Ch.846Found it

I didn’t need to go to the Golden Flower Palace, which had been the residence of Imelia and Hersella. Even from a distance, I could see that the area had been turned into an empty lot.

Was it the work of Meiharin, Sahakal, or perhaps Biyashen who had supposedly disappeared? They had demolished it so thoroughly that it was rather surprising that Imelia’s grave remained intact.

[“…Hmm. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected.”]

Hersella merely snorted as if she had anticipated this, but despite her seemingly calm tone, her voice was filled with murderous intent.

It was fortunate that the Golden Flower Palace was located inside the imperial palace as a private residence, making it impossible to install any offensive facilities. If it had been a building outside the palace, things could have gotten much worse.

If the home where she had lived with her mother had been turned into a brothel, livestock pen, or cesspool, our filial daughter would have gone berserk like a madwoman off her medication.

—-

The Khan’s private palace and Biyashen’s residence had burned down, while Imelia and Dahamei’s palaces had already been demolished, leaving nothing to touch.

The only remaining building was Meiharin’s private palace, the White Fan Palace.

I had saved it for last, thinking that someone trying to hide wouldn’t be stupid enough to hide in their own room.

And so I stormed the White Fan Palace…

‘…There’s not a single sign of life.’

It was completely empty, without a soul in sight.

Not only were there no enemies to stop me, but there weren’t even any eunuchs or court ladies—just an empty building. Without even having to enter and search the interior, I could easily tell from the front gate that no one was inside just by listening.

Since I hadn’t inspected it directly, there was a non-zero possibility that someone was hiding where I couldn’t detect them…

But frankly speaking, if someone was hiding well enough to escape my senses, they wouldn’t be an ordinary person. They would be an assassin specially trained in concealment or someone using sorcery to mask their presence.

So, this empty palace…

[“It’s obviously a trap.”]

‘You think so?’

It was probably left empty to lure me in for some kind of scheme.

Perhaps the building would collapse entirely once I entered, or explode. Maybe they had set up some kind of sealing magic that would prevent me from leaving once I entered.

I doubted such a trap would work on me, but… you never know.

Hunters who set traps for tigers don’t lay mere mouse traps.

The same would apply to sorcerers.

I didn’t know what kind of trap awaited, but they must have prepared it with confidence that it would be effective even against me.

Of course, from my perspective, this was all pointless effort.

[“What will you do?”]

‘What else?’

I smirked and placed my left hand on the main pillar of the White Fan Palace.

If they wanted to lure a predator into a trap, they should have prepared tempting bait. If they emptied the entire building like this…

‘I’ll just destroy it.’

…there was no need to enter at all.

[ ᚻ ]

“Hagalaz.”

The rune engraved on my wrist pulsed. Vast mana erupted from the mark, burrowing into the pillar and spreading like tree roots until it eventually enveloped the entire building like a net. Like parasitic vines wrapping around a fence.

And then.

– Crack!

The next moment, all those streams of mana flashed simultaneously, unleashing their destructive power.

– Rumble!

Pillars, walls, roof, and floor—everything split, crumbled, and collapsed all at once.

The Rune of Collapse. Its effectiveness against people might be questionable, but there was no more efficient way to destroy large structures.

It took less than twenty seconds for the entire building to be reduced to a pile of shattered debris.

—-

At the center of the collapsed White Fan Palace, a small passage leading underground remained exposed.

‘So there was something here.’

[“Was something here, you mean.”]

It appeared to be the entrance to the ritual chamber Imara had mentioned, but unfortunately, I couldn’t go down there.

[“With everything like this, whatever might have been inside would have been flattened long ago.”]

With the entire above-ground structure collapsed, there was no way the underground chamber would remain intact. The underground passage and whatever space lay beyond it had been buried under the collapse.

In other words, there wouldn’t be a single living being left down there.

If Meiharin and the other sorcerers had been hiding down there, they would have tried to resist somehow, if only to avoid being crushed by earth and rock.

‘This was the last private palace. If they’re not here either…’

It meant they had either fled Ordos long ago, or Demian had found them instead of me.

– Boom!

The answer came from behind me.

In the form of a blonde great-sword-wielding jumper being launched through the roof of a massive building at the center of the imperial palace.

“Ha, so they were hiding there?”

No, if they were there, they weren’t really hiding. That place was the center of the imperial palace, a space like an audience hall where the Khan would gather officials to conduct state affairs.

In other words, the enemies weren’t hiding at all—they were practically waiting with the doors wide open, daring us to come.

How absurd it must have been from their perspective.

From the looks of it, they had gathered in the imperial audience hall, exuding the aura of shadowy manipulators who had controlled the Great Plains, waiting for us…

Yet instead of rushing into the audience hall, we had been busy destroying all the other buildings.

Well, that was a waste of effort.

No, it wasn’t entirely wasted—we were able to evacuate the court ladies from the private palaces, so it wasn’t completely pointless…?

Anyway, now that I knew their location, there was no need to waste any more time.

– Boom!

I leapt into the air, then descended like a meteor toward the central imperial hall.

“Kyaaaah!”

With my right leg extended, I pierced through the roof of the hall like a comet.

– Crack!!

Tiles erupted like a fountain, flames and ashes wrapped around me like a cloak. Debris from the roof, rafters, beams, and walls burned as they brushed against my armor.

After several seconds of descending while shattering everything beneath my feet…

– Thud!

Finally reaching the center of the hall, before the dragon throne—

“—It’s been a while, girl with an undeserved name.”

Leaning against the occupied throne, a woman glared at me with a face full of hatred and disgust.

Long, loose black hair framing a face that looked over a dozen years younger than her actual age.

Between the strong musk scent that reached several meters away, the faint smell of decay seeped through—the stench of someone who had handled corpses.

Snake-like eyes flashed between fox-like narrow eyelids, and the silk palace garments she wore fluttered with thick, repulsive mana.

Her pointed fingernails were stained black, revealing her true nature, and around her neck, wrists, and slightly exposed ankles, she wore ornaments strung with animal fangs, pearls, and jade.

[“Meiharin…!”]

Hersella, recognizing her, unleashed the murderous intent she had been suppressing.

Second Empress Meiharin.

The mistress of the imperial palace was right before us.

—-

“After abandoning those who followed you and fleeing to the west, how dare you shamelessly return now? Are you coveting the Khan’s throne? Such a lowly creature with excessive greed.”

Contemptuous condemnation. It was obviously mere provocation rather than her genuine thoughts.

“Well…”

I lightly brushed the ashes off my shoulders and smirked.

“My father, whom I buried with my own hands, came to me in a dream. He said he was lonely and asked me to send you to join him as a burial offering. So I came to perform my filial duty after a long time.”

The blade I drew with this light provocation emitted a blue light. I casually twirled Durandal while continuing my explicit mockery.

“What? You’re grateful? Oh, it’s nothing. Just what a child should do. Think of it as an early twilight journey. Wouldn’t that be good for you too?”

[“What nonsense are you spouting? If you have time to run your mouth, hand over your body already. That woman is mine…!”]

‘Just wait a moment.’

I muttered as if restraining Hersella, who was desperate to rush at Meiharin.

When someone goes to the trouble of provoking you, you should respond in kind. When dealing with spellcasters, it’s always best to start by disrupting their composure.

“Judging by the strong musk scent, you must be desperately lonely at night, but now you can go and be embraced by your husband all you want. Oh, but come to think of it, maybe you weren’t that lonely? Since you had a tall man by your side.”

Like this.

I shrugged lightly while pointing at the gloomy man—Sahakal—who was still sitting on the throne as if his legs were mere decorations, showing no intention of standing up.

“What did you just…?”

Meiharin’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Though it was a subtle reaction, it was enough to confirm that her composure was beginning to crumble with anger.

Well, when would Her Highness the Empress ever have heard such an insult? The insult suggesting she was rolling around with her son in place of her dead husband.

“Ha…! Your way with words has improved considerably…!”

“Not as much as your hip movements. To even make your son fall for you—how amazing must it be… it can’t be easy at your age.”

If it had been Isabella, who had actually done such things, she would have just said “Yes, that’s right~” and moved on, but seeing Meiharin reveal her emotions at such a minor provocation, she clearly hadn’t reached Isabella’s level yet.

You should have rolled around with about eight thousand people like her.

“Eeek… you’ve truly become vulgar in our time apart! Not a trace of elegance to be found. Well, what could one expect from someone born from a slave woman’s womb!”

[“That bitch who deserves death dares…!”]

Oh, be quiet for a moment. I’m not finished speaking.

“Imara was crying her eyes out. She said she was lonely because her mother and brother were clinging to each other without her. You should have included your daughter too, not just embraced your son. The imperial bed would have been spacious enough for three people.”

[“Why are you dragging innocent Imara into this?!”]

Why drag her in? She’s that woman’s daughter.

“You…!”

Meiharin’s face contorted with rage. Perhaps unable to contain her anger any longer, the wrinkles around her eyes that she had carefully concealed with makeup became clearly visible.

– Crunch!

As if she didn’t want to exchange any more words, Meiharin raised her right hand above her head while grinding her molars.

Was it a signal to prepare for attack? The sorcerers surrounding me began to draw up their mana and mutter unintelligible incantations.

Both Meiharin herself and Sahakal also began to draw up their power, revealing clear hostility.

“Ah, was that spot perhaps reserved for Targiyan? Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Our Empress probably preferred two men to two women.”

“Kill her!”

Meiharin swung her arm to give the attack order. As soon as her hand pointed at me, a rain of sorcery akin to bombardment flew toward me.

Shadows on the floor rose and took the form of wolves as they lunged at me, and in the empty air, translucent tiger forms appeared and swung their claws.

Chains shot like bullets transformed into snakes baring venomous fangs, and the gusting wind howled as it unleashed waves of pale specters.

And then.

– Boom!

Demian, who had been flung into the air, came back down through the roof and landed beside me.

“That took you long enough.”

I had been running my mouth wondering when he’d return, but I didn’t expect it would take this long.

You should have come sooner. If you’d arrived just thirty seconds earlier, I could have stopped my provocations midway, but because of you, our second mother got angry like a mad dog.

“Hmm…”

Demian glanced at the barrage of sorcery, let out a quiet groan, then reached into subspace and drew out the hilt of his holy sword as if unsheathing it.

And then.

“Haaah!”

As Demian thrust the reverse-gripped greatsword into the ground, the holy engravings on the sword absorbed his karma and emitted sacred light, unfolding the miracle of a holy barrier.

– Flash!

A pure white barrier as bright as Leopold’s head.

– Hiss…!

The various spells summoned by the high sorcerers turned to ash and dissipated. The blessing of Elpinel that purifies dark mana.

It wasn’t at the level of Lacy’s holy barrier, but it was more than enough to block the spells they had cast as a mere check.