I Became the Villain's Master - Chapter 126
Chapter 126
“Hmm…?”
Further into the forest, Derek stopped, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Is this… the same forest?”
The familiar landscape had transformed. The once-vibrant foliage had withered, and the animals had vanished, leaving behind an eerie desolation. Has, equally stunned, tilted his head.
“What happened here, sir? Maybe we should go back.”
“No, it’s nothing. You’re just letting those silly rumors get to you.” Derek chided Has as he led the way, his apprentice reluctantly following. Soon, they spotted a patch of Callos.
“Sir, I found some!”
“Where?”
“But they look a little… different.”
Derek examined the plants Has had found. Callos typically had slender, elongated leaves with reddish tips. These, however, had a slightly blackish tinge.
“Hmm… they’re definitely Callos. Go ahead and pick them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Has trusted Derek’s judgment. With over thirty years of experience, his mentor had never misidentified an herb. Has reached out to harvest the plants, and that’s when it happened.
“Has?”
His apprentice stood frozen, unresponsive. Derek nudged him.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“….”
A chilling thought crept into Derek’s mind. He’d ventured deeper into the forest than usual, a risky move. And the Callos looked… tainted.
‘The mysterious death… the Holy Festival…’
Putting the pieces together, a look of dread spread across Derek’s face. He spun Has around.
“You…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Has’s eyes, devoid of pupils, stared back at him, pitch black. Derek stumbled backward, landing hard on the ground. The basket of herbs spilled, but he barely noticed.
“You…”
“….”
Has, or whatever it was, grinned, slowly advancing towards him. Derek closed his eyes, sensing the inevitable.
“Wait!”
Has extended a hand, and black magic surged forth, enveloping Derek.
“Aaargh!”
That was the last anyone saw of Derek.
* * *
A somber atmosphere permeated the Imperial Palace. The servants moved with hushed reverence, mirroring the gravity of the situation. Cedric sat before his ailing father, the once-powerful Emperor now a frail figure in his bed.
“Father.”
“Cedric…” His voice, weak and wavering, resembled a flickering candle flame. Cedric feigned a sorrowful expression.
“I will lead the Empire now, Your Majesty.”
“Yes… Cedric. You will lead it well… I chose you for a reason…” His words barely audible. Cedric gently took his father’s wrinkled hand.
“Your Majesty, did you know?”
“Know… what?”
“I despise you.”
“…What?” The Emperor’s eyes widened, their unfocused gaze wandering. “What do you mean? Is this about your sister…?”
“You knew, yet you did nothing.”
“That’s not…”
“Yes, it is.” Cedric’s expression hardened. “When my beloved sister, Lenea, lay gravely ill, what did you do?”
“I…”
“You left her to suffer, when we should have been seeking help from the Tower and the Temple.”
“….”
“Only after my desperate pleas did you finally act, but by then, it was too late.” Cedric’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. “I haven’t forgotten. Your indifferent eyes, your callous disregard.”
“Cedric, the Imperial throne demands difficult choices. It’s a matter of pragmatism.”
The Emperor’s calm tone ignited a spark of fury in Cedric’s eyes.
“So you claim innocence? Even now?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I regret what happened then.”
Cedric rose, a twisted smile on his face. He spoke, his voice tinged with a manufactured sadness as he recalled his sister.
“That’s why I resorted to forbidden magic. The magic to summon the Demon King.”
“What…!”
“The Empire will fall to darkness. Because I will make it so.” The Emperor’s eyes bulged as he coughed violently.
“Cough! Cough! You mustn’t! What are you doing?!”
“Now, rest.”
Cedric placed his hand on the Emperor’s face. Black magic surged, and the Emperor convulsed in agony.
“Gah… ugh…”
His cries were choked, reduced to strangled gasps. Soon, the struggle ceased, and his breathing stopped. Cedric smirked.
“It begins now, Your Majesty.”
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