Chapter 650: A Madman
The world watched the situation closely, and the footage of Alexie Linan striking down the calamity was engraved deeply into the minds of the citizens. Regardless of their nation or race, the world rooted for Kera for the briefest second.
However, it was soon shown that Alexie was struck by an attack he couldn"t possibly handle. The drones even managed to pick up the footage of his body being torn apart and his skin breaking. There was no saving for him unless there was a miracle.
Millions of hearts grieved for the fallen young man, a famous explorer from Jerano. The ambitious footages of him declaring his goal were still fresh and trending in the world, but it was doomed to be short-lived.
"Our drones in Kera have yet to record Alexie Linan falling from the sky. The a.n.a.lysts of our news firm believe that he has perished in battle, as the estimate of his powers cannot handle the impact from falling, nor the initial attack."
The death of a genius was declared in a matter of minutes. The person watching the broadcast from Yalen had tears in her eyes while wondering whether she was the reason. Every friend she had seemed to die as soon as she cared about them.
"I am… the curse," muttered Emma as she gripped her head tightly, almost tearing her hair out. "Why does this keep happening to the people I care about?"
It seems death was not after her but Emma herself. She knew that she had nothing to do with this fight, but it was the same as in Runera. She was the reason that Arthur went to Runera and the incident happened. She was the reason that Alexie went there, and now this.
"That"s not true because Arthur is still alive," Emma shook her head while wiping away the tears. The saltness in her throat almost choked her, but she tried to calm down. "I asked the book, and it told me that he is still alive, even if I couldn"t find his whereabouts."
The case might be the same for Alexie. There was no way that he would die so easily, and she needed to go there and find him. Emma calmed down before she decided to call her grandfather.
"…the signal is not reaching," frowned Emma. "What is happening inside Runera, exactly?"
Her grandfather should have gone with Alexie to Runera, but it seems as if the runic city was now isolated from the world. Emma couldn"t rely on someone to come and save her, so she decided to run away.
"I need to leave the palace as once, and then I need," Emma rampaged through her room and hurriedly wore suitable clothes. Then, she took out a sword and the runic cards from inside her storage ring and strapped them to her belt. "I need to…."
Her hands were shaking, but Emma shook her head. The Yalen Family should have a teleportation circle inside the palace, and she should be able to use it and go to Kera. Then, she can look for Alexie herself.
As she was about to open the door, the handle turned, and someone pushed it open. Emma backed away lest it hit her and found herself face to face with none other than Prince Caleb.
"It seems you are running away, as I expected," said the young man with scrutinizing eyes as he looked at her battle outfit and the sword on her hilt. "I knew you would be this foolish when I saw that trash gets killed."
Prince Caleb walked inside and closed the door behind him. Emma was silent as she took a step back, her eyes still looking at the door. Finally, however, the prince stood in her way and walked to stand in front of her.
"Have you lost your mind?" shouted the prince in a low voice while gritting his teeth. "You should be aware that running toward Kera now will just mean another punishment from my father. Sit here and wait for this to end!"
"It is you who feels that me befriending a man is a sin," said Emma with a voice laced with barbs. "Your father is far too busy to care about what I do. Your jealousy is the reason, Caleb."
"And what about that? Am I not your fiancé, or is it just to use me? You are the one who accepted my advances and wanted to be my fiancée. You wanted to be the next queen of this country!"
Emma bit her lips in frustration because she just wanted to change the royal family from the inside. But, unfortunately, the rotten methods they had used with her and in the shadows would lead this kingdom to its doom: the citizens and the weak needed saving from the selfish king.
"In the beginning, I thought you were different too," said Emma with frustration. "You said you loved me, but I realized that was a lie long ago. A person who loves does not cheat, threaten, and imprison."
"I am to become a king!" shouted Caleb, sweat covering his face and dripping down his long nose. "Do you think a woman will tie me? Making you a queen is more than someone like you deserve!"
Emma watched the man become something unfamiliar, once a young boy in love. When the two of them first met in the royal prison, Caleb acted cold but cared for her. However, she now realizes that she was nothing but a pet to him.
"Regardless," said Caleb as he calmed down, and his expression was menacing. "If you dare disobey the king"s orders, your father and grandfather will be brought for trial again."
The grievance welled in Emma"s heart as her hand turned into a fist, turning her knuckles white. Even after everything she did, she was nothing more than a prisoner of those who sees everything.
"I want to die…."
"How are you alive?" shouted a voice from the screen to their side, and the two turned simultaneously to watch what was going on. The broadcast was still ongoing, and it seemed that Ilia Perli had collapsed. Then, however, something appeared in the sky of Kera.
"That is… the calamity spider…!" glared Caleb at the footage on the screen while taking several steps toward it. "Mistletoe is the current possessor, so how come it is here?"
"Why are you getting agitated?" frowned Emma. "If this piece of metal is so important, how come your father never tried to find it?"
The Yalen Family had the genetic ability of foresight, making finding things a piece of cake for them. However, Caleb turned to look at her with disdain.
"Father already knew where it was but did not act to reclaim it. After all, it belongs to that disowned son of his."
There was a momentary look of envy on Caleb"s face as he mentioned the disowned previous heir. Emma knew about him too from her mother and father, but the public believed that the prince had perished due to an illness.
The drones on the screen changed and revealed a great monster roaring through the sky. It was a dragon covered with violet mana, triggering another outburst from Caleb.
"The spiritual animal of our family!" shouted the prince with shock as he stared at the dragon. "It should have been stolen almost two years ago, but why is it here?"
Emma stared at the screen and saw a dragon. As the minutes ticked by, the Calamity Spider descended, and a figure jumped from it. As the cameras showed the appearance of the newcomer, Emma was the one to lose her calm.
"…that cannot be," her legs were too weak to support her, making her fall back on the bed. "He is… he is…" repeated Emma as her eyes grew teary. The face on the screen was the one she missed earlier but couldn"t find. "Arthur… is alive…."
Her tears covered her face as her sobs leaked while looking at the screen. Finally, someone in the crowd asked him how he was still alive, and Arthur turned toward the camera.
"I… have never died."
The sentence opened a dam that made relief flood through her heart, and Emma felt her body relax. It was the opposite reaction to Prince Caleb, whose expression crumbled as he watched Arthur"s revelation.
"I faked my death because the attack on Runera was an attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate me. The world can know that seven families are controlling the nations, and they are the ones behind this," revealed Arthur in the broadcast.
"This madman!" shouted Prince Caleb as he took a step back, rage covering his face. "He is not only alive but has turned insane! Revealing that secret to the world is akin to suicide!"
Emma knew that as well. However, there was one thing that every family of the seven agreed upon: the secrecy of their existence. Although they did not fear anyone, they did want to retain the public"s support.
However, Arthur did not stop there. He made sure to broadcast the true intentions behind the seven families, who were not in any way in the world"s best interest.