episode_0241

“Ghk, Gheuk….”

After a one-on-one clash between Edan and McHeart, the pained voice of one of the men echoed in Edan’s ears.

Of course, it wasn’t Edan’s voice. In the aftermath of the brief but intense battle, Edan was the only one left standing on the ground.

“….”

Edan had his foot on McHeart’s chest, pressing a sword against his throat. Approaching closer to confirm the outcome of the battle, it was clear that Edan emerged victorious in the final showdown.

“Ghk, Aaaaargh…!!”

McHeart, lying on the ground, was not only groaning in pain but also had both arms severed from the elbows and shoulders, writhing on the ground. Despite Edan’s request not to kill him outright, he had indeed left him barely alive.

With that level of bleeding, he wouldn’t die immediately, and leaving him alive for a potential counterattack was riskier than ensuring his defeat.

“You must atone for your crimes against Lillis with death, McHeart Paris Valtoia.”

“W-wait…! P-please calm down! Think carefully before you regret it!”

“What choice is there to regret more than not killing you here? Among all the people I’ve encountered, you, who have threatened and tormented Lillis the longest, do I have any reason not to kill you?”

“I-if you kill me like this, what will you gain?! If I die, you’ll be trapped in this world forever too, right? If you want to be stuck in this world with that woman for eternity, go ahead!”

“….”

“You’re lying, Edan. This world is a fake world created by that man’s unique magic. When the sorcerer dies, the world naturally dissolves.”

“…I see, Lillis. Thank you for telling me.”

…Edan seemed oddly pleased after hearing McHeart’s words, but surely he didn’t actually want to spend his life in this world.

Edan’s sword pressed a bit harder against McHeart’s throat, and the sharp blade slightly cut into his skin.

– Swish.

“H-hi, Hieeek…!!”

“And even if what you said was not a lie, my decision would not change. Anyway, there is no way for you to live, so accept your death peacefully.”

“W-wait…! D-don’t you know that the punishment for the crime of regicide is the threefold death penalty?! E-even if you’re the illegitimate son of the Blackwood Duke, you can’t kill me and get away with it….”

“Even with the blood closer to demons than humans in your veins, what are you talking about? I wonder if you’ll still be able to say the same thing after your demon heritage is revealed to everyone.”

“H-how can I prove that I’m a demon?! Do you think I’ll confess to being a demon before I die?!”

“….”

“Let me make one thing clear. If I die, you, your father, and that woman next to you will all be executed for regicide. If you want to become companions in death and wander the underworld together, go ahead and kill me! Ahahaha…!!”

Whether he was driven by fear of death or genuinely believed his life still held value, McHeart laughed confidently, facing the terror of death.

Edan simply looked down at McHeart with a pitiful expression, knowing that proving McHeart’s demon heritage, which had not fully manifested, would have been impossible.

“Fine! The moment you slit my throat, you will become a puppet of the Hwang Clan without a chance to resist! I will die as a member of the Hwang Clan until the very end!”

“No, you will die as a member of the Ma Clan. Associating yourself with the Ma Clan will bring shame to the Hwang Clan, erasing your existence from records and every aspect.”

“How can you be so sure? Are you really going to trust the hero? Just because that guy goes around calling me a Ma Clan member, does that mean everyone will acknowledge me as one?!”

“Are you an idiot? What’s the point of going around shouting something even an elementary school student wouldn’t believe?”

“…Elementary school student? Sounds like a monster name. Lillis…?”

“….”

Ignoring whether an elementary school student is a type of monster or not, I firmly explained the situation to MacHart, who was looking at me with a confident expression.

“You have the power of the Holy Maiden, why use such a weak method? Just by using the Mirror of Truth, everyone would already know that half of your body is filled with Ma Clan blood.”

“The power of the Holy Maiden?”

“Yes, the power of the Holy Maiden.”

“Haha, hahaha…! Ahahaha…!!”

…This guy finally lost it.

After listening to my words, MacHart, who tried to grab his head… no, tried to grab it but only managed to twitch his remaining elbow, burst into a forced laughter with all his remaining strength.

“Ah, hahaha…! Yes, that’s the reason…! The reason why you guys could be so confident!”

“….”

“….”

“Even if you put on a ridiculous mask, was it because of this that you brought that woman to this noble gathering! Ahahaha…!! Cough, cough…!”

MacHart, who shouted his last words, smiled with a sly grin, and I had a vague feeling that he knew why he was reacting like that.

Perhaps because of his noble appearance, MacHart seemed to know even at this point. That Cerista did not receive the power of the Holy Maiden.

“Yes…. It will be as you say…. If there is the power of the Holy Maiden, the evidence that I used the power of the Ma Clan will be revealed….”

“….”

“….”

“The woman you brought, it’s a story from when she was a real Holy Maiden!”

As MacHart shouted his last words, the black-and-white movie-like gray background that enveloped me and Edan was lifted, revealing the dazzling lights of the Star Palace backyard once again.

The colorful lights pouring out from inside the Star Palace, the faint sound of music that seemed to echo from the banquet hall to here.

…And, the many participants and guards of the Star Palace who had gathered without me realizing it.

“Aaah!! P-Prince MacHart!!”

Starting with the scream of a young woman in a red dress, one word each popped out of the mouths of the people gathered in the backyard.

“W-What are you doing to Prince MacHart!! P-Please put down that sword right now!!”

“U-Unbelievable…. T-There are already wounds….”

“How can you be so cruel…. To Prince MacHart, in that way….”

…I clearly signaled to ‘gather in the backyard without attracting the attention of others.’

I suddenly wondered if I had sent the wrong signal, but fortunately, it seemed that this many people did not gather for that reason.

Amidst the crowd and chaos, the brown-haired young woman with a calm smile, ‘Hapless woman Evelyn,’ came into my sight.

“Damn, is that woman causing trouble again.”

Perhaps sensing that MacHart’s trap was not going well, she must have gathered this many people to save him in the backyard. Or maybe there is some kind of communication method that can be used between MacHart, who uses the power of the Ma Clan, and that woman.

Anyway, it was unexpected for a group of people who had not agreed in advance to gather like this. Especially, the public opinion that was formed by showing only these fragmented situations was disadvantageous to Edan in many ways.

The current situation would make anyone think that Edan was on the brink of killing MacHart in a heated argument, rather than a knight drawing his sword to eliminate MacHart, who was using the power of the demons.

“The public opinion is too unfavorable. Can it be temporarily subdued?”

Even if showing evidence that MacHart was a demon would lead to all kinds of criticism, the problem was that in this situation, it was not easy to show evidence that he was a demon.

People tended to see only what they wanted to see. In a situation where everyone could see that Edan was the perpetrator and MacHart was the victim, using the mirror of truth was not convincing. To the extent that there were even humans who would block their own eyes and ears, saying that even if evidence was shown that MacHart was a demon, they would not believe it.

At the very least, if attention could be focused on the process of MacHart turning into a demon, it might be possible, but in this situation, there was no way Edan would seriously listen to the words of a junior noble like Viscount Jun.

“Step away from the prince, Sir Edan!”

“Sir Edan! If you do not sheathe that sword, even if you are the illegitimate son of the Blackwood family, you will be held responsible for the crime of regicide….”

“Prince, please come to your senses! Prince….”

“Everyone, be quiet…!!!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

In the backyard, where noble youths, guards of the palace, and various other servants gathered and spat out their own words like a marketplace, someone’s thunderous voice echoed.

With everyone’s attention focused, a sharp voice that lacked nothing in piercing power, and someone with a captivating appearance that lacked nothing in capturing everyone’s gaze, quietly moved forward in the crowd.

-Step, step.

The noisy backyard, which could not be interrupted by anyone due to the veins of authority running through her, quieted down in an instant with the appearance of the woman. …I was the same.

I hadn’t even imagined that she would reveal herself at this noble social gathering.

Captivating everyone’s gaze, Seraphine appeared with her long blonde hair fluttering, moving towards the center of the palace backyard, and with her sudden appearance, the atmosphere changed abruptly, and a vague impression passed through my mind.

“Why is she coming out there?”