In the Human Empire, the emperor sat upon his massive golden throne while expressions of irritation and displeasure filled his face.
The throne room was strangely quiet, but that silence was nothing more than a cover for the tension beginning to spread throughout the entire empire.
The Half-Humans had not officially declared war…
but their indirect accusations toward humans regarding the murder of their kingdom's princess were clear enough.
The emperor frowned even more as he thought about the matter, then raised his gaze toward one of the mages standing nearby and slowly asked:
"Are you certain of this?"
Then he narrowed his eyes and added:
"Did the Half-Human spy you captured truly say that this is what their king believes?"
The mage respectfully nodded and was about to answer…
but before he could speak, the doors of the hall suddenly opened.
The prince entered with quick steps, clear annoyance visible upon his face, then coldly said:
"Those Half-Human bastards are becoming truly irritating."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Their movements inside the new capital have increased noticeably."
Then he looked directly at his father and added:
"Should we not take a harsher stance against them?"
The emperor looked toward his son, who had entered the throne room without permission, but he did not care about that.
Instead, he calmly began thinking about his words.
After several moments, he shook his head in refusal and said:
"No."
Then he added in a low but firm voice:
"Let us remain patient for a little longer."
He straightened himself upon the throne and continued:
"First, we must know who will stand beside us in this crisis… and who will stand against us."
The prince silently looked at his father for several moments before beginning to think deeply.
Afterward, he turned toward the mage and the guards standing within the hall and said:
"Leave us alone."
Then he coldly continued:
"I wish to discuss a private matter with the emperor."
The guards and the mage exchanged curious glances. Even the emperor himself appeared interested in hearing what his son wished to say.
But in the end, he waved his hand and ordered:
"All of you, leave."
The moment they received the order, everyone bowed and quickly departed from the hall, leaving the throne room empty except for the emperor and his son.
Silence filled the room for several moments.
Then a cold smile appeared upon the prince's face before he said:
"What if we make the vampire and werewolf slaves we possess move against the Half-Humans?"
Then his smile widened slightly as he continued:
"And that way… we ourselves will remain far from suspicion."
The emperor frowned the instant he heard that.
Then he slowly shook his head and replied:
"No."
The prince raised an eyebrow in surprise, but the emperor seriously continued:
"If anyone discovers that you are using ancient magic—even if it is merely a small rumor—then it will become a disaster for us."
Silence filled the room for a moment before the emperor continued in a calmer tone:
"As for those slaves you speak of… leave them alone."
Then a faint and cold smile appeared upon his face.
"We may need them later as a trump card."
He lowered his voice further as he added:
"Or perhaps… as scapegoats."
The prince understood what his father meant, so he nodded in understanding, though irritation still remained visible upon his face.
He simply could not tolerate Half-Humans.
He viewed them as savage and uncivilized monsters.
And he could not accept the idea of confronting them face-to-face through diplomacy.
So he quietly asked:
"Then… we will not confront them for now?"
The emperor chuckled softly before dismissively waving his hand and saying:
"The Half-Human King will not dare go any further."
Then he smiled confidently as he continued:
"It is true that he is angry now and causing several troublesome incidents…"
But his gaze became colder as he said:
"However, he has not crossed the line that would make him a true danger requiring immediate action."
The emperor frowned slightly, as though he had suddenly remembered something unpleasant, then calmly said:
"And also… I heard that the Half-Human King released that savage creature from his prison."
The prince's expression changed immediately. He looked toward his father in obvious disbelief and said:
"You mean… he truly released that monster?"
Then he continued in even greater shock:
"Is he not afraid that he will rebel again and destroy his kingdom?"
The emperor calmly shook his head while a faint smile carrying traces of mockery appeared upon his face.
"It is not that he is unafraid of his son, my child."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"It is because he no longer has any other choice."
Then he rested against the throne and added:
"He has no other heir worthy of inheriting the throne."
Silence filled the room for several moments.
As for the prince, he began remembering the old stories he had heard years ago about the Half-Human Prince.
Stories that once sounded to him like ridiculous exaggerations.
But after hearing his father confirm them…
he began feeling genuine concern.
He had heard that, in order to defeat his son in the past, the Half-Human King had been forced to lure him outside the kingdom into a distant forest.
And there…
a massive battle erupted between them.
A battle that destroyed half the forest entirely.
Back then, the prince had not believed those stories.
He had been young at the time and could not imagine a single person possessing such terrifying power.
But now…
after all these years…
he could no longer imagine just how powerful that monster had become.
The prince finally raised his gaze toward his father and quietly asked:
"Should I deal with that prince before he becomes a danger to us?"
The emperor quickly shook his head in refusal and seriously said:
"If you do that, my son… then the Half-Humans will become our true enemies."
Then he narrowed his eyes and continued:
"And they will never leave our empire in peace again."
He fell silent briefly before adding in a heavier tone:
"Even if you are careful in what you do… they will certainly discover that you are responsible."
Silence filled the hall once more.
Then the emperor looked directly at his son and asked:
"And are you truly certain… that you can defeat him?"
The prince's eyes widened in obvious shock before he quickly replied:
"Do you not trust my strength, Father?"
His tone grew even stronger as he confidently and arrogantly continued:
"No one dares face me when I use ancient magic."
Then he smiled coldly and added:
"And that monster knows nothing except relying on physical strength and instinct."
He waved his hand with disdain as he continued:
"He depends solely upon his body in battle and uses no external power or true magic."
Then he raised his head with complete confidence and declared:
"So… he will never be able to defeat me."
The emperor looked at his son in prolonged silence.
He fully understood the extent of his son's arrogance.
The prince had become so confident in ancient magic that he truly believed himself invincible.
And while ancient magic was indeed a terrifying power…
it was not absolute.
The emperor finally sighed before calmly saying:
"Use ancient magic against me right now."
The prince looked at his father in shock, unable to understand what he was trying to do.
Before he could ask anything…
the emperor suddenly said in a sharp tone:
"Do it."
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]