Chapter 225 - 109: Shocking! That Bastard Lynch Has Committed Treason!?

Chapter 225: Chapter 109: Shocking! That Bastard Lynch Has Committed Treason!?

It was Aus.

Aus stood tall and straight, his expression composed. The last vestiges of his youth had faded, replaced by a seasoned maturity.

Compared to when Lynch had first found him, he was now a completely different person.

Dressed for battle, he wore the standard-issue armor of a low-to-mid-ranking Imperial officer. At first glance, he looked ordinary, but his composed demeanor set him apart.

He strode forward, his gaze landing on Angus.

Angus looked up, his expression questioning as he regarded Lynch’s trusted second-in-command.

Then he saw Aus reach into his armor and withdraw an insignia.

It was a burnished gold metal insignia, about half the size of a palm, bordered by an inlay of Mithril filigree.

Embossed in the center was a Griffin, its wings spread as if poised for flight. Above the Griffin were a crossed sword and shield and a field of twinkling stars.

Angus’s pupils constricted, and his breath caught in his throat.

’This crest... this form... these materials... And that design—the Star-Shining Griffin, symbol of the Grimsby Empire’s royal bloodline.’

’This was no ordinary noble family’s crest.’

’This was... a royal insignia, one that only direct members of the Empire’s imperial family were permitted to wear.’

’Doesn’t that mean... he’s a direct member of the imperial family?’

The realization made his blood run cold, and a shiver went up his spine.

Aus slowly drew himself up to his full height, his expression turning grave. In that instant, his entire bearing seemed to shift, taking on the unmistakable dignity of a Prince.

"Angus Fisher, Knight."

"Before you stands the seventh son of His Majesty the Emperor of the Grimsby Empire—"

"Augustus von Grimsby."

Every word he spoke struck Angus’s heart like a hammer blow.

’The Sev... Seventh Prince?!’

’H-how could he be here?! And serving as... Lynch’s aide?!’

For a moment, Angus reeled with shock and disbelief.

Aus said calmly, "I know you still have doubts about my identity."

"But... sometimes fate is truly unpredictable..."

He then briefly recounted his story: how he had been ostracized in the Imperial Capital, ambushed and left for dead, and ultimately saved by Lynch.

Angus listened with a mixture of shock and anger.

He immediately dropped to one knee again in a formal knight’s salute. "This... this disgraced servant, Angus Fisher... greets Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."

He had once seen a portrait of His Majesty as a young man. Recalling it now, he realized that Prince Augustus’s features did bear a noticeable resemblance, though the Prince was more handsome and possessed an entirely different air.

"You may rise," Aus said, raising a hand. "You are a Knight of the Empire, branded a traitor and burdened by a tarnished name and a blood feud. As for me..."

He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "I am merely a fallen prince."

In the next instant, his tone turned serious as he stared down at the kneeling Angus. "Tell me, Angus."

"Are you truly willing to die bearing the crimes of treason and slaying a nobleman?"

"Or does some part of you, deep down, still remember the original Knight’s oath you swore—the one you recited when you pledged to serve the Empire and protect its people?"

"I know all about you. It was that damned Baron Hills Dalton—greedy and cruel, colluding with the Inquisition, framing the loyal, driving your wife to her death, and tearing your family apart..."

"I also know that after joining the rebels, even though you had to resort to plunder to survive, you still held to a certain code and did your best to keep your men in check. In the territory under the Rock Fortress’s control, there were at least no massacres or instances of civilians being tortured and killed. You... are not like a man such as Scarface Craig."

In that instant, a glimmer of hope ignited in Angus’s numb eyes. "Y-Your Highness... you... you mean...?"

Aus didn’t answer directly. Instead, his tone grew distant and somber. "To be frank, Angus, back in the Imperial Capital, all I wanted was to live a quiet life. I had no desire to contend with my brothers, nor did I have the power to do so. After being ’exiled’ to the Southern Territory, ambushed on the road, and saved by Lynch through a stroke of luck... I only thought of hiding my name and surviving."

"But..."

"Over the past six months in Lakefront Town, I have seen and learned a great deal."

"I watched Lynch, a Necromancer of common birth, build a town from nothing but ruins—a town where thousands of refugees can now live and work in peace, with food to eat and a future to hope for."

"I saw faces that were once numb, merely waiting for death, slowly come back to life after arriving in Lakefront Town."

"During these past months, Lynch and I have spoken at length—about policy, about the welfare of the people, and about why this Empire has become the way it is..."

His voice rose, and a fire seemed to ignite in his eyes. "I’ve come to realize that as a Prince... I cannot, and I *should not*, hide away and live out my life in an aimless daze."

"I must do something!"

"I have to do something for this broken Empire, and more importantly, for the millions of common folk within it who are struggling to survive, who yearn for peace."

"I want them to at least have a full meal, a roof over their heads, to live a life that... even if poor, is still bearable, hopeful, and lived with dignity!"

"Not like this, where nobles are greedy and tyrannical, corruption runs rampant among officials, rebellions spring up on all sides, the flames of war consume the land, and human life... is cheaper than dirt."