Chapter 33
As Kraush exited the arena with Ebelasque, he busied himself with adjusting his arms.
There was a sense of heaviness, but nothing was broken.
‘A few days with some potions, and I’ll be good as new.’
Thinking he should stop by an alchemy shop before leaving, Kraush glanced to the side.
There stood Ebelasque, watching him like a puppy desperate to pee.
Come to think of it, he had nearly forgotten.
Kraush rummaged through his pocket and pulled out her heart.
“Here you go.”
Casually, he threw the heart to Ebelasque.
“Eh?”
Ebelasque’s face showed a mixture of confusion and surprise upon receiving the heart.
It seemed she hadn’t expected him to hand it over so easily.
“…Are you sure this is okay?”
She was a world devourer, after all.
A necromancer of immense value, used directly by the royal palace.
Was it truly alright to let her go so easily? Kraush shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, we made a deal, didn’t we?”
Kraush understood Ebelasque’s personality.
That girl preferred to hide rather than harm others.
Trying to manipulate someone like her with a heart was just asking for another complicated headache.
“More importantly, did you manage to bring what I asked?”
“Oh, um, yes, here’s the Gold Dragon Herb.”
Ebelasque fished around in her pocket, retrieving the herb.
Kraush quickly took the Gold Dragon Herb from her.
Just how much trouble did he go through to get this?
‘Now all that’s left is to head back.’
Having no desire to linger in the irritating Empire, Kraush turned his body.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Um, wait, huh?”
Ebelasque wore a perplexed expression.
She looked around and soon began to follow him.
“Why are you following me?”
A few minutes later, Kraush turned back to Ebelasque with an irritated face.
At first, he thought they were headed in the same direction, but she had followed him all the way outside the Empire’s capital.
“B-but I’m now a wanted person in the Empire. I need to get out of here somehow, right?”
Well, that was true.
There was no way the royal palace would let Ebelasque be.
‘Besides, if Sigrid is involved, then rather than losing Mary, she’d turn every accusation against Ebelasque. Mary would just be collateral damage in that regard.’
Though public opinion wouldn’t easily shift, she’d find a way to evade execution.
Mary might be dim-witted, but when it came to her body and skills, she was for real.
Even in her current state, amidst world devourers, there was no one stronger than Mary.
‘Thick-headed and tough, just like a rock.’
Kraush wouldn’t want to lose such a loyal meat shield.
That much he couldn’t let happen.
‘But instead…’
Kraush’s eyes gleamed.
In the process, Mary’s self-esteem would absolutely shatter.
The outcome after that would need no explanation.
It would be clear from the results in his hands.
“Right, I get that, but you’re saying you’re planning to stick with me until we get out of the Empire?”
“Where are you going?”
She asked, already aware that Kraush was not from the Empire.
With nothing to hide, Kraush replied.
“Starlon.”
“Starlon? Isn’t that where Valheim is located? It’s incredibly dangerous.”
“Dangerous for you, maybe.”
“Why? Aren’t you a world devourer too?”
But the moment she heard the next words, Kraush wore a dumbfounded expression.
“Valheim should not be underestimated. They’re terrifying. They might as well swallow our heads while we’re still alive and stuff us in their bellies.”
He didn’t know how Valheim appeared in her mind, but that wasn’t the problem for Kraush right now.
“Wait, you think I’m a world devourer?”
“Um, yeah? You’re using the essence of world devourers’ power, and while it seems you’ve weakened it on purpose, it’s clear enough to anyone with experience. I had no knowledge when I was looking at you as Subject 12, but being up close, I can tell. Only those who have either handled world devourers or have special sight and perception would miss it.”
Kraush’s face stiffened.
Could it be that the power absorbed with the extreme blood venom made him appear similar to a world devourer?
This was something Kraush had never imagined, causing him to glance back at Crimson Garden.
There she was, tidying her wings with her beak before she continued speaking.
“Didn’t you know? I thought you’d know right away.”
“Eek, c-cawing crow is talking?!”
Now that he thought about it, had Crimson Garden ever mentioned this in front of Ebelasque?
‘This isn’t exactly good news.’
Kraush crossed his arms, lost in thought for a moment.
Feeling akin to a world devourer could be an advantage, allowing him to blend in with them, but the downside was evident.
Even if Kraush hid among humans, it meant that he would stand out clearly in their eyes.
He could easily become the target of suspicion.
World devourers were individuals, not allies.
‘Now I understand why Ebelasque believed my words so easily.’
Because they were both world devourers.
It made sense for her to instantly trust that he would return her heart with his exceptional ability.
Many among the world devourers possessed unique powers.
Kraush thought for a moment before shaking it off.
‘World devourers must be absorbed in some way. The risk was always there in the first place.’
At least it was a relief that normal people wouldn’t sense the power of world devourers.
“Crimson Garden, how do others perceive the black flame?”
“They’d see it as a sinister black flame. Your black flame purges the power of world devourers from leaking out due to Ignis.”
That was rather welcomed news.
Even if using the black flame looked ominous, it was good news that it wouldn’t be mistaken for a world devourer.
“Normally, you know, only a few can distinguish the essence of world devourers or those related to the power of world devourers. It’s similar to how you see the stars etched on my subjects.”
Kraush concurred with that point.
In the past, only Arthur or those with exceptional perception could identify the mark of Crimson Garden.
Most hadn’t even noticed her brand existed.
“Moreover, Kraush, you are fundamentally different from us. We are the world devourers themselves, whereas you mingle in with the power of world devourers. Since the essence of world devourers is diluted, they’d likely think you were afflicted by a curse.”
Well, curses did fall under the same category as world devourers.
Using Kraush’s black fire or the power of world devourers might lead others to feel a cursed presence from him.
‘So, to others, it appears as though I’m fighting while bearing the weight of a curse?’
Wasn’t that pretty much the same as before?
If it was like that, Kraush felt a bit at ease.
Being mistaken for a world devourer was something he would like to avoid.
At that moment, Crimson Garden giggled.
“And that means, as a world devourer, you’re an idiot.”
Kraush looked at Crimson Garden with a baffled expression.
Regular world devourers would consider this a no-go.
After all, he was teetering on the lines between being a world devourer and a human.
“Well, if that’s the case, then absorbing more would go unnoticed, right?”
“They’d think you’ve been afflicted by a stronger or perhaps a multitude of curses.”
Kraush nodded in agreement.
After the recent clash with Mary, he had realized this more urgently.
No matter how hard he trained, he couldn’t compete on the same level with her.
He needed to take everything into his hands to surpass her.
He’d already borne the risks before.
At this point, there was no fear left.
“Not a world devourer? Huh? Why?”
Amidst their discussion, Ebelasque, who had been quietly listening, interjected with a puzzled expression.
As her massive upper body swayed along with her thoughts, Crimson Garden looked at her with a scornful stare.
“Does large breasts consume all the nutritional value meant for your brain? Tsk, tsk. How sad that a world devourer survived being this slow-witted.”
“C-crow, you’re too much! Why are you so rude? I’m starting to get angry!”
As the two began to bicker, Kraush suddenly remembered something he hadn’t told Ebelasque.
“Ebelasque, my name isn’t Krad.”
Kraush corrected her mistake and continued.
“I’m Kraush Valheim.”
And just like that, her face turned blank.
“You mean you’re the youngest of the direct descendants from Valheim?”
Then, a man’s piercing scream echoed from a dark corner of the Empire’s city.
——— * ———
In the underground prison of the Empire.
Deep inside the Iron Fortress, where only those sentenced to death are held.
“You fool! How many times do I have to tell you to get a hold of that temper of yours?!”
A woman with blue hair, dressed in a white uniform, was shouting.
“What do you think you’re doing, letting two rabbits slip away? Attempting to assassinate the royalty?! Are you out of your mind? I’ve told you time and time again! You should not think at all! Just follow my orders and Lord Arthur’s!”
The identity of this woman was none other than Princess Sigrid Ephania, the Third Princess of the Empire.
As beautiful as her title of the Empire’s flower suggested, her face was flushed red with rage, burning brightly.
“Why, why, WHY did you have to think at this moment and make a mess of things? When I said don’t think, I meant don’t do anything if a variable arises!”
“……”
Before her, kneeling silently and listening was none other than Mary Diana.
In her outstretched hand was a massive, pitch-black set of handcuffs, and her clothing and body were in tatters.
This was the result of being tossed around during the interrogation about the attempted assassination of the royalty.
No matter how prominent a daughter of the Diana family, the crime of attempted royalty assassination was a grave offense.
She couldn’t escape the harsh interrogation either.
Due to this, her fair skin was marred with bruises and scars, and her clothes were practically torn, exposing most of her body.
In reality, it was a blessing that she hadn’t been completely stripped.
The procedure in the Iron Fortress typically involved stripping prisoners of their clothing, but considering her age and status, they let it slide this time.
“I wanted to make a path so you could at least progress more comfortably before finding Lord Arthur. And you ruin everything.”
Sigrid stomped the ground in frustration.
Mary couldn’t counter any of Sigrid’s remarks.
“You were brought in at my request because of Lord Arthur’s suggestion! Out of everyone, I recognized your skills with that spear! You stood at the forefront during the Sky Age, fighting valiantly without backing down, and I acknowledged your indomitable will!”
Mary Diana’s nickname was the Sacred Spear, and another one of her titles was Unyielding.
She was unbreakably strong.
To those who saw her as a ridiculous buffalo, headfirst into danger, she was ironically the strength that kept the spirit of the Sky Age alive.
Her refusal to give up in hopeless situations only amplified her bravery, and that was universally recognized.
Thus, Mary Diana always stood before her comrades.
In the frontlines of battle, she swung her spear, covered in blood, relentlessly driving it into the enemies’ necks.
In fact, the number of world devours she had clearly thwarted by herself was countless.
Even Sigrid conceded this achievement.
Her formidable physique, which seemed to have been sculpted by divine hands, transcended the parameters of humans.
Just recently, wounds from her interrogation were already healing naturally.
Her inborn physique stood unmatched among all living beings.
Hence, she was referred to as the Sacred Spear.
However, that was only the case within the context of fighting world devourers.
Now was a time when political maneuvering weighed heavier than brute strength.
Mary’s limited mindset had no place in politics.
“Why did the gods only grant you one thing…”
Sigrid sighed deeply with frustration.
Though a part of her wanted to cast Mary aside and seek immediate execution, she knew that Mary wasn’t someone to lose lightly.
That monstrous body of hers needed to become the strongest meat shield against world devourers.
After all, hadn’t Arthur mentioned it before?
That managing Mary would make someone truly beautiful.
Sigrid turned to Mary.
Just looking at her brought a head-splitting pain and mounting irritation, but she held back her frustration.
Sigrid knew she wasn’t as foolish as Sizelry.
At least she had some grasp of the unfolding situation.
‘This plan clearly had minimal variables.’
The most significant variable was that Sizelry could have noticed something in a place where Sigrid herself could not.
Sizelry was always fated to die.
She wouldn’t have imagined that Sera could have become a corpse to kill her.
Thus, Sigrid could trust Mary to see things through.
After all, Mary was committed to carrying out orders.
“Mary, you claimed to have killed Sera, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I surely killed her with my own hands.”
Mary didn’t lie.
No, to be precise, she just didn’t know how to lie.
Especially in front of Sigrid, she would never dare incorporate falsehoods.
If she said she had killed her, then it had to be true.
Mary’s spear was beyond Sera’s ability to block.
‘Then, if she really did kill her, why is she still alive?’
That was the burning question.
According to Mary, Ebelasque was the one who had betrayed them.
‘That idiot betrayed us?!’
Sigrid scoffed silently.
Ebelasque was not someone capable of such betrayal.
The girl who trembled while stuttering in front of her was hardly the sort who would dare challenge their lives.
She was the kind of girl who would cry if you merely met her gaze.
Would that kind of girl betray them?
Laughable nonsense.
‘There’s something else at play here.’
Sigrid’s eyes sharpened.
In this situation, there was an unknown variable occurring.
“You mentioned that the heart in your pocket suddenly disappeared.”
“I definitely had it securely in my grasp until earlier. I even issued commands.”
As Sigrid stroked her pointed chin, she turned her head thoughtfully.
Then she swiftly pivoted, as if she had come to an understanding.
“Got it. You stay there.”
“Huh? S-Sigrid, you mean to keep me in prison?”
“Isn’t that to be expected? You attempted to assassinate royalty! The fact that you aren’t dead yet is surprising! Do you believe I’ve been preventing your execution behind the scenes?”
Mary’s face turned ashen.
“You directly challenged the royal authority before my eyes! It would have been a miracle if I hadn’t done everything in my power to ensure your execution didn’t occur immediately! Do you think just because I coordinated with Ebelasque and the deputy commander that that means you’re off the hook?”
Sigrid clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Even your brother Siphon was caught up in the chaos, falling victim to deception from a world devourer. It’s fortunate that you didn’t immediately become fodder for the executioner. Had that not been the case, you would have paired immediately with that deputy commander in his execution!”
There were indeed accusations against Siphon concerning Sizelry’s assassination.
He was openly rumored to have been in league with the Night Crow all along.
Thanks to that, he had been declaring that he had merely been used by Ebelasque, continually painting her as the true villain.
Sigrid bolstered that claim, implicating Mary in the process.
Somehow, this narrative had slightly taken root, allowing for Mary to evade immediate execution.
If circumstances had shifted even a bit more, Mary would have found herself in a fatal predicament.
Imperial minds were capable of discerning the contradictions and vulnerabilities in the current situation, but they typically took a neutral stance regarding internal matters – as this would really concern the succession to the throne.
As long as there was no direct imperial decree, they would leave matters to unfold as they might.
Of course, Sigrid would have to pay a price for this.
The First Prince knew that Mary was on Sigrid’s side and that it was advisable to lash out at her in some capacity.
‘Sigh, just how many more will have to pay for this? I managed to dodge execution, but what follows is a bigger problem.’
The First Prince wouldn’t attack blatantly as this issue wasn’t directly aimed at him.
However, he would take every opportunity to ruthlessly consume the influence of the Second Prince.
For the First Prince, this was a golden opportunity, allowing him to absorb the Second Prince’s power without a fight due to the recent complications.
For Sigrid, being forced to watch such a scenario unfold was utterly maddening.
Moreover, Mary’s circumstances were problematic too.
The title of the strongest spear would no longer be available to her, and she would be stripped of all privileges in the Empire.
It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Diana’s family was even contemplating severing ties with her.
For the Diana family’s sake, harboring someone who challenged imperial authority would inevitably lead to their family’s downfall.
Thus, Sigrid had been employing every method at her disposal to avert that.
She reframed Mary’s actions to mean she hadn’t openly challenged the authority of the Empire.
Thanks to this, Mary was now treated as an outcast by both the Empire and her family.
If she could manage to sway any sympathy from the public, she might still have a chance to remain in the Empire.
However, her life without privileges was patently evident.
‘At the very least, I’m grateful she hasn’t been executed.’
Sizelry’s position was precarious, given her status as a discarded child due to the frail lineage regarding royal authority.
If it had been anyone close to the First Prince or even the Second Prince, she’d be facing immediate execution.
Sigrid looked down at Mary with a look of disdain.
Mary responded with a deflated, sullen expression.
“I’ll find a way to break this situation; you just wait for me.”
“Sigrid, then my… academy…”
Mary asked Sigrid, her face now brimming with tears.
If she went to the academy, she would have a chance to see Arthur.
That single thought had kept her going all this time.
She was determined to reach Rahern Academy no matter what.
She wanted to see Arthur, yearned for the warmth of his gentle smile and the comfort of his pat on her head.
“Haha…”
However, upon seeing Mary in such distress, Sigrid couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
She hadn’t expected the academy to come up in her mind at all.
“This year? That’s impossible. Next year? Honestly, I have no idea how long prison terms might be. You may not even get out before Lord Arthur and I ascend the throne.”
“N-Not impossible. I really want to go to the academy! Sigrid, I’m sorry! I’ll do everything right! Just please let me go to the academy!”
“Mary.”
As Sigrid re-called Mary’s name, she found her collapsed on the ground, sobbing profusely.
In that moment, Sigrid’s expression turned to one of exasperation.
She felt an urge to kick her in the head and stomp her into the dirt, but Mary was Arthur’s chosen.
There were plenty of others she could choose from.
However, when it came to his woman, she could never bring herself to commit such an unseemly act.
She wanted to remain poised as a dignified woman in Arthur’s eyes.
“…I’ll consider sending you off to the academy as a form of banishment. You’re only 16, and it wouldn’t be fair to subject you to living with the world devourers. Instead, let’s elevate your skills and see how you could be of benefit to the Empire through banishment. If public opinion shifts, it might just work out.”
Though she couldn’t guarantee anything.
It was still better to offer some glimmer of hope rather than let Mary shatter completely.
“A-ah, thank you, Sigrid! I really appreciate it!”
As Mary clutched the bars of her cell, tears streaming down her face, that horrific power was evident once more.
Even though it was a robust iron bar that should have withstood more than ordinary steel, she was bending it effortlessly.
Right, just her body alone was her saving grace.
“This year is out of the question. There’s no way you’ll be able to leave in that time frame. Next year? Who knows? So until then, absolutely do nothing and stay quiet.”
Leaving Mary to sob, Sigrid turned away, her thoughts consumed with the current unknown variables in play.
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