The Qualification Realm! (10)

In the underground throne room of Kebon von Stein, Kebon was furious with his negotiator. "How could you only negotiate him down to 200,000 Immortal essence stones? You realize this will severely impact our operations after we take over the Palace? And 10,000 per death? Are you insane to agree to those terms?! I only have 400,000 Immortal essence stones on hand. What if he succeeds in his mission, but all his assassins die, huh? I'll be left penniless! The favor alone should have been more than enough." Kebon was disappointed with his subordinate's failure and wondered if his kindness to his people had made them take his generosity for granted.

As Kebon pondered, the negotiator stood rigid, petrified with fear. Despite being the 21st knight and a faithful servant of Kebon, he knew that he wouldn't receive any recognition or reward for his efforts. The future emperor's mood was already incensed, and a failure that had cost him so much money was unacceptable. The 21st knight was just grateful to be alive.

Just as Kebon's anger reached its peak, another servant abruptly entered the room uninvited. This sudden intrusion only intensified Kebon's wrath. The message the servant brought only sealed the poor knight's fate.

"Harald Thunderlance has returned to Stonehaven with Tadorion Castell, the treacherous angel, and 100 mounted knights," the messenger reported, but before he could continue Kebon von Stein erupted into a frenzied rage and tore the messenger apart. The knight remained frozen as the Prince took his anger out on the innocent messenger who had only delivered the devastating news.

He spent 15 minutes to end the messenger's life and cover the floor in his blood. A significant amount of the blood and gore splattered onto the knight, leaving him covered in red.

Revised: "21!" Kebon breathed heavily as his rage dissipated and his thoughts became clearer. "Leave me. Clean yourself up and prepare for the final showdown."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the 21st knight replied, grateful for his survival and the unfortunate but timely sacrifice of the messenger. He thanked all the demons, devils, buddhas, and gods for their mercy.

Kebon von Stein was neither evil nor foolish. His greatest weakness was rooted in his heritage. As a half-demon in a human empire, he faced a difficult fate. Even if he had lived among his demon family, he wouldn't have been known for his calm, gentle, and even-tempered nature.

Kebon's father was Nakton Wagnius, a pure-blooded Wrath demon. He and the late empress had a chance encounter during one of her travels, and after seducing her and having a great time together, they went their separate ways. The empress did not learn she was pregnant with a demon spawn until after they had parted.

Demons can be callous, but they take care of their own family members, provided they know about them. If Nakton had known about his son, he would have taken an active role in his life and rescued him from his mother's family after her death. Alas, his playboy father had handed the then princess a disposable contact number, so she had been unable to ever reach him.

Being half Wrath demon and half human was a complex combination. While humans were emotional creatures and often became reckless when they experienced strong emotions such as anger, Wrath demons drew power from rage and anger, making them even stronger. This combination made Kebon von Stein incredibly powerful, but also susceptible to emotional outbursts that could cloud his judgement.

The death of his mother and the unjust treatment he faced at the hands of his uncle had fueled his anger for the past 25 years, leading him down a dangerous path of constant frustration and rage.

It was only after Archmage Trekon began to further enrage him that Kebon's emotional state worsened. Despite this, he had a few moments of peace, mostly after engaging in physical activities like fighting or sex. It was for this reason that his late maid was often left more exhausted than satisfied.

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— Inside the Misty Forest —

A group of 20 priests stood in a circle on top of a historic stone altar, surrounding an elderly man who was hanging on the brink of life. They were chanting incantations that were channeling massive amounts of mana and other spiritual energies into a powerful formation integrated into the altar.

At the center of this formation was Konrad von Stein, whose body was badly damaged from multiple deadly and paralytic poisons. His organs were in critical condition, and he would have already passed away if not for the ancient healing altar and the concerted efforts of the priests.

The priests had been performing the healing ritual for several days, and it would still take several more hours until the current emperor, Konrad von Stein, would be well enough to regain consciousness.

"Thank you for healing me, your effort saved my life. Should there ever be something I can do for you, you just need to ask, and I will aid you to the very limit of my abilities." Emperor Konrad von Stein spoke to the priests. They felt flattered by his words, yet they would never dare to waste the Emperor's time with something so insignificant as their own personnel matters.

After the light on top of the altar dimmed and the emperor stepped down followed by the priests that healed him he was greeted by a man that was as old as he was. Archbishop Molesto Maidion bowed deeply, his luxurious white robe with golden embroidery glittered in the setting sun, as he spoke.

"Your Majesty, the Church of light regards this as a mandatory service. It is our duty to support you with the very best of our abilities. Furthermore, we cannot allow the abomination, that your sister willingly protected, to rule over good and faithful people. Such Demonspawn should have been eradicated on the day of its birth. Its current actions only prove this point."

The Emperor's face was indifferent after hearing these word he only projected gratitude towards the Archbishop, yet inside he was twitching and puking his guts out. The words of the Archbishop were too close to his own thoughts to ignore it. Getting reminded of the fact that he was betrayed by his own nephew to the point of staging an assassination attempt hurt him rather deeply.

He had always tried to be a good uncle to the boy his sister brought into this world. Yet after looking away for a moment he found the ungrateful little bastard behind all the problems that keep him awake at night. Just as he managed to stabilize the situation he found a dagger in his back.

The open rivalry in court was no secret and the fact that he picked up the trash he threw away, was no secret. No matter if it was the knight of his sister, some random black mage or the vermin called Thunderlance. In his eyes they were worth nothing, and he would have gladly gotten rid of them if he could but he needed reasons. Humiliating and striking down Thunderlance after his audacity was not enough every time he thought of it his blood began to boil in his veins. The spawn of a minor noble house that could barely keep itself from falling from grace completely had the gall to ask for his daughter in marriage on an official occasion.

What had he done that deserves such treatment from his nephew? He could only blame his dead sister for her incompetence to educate her son properly. The fact that Kebon was a half demon was not helping him at all, quite the contrary. Konrad von Stein felt humiliated to his core. It had gone so far that he had to ask the Church of light for their assistance.

Enlisting outside help because of a family matter, Konrad felt like he brought shame towards his ancestors and his bloodline. Yet he couldn't sit tight and let Kebon take over his empire. It would be like inviting the wolf pack to protect the sheep while the shepherd goes and has lunch with his family.

"I curse you Kebon, you are not part of my family anymore," the emperor released his pent up anger and frustration, in his rage he shouted so loud that the entirety of the army could hear him, "I hereby declare you Kebon, son of Karina von Stein, former empress, a high traitor of the empire. Furthermore, I promise that whoever kills you will be bestowed with the title of Duke and will be given his own weight in Spirit Stones. I disown you and revoke your family name. From today on it will be forbidden to call you 'von Stein' . You shall be known as Kebon the demon. You brought nothing but shame to the name of our ancestors."

After his Imperial decree Konrad von Stein and Archbishop Maidion moved on the head of the army in the direction of the City of Stonehaven. Their goal was to bring an end to the reign of Kebon von Stein.