Chapter 40: The Winner
Compared to the old king, Su Xiao’s attention was more focused on the throne beneath the old king.
“Beneath the throne.”
The old king suddenly spoke, his words startling.
“You’re curious about what’s beneath the throne.”
The old king stared straight at Su Xiao, a gaze that was absolutely not that of a dying man.
“The High Priest and Karen Gallet both knew there was a secret beneath the throne, but they didn’t know exactly what was there. They died before your eyes, and if I’m not mistaken, they would have revealed some secrets before their deaths.”
The old king patted the armrest of the throne, leaning back to feel its uneven texture.
“Iron Hand, what are you hoping to find beneath the throne? There’s nothing there that you desire.”
The council chamber fell into dead silence.
“Looking for a key.”
At this point, Su Xiao was also ready to talk with the old king. He still wasn’t sure what was beneath the throne, but from the old king’s tone, it seemed he wasn’t too opposed to whatever was down there.
“A key?”
The old king paused, then seemed to realize something. “The key is on the first level. You do need that thing, after all, you’ve inherited the power of the Guardians.”
Su Xiao’s identity as a Shadow of Law Destruction couldn’t be hidden. If the old king couldn’t see that, he wouldn’t have been able to thwart the meticulously planned assassination by the Undead Clan.
This old man appeared to be on his deathbed, but in truth, his mind was as clear as a mirror.
“So you’re still pursuing power. That reassures me. I was worried you were after that other thing. As long as it’s not that, it’s fine.”
The old king let out a long sigh, his gaze no longer sharp. However, his inner thoughts were quite different. In the old king’s view, if Su Xiao entered beneath the throne, he would never come out alive.
The old king trusted Iron Hand, but he couldn’t be sure Iron Hand would remain loyal to the new king.
It was indeed true that the old king didn’t have long to live. Before his death, he would use his final measures to eliminate certain people.
Clearly, eliminating Iron Hand by force was unwise, but the area beneath the throne was a good option. That was why, during the “Night of Slaughter,” the High Priest’s name had been added to the list.
Under normal circumstances, the High Priest should have been dealt with by the Imperial Guard, as they were loyal death warriors who could keep many secrets.
Given the old king’s meticulous nature, would he not have anticipated that the High Priest would reveal the secret of what lay beneath the throne before dying?
He had long thought of it. The news about beneath the throne was deliberately leaked by the old king.
Such was the ruthlessness of power struggles. Just moments ago, Joe Valentine, who had diligently served the old king, was tested. If his expression had been even slightly off, he would never have left the council chamber alive.
A new emperor brings new ministers. With officials like Su Xiao, Joe Valentine, and Hesterlet holding such great power, could the new king truly control them?
Thus, the old king conducted a series of tests. Hesterlet passed first, Joe Valentine passed just now. As for Rowan Harvey, before the old king could even test that guy, he had already given the old king a surprise.
As for testing Su Xiao, the old king never had that chance, because most of what Su Xiao did was unsavory—killing powerful ministers, uncovering many royal secrets, and persuading numerous princes and princesses to step down.
It wasn’t that the old king didn’t want to find an opportunity to test Su Xiao; he simply couldn’t. Who knew what chaos a test might cause? Others didn’t know Su Xiao’s combat prowess, but the old king did.
The old king had considered using the Imperial Guard plus the Holy Warriors in the capital to surround Su Xiao, but that would have caused a huge commotion. If word got out, the royal family’s reputation would plummet.
As for not eliminating Iron Hand? Don’t be ridiculous. Apart from the old king, every other prince or princess felt a chill when they saw Su Xiao. If they were afraid to even meet him, how could they get Su Xiao to fight for them? It was impossible.
Moreover, the old king vaguely sensed something off about this Iron Hand, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Sometimes, a casual glance from Su Xiao would send a chill down the old king’s spine.
Just like now, the old king suspected Su Xiao might slit his throat at any moment.
This wasn’t the old king’s imagination. Su Xiao was indeed considering it.
Su Xiao slowly walked toward the old king, whose eyes narrowed.
“Your Majesty, will you allow me to enter beneath the throne?”
At this moment, Su Xiao was only a meter away from the old king. In that instant, many of the old king’s doubts suddenly became clear.
“There are at least 300 Imperial Guards outside the hall.”
The old king continued to meet Su Xiao’s gaze, but a smile appeared on Su Xiao’s face. This was the first time the old king had seen Iron Hand smile; he had once thought Iron Hand was incapable of such an expression.
“They can’t stop me.”
“You—”
“You’ve allowed me to enter beneath the throne.”
This time, Su Xiao’s tone was no longer questioning.
“And if I don’t allow it?”
The old king’s jaw muscles bulged as he leaned forward.
“Then I’ll kill every single member of the royal bloodline.”
“……”
The old king fell silent. Just moments ago, he had bared his fangs, but to his surprise, the Iron Hand, who had always obeyed him, bared his fangs as well. This rendered all the speeches he had prepared useless.
Regarding Iron Hand, the ideal solution was to have him die beneath the throne, or become one of those things down there, forever sealed away.
“Who… exactly… are you?”
At this point, if the old king still believed Su Xiao was the original Iron Hand, he would have died long ago from the Undead Clan’s frequent assassinations.
“That’s not important. Bai Yi Herbert, how about we make a deal?”
“Oh?”
The old king looked at Su Xiao in surprise. Even now, he hadn’t expected the other party to still be willing to negotiate.
“Allow me to take one prince or princess into the area beneath the throne. As for the throne itself, I have no interest in it.”
“You…”
The old king stared at Su Xiao in shock. This was the first time he had shown such surprise, or rather, it was a rare moment of being caught off guard.
“How do you know what’s needed to enter beneath the throne? How could you possibly know!”
The old king forced himself to calm down. The situation had clearly spiraled beyond his control.
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten how many people I’ve killed for you? Time’s up. The deal is over.”
“?”
The old king was stunned, then seemed to realize something. At that moment, he laughed, a laugh tinged with relief.
“Who is it? Which of my children? Bring him to see me.”
The old king tried to stand, realizing that Su Xiao had been stalling for time.
Just then, the iron door of the council chamber was pushed open. Two figures entered, and then the door was locked from the inside.
Blood seeped through the gap at the bottom of the metal door. At the entrance, over a dozen bodies lay scattered, all of them Imperial Guards.
Hundreds of Imperial Guards, their armor stained with blood, stood guard around the council chamber, preventing anyone from entering.
“Father, I’ve come to see you.”
A male voice came from the entrance. Joe Valentine respectfully followed behind the newcomer.
“Hahahaha.”
The old king burst into laughter. He was deeply relieved, immensely so.
“Martial, you have become my finest child.”
The old king showed no anger, no rage. On the contrary, his gaze toward the newcomer was filled only with relief.
The newcomer was not the widely expected First Prince, but the Third Prince, Martial Herbert—the prince who had lost some ground at the start of the power struggle, the one who had kept a low profile.