TRT Chapter 116: Imperial Edict (Patreon)

(Edited by Radriel7)

I woke up to find a weight on my chest that had become familiar to me over the past few days. When I opened my eyes, I looked down to find a pair of Sun Hounds laying on the bed next to me with their heads resting on my chest: Prince Everard and Princess Evelynn. Though, at this point, I assumed I could drop the honorifics. Whether I liked it or not, the twins were here to stay and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Hell, I might as well go all the way and give each of them a nickname. It was easier for Evelynn, since I could just call her Evie or Lynn. It was more difficult to come up with a nickname for Everard. Ever? Rard? I didn’t like either of those, but nothing else came to mind right away. What about Every? Better, but still not quite. Perhaps I should come up with a nickname that had nothing to do with his given name.

The reason why I indulged in these inane thoughts rather than getting out of bed and starting my day was because I didn’t want to wake the twins. The only time when they were calm and quiet was when they were asleep. When they were awake, they were like bundles of pure energy in human/Sun Hound form. Despite being a reincarnated Immortal at the Second Rank of my body refinement technique, dealing with the twins exhausted me. I had no idea how their father put up with them for so long.

Thinking of which, I cursed Prince Eugene. It was his fault that I was in this situation in the first place. If he hadn’t given his permission, then the twins wouldn’t have moved into Sturm Manor. What was he thinking? Not that my father was any better. He agreed to this nonsense as well.

As I laid there, with the twins sleeping beside me, I thought back to the day when the twins moved into Sturm Manor. Corie and I had just returned home from a shopping trip, when we discovered a train of carriages parked in front of Sturm Manor. A small army of servants moved luggage from the carriages into the main building. When I saw this, I marched on over.

“You there,” I called out to a nearby servant. “What is all this?”

I already had an idea of what was going on, but a part of me hoped that I was wrong.

“Greetings, Lord Gabriel,” the servant said, bowing to me. Somehow he recognized me despite the disguise I wore. “Lord Sturm told us to inform you that he is expecting you in his study and that everything will be explained to you then.”

I narrowed my eyes at the servant. While I could have badgered him for answers, I held myself back. The man was just doing his job. Harassing him wouldn’t do me any good, and was just a dick move all around. No. It was better to go to the source.

“Huh,” Corie said, looking around. “They’re actually moving into Sturm Manor. I thought you said that this wouldn’t happen.”

She had arrived at the same conclusion as I had. After Prince Everard and Princess Evelynn “visited” Sturm Manor, I informed my disciples about them. Again, I kept the more sensitive details to myself, but I told my disciples everything else.

“We don’t know for sure that the twins are responsible for this,” I said, a tinge of desperation in my tone.

Corie snorted.

“Keep telling yourself that, young master.”

I shook my head before marching into Sturm Manor itself, where I found even more servants carrying luggage and moving stuff around. Kurt Traylor, my family’s butler, directed them all. I nodded to him in passing before heading towards Father’s study. I didn’t even bother removing my disguise first. The sooner I dealt with this situation, the better.

When we reached the door to my father’s study, I gestured for Corie to wait outside before knocking.

“Father,” I said. “It’s me.”

I swept the inside of his study with my divine sense, and found that he had company. When I saw who it was, I resisted the urge to curse.

“Come in, Gabriel,” my father called out.

I opened the door, and then immediately stepped to the side.

“Master!” a pair of voices called out.

Prince Everard and Princess Evelynn launched themselves forward, no doubt intending to surprise me with an embrace. However, thanks to my divine sense, I noticed what they were up to and avoided them in time. The two of them fell forward and ended up in a tangle in the hallway outside of my father’s study. Without giving them time to recover, I hurried inside the study and shut the door behind me, making sure to lock it. Seconds later, the twins tried to open the door. When they realized I had locked it, they started banging on it.

“Master!” Prince Everard said. “Let us in!”

“Why are you being mean to us?” Princess Evelynn said.

I ignored them and searched for the privacy magic circle Father had inside his study and activated it. To my relief, this cut off the sounds of their pleading. Some privacy magic circles only worked one way, in that they prevented sound from leaving but not from entering. However, it seemed that the one for Father’s study prevented sounds from entering and leaving.

I let out a sigh, before turning around to face Father and his remaining guest, Prince Eugene. The two of them were sitting down. Father studied me with a raised eyebrow, while Prince Eugene wore an amused expression on his face. I walked over to them.

“Father,” I said with a bow, before turning to Prince Eugene. “Greetings, Prince Eugene.” I bowed to him as well. “I haven’t seen you since we last met in the Icefall Region. I hope you are doing well.”

“Greetings, Lord Gabriel,” Prince Eugene said, returning my bow with a nod. “I have been well, thank you for asking.” He looked me up and down. “Though I almost didn’t recognize you at first.”

I gave him a tight smile.

“Given my status as the Chosen of Tempest, I have to take certain measures in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention to myself,” I said.

“Hmm, I can understand that,” Prince Eugene said.

An awkward silence fell over the study as I struggled to think of a polite way to ask both my father and Prince Eugene what the hell was going on. I mean, I already knew, but I wouldn’t believe it until I heard it from their mouths first. From the twinkle in his eye, Prince Eugene knew what was going through my mind and found it amusing.

Ah, fuck it. There wasn’t any point in being polite about it anymore.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded from the both of them. “Why does it look like your children are moving into Sturm Manor?”

“Gabriel!” Father said, speaking in a stern voice. “Mind your manners!” He looked at Prince Eugene. “I apologize for my son’s behavior.”

Prince Eugene smiled and shook his head.

“I don’t mind,” he said. “In his position, I would demand answers as well.” He glanced at me and his smile widened. “Though, I believe you already know the answer to your question, Lord Gabriel.”

I frowned at him.

“I refuse to believe it until one of you confirms it out loud,” I said.

Prince Eugene chuckled.

“In that case, allow me to enlighten you,” he said. “Per your agreement with my children, the both of them will live in Sturm Manor from now on.”

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. It didn’t work.

“The agreement between me and your children stated that they could move into Sturm Manor only after they received permission from both yourself, Prince Eugene, and my father.”

“Correct,” Prince Eugene said with a nod. “Which your father and I have both granted to them.”

“Why?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Just, why? The only reason why I made that agreement in the first place was because I never thought that either of you would say yes.” I looked at Father. “When we last discussed the matter, you agreed that letting the twins stay here would be a bad idea. What changed your mind?”

Father sighed and gestured for me to sit down. When I didn’t comply right away, he gave me a stern look. With some reluctance, I obeyed. Regardless of my status and true identity, I was still his son.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel,” Father said after I sat down. “I know what I said the last time we discussed this matter. However, the circumstances have changed since then.” He gestured to Prince Eugene. “House Solaria offered us a favorable deal in exchange for letting Prince Everard and Princess Evelynn stay here at Sturm manor.”

I frowned.

“What deal?”

“Twenty percent of the monthly output of the mythril deposit in the Icefall Region,” Father answered. “Mind you, that’s twenty percent of the total output, not just House Solaria’s share.” Father gave me a wry smile. “In addition to that, House Solaria agreed to have your sister become Princess Evelynn’s lady-in-waiting.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. Ah. Well, that changed things. House Sturm already received a decent share of the mythril deposit’s monthly output from House Icefall. An additional twenty percent meant that we effectively owned a little over a quarter of the mythril deposit up north. This was more than what House Icefall owned, and they were the ones putting in all the hard work. As far as bribes went, it was a pretty big one.

Not only that, but having Kaylee become Princess Evelynn’s lady-in-waiting was a huge boon for us. While the twins had a rather…interesting reputation, they still belonged to House Solaria. Having Kaylee as Princess Evelynn’s lady-in-waiting meant that we had a connection to House Solaria. Granted, Prince Eugene and his children belonged to a side branch rather than the main family, but a connection was still a connection. It was more than what most people had.

Despite this, I frowned.

“I have concerns,” I said.

“Yes,” Father said with a sigh. “We are well aware of your concerns.”

I shook my head.

“Concerns aside from all of…that.” I gestured in the direction of Sturm Manor’s front entrance. “Few things engender jealousy and hate more than a rising star, and House Sturm is a rising star.” I gestured to myself. “I am the Chosen of Tempest. That alone will ensure our house’s success.” I gestured to Prince Eugene. “Receiving twenty percent more mythril and forging a connection with House Solaria on top of that is bound to result in backlash. I’m afraid of how the rest of House society will react when they learn of this.”

Prince Eugene looked at Father.

“May I, Lord Sturm?”

Father gestured for him to continue.

“Be my guest, Prince Eugene,” he said.

Prince Eugene looked at me.

“Your concerns are valid, Lord Gabriel,” he said with a nod. “Your father said the same things when I discussed the matter with him. However, we already took steps to mitigate any potential backlash. While this won’t eliminate all of it, this should curb the worst.”

I frowned at him.

“‘We?’” I asked.

“House Solaria as a whole.” He smiled. “We let it be known, through unofficial channels of course, that any attack against House Sturm would be considered an insult to House Solaria.”

My eyes widened at this. House Solaria participated in House society like everyone else. However, they always maintained a certain amount of distance. They never favored one House over the others too much. House Sturm was one of the Solarian Empire’s founding House’s, and they stood by when House Brant attacked us. They only intervened when we were on the verge of annihilation.

Aligning themselves with another House, even unofficially, was unprecedented. It was a show of favor that no other House had ever received in the entire history of the Solarian Empire, one that secured House Sturm’s prosperity for…Well, for as long as House Solaria ruled the Solarian Empire. That was one downside to this whole arrangement. If House Solaria ever fell, which was possible given the oncoming threat, then House Sturm would fall with them.

To keep my family alive, not only would I have to ensure their survival when the threat arrived, but I would also have to ensure House Solaria’s survival. My intuition told me this was a deliberate move on House Solaria’s part.

“Why?” I asked. “Why do all of this? Not just this unofficial declaration, but all of it. Why go through so much effort just to ensure that your children end up moving into Sturm Manor?”

The amusement faded from Prince Eugene’s face and a serious expression replaced it.

“I can’t tell you the answer to that question, Lord Gabriel,” he said. “All I can say is this…” He said this next part in Spirit Tongue. “A friend of yours from Burning Crest City asked me to.”

Rage filled me. Before I knew it, I launched myself at Prince Eugene, aiming to rip out his throat with my bare hands. I was fast, but Father was faster. Chains made from lightning erupted out of his hands and immobilized me. They didn’t hurt me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move an inch. I couldn’t even speak. Still, it was a close call. My hands were inches away from Prince Eugene’s throat.

“Gabriel!” Father shouted, standing up. He wore a stricken expression on his face. “What have you done?” He turned towards our guest. “Prince Eugene-…”

Prince Eugene held up his hand, interrupting him. Unlike Father, he remained calm and unruffled despite my attempt to murder him. It was almost as if he had anticipated my reaction.

“It’s quite all right, Lord Sturm,” he said, looking right at me. “I knew this would happen.” He smirked. “Besides, even if you hadn’t stopped Lord Gabriel, I would have been fine. At his current level of power, he wouldn’t have been able to harm me.”

Father blinked at him in surprise, before schooling his expression into a neutral mask.

“Even so, my son still committed an unforgivable crime,” he said. “I know I have no right to ask this, but please show clemency and spare his life.”

Father was right. Attacking a member of House Solaria without justification was akin to treason. If I was lucky, they would just execute me. If I was unlucky, they would extract my soul from my body and torture it.

“As I said, I knew this would happen,” Prince Eugene said. “There’s nothing to forgive. Rather, Lord Gabriel has already been pardoned for this crime.”

Father gave him an incredulous look.

“Pardoned?” he asked. “Pardoned by who?”

Prince Eugene turned to him.

“The only person who could grant a pardon for a crime of this magnitude.”

The Sun Emperor in other words. As if I needed confirmation that the Sun Emperor and Celestial Hound were one and the same. He was the only one who knew me well enough to anticipate my reactions like this.

Father must have come to the same conclusion, because he gaped at Prince Eugene with his mouth hanging open. He fell back into his chair, as if his legs had lost strength.

“But-…How-…” he said, unable to finish his sentence.

I kinda felt bad for him. To most Luminans, even those who didn’t live in the Solarian Empire, the Sun Emperor was a mysterious figure who was more myth than anything. He was quite literally a divine being who descended from the heavens and aided humanity in their darkest hour. Some revered him in higher regard than Sol, though it was a moot point since the Sun Emperor served Sol.

For someone like me, a reincarnated Immortal, he was much less impressive. Still, when I first regained the memories of my past lives, I maintained a healthy amount of respect and wariness towards the Sun Emperor. After all, if he was even half as powerful as the legends made him out to be, then he wasn’t someone I wanted to make an enemy of.

However, after learning that he was my backstabbing bastard of a best friend, that respect and wariness transformed into rage. As soon as I grew powerful enough, I planned on assaulting the Solar Palace and beating the shit out of him to get answers. What happened after that would depend on what Celestial Hound had to say for himself.

“You can release Lord Gabriel now,” Prince Eugene said. “I don’t think he’ll try to harm me again. From what I could tell, it seemed like a reflexive reaction on his part.”

Father, who appeared to be in a daze, didn’t hear him at first.

“Lord Sturm?”

Father shook his head, as if to clear his mind.

“I…Yes, I shall do that.”

He made no overt move, but the chains of lightning that bound me disappeared. As soon as I could move again, I leaned in close until my face was inches away from Prince Eugene’s.

“You tell that mongrel that if he ever interferes with my life again, I will make him regret it,” I snarled.

Prince Eugene’s expression darkened.

“I am a patient man, Lord Gabriel,” he said in a low voice. “However, my patience has limits. Do not insult or threaten my lord in my presence again. He is the only reason why you’re still alive, despite your actions. Otherwise, I would have killed you for daring to attempt to harm me.”

“Oh, how gracious of him,” I said in a mocking tone, before my expression turned murderous. “That is nowhere near enough to make up for his crimes.” I jerked my chin towards the door to Father’s study. “Take your children and get out of here. No one from House Solaria is welcome here in Sturm Manor.”

Prince Eugene snorted.

“You seem to forget yourself, Lord Gabriel,” he said. “You are not the head of House Sturm, nor are you the heir. You don’t have the authority to banish anyone from Sturm Manor.”

I snarled at him again.

“In that case, I’ll be the one to leave,” I said. “Your children can stay here. I’m heading back north to the Icefall Region.”

It would be nice to see Sturm Hill again. I know that our people had weathered the beast tide better than most, but seeing it for myself was different from reading about it in a letter. Besides, if I wanted to focus on my cultivation, there were few places better for me. The only one I could think of off the top of my head was the Temple of Tempest. Not only was it rich in mana, but it would also help speed up my body cultivation.

Refining my body without external aids, such as pills and baths, was a pain in the ass. I knew this when I started out, but if I had known that I only had a century or two at most to get as powerful as possible, I wouldn’t have used divine energy to refine my body. I either would have used mana body refinement technique or picked a celestial body refinement technique.

To make good on my words, I turned around and marched towards the door.

“You seem to misunderstand something, Lord Gabriel,” Prince Eugene said. “The only reason why my children are moving into Sturm Manor is you. If you leave, so will they. Where you go, they follow. Neither you nor they have a choice in the matter.”

I barked out a laugh and didn’t stop.

“What?” I asked over my shoulder. “Did he make it an imperial edict?”

“Yes.”

I froze with my hand on the door knob.

“Excuse me?” I asked, turning around. “What did you just say?”

My voice was cold enough to freeze water, but Prince Eugene remained unperturbed. He either had a good poker face, or he was confident in his ability to handle me. Perhaps it was both. After all, I was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I wasn’t much of a threat to anyone in the Third Circle/Core Formation stage and above. It was frustrating being a small fish in the ocean.

The Houses and the Solarian Imperial Administration handled most of the day to day affairs of the Solarian Empire. Well, that was basically saying the same thing twice since most of the bureaucrats working in the Solarian Imperial Administration were House scions. However, the Sun Emperor was still the undisputed ruler of the Solarian Empire and his word was law. He didn’t involve himself in the empire’s affairs all that much, but when he spoke everyone obeyed.

Imperial edicts were direct orders from the Sun Emperor himself. To disobey an imperial edict was treason of the highest order, even more so than attacking a member of House Solaria. The perpetrator’s entire family would be punished as a result. If they were a House scion, their House would simply cease to exist.

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Prince Eugene said, pulling a rolled up scroll from a ring on his finger. It was a storage ring, a part of me noted. The rest of me focused on the scroll in Prince Eugene’s hands. There wasn’t anything special about it, it wasn’t even enchanted, yet it had the power to completely change my life. “However, your stubbornness has forced my hand. This is for you.”

Prince Eugene held the scroll out to me. I wanted to refuse it, but I couldn’t. If I disobeyed an imperial edict, I wasn’t the only one who would suffer. I took the scroll, broke the wax seal, and read it. To my surprise, the imperial edict was written in Spirit Tongue rather than Common Tongue, though perhaps that shouldn’t have been a surprise. The message itself was also rather informal, more like a letter from a friend than an edict from one of the most powerful beings in Lumina.

“Stop being stubborn and accept the twins, Celestial Thunder. You’re going to need them. They’ll watch over you and protect you in my stead.”

My hands started to shake and I had to stop reading as a maelstrom of emotion raged inside me. I took several deep breaths to calm myself down. Afterwards, I continued reading the imperial edict.

“I know you have questions, and I know that you’re angry. You have every right to be. However, as much as I want to explain everything to you, I can’t. The circumstances behind what happened back then required, and still require, your ignorance. Just know that what I did back then, and everything I have done since, was for your sake. Believe that, if nothing else.

“This is the last time I’ll be able to send a message like this. It will also be the last time I can directly intervene in your life. Otherwise, I’ll risk undoing everything I’ve done up until this point. If you want to change that, then reach the Immortal Bone Creation stage. We’ll be able to talk then.”

The main body of the message ended there. However, there was a postscript.

“This should go without saying, but you have terrible taste in women. Of all the ones you could have fallen for, why did it have to be her?”

The fight went out of me then. I shook my head.

“Just do what you want,” I said, before opening the door to the study and marching out.

Voices called out to me, but I was in no state to pay attention to them. I ran out of Sturm Manor and flew off into the sky atop Sky’s Dream.