Chapter 1278: Imagination: The Greatest Supplement

"To reject me, I commend his bravery." In the study, seated behind his desk and leaned back aganst his chair, Rudolph smiled lightly.

"As an uncivilized, it is beyond him to imagine your grandeur, Your Highness." Daphne bowed lightly and said.

'...You fucking bastards! Do you know who his wife is? I-s-a-d-o-ra! The legendary princess who can kill you with a sneeze 500 years ago!'

Beads of sweat rolled down Baldur's forehead and he prayed to the stars for Varian to not mention this event to his dear wife.

He just patched up his relationship with his brother-in-law after confessing everything that happened. It's not that he carried any admiration towards this bastard. He just didn't want to face any difficulties in the future.

The grudge of Rudolph wasn't something he could bear.

Rudolph put aside Varian's transgression for the moment. The native would get his 'award' sooner or later.

"Constantine, huh."

"Y-Yes, everyone who survived that conflict can testify. Constantine was the leading force behind everything. He led me to attack the Havoc pirates, killed the drug lords and fought the spy. You could send your people to the ruins and have it all verified! I sealed off that area but his aura still lingers!" Baldur confessed again, his face flushed and breath rugged.

"Hm," Rudolph tapped his armrest, his gaze locked onto Baldur for any sense of deception.

"It's been brought to light that someone used Princess Eshala's phantom in the Lost Spiral. The same part that is suspected to be taken from Centaurus."

Baldur's eyes brightened.

"I've asked Bella and Maria, they both say that man was using the pseudonym [Baldur]."

"W-What?" Baldur's jaw dropped. "That fucking bastard!"

"This is how he looks," With a snap of the prince's figures, a full hologram of a young man in his twenties appeared.

"No? This isn't how he looked! It's clearly a disguise!" Baldur cried out.

"And the form he met you in, that could, not that must be a disguise." Rudolph concluded.

Baldur's lips opened and closed, his throat dry and his mind going blank.

...What the fuck? Who the fuck was this bastard?

"Who is he?" Taking a deep breath, Baldur asked.

"No one knows. But he is related to the Ares tribe. The Nexus Empire is searching for him, with more desperation than anyone else."

"Ares tribe?"

"The counterpart of ruling Sera tribe of Nexus, one of the two extinct primordial tribes."

"Ah! W-Wait, his background is that big? Then why couldn't he defeat my vice directors at Proxima?" Baldur's jaw dropped.

"Or it's all an act to create a false identity. He was aiming for this from the start." Rudolph rubbed his chin.

"Was it even a he?" Baldur said in a deep voice. "Is it one person? Or an organizaton?"

"..."

Fueled by their own speculation, Constantine grew into a dangerous, mysterious and cunning individual.

The envoys were sent back to Centaurus to carry out investigations. The preliminary results validated Baldur's statements.

The last blow dealt to Crimson Specter came from this 'Constantine'.

— — — — —

According to secondary investigations, Princess Azalea died within the solar system. The enemy must've passed through the space crack and killed her.

But where? Where was the enemy hiding?

The three maids were tasked with finding the traces of the foreigners that could've come from the space crack.

The princes were supposed to enter the portal by now, but due to a sudden discovery, it was pushed back by a few hours.

"Your Highness, I, like the other two, found a few rats. We wanted to torture them to force out the truth, but they all died by a poison they weren't even aware of."

The heads of three rank 6 Zions rolled on the floor.

"And we discovered a few cor—"

Prince Merov frowned and waved his hand in dismissal. "We'll just go and destroy their nest. A few rats escaping isn't a problem. Just drop this stupid investigation."

The same results were also presented before Prince Rudolph.

Along with three heads of the rank 6 was a row of mutilated corpses, pieced together after what seemed to be a strong explosion.

The politically savvy man responded differently. "Poison before they could say any truth, huh. Weak rank 6, but rank 6 nonetheless. It's a prominent force. Do they match any race in our database?"

"Yes, Sir. They're Zions."

"Recent history?"

"A war against Centaurus alongside abyssals—the same abyssals that secretly tried to destroy humans."

"It could be a concerted effort," Rudolph rubbed his chin. "Since one failed, the other stepped in to finish the job. Azalea staying here would've rendered their secret military base impossible. So, they killed here."

"Very likely, Sir," Daphne looked through the reports. "They tried to block the distress signals coming from her at her death and they almost succeeded. If not for the treasure you bestowed on her on a whim, we would have never gotten any message at all."

"I guess I was lucky," Rudolph chuckled.

"Your foresight is not mere luck, Sir," Daphne said with genuine admiration.

"But why would they die? Their corpses...could you figure out when they died?"

That one inquiry would've revealed the truth, but—

"No, Sir. Some special power was applied on these corpses, turning out estimates useless."

Varian had taken care of the hidden danger.

"I see. It must be Azalea. She must've found the space crack, and noticed them coming out of space crack and entering their secret bases. She somehow was found and ended up fighting. And dying."

"That sounds very, very plausible, Sir. Your intellect puts you heads and shoulders above the likes of Prince Merov." Daphne praised.

But it was not a flattery. It was the truth.

"Zions, huh. I suspect there is some high ranker behind this all. To draw him out, I just need to poke the nest."

Rudolph crossed his arms and chuckled. "You stay here and investigate everything. I'll go flatten this alien duchy and join you shortly."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Daphne raised the corner of her skirt and curtised.

A few minutes later, Prince Merov, Prince Rudolph, and Princess Sonya entered the purple space gate.

A few more minutes later, Prince Oleg met the Strike Team of Zion Duchy. With a face full of fear and tension, he yelled.

"I found him! I found the assassin!"