Episode 167
Lucius, waiting in the Imperial Princess’s Palace for the day of his death, sensed a disturbance from the annex.
No, it wasn’t just a sound.
It was Tristan’s murderous aura.
“No way…”
Elonia was in danger.
Just as he was about to rush towards the annex,
“Young Master!”
Ricardo appeared, blocking his path.
“I apologize, Sir Ricardo, but I’m busy…”
“Wait! I know you’re in a hurry! But please look at this!”
Lucius tried to push past him, but Ricardo held firm.
He knew the situation was urgent.
But this was more urgent.
“What is it…?”
Lucius took the object Ricardo held out.
It was a box. The box containing the ring where Philemon rested.
Why did Ricardo have it?
Lucius looked up suspiciously, and Ricardo quickly explained,
“I wasn’t trying to steal it, but this box… it’s imbued with Holy Power, right? It just rattled!”
“…What?”
That was impossible.
The box was meant to protect Philemon while she recovered her strength.
It shouldn’t rattle…
“…!”
“Look, look! It did it again!”
Thump. As if mocking his disbelief, the box rattled violently again.
“H-how…”
Elonia thought she was hallucinating.
Sarah quickly helped her up.
“Your Highness, are you alright?!”
Sarah was holding the dagger Elonia had dropped.
She had stabbed Tristan with it.
How had Sarah managed to stab Tristan when Elonia couldn’t even land a blow? And why would Sarah stab someone for her sake?
No, everything was confusing.
Sarah, seeing the bruises on Elonia’s neck, her face contorting in anger, snarled,
“How dare you…!”
She raised the dagger again, but Tristan was equally furious.
He got up from the floor, brushing his disheveled ashen hair from his face, and gritted his teeth.
“How dare a mere human push me…?”
“Who are you? How did you infiltrate the Imperial Palace?! And how dare you harm Her Highness!”
“No, Sarah! Stop!”
Provoking Tristan further would be disastrous. She couldn’t let Sarah die.
Elonia quickly stood up and shielded Sarah.
“Go back, Sarah! This isn’t your fight!”
“But Your Highness!”
“This is!”
Elonia shouted, and Sarah, momentarily intimidated, hesitated. Elonia drew a line.
“This is a Heilan internal affair. You, a Ravanta citizen, shouldn’t interfere.”
“…!”
Sarah flinched. Just then, Felix stirred.
“Ugh…”
“Your Majesty!”
Tristan’s attention shifted entirely to Felix. Elonia seized the opportunity.
“Sarah, go.”
“B-but…!”
Elonia didn’t wait for her answer. Fortunately, the force that had bound her earlier had dissipated when Tristan was pushed away.
She quickly created a teleportation circle beneath Sarah’s feet.
Just as she was about to send her away,
“…Tristan!”
The teleportation circle flickered and died, blocked by Tristan.
Elonia cried out in despair. Tristan shrugged, a mocking smile on his face.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Elonia pleaded desperately,
“Please let Sarah go! She’s just a civilian! She can’t fight like us!”
“Anyone can fight if they have a weapon. And Chelon Heilan, according to your own logic, didn’t you try to kill someone who couldn’t fight back?”
“Th-that’s…”
Elonia gritted her teeth, unable to find an excuse.
Tristan had no intention of letting Sarah go.
Sarah, trapped, bit her lip and glared at Tristan. But his gaze, cold and sharp, filled her with a primal fear she had never experienced before, freezing her in place.
Tristan, his expression puzzled, murmured,
“But how did a mere human, with no special power, manage to stab me? Even if that’s a dead holy relic, it doesn’t make sense.”
He had recognized the dagger as a dead holy relic with just one glance. Tristan, his anger simmering, narrowed his eyes, glaring murderously at the dagger in Sarah’s hand.
He slowly approached her.
“You, what’s your name?”
“…I have no name for the likes of you, who insulted Her Highness—”
“Again. Your name?”
Tristan’s gray eyes flashed, and Sarah, unable to resist, her mouth moving against her will, stammered,
“S-Sardia Fortrun.”
“Fortrun?”
Felix recognized the name. Understanding dawned on his face, and he interjected, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
“Fortrun… I remember that name. A knight who killed quite a few of our Heilan soldiers during the war.”
“…!”
Sarah’s face hardened. Felix continued, his voice dripping with malice,
“Yes, she wasn’t as skilled as Emperor Artius or Duchess Asta, but she was a capable commander. I ordered her elimination first, but she was surprisingly resilient, wasn’t she?”
“…You bastard—!”
“How dare you speak to the future king of humans in such a manner?”
“Agh!”
“Sarah!”
With a flick of Tristan’s wrist, Sarah was thrown to the floor. But she didn’t have time to feel the pain.
Felix looked down at her and chuckled.
“I heard you’re the princess’s governess.”
“…Not governess, godmother. Appointed by the late Empress herself!”
“How amusing. It would have been an honor, if the princess wasn’t the War Demon Chelon Heilan.”
“…!”
Sarah clenched her fists, trembling with rage. Felix, mocking her, turned to Tristan.
“Was she the one eavesdropping on our conversation, Tristan?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Oh dear. You must have felt quite betrayed. The princess you raised with such care turned out to be your parents’ murderer.”
“Shut your mouth! I won’t listen to the likes of the King of Heilan, ugh!”
Sarah, despite being pinned down by Tristan’s foot, continued defiantly.
She gasped for breath, her voice strained.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Elonia rushed towards Tristan, trying to push him off Sarah, but he didn’t budge. She knelt beside Sarah, pleading with Felix,
“Stop it, Felix! Please! Leave Sarah alone!”
“Such devotion, even though you’re not real mother and daughter. Chelon, you’re truly obsessed with playing house.”
Felix shook his head and sighed.
After a moment of thought, he gestured to Tristan, who removed his foot from Sarah’s back.
Just as Elonia felt a flicker of hope,
“Hey, daughter of Fortrun. Don’t you want to kill Chelon Heilan right now?”
Both Sarah and Elonia’s eyes widened.
Felix smirked, fanning the flames of Sarah’s grief and anger.
“She’s a disobedient slave anyway. I was planning to kill her and resurrect her as a more compliant pawn. This is your chance. A chance for revenge.”
“How dare…!”
“Avenge your mother.”
Sarah stopped struggling, and Felix whispered insidiously.
But Sarah was a proud Ravanta noble.
Snap. Something broke within her. She struggled to her feet, her body battered and bruised, and slapped Felix across the face.
“…!”
Slap! The sound echoed through the room as Felix’s head snapped to the side.
“As the current Marquis Fortrun, my target for revenge is you, King Felix, not Chelon Heilan.”
Sarah’s voice was cold and sharp. Felix, touching his swollen cheek, warned her, his voice filled with menace,
“…You’ll regret this.”
“…!”
Sarah’s body began to move unnaturally, as if controlled by invisible strings. Elonia tried to intervene, but her own body refused to obey.
“S-Sarah!”
Sarah, against her will, picked up the dagger from the floor and turned towards Elonia.
“N-no…!”
Sarah realized their intention.
Dark clouds gathered in her clear blue eyes.
“Please, please…!”
Elonia and Sarah looked at each other, their eyes filled with despair.
Elonia thought, It’s okay if I die. But I can’t let Sarah kill someone against her will.
Sarah struggled against the invisible force, shaking her head frantically, but it was useless.
“R-run away, Your Highness… Please…!”
She knew Elonia couldn’t escape. Tears streamed down her face.
“Kill me instead, Your Highness!”
But her plea was answered by someone else.
“Oh, that’s an interesting idea. Tristan, release Chelon’s power.”
“As you wish.”
Elonia glared at Felix. She felt a slight release of the constraint on her power.
She looked up at Sarah, her heart aching. Sarah pleaded again, her voice desperate.
“Your Highness, please…”
“H-how can I kill you, Sarah…”
“Please! Please… I don’t want to kill you…!”
It was a hopeless situation.
She didn’t have enough power to kill Sarah instantly. And Tristan would manipulate Sarah’s movements to ensure Elonia wouldn’t die quickly either.
They were like dogs forced to fight in an arena.
‘Mother, Dad…’
Tears streamed down Elonia’s face.
Why was she always like this? Why did she always fail? Why couldn’t she solve problems involving life and death?
‘…I can’t kill Sarah.’
She was Sarah’s enemy. It was only right for her to die.
Elonia closed her eyes, bracing herself for a painful death.
Her first death had been peaceful, thanks to Artius’s consideration. But this time, it would be agonizing.
She had wanted to kill Felix, at least, before Tristan intervened.
But she had failed.
A meaningless death. A fitting end for the War Demon.
“Your Highness…!”
Sarah screamed, her voice filled with despair. The audience’s laughter grew louder.
Sarah’s arms were raised high, the dagger poised to strike.
Just as she brought it down towards Elonia,
“Stop!”
Someone appeared, shielding Elonia with their own body.
The scent of blood filled the air, a familiar voice calling out.
Elonia, her eyes snapping open in disbelief, whispered,
“L-Lucius…?”
Lucius had taken the blow meant for Elonia. Blood dripped from his shoulder, but he stood firm, his face pale but resolute.
Both Elonia and Sarah stared at him, stunned.
“How did you get here…?”
Elonia was confused. Lucius, ignoring his wound, glared at Tristan.
“Stop this, Tristan.”
Tristan clicked his tongue and withdrew Sarah’s control.
“Well, well, Apostle. I almost killed you.”
“Then be more careful. I’m fragile right now. I could die easily.”
“…”
Both Felix and Tristan’s faces hardened. Tristan sighed, his voice filled with annoyance.
“Apostle, you know your power is no match for mine. You seemed obedient, why are you defying me now?”
“…”
Lucius simply glared at him silently.
Tristan frowned, then pushed Felix back.
“…Why do you all embrace death so readily?”
“Because we’re human.”
“…”
Tristan’s face twitched, a flicker of something akin to inferiority in his eyes.
“Apostle, I really don’t like you.”
Just as Tristan reached out towards Lucius,
“No! Lucius!”
Elonia, instinctively knowing that light would consume him, reached out. But Lucius turned around and simply smiled.
‘Why is he smiling?’
Her question was drowned out by a blinding flash of light.
It was so intense that it bleached the world white.
Crack. Amidst the light, she heard the sound of Lucius’s mask shattering.
‘No…!’
She couldn’t let him die like this. But her body still wouldn’t obey.
The light gradually faded, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She was afraid of what she would see.
Tristan’s voice, filled with disbelief, finally made her open her eyes.
“This is… impossible…”
“…?”
Elonia, clinging to a sliver of hope, opened her eyes. And she saw an unbelievable sight.
“Lucius…?”
Lucius was blocking Tristan’s attack. And his white hair had returned to its original silver color.
Lucius himself looked surprised, but Tristan was utterly shocked.
His gaze was fixed on Lucius’s red eyes. Tristan’s already pale skin turned deathly white.
“Awakening…?”