73

The Imperial Palace.

Within it, there was a chamber in the main palace meant solely for the Emperor—an opulent room known as the audience hall.

Of course, the room was rarely, if ever, used.

After all, who could warrant an audience with the Emperor? It was merely a space created for the sake of formality.

But now, within this room, a secret meeting between two individuals was taking place.

"Care for some tea?"

"No, thanks."

The one being offered tea by none other than the Emperor of the Empire was Athena Caladbolg.

With a visibly displeased expression, she glared at Valre.

"So, what's the reason for all this theatrics to bring me here? Are you seriously planning to detain me?"

Her words were far too insolent to address the Emperor.

However, Valre didn't seem to mind at all and replied calmly.

"Of course not. With the monsters swarming these days, I have no reason to antagonize you."

Saying this, he sat down, tea in hand, and let out a sigh.

"Whether you created illegal slaves or killed someone, I have no intention of punishing you. Know that much."

"That's not something an Emperor should be saying,"

She replied with a scoff.

"Everything is for the Empire's safety."

When Athena chuckled softly, Valre responded with a faint smile of his own and brought the tea to his lips.

"So, what's the real reason?"

"Whatever crimes you've committed can be covered up. It's not a big deal."

Placing his tea on the table, Valre continued.

"The problem is, someone has spread rumors about what you've done across the Empire."

"Rumors?"

"Both commoners and nobles alike have already heard everything. Covering it up won't resolve it anymore. Mishandle it, and the law's fairness could crumble."

"You're making a fuss over mere rumors?"

"Dismissing it as just rumors would be nice. But the whistleblower and the evidence they provided are too clear."

"Evidence?"

Athena frowned, and Valre looked at her with a curious expression.

"The whistleblower's name is Bordin. Apparently, he worked under you for five years."

"…What?"

"Not sure why, but it seems he's betrayed you. Any idea why he might?"

"…"

"Regardless, stay in the palace for five days. I'll figure out how to prove your innocence in that time."

But no reply came.

When Valre looked up, he saw Athena deep in thought, wearing a serious expression.

The silence lingered in the room until, finally—

"I have to leave."

"Hmm?"

Athena announced her departure.

Caught off guard by her unexpected response, Valre's brow furrowed slightly.

"Athena, it would be best to stay here until the rumors subside."

"No. I'm leaving. Right now."

"If you leave like this, people will think you're fleeing the investigation."

"Let them think that."

"For my sake, at least—"

But before Valre could finish, Athena abruptly rose from her seat. Golden mana began to slowly envelop her.

Valre intended to persuade her further but found himself speechless when he looked at her face.

Her expression was filled with urgency—a look he had never seen before.

"Are you… alright?" he asked, surprised by her unusual display of emotion.

He couldn't help but marvel. The woman who lived her life cloaked in perpetual ennui was now visibly anxious.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Valre sighed deeply.

"…Finish your business and return to the palace. I'll come up with some excuse until then."

"…Alright."

Athena snapped her fingers, and the golden mana around her flared brightly.

It was the precursor to teleportation magic.

However, despite the activation of the spell—

The room merely flickered with light, and Athena remained standing in the same spot.

"This damn thing," she muttered bitterly, her face twisting in frustration.

Without hesitation, she smashed through the wall and bolted out.

Boom! Crash!

Each step forward was accompanied by a deafening roar and a fierce wind that brushed past her body.

Mana exploded from her feet, propelling her forward. Before her feet touched the ground again, she ignited mana once more to continue her sprint.

Though this method placed considerable strain on her legs, she didn't care in the slightest.

"Hera…!"

She couldn't teleport to the mansion.

This could mean only one thing.

The coordinate-transfer stone installed in the mansion had been deactivated by someone.

And that someone was likely Bordin.

She wasn't curious about why he had suddenly betrayed her.

Nor was she interested in what he might be plotting.

The only thought swirling in her mind was singular.

Hera's safety was all that mattered.

Crunch.

She was anxious.

Her heart pounded relentlessly at the thought that something might happen to Hera.

'It's okay.'

She tried her best to calm herself.

Even though she wasn't there, a dragon was by Hera's side.

The little one had been allowed into the mansion solely as a means to protect Hera. If not for that purpose, she wouldn't have let it anywhere near her.

So nothing would happen.

It couldn't.

***

"Ah…?"

Though the bleeding had stopped, she couldn't lift herself.

No matter how hard she tried to move, all she could manage were slight twitches.

"Wh…why can't I move…"

She was confused and alarmed by the sudden paralysis.

It wasn't long before she understood the situation.

"It's venom extracted from a basilisk's heart. A deadly poison that suppresses mana within the body and dissolves the insides."

A man's voice suddenly came from behind her.

Summoning all her strength, she barely managed to turn her head.

"B…Bordin…?"

Standing there was the mansion's butler, impeccably dressed in a neat suit with a monocle over one eye.

Bordin gazed at her with a surprised expression.

"How peculiar. By now, your heart should have melted, and you should be dead."

His words, cold and ruthless, were delivered as if they were the most natural thing in the world.

"W-what…are you saying…"

"Is it the power of your innate ability? Fascinating."

Approaching her, Bordin drew a dagger from his coat with an expression of regret.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I wanted to spare you as much pain as possible, but your body is far too resilient."

"Why…why are you doing this…"

Her mind was in turmoil.

The sudden turn of events left her too overwhelmed to think clearly.

But even in this confusion, she wasn't foolish enough not to grasp what was happening.

She had eaten food, collapsed, and then Bordin had appeared.

Though she didn't know his reasons, it was clear Bordin was trying to kill her.

Most likely, he had tampered with her food.

"Are you curious?"

His calm yet intensely burning gaze looked down at me.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing more unjust than dying without even knowing the reason."

Borodin reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an ornament resembling an amulet.

From it, he extracted a photograph.

When he placed the photo in front of me, I could see a woman who seemed to harmonize beautifully with the evening sunset.

"This is my wife. She died eight years ago during a demon raid."

Borodin spoke with a sorrowful expression.

"…So?"

"Our village was located in a remote area, far removed from the Empire. It was a rather pleasant place to live—until the demons attacked."

He put the photograph back into the amulet and continued.

"When the demons raided, while the village guards struggled to hold them off, I went to the Empire to ask for help."

He let out a hollow laugh as he spoke.

"They didn't help. Simply because we weren't citizens of the Empire."

"...."

"However, it seems God had not completely abandoned us. By chance, I encountered someone—a person with the extraordinary skills to fend off the demon raid."

"…Athena?"

"Exactly. My current liege. The one hailed as a hero of the Empire—Lady Athena."

As he recalled that moment, Borodin's eyes burned with renewed fury.

"I ran to her, fell to my knees, and begged. I pleaded for her to save our village. Do you know what she said?"

"…What did she say?"

"She told me not to bother her and to get lost. Ha… Ha…"

"After that, the story is predictable. My wife and the rest of the villagers all perished. Since then, I've lived for one purpose alone—revenge."

Borodin finished his story with a hollow laugh.

It was undoubtedly a tragic tale.

Was this why he was orchestrating these events out of vengeance against Athena?

And was he using me, someone close to her, for his plans?

But regardless of his reasons, there was something far more pressing right now.

'…The poison is dissipating.'

While he had been recounting his lengthy tale, I had secretly been moving my fingers.

Unlike before, they were now twitching quite naturally.

For some unknown reason, the paralysis in my body was gradually wearing off.

"…But why are you trying to kill me?"

To buy myself a little more time, I threw the question back at Borodin.

After silently gazing at me for a moment, he finally answered my question.

"For the first three years, I tried to kill my liege. I may not look it now, but I once had enough capability to run a guild in our village."

When I pressed my toes into the ground, I could faintly feel a slight movement.

"But in the end, I failed to even attempt anything. The moment I saw that golden mana, I realized—it's impossible. No matter what I do, I can't kill her."

With each passing moment, I could feel my body slowly regaining control.

"So, I changed my plan. If I couldn't kill her, I would take away what was most precious to her. That's where Lady Hera comes in."

Just a little longer.

"To give that heartless monster something she'd hold dear, I spent years—"

But Borodin stopped mid-sentence.

As if sensing something strange, he furrowed his brow and stared at me.

"…Now that I think about it, something's odd. No matter how strong your body is, you should have been coughing up blood by now."

He pondered deeply for a moment before gripping the dagger in his hand once again.

"I don't like it when plans go awry. Regrettably, this is as far as our conversation goes."

Without hesitation, he raised the dagger.

"After all, even if you live, the only life waiting for you is as a monster's beloved toy."

Without hesitation, he thrust the dagger toward my neck.

"Ugh..!"

Although the paralysis hadn't completely worn off, I could move my body to some extent.

I immediately gathered my strength and extended my hand into the path of the descending dagger.

Though my hand would be pierced, it was better than having my neck slashed.

And so—

Sssk—

Blood sprayed into the air.

However, despite the splattering blood, I felt no pain.

When I opened my eyes properly to assess the situation—

The source of the bleeding wasn't my arm but Bordin's.

His arm had been cleanly severed, blood gushing from the wound.

"Argh!!"

"Wha…?"

Like a fountain, blood spurted from his arm.

As I stared blankly at the scene, I noticed a figure amidst the spraying blood.

Someone who looked stunningly fitting in a maid's uniform, a person who was once my friend.

"Al… Lina…?"

It was Alina, gripping a small blade in her hand.