
He supported the emperor's conscious promotion of 'commoners' after he ascended to the throne.
Although he himself is an imperial noble and the largest noble in the empire, the purpose of his family's existence from the beginning has been to protect the royal family. As long as they can protect the royal family, they are willing to sacrifice their own family.
This is also the reason why the Great General's family is at odds with the imperial nobles. He doesn't support the emperor because he supports this plan; he supports him simply because the emperor said so.
And Lancer is undoubtedly one of the best choices!
He has no background but is very strong, and most importantly, he has saved the emperor twice in a row.
Of course, the surveillance and vetting of Lancer have never decreased, but at least from the known information, Lancer is trustworthy. Budo is even starting to consider whether he should let Lancer take the lead if he really plans to take action this time.
'The empire's iron-blooded executioner'
This is how most people in the empire view Lancer. Most people's understanding of Lancer comes from his bravery, but not from other aspects. So, he needs to be 'built up'.
And once Lancer can be promoted, the leaders of the border armies will probably have to be replaced. He just doesn't know which one.
Lancer was simply thinking about why Budo said that, but he had no idea that he had already been placed in a very high position by the other party. This is probably the gap in perception? He doesn't even know his own standing in the hearts of Budo and the emperor...
In this way, the two stood silently as guards for the study, until more than ten minutes later, the study door was pushed open. The prince, holding the hand of a smaller boy, bowed to the two of them and then left with the little boy by his side...
"Budo, Lancer, please come in!"
The emperor sitting at the desk had a smile on his face at this time. It was clear that the recent communication with his children made him very happy, but the smile was accompanied by a chilling killing intent.
He had been thinking about who wanted to kill him before, but the result was that there were too many people who wanted to kill him. He couldn't guess. But today, after seeing his son, he had a new question.
Who would gain the most if he died?
There is no doubt that even if he died, his heir could still inherit the empire with Budo help. Only he would die, but the empire would still stand!
But now, if he thinks about it carefully, what if the goal of the person who wants to kill him is his son?
He is not yet 40, and his eldest son has just come of age. What if his other older sons are also assassinated? With Budo position, he would definitely help his youngest son ascend the throne, but he would also deliberately stay away from court politics. So, what if someone takes advantage of the situation...
He couldn't help but gasp!
And what surprised him even more was that according to his son, a maid had already tried to pass a similar message to his youngest son.
Of course, it's possible that he's overthinking it, but his killing intent has been set!
For the sake of the empire! For his own sake! And for the sake of his descendants!
There must be a cleansing this time! No one can be exempt!
There is no doubt that such a great cleansing will cause the empire's national strength to decline, but the Western Kingdom was defeated by the empire before and has not yet recovered. The western foreign tribes are also suppressed by Lancer. The southern nations are fighting among themselves and cannot affect the empire. The only problem is the northern tribes...
The emperor's first reaction was Lancer, since Lancer has proven his strength through his achievements, but he quickly shook his head.
There are only so many Imperial Arms users in the empire. Lancer is strong, and with Budo stationed in the palace, he needs someone to charge into battle. Lancer is undoubtedly the most suitable person. So, how about that woman named Najenda?
As a female soldier, her inclusion this time was more for 'propaganda,' but her strength is beyond doubt. Even if she can't defeat the northern tribes, the defense should not be a big problem, right?
"Budo, get a battalion of people from the Imperial Guard's intelligence group to search for information on the Royal Fist Temple! I need all of it! Lancer, you will temporarily serve as the commander-in-chief of the security team! I require you to ensure the 'order' of the imperial capital during this time! If you find any information related to this matter, I will allow you to deal with it first and then report to me afterward!"
There is no doubt that the emperor has not only made up his mind but has also abandoned some of the 'outlying' areas. Next, the Imperial Guards will completely take over the imperial capital...