Ch.82The Empire’s Circumstances (2)

# “Your Majesty, I shall step forward.”

Guardian Knight Reinhardt prostrated himself. Lucius slowly shook his head.

“Stand down. This is not an opponent you can handle.”

“…Windsor may be formidable, but there are hundreds of swords protecting the Empire. If we mobilize all of them…”

“I see you don’t know about it. The nightmare from seven years ago.”

“Seven years ago…?”

At that time, Reinhardt had been on an assignment.

“A 15-year-old girl tried to overthrow the Empire. Only a few among the central nobility know about this incident.”

Reinhardt’s eyes widened. They soon filled with anger.

“At that time, Irene Windsor had entered the Academy for her succession training as heir to the Windsor family.”

The incident was still vivid in Lucius’s mind. It was the decisive reason why he called Irene a “lunatic.”

“…It happened one day. Someone thoughtless insulted Irene. They said a family that hadn’t appeared in central politics for 300 years was showing off too much. It was some count’s heir, though I don’t remember which one.”

In truth, he did remember.

The count’s name was Moer. At the time, he was a prominent figure in the noble faction and belonged to a family that had been quite irritating to Lucius.

However, Lucius didn’t even want to mention that family’s name, as the incident remained a bitter regret for him.

“What happened to that person?”

“…She exterminated that count’s family, and then the marquis family they had married into.”

“She committed such atrocities just because someone was disrespectful to her?”

“I authorized it. I didn’t want to sour relations with Windsor, and that count’s family was quite a thorn in my side.”

Reinhardt recalled the name of Count Moer. He had only known that Lucius had purged them, but he never imagined such circumstances behind it.

“Do you think the other nobles would stand idle? Several powerful nobles mobilized troops to stop Irene Windsor. What do you think happened?”

“…It’s difficult for a single knight to face many opponents. Did she suffer critical injuries, forcing the Duke of Windsor to step in?”

“No, the Duke of Windsor didn’t move a muscle.”

Lucius chuckled. His laughter contained emptiness.

“1,267.”

“…!”

“That’s the number of people Irene Windsor killed by herself that day. All of them were powerful knights and mages.”

Lucius placed his hand on his forehead.

“Irene… she is not in her right mind.”

**

A small amount of blood stained Irene’s white blouse. More blood covered her coat, but it wasn’t noticeable against the black fabric.

Around her, people had collapsed like petals of a flower. All with stab wounds in the same location.

“I hope the puppy comes back soon.”

Irene smiled brightly as she looked in the direction where Galahad had fled.

Then she turned her attention back to the three people she had deliberately left unharmed.

“Do you know why I spared just the three of you?”

They were kneeling on the ground without a single wound.

Their expressions were blank. They couldn’t help it.

These knights, supposedly the Empire’s finest, couldn’t block even a single strike from Irene Windsor’s sword. They couldn’t even see it. When she simply placed her hand on the hilt, everyone fell at the same moment.

Irene crouched down in front of them, who had lost all will to fight.

“I want to ask you something. Actually, I don’t know much about this incident.”

“Y-you did such a cruel thing just for that?”

“Don’t worry. I only severed the tendons of the others. If priests treat them, their lives won’t be in danger. After a month, they might even hold swords again. If you’re innocent, no one gets hurt. But if you’ve committed a crime—”

Irene raised the corners of her mouth and said cheerfully:

“I’ll decide whether to kill you painfully or painlessly, based on the severity of the sins you committed against my brother.”

“P-pain?”

“Parents, siblings, children, loved ones.”

Irene stopped there and smiled brightly. But everyone understood what she meant without further explanation.

“H-heh. Fortunately, I’m an orphan.”

Judith laughed hysterically. Irene smiled back at her.

“I’m also glad you’re a girl. It gives me more options.”

Judith’s expression instantly hardened.

“Now tell me everything that happened.”

Lying to Irene seemed pointless. Her cold blue eyes seemed capable of piercing through every truth.

“…I was the one who led it.”

“Hmm?”

“The others tried to stop me. If there was a mistake, it was my personal error. These people committed no crime.”

The verdict was final.

Irene immediately moved to kill Karon. But at that moment:

“You’ve given me a troublesome justification.”

Irene’s arm, which was about to draw her sword, stopped.

She slowly turned around.

The Teuton Knights Captain, List, was walking toward them.

“You’ve always been like this. You always seemed like someone who wanted to create conflict. In the past, you ended something that could have been resolved with 10 deaths by killing 1,000, and I suspect you have the same purpose now.”

List stood before Irene.

“This time, forgive them in exchange for my life.”

“Captain!”

“Silence.”

Karon couldn’t say anything more under List’s intimidating gaze.

“Irene Windsor. Isn’t that enough compensation? If the slaughter seven years ago wasn’t simply for the pleasure of killing, accept this proposal.”

Irene replied indifferently:

“You laid hands on my brother, and your head alone is not enough.”

“…!”

List’s eyes widened.

His face soon contorted with anger.

“How far do you intend to go?!”

Irene laughed chillingly at his words. Then, muttering “I like that,” she said:

“Until the end of this era of peace?”

List was greatly shocked.

“N-no way. You want war…?”

“I!”

At that moment, Karon shouted frantically.

“I didn’t harm a single hair on Young Master Ruide’s head. It was merely defense against an attack.”

“Are you saying Ruide attacked first?”

Irene asked calmly. Karon hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“That’s right.”

“Lies.”

Karon flinched. He feared she had discovered the truth he was hiding.

However, Irene’s reason for calling it a lie was something else entirely.

“That child, despite having some slow-witted aspects, is unimaginably strong. If Ruide had attacked first, it wouldn’t have ended with just a left arm.”

“That’s not true.”

Karon strongly denied it.

“We could have injured the young master. But we didn’t.”

Irene was genuinely puzzled.

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

“Alone, I couldn’t manage it. But if all the Teuton Knights present had attacked together, harming the young master wouldn’t have been difficult. I have an advantage against mages.”

“I can’t believe it. Inanimate objects like you couldn’t possibly face Ruide.”

Irene shook her head.

“…Let me ask one thing. If we truly had no intention of harming the young master, would you forgive us?”

Irene readily nodded.

“If it was simply playing around, I might not kill anyone.”

Karon rolled up one sleeve. He showed the complex runes inscribed there.

“The power engraved on my body, Dispellio. This is the evidence. We had the perfect opportunity to harm Young Master Ruide, but we didn’t.”

Irene blinked.

A moment of silence passed.

The Teuton Knights broke out in cold sweat.

“Aha, ahaha!”

Irene laughed out loud. It had been nearly seven years. She had just heard a truly amusing joke.

“You have no idea about Ruide’s power.”

Tears formed in Irene’s eyes from laughing so hard.

She wiped her eyes with her hand and touched her lips.

“So that’s why such an absurd thing happened.”

There was a subtle anger in Irene’s tone. She put her hands together and said politely:

“I accept your explanation.”

Irene gave a strange smile, then reached out into the air.

*Swoosh*

“Win…ter?”

The sword that appeared in Irene’s hand was one they had seen before.

The sword Ruide used.

But the size was different. It was thinner and narrower than Ruide’s sword. However, the magical power flowing from it was even more powerful.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Irene cut herself.

**

Ruide was grumbling intensely.

‘How dare they call my sister a monster?’

Where could you find such a beautiful monster?

That was his first thought upon hearing Galahad’s words. But at the same time, another thought occurred to him:

‘I can’t let Amelia’s efforts be in vain.’

He knew how insanely hard Amelia had been practicing. Knowing this, he had no intention of letting it all go to waste.

Of course, he planned to stop the fight. He could decide how to deal with the knights who dared to mark Amelia’s cheek after the duel.

But—

Upon arriving at the scene, Ruide could only stare blankly.

Fallen knights. The ground soaked with blood.

And in the middle, Irene collapsed with empty eyes.

A knight looking down at her.

He knew that knight’s name very well.

The Empire’s number one knight. The sword genius, List.

“Rui.”

Ruide brushed away Amelia’s attempt to cover his eyes.

‘It’s my fault.’

Ruide approached Irene with staggering steps.

“R-Rui. S-sister is now… hic.”

‘If I had acted sooner. Even if I didn’t kill them, if I had shown overwhelming power then.’

Ruide knew Irene was strong.

But there were no dead people here. All the fallen knights were still conscious.

That was evidence that Irene had shown restraint.

Irene hadn’t killed anyone. And yet, Irene herself…

“…”

Ruide held his hand in front of Irene’s nose.

Her breathing had stopped.

“Who… are you?”

Ruide looked up at List with blank eyes.

“Did you… do this?”

List said nothing. More precisely, he couldn’t say anything.

‘My body… won’t move.’

The intense wave of magical power emanating from Ruide didn’t even allow him to utter a single word.

*Urgh*

Shearer, particularly sensitive to magical flows, vomited on the floor with a deathly expression.

The others were the same. Their faces turned pale, unable to move a finger.

Ruide walked toward Karon, who was behind List.

*Crack!*

“Guh…!”

At that moment, powerful magic pressed down on them. Ruide hadn’t cast any particular spell. Just getting closer to him caused this phenomenon.

*Crack!*

As bones broke—

“Cough.”

Blood spewed from their mouths. Only List among them was still holding on. But even he was barely managing.

“If you hated me that much.”

Tears fell from Ruide’s eyes.

“You could have just told me! But why!”

Karon desperately wanted to tell him it was all fake. However, Ruide wouldn’t allow it.

“I’ll give you the same feeling. I’ll take away everything you cherish, except for yourselves.”

Ruide recalled the most terrible magic he knew.

“You’ll regret this. You too.”

*Whoosh*—

Blue flames rose from both of Ruide’s eyes.

Amelia, the only one unaffected by Ruide’s magical power, looked up blankly.

The sky turned white.

A massive ice block, too large to take in at a glance, was slowly falling.

*Crack*

The entire imperial palace was turning into a white snowfield.

Amelia hurriedly embraced Ruide.

“R-Rui. Calm down! Irene is just acting!”

“…Acting?”

Ruide looked at Irene with a haggard face.

“…”

Irene was looking at him with sparkling eyes. Her face was slightly flushed.

“…”

She quickly returned to her “dead” expression, but it was too late. Ruide’s eyes cleared and he withdrew his magic. The summoned ice block disappeared into light as the casting was canceled.

However, the frozen imperial palace remained unchanged.

“…I’ve been found out.”

Irene slowly rose with a disappointed expression.

Ruide ran to Irene with all his might, sobbing.

“Rui.”

Irene opened her arms with a gentle face.

However.

*Chomp!*

Ruide bit Irene’s arm with all his strength.