ALL NOVEL Chapter 96
Suddenly, knights burst into the Inner Palace.
The healers passing through the corridor were startled by their urgent atmosphere but had no time to react as they had to pay their respects.
The Emperor himself was the figure striding in, accompanied by the elite guards of the Imperial Palace—the finest knights of the Empire.
The Emperor strode purposefully, turning down the corridor.
This was the domain of the Moonlight Palace faction.
At the entrance, Falkenhayn, who had been waiting for the Emperor’s direct arrival, greeted him respectfully.
“I’m honored to see you, Your Majesty.”
“Falkenhayn. Is it true that Wanda and Gesa are gravely injured?”
“Regrettably, it is true.”
At Falkenhayn’s response, the Emperor narrowed his eyes.
“Will they survive?”
“That… we are doing our utmost.”
The Emperor, a man who had navigated through extreme situations on the battlefield many times, knew well from experience that urging the healers wouldn’t bring the dying back; it was better to step aside so they could concentrate.
“How long will it take?”
“Princess Wanda is in the care of Teacher Gothberg, and Gesa is being treated by the priest Livio. Princess Wanda will need at least five hours for her treatment.”
“I will wait here.”
“I will prepare a place for you.”
Guided by Falkenhayn, the Emperor entered Gothberg’s office. The attendants immediately prepared the environment for him to rest comfortably.
“Phew.”
As the Emperor of the Empire, he couldn’t afford to show excitement lightly.
Though anxious and worried, he calmly accepted a cup of tea served by the attendants.
“Come and sit down, Falkenhayn.”
“Yes.”
While Lars prepared, Falkenhayn took the lead in conversing with the Emperor.
Come to think of it, it was Gothberg who recommended this tea.
Moistened by the warm liquid, the Emperor, regaining a bit of composure, spoke to Falkenhayn.
“Wanda and Gesa have been around since childhood and have always brought smiles to the Imperial Family, even if they were not into politics.”
“Indeed.”
“I have had to shed the blood of many brothers to ascend the throne, but on the contrary, I firmly protected my side.”
“I am well aware.”
Falkenhayn nodded.
Currently, aside from the Emperor’s direct lineage, there are more than ten other royals within the Imperial Family.
These include the Emperor’s cousins and siblings, and their direct descendants.
Due to political stability, it’s common for the Emperor’s siblings or family to become independent of the main family upon ascendancy.
They remained in the Imperial Family strictly because the Emperor wished it.
It felt like casually giving a loft to a close friend.
The family he selected were all firmly on his side, ones who would never rise against him.
In his personal time, the Emperor would enjoy hobbies or chats with them.
He was ruthless to his enemies but exceedingly affectionate toward his allies.
Falkenhayn, who had been with the Imperial Family for a long time, understood this well.
“How many years has it been since you came to the Inner Palace?”
“Ah, this is my fiftieth year.”
“Has it already been that long? You were with us before I ascended the throne.”
“That is correct.”
“Is Gothberg so talented that you would resign as attending physician to teach him?”
“Hmm, I taught nothing to Teacher Gothberg. It was quite the opposite.”
Falkenhayn’s nonchalant reply surprised the Emperor slightly.
“You mean to say you willingly became subordinate to another attending physician?”
“Truthfully, considering my age, I was thinking of retiring.”
Falkenhayn smiled faintly.
“I wanted to pave the way just a little for the next generation.”
“The next generation.”
The Emperor could relate to that thought.
Right now, the most pressing issue for him was deciding the next Emperor.
“I’ve had those thoughts more than once. I’ve achieved enough accomplishments already. Now, spending leisurely time with my siblings and family is quite satisfying. However…”
The Emperor shook his head slightly.
“As you know, there is no such thing as retirement for an Emperor. The only time I can lay down the crown is when my life has ended. This crown, which I longed for in my youth, now binds me tightly.”
Falkenhayn agreed with the Emperor.
Success on one hand brought a comfortable life but simultaneously stripped away freedom.
“My legacy must be perfect. The successor must be a ruler of the caliber equal to mine. If I make the wrong choice, my achievements will fade away.”
“An extremely difficult choice.”
“You made that difficult choice in one breath; that attitude is right. When my era ends, today’s youth will take our place.”
“Indeed.”
“Falkenhayn.”
The Emperor asked with a serious expression.
“Can I trust the Gothberg you chose?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Falkenhayn nodded.
“I can trust him.”
The certainty in his response eased the Emperor’s mind somewhat.
He turned his gaze down the corridor leading to the operating room.
The Emperor clenched his hands tightly.
He didn’t pray to the goddess.
Instead, he cheered for Gothberg.
*
“What’s going on?”
Alberich demanded as his healer relayed news to him.
“The priest is doing his best. Please wait just a bit longer…”
“Can you really say such pathetic things?! This is the Emperor we’re talking about! His Majesty is downstairs!”
Alberich let out a sigh of frustration.
This healing was of utmost importance. It wasn’t something comparable to the performance in the subjugation war.
“The Emperor particularly cherishes Princess Wanda and Gesa.”
If he saved them, he would gain wealth and honor, but failure would bring punishment.
“If Gothberg succeeds while Priest Livio fails, it would be the worst-case scenario.”
The Emperor, who had recently taken a liking to medicine, might end up disregarding healing spells entirely.
From Alberich’s perspective, this incident was essentially a showdown between healing arts and medicine.
“We absolutely cannot lose this, Livio.”
From what he briefly observed earlier, both princesses were gravely injured.
With much experience, Alberich understood immediately that normally applied healing spells wouldn’t suffice; there was no way the patient could survive due to the severity of the injuries.
If the miracle was too strong, a small human body couldn’t possibly endure the goddess’s grace.
Alberich understood this phenomenon that surpassed the degree of injuries that could be healed.
“No matter how skilled Gothberg is, this time will be tough. He’s dealing with the more severely injured Princess Wanda.”
Now was the time to suppress the momentum of the Moonlight Palace faction.
As Alberich contemplated that it was a crisis yet an opportunity, a holy knight came running toward him.
“Bishop!”
“What is it?”
“One more emergency patient has arrived!”
“At this time, another one?!”
“Actually, it’s someone who was in another carriage that collided with the princesses earlier…”
“Right, they said it was an accident with both carriages colliding. Why did it take so long?”
“The terrain was mountainous, so the rescue was delayed. B-but more importantly!”
Alberich hardly dared to believe what was said next.
His eyes widened and his hands shook as he dashed out.
The holy knights were moving the patient from the litter onto a cart.
Alberich hurried over, checking the face of the patient, and paled instantly.
“Y-you!”
Alberich’s mind went blank.
Why was his wife being carried into the Inner Palace covered in blood?
“Wake up, please!”
She was unconscious. No answer came. Her eyes remained shut.
Her breath was barely there. Yet it seemed to be in a precarious state, ready to cut off at any moment.
“Move! Move her now!”
They entered the intensive treatment room immediately.
Alberich assessed his wife’s condition right away.
‘Healing spells won’t fix this.’
The delay in rescue had already pushed past the limits.
‘Please.’
In a panic, Alberich began casting healing spells on his wife with trembling hands.
Gulp!
The pressure forcing down on her insides only caused her to cough up more blood.
Her conditions were similar to the princesses who arrived first.
At this rate, the patient would die before healing could occur.
“Ugh.”
Why had such an event suddenly transpired?
He had devoted a lifetime of faith to the goddess.
He couldn’t understand it.
The desire to deny reality and flee weighed heavily on Alberich.
The agony was brief.
He realized.
Perhaps this was a punishment.
His punishment for treating patients not as patients but merely calculating benefits and losses in the Inner Palace.
The reason he had to heal was that she was injured.
All other terms, including the politics of the Inner Palace and the honor of healers, were utterly irrelevant.
“Is this why Gothberg was so furious earlier?”
Alberich’s thoughts finally connected with that man.
He understood why he could never stand up to that young man until now.
Falkenhayn, considering retirement, was right.
He no longer had the right to heal patients as he had lost his original intention and had been stained by the ink of society.
Whatever the method, as the number of patients who could be healed increased, he should have recognized Gothberg’s medicine and the flow of change sooner.
But it was already too late.
All that came was regret.
“Gothberg.”
If he could do it, perhaps…
Boom!
In an instant, Alberich dashed down the corridor, bursting into the Moonlight Palace office.
“Gothberg! Where’s Teacher Gothberg?!”
“Lord Alberich? The teacher is currently performing an important surgery. You’re aware of this, right?”
Hugo approached, exuding a threatening aura as he tried to chase him away.
‘S-surgery! Is it that way?!’
Without allowing Hugo to stop him, Alberich threw himself under the surgery room sign.
“Lord Alberich!!”
Hugo tried to catch him but was just a moment too late.
Thud!
Alberich opened the door and stepped inside.
He could see a preparation room through the window that overlooked the operating room.
Three healers rushed to stop him, but he was thrown to the ground.
“Ugh!”
Collapsing, Alberich looked up.
Through the window, Gothberg’s profile appeared next to the princess undergoing surgery.
“Gothberg! Please!!”
Alberich shouted with all his might.
“Save my wife! Save her!!”
Lars didn’t respond.
His desperate cry dissolved into the air, fruitless.
Lars maintained his focus on the patient he was currently operating on, not diverting his gaze for a second.
“Get out immediately!”
Hugo clutched Alberich, forcibly dragging him outside.
“Teacher Gothberg!!”
The Lars in the operating room undoubtedly heard Alberich’s urgent voice.
But he couldn’t afford to take his hands or eyes off his work.
Before him, a patient’s abdomen, still open and in the process of suturing, lay starkly red.
Without stopping his hands, Lars spoke.
“Chloe.”