Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 380: The Emperor’s Image

Chapter 380: The Emperor’s Image

Alex moved quickly, his steps light as he rushed to catch Elena before she hit the ground.

Holding her gently, he watched as she placed a palm over her temple, her eyes squinted as she seemed to be in distress.

It seems the act of being possessed by the Princess had left the young lady slightly disoriented.

"Alex..." she called out gently, seemingly wishing to say more but Alex silenced her.

"I understand, you need rest. Let’s return for now."

He immediately snapped, the duo disappearing in a flash of black and white.

Seconds passed before what looked like a phantom moved past the location they’d been.

***

Alex helped Elena to bed, setting her up nicely for a long nap while he prepared to head back to his quarters to resume his plans on how to deal with Emperor Enoch.

However, as he tried to leave, Elena grabbed hold of his wrist, exerting an unusual amount of strength for someone meant to be weakened.

"Is everything alright?" He couldn’t help but ask.

Elena shook her head as she placed a palm on her temple once again causing Alex to quickly realize something.

Her stance looked a lot like she was trying to recall something, contrary to his earlier belief that she was just having a bad headache.

"What’s wrong?"

"The Princess, she said that the title Emperor Enoch has an impression on her... but it’s not the same for me," Elena explained or at least, tried to.

It was clear she was finding it difficult to articulate what she had in mind.

Not intending to rush her as a faint glimmer of hope emerged in his heart, Alex softly inquired. "What do you mean?"

"... I think I know who he is, I’ve seen him, both in my dream and a newspaper."

"... You saw the Emperor’s image in a newspaper?"

Elena slowly nodded, struggling to recall the specifics as she remarked. "Yes... I think it was when I woke up for the first time."

"And the dream you had of him... can you remember what happened in the dream?"

"... I’m sorry, I can’t. All I recall seeing is a bright light. But one thing is for sure..."

"What’s that?"

"I think I... No, the Princess might share a deep relationship with the Emperor."

Alex frowned, his expression turning thoughtful as he pondered Elena’s words.

If she wasn’t lying, did that mean the Princess had lied about not knowing anything about the Emperor?

It was possible, but why would she keep her relationship with him a secret?... No, it didn’t make any sense.

His understanding of the mystical world was clear when it came to the topic of mortality.

Except the Mystic performed horrifying rituals with terrifying consequences, there was no other way to prolong their lifespan past 120.

So how is it possible that a Princess who was more than a thousand years old would have a relationship with an Emperor who hadn’t even ruled for 80 years?

That created a conundrum that left Alex increasingly confused the more he thought about it.

Perhaps the Emperor was one such Mystic that had committed abominations to prolong their lifespan?

Maybe that’s why Ana was so terrified of him when she first met him.

It was plausible and it would fit with what Adam said about him being an unfortunate fellow.

The more he thought, the more questions arose and soon, Alex decided to first focus on Elena’s statements.

"Are you sure about this?"

"..." Elena remained silent, opting to offer a nod with Alex taking a deep breath.

"Alright then, you remain here, I’ll go and find the newspaper you mentioned. For now, you rest."

However, Elena didn’t agree to this, instead replying. "I want to come with you."

"You..."

"I feel like I am needed for this. Like this is something I can’t step away from."

Seeing the conviction she held, Alex had no choice but to agree. "Fine then, but you will do exactly as I say."

"Understood."

"Now then, let’s pay Ana a visit."

Pa

***

Ana and Victoria had their hands full with going through the few records in Relics Ana had in her library, trying to pick out a suitable piece for what they considered to be the most dangerous mission of their lives... for now, at least.

So far, a few had come up but after some thought, they quickly discarded them.

Two things were most important about the Relic they wished to use; It had to be a silent but deadly mechanism and its destructive tendencies had to be something controllable.

The worst thing they could do was weaken the Empire with the danger of the Eastern Highlands still breathing over their necks... or at least, that was Ana’s belief as Victoria didn’t care much about what would happen to the Empire.

However, just as they kept aside yet another record, having not found what they were looking for, intending on delving into what Ana referred to as the record with the highest chance of having what they need but with a condition that they might not be able to retrieve the Relic after all their search, Alex emerged, interrupting their work.

"Master." Victoria greeted him with a bow while Ana, noting the urgency on his face, inquired.

"Is there a problem?"

Alex didn’t know what to say and so opted to just explain the situation, leaving Ana perplexed and Victoria unsure of how to respond.

Shifting her attention to Elena, Ana inquired. "Are you sure about what you saw?"

"Mn." Elena nodded leaving Ana even more perplexed.

"That can’t make any sense."

"Why?" Alex inquired.

"Because the Emperor’s photo has never been taken, neither has a painting ever been made. The best are likenesses of his appearance but even those are largely skewed to reveal his perfection. So to say that you have seen the Emperor’s image, no less, in some random newspaper would be impossible."

Elena hesitated but ultimately responded. "But, I know what I saw... I don’t know what newspaper but I have seen his image."

Ana remained silent but it was clear she was adamant on the conclusion that Elena hadn’t seen what she claimed she saw.

Noting this, Victoria came in with another angle. "But then why hasn’t his image ever been made?... I’d think such vain things would be the favorite for rulers and nobles."

"The Emperor isn’t a normal man. For the thousand years Zion has stood, none of those that have taken the title Emperor Enoch has ever had their images photographed or drawn."

"Then... did I really not see anything?" Elena muttered, clearly confused at how the situation had developed.

Alex remained silent, seemingly waiting for something until finally, a sudden flash of black and white drew his attention over to Arwen and Nadia emerging.

"We got it!" Arwen exclaimed as she rushed over with a pile of newspapers in her hand.

"This..." Ana glanced at Alex for an explanation.

Alex sighed. "I got Nadia and Arwen to head over to Thebes and get newspapers printed from around the time Elena woke up."

"It was hard but a few extra kobos got us what we were looking for," Arwen remarked, her nose up in the air expecting praise for a job well done.

Unfortunately, this was hardly the time or place as Alex opted with a pat on the head before taking the newspapers she carried to begin the search.

Considering they had only got their hands on 25 newspapers, the search took two minutes before Alex was holding one of them tightly.

"Is this it?" He inquired, raising it for Elena to see.

Indeed, it was the one she remembered with the statement in big letters jogging her memory.

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