At this moment, the one with the sourest expression was none other than Enoch. After all, for him, this
was the worst timing for Zain to wake up. He even injured his nephew so badly just so he could frame
Rocky and Layla up and take the Purgatorial Tripod. At the back of his mind, he committed a blunder
by not killing Zain. Now that the prince was awake, he would definitely tell the king about everything,
including Enoch's collusion with the demonic race. At this point, Enoch would not be able to do
anything even if he used all the lies that he could think of.
Rocky, Layla, and Gilbert also cast a glance at Enoch. They knew that finally, his ploy would be
exposed, and everything would now be resolved.
The royal members were whispering to each other. They were guessing what would happen next once
the king returned.
However, while everyone was waiting for the king to come back, they suddenly heard something heavy
falling from above. Then, a loud bang shook the entire hall.
Startled, everyone looked upward, where the loud noise came from. The next moment, the roof of the
hall was penetrated by an astonishing force. Countless dense black shadows rushed into the hall and
quickly spread out.
"These are Ghostly Poisonous Bees! They are highly toxic, so don't let them sting you!" When
someone recognized the black shadows, he hurriedly warned everyone else in the hall.
Immediately after, everyone became wary and protected themselves against the deadly bees.
"Hurry up and get out of here!" Some of the royal ministers who were afraid for their lives quickly
rushed out of the hall in order to avoid such a disaster.
In an instant, the hall became a mess, and almost everyone was panicking.
Obviously, it was not an accident that this incident occurred at this time. Aware of what was happening,
Rocky and Layla quickly fixed their eyes on Enoch. They knew that only he had the motive to pull off
something like this.
As expected, Enoch let out a sinister laugh and swiftly soared into the air. He used the chaos to rush
out of the hall and escape.
Seeing this, Rocky immediately tried to stop Enoch. However, the Shura Realm masters instantly
surrounded him and set up an enchanted barrier to seal him from where he was standing.
"Odin, stand down! The king specifically ordered that you cannot leave this hall!" one of the masters
said authoritatively.
"Just wait here! I will go after him!" Layla knew what Rocky was thinking, so she hurriedly rushed out of
the roof of the hall and chased after Enoch.
Since Gilbert was worried that the princess would be harmed if she confronted Enoch, he also followed
them.
Now that the two had already gone after Enoch, Rocky tried to calm himself down and stayed put. He
could only entrust this matter to Gilbert and Layla.
When Enoch left the hall, the Ghostly Poisonous Bees that invaded also rushed out from where they
came from.
Eventually, the hall quieted down and became peaceful again.
Soon enough, the ministers of the royal family, who escaped from the hall earlier, came back one after
another. Of course, they had no idea why the Ghostly Poisonous Bees attacked out of nowhere. But if
one paid attention to what happened, they could discern that Enoch arranged this so that he could
make his escape before the king returned.
Not long after, Layla and Gilbert also came back to the hall.
"What happened? Did you catch him?" Rocky asked.
However, the princess could only shake her head in disappointment.
"I see. Then, it seems that Prince Enoch was well prepared in case he needed to escape. It is our fault
that we let him run away this time," Rocky said flatly.
At this time, the royal members also suspected what really was happening. But of course, no one dared
to say anything. After all, if their guess was true, it meant that the royal family would face such huge
trouble.
Not long after, the king finally returned. Upon seeing that the hall was destroyed, he shouted angrily,
"What the hell happened here?"
"Well, from the missing person in the hall, it should now be clear who the traitor is," Layla said calmly,
pointing out the obvious.
The king had already confirmed the truth from Zain. His own son verified that Enoch was the one who
colluded with the demonic race.
"Fine. Let go of Odin!" the king ordered.
Hearing this, the Shura Realm masters undid the enchanted barrier and retreated back to the two sides
of the hall.
"Your Majesty, will you still require me to hand the Purgatorial Tripod over?" Rocky asked in an
indifferent tone.
"I have just confirmed from Zain that Enoch indeed colluded with the demonic race. However, the
matters regarding the throne's successor and the Purgatorial Tripod need to be carefully considered.
For the time being, I will discuss them with the elders before I will make the final decision. Therefore, I
want you to stay here in the Royal Land for a few more days, Odin. Wait until I reveal my decision." It
was very apparent that the king's attitude towards the young man had improved a lot compared to
earlier. After all, he learned that he was in the wrong.
"Okay then. I have no problem with that." Rocky nodded in response.
"If that is the case, then let him stay in my place," Layla proposed. "Fine by me," the king answered in a
low voice.
Since he did not have anything left to say, he dismissed everyone and eventually left.
"Let's go to my place first. This day has been too long already," Layla said, inviting both Rocky and
Gilbert.
Soon enough, the three also left the hall and returned to where Layla was residing.
"Now that Enoch's evil plan has been exposed, it is a big possibility that he will soon rebel against the
royal family. Then, what should we do next?" Layla asked, turning to Rocky.
"Nothing. We will just wait," Rocky replied in a somewhat carefree tone.
"Wait for what?" Gilbert and the princess quickly looked at Rocky in confusion, not knowing what he
meant.
"The moment Prince Enoch starts a rebellion, the royal family will surely send out troops to suppress
him. However, we all know that the prince has the support of the demonic race. Hence, even if the royal
family send out its most elite squad, I'm sure that it won't be enough to end the internal strife. At the
same time, we will just watch on the sideline and let them fight until the king is forced to abdicate the
throne," Rocky answered with a serious expression.
"Will that even happen? I don't think the king will relinquish his throne. In fact, in the history of the
Shura Race, it is very rare for a king to abdicate, unless it was already time for him to pick the
successor." Even Gilbert was a bit doubtful of Rocky's plan this time.
"Nothing is impossible. Even the bloody rule of the Shura Race that has lasted for thousands of years
has to end, since it has caused widespread resentment among the population. Moreover, I know that
the leaders of the nine fiefs have their own selfish thoughts. The power of the royal family is indeed
strong, and that is why they rely on it. However, once the nine fiefs remove their support to the royal
family, the royal family cannot strive on its own." Even before, Rocky already had a deep understanding
regarding the fight for imperial power. Hence, he knew exactly how to make the royal family become
vulnerable.
"Suppose the king steps down, who will take over then?" Gilbert asked bluntly.
"Layla, of course. Isn't that the plan all along?" Rocky answered without a shred of hesitation.
"But will the king choose the princess as his successor?" Gilbert asked with a frown. Based on the
king's attitude, he found it hard to believe that the king would willingly give his position to Layla.
"Well, he doesn't have much of a choice. First of all, we have the holy treasure that keeps Phillip's soul
sealed. Even the king said that the one who holds the holy treasure has the qualifications to inherit the
throne. Secondly, Prince Zain is in no shape to become the king. So, in the end, Layla is the only one
left," Rocky explained.
"That is true. But still, if the majority does not accept her…" It seemed that Gilbert could not erase all of
his misgivings.
"We don't have to worry about that. Layla's reputation in the royal family has no blemish. I am sure that
many people will support her," Rocky replied with confidence.
"Then, how exactly are we going to deal with the two princes?" Gilbert inquired.
"As we all know, Prince Zain has been seriously injured, so he should not pose any problem at the
moment. When Prince Enoch starts to pull off his rebellion, I am sure that his first aim will be the royal
family. That is the main reason why I said that we just need to wait. Once he confronts the royal family,
we will have enough time to arrange and set our plans into motion." From Rocky's tone, both Gilbert
and Layla discerned that he had already made some arrangements beforehand.
"Well, I guess we just have to trust your plans," Layla said with a sigh. In fact, she deeply admired
Rocky's ability to foresee various situations. With the situation under his care, it seemed that everything
was under control.
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