Chapter 210: Sudden Change (3)
by AfuhfuihgsSudden Change (3)
“It’s not our responsibility. They won’t blame us if we wrap this up and leave at this point.”
Yona didn’t respond to Alec’s words.
“…Alevian said he felt demonic energy, didn’t he?”
Alevian had said he felt demonic energy, but Yona hadn’t sensed it.
Maybe she didn’t feel it because she was too flustered, too shocked, but anyway, Alevian said he felt demonic energy, and if that’s the case, it probably wasn’t an assassination. Clearly, it would be right to think that someone had plotted this, wouldn’t it?
Thinking this, Yona lifted her head and looked up at the sky above the imperial palace walls.
The sky was dyed red, and clouds were floating leisurely like a river. The sky with clouds flowing like a red river was so peaceful, but Yona couldn’t understand why problems kept arising wherever they went.
“For now, for now… I need to think about it a bit more. The incident has happened, and we were there, so it doesn’t seem right to just leave.”
Yona let out a long sigh.
Then she stood up, brushing off the dirt from her behind, and forced a smile.
“Well, what can we do? It’s already happened. It happened while we were there. …We have to take responsibility.”
No matter how thoughtless and rebellious Yona might be at around twenty years old, she has some self-awareness.
She subjugated two gods, Berbaria and Catsy.
Not only that, but she also has Damian’s power.
Moreover, she’s aware of her position as the Saintess of the demon realm.
As such, Yona knew well that it wouldn’t do to just run away like this.
“…Alright, shall we go then? We can’t just avoid it.”
Yona muttered as she looked back.
Where her gaze fell, the Azrami tribe—that is, the current imperial family of the Katus Empire—was waiting.
They had been asking Yona for some time to talk since earlier.
These people who, despite being emperors, didn’t assert their authority.
Saying they don’t cling to imperial power that will soon pass anyway, they were showing even greater respect to Yona for being the Saintess of the demon realm and the master of Berbaria.
Her steps were heavy.
Yona’s mood was so low that she was particularly aware of the sound of grass crunching under her feet with each step.
With each step bringing her closer to them, Yona’s heart grew heavier.
Aporza Al Azrami.
The emperor of Katus who, although aged, still maintained a robust appearance.
This emperor was showing a reverent attitude towards Yona.
Aporza, who had been holding the scepter symbolizing the emperor in one hand, put it down on a temporarily prepared table as Yona approached. And as Yona came even closer, he even took off the crown on his head and placed it on the table.
“Saintess.”
“…Yes.”
Aporza looked down at Yona.
Being beastkin who are naturally large in stature, Aporza, with his large build befitting the chief of the Azrami, slowly knelt on one knee before Yona.
This action, starting with Aporza, soon spread like a wave. The Azrami tribe members lined up behind Aporza also knelt down one after another without anyone leading, bowing their heads before Yona.
“We are deeply sorry to have shown such an undignified sight to the Saintess, who is the master of the revered Lord Berbaria and furthermore, who commands the demon realm, the origin of our Katus people.”
Yona looked around at Aporza and the Azrami tribe members.
She briefly thought about how to respond to their actions, but at least she thought these people were sincerely showing respect to her.
“…Please stand up. This isn’t the time for this.”
It was nearing the end of a long day.
It was a situation where they didn’t know what might happen tomorrow, and at least now was not the time for Yona to receive such gratitude.
“Now, I think it’s time to discuss what to do next.”
At Yona’s words, Aporza slowly rose.
Starting with him, the Azrami tribe members also stood up one by one.
“Let’s… talk a bit…”
“Talk.”
“Yes, talk, talk. Let’s have a talk.”
Three sentences in succession.
As if casting a spell on herself.
Yona muttered like that.
And each time she did, Yona’s face was calming down as if by magic.
“The point is, the Azrami tribe didn’t commit any assassination, right?”
“We had no reason to do such a thing.”
Aporza Al Azrami.
Yusuf Al Azrami.
Zakariya Al Azrami.
Amira Al Azrami.
Alevian.
Kairoc.
Alec.
Yona.
And Berbaria.
Now fully into the night, in a season where there’s still a chill in the air.
Due to the season, the venue was moved inside the imperial palace.
Considering the tight food situation, while dinner was being prepared with potatoes to increase the volume as much as possible, the nine people sat around a round table and began to talk.
“To begin with, we had no reason to assassinate anyone. With the Saintess’s mediation, the end of the war was at hand, and if both sides just agreed, the civil war would have ended. Moreover, if anyone were to attempt assassination, it should have been the Meadow Gill tribe, not us.”
Zakariya panted as he vented his frustration.
Zakariya and Yusuf were the officials who shook hands with Adinimu and Barikian at the time.
And they said that as soon as they shook hands, Adinimu and Barikian’s necks suddenly split open, and they collapsed, spitting out blood.
Even though they did nothing.
“Isn’t something strange?”
It was Berbaria, who was sitting on the chair with her legs swinging back and forth due to her small stature.
Taking a sip from the water glass in front of her, Berbaria looked alternately at Yona and Alec.
“Even if demonic energy was felt, that energy doesn’t directly create wounds. If you say a wound suddenly appeared and they collapsed spitting blood from it. And it was black blood, wasn’t it?”
“Black blood…”
Black blood.
Something, something felt familiar.
“Black blood, black blood…”
“Yona, that bear…”
At Alec’s words, Yona also turned to look at Alec.
Yes, she remembered. Yona remembered at that moment. The bear, what happened in James’s village. That bear that turned the village upside down. That bear’s blood was black. But she couldn’t be certain yet. So Yona asked Aporza again.
“Do you know what color Lizardmen’s blood is?”
“It’s red. The color of blood is always red.”
“If the wound was the cause of the bleeding, the color of the blood should be red, right? But that blood was black, and if that’s the case, doesn’t it make the talk of assassination or whatever not make sense?”
Yona’s words were reasonable. If the Lizardmen’s blood wasn’t originally black but red—
‘…Ah, should I just overturn everything and end it?’
It felt like her brain was cramping.
As Alec said, she wanted to just shake it all off at this point and tell them to figure it out themselves. She had subjugated Catsy too, and although she didn’t know where to go next, she could go anywhere but here, so she wanted to do that.
‘It’s not like I’m some champion of justice.’
Everywhere they go, incidents and accidents happen. And after somehow struggling to resolve them, another incident or accident occurs. She had no idea how long this would continue.
She was annoyed.
Yona clutched her head and let out a long sigh.
‘Yeah, let’s just give up on everything. Who am I to be doing this here? Even Berbaria and Catsy don’t care, so why should I?’
Yona made up her mind.
“…I’m sorry, but.”
She had no obligation, and no sense of duty.
Yona slowly tried to stand up, leaning on the table.
Leaning on the table, standing up, I’m sorry but we’re going to step away from this—just one sentence.
That one sentence.
If she could just say that, everything would—
And at that moment, Yona’s eyes met Amira’s.
Amira with her hollow eyes looking pitiful.
Amira who always trailed her words, hissing with her forked tongue, and yet followed Yona around like a puppy calling her “Saintess, Saintess.”
Amira who, although a princess, had no sense of authority or anything.
That Amira was now deflated, staring blankly at Yona.
Like a puppy looking at its owner trying to leave it behind, like an abandoned puppy on a rainy day.
Ridiculously, she, a snake beastkin, looked like a puppy at this moment.
Yona bit her lip hard.
That, that kind of look is cheating. For Yona, that kind of look was really, really unfair.
Amira’s gaze was blank, her hollow eyes fixed on Yona.
And Yona, meeting Amira’s gaze, just couldn’t—couldn’t say those words.
“We need to do an autopsy.”
“What’s an autopsy?”
Alec tilted his head and asked back at Yona’s words.
Autopsy, it was a word Alec had never heard before.
Sometimes Yona would use words he didn’t know, and each time it felt a bit strange.
“It’s examining the corpse again. It’s strange, isn’t it? If red blood had come out, we might suspect it was an assassination or something, but the fact that black blood came out, and moreover, when you say black blood, there’s something else that comes to mind.”
At Yona’s words, Alec’s face gradually hardened.
Yona had actually thought Alec would agree, saying it was a good idea, so she was surprised by this unexpected reaction.
“Why?”
“No… to examine a dead lion, to examine the corpse again. That’s disturbing their rest, isn’t it?”
“What?”
Yona slightly furrowed her brow.
An awkward silence settled between the two sitting across the table from each other.
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