After Hans left, Barton III immediately ran to a room on the highest floor of the castle.
Sensing Barton III's arrival, a figure inside the room slowly opened his eyes, then picked up the mask on the nearby table and put it on.
"Come in."
Having received permission, Barton III pushed the door open somewhat nervously.
Looking at the figure seated inside, he respectfully called out, "Godfather."
Jabbar, the Royal Mage, was a God Chosen summoned from the Old Gods Altar discovered during Barton II's reign.
After Barton II died of illness, the Empress arranged for Jabbar to take Barton III as his "godson"—in plain terms, his adopted son.
Through this method, Jabbar and Barton III were bound together.
It was only by relying on Jabbar's strength to intimidate the various Lineages that the mediocre Barton III was able to sit securely on the throne.
At the time, many powerful Lineages believed that Jabbar intended to "hold the emperor hostage to command the vassals," supporting Barton III as a puppet emperor.
After all, that was exactly what they themselves had intended to do.
Yet what no one had expected was that Jabbar did not do so.
The only thing he did was ensure Barton III's imperial authority. After that, his main concern each day was Meditation, and he rarely even showed his face.
For a time, they truly could not tell whether Jabbar was utterly loyal to the Barton Royal Family or simply had no desire for power.
Instead, Hans Blaze, whom Barton III had promoted, became their greatest opponent! That was how the current situation came to be, leaving all the various Lineages with extremely complicated feelings.
Having found Jabbar, Barton III hurriedly told him everything that had happened recently.
"Godfather, what do you think of this matter?"
"..."