CHAPTER 70: THE FIRST MOVE

(Third Person POV)

Everyone stared in shock at the dome that was now reduced to rubble.

The Grand Court’s dome, which had stood for over twenty years without a scratch, was now shattered—turned to dust. And all of it had been done by the Emperor himself, leaving everyone around him bewildered.

Orlax stood in place calmly, watching the flames engulf the court building. His face bore a cold expressionless look.

People began rushing out of the collapsing court, running to avoid the falling debris.

And finally, Orlax saw the ones he had been waiting for.

The court members emerged, surrounded by guards who were protecting and assisting them.

The group, led by the Chief of the Court, reached the gates and saw Orlax standing there, silently watching them.

"Your Majesty, what is happening? Why is the court under attack?"

The Chief asked nervously, glancing around as if fearing a sudden ambush.

"I’m the one who attacked the court."

Orlax’s calm words stunned the Chief, who blinked, unsure he heard right.

"Excuse me? I must not hear you right because my old age. Could you repeat that?"

Orlax stepped closer to him, leaned down to meet the Chief’s shorter stature, and whispered.

"I’m the one who attacked the court."

The Chief’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Orlax, now filled with anger.

"What do you mean by this action, Your Majesty? Do you wish to turn the court into your enemy?"

He raised his voice so that those nearby could hear.

"What?! The Emperor attacked the court?"

"Is he trying to start a war with the judiciary? This is madness!"

Whispers of confusion and fear spread among the crowd as they glanced at Orlax with uneasy expressions.

A faint smile appeared on the Chief’s face as he watched the crowd’s reaction and met the boy’s gaze with defiance.

"Chief of the Court, I want you to release all the hostages you are holding—citizens of my empire."

Orlax raised his voice, mirroring the Chief’s tone and drawing the public’s attention.

"Hostages? What hostages, Your Majesty? Are you accusing us now—after attacking us without cause?"

The Chief replied with an innocent look that convinced many of the spectators.

"Chief, have you noticed the absence of three court members lately?"

Orlax ignored his lies, continuing with an amused expression as he watched the Chief.

The Chief’s eyes widened again. He glanced at the court members around him, exchanging nervous looks.

’So you’re the one... damn it.’

Dooom! Dooom!

The sound of a truck approaching echoed. People moved aside, creating a path for it as it stopped at the court gates.

From the driver’s seat stepped a man with blond hair and green eyes, dressed in fine servant attire.

He walked toward Orlax and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty, they’re here."

The Chief looked at the truck cautiously, a bad feeling gnawing at him.

"Well done, Alex. Open the truck so everyone—especially the Chief—can see what’s inside."

Orlax turned to the Chief, whose face was filled with confusion.

Alex nodded and went to open the back compartment.

Inside, everyone saw three men tied to seats.

They all shared one noticeable trait: bald heads that reflected the light above.

They looked severely beaten, their clothes stained with blood and dirt.

Yet everyone recognized them instantly—they were the three court members who had mysteriously vanished.

"You... how dare you do this to our members?!"

The Chief’s face burned with rage as he glared at Orlax.

"Well, now that all the court members are present... why don’t we give them a show?"

Whup! Whup! Whup!

The sound of helicopter blades grew louder as a blue helicopter hovered above, displaying a massive screen that could be seen from anywhere in the capital.

Its doors were open, revealing a red-haired girl standing at the edge, overlooking the crowd.

’Perfect timing, Riana.’

Orlax looked away from the helicopter and turned to the Chief with a faint smile.

"Chief of the Court, this is your final chance. Release the hostages you’re holding... or else."

"Or else what?! I don’t have any hostages. Why are you doing this to us, Your Majesty? This is outrageous!"

The Chief began playing the victim, letting tears stream from his eyes as he searched the crowd for sympathy.

"You asked for this."

Orlax pulled out his phone and dialed Riana.

"Start the first show. Now."

"Understood."

From the helicopter, Riana activated the giant screen.

Everyone turned their eyes to it.

A video began to play, showing a middle-aged man—instantly recognizable as one of the court members inside the truck.

The crowd watched in silence.

But as the video went on, their expressions changed to shock and horror at the crimes the man had committed.

When the video ended, silence swept through the crowd.

The Chief, in particular, was visibly panicking.

’Damn it, damn it! How could this happen? We’ve been hidden for over twenty years... and now a boy—who hasn’t even finished growing—brings all this crashing down. Damn it!’

"What do you think, Chief? Was that a good show? Or should we keep going?"

Orlax’s cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He glared at him.

"You planned all this, you...!"

"Shhh. No need for words. Now, tell me—will you release the hostages, or should we keep going until we reach you?"

Orlax pressed a finger to his lips, signaling the Chief to stay quiet—infuriating him further.

"I’ll release the hostages... but you’ll have to let us blame everything on the member shown in the video. The court must distance itself from this scandal. That’s my condition."

The Chief whispered, hoping no one could hear.

"Fine. We have a deal."

Orlax nodded and turned to the gathered crowd, especially the reporters who had arrived earlier.

"It appears these actions were the work of one corrupt individual. The court itself was not involved. We will now ensure this man is punished accordingly—with the court’s full cooperation. Isn’t that right, Chief?"

"Of course. We will see that this villain is brought to justice for abusing his power and harming the Empire’s people. You have my word."

The Chief replied with a serious tone that made the crowd believe him.

They both stepped away from the crowd and looked at each other, each person with a different look on their face.

"This is not over yet, you will pay for this".

The chief justice spoke with a serious look on his face.

"That’s what I have to say, it’s not over yet, you have to be careful from now on even when you’re sleeping in your room, because a lot of accidents could happen"

There was a faint smile on Orlax’s face as he looked at the Chief Justice with a cold gaze that made him shiver.

Alex helped unload the three men from the truck and handed them over to the court.

After that, Orlax turned away, got into the truck, and rode off toward the palace with Alex driving.

"Ha ha ha! That was hilarious! You fooled them brilliantly, Your Majesty!"

Alex grinned as he recalled the earlier events.

Orlax’s plan had been simple yet effective.

Since he only had evidence against the three captured members, he decided to bluff.

By pretending he had evidence against the rest of the court, he forced them to panic and agree to release the hostages.

And with the men he returned, he now had eyes inside the court to slowly gather more evidence—and destroy it from within.

Sure, he could have stormed the court and killed everyone. But that would have led to serious consequences.

The Empire would’ve gone to war with the judiciary without clear justification, leading to low morale.

Worse, the world would once again view him as a tyrant—undoing all the effort he made to improve his image.

So, he chose the smarter path: collect enough evidence to take them down legally and cleanly.

"This is only the beginning, Alex. We still have a lot to do."

"You’re right, Your Majesty. The hostages were tying our hands. But now, we’re finally free to move."

Orlax nodded silently, watching the streets of the capital pass by.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the imperial palace.

Orlax stepped out and walked inside.

There, he found Riana sitting on a couch, watching the news.

The TV was broadcasting the crimes of the court member from the video.

"Ha ha ha! That was so satisfying! But I really wanted to smash their smug faces in."

Riana leaned back on the couch and have a big smile on her face.

"You’ll get your chance. It’s coming soon."

Orlax sat beside her, closing his eyes, lost in thoughts and future plans.

Meanwhile, on the western side of the continent...

There lay the Western Empire.

Once a mighty nation that ruled the region for over a thousand years.

But after the previous emperor’s death ten years ago, a brutal civil war had erupted between the princes and princesses.

Now, the once-great empire had become a battlefield of royal blood.

And on this very day, two figures arrived—ones who would alter the course of the war and begin weaving a new future for this fallen empire.