TPIHMLD - Chapter 75 < Witch Hunt >


"Your Majesty."

Seliya straightened her back and lifted her chin up.

“Your Majesty will have nothing of my own.”

Seliya continued her words, squeezing Illeon's hand that touched her cheek.

“My life and my death are completely mine.”

“...”

“Please, don’t covet what you can’t have.”

After saying that, Seliya shook off Illeon's hand and smiled softly.

Big green eyes folded into beautiful eyes, and the tips of red lips drew an arc.

Illeon could not dare to hit Seliya, who had thrown away his hand.

He couldn't take his eyes off Seliya, who was smiling brightly.

It wasn't just that Seliya's appearance was overly beautiful. Her unbreakable heart, the grace that oozes from her entire body, and the fierce and intense gaze that stares at him.

She touched something inside Illeon.

“...Do you hate me?”

Illeon said, grabbing Seliya’s shoulder roughly.

“...Do you hate me so much for destroying your kingdom?”

The veins stood out in Illeon's hand as he grabbed Seliya's shoulder.

Despite his strong hands, Seliya just smiled quietly instead of distorting her face.

“So you burned down the Great Hall? You hated me for taking everything from you, so you wanted to take something precious from me?”

Even in the midst of all this, Seliya had lips as red as pomegranates, which felt luscious.

He bit his lower lip with his teeth to suppress his urge.

Illeon's eyes, staring at Seliya, sparkled with desire.

“Princess. With that beautiful appearance, did she survive by selling her body?”

Seliya laughed quietly as she looked at Illeon, who did not know that she had a special ability.

"Well."

“...”

“I might have sold everything I could, or I might not have sold anything.”

Illeon's neck twitched as he looked at Seliya. Hia mouth became dry and a burning thirst arose.

“If you’ve finished what you want to say, I’d like to leave.”

"I am... You..."

Illeon tightened his grip on Seliya's shoulder.

“I can’t send you back.”

“...”

“As soon as you leave this space, I will take the life of your lover in prison and hang his head on the castle wall for many to see.”

Illeon's walls took on a dull glow.

“What little flesh is left will be pecked away by hungry eagles, and your lover’s soul will wander forever, nowhere to go.”

Seliya stopped laughing and looked up at Illeon in front of her with a dry face.

Illeon felt as if Seliya was looking down at him from above.

Yet, far from being unpleasant, it was strange that a shiver ran through his body.

“Now, what are you going to do now?”
 
***

The huge Great Temple located in the capital was engulfed in flames.

The bright red flames burned fiercely, scattering embers.

The flames engulfed everything, including the polished statues of Gods, the windows decorated with colorful tapestries, the dust-free prayer room, the secret basement where executioners were raised, and even the altar where ceremonies were performed.

People were shocked and tried to extinguish the fire, but the fierce flames reduced the majestic Great Hall to ashes in an instant.

In the ruins of the main temple, not even a piece of a charred body remained.

In fact, the culprit who burned down the main shrine has not been caught until several days later.

“You have incurred God’s wrath!”

The people on the streets, who had no one to rely on, were trembling with fear.

People locked their doors for several days and did not go out on the streets at night.

It was noon when the sun should be shining brightly, but gloomy dark clouds hung like a curtain in the sky.

Beyond the high castle walls, a sharp golden spire was visible.

A capital street with a view of the Imperial Palace.

People, both men and women, were crowded around the large, leafy tree.

“Brillion’s angel must be a witch! It is because of that witch that His Excellency the Duke of Calypso has put in prison!”

In front of the beautiful tree, a young man dressed in white silk shouted fiercely.

“The fact that the Great Temple burned down is proof of that! The woman we called an angel was actually a witch who bewitched men and dragged them to hell! So, all the men who lusted after that woman met a terrible end!”

Everyone murmured loudly at the man's claim.

“Well, since that woman entered the imperial palace, a series of strange things have happened.”

“...Could she really be a witch?”

“It’s strange that the Great Temple burned down, and the fact that His Excellency Duke Calypso was imprisoned may have all been a witch’s trick.”

The best way to get rid of the fears was to blame them on someone else.

To people who were anxious and afraid, Seliya was a kind of scapegoat.

“His Majesty the late Emperor and the Crown Prince both coveted that beautiful witch and met tragic ends. The reason the Great Temple burned down was because God was sending a warning to all of us! Bring that witch out of the imperial palace and kill her!”

People nodded their heads as if they empathized strongly with the sound of the man shouting while flapping his pure white silk clothes.

"That's right. After she entered the imperial palace, it wasn’t long before all the royal family members died.”

“I heard she has a face that somehow mesmerizes people.”

“Could she have used some kind of black magic? In fact, that beautiful face is a mask, the appearance of an ugly old woman.”

People talked about their imaginations as if they were real.

“Your Majesty, the Great Emperor, will give that witch to us. She will deliver into our hands the witch who is disturbing Abelon.”

People agreed with what the man said, saying it was right.

There was a man behind the bushes who was watching all this in silence.

The bright yellow pupils of the man covered in black robes flashed sharply like snakes.

For a moment, the man disappeared into the imperial palace, slithering like a snake.

***

A dark dungeon of the imperial palace where not a single ray of light enters.

Torches hanging on the wall at regular intervals flickered precariously.

The poorly ventilated prison smelt both rotten and moldy.

The knight who came to distribute the meals rolled his face at the terrible stench emanating from the prisoners who had been forced into cages that were no different from animal cages.

That too for a while.

The knight walked to distribute meals to the prisoners located at the very back of the prison.

Jump and jump.

How far did he go?

As the knight arrived at the very back of the prison, in front of the huge iron bars, the criminal's appearance was revealed.

A torch hanging on one side of the wall clearly illuminated the criminal.

He was as solid as a rock.

Every time he breathed, his well-structured muscles swelled and closed repeatedly.

Even with heavy restraints on his arms and legs, the criminal never lost his breath.

Even though he was imprisoned, the criminal looked so calm.

A criminal can escape from prison at any time, but he was a knight who thought that perhaps he was in fact imprisoned of his own free will.

The knight opened his mouth blankly, forgetting to distribute his meal.

Besides his body, the sinner's face was also perfect.

From his smooth nose to his sharp jawline, there was nothing about him that was not perfect.
 
The knight was filled with pure admiration and awe.

Although it was a face he had seen for a long time, rather than fading, his awe only grew deeper.

“Your Excellency Duke Calypso.”

Even though he was no longer a Duke, the knight called him that.

Dietrich's eyes fell silently on the knight, who was wearing restraints on his limbs.

The knight swallowed his saliva without realizing it, looking at his calm red eyes without a trace of emotion.

“...It’s a meal.”

Dalgak.

The knight placed the meal containing the watery soup on the floor.

“What’s the situation outside?”

Dietrich said without even looking at the food.

The knight answered this.

“People are trying to go on a witch hunt. It's a witch hunt in name but in reality...”

The knight could not bear to continue his conversation.

“Tell me.”

At Dietrich's urging, the knight's mouth opened again.

“This is something that a few wealthy people planned to monopolize Madame.”

“...”

“And His Majesty the Emperor...Bring the Madam aside....”

Dietrich's eyes sank coldly.

“Are you two together now?”

"Yes, it is. His Majesty the Emperor threatened Madam that he would kill His Excellency the Duke if she did not stay with him. So now they are together in the Emperor’s room.”

Dietrich slowly closed and opened his eyes.

“Anderson.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“You had a hard time dealing with the imperial palace ministers on my behalf.”

Anderson bowed his head deeply at Dietrich's words.

“...No. It was the right thing to do.”

“I guess this is enough for me to be locked up in jail.”

“I will release the restraints right away.”

However, Dietrich did not need Anderson's help.

Dietrich released the heavy restraints on his limbs by simply stretching his entire body.

Crash.

Anderson opened his mouth in surprise.

He didn't know there was someone who could unlock those heavy restraints without a key.

In fact, Dietrich twisted his wrist and spoke casually.

"Let's go."


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