26. The Imperial Family (5)

-Tap tap

Judging by her light and cheerful footsteps, Lily seemed to be in extremely high spirits right now.

In crowded places, she’d tremble and burrow into her master’s embrace.

In less crowded areas, she’d pretend otherwise while showing intense curiosity about her surroundings-a true coward.

Looking at that small white figure, one animal immediately comes to mind.

A cat.

Only clinging when it suits them, acting entirely on their own whims.

When displeased, they might hiss or even scratch the back of your hand-that kind of creature.

-Tap tap

Jane continued to follow the little cat’s movements with her eyes.

Only after the doors to the audience chamber closed did she slowly shift her gaze to the Emperor seated across from her.

Inside the Imperial Palace, where the cold winter winds couldn’t intrude,

the air, warmed more than usual to accommodate Lily, rapidly cooled.

“Hmm.”

Only one person had changed the atmosphere of the room.

The master of this space and the Emperor of the Empire-

Bathory Istvan.

Though not comparable to an archmage who had long transcended humanity,

the Emperor’s martial prowess ranked among the top five strongest humans alive.

The aura emanating from such a powerhouse effortlessly dominated the spacious audience chamber.

-Clink

The Emperor set down his cup with an audible sound.

In a low voice, he called out to his now-quiet younger sister.

“Jane-no, Bathory Yoanna.”

Unlike when he was with little Lily, his tone was cold and imposing.

Moreover, the name he uttered belonged not to the present but to the past.

Yet Jane, unlike before, couldn’t correct the title he used.

She simply lowered her gaze like a child being scolded by an adult.

The Emperor asked,

“Bathory Yoanna. Surely you haven’t forgotten your duty?”

Jane gritted her teeth, her lips trembling much like her timid lover’s.

Her black pupils shook uncharacteristically, betraying her turmoil.

Duty.

A word Jane had grown sick of hearing since childhood, one she found utterly loathsome.

The Emperor called her again.

“Bathory Yoanna.”

The name that repeatedly spilled from his lips was one Jane had discarded from her past.

No-one she had tried to discard but ultimately failed to leave behind.

Disgust bubbled in her chest, making her stomach churn.

The Jane of the past would have already exploded by now.

But this time, she forcefully swallowed the curses rising in her throat.

Finally, her lips-now bitten until they bled-parted slightly.

A voice thick with suppressed emotion struggled to emerge.

“I never forgot.”

The power passed down through her surname and bloodline.

A detestable divine authority she had never once desired.

The successor of the current era’s [Demon King Slayer].

A 21-year-old executioner weighed down by chains too heavy for her shoulders.

Bathory Yoanna slowly raised her head.

***

Bathory Yoanna.

Jane Bathory reached the realm of an archmage, transcending humanity at the mere age of 19.

It was an unprecedented emergence of genius-one never seen before and unlikely to be seen again.

But had Jane truly attained that realm through her own power alone?

No matter how extraordinary one’s talent, defying the absolute condition of time was impossible.

Naturally, something had existed to fully “bloom” Jane’s talent.

That something was the [Demon King Slayer].

A legacy left by the hero who slew the Demon King that caused the Great War, and a guillotine prepared for humanity’s enemy destined to revive.

The immense power left behind by the hero of the mortal realm possessed overwhelming influence by its mere existence.

The world’s magic converged toward the [Demon King Slayer], and the one who fully assimilated that magic was the transcendent of this era-Jane Bathory.

Yet Jane herself had never wanted that power.

The [Demon King Slayer] was a mighty sword that strengthened its successor.

At the same time, it was a blade sharp enough to invite jealousy from those who failed to inherit it.

The Emperors of the Second Empire had passed down the [Demon King Slayer] through generations.

Whenever the succession failed, calamity invariably befell the Empire.

When Albion and the Lowlands gained independence, it was also because someone other than the Emperor had inherited the [Demon King Slayer].

But-

The current Emperor, Bathory Istvan’s father and the previous Emperor, Otto, failed to inherit the [Demon King Slayer].

Thus, he became broken, lost his way, and in the process, the Imperial Family gained its sole blemish-the illegitimate child Yoanna.

Emperor Otto had raped a commoner woman during an incognito inspection, only ordering the child to be brought to the palace after the woman’s death.

Those who knew this story were few-limited to Emperor Otto himself, the Crown Prince who personally retrieved the child, and a handful of others.

Yoanna’s life after leaving the back alleys of Pesht remained arduous.

The moment her bloodline was confirmed and she officially received the Bathory surname, her “power” manifested.

Naturally, Emperor Otto-who had spent his entire life coveting that “power”-went mad with obsession.

The completely deranged Emperor began eliminating his siblings and children one by one.

His goal: to kill Yoanna, who had dared to steal the power meant for him, and inherit the [Demon King Slayer] once only two bearers of the Bathory name remained.

Finally, the then-Crown Prince and current Emperor Istvan intervened.

He plunged his sword into his jealousy-blinded father’s heart and usurped the throne.

To honor the spirits of his already-deceased siblings,

To save his own life while rescuing his pitiful younger sister who hadn’t yet fully bloomed,

And to safeguard the world’s sword meant to slay the Demon King-he took his seat upon the bloodstained throne.

Yet Yoanna remained miserable.

Though she consoled herself that her lack of strength had caused it all and desperately studied magic, she couldn’t erase the devastation in her heart.

Yoanna begged Istvan:

To banish her from the Empire.

To let her escape this noble land filled only with memories of sorrow and pain.

The Emperor couldn’t refuse his sister’s plea.

Thus, Bathory Yoanna’s exile was decided.

Outwardly, it was banishment for the stability of imperial authority, but in truth, it was an older brother’s consideration for his younger sister.

The moment she crossed the Empire’s borders, Yoanna discarded her name.

And so, the archmage Jane arrived in the Kingdom of Albion.

***

Jane always felt guilty toward Istvan.

If only she hadn’t inherited the [Demon King Slayer].

If only she’d never been born.

Then her brother wouldn’t have had to kill their maddened father with his own hands.

Perhaps they could have lived harmoniously, with Istvan inheriting the divine authority without issue.

Burdened by debt, Jane’s shoulders grew even heavier.

The Emperor asked again:

“Do you still swear to wield the [Demon King Slayer] correctly?”

Jane sensed something amiss.

It had taken her too long to notice due to their long separation.

The Emperor she knew wasn’t someone who would repeat himself to pressure others.

Yet the Istvan before her now kept calling her by her old name, insisting on confirming her duty and oath.

Why?

Why now?

At the level of a transcendent, the archmage Jane Bathory felt a foreboding akin to precognition.

“Your Majesty, you seem impatient.”

Her still-trembling voice betrayed her tension.

Yet it sounded more composed compared to when she’d been biting her lips bloody in silence.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence enveloped the two for a moment.

Once again, it was the brother who cared for his sister-Istvan-who broke first.

“The Demon King’s soul has been detected recently.”

A short, simple sentence, but one carrying immense weight.

Jane’s pitch-black pupils dilated.

The Emperor exhaled softly and continued.

“The First Emperor left behind an artifact for detection alongside the [Demon King Slayer].”

An object emerged from the Emperor’s robes and settled on the table.

A black gem emitting intermittent white light.

Oddly, half of the gem appeared shattered.

“This is the [Compass Toward Evil] left by His Majesty. The issue is that it was damaged when Albion and the Lowlands gained independence.”

Had it been intact, it could have provided precise coordinates including direction and distance, the Emperor added.

“I see… So such a thing existed…”

Jane examined the unfamiliar artifact with curious eyes.

Soon, she grasped the thread of the unease gnawing at her chest.

The Demon King’s resurgence would be a calamity for all humanity.

So why had the Emperor hosted a Grand Auction instead of a summit?

Why create a pretext for her visit and arrange this private meeting?

Her mind, stiff from excessive tension, began spinning rapidly.

“Lily.”

It wasn’t Bathory Yoanna-Istvan’s younger sister-who spoke, but Jane Bathory.

She first sought the precious gem currently separated from her.

“Yoanna.”

“Brother, where is Lily right now?”

The Fairy’s Playground was a mage’s workshop.

Thanks to the layered defensive spells Jane had placed, it was safer than most fortresses.

That’s why Jane could leave Lily there with peace of mind.

The Imperial Palace, long the Empire’s center, was likewise impervious to external threats.

Thus, Jane had temporarily parted from Lily as the Emperor instructed.

But what if someone targeted Lily not from outside, but from within?

Could the Demon King’s soul have manifested there?

The Emperor resolved Jane’s doubts.

“The vessel harboring the Demon King’s soul is indeed your lover, Maylily.”

“No.”

“This is for the continent’s stability.”

Eyes identical to his sister’s black ones shook with guilt.

Jane shook her head violently like a child and shot up from her seat.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

As Jane tried to flee the truth, Istvan called out:

“Yoanna.”

“I-!”

A voice sharp with dissonance echoed through the audience chamber.

But soon, Jane’s words drowned in welling moisture.

“I’m Jane. Not Yoanna.”

Trembling yet correcting the address, Jane.

What mattered to her now wasn’t some detestable divine authority.

Jane turned to leave.

She needed to find Lily and flee far away immediately.

At that moment, the Emperor raised his hand.

-Kiiiiing

Jane reacted to the strange noise of vibrating magic.

But the magic circle activated using the entire Imperial Palace as a medium was slightly faster.

“Ghk!”

The Heart’s Ring that should always rotate had frozen solid.

Clutching her chest, Jane unconsciously fell to her knees.

The Emperor approached slowly.

“Bathory Yoanna, sword of humanity inheriting the hero’s will.”

“…Release this…”

Black eyes burning with crimson magic energy glared dangerously.

Yet the Emperor made a cruel request of Jane.

“To prevent another Great War-abandon your lover.”