Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Chapter50-Tonight, the Royal Palace is Sleepless!
However, just as the twelve were about to release their complex and brilliant light patterns, they suddenly heard a deep bell sound coming from the direction of the royal palace.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

One, two, three.

Three rings signified an emergency recall.

Their hearts sank immediately, indicating that an urgent situation had occurred in the royal palace!

Dong! Dong!

The bell did not stop and rang two more times.

Five rings indicated internal chaos within the palace!

The twelve of them shivered involuntarily and looked towards the royal palace.

Dong! Dong!

The bell still did not stop.

Two more deep rings sounded.

The bell stopped!

Seven rings meant that a member of the royal family had fallen!

The twelve gold-tier mages were astonished!

Every member of the Azure Kingdom’s royal family was under strict protection. Yet now, someone had fallen!

Who exactly was the royal family member?

The twelve gold-tier mages were anxious and confused.

When they turned their heads, they suddenly noticed that the two masked experts, one in black and one in white, had disappeared without a trace.

On the ground where they had been standing was a swaddle, inside which a healthy baby prince was crying.

The twelve gold-tier mages looked at each other, then quickly took the baby prince and rushed back to the palace.

…

Early the next morning.

A piece of news that shocked everyone gradually spread.

“Have you heard? The Crown Prince and Princess Consort were actually murdered inside the royal palace!”

“Is that true? The Crown Prince and Princess Consort are powerful, and they were in the heavily guarded palace. How could they be killed? Who has the strength and audacity to do such a thing?”

“The Crown Prince is the first in line to the throne. Who would dare spread such rumors? The palace is now under lockdown. It’s said that the Queen burst into tears upon hearing the news, and His Majesty’s hair turned white overnight.”

“I heard that too. The Crown Prince and Princess Consort were beheaded by a mysterious figure. The scene was extremely gruesome!”

“Who could the murderer be? If they can kill the Crown Prince and Princess Consort, what can’t they do? Could it be Kyrik’s doing? Alfonso was killed, and they’ve been eyeing our Azure Kingdom covetously.”

“Although Kyrik has the motive, their experts wouldn’t act without the Empire noticing. I think the Crown Prince’s and Princess Consort’s deaths have nothing to do with Kyrik.”

“If it’s not them, who else could it be? The Crown Prince had almost no enemies and was under strict protection. Without profound strength, it’s impossible to assassinate them and escape unscathed!”

This incident quickly stirred up a storm, causing unrest in the capital.

Almost everyone was discussing this matter. The capital had always been relatively peaceful and stable, and even the killing of mages was rare.

Let alone the critically important Crown Prince.

As the public discussed, previously unknown details began to emerge.

Many previously suspected perpetrators were gradually ruled out.

“If Kyrik isn’t the culprit, and neither are the Crown Prince’s enemies, then it can only be the ‘Mountain Forces’ who did this!”

“I think so too. What kind of place is the capital? What kind of strength did the Crown Prince and Princess Consort possess? Only the ‘Mountain Forces’ have such strength and possibly the motive!”

The focus of the discussions gradually shifted to some mysterious forces, with various speculations.

However, the most frequently mentioned was the so-called “Mountain Forces.”

This Mountain Forces doesn’t refer to any specific power but rather to certain mysterious sects or groups residing in famous mountains and rivers.

Most of them have a long history, deep foundations, and are filled with experts.

They generally don’t involve themselves in worldly affairs and focus solely on their own cultivation.

Once they step into the mortal world, they almost always stir up storms across the continent. Assassinating the Crown Prince is very much in line with their unique style!

Meanwhile, in the royal palace…

In the grand hall, King Aldric, whose hair had turned white overnight, sat on the throne, holding his aching head, his eyes vacant.

He couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince and Princess Consort, who hadn’t provoked any major enemies, were killed in the Kingdom Vault, and in such a gruesome manner.

“Your Majesty, the twelve guardian mages have arrived.”

Suddenly, the voice of a guard rang out.

King Aldric abruptly raised his head. In front of the neatly standing ministers, the twelve gold-tier mages knelt down with heavy expressions.

Seeing the twelve mages who guarded the Kingdom Vault, King Aldric’s bloodshot eyes bulged slightly, and he shouted in a frantic tone:

“What happened? What on earth happened?! The Kingdom Vault was guarded by you, yet the Crown Prince and Princess Consort were killed there! Five hundred guards also died tragically. You must give me an explanation!”

Hearing King Aldric’s questioning, Alex, the leader of the twelve, knelt and crawled to King Aldric.

“Your Majesty, yesterday we were normally guarding the outer perimeter of the Kingdom Vault, but the baby prince was suddenly taken by two mysterious individuals. In our urgency, we pursued them, and we do not know what happened in the Kingdom Vault afterward…”

“Two mysterious individuals? Are you sure there were only two?”

King Aldric clenched his fists and stared at Alex, finding it hard to believe.

He knew about the baby prince being taken, but due to the Crown Prince and Princess Consort’s murder, he had to urgently investigate, putting that matter aside in his grief.

Now hearing that just two people had driven away the twelve gold-tier mages, he was astonished.

Alex nodded firmly. “At first, we intended to easily capture those two rebels, but we didn’t expect that they were both platinum-tier, with immense power.”

“If they hadn’t spared the baby prince and us, merely trying to delay us, we would have perished at their hands.”

As he spoke, Alex and the others once again recalled the two figures, one in black and one in white.

They covered themselves tightly with wide robes and wore masks that only exposed their eyes, making it impossible to determine their identities. However, their strength was undeniable—they were definitely platinum-tier mages.

Among mages, reaching platinum-tier is exceedingly rare, akin to finding a needle in a haystack. In any faction, such mages are considered core members and elite warriors. The fact that two of them could be mobilized at once shows the immense power and influence of the mastermind behind them.

Thinking about the deaths of the Crown Prince and Princess Consort, it became clear that the abduction of the baby prince was merely a distraction. The true objective was the Kingdom Vault, which the Crown Prince and Princess Consort were temporarily guarding.

After all, the Crown Prince and Princess Consort were killed in the Kingdom Vault.

“Platinum-tier mages?! Whoever it is! Daring to plot against our Azure Kingdom and murder the Crown Prince, they must pay with blood!”

King Aldric, understanding Alex’s thoughts, slammed his hand on the armrest of his throne, causing the entire hall to tremble.

“Immediately contact the Council of Elders and request their intervention. We must thoroughly investigate who killed my son, as well as the Council of Elders’ second disciple!”

Alex and the twelve others nodded repeatedly.

They were all members of the Council of Elders, so requesting the elders’ help was not difficult. However, given how deeply the mastermind had schemed, it wouldn’t be easy to uncover the truth.

Though they had reasons for leaving the Kingdom Vault, they couldn’t escape the charge of dereliction of duty. Now, they could only atone for their sins by finding the real culprit.

After Alex and the others left, Princess Marry looked at the angry and haggard King Aldric. Her own sorrow intensified, but she raised her swan-like neck and comforted him:

“Father, I have also contacted the headmaster of Luna Academy, my most respected mentor. She will come to the capital to help us. I am sure she will find the murderer in the shortest time possible and avenge my brother and sister-in-law!”

“The headmaster of Luna Academy?”

When Princess Marry mentioned her mentor, a noble and elegant figure appeared in King Aldric’s mind. He paused for a moment and then nodded, saying, “Good, you have truly grown up now, thinking of your father. You did well in this matter.”

Seeing King Aldric’s expression relax slightly, Princess Marry let out a sigh of relief. She then noticed that his gaze had shifted to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

“The mastermind must be brought to justice, so my son can rest in peace, and I can find solace. Take a million gold bounty and go to the Bounty Guild. Hire them to identify the culprit!”

“In addition, immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the Kingdom Vault. Count everything day and night to determine what is missing!”

As King Aldric’s orders were methodically issued, the minister who received the command hurriedly began to act.