Chapter 253

Chapter 253: The Death of a Family Member

“I already know that your intelligence network is your greatest asset, and as someone who knows that well, I am aware that it is terribly rude to ask this, but…”
Ferda is a mage.
Because of that, he possessed an inherent nature that prevented him from feeling satisfied unless he interpreted any unfamiliar world he encountered.
“Can you tell me how you resolved it as well?”
“It was simple.”
Garnet explained the method of resolution.
“The Destroyer General said she wouldn’t marry a man weaker than herself, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Because of that, she hasn’t had a proper romantic relationship with a man in 32 years. She was an iron wall, but inside she is no different from a maiden, just as someone said.”
Mmm…
A Sword Master with the spirit of a maiden.
The skin on my back crawls.
“So I introduced her to a promising young noble I recently had my eye on.”
“What kind of noble?”
“There is a promising future swordsman who, despite being of marriageable age, hasn’t married and left for chivalric training; a complete idiot. And…”
“And?”
“He is handsome.”
She said it as if that were the most important thing.
“Of course not as much as that Swallow guy, but there is a decent-looking boy. Young and innocent, and above all, I told her he admires the Destroyer General.”
“…And?”
“As you know, our Black Bandana was an information-based business, so if you go into details, we do all sorts of things. And among them are matchmaking and designing fate.”
Oh…
“That idiot fell head over heels for the Destroyer General and said he would help court her, so she hugged me while holding back tears.”
The greatest enemy of humanity is loneliness, after all.
Even if you reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, if you are alone, you rot from the inside out.
Garnet managed to move the Sword Master’s heart by utilizing that aspect.
“As expected of a Merchant Guild Master…”
“Satisfying the customer’s needs is a basic virtue.”
Admiration arose at her calm negotiation.
“Since the situation is resolved, you may enter now. Once again, I apologize for causing you concern because of ‘that idiot’.”
“Good work.”
Ferda returned to the castle just like that.
Garnet, who finished her polite greeting, looked toward Jed.
Jed was leaning against the castle wall, silently looking at the place where the Destroyer General had departed.
Ha.
What came out of his mouth was a hollow sigh.
Garnet asked him with an astonished expression.
“What? You look like someone who was rescued from the water but lost his bundle?”
“No. I just feel a bit of resentment.”
“What?”
“I did my best to give her the best night, but she throws me away like old shoes for some young punk… I just can’t accept…”
…
“Right. I must be crazy. Talking like this to the person who saved my life, hahaha!”
…
“How should this humble one repay such grace…”
“Just die right now, you piece-of-trash bastard.”
Garnet pushed Jed’s chest and walked away.
An expression of disgust with eyes sharper than usual.
From his usual behavior, he himself acknowledged that he was the kind of man who would make anyone lose affection, but he couldn’t understand Garnet’s actions.
“Mmm?”
At that moment, Jed noticed that something had fallen at his feet.
It was an earring.
Wondering where he had seen it, it was identical to the one Garnet wore on her ear.
Mmm…
There is no way a securely fastened earring would suddenly fall off.
Garnet was not the type to go around dropping things.
Jed understood the meaning instantly and chuckled.
“You’re just not honest, after all.”
He carefully put that earring into his pocket.
He planned to visit Garnet’s quarters tonight and return it to her.

Althea Holy Kingdom Cathedral in the Arken Empire.
Late at night, Olivia sat before the altar where the body lay.
Olivia’s attire was not the sensual dress she usually wore, but the habit of a member of the Althean Order.
“Greetings to the Princess of the Great Empire, devotee of the God of Light, Olivia Arken.”
An elderly abbess approached and said that.
“I have come to inform you that the funeral schedule has been established.”
…
“After the Second Prince’s funeral at the Imperial Palace Cathedral, it will proceed immediately here in the Cathedral.”
…
Olivia did not respond at all.
The abbess, who had bowed her head, raised it reluctantly.
Upon seeing Olivia’s face, her breath caught.
«Truly a beauty bestowed by God…»
Olivia was dressed appropriately as a nun.
Her hair covered by a veil, the silhouette of her body hidden by a habit slightly larger than her figure, blocking anything that could incite desire.
Whether her body was not visible, or her hair was not visible, that was not important.
If one faced her distinctive features, it was enough to stimulate deeply hidden instincts.
Even an elderly abbess thought so, so what could be said of other clerics?
Especially Olivia in this atmosphere was even more fatal.
Not losing her smile before the public was a basic rule for Olivia, and she had never been seen influenced by mood.
At this moment, Olivia was not smiling.
Her face with clear traces of tears would look like that of a pitiful maiden, stirring the hearts of men, and they would fall hopelessly before her.
The light dimly reflected by the candles seemed to embrace a halo, making her feel even more noble.
The abbess felt it instinctively.
Olivia would, without a doubt, become a Saint.
“I know the current situation is very difficult for you.”
“…Yes?”
“Your face is full of worry, so I overstepped.”
“Ah.”
“Even if they are blood relatives who bicker, when death actually arrives, the mind goes blank. Isn’t that what the death of a family member is?”
“…Thank you.”
She answered briefly.
No matter how she looked at it, this was not a situation to be around someone, so the abbess bowed carefully and left.
Olivia thought about the abbess’s words.
«I thought there would be debate, but was it useless after all?»
Ureas and Count Rooster.
Between the two, preference fell upon Count Rooster.
He probably only pretended to fight for the Second Prince.
Two legitimate heirs, one died.
At the time of Ureas’s death, there were rumors that he had taken the form of a demon.
The instigators of the baseless rumors were punished immediately, but the wingless words had already spread far and wide.
No one was on the Second Prince’s side.
The living had to join either Alexander or Valdemar at this moment.
«I as an option do not exist in the end.»
Olivia looked silently into the coffin.
That face was unmistakably similar to Ureas’s, but it was not Ureas.
It was a fake corpse of Ureas, made by undertakers who gathered and carved an unclaimed body.
The resemblance was so perfect that, even knowing it was a stranger, Olivia could pour emotion into it.
“Useless…….”
It was then.
Since the interior of the cathedral was quiet, outside sounds entered easily and reached Olivia’s ears.
“The Princess is inside right now.”
“I am trying to see my sister, what is the problem?”
“She needs time alone while immersed in her grief. Please respect that, Crown Prince.”
Hearing that voice, Olivia silently rang the bell.
The maid outside opened the door, and Olivia ordered.
“Tell him to enter.”
Alexander entered.
Olivia’s eyes turned toward Alexander.
Alexander’s body shuddered and trembled.
That bewitching face was a new stimulus for Alexander.
“What brings you here?”
“Kuh, khem……. I came to tell you what is to come.”
Alexander approached Olivia’s side, feigning nonchalance.
His face looked at Ureas’s and spoke.
“I plan to deliver a speech at Ureas’s funeral.”
“…….”
“Archduke Golt’s side seems determined to use the anger toward the demons over this incident. It is a crisis where the Arken bloodline can function.”
“And?”
“I would like you to be there with me.”
“What can I do there?”
“There’s no need to hide anymore. You have an innate ability, don’t you? The ability to attract people.”
“What do I gain from that?”
“Isn’t it that you can remain part of the Emperor’s bloodline?”
True.
Valdemar was flushed red from trying so hard to obtain Olivia.
Alexander said he would cooperate, but reality would not be pleasant.
If Olivia was obtained while Valdemar’s position surpassed Alexander’s, the reason why the Crown Prince should succeed disappeared.
If gains and losses are not thorough, you are discarded; that was imperial politics.
Not even what Valdemar swore on his name could be trusted.
“Olivia, you and I know that we haven’t gotten along for a long time.”
Alexander sat down next to Olivia.
His breath dirtied Olivia’s ears.
“But at a time like this, immersed in grief, shouldn’t the family join forces? Put our heads together and find a way out of the crisis.”
Olivia cast her gaze at Alexander.
Suddenly, she smiled brilliantly.
Alexander instinctively felt a murderous intent.
Olivia’s hand moved swiftly, aiming at Alexander.
“Aack!”
Pain in the ear.
When he brought his hand there, a warm liquid flowed from his ear.
Olivia’s hand held a dagger.
She had hidden a dagger under the chair.
“My, my.”
Olivia laughed as if it were ridiculous.
“I tried to gouge out that eyeball, what a pity.”
“Olivia!”
Alexander shouted with adrenaline surging.
“Y-You, how dare you……!”
“You what? Can’t the words come out? You pig bastard?”
Olivia’s expression was cynical.
She took a step forward, swinging the bloody dagger with ease and a mocking smile.
Alexander stepped back by reflex.
Olivia truly intended to kill him.
“Put our heads together as a family?”
Olivia’s blue eyes glared at Ureas.
“Do you want to put something else together?”
Even in this situation, with blood gushing from his ear, lust tinted his face.
“Disgusting bastard.”
Cynical words poured from lips holding a malicious smile.
Olivia pointed the dagger at Alexander.
“Why don’t you get lost right now? Do you want another knife?”
“Do you think you’ll be safe after this?!”
“Why? Who will you tell? Who? That old man?”
It was an act committed in anger, but it was not devoid of reflection.
“Go ahead, tell someone. Say that your sister is possessed by an evil spirit, or a demon, whatever. That old man who covets my body would love that, wouldn’t he?”
“Cunning bitch……!”
“Get lost while I give you a chance. If you are seething with so much rage, go to the Crown Princess right now and consummate the marriage. This Crown Princess needs to live a long time, doesn’t she?”
Alexander couldn’t say anything in the end; he clutched his ear and retreated.
The door slammed shut with a crash, and the outside instantly became chaotic.
Alexander shouted to find a priest and left.
Amidst the chaos, the abbess cautiously approached.
“Princess? Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“…….”
Olivia did not answer.
At Olivia’s feet lay a bloody dagger.
“I will clean this.”
“It’s fine. Leave it.”
“Understood. Then…….”
The abbess withdrew with concern, and Olivia was left alone again.
‘I did it.’
Yet there was no emotion.
It was merely the feeling of swatting a mosquito that had flown in by chance.
He will make a fuss, but it’s like washing one’s hands and being done with it.
She had felt the impulse to kill Alexander many times, but harming him directly was only the second time.
The first was during her immature childhood, when he came to her quarters to assault her.
And this was the second.
‘I should have killed him back then.’
“This won’t do…….”
Restraint had vanished, and impulses kept dragging her down.
It will get worse from now on.
Because the God harbored within her chest would continue to grow as she grew.
If she becomes a Saint, she will grasp the immense power of the Althean Order.
Olivia thought.
If everything ends, the Empire will collapse, and the Arken name will remain engraved in history but lose its form.
Standing at that conclusion, what would she do?
Accept everything and embrace ruin?
Or hope for salvation while repulsively rationalizing her actions?
It is painful.
The fact that she found herself on the edge of the cliff, inside a doomed fate, cornered her.
Suddenly, a man’s voice was heard.
“If you are prepared to discard everything once it is over, I will gladly help you.”
Ferda’s words echoed in her ears.
Her heart, impossibly heavy, became surprisingly comfortable.
Olivia silently clasped her hands and prayed.
“Ferda-nim.”
From the mouth that should utter the name of God, only the name of a man was repeated.