I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 41

And now—

‘Why summon me now? Is he trying to gauge my intentions before sending Van off on this expedition?’

Even moving the knight order was a big deal, and mobilizing the army couldn’t be done in secrecy. Carlyle already knew that Van had influenced the Emperor to mobilize a substantial force.

‘It’s not like I’m completely unconcerned… but if I think of it as giving up flesh to gain bone, I can accept it.’

Ever since his return to the past, Carlyle had been preparing himself for this kind of sacrifice. From the moment he lost Eleanor, he’d been on high alert, trying to figure out how much Van really knew.

Perhaps Van had discovered something. But it was impossible for anyone to remember all the cards their opponent held—especially ones from six years ago.

Carlyle was confident that not even Van could recall in perfect detail the events that he himself barely remembered.

So then…

‘All I need to do is wait for the right moment and take Eleanor back. Before any other member of the imperial family claims her.’

What bothered him was the fact that the Emperor had summoned him before Van’s campaign. That had never happened in the previous timeline.

Of course, in that timeline, there had been no incident where Carlyle accused Van of anything. Eleanor hadn’t even been revealed until long after Van and Charlotte had become engaged.

Carlyle followed the royal attendant through the palace. As much as he wanted to claim illness and refuse the summons, such an excuse only worked when he was outside the capital.

He wasn’t a noble lady or some frail young girl. He wasn’t even old. If the Emperor called for him, he had no choice but to enter the palace.

After passing through long, spacious corridors and countless doors, he finally arrived at the drawing room where the Emperor and Empress were seated.

As expected, the Emperor was there. But seeing the Empress—Luria—present as well was unexpected. She had disliked Carlyle since childhood, and that dislike had hardened into open hostility.

When Luria’s eyes met Carlyle’s, they grew icy. Though her expression remained composed, she looked distinctly uncomfortable being in the same room as him.

Carlyle, seeing an unexpected opportunity, shifted his attention to Dael.

The Emperor offered him a seat with an unreadable smile.

Carlyle returned the gesture with a carefully painted smile of his own, bowing respectfully—though inwardly, he was deeply annoyed by that very smile aimed his way.

*

Van’s expedition, accompanied by Eleanor, set out under the pretense of a monster subjugation campaign. Conveniently, rumors of strange creatures appearing in the Empire’s northeast had already been spread in advance, so everything proceeded smoothly.

Some nobles knew the true reason behind Van’s departure, but chose to keep silent. The majority, however, had no idea. Only a sharp few could guess that something was about to happen.

“To think he’s even bringing along the noblewoman who became his guide… There must really be some terrible monster out there.”

“Seriously,”

Gai replied with a scowl, clearly displeased. He watched the army passing through the outskirts of the capital with an annoyed look.

Seated on either side of him were two young ladies he had recently been courting. As the military convoy approached, Gai pulled down the brim of his hat, trying not to be seen by Eleanor.

They were sitting on the second-floor balcony of a café—well within sight of the carriages. Thanks to his enhanced vision, a result of his special ability, Gai could see Eleanor clearly inside one of the carriages.

Van, who was supposed to be leading the troops, seemed to have left command to another knight and was riding in the same carriage as Eleanor.

“Tch…”

What was he up to?

Tension between the Duke of the East and the Grand Duke of the West had been escalating recently. Rivalry over a guide was inevitable among imperial blood, but the current atmosphere hinted at something darker.

‘Should I follow them?’

Tracking them in beast form would be effortless. He was worried for the guide’s safety, and curious about what Van might be planning—so following them seemed like a good idea.

But the moment Van’s sharp gaze turned toward the window, Gai instinctively ducked below the balcony railing.

His sudden crouch left the two young ladies looking at him in confusion.

“Marquis?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… I locked eyes with a terrifying beast,” Gai replied.

The ladies giggled, thinking he was joking. But Gai was sure—he had locked eyes with Van, and cold sweat began to form on his back.

‘Forget following them.’

Van was already dangerous enough with his natural potential, but ever since bonding with a guide, he seemed to have broken through to another level entirely.

‘Which side should I take… the Duke or the Grand Duke?’

As the carriage passed out of view, Gai rose slowly, deep in thought. As long as Van guarded Eleanor like a sentinel, getting close to her would be nearly impossible.

But siding with Carlyle and going against Van? That would be an extremely risky move.

“Haah… What to do…”

“What do you mean?” one of the young ladies asked sweetly, holding onto his arm.

Gai smiled and gently kissed her temple. The other lady, now pouting in jealousy, tugged at his other hand—so he kissed her cheek too.

Smiling with satisfaction, he let them guide him back inside the café. He still had plenty of time to decide. And whatever choice he made, it would be the safest one—for him.

*

“…They’ve departed.”

Dael murmured as he watched the military procession disappear into the distance. Empress Luria looked at him, unable to conceal the unease in her expression.

“Will they be all right? If what Van uncovered is all true…”

“They’ll be fine. That boy has a guide now, doesn’t he?”

Van had been capable of wielding power even without a guide. It did bother Dael that Eleanor was a C-rank guide, far from exceptional—but their compatibility rate was high enough to compensate. The higher the match rate, the purer the guidance would be, resulting in effects comparable to receiving guidance from a high-ranking guide.

What concerned Dael more than anything, however, was Luria’s condition. This was the first time he had cast a curse that linked two people together.

“Are you all right, Empress? Any ringing in the ears? Hallucinations? Anything strange at all?”

“Not particularly.”

Van had pleaded on his knees for both the Emperor and Empress to be bound by the curse that would link them to Carlyle—but Dael had only placed it on Luria.

He didn’t believe someone of his own strength needed such protection.

The curse he cast ensured that any physical or magical harm inflicted on Luria would be transferred directly to Carlyle.

Because Carlyle’s special ability was magic, Dael had needed to put in significant effort to curse him. The first step had been drawing him into the palace, where magic had no effect.

‘If you think about it, curses are technically a type of magic too… The idea that magic doesn’t work here, but curses do, is pretty ironic.’

Carlyle had clearly been wary of the Emperor casting a curse. But in a space where magic was suppressed, all the defensive wards he’d set up were useless.

That explained why Carlyle was so reluctant to meet with the Emperor in person.

By attempting to curse him, Dael had become aware of the countless protective barriers layered around him. He’d always sensed one or two, but actually trying to bypass them revealed just how extreme they were—it was laughable.

‘He’s definitely hiding something.’

He wasn’t the Emperor—so why the need for so many shields? It only made Dael more suspicious that Carlyle might be the one behind the recent growth of the Mage Corps—something Van had already begun to suspect.

The frightened boy Dael had once pitied in his youth no longer existed.

With the help of the anti-magic circles embedded throughout the palace, Dael had managed to cast the curse that would tighten a leash around Carlyle’s neck.

‘I summoned you today because of your relationship with Van…’

He hadn’t mentioned the matter of the guide—it was an unspoken request to support Van. The fact that the Emperor considered Van his successor was no longer a well-kept secret.

Carlyle, as always, listened respectfully to the Emperor’s words. He responded with the manner of a model subject, assuring His Majesty he would not forget the request.

But Dael wasn’t fooled by that appearance. He had already seen through to the real Carlyle, stripped of his outer layer.

Carlyle, too, seemed to realize that the Emperor no longer trusted him.

‘Hmph. Even if that brat knows, what can he do about it?’

If Van’s suspicions were right, and the Mage Corps was dismantled and evidence damaging to Carlyle was uncovered, he would be utterly ruined.

The Emperor decided to wait and watch how everything would unfold.