Trigo was dragged to a nearby forge.

Take your iron and blind this Trigan slave so that he’ll never escape.

It will be a pleasure!

Have courage,  Trigan. It will soon be over.

And then . . . 

Look out! . . .  over there! . . .  the child!

The smith’s child was playing among the ashes at the far end of the forge.

The nobra’s going to bite the boy!

May my aim be true!

Ha! It is!

Having saved his child from a hideous death, the smith made a bargain with Trigo’s captors

This slave can be useful to me in the forge, with his sight. I’ll give you twenty dannars for him.

Twenty dannars? Done! He’s yours!

So it was that the Emperor who had lost his memory came to work for an armourer who was forging weapons to be used against his own subjects.

Are your people preparing for war?

Aye! Our leaders plan to invade the provinces of the Trigan Empire.























Trigo shrugged his shoulders.

Well, it’s no concern of mine!

You forge a straight blade, Master.

Back in Trigan City, the new Emperor amused himself by wrestling with the members of his palace guard.

Hah!

Aaaaaaagh!

Eeeeegh!

 . . . While the scoundrelly Zacho and Serro continued to feather their nests.

I should like my nephew to become a nobleman of the empire.

Nothing simpler, my dear Serro. Make out the order, and our tame Emperor will sign it without question.

The next day . . . 

Any more state business?

Just one more small thing for you to sign, Imperial Majesty.

Z scanned the document briefly, and then . . .   

Making your wastrel of a nephew a nobleman of the empire, and granting him a castle and a life pension?

I think this nonsense has now gone far enough.

The Emperor clapped his hands, and a guard came running.

You . . . you can read!

Of course I can read, you half-wits.

Put these two scoundrels in chains!

This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 673 on 7 December 1974.