episode_0020

Great Ancestor Estrid.

Estrid is the only bloodline that can rule the empire.

They are bold, courageous, sometimes cold-hearted, dominating and know how to lead people.

The greatness of the Estrid bloodline.

It was the biggest reason why the empire was able to survive for hundreds of years.

Of course, not everyone born with the same bloodline can be the same. Estrid was also great on average, but there were definitely mutants among them.

Some were overly brave and died at the forefront of battle, some were completely timid and would stay put, and some were so ruthless that they treated people like numbers. The fact that such emperors occasionally existed was proof that even those of the same blood could not always be the same.

And then one day.

The people of the empire realized.

That ‘madness’ also runs in Estrid’s blood.

The occasion was the accession of an emperor.

He was capable and revived the empire.

Every day, there were festivals without interruption, men and women locked eyes, the streets were filled with children running and playing, and they sang of a time of peace.

Everyone looked up to the young emperor.

Then one day.

A city has disappeared.

Adults, children, and the elderly were all slaughtered. Blood flowed from the city like a river. Corpses piled up like mountains. One person was floating above them. It was the emperor.

A devil. No, something more than a devil.

The only one who has been stripped of the title of Emperor and the stain of the great bloodline Estrid.

Ortega Estrid.

With his appearance, the people of the empire realized.

Madness also runs in Estrid’s blood.

And I was afraid.

Who knows when that madness will flare up again.

“Would you like to watch the 3 princesses together?”

Lloyd looked up at the Duchess who was asking him that question.

The Third Princess.

Julia Estrid.

According to Lloyd’s information, Princess Julia is plotting a rebellion. She, who acted as if she had no interest in power more than anyone else, waited for the right time while hiding her claws, and then suddenly revealed them.

Could she be the maddened descendant of Estrid?

It seemed possible.

No, it will be big.

Lloyd bowed his head toward the Duchess.

It was not yet time to meet the princess.

“I’m sorry, but it seems like it won’t be possible today.”

“Why?”

“I feel very dizzy and in very bad condition, so I’m worried that I might make a mistake.”

The Duchess glanced down at Lloyd.

Lloyd’s condition certainly didn’t look good.

It was natural.

‘You’re holding up surprisingly well.’

Because the moment the symbol of the Blood Reformation rises, the encroachment begins.

First, the dizziness will not go away. The energy of the blood will stir up the brain. In this way, a fanatic loyal to the blood will be completed.

But Lloyd held on well.

How on earth do you hold out?

I’ve seen many Blood Cultists, even high priests with extreme psychic abilities, but none of them held up as well as Lloyd.

The Duchess found that both curious and amusing.

Lloyd, however, was about to die.

‘… damn it.’

Lloyd felt like he was going to vomit at any moment due to the increasingly severe dizziness. But he held on.

The various mental symptoms he had suffered from after being executed actually helped him in this situation. His brain had already become accustomed to all sorts of hallucinations and visual hallucinations, so it was functioning as if it were a good thing.

In this state, meeting a princess who might be mad? It is absurd. The body that already contained Ortega, who was Estrid’s stigma and madness itself. It was impossible to predict how Estrid’s two bloodlines would react when they met.

‘We need to find an antidote.’

It was more of an antidote.

The antidote that Arno, the knight in white, had mentioned. He said it was in the lodging where he was staying. Fortunately, it was near Lloyd’s lodging. The servants stayed in the annex, not the main building. With a high-ranking guest visiting, the mansion’s attention would surely be drawn to the main building. It was a good opportunity.

“If your wife allows it, would it be okay if I rest a little today?”

Lloyd’s voice trembled slightly as he pleaded.

That fact alone satisfied the wife.

This child will soon become the blood of the new sect in a few days.

The Duchess’s hands became gentle.

“I see. Go and rest.”

Lloyd stood up from his seat and bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

His wife whispered behind him as he left the room.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s the process of becoming a member of the Jaehyeol Church.”

The sign that had turned black was prickly.

◆

The structure of the Grey Duke’s mansion is complex.

It is broadly divided into the main building where the duke or important guests stay, and several separate buildings where servants or ordinary guests stay. At first glance, the boundaries are clearly divided, but there are also various secret passages for the servants to move around.

Fortunately, the accommodations where Arno and Lloyd stayed were located in the same annex.

Now that an important guest, the princess, has arrived.

The Bloodthirsty Cult members disguised as guards and servants will only be guarding the entrance to the annex.

Lloyd looked at his watch quietly.

Five o’clock in the afternoon.

It’s almost time for dinner to begin.

It is also the busiest time for most employees.

Lloyd went out on a visit.

— Squeak

Close the door carefully.

There’s no one in the hallway.

Arno’s quarters are one floor above.

“Phew.”

Let’s focus on the sensations and my head starts to hurt.

A feast of information coming in in an instant.

The sound of rats running on the rooftop, the smell of corn soup stuck to the floor, and even a single speck of dust floating in the distance. Everything came rushing into my brain as vivid information. Among them, there was a space where the senses were completely blocked. It must have been a facility related to the re-blood cult.

— Gulp

Lloyd wiped away the blood that was flowing out of his nose.

After calming down my senses a little, I took a step forward.

As expected, the stairs and hallways were empty.

Arno’s quarters were one floor above, near the stairs.

— Squeak

As soon as you open the door, various smells waft in.

Fortunately, the clean-up hadn’t been done yet.

“Well, it hasn’t been that long since Arno died.”

Should I say it’s fortunate that the mansion is busy today?

By the way, where is the drug that Arno talked about to maintain consciousness?

Desk drawer.

None.

Under the bed.

None.

An unusually creaky floor.

“Notebook?”

Let’s keep this for now.

After searching the room like that, Lloyd discovered several unusual clothes.

It’s unusually neat.

In addition, Lloyd’s sensitive vision caught his eye with some particularly awkward threads.

A mark that looks like it was sewn by a man who is awkward at sewing.

When I put my hand on it, the lining tore easily.

— Thud thud

A few tiny tubes that fell onto the bed.

Lloyd picked one up and held it up to the light.

It’s an opaque tube so you can’t see inside.

But then I heard the sound of liquid sloshing.

When I opened the lid, a sharp needle appeared.

Is that a syringe?

“It looks like the structure is such that when you press the tube, the liquid inside comes out.”

Lloyd looked at the tube for a moment.

— Kook

The needle was immediately inserted.

A liquid energy that spreads gently on the forearm.

There was no way it was poison.

For something like that, there was a lot of liquid in it.

“…….”

It didn’t take long for the drug to spread through his body.

…What is this feeling?

Lloyd sat on the bed, blinking blankly.

Applause. Cheers. Ortega’s voice. All the information collected by the sensory organs. Sharp emotions. PTSD. The endlessly noisy mind calms down in an instant.

Only then did he realize that the energy emanating from the bloodline symbol had been clouding his brain. His brain, which had seemed to be trapped in a black cloud, suddenly became clear.

According to the explanation of the White Knight Arno, this must have been a sedative.

But Lloyd felt his body awakening instead. His brain was crystal clear, and his body, which had been sharpened in its sense of pain, felt refreshed.

Lloyd sat up and stretched out his arms. His body felt light, as if he had just escaped from being trapped in the deep sea.

— Thud.

A notebook that had been lying on the bed fell to the floor.

Lloyd picked up the notebook and read it. Each word was imprinted on his mind. This body’s original talent must have been this much.

[ Report Log ]

The notebook was a sort of report written by Arno. It was filled with information about the Duchess Grey and this mansion.

Lloyd, who was scanning the notebook and saving it in his head as if taking pictures, stopped at one passage.

* Basement

— Found a passage leading underground.

— By design, this mansion has no basement.

— A number of people have been consistently disappearing from the mansion. Investigation is needed to determine if there is a connection.

“… This is.”

This is the content about the basement that was also seen in [Diary].

The journal clearly seemed wary of Lloyd knowing anything about the basement.

‘Let’s just move on for now.’

It is suspicious. But there is no time to devote to such a mysterious matter right now. This is none other than a branch of the Blood Reformation Church. It is unusual for one or two people to disappear, but it is not strange.

More important than that is the princess.

Third Princess Julia.

I have to figure out a way to seduce her…

— rattle

The door suddenly opened.

Only then did Lloyd realize that he had been so focused on his thoughts that his senses were clouded.

The habits I had developed to survive in Lloyd’s body had become poisonous.

Lloyd turned his head and looked toward the door.

“Hector?”

There were familiar faces standing there.

They were all holding extension cords in their hands.

— Tae-ah-ah!

A dagger passed by and was stuck in the wall.

Blood flowed from Lloyd’s cheek.