episode_0110

The throne room of the royal palace of Hiban.

Hibana was crossing her legs seductively on the throne, and her retainers were bowing their heads in front of her.

In fact, Hibana kept her mouth shut and her eyes closed, so the longer the silence lasted, the more the retainers’ sorrow burned away.

It was to the point where I thought it would be easier to just yell loudly.

“So, how is the trend of the demons going?”

“According to the last report, they have taken control of the Cheongno area and are advancing toward the capital.”

“They went all the way to Cheongno… … The situation is very serious?”

At Hibana’s words, several retainers were shocked and trembled.

It was like they were blatantly advertising that there was something about it that struck me.

Of course, Hibana saw the instantaneous change in her retainers and even smiled.

“Isn’t it really strange? I remember that since coming to power, a lot of budget has been given to the Baekmun family and Cheongro, which are at the forefront of the north.”

“Your Majesty! I’m sorry… !”

“When did I say I could open my mouth?”

Hibana’s expression, which had been smiling kindly, changed to a vicious one.

There was a will in his eyes that he would not hesitate to kill if he used his mouth carelessly.

In the end, the retainer who had tried to add a comment closed his mouth and bowed his head again.

Because I didn’t want to end up dying in vain with just one tongue.

“The budget was poured in, but there were thieves within the government who intercepted it and used it elsewhere. Isn’t it obvious without having to explain it?”

“… … .”

“Are you all mute?”

“You saw it correctly!”

“Your Majesty’s insight is always outstanding!”

“Stop flattery. I didn’t try to answer with that intention, and I don’t plan on getting over this issue easily with praise. … … I wouldn’t know if it was him doing it.”

“Yes?”

“Keuhum! In any case, once the situation is over, the special task force will conduct a thorough investigation of the vassals who own land in the north. If you are considering running away after hearing this, I will not stop you. You will know what kind of end you will face when you experience it yourself.”

Hibana’s cold smile instilled fear in the retainers.

A kind of opportunity and provocation to run away if you can.

However, there was no vassal anywhere who would respond to her provocation.

He was well aware of the capabilities of the special unit, the Empress’s private army, and knew of its notoriety to the extent that he shuddered, as there were many instances of it being targeted by the special unit.

Survival rate 0%.

These were the words of those who were running away from the special task force.

“Your Majesty, would it be okay if I expressed my opinion?”

“I am permitted to speak.”

“Although the thief has a bad mentality, I am concerned that now is the time to fight against the demons who are causing suffering to our country and people.”

“It’s not wrong.”

“We have brought about the current situation due to our insufficient abilities, so I hope that your Majesty, through your generosity, will bestow wisdom on us who are less fortunate.”

“Wisdom… … .”

Hibana smiled brightly as she looked at the vassal’s attitude as he asked for advice.

It was a smile that came from the heart, not with the intention of putting pressure on the vassals.

“Do you know what the strengths of the demons advancing on the capital are?”

“Yes?”

“It asks how well you know the other person.”

“Well, that’s… … .”

“No one will know. People who didn’t come to the royal castle because they were busy ran away because they feared for their lives, so how could they know who they were?”

All the retainers were unable to respond to Hibana’s harsh words.

However, the retainers were also secretly dissatisfied, so Hibana, like a fortune teller, figured out their intentions and expressed them.

“If I say this, you might think that it would be different since I am stuck in the capital, right?”

“Oh, no! I do not harbor such blasphemous thoughts at all!”

“Well? Even if it’s not for one person, there’s no way to know what the others are like. Well, it doesn’t matter how you evaluate me. That’s because I’m different.”

Hibana placed her elbows on the armrests of the throne and rested her chin.

Looking down at her retainers with a disdainful gaze, she assumed an arrogant attitude.

If he made a mistake, he could have drawn opposition from his vassals and created the possibility of a revolution, but Hibana did not care at all.

If the authority had collapsed because of something like this, unification would have been impossible from the beginning.

Moreover, if Hibana had just given a signal, ninjas could have come down from the ceiling and cut off the heads of the retainers with a single sword.

“A demon that no one could solve and left them helpless. I will die today.”

“Ho, did you send Geomje Ball?”

“No. If I had told him that he was a strong demon, he would have been excited and rushed at me, but unfortunately, he was absent.”

“I would like to ask you why you are so sure.”

“Because the person who becomes my husband will return after defeating the demons.”

Hibana, who suddenly boasted about her husband, even blushed because she was embarrassed.

When the word ‘consort’ came out of the mouth of the Empress, who had never been married before, all the retainers were dumbfounded.

It’s almost unbelievable that the empress who rules the eastern country has a husband, but she made him fight against demons.

The demons were not so lenient that countless Eastern masters died at the hands of the demons.

Still, I was curious as to why he sent his husband to death.

“How many troops did you send with you?”

“That’s a stupid question. You went to fight alone.”

“Your Majesty, I am concerned that you may be too reckless… … .”

“Don’t worry. Because what I was worried about won’t happen.”

In the minds of the retainers, the image of a man who did not know how he was created and defeated a demon on his own did not come to mind at all.

Even thinking about the cancer, I couldn’t help but think that he had driven her to death, but looking at Hibana’s reaction, it seemed like she loved her husband passionately.

It was even more suspicious that the Empress revealed the shame of being a widow in front of her vassals.

‘Do you really think you can prevent that disaster alone?’

‘Except for the Sword Emperor, there was someone else who could do something like that… !’

‘You scolded me. The Geomje is your Majesty’s man, and if you take as your consort a man of equal skill as the Geomje, you will never be able to rebel against him.’

Each of the retainers began to think in various directions, and in the end, there was only one conclusion.

“Reduction is coming, Your Majesty! You have found the best match!”

“You are welcoming a master of the same level as Geomje as your consort! With this, the prestige of the Eastern country will become even brighter!”

“The future was bleak, but I feel like the blocked energy has been released by the auspicious news!”

Reversing the heavy atmosphere, everyone smiled and flattered everyone.

Hibana had always shown resistance to flattery, but now she said nothing.

‘Your praise for me sounds quite sweet.’

However, if it is not stopped, there will be no end or bottom, so Hibana raised her hand and silenced the voices of the retainers.

Then, as if he was displeased, he made his eyebrows look like an inverted octagon and waved his hand, telling me to step away.

“The matter of the demons will be resolved by you, so please devote your attention to the damage caused by the demons, relief, and recovery work. In particular, the thief who stole the budget this time needs to pay attention to everything he has been secretly stealing to protect himself, right?”

Hibana taps her neck with her finger and then makes a cutting gesture.

Putting fear into the hearts of her vassals whose feet were numb, she sent everyone out of the throne room.

The interior suddenly became quieter.

A group of people wearing hats emerged from a picture on a scroll hanging in one corner of the throne room.

They were magic practitioners, and as soon as they saw Hibana, they knelt down and bowed.

“Consciousness… No, how are the preparations going?”

“I finished everything. It can be activated at any time as long as you give the command.”

“I will inform you separately when the time gets closer, so please wait and rest until then.”

“Okay.”

The leading Taoist monk, who was bowing his head deeply towards Hibana, put a bear stick in his mouth.

The smoke rising from Gombangdae enveloped the monks in an instant.

Eventually, when the smoke from Gombangdae cleared, the figures of the monks disappeared everywhere.

The only thing left in the throne room was Hibana, full of ambition.

‘It really isn’t that far away now.’

Hibana closed her mouth tightly and chewed her lip so hard that blood oozed out.

Her fists were shaking as her emotions became so intense that she could not control them.

‘Until the day you recognize me… … .’

Hibana’s eyes were flashing red from the corner of her shadowed eyes.

***

The time when the sun is setting in the sky.

Lian, who had played wildly with Scathach all night, slowly opened her eyes.

I was tired from fighting Therion so fiercely that I stayed up all night shaking my back, so I had no choice but to oversleep.

“Hwaam!”

He yawned widely, stretched, and looked at Scathach next to him.

She had returned to her sword form.

Even when I poked my finger, it didn’t even move.

“Skaha?”

Even when I tried to talk to him, there was no answer.

It was like a person who was deeply asleep.

‘Is it the same for Scathach…? … .’

It was a phenomenon that Ryan had experienced once before.

It was similar to the day after I came to the Eastern Kingdom and met Ilaina.

Ilaina, who had divine power in Lian’s body, was unconscious for a while.

Since Scathach was experiencing the same phenomenon as Ilayna, there was no choice but to wait until she woke up.

“Let’s see what abilities you have gained!”

Rian meditates while sitting cross-legged.

He looked inside himself to find what was different from before.

However, this time, no changes were found in any of the Danjeon.

Just when he thought it was all in vain, Lian finally became aware of the fire dragon’s heart, which had become one with his heart.

And finally, I found a clear change.

“This is… … .”

When Rian opened his eyes again, the world he saw was completely different.

Everything, including mana and the flow of nature’s energy, was captured in his eyes.

The power of the dragon, which controls energy, and the dragon, the ruler of mana, merge into one to create a miracle.

Lian’s pupils were slit long like the eyeballs of a dragon race, and the flowers in the flower pots placed by the window withered as soon as his eyes touched them.

The status of the strongest dragon race. It was reproducing an equivalent level of pressure and putting harsh pressure on the creature.

The so-called Dragon Fears, those who did not meet the status, were all scheduled to kneel in front of Lian.

‘It seems like the connection between the fire dragon’s heart and my heart has become stronger. not bad.’

The new power he gained by mixing his body with Scathach was an auxiliary ability that allowed him to better use the power of the dragon race.

Satisfied with the result, Lian grinned and got out of bed.

‘At this point, I wonder what kind of power I will gain next.’

As I hummed and opened the door, a sight unfolded that made Ryan stop in his tracks.

Grishuras was holding Stella, whom he had parted ways with a few days ago.

In that state, he was mumbling with the top of her head in his mouth.

Stella struggled and tried to escape, but was unable to escape due to the difference in weight, so when she saw Lian come out of the room, she suddenly screamed.

“Kkieek! Owner! I’m being eaten!”

It was an extremely peaceful day.