The Ruined Death Knight

"Why did you call everyone here, Priest of darkness." The Lich with no mouth said, his voice being deep and cold. The color of his ethereal eyes is a teal color.

"Has the plan changed?" The one-eyed Lich asked after, his ethereal eye having a mix of dark light, with the middle having a concentrated white light.

"Hey! Don't bring up titles!" Kingra'mash yelled at the teal-eyed Lich.

In response, the teal-eyed Lich shrugged.

"Alright, but stop wasting our time Kingra'mash and tells us why you called us here."

The other two Lich nodded in response, making Kingra'mash sigh internally.

"Got it, got it, since everyone here is as busy as me, we might as well keep it short."

Raising his hand and spreading his mana, several light constructs appeared making something similar to a hologram projection.

In the certain projection, there was a large room with a throne room.

"The plan changed, instead of assassinating the king as we planned, we are going to kill him when the merits and rewards ceremony had ended. I already planned to collapse the whole throne room. Creating an opening for you two to kill that king. Veleronr and his group are your assurance. If anything goes wrong...I will need for you to finish the job, Veleron." Kingra'mash said as he pointed at the mouthless Lich and the one-eyed Lich.

Hearing the plan, Velkir frowned while the ethereal eyes of the two other Liches flared up.

"What is the meaning of this, Kingra'mash? The original plan was an assassination, not an open-up murder. I heard that they will also be showing the whole event though out the kingdom using a "View-See Crystal". Doing what you told us will reveal our identities! Even if we hide under the flesh, the spear guard will force us to reveal our necromancy powers." The teal Lich said.

"He is right, and the chances of us being destroyed is high without our phylacteries. If we two were to have our bodies destroyed, it will disrupt the next plan." The one-eyed Lich added in.

"Also if my group interviews, we can call the second plan off completely. Not only that but it is known that you prince person and my group have built a connection. Wherever the other two succeed or not, the blame will fall upon you. Once two other necromancers will reveal themself, my group will fall suspicious. Making it a lose-lose situation without achieving our objective. Making you the king."

"Why the change of plan?" The 3 Liches said in unison.

Kingra'mash stayed silent for a moment and looked at the other three of his kind, before sighting out loud.

"Sigh~it's because we run out of time. That damn malingerer decided to announce his heir on the same day as the event!" Kingra'mash announced angrily.

"Though my observation, despite doing everything perfectly! The king hates me through his core. He would never appoint the throne to me, even if it's the most logical option that should be on his mind!"

Hearing Kingra'mash's reason, the other three fell in silence.

Their intelligence being one of the highest out in the world, they clearly knew what the appointment of an heir meant for their goal.

If the king were to announce his heir, Kingra'mash wouldn't be able to inherit the throne unless they kill the heir and king.

Even if they could kill both, given the time, it was impossible to do as such without messing up the next part of the plan or making Kingra'mash's position unstable.

The original plan was to cause a fight among the princes for who may sit on the throne once the king was assassinated. Kingra'mash's position is already seen quite positively by many people and even described as the perfect prince making him an advantage over others aiming for the throne.

He would only need the last push to completely secure the position, and that push was by creating a moment of peace in the Dynasty.

But if the heir were to be announced, a civil war will occur in the middle of the war. Leading to a chaotic situation that they couldn't control as much. If that were to happen, not only would they have to deal with the king's family, but also all the other power-hungry nobles who fancied the throne.

Something that they couldn't effort.

"So there is no other choice than to do it, huh?" The one-eyed Lich said, shaking his head.

"That's what happens when you try to mimic the fake ones, Kingra'mash." The teal Lich said.

"I will go inform my group." Velkir said as he sunk into the shadows, the other two following suit.

"Here are the details." Kingra'mash said while making 3 scrolls appear and magically controlling them to fly to the other three.

Taking the scrolls with them, the other 3 left through the same shadows they came in.

Seeing them leave, Kingra'mash spread his dead mana around his body, and through some magic he manifested flesh, turning into the persona of the perfect prince.

***

Days passed and the day of the announcement of merits and rewards for the heroes who participated in the war.

One could call it a historical moment for the Dynasty of Ioratal.

Or rather, the king planned to make it historical.

Walking with his guard, Lancelot. The only 5th-tier that was completely loyal in this kingdom to the throne room, where all the supposed "heroes" were there waiting for him to arrive.

He had waited long enough for such a chance.

With many foolish nobles now dead or weakened in trying to attain glory, he was finally capable to appoint new people to the missing position, people that were loyal to the throne.

Such a decision will anger most of the nobles who put importance on one's bloodline. They would find those with talent whose achievement results in war, unfitting or even barbaric to become nobles. Despite the very nobles trying the grow their position with the war.

'Hypocrites that I would have long removed if the system allowed me.' the king thought to himself. Even though the very system put his family in the safe waters for the kingdom being a dynasty.

Through his years of rule, he tried to remove the Dynasty part of their kingdom, even though he knew the risk. With their kingdom always being in danger to be destroyed by the two other kingdoms, what they needed was a society that motivated the talented ones to join their cause and cultivate them.

As compared to the other kingdoms, only Lancelot was a 5th-tier combatant.

Others would argue that they were simply unlucky for no people with talent to be born into their kingdom, but he didn't believe it to be the case. After all, he saw through the records of the previous rules and the other kingdoms.

And what was obvious was that the Dynasty of Ioratal was always last in having powerhouses. So his mission ever since he stepped on the throne was to change the whole system.

But even after years of hard work, though things got better, his body didn't.

'If only I was 30 years younger, I could build the foundation for the next ruler. But it seems that I will have to rush things.'

That's right, he was going to choose his heir today.

Arriving at a large door, the soldiers guarding the door opened it.

"The ruler of our Dynasty! His majesty has arrived! Lancelot, the spear of our Dynasty has arrived!" the soldiers announced his and his guard's arrival.

Many nobles and mercenaries who participated in the war together with some soldiers of the dynasty who made a name for themself looked at the king's arrival. Everyone who participated in the war, the most powerful entities was gathered in this room.

'And I will show it to everyone he thought as he walked to his throne.

Magic caster to the said operated the "View-See Crystal", which transferred the shown image to different magic items with a delay of 10 to 20 minutes depending on the distance.

The magic items that will receive the image of this event were placed in the most populated places in the kingdom of Ioratal. As those devices were expensive and hard to make, they weren't that many.

Reaching his throne, he raised his hand for silence and lowered his hand next.

Seeing the second movement, everyone except the guards and Lancelot who was beside him bowed to one knee to show respect for the ruler of the Dynasty.

Some were slower than others, and those were mostly the mercenaries and soldiers who didn't know the etiquette of such things.

Most nobles gave those a look of disgust, with only a few not showing care.

The king saw nodded internally at the ones who didn't care while also remembering those who showed disgust toward the others.

"Heroes of the Dynasty of Ioratal! Thanks for answering my call at this historical moment! You have my utmost gratitude and respect for all of you, who in the times of need came to assist our kingdom even if had no connection to it or no need!"

"Everyone here present, be it a noble or of common blood, has saved hundreds of our civilians with your sacrifice. And for that, fair rewards require everyone who protects our Dynasty! Our People!" The king said with a voice worthy of a king.

Raising from his throne, Lancelot moved and brought out a golden cup, filled with wine and gave it to the king.

In the Dynasty, there was a tradition that seeing a king drinking in a golden cup is one of the greatest honors and also meant that the king will shoulder the sins of murder inflicted in the war himself. An old-fashioned tradition that survived through the years of history.

"With this cup! All deaths will be my to bear and all sins will continue to flow through my blood till the end of my days arrives! For The Dynasty of Ioratal!"

Raising the golden cup to his lips and drinking the red wine.

He suddenly felt something.

An intense pain never before felt assaulted his chest as something was pressing from behind him.

Widening his eyes from the pain, the king looked down at his chest.

Only to find a sword piercing his heart.