Chapter 1002: A Father |
"T-Tenth Prince!"
Several nearby nobles instinctively stood up in alarm.
BOOM!
A terrifying pressure suddenly exploded outward from Michael’s body.
The entire hall instantly shook violently.
Everyone who had stood up immediately froze in place.
Some weaker supernaturals directly coughed blood from the pressure alone.
Michael’s eyes remained emotionless.
The Tenth Prince continued struggling frantically in midair.
Then purple.
His legs kicked wildly while both hands clawed desperately at the invisible force crushing his throat.
"A-AUNT...!"
His voice came out broken and hoarse.
Princess Priscilla’s expression changed sharply.
"Sir Mic..."
Michael finally spoke calmly.
"Do not interfere."
The moment those words fell, the surrounding atmosphere became even colder.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Prince completely collapsed mentally.
"DON’T KILL ME!"
He suddenly screamed while crawling backward desperately across the floor.
"I-I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!"
"IT WAS HIM!"
He pointed directly toward the floating Tenth Prince.
"HE STARTED EVERYTHING!"
"HE WAS THE ONE WHO TARGETED ARIANNE!"
The Tenth Prince’s eyes widened in disbelief even while being choked.
"N-NINTH—!"
Before he could finish speaking, the invisible pressure around his neck tightened further.
CRACK...!
A horrifying sound echoed faintly throughout the hall.
The Tenth Prince’s pupils shook violently from pain.
Count Hallen also completely broke down afterward.
"I WAS WRONG!"
He slammed his forehead repeatedly against the floor.
"PLEASE SPARE ME!"
"I CAN COMPENSATE YOU!"
"I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHING!"
Michael slowly shifted his gaze toward him.
That single glance alone almost caused Count Hallen to faint.
Finally, Michael looked back toward the struggling Tenth Prince floating helplessly in the air.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
The entire meeting hall remained deathly silent aside from the choking sounds coming from the prince.
At first, Michael had truly believed this moment would make him lose control completely.
He had imagined that the moment he saw the Tenth Prince and the others responsible for everything, rage would completely consume him.
And yes...
He was angry.
But strangely enough, the fury inside him was not as explosive as he had expected.
At first, Michael did not understand why.
Then slowly...
He realized the answer himself.
They were too weak.
The moment that realization surfaced inside his mind, Michael suddenly lost all interest in dragging things out further.
The Ninth Prince.
The Tenth Prince.
Count Hallen.
Even the nobles trembling throughout the hall.
All of them were too weak. Too insignificant.
They were not enemies standing before him.
Michael suddenly understood something clearly.
The real enemy now was the empire. After killing these people, it meant he had avenged Arianne. Going after the empire was because they were now his enemies.
As for the Lionheart Kingdom, the people here were not even worthy of being called his enemies anymore.
The realization strangely calmed him further.
The invisible force around the Tenth Prince loosened slightly.
The prince immediately gasped violently for air while still floating helplessly in midair.
"GHH...! HAA...!"
Terror completely filled his eyes now.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Prince and Count Hallen both froze in confusion.
Michael slowly looked around the meeting hall afterward.
His calm gaze swept across every noble present.
No one dared meet his eyes.
Not even the former king, who could only watch helplessly as his two children stood at the edge of death.
Finally, Michael spoke quietly.
"I thought I would hate all of you more."
"But now that I’m here..."
He looked toward the Tenth Prince again.
"I only find all of this pathetic."
The Tenth Prince’s body trembled harder.
Michael’s eyes remained indifferent.
"You destroyed someone’s life because you believed you could."
"You cornered people because you believed there would be no consequences."
"You treated others as disposable because you thought power protected you."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Count Hallen.
"And you."
Count Hallen instantly slammed his forehead against the floor again.
"P-PLEASE—!"
Michael ignored him completely.
Then his eyes moved toward the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince froze completely.
Michael stared at him for several seconds.
The Ninth Prince’s lips trembled violently.
"I-I..."
But no words came out.
Silence filled the hall once more.
Then Michael suddenly shook his head faintly.
"This is enough."
Several expressions changed instantly.
Princess Priscilla’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Even the former king looked toward Michael carefully.
Meanwhile, the three people on the floor became even more terrified instead of relieved.
Michael slowly turned around afterward.
"To continue wasting time here would only lower me further."
His voice echoed quietly throughout the hall.
"The people in this kingdom are not worthy of being my enemies."
Those words caused countless expressions to become ugly instantly.
Some nobles lowered their heads in shame.
Others clenched their fists helplessly.
But no one could refute him.
Michael truly stood at an entirely different level now.
At that moment, the former king suddenly spoke.
"Sir Mic."
His voice was calm.
The entire hall immediately turned toward him.
Michael’s gaze also shifted slowly toward the old man.
The former king looked directly at Michael without avoiding his eyes.
Even now, the old man still carried the bearing of a ruler.
For several seconds, he remained silent before finally speaking again.
"I wish to ask one thing of you."
Michael looked at him quietly.
The former king continued calmly.
"I do not wish to watch my children die with my own eyes."
"They must die."
Michael’s answer came without hesitation.
The surrounding atmosphere immediately became heavier.
However, surprisingly—
The former king slowly nodded.
"I know."
The old man’s voice sounded tired now.
"Honestly... after everything that has happened, even I agree with you."
The Ninth Prince’s face instantly turned ghostly pale.
"F-Father?!"
The Tenth Prince also froze completely.
The former king ignored both of them entirely.
Instead, he simply looked toward Michael quietly.
"They deserve death."
His words echoed heavily throughout the hall.
"No matter their reasons, no matter their excuses, their actions brought disaster upon others and nearly destroyed this kingdom."
The old man slowly closed his eyes briefly.
"But..."
For the first time, his voice sounded older.
"As a father... I cannot calmly sit here and watch my children die before my eyes."
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