Unsealing Emptiness

409  Lockdown.

Before the sun rose, the entire estate was turned upside down.

While Ozul slept soundly in his room, the others didn't have the ability to ignore such a ruckus the entire night.

However, when Rose stood up to leave the room, trying to discern the situation, she was sternly blocked at the door.

Even Kumaou tried to check up on the outside, but the Origin Realm cultivator standing outside didn't back down. Without an ounce of emotion in his voice, he told them,

"This is His Majesty's decree. The entire palace is in lockdown."

Kumaou eyed Ozul suspiciously before walking back to his bed. There wasn't anything they could do but wait.

. . .

Hours passed and the rays of a bright morning shone through the windows.

It was at that point when the door to their room blasted open.

It was a striking contrast to when the soldiers gently knocked and one of them went to open the door before they started their business.

The waltzing soldiers consisted of a single Origin cultivator and a platoon of peak Nascent Soul experts.

Scanning the room with his cold stare, the Origin cultivator shouted with a reverberating voice, "His Majesty summons you all, follow me."

Having realized the seriousness of the situation, neither Kumaou nor Rose asked any unnecessary questions. Meanwhile, the trio had already guessed what might have happened, so they kept quiet as well.

Ozul lazily stood up from his bed as well and followed the others outside.

They were brought to an empty ground.

They weren't shocked to see that all of the recently recruited people were there and even a mid-ranked Origin cultivator was seen at the helm of the crowd.

There hung a solemn heaviness in the air as few dared to whisper under the intense gazes of the Origin realm soldiers.

Ozul and his roommates were the last of the group that was brought. Just as they stood amongst the rest of the crowd, the air shook and the gravity seemed to have increased.

Walking in an unhinged gait appeared the man they had only seen on the throne and in the throne room before.

He was the king of this Blue Lion Kingdom.

Following him were another two Origin realm cultivators, both were also at the Origin realm.

'Even Ember's aura was only at the Quasi Origin Realm even if her abilities far surpass that stage, yet here he has so many Origin cultivators following him...'

Ozul couldn't help but wonder just how powerful and ruthless this man must be to have such subordinates.

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As the king took his spot at the forefront, the whispers quietened down, allowing the man whose face seemed to have aged a decade overnight, to address the issue.

"The princess of this kingdom... my daughter...MY Daughter died yesterday!!" the king shouted, his voice laced with sorrow and unbridled rage.

Only at this point did Ozul see a man who had no ambition or the cunning to deceive people. This was the same man who wouldn't flinch even if a thousand were executed in front of him, yet here he was; so broken, so saddened, and so angry.

As the king's aura spread throughout the crowd, even the Nascent Soul soldiers weren't spared of the pressure as they were forced to kneel in unison.

Only the likes of those in the Origin realm could somewhat stand the pressure, though only the man who previously stood at the helm of the crowd could stand straight. He was the only mid-ranked Origin cultivator present.

It stayed like that until the weakest of those present started fainting.

Only then did the king control his aura, giving them room to breathe before he spat in a venomous tone,

"Someone helped them get inside! Someone did!"

The king and his aides had collectively come to that decision. There was no other explanation for this.

"And until I find the son of a bitch and make them wish for death, none of you are leaving this estate! You hear me!?"

The soldiers were all taken aback. They had never seen their king so uncouth before. The princess really was his reverse scale.

Before he turned around, he vaguely glanced in Ozul and Kumaou's direction. They were the biggest target of his suspicion.

That was all. The king wasn't just suspicious of the new recruits. The culprit could be anyone, and so he had many other people he needed to interrogate first.

As the king disappeared along with his two Origin realm guards, people began to whisper again.

Never in their wildest dreams could they imagine the princess dying overnight, much less that they would be implicated like this as well.

"Quiet!"

The mid-ranked Origin cultivator shouted as everyone hushed again.

"All those at the peak of Nascent Soul return to your rooms!"

People quickly began to disperse, not voicing out any complaints. No one wanted to be mistaken for the culprit.

Raven, Blaze, and Zier were about to turn around and leave when the Origin cultivator who had brought them here blocked their path.

"You stay with your group."

Not an ounce of emotion could be seen on the faces of Raven and Blaze, but Zier appeared visibly tense.

But the fact that most of those present here were also anxious helped hide the reason for his worries.

A few moments later, only a handful of people remained on the ground and Ozul's group was a big chunk of that.

The mid-ranked Origin cultivator jumped from his podium and made some gestures, following which the soldiers brought this group of people to another place while he walked toward Ozul's group.

"Follow me," he worded emotionlessly before they walked toward the palace.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the atmosphere was heavy and depressing. The maids even found it difficult to move around, those who were released after a round of interrogation at least.

In the 12 hours that the princess had died, the king had turned the entire estate upside down to find the culprit who helped the assassin inside the palace without triggering any alarms.

In the large throne room, everyone stood solemnly as the Imperial Prince entered in a hurry.

"Brother! What is thi-"

The Prince stopped in his tracks.

Seeing the haggard appearance of his elder brother, he realized the news he received wasn't just a sick joke.

Clenching his fists, he couldn't help but shout, "This is enough, brother!

They have stepped over their lines! This is a declaration of war, brother!"

Not an ounce of emotion could be seen from the king who sat unmoving on the throne. No one could guess the thoughts behind those vacant eyes, not even the Imperial Prince.

Leaning back on his throne, the king finally replied, "Find the culprit first. We are going to war later."

The Imperial Prince nodded his head seriously, as he left the throne room after gesturing to the other attendants to leave as well.

As he walked in the hall leading out of the throne room, the Prince couldn't help but grind his teeth in frustration.

He had warned his brother that recruiting so many people without confirming their backgrounds could become troublesome.

'No... It isn't confirmed yet that it was one of them.'

Although he followed that line of reason, he knew himself that other than those recruits, anyone who could step foot into the estate was thoroughly investigated before.

The chances of anyone else being involved were low.

That's why he was personally going to question every new recruit.

. . .

Ozul's group was brought into a cramped room.

Throughout this spectacle, they remained quiet. However, the suspicious glances that Kumaou occasionally threw at Ozul were becoming more and more obvious.

Fortunately, the mid-ranked Origin cultivator left them alone in the room.

A while later, the door to their room burst open, but it wasn't the king or the Origin cultivator who had left them there.

Instead, it was the Imperial Prince who walked in with large strides.

There was initially a stand-off between the Prince and Ozul before the Prince relented.

"As you all know, my niece, the princess that you all were assigned to protect, was killed.

So, who was it?"

The Prince spoke as if he was sure that the culprit was among them.

But compared to the anxious heart-thumping of those behind them, he couldn't feel anything from Kumaou and Ozul.

"Although I wasn't fond of the princess, there is nothing for me and my people to gain from killing the princess," Ozul finally spoke while gesturing toward the trio as his people.

Although the Imperial Prince also spoiled his niece, he was quick to regain his composure, unlike his brother.

He sighed, and took a seat while rubbing his temples in frustration, "I will be honest with you, there is indeed not much evidence against you guys. In fact, you particularly even proved your sincerity in regards to protecting the princess before."

"But, among all the recruits, only you guys are capable enough to pull off something like-"

Seizing his chance, Ozul interrupted him, "I think you misunderstood. My people have nothing to do with it. I don't know about them."

He spoke the last sentence while pointing toward Kumaou and Rose.

The latter was already on the edge since the incident had happened. Being pointed at like this made her almost jump like a hurling cat.

On the other hand, Kumaou wasn't surprised.

The Imperial Prince watched in interest as Rose stuttered her response, "A-are you suggesting that we did something?! We were all in that room yesterday, but-"

Before she could state that Ozul had left the room and returned before the ruckus started, Ozul interjected, "I don't know about that bear guy, but you are suspicious."

"W-what?! What do you mean?!"

Though she tried her best to compose herself, the gradually increasing heartbeat of hers couldn't escape the notice of the Imperial Prince who was at the peak of the Origin Realm.

Narrowing his eyes, he applied just a small pressure on her as she was forced on her knees.

"Continue," he told Ozul.

"I have seen her sneaking around at midnight, always reaching for a certain wall in the back. I don't know anything else."

He could insinuate more things, but it would make the Prince suspicious of him as well. After all, if he knew so much, then he should have reported her.

Revealing this much was already enough as the expression of absolute terror on Rose's face already gave her away.

Just then, Kumaou stepped forward, "I can confirm that. She even disappeared last night for a few hours before returning. They didn't notice as they were resting, but I was wide awake."

At this, Rose looked with horror before the realization dawned upon her that she was doomed, "YOU LIARS! You-" She shouted, but her protests were quickly suppressed.

Although Ozul didn't show it, even he was stunned at Kumaou's response.

The Prince had heard enough. He stood up and said, "Return to your room. All of you are still forbidden to leave the estate."

He then grabbed Rose from her long hair and dragged her out despite her struggling and thrashing around.

There was no saving her now.