Read Novel Full Chapter 696: Settling a Score (1)
Chapter 696: Settling a Score (1)
"Hahaha! Finally, the throne is mine!" Karakh could no longer contain his joy.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. If his father hadn’t named Aldrian as his heir, why would he have gone through all the trouble of hatching these dirty schemes?
But it was too late now. He no longer cared about anything called morality.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the direction of the throne room door.
Without realizing it, he looked up and stared ahead.
Instantly, his face turned deathly pale.
"N-Nolan Lorian!?"
The exclamation startled the ministers who had been praising him moments before. In unison, they followed his gaze and froze on the spot.
A handsome young man in his early twenties stepped inside.
He was tall, with black hair and a pair of sharp yet beautiful purple eyes.
It didn’t take long for them to recognize him—the Sixth Prince of the Great Velmora Empire, Nolan Lorian!
"Nolan Lorian!? How could he be here?"
"What’s happening?!"
Commotion spread rapidly among the ministers.
They had assumed Nolan had returned to his empire. Yet here he was, standing before them now.
More surprising still—where did he find the courage to show himself in this palace?
Wasn’t he afraid of dying?
Among all those shocked, Gulvar was the most devastated. He stared blankly at Nolan before his expression twisted into pure rage.
"Nolan Lorian..." he hissed with hatred.
When he thought about it, all the chaos in this royal palace had started with that young man.
Because he killed Aldrian, his wife had fallen into a depression so deep she had lost her sanity.
And because of him, Gulvar had lost the trust of the palace officials.
If there was one person he hated most right now, it was Nolan—without a doubt.
Facing the stares of everyone, Nolan remained calm, even indifferent.
He smiled and looked at Karakh on the throne with a playful air.
"You’ve finally managed to secure the throne, Prince Karakh. It went according to our plan," he said casually.
Those words struck everyone like a thunderclap, including Gulvar.
They immediately turned toward Karakh, as if demanding an answer to Nolan’s words.
Karakh’s face darkened. From the start, he hadn’t expected Nolan to show up here.
It must be noted that the plan between him and Nolan was something known only to the two of them, including the murder of Aldrian.
Most people might think he was the mastermind behind the chaos, but there was no evidence of that. And no one would know that he had been collaborating with Nolan.
Since Nolan—whom he had failed to kill through the bounty—had gone to the Great Velmora Empire, he had actually stopped worrying about him.
Who would have thought that man would appear at the very moment he was ascending to the throne and being entrusted with the mandate by the ministers?
This was clearly a blow to him.
Still, he slowly regained his composure and smiled.
"Thank you for your kind words, Prince Nolan Lorian. But..." His eyes sharpened. "What do you mean by ’we’? I don’t understand at all."
Seeing Karakh evade the question, Nolan remained completely unfazed.
He walked forward and stopped three meters away from the ministers. Each of them glared at him with open hostility.
"Since you refuse to admit it, I’ll expose everything here," Nolan said calmly. His gaze swept across the ministers before him as he added in a mocking tone, "All of you... traitors to your king. I’ll make it clear right now."
His words darkened their expressions. But before they could respond, Nolan continued.
"From the very beginning, you’ve all been nothing more than puppets controlled by Karakh Lyren. Did you really think he could accomplish all this alone? Of course not. I was the one who helped him devise his plans—including the assassination of Prince Aldrian and, of course, the chaos in the capital."
"Nolan Lorian!" Karakh suddenly shouted as he stood up, his face flushed with rage while pointing at him. "Shut your mouth, you bastard! You’re slandering me!"
"Slandering?" Nolan sneered. "I didn’t come here to waste my time with lies. I’m speaking the truth."
"You..." Karakh gritted his teeth. "Soldiers! Arrest him at once!"
At his command, fifteen soldiers emerged from both sides of the throne room.
They rushed toward Nolan, weapons drawn, aiming swords and spears at him.
"Don’t move, or you’ll be hurt," one of them warned.
Nolan remained calm. He glanced at them indifferently, then snapped his fingers.
Bang!
In an instant, all fifteen soldiers were sent flying, crashing violently into the pillars of the throne room.
The entire room fell silent, everyone staring in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.
Nolan casually rubbed his neck and said, "Is that all you’re relying on? If so, it’s truly pathetic."
Karakh gasped and staggered back in fear. He knew Nolan could not possibly be an ordinary man.
But he never expected that the man was actually a mage.
"No... I haven’t lost yet! I still have those two!" he muttered.
A smirk returned to his lips.
With trembling hands, he pointed at Nolan and ordered, "You two, restrain Nolan Lorian!"
The two men in black cloaks beside him nodded and vanished instantly.
In the next moment, they reappeared on Nolan’s left and right. Their daggers flashed as they aimed for his neck and abdomen.
Just as Karakh believed victory was within reach, something unexpected happened.
The daggers stopped—just one centimeter away from their targets.
The two assassins froze in panic. They tried to retreat, but their bodies would not move.
It felt as though an invisible force had locked them in place.
Nolan casually waved his hand.
In an instant, both men exploded. Flesh and blood scattered across the throne room.
Some fragments struck the ministers, causing them to recoil in horror.
"The first rule of working with me," Nolan said calmly, "is never betray me. Otherwise, you’ll be the one who suffers. Unfortunately..."
He sighed lightly, almost as if disappointed. "You broke that rule. So there’s no way out for you, Karakh Lyren."
"Waaah!" Karakh screamed in terror. His earlier confidence had completely vanished, replaced by sheer panic etched across his face.
"D-Don’t mess around, Nolan Lorian! This is the royal palace! You can’t just do whatever you want!" he stammered.
Nolan ignored him completely and continued walking toward the throne.
None of the ministers dared to stop him. Not even the five soldiers holding Gulvar moved a single step to intervene.
Karakh’s fear deepened. His face drained of color almost instantly.
He hurriedly turned to flee, only to realize his body wouldn’t move at all.
"W-What!? How is this possible!?" he cried in panic.
In the next instant, a powerful force yanked him backward. His body was dragged down before Nolan’s hand shot out and clamped tightly around his neck.
"Trying to run away?" Nolan smirked. "Did you ask for my permission first?"