“I’m sorry. I lost focus for a moment.”
He apologized to me as if trying to comfort me, who was almost on the verge of tears, and then carefully took my hand and looked at me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I was on the verge of death, but my master came to his senses just in time.”
“That master’s voice again.”
After muttering in embarrassment for a moment, he patted my shoulder again.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
Then he turned his gaze to the Count. The Count's expression suddenly crumpled.
“Damn it, how dare you...”
He regained his grip on his sword, unable to control his body properly due to the shock of hitting the wall. It seemed as if he was determined to see it through to the end.
But, even if it had been just a little while ago when he had lost his soul, there was no way that the half-century-old him could deal with the current Crown Prince.
Chaenggrang.
The black Crown Prince, who was holding the Count's sword tightly in his hand as he flew through the air, was kicked and sent flying far away.
The expression on the Count's face as he stared blankly at the sword lying on the floor looked exactly like mine a moment ago.
'I know that feeling.'
How vain it feels to have the only weapon that can save my life blown away by a single light blow from my opponent.
As I was clicking my tongue, I heard a loud noise outside, along with an urgent shout.
“Your Highness! Your Ladyship! Where are you!”
Sir Arthur and his men came running at the sound of the whistle. And at the forefront was Delton.
“Delton!”
I ran over to Delton and hugged him. When he was next to me, he was just an annoying insect, but now that we were apart, I could see how important Delton was to me.
Hadn't I almost been killed twice in the few hours I was away from Delton?
“I missed you, Delton.”
When I greeted him with tears in my eyes, Delton flinched.
“Wh, what is it? Why are you like this? Did you get hurt in the head? ...Wait, what’s wrong with you? Why did the transformation spell I gave you break?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
I tried to tell him in detail what had happened during the few hours I was away from him.
But soon, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut again when I heard the Crown Prince's voice.
“It is only your guess that the cause of this disaster is the goddess. In a situation where nothing is certain, your actions of betraying the state religion, deceiving children into heresy, and taking the life of an innocent Saintess are unacceptable and serious crimes.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a cold voice, his sword aimed at the Count's neck.
The Count burst into laughter at that.
“Trying to correct a wronged world is a serious crime... Of course, there is no way that the blood of the corrupt royal family would understand my cause. Think as you wish. This fight is my defeat anyway. Take me to the gallows or burn me at the stake, it is up to you...!”
"But."
The Crown Prince cut him off firmly.
“As you said, to avoid the resentment of the imperial people, you established the absurd system of abolishing tombs, which led to the deaths of your daughter, wife, and countless others. It is certainly the imperial family’s fault. You cannot say that your sins are not caused by the imperial family.”
The Count's expression became slightly bewildered at the sight of the Crown Prince meekly admitting his family's sins.
“Instead of taking your life, I want to give you a chance.”
"A chance?"
“Tell me the identity of the Ibis you serve and the names of the high-ranking officials who founded this heresy with you. If you help us completely eradicate this heresy, I will acquit you of your crimes.”
The Crown Prince's words filled the surroundings with silence for a moment.
In this empire that worships one God, establishing heresy is a grave crime that can be classified as treason.
No matter how you look at it, it was something that could not avoid the death penalty.
But what a radical proposal.
Sir Arthur and the other knights were speechless.
But the Count seemed unwilling to accept the offer.
“Haha, the son of the enemy who took the lives of my daughter, my wife, and the people of the people is talking about mercy. Could there be any more insulting?”
A sharp, blade-like spark flashed in the eyes of the Count as he glared at the Crown Prince.
But since the knights had come, he knew there was no hope for him, so the Count didn't do anything like picking up his sword and rushing at me again.
Instead, he just smiled helplessly and looked out the window.
His eyes, chasing the faint moonlight hidden by the clouds, looked terribly empty.
“I picked the wrong day. If it had been that day, I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”
“That day?”
It was at that moment that the Crown Prince frowned at his incomprehensible words.
The Count began to turn the upper part of the ring on his left index finger.
Soon, a sharp needle emerged from inside. Judging by the dark black color of the sharp tip, it seemed to be a poisonous needle.
'If you were after the Crown Prince, you wouldn't have spit so openly. Surely... '
As I froze in anticipation of the Count's next actions, the Crown Prince rushed towards him.
It seemed like he was thinking the same thing as me.
But it was already too late.
The Count plunged the sharp needle into his own neck without hesitation.
“What the hell!”
The Crown Prince hastily pulled his hand away and shouted at Sir Arthur while holding his neck to prevent the poison from spreading as much as possible.
“Go down to the village and get a doctor, quickly!”
But the Count only laughed.
“It’s no use. This is a poison bestowed by my goddess. It is a deadly poison that can kill even large beasts in an instant. My breath will end before your knight can even escape this place.”
“I said I wouldn’t hold you accountable for your sins. But why did you make this choice?”
The expression on the Crown Prince's face as he grabbed the Count's shoulder tightly and chewed on each syllable as he asked looked terribly sorrowful, but the Count only laughed bitterly.
“Ibis is my goddess, my benefactor who saved me when I was weak and about to take my own life after losing everything and gave me new meaning in life. Do you think I would betray her?”
"Ha."
The Crown Prince, who had let out a sigh of relief, stared at the Count in silence.
The Count, who had been staring at his eyes for a while, turned his head away as if he was annoyed.
“Don’t look at me with such pitiful eyes. Even though my body will be buried in the ground, my spirit will stay with Ibis. And...”
His gaze turned back to the window.
“My hell ends here, but your hell begins now.”
The Count, who had been looking out the window with blank eyes, suddenly turned his head away after a while.
So we sent the Count away in vain. Without finding out the identity of Ibis, the identities of the others involved in the heresy, or the identity of the species called the Holy Relic.
But that doesn't mean we can remain disheartened. There were still many people who had nowhere to go due to the discovery of heresy.
We quickly brought the situation under control.
First, the assassins and the civilians were separated.
Even if he was blinded by heresy, daring to draw his sword against the Crown Prince was an unforgivable sin, and if he were to free the warriors who were still brainwashed by heresy, chaos could occur in society.
We decided to set up temporary facilities and rehabilitate the orphans there for a while, then send the children back to the orphanage and the adults to the monastery for the time being.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Although it was a den of heresy, it was a safe haven for them, and they all resisted, saying they would not leave.
“No! This is our paradise! We won’t leave!”
“That’s right, I don’t want to go back to that old hell!”
Because of that, we had to sweat profusely trying to coax and appease them.
“The place you will return to will be different from where you were before. You will be provided with normal meals and care. The royal family and the temple staff will guard the place so that no one can abuse you. So everyone, rest assured.”
However, those who had refused to go were forced to follow our advice only after we told them that the director of the orphanage would be replaced and that the adults would be offered jobs at the monastery.
After wrapping up the work like that, we decided to take Marca with us.
There was a possibility that the remnants might still be targeting Marca's safety, and since Marca's older brother was in the temple, I thought it would be right to protect him there.
After finishing all that work, it was not until the next day that we boarded the carriage heading to the capital.
Yeah, it did go up, but..
He apologized to me as if trying to comfort me, who was almost on the verge of tears, and then carefully took my hand and looked at me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I was on the verge of death, but my master came to his senses just in time.”
“That master’s voice again.”
After muttering in embarrassment for a moment, he patted my shoulder again.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
Then he turned his gaze to the Count. The Count's expression suddenly crumpled.
“Damn it, how dare you...”
He regained his grip on his sword, unable to control his body properly due to the shock of hitting the wall. It seemed as if he was determined to see it through to the end.
But, even if it had been just a little while ago when he had lost his soul, there was no way that the half-century-old him could deal with the current Crown Prince.
Chaenggrang.
The black Crown Prince, who was holding the Count's sword tightly in his hand as he flew through the air, was kicked and sent flying far away.
The expression on the Count's face as he stared blankly at the sword lying on the floor looked exactly like mine a moment ago.
'I know that feeling.'
How vain it feels to have the only weapon that can save my life blown away by a single light blow from my opponent.
As I was clicking my tongue, I heard a loud noise outside, along with an urgent shout.
“Your Highness! Your Ladyship! Where are you!”
Sir Arthur and his men came running at the sound of the whistle. And at the forefront was Delton.
“Delton!”
I ran over to Delton and hugged him. When he was next to me, he was just an annoying insect, but now that we were apart, I could see how important Delton was to me.
Hadn't I almost been killed twice in the few hours I was away from Delton?
“I missed you, Delton.”
When I greeted him with tears in my eyes, Delton flinched.
“Wh, what is it? Why are you like this? Did you get hurt in the head? ...Wait, what’s wrong with you? Why did the transformation spell I gave you break?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
I tried to tell him in detail what had happened during the few hours I was away from him.
But soon, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut again when I heard the Crown Prince's voice.
“It is only your guess that the cause of this disaster is the goddess. In a situation where nothing is certain, your actions of betraying the state religion, deceiving children into heresy, and taking the life of an innocent Saintess are unacceptable and serious crimes.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a cold voice, his sword aimed at the Count's neck.
The Count burst into laughter at that.
“Trying to correct a wronged world is a serious crime... Of course, there is no way that the blood of the corrupt royal family would understand my cause. Think as you wish. This fight is my defeat anyway. Take me to the gallows or burn me at the stake, it is up to you...!”
"But."
The Crown Prince cut him off firmly.
“As you said, to avoid the resentment of the imperial people, you established the absurd system of abolishing tombs, which led to the deaths of your daughter, wife, and countless others. It is certainly the imperial family’s fault. You cannot say that your sins are not caused by the imperial family.”
The Count's expression became slightly bewildered at the sight of the Crown Prince meekly admitting his family's sins.
“Instead of taking your life, I want to give you a chance.”
"A chance?"
“Tell me the identity of the Ibis you serve and the names of the high-ranking officials who founded this heresy with you. If you help us completely eradicate this heresy, I will acquit you of your crimes.”
The Crown Prince's words filled the surroundings with silence for a moment.
In this empire that worships one God, establishing heresy is a grave crime that can be classified as treason.
No matter how you look at it, it was something that could not avoid the death penalty.
But what a radical proposal.
Sir Arthur and the other knights were speechless.
But the Count seemed unwilling to accept the offer.
“Haha, the son of the enemy who took the lives of my daughter, my wife, and the people of the people is talking about mercy. Could there be any more insulting?”
A sharp, blade-like spark flashed in the eyes of the Count as he glared at the Crown Prince.
But since the knights had come, he knew there was no hope for him, so the Count didn't do anything like picking up his sword and rushing at me again.
Instead, he just smiled helplessly and looked out the window.
His eyes, chasing the faint moonlight hidden by the clouds, looked terribly empty.
“I picked the wrong day. If it had been that day, I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”
“That day?”
It was at that moment that the Crown Prince frowned at his incomprehensible words.
The Count began to turn the upper part of the ring on his left index finger.
Soon, a sharp needle emerged from inside. Judging by the dark black color of the sharp tip, it seemed to be a poisonous needle.
'If you were after the Crown Prince, you wouldn't have spit so openly. Surely... '
As I froze in anticipation of the Count's next actions, the Crown Prince rushed towards him.
It seemed like he was thinking the same thing as me.
But it was already too late.
The Count plunged the sharp needle into his own neck without hesitation.
“What the hell!”
The Crown Prince hastily pulled his hand away and shouted at Sir Arthur while holding his neck to prevent the poison from spreading as much as possible.
“Go down to the village and get a doctor, quickly!”
But the Count only laughed.
“It’s no use. This is a poison bestowed by my goddess. It is a deadly poison that can kill even large beasts in an instant. My breath will end before your knight can even escape this place.”
“I said I wouldn’t hold you accountable for your sins. But why did you make this choice?”
The expression on the Crown Prince's face as he grabbed the Count's shoulder tightly and chewed on each syllable as he asked looked terribly sorrowful, but the Count only laughed bitterly.
“Ibis is my goddess, my benefactor who saved me when I was weak and about to take my own life after losing everything and gave me new meaning in life. Do you think I would betray her?”
"Ha."
The Crown Prince, who had let out a sigh of relief, stared at the Count in silence.
The Count, who had been staring at his eyes for a while, turned his head away as if he was annoyed.
“Don’t look at me with such pitiful eyes. Even though my body will be buried in the ground, my spirit will stay with Ibis. And...”
His gaze turned back to the window.
“My hell ends here, but your hell begins now.”
The Count, who had been looking out the window with blank eyes, suddenly turned his head away after a while.
***
So we sent the Count away in vain. Without finding out the identity of Ibis, the identities of the others involved in the heresy, or the identity of the species called the Holy Relic.
But that doesn't mean we can remain disheartened. There were still many people who had nowhere to go due to the discovery of heresy.
We quickly brought the situation under control.
First, the assassins and the civilians were separated.
Even if he was blinded by heresy, daring to draw his sword against the Crown Prince was an unforgivable sin, and if he were to free the warriors who were still brainwashed by heresy, chaos could occur in society.
We decided to set up temporary facilities and rehabilitate the orphans there for a while, then send the children back to the orphanage and the adults to the monastery for the time being.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Although it was a den of heresy, it was a safe haven for them, and they all resisted, saying they would not leave.
“No! This is our paradise! We won’t leave!”
“That’s right, I don’t want to go back to that old hell!”
Because of that, we had to sweat profusely trying to coax and appease them.
“The place you will return to will be different from where you were before. You will be provided with normal meals and care. The royal family and the temple staff will guard the place so that no one can abuse you. So everyone, rest assured.”
However, those who had refused to go were forced to follow our advice only after we told them that the director of the orphanage would be replaced and that the adults would be offered jobs at the monastery.
After wrapping up the work like that, we decided to take Marca with us.
There was a possibility that the remnants might still be targeting Marca's safety, and since Marca's older brother was in the temple, I thought it would be right to protect him there.
After finishing all that work, it was not until the next day that we boarded the carriage heading to the capital.
Yeah, it did go up, but..
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