Episode 136
“The Church of the Resurrection God!”
Elonia felt a chill run down her spine at Marquis Hellington’s words.
The Church of the Resurrection God. They were back.
Her grip on him loosened, and Marquis Hellington, misinterpreting her reaction, babbled frantically, his voice filled with desperation,
“I-it wasn’t my intention! The High Priest ordered me to distribute the potion of luck throughout Ravanta, to find something!”
He clung to Elonia’s arm as if it was his lifeline, his body trembling. Elonia couldn’t help but scoff.
‘He’s so desperate to live.’
And yet, he had no qualms about ruining other people’s lives. It was ridiculous.
Ricardo returned just then.
“Your Highness, I found the potion storage in the basement. I sealed it with a protective spell, as you instructed.”
“Good work.”
Elonia pulled Marquis Hellington back inside and threw him on the floor. He gasped, relieved to be back on solid ground.
But his relief wouldn’t last long.
Elonia drew her rapier and pointed it at him.
“Y-Your Highness, what are you—?!”
His arms and legs, moving on their own, were bound by a restraint spell. Elonia, taking advantage of his immobility, checked his mouth.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t struggle. It’s annoying.”
Elonia glared at him, her eyes flashing, and Marquis Hellington, feeling a sudden chill, froze.
“Good. No hidden poison.”
Elonia tore a piece of fabric from her skirt and gagged him.
Count Mason and Viscount Hugo, captured by Duchess Fiona, should be at the Imperial Palace by now.
Elonia turned to Ricardo.
“Rica, take Vivi and Lisa back to the Imperial Princess’s Palace. All three of you need treatment.”
“What about you, Your Highness?”
Ricardo asked. Elonia, her voice cold and sharp, replied,
“I’m taking this bastard to Dad.”
“Mmmpphh!”
Marquis Hellington struggled against the restraint spell, but it was futile. Elonia, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, teleported back to the Imperial Palace.
Elonia went straight to the dungeons.
“Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.”
The guards saluted her as she walked down the long, dark corridor, until she reached the innermost cell. A familiar head of auburn hair was visible through the bars.
“Y-Your Highness?”
“Aaron.”
Aaron, seeing Elonia, was startled.
“How did you find this place? And who is that…?”
The dungeons were a labyrinth.
As far as Aaron knew, Elonia had never been here before.
She had been here once, to kill Dolce. But she couldn’t tell him that, so she simply said,
“Is Dad inside?”
“He is, but…”
“Then I’ll be going in.”
“Your Highness!”
Aaron tried to stop her, but Elonia, the daughter of two stubborn individuals, was even more stubborn.
She kicked the cell door open and saw why Aaron had tried to stop her.
“Elonia.”
Artius, his face smeared with blood, looked up in surprise. Viscount Hugo and Count Mason were also in the cell.
He had started the interrogation sooner than she had expected. Artius, seeing Elonia, quickly wiped his face with his sleeve and rushed towards her.
“W-what are you doing here? How did you know…?”
He had already beheaded someone in front of her. Elonia, unable to help herself, chuckled.
“It’s too late to clean up now. Here, I brought you Marquis Hellington.”
She threw him into the cell. Artius, momentarily speechless, then asked,
“I thought you were going to talk to Lady Hellington. Why is Marquis Hellington here…?”
He didn’t know about Alisa’s message yet. Elonia had gone straight to the Hellington estate after receiving it, without having time to report to him.
Elonia, stepping on Marquis Hellington’s back, said,
“Marquis Hellington is the supplier of the potion of luck. He even used it on Vivi.”
“What?!”
Artius, his eyes wide with shock, pulled Elonia out of the cell and checked her for injuries.
“Are you okay?”
“It doesn’t work on me, just like the prayer altars. …But Rica is injured. He protected Vivi from Hellington.”
“What…?”
“I wanted to burn the potions, but I couldn’t. Even the scent of the flowers can affect you.”
If she burned the vials, the potion would spread through the air.
It was a worst-case scenario they had to avoid.
Artius, listening to her story, was speechless.
He had been struggling to get any information out of Viscount Hugo and Count Mason, who had refused to reveal anything about the potion, and Elonia had managed to uncover the truth and capture the culprit.
He thought about Marquis Hellington’s disheveled appearance. He must have been dragged here rather unceremoniously.
He wanted to handle these unpleasant tasks himself, but he couldn’t dismiss Elonia’s accomplishments. He smiled faintly and patted her head.
“…Good work.”
Elonia knew what he was thinking. But an emperor with clean hands was an incompetent emperor.
She still wasn’t sure what kind of Empress she wanted to be. But she couldn’t ignore injustice, not after what she had experienced in her past life.
She opened the cell door again.
“Now, let’s continue.”
“W-wait.”
Before Artius could stop her, Elonia, her rapier drawn, stood before the three battered nobles.
“Tell me the truth if you don’t want to spend the rest of your lives as cripples.”
The three nobles, their eyes wide with fear, gulped. Elonia, her gaze cold and unwavering, pointed her rapier at them.
“Tell me who the High Priest of the Church of the Resurrection God is.”
Elonia had been busy after the interrogation.
She had contacted Caroline and reinforced the protective spells on the potion storage at the Hellington estate.
Everything was done discreetly, to avoid causing unnecessary panic.
‘…If it weren’t for Tristan, I could just kill Felix and be done with it.’
She was frustrated that all she could do was weaken Tristan’s power.
She finally visited Vivian after everything was settled.
She cautiously opened the door to Vivian’s room.
“Vivi, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
Vivian smiled, but Elonia didn’t believe her. Vivian, her eyebrows drooping, murmured,
“Honestly… I’m not sure yet.”
“…Tell me if anything feels strange.”
Vivian nodded, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to recognize the signs, not when she was still confused and disoriented.
Her fear of hurting others again was evident in her expression, and Elonia’s face crumpled, her eyes filling with tears. Vivian, startled by her reaction, quickly changed the subject, forcing a smile.
“How are the others…?”
“Lisa is fine. I wanted her to rest, but she insisted on returning to work.”
“And Ricardo?”
Ricardo had been injured protecting Vivian. Vivian’s hand, which had held the shard of glass, was still bandaged, so Ricardo’s injury must be worse.
Vivian, her hand clenching around the bandages, felt a pang of guilt. Elonia gently uncurled her fingers, her voice soothing.
“It’s okay, it wasn’t a deep wound.”
“But…”
“I’m really fine. I’ve had worse injuries.”
“…?”
Elonia and Vivian, surprised, turned towards the door. Ricardo, accompanied by Ethan, had entered the room.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t call you.”
“You called Ethan.”
Ricardo pouted, and both Elonia and Vivian were speechless. He looked perfectly fine, despite his supposedly serious injury.
Ethan, apologizing for his behavior, bowed her head.
“I apologize, Your Highness, Lady Vivian. I couldn’t stop him from following me.”
He had been surprisingly strong, despite his injury.
Elonia, gesturing towards Ricardo, said,
“See, Vivi? He’s fine, even with a hole in his shoulder.”
“That’s true, but that’s a bit harsh.”
“You should have stayed in bed if you didn’t want to be teased.”
“Hmph.”
Ricardo, as usual, tried to banter with Elonia, but Ethan smacked him on the back of his head. Vivian, unable to help herself, chuckled.
“Pfft. Sorry, I’m just relieved…”
Elonia and Ethan also chuckled. They were also relieved to see him acting like his usual self.
Ricardo, approaching Vivian, said,
“I’m used to getting injured, but you’re not, Lady Vivian, so please rest until you’re fully recovered. We wouldn’t have discovered Marquis Hellington’s scheme without you. Right, Your Highness?”
“That’s right. Caroline is working on an antidote for the potion of luck, so don’t think about anything negative until then. Okay, Vivi?”
Vivian, comforted by their words, nodded, the guilt easing slightly.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Then we’ll be going.”
Vivian, a tearful smile on her face, watched them leave.
Elonia, back in her room with her knights, was about to give Ethan her instructions when she suddenly poked Ricardo in the shoulder.
“Ow!”
He wasn’t fully recovered yet. Elonia murmured,
“…I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Ricardo, wincing at her touch, protested,
“Are you planning to retire me already?”
“You’re always trying to shorten my lifespan.”
“That’s true.”
Ethan agreed.
The task she had in mind for Ethan wasn’t physically demanding. It was more of a supervisory role.
“I need you to bring someone to me.”
“Your orders, Your Highness.”
“Tonight, Ethan, you go to the Bereta estate, and Rica, you go to the Archer estate. Be discreet, and take some Imperial Knights with you.”
The Bereta and Archer estates were where Olivia and Simon were staying.
Why there? Elonia’s next words answered their unspoken question.
“And bring Olivia and Simon to me.”
Elonia hesitated, then placed a hand on her forehead, her voice strained.
“I think… one of them is the High Priest of the Church of the Resurrection God.”