One-Eyed Monster

Very few people know the true identity of the Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder.

Even among the Dark Cabinet’s core members, not many know who the Cabinet Elder really is.

The Dark Cabinet is a Hunter Organization, and at the very top of this organization stands the Cabinet Elder. From the title, it sounds as if the leader is an old man, but what he actually is like—no one knows.

Hunters excel at hiding their identities, and someone with a status like the Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder naturally conceals himself very, very deeply.

Many people speculate about who the Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder really is, but no one has ever seen his true appearance. Even when core members of the Dark Cabinet meet him, it’s only a fleeting glimpse; and in that brief encounter, the Cabinet Elder is either wearing a mask or is hidden behind a hazy screen…

In short, no one has ever seen the Dark Cabinet Elder’s true face.

Basto was a newly promoted Cabinet member of the Dark Cabinet, thanks entirely to the recommendation of Kundra, the Dark Cabinet’s Chief of Cabinet.

In the open and covert clashes with the Alchemy Workshop, Kundra suffered grievous injuries—injuries that meant he could never return to his former glory. In that battle, although the Alchemy Workshop did not confront them head-on, they still crossed swords indirectly over the Black Crow’s resources.

The Dark Cabinet’s members never understood how Alchemists had come to master combat skills…

Basto was someone who had grown up out of that struggle.

This time, Basto was responsible for delivering the intelligence they had gathered to the Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder.

Basto’s excitement was beyond words. He had been promoted to the Cabinet for quite some time, yet had never once seen the Cabinet Elder.

Now, finally, he had the chance to approach the Cabinet Elder at close range; naturally, he was very excited.

What exactly should he do to make the Cabinet Elder notice him? This was what Basto had been turning over in his mind.

Closer now, getting closer, bit by bit…

Basto’s heart was pounding wildly. He had already reached the place the Chief had described—the spot where the Cabinet Elder would be…

Thump, thump… thump, thump… Basto felt that he was being ridiculously pathetic, actually nervous to this degree. The Cabinet Elder wasn’t going to eat him—was there really any need to be this tense?

He didn’t dare raise his head, and could only vaguely make out that someone was standing in front of him. Under the night’s darkness, the person’s face was not very clear; all he could see was a black silhouette…

It seemed the Cabinet Elder was very tall, and he looked vigorous, nothing like the old codger of rumor.

”C-C… Cabinet Elder, th-these… these are what you asked for!” Basto stammered as he handed over the collected information. He tried his best to keep his hands from trembling, but who could have predicted that his mouth would refuse to cooperate, making him babble and stutter instead.

The Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder did not speak. He took the documents and continued to remain silent.

This silence left Basto even more at a loss as to what to do. He fidgeted and hovered, unable to decide whether to leave or stay.

Basto wanted to raise his head and see what the Cabinet Elder looked like, but for some reason he kept feeling an invisible pressure. This pressure made him unable to lift his head, as if it were controlling him, preventing him from freely moving his neck.

”Oh, I forgot. It’s fine—you can go and get back to your work.” The Cabinet Elder’s first words made Basto feel as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Basto withdrew without saying anything. This oppressive feeling made him deeply uncomfortable; he didn’t want to say a word, he just wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

As for what the Cabinet Elder looked like, what kind of person he really was—Basto no longer cared in the slightest…

The Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder disappeared into the night with the gathered information. No one could see what method he used to vanish; he was like the night itself, arriving and fading away before people’s eyes without a sound.

Burstan, Hall of Freedom.

This was where Prince Charles handled his official affairs, though most of the time His Majesty, Prince Charles, was not here.

The place where His Majesty, Prince Charles, appeared most often was the theater, the upscale taverns, the concert halls, all manner of places where one could idle away the hours…

No one minded why His Majesty, Prince Charles, did not attend to business in the Hall of Freedom, because everyone knew Prince Charles was a man who loved life.

He loved everything in life—the joys, the angers, the sorrows and the pleasures, the rice, oil, and salt of daily living… Prince Charles seemed to be the most down-to-earth of all princes, because the things he cared about were all extremely ordinary.

At this time of night, there was absolutely no way Prince Charles would appear in the Hall of Freedom. In the evening, His Majesty, Prince Charles, was usually in a lady’s gentle embrace, or else in a pool of wine.

Manfred waited anxiously, pacing back and forth in the Hall of Freedom.

As an old man, he shouldn’t have been this agitated—but there was no helping it; right now, his heart was burning with worry.

He was the Housekeeper whom His Majesty, Prince Charles, had brought here from the Imperial Capital Xinbal. In Burstan, he didn’t have to do anything else; he just had to take good care of Prince Charles.

That was his mission, and it was what he ought to do as a Housekeeper.

He knew exactly what kind of person Charles was. Everyone in the world could misunderstand Charles, but he could not, because he knew what this prince had done for this city; he knew what the real Prince Charles was like.

All those outward appearances were nothing more than what Charles chose to let others see.

Only in that way could he better conceal himself.

Creaaak—

The window at the top of the Hall of Freedom was opened. Ordinarily, no one could open this window. It was a hidden window, concealed high atop the Hall of Freedom and fused with the murals there; most people thought it was simply part of the painting, and very few ever realized that it was an actual window.

This window was only wide enough for a single person to pass through.

And right as the window opened, a figure dropped down lightly. From such silent movements, it was obvious that this person had considerable skill.

”Your Highness, you’re back!” Manfred hurried forward to greet him. This man, clad head to toe in Black Cloth and possessed of outstanding physical skill, was none other than His Majesty, Prince Charles. However, with his entire body wrapped in Black Cloth, no one could tell what his features really looked like.

”Mm! Manfred, why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to go back and get some rest? These past few days have worn you out as well.”

”I… I can’t rest easy, Your Highness!”

”You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine,” Charles said.

”But, Your Highness, you’re switching constantly between these two identities—are you really all right? I mean, doesn’t this exhaust you?” Manfred asked with deep concern.

”I’ve been doing this for a very long time already. It’s also my own choice. Some people are destined to act from the shadows. I am that man in the shadows.”

”Such sacrifice moves the heart. You are the true king!” Manfred couldn’t help blurting out.

”The king—that’s not me. I’m just a piece on the board in the dark. The kings of this world are forever those who allow us to keep on living.”

”Yes, Your Highness, you’re right. It’s this old man who spoke out of turn…”

Very few people knew this side of Prince Charles. What he hid was something no one had ever imagined.

The Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet Elder was Prince Charles—that was something almost no one had ever thought of…