NOVPUBChapter 203: His Mother, And Resolution
[Reinhardt’s POV]
“Father…” Reinhardt muttered, bowing in front of the throne he was used to seeing all these years.
“Reinhardt.” Diederich nodded at him. “I was expecting you to arrive sooner. Did you have some matters to attend to beforehand?”
Reinhardt’s brows twitched as he brought his gaze to the floor.
“Azarielle has gone missing. I can’t find Shyvana either,” Reinhardt stated.
His precious sisters, who were the hearts of the Aztera kingdom, had vanished overnight.
But he could easily imagine why.
Ever since a few hours ago, their information network had been scrambled. He couldn’t hear anything from his scouts who had left toward Celestara.
I can’t get in contact with anyone in Sylvaran, and the rest of the Holy Kingdom is ignoring us, Reinhardt thought and finally brought his gaze back to his father.
Yet when their eyes met, he was greeted with a look of utter disappointment.
“You’re still as pathetic as when you were a child, Reinhardt,” Diederich muttered. “Truly… Your incompetence continues to impress. I specifically told you to watch over your sisters after we returned from the summit.”
Reinhardt’s brows twitched. “Father… they’re not dead. Both of them are still alive in my friends list. They’re just not replying to me.”
Diederich scoffed. “Have you not learned that it’s possible to fake that strange interface? Do you not remember what happened with your mother?”
The moment his words fell, Reinhardt froze.
He remembered all too well.
Their mother was the greatest ruler Aztera had ever seen. But one day, that all changed.
She grew sickly for a few weeks, then out of nowhere, she recovered.
At first, everyone was relieved that she had gotten all better. The public even held a giant celebration. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
But that was where all the problems started.
Her previously magnanimous orders became ruthless, and she didn’t even look at Reinhardt or any of her children with the same love and affection she used to show.
At the time, there was only Reinhardt and Shyvana, both of whom were 4 years old.
That was also when his mother suddenly got pregnant.
Ever since that day, she didn’t smile even a single time. And the same went for his father, Diederich, as well.
Something happened in private that Reinhardt didn’t know—up until his mother gave birth to another child, Azarielle.
She looked identical to Reinhardt, almost as if she were a long-lost twin.
But that was the first and last time he saw his father’s genuine smile.
After all, the moment his mother gave birth to Azarielle, a peculiar sight ensued.
His mother’s body didn’t resemble the one he was used to seeing. Instead, it was monstrous and morphed, almost as if someone had stolen her skin and lived the life she could not.
Everyone saw it. Shyvana, Reinhardt, and especially Diederich.
What happened next was a blur.
The only thing Reinhardt remembered was watching his father lash out, then jump on top of her before strangling her to death.
She was once terrifyingly powerful, but she didn’t fight back. Not even a little.
Not a single drop of blood spilled. When she stopped struggling, her body disintegrated into strange blue particles.
Despite all that, to this day…
The interface stated his mother was alive.
Reinhardt clenched his fists.
He was reminded of her death when the travelers reappeared. They had a similar reaction upon dying, but no matter how many questions Reinhardt asked, none of the travelers could answer.
It was almost like something was blocking his words from reaching them.
Even so, these were memories he wanted to forget but couldn’t.
Whatever had taken the place of his mother had died with a smile.
And that was exactly why whenever Rael mentioned her during the summit, Reinhardt’s opinion of him changed.
I won’t help a man who slanders my family without knowing the truth, Reinhardt thought with a determined look, and met his father’s gaze.
“Father… no… Your Majesty,” Reinhardt bent the knee. “What are my orders?”
Diederich tapped the throne’s armrest with a frown.
“What orders did I give you initially?”
“Secure the safety of my sisters.”
“Then what are your orders?”
Reinhardt straightened his back. “I will do as you say, Your Majesty. I will bring my sisters back and make Celestara regret ever messing with us.”
“Good.” Diederich nodded, and just as he was about to give another order, the throne room’s doors swung open.
One of the soldiers ran up to the two of them, a panicked look on his face.
He swiftly fell to the ground, bowing as deep as he could.
“Y-Your Majesty! There has been an emergency!” the soldier announced.
Diederich frowned before waving his hand. “Go on…”
“All our emergency watchtowers have fallen! B-But that’s not all…” The soldier trailed off, his entire body trembling. “S-Sixteen Count-Ranked nobles have been found dead in their homes. Each one was killed by a bullet through the brain.”
Just as the soldier was about to continue, another soldier ran inside the throne room, stopping right in front of all of them with an even deeper bow.
“Y-Your Majesty… There has been—”
“Speak.” Diederich cut him off coldly as he tightened his grip on the throne’s gold-plated armrest, causing it to shatter.
The soldier flinched, and after taking a deep breath, spoke.
“Eighty Baron-Ranked nobles have been killed… I’ve also received a few reports about a few Viscounts being killed, but the number…”
Diederich stood up and approached the soldier, then picked him up by the collar.
“How many nobles have been confirmed dead?”
“I can answer that, Your Majesty,” the first soldier chimed in, raising his gaze. “W-With the reports we received, the death toll of nobles has reached more than a hundred… I’m afraid most of the small towns and villages have become unattended, and the crime rate has increased drastically.”
Shit… Reinhardt’s brows furrowed.
He had a very good feeling about who was responsible.
The same person who threatened Aztera yesterday, and the very same person who had made Reinhardt experience fear he had only felt with his father.
Rael Sutekh.
And it seemed like Diederich recognized the threat as he turned to Reinhardt and took a deep breath.
“I hereby give you new orders,” Diederich stated, crushing the guard’s neck within his grasp, then chucking it at the remaining soldier.
The soldier didn’t even have time to react before he was blasted back by a force like a cannonball, leaving a hole where his heart had been.
Diederich stepped closer to Reinhardt.
He wiped his bloodied fingers on Reinhardt’s royal armor and finally gave the long-awaited order.
“Find Rael Sutekh and kill him.”
Reinhardt’s body tensed, but he swiftly bowed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Right away, Your Majesty.”
