NOVPUB"What?" All three of the people aside from Mari herself were immediately taken aback by the news.
Ning looked curious, Shara looked surprised, and Matthew looked horrified.
Matthew quickly looked down at the floor, his mind racing through a thousand different information he had about Mari's brother Taumen Ann Glow.
"I see," he said suddenly. "No wonder he was such a monster on the battlefield. We got reports that powers weren't working on him, but we thought it had to be someone else in the back with a power that was keeping him safe. But if he was a Reaper with Spectral Negation then… yeah, it's all making sense now."
Mari looked to the side with a complicated look on her face. This was the man her father and brother had fought before they were killed. Before their family was claimed to be traitorous. Before they were all captured and taken to execution.
She was the only one who had managed to run away from that. She had tried to protect her mother too, but all she could do was watch from a distance in the district plaza where they executed her for being from a traitor's family.
Tears filled her eyes at that exact moment. It had been 3 years since all of that happened, but even after 30 years had passed, she wouldn't let go of this pain so easily.
"Didn't your brother die mysteriously on the battlefield," Ning asked. "It's been a long day, but I'm sure you said as much."
Mari nodded. "I was told they defected, but clearly something else happened," she said, turning toward Matthew.
"Huh?" Matthew looked up. "Oh yes. Your brother took an arrow. I do not know how your father died, except from a stab."
"Who benefits from your family's destruction?" Ning asked.
"There are many that would," Mari said. "Our family had hands in many trade sectors. We had large plantations where we grew various crops. Our fabric industry was doing better than ever," Shara said. "It's hard to pin this crime on a single person if there is one."
"Yes, but none of them is a criminal," Ning said. "I fear the criminal is none other than the Emperor himself."
"What?"
Both Matthew and Mari looked toward Ning, their eyes wide with confusion and suspicion. "What are you saying?" Mari asked.
"He's saying that the same thing happened to your brother as it is happening to me," Shara said slowly as she looked toward Mari. "They came after your brother because he was a Reaper."
"Huh? No, but why would that…"
Mari couldn't make sense of Shara's statement, failing to understand what being a Reaper had to do with any of that.
"I told you," Shara said. "They are coming after me because I am a Reaper."
"Why?" Mari asked.
"I don't know," Shara said. "They just are."
"Maybe they are worried Reapers might the Republic in the war?" Ning asked. "But then I don't see why they would kill a Reaper that was fighting on their side."
"This sounds implausible," Mari said. "There is no reason why the Emperor would have my brother killed when he was winning the war for him."
"Yeah, that does not make sense," Matthew added.
"Then… is the Emperor scared of Reapers?" Ning asked. "He must be worried that one of them would be secretly contacted by the Republic to assassinate the Emperor. Maybe he is killing everyone because he is afraid. Scared people in high places often do things that are very, very stupid."
Matthew nodded.
"No," Mari said. "That makes even less sense to me."
"Why is that?" Ning asked.
"Because the Emperor would be surrounded by the strongest guards out there. They would catch a Reaper coming just as they would catch any other figure coming. Getting close to the Emperor is not an easy task."
"Yeah, but that does not matter, does it?" Ning said. "He just needs to fear that a Reaper would come. That alone is enough to make him scared thinking of having his powers stripped away by a Reaper."
"No," Mari said. "That makes even less sense. The Emperor has no need to fear that."
"And why is that?" Ning asked.
"Because he is a Reaper himself."
The carriage went silent for a long time before anyone made any sound. "I'm sorry… what?" Ning asked.
"The Emperor, he is a Reaper, so I don't see why he would be so scared by Reapers," Mari said.
"It's still… possible…" Ning said, but he didn't believe that himself. It wouldn't make sense for the Emperor to do something like this.
He looked toward Matthew. "I'm surprised you don't know any of it," he said. "I thought you were a noble."
"Everyone is equal in the Golden Republic," the man said quickly.
"Yeah, yeah, but you came from a line of nobility, so you should have this information," Ning said.
The man got silent. "7 years into the war, over 20 years ago, my father lost his life on the battlefield. I was only 8 back then when it happened. Anything that might have been secrets for nobilities, died with my father."
"I see," Ning said.
He sighed, wondering what exactly he was missing here.
Shara asked a question at that moment. "Do either of you know why the other two kingdoms have refused to accept the Emperor as an Emperor?"
"Of course," Matthew said.
Mari nodded as well.
Ning looked up. "You do? Tell me."
"It's because they don't accept the Emperor to be the Emperor. Simple as that," Matthew said.
Mari gave a little more information. "They don't believe that the Emperor has a claim to the throne, so they refuse to accept it."
"Why would he not have a claim?" Ning asked. "I remember their family having the bloodline of the old Emperor Volter. Was that not true?"
"No, that is true," Matthew said. "But Emperor Volter lived over 350 years ago, and their bloodline is now among the nobles. So those two countries believe that he doesn't have a claim."
