It's so hard being a hero!

Vic glanced at Milo, then shook his head and said nothing more.

Leo walked up to Milo and looked at his younger brother, who was still being pricked with needles, and felt a pang of sadness.

"Milo, why did things have to come to this?"

Upon hearing this, Milo immediately raised his head, a twisted smile on his face.

"Why? Brother, are you really unaware, or are you pretending not to know? In what way am I inferior to you? I am more talented than you, but why can't Father ever see my efforts?"

Leo frowned.

"So you're going to collude with the Temple of Desire? You really don't know anything about the Truk Fortress stronghold?"

Milo's smile froze for a moment, then he resumed his nonchalant attitude.

"So what? Things have already failed anyway, there's no point in saying anything."

Leo looked at him as if he were a stranger. He took a deep breath and didn't ask any further questions.

Griffin stepped forward and whispered something.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is still waiting inside. Let's bring him in first."

Leo nodded, signaling the soldiers to take Milo away, and then walked deeper into the palace.

Frey and Vic exchanged a glance and followed behind.

Inside the palace hall, the old emperor still sat on that large throne.

His complexion was worse than before, but his eyes remained sharp, like a waning lion that refused to bow its head.

He looked at Milo being brought in, his eyes showing neither anger nor disappointment, only a sense of regret.

"Kneel down," Griffin roared angrily.

Milo struggled for a moment, but was eventually forced to kneel on the ground by his shoulders.

He raised his head, looking at his father on the throne, a hint of resentment in his smile.

"Father, you're quite the schemer! What do you plan to do with me?"

The old emperor did not answer the question immediately.

He just stared at Milo for a long time.

Finally, the old emperor spoke.

"Milo, I have a question for you."

"When did you first come into contact with the Temple of Desire?"

Milo was silent for a moment, then, as if giving up the struggle, he confessed, "I started preparing after Su Lan died."

Everyone's expression changed, because if that's the case, then Milo has been preparing for over twenty years.

"I thought that with Su Lan dead, no one in the empire could control me, but unfortunately, none of the people around him are on my side, so I have no choice but to seek outside help."

Milo added a sentence.

"You, you are betraying your country."

Leo said angrily again.

"Treason?"

Milo chuckled and shook his head.

"I did all this just to show Father that I am capable of managing this empire. If Father hadn't schemed against me and exposed me prematurely, you would have been doomed."

Upon hearing this, the old emperor closed his eyes, as if processing the fact.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of weariness in them.

“You’re wrong, Milo. I’ve seen everything you’ve done, but you know very well that you can only be a prince who assists his brother, not an emperor.”

Milo frowned; he didn't think so, but the old emperor hadn't finished speaking.

"You are too easily influenced by others and easily led astray by your own desires. Your personality is good enough to be a general, but you are simply not qualified to be the emperor of a country."

The old emperor spoke in a calm tone, as if stating a fact.

Milo opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just lowered his head and did not refute it.

The old emperor waved his hand, his tone carrying an indescribable weariness.

"Take him away. How to deal with him is up to the future emperor."

Griffin nodded, signaling the soldiers to take Milo away.

The hall fell silent.

Leo stood there, looking at his father's aged face, feeling a deep sadness in his heart.

As if sensing his gaze, the old emperor looked up at him and smiled.

"Leo, you've won our bet."

Leo gave a wry smile.

"Father, you knew all along that Milo had a problem?"

"I have some guesses, but I'm not sure."

The old emperor leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the ancient dome murals above the main hall.

“I knew he had no good intentions the moment he brought Evelyn to my side.”

Leo was silent for a moment, then asked a question he had never asked before.

"Father, when you said you wanted to fight the Orc Empire, did you really mean it?"

The old emperor sighed again:

"Half and half."

Leo was taken aback.

"Because I really want to fight. My biggest regret in my life is that I have not been able to fulfill my wish to unify the continent. Su Lan once told me that if the empire wants to have long-term peace and stability, it must solve the problem of unifying the continent. The Orc Empire is an obstacle that must be overcome. I have always remembered this sentence and have always wanted to do it."

He paused here, his gaze becoming somewhat complicated.

"But I'm not a fool. I know that with our current national strength, it's not the best time to fight the Orc Empire. But I always think, what if? What if I can do this for the Empire before I die?"

Leo fell silent.

"However, Daniela's medicine has indeed made me much more impulsive."

The old emperor continued, his tone tinged with self-mockery.

"I was only thinking about it at first, but after taking her medicine, the thought became stronger and stronger, and I couldn't control it anymore."

He looked at Leo with an indescribable look in his eyes.

"So you're right, I was indeed influenced, but I did want to fight, and that's what I did do."

"Furthermore, I want to know if you have the ability to stop me. If you cannot stop me, then it means you are not qualified to be the emperor. If you can stop me, then I can entrust the empire to you with peace of mind."

Leo was speechless.

He suddenly understood many things.

This war, this coup, this falling out between brothers—it was all part of a game from the very beginning.

He thought he was the one playing the game, but in reality, he was just a pawn.

"Father, aren't you afraid I won't be able to handle this?"

The old emperor smiled, a smile that carried a rare hint of ease.

"I am afraid, but I am even more afraid of handing the empire over to someone who even his own father could not stop."

Leo remained silent for a long time, then bowed solemnly.

"Your subject understands."

The old emperor waved his hand.

"Alright, I'm tired. You may leave. There's a huge mess to clean up tomorrow."

Leo said nothing more and turned to walk out of the hall.

When he reached the door, he paused, didn't turn around, and just said one sentence.

"Father, please get some rest."

Then he turned and left.

Only the old emperor remained in the main hall.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, as if lost in some distant memory.

Meanwhile, a silent purge is taking place throughout the capital.

The Papal knights and Imperial soldiers acted simultaneously, destroying seven or eight secret communication points of the Temple of Desire in a very short time.

Some of these outposts were hidden beneath taverns in the commoners' districts, while others were even in the backyards of noble mansions.

Each time a location was found, the people inside were pinned to the ground before they could even react.

Milo's mansion was also thoroughly searched.

The evidence gathered was enough to ensure he could never recover.

As darkness fell completely, the entire capital city gradually quieted down.

The streets remain heavily guarded, but the panic is gradually subsiding.

Chapter 107 Everyone goes home

As soon as Leo came out, Vic and Frey walked over.

"Is it over?" Vic asked.

Leo nodded and then thanked the two of them.

"Alas! I never expected that I would have to rely on the two of you to win this bet with my father. I am truly ashamed."