[Alisha POV]
It happened so suddenly.
Even though we were just talking last night—Father even praised me, saying I would become a fine leader for this country.
But...
My bad premonition became a reality. Father did not return after that night. Several patrol officers heard an explosion coming from the location where Father met Duke Alvaro, only to find both of them dead not far from each other.
"Rasputin, did you find anything unusual about Father's body?"
Currently, I am in a morgue with Archbishop Rasputin—the highest authority of the Temple of Goddess Diana in this country.
"There is a great deal of Negative Mana in his body, originating from curse magic typically used by a Warlock," Rasputin replied while examining Father's remains. "Let's see... What killed the Tsar was clearly a death curse, but he also received several other curses upon his body."
I clenched my fists, suppressing my emotions after learning of the suffering Father endured before losing his life. Shortly after, Rasputin shifted his gaze to the other corpse in the room.
It was the body of Duke Alvaro. He was found dead not far from Father.
Before examining Father, Rasputin had investigated Duke Alvaro's remains. He stated that Duke Alvaro died from a dark magic typically possessed by demons. His entire body also bore a magical Mark characteristic of high-level Demons.
"Princess Alisha, if indeed Duke Alvaro was the one who killed and fought Tsar Feodor, then his body would certainly bear traces of your Father's Mana," Rasputin said, approaching me. "However, I found no signs of Tsar Feodor's Mana on his body at all. This means it is possible your Father and Duke Alvaro were fighting a powerful Entity that night."
I pondered Rasputin's words for a moment.
Truthfully, what he said earlier could be wrong. There are many scenarios that could have played out that night, even if Father didn't attack Duke Alvaro. It's possible Duke Alvaro betrayed Father while fighting this entity. This would explain the complete lack of wounds on Duke Alvaro's body originating from Father's magic. However, it wouldn't explain why Duke Alvaro died at the hands of this Entity.
Furthermore, both Duke Alvaro and Father were Archwizards. It is impossible for a Warlock and a Demon—unless it were a Noble Demon or higher—to fight two Archwizards simultaneously. Thus, there was no reason for Duke Alvaro to kill Father if their chances of victory were so high.
So, what caused both of them to be killed?
Many of the Boyars—the term for nobles in this country—suspect Duke Alvaro was behind Father's murder. This stems from their suspicion regarding a foreign noble requesting Father to go to a location at such an unusual hour. Duke Alvaro chose the meeting place; he could have prepared everything before Father's arrival to plan an assassination. Yet, this doesn't explain the wounds Duke Alvaro received that ultimately killed him if he were indeed collaborating with the Entity to kill Father.
Was there a specific reason the Entity killed Duke Alvaro? What actually happened that night? What is the future of this country now? We had only just recovered from the monster incursion disaster when tragedy struck again.
Father, what must I do with the remainder of my life to move this country forward? I... I am not the person you were so proud of; I am not as great as you claimed on the last night we met.
Tears began to fall... My hand gripped Father's hand, which was now stiff and cold.
— Crash!
I heard the door to the room swing open and hurriedly wiped away my tears.
"Princess, forgive me for disturbing you at this time."
The one who entered was Leon—my personal attendant in this Palace.
"Leon, have all the Boyars arrived at the Palace?" I asked.
"They have all arrived, Princess. They are waiting for the final tribute ceremony for Tsar Feodor."
"Very well." I nodded, then looked at Rasputin beside me. "Rasputin, can you manage the ceremony from here on?"
"As you wish, Princess," Rasputin replied with a bow.
"Leon, let us go meet the Boyars."
Leon and I left the morgue and walked toward the drawing room. My attendant asked if I wanted to change clothes before meeting the Boyars, but I declined.
Upon arriving at the drawing room, I saw the eight Boyars already present. They all rose from their seats to welcome my arrival.
"Princess Alisha! I offer my deepest condolences for the passing of His Majesty!" A bald Boyar suddenly spoke.
"Thank you for your concern, Boyar Radahn," I said, nodding to him.
"Princess! What of the investigation into His Majesty's death? We must severely punish the party responsible!" said a Boyar with a thick beard.
"You are right, Boyar Marivka," I replied. "But let us sit first to discuss this matter properly."
They all sat at my command.
The noble system of this country differs from others. here, the nobles directly beneath a Tsar or Tsarina are only the eight Boyars. The Boyars are responsible for the troops in this nation. Their personal forces are limited to 5,000 men each. They are responsible for the security of various regions within the Slavic Tsardom.
After sitting in the chair previously reserved only for Father, I revealed the findings Rasputin had gathered from the bodies of Father and Duke Alvaro.
"In your opinion, Gentlemen, how could both have been killed that night?" I asked them after explaining Rasputin's report.
"Princess, is there no information indicating that Duke Alvaro was a Warlock?" asked one of the Boyars named Stalin Nevorivsky. He possessed a unique mustache among the Boyars.
"Unfortunately not, Boyar Stalin. Upon investigation, no negative Mana typically used by Warlocks was found emanating from Duke Alvaro's body," I answered.
"Hmmm... In that case, it seems two entities appeared and attacked Tsar Feodor and Duke Alvaro: this Demon and a Warlock," Boyar Stalin remarked.
"I disagree with this!" shouted Boyar Lenin Stronov. "I am certain Duke Alvaro lured Tsar Feodor to the lair of this Demon and Warlock to kill him!"
Everyone in the room looked shocked by his words. It seemed almost everyone else had already agreed that Duke Alvaro was not the one who killed Father.
"Princess, I ask you: who benefits most from His Majesty's death?" Boyar Lenin asked me. "In dealing with a conspiracy like this, we must think about who gains from the event occurring!"
Hearing his words led my thoughts in a direction I did not want to go. However, I had to ask for clarification to be certain.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Boyar Lenin?"
"Raul de Garcia... Is he not your fiancé?" the Boyar replied with a snort. "His Majesty was still under 50, having married the late Tsarina young. I suspect that boy is aiming for the throne of this country!"
Boyar Lenin spoke somewhat vaguely, likely to spare my feelings. It was true: if Father had remarried and had a son, that child would have inherited the leadership.
"But if what you say is true, then Raul de Garcia was willing to sacrifice his own Father just to take over this country?" I asked.
In my interactions with that black-haired man, I doubted he was such an evil person. However, when faced with power, many are driven to madness.
"Princess, much can be done with magic," the Boyar replied. "I am not saying Raul de Garcia killed his Father, but rather that the two of them planned to fake Duke Alvaro's death after trapping His Majesty to avoid suspicion."
"You mean there is magic capable of creating a perfect replica of a human body?" I asked.
"Exactly, though I suppose that could be explained by the mages at the magic tower, as I am no expert in that field," Boyar Lenin answered.
"I understand."
In truth, I wouldn't need a complicated investigation if it were true that Raul de Garcia and his Father planned my Father's death. That is because, besides Frozen Time, I possess a Profound Codex called Dream Catcher. This ability allows me to see someone's past by activating it upon a part of their body.
It was through this magic that I discovered the secret that Leon was a Prince from the former Greco Kingdom.
However, there are risks to using this Profound Codex. The further back and longer I view someone's past, the more my brain "burns" from the magic usage. If I overused it, I would certainly die.
After the meeting concluded, I and the Boyars headed to the Temple of Goddess Diana to pay our final respects to Father.
During the journey, I looked out at the snow-covered city. The citizens seemed busy with their lives despite the freezing weather. Whether life was good or bad, they remained smiling and optimistic about the future.
I... will not let this country fall into chaos again. I promise, in the time I have left, I will make this nation stable again so that Anastasia and Leon can carry the future of this land toward a better path than before.
***
[Lilith POV]
It has been several days since the assassination. Currently, Alvaro and I are in the northern region of the Slavic Tsardom to awaken a creature that has been frozen for hundreds of years.
"Hey, are you sure you can make this journey?" I asked the Duke, who looked weak.
"My body is still very frail because using the magic to create a perfect human replica required a great deal of blood from my body," the man replied. His breath came out as white mist, a sign of how cold he was. "Do not worry, Princess. Besides, we are almost at the cave where that creature is frozen."
Our destination was a special place created to freeze an ancient demon: Devorus.
He was a Fire Demon of the Ancestral Demon rank who once terrorized this land during the last Demon King invasion. Because of his intense body heat, the freezing conditions of this country did not affect his combat ability. That is why he was chosen to attack this land—he is resistant to the specialized Ice magic of the Romanova family.
However, a Saint suddenly arrived and incapacitated Devorus. He was then taken to a place of extreme cold to be sealed in ice. Furthermore, the previous leader of this country placed an Eternal Absolute Zero spell inside the cave where Devorus was sealed so that no one could enter to release the demon's icy cage.
Before long, we arrived at a cave whose entrance appeared blocked by ice.
"Is this the place?" I asked the Duke.
"After searching for the location for several months, I am certain this is where Devorus was sealed hundreds of years ago," Duke Alvaro replied.
I nodded and approached the cave.
The closer I got, the colder the surrounding air became. My feet began to freeze and my body trembled, even though as an Archdemon I possess high resistance to both cold and heat. I stopped and activated my unique ability from the Doppelganger race.
My body slowly grew until it was 15 meters tall. Flames began to erupt, burning across my new form and melting the ice that had previously covered me. Next, I blasted the ice sealing the cave with fire until it melted enough to enter.
Once finished, I entered in this form. Standing inside the cave was a creature similar in form to my current one, frozen like a statue.
That's right...
My ability allows me to mimic any creature—both their form and their strength—as long as that creature is at a lower rank than an Archdemon or a member of the Demon King's family. That means the only ones I cannot mimic are Demigods, my siblings, and the Gods.
I activated my fire magic to heat the area. Slowly, the ice sealing Devorus began to melt. Before long, the demon's crimson eyes snapped open.
"I am Devorus! Uwahhhhh!" He let out a thunderous roar while activating massive fire magic that shattered the cave.
"Are you finally awake, Devorus?" I said to him.
Hearing my voice, he looked confused for a moment before kneeling directly before me.
"Princess... was it you who freed this servant from the seal?" he asked.
"Indeed... do you remember the task given to you by my Grandfather?" I asked.
"I remember, Princess. I am ready to rectify my previous failure at any time!" Devorus answered loudly, causing the flames in the area to grow even larger.
"Good... Burn this country until nothing remains... Unleash your fury, Devorus... Show them the power of the Fire Demon, the pride of our race!"
"UWAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
At my words, the Demon roared even louder, creating a fire tornado that towered into the sky.
Yes...
Go wild, Devorus...
Burn this land with your flames...
Let us take back our home from the hands of these humans!