It's been three weeks since the charity department was surrounded.
With the only charity department that was still intact coming to a halt, cracks began to appear in the operation of the empire.
What hastened the paralysis that started in the capital was the new barbarian raid.
Those who were said to have been savage barbarians raided the capital.
A huge number of imperial citizens were sacrificed every day, and rumors spread that the one behind them was the imperial hero and Grand Duke Leopold.
To take over the throne.
That was treason and an unforgivable crime of great treason.
When the knights first began protecting the imperial citizens from the beasts' raids, there were those who believed that the Grand Duke had committed treason.
However, this was the capital, not a province of the empire.
The imperial citizens began to suspect the beasts who had easily invaded the capital.
Furthermore, from their perspective, it didn't matter who committed the treason.
The Emperor was neglecting the imperial citizens.
The beasts' attack was repelled, but no one reached out to deal with the damaged areas and the dead bodies.
The people's hearts were no longer following the Emperor.
Furthermore, with the charity department paralyzed, most of the arrows turned toward the Emperor.
In the capital, resistance continued to demand the release of the Grand Duke and his wife. The number of awakened people who began to realize that their enemy was the Emperor was increasing. It was the opposite effect.
This was not limited to the commoners.
The Emperor's audience room.
The ministers who were standing in line facing each other with the red carpet as the starting point looked at each other.
It was supposed to be full of ministers, but there were empty seats here and there in the line.
Neither those standing in line nor the occupants of the empty seats believed the story that the Grand Duke had committed a rebellion.
The fact that the Grand Duke had already entered a period of liberation during the attack had already spread.
However, the important thing was that the Emperor wanted to make the fake rebellion into reality.
The ministers moved their gazes.
At the end of the red carpet.
The Emperor was sitting on the throne on the high steps.
With sunken cheeks and creepy eyes.
He occupied the throne like a statue.
The only thing that gave him life was his grotesquely red eyes.
There was not a single trace of his past glory and beauty in the Emperor.
The master of the empire was becoming a ruin.
Along with the scars on the Emperor’s wrists.
The skin above where the deposed Empress’s name was engraved was covered in scars.
The only time he moved was when he groped the deposed Empress’s name.
A red line was drawn under the mangled skin.
It was fresh blood flowing down his wrists.
In silence, one minister, who could no longer endure the situation, spoke.
“...Your Majesty, I believe you should focus on restoring the capital.”
All the ministers tensed at that earnest advice.
In fact, the empty seats were not only occupied by those who did not attend the audience.
Those who had died.
Those who spoke the truth were stabbed to death by the Emperor’s blind sword.
In fact, the ministers had some confidence in front of the Emperor who had gone mad.
They were high-ranking officials, heirs of a deep-rooted family.
They had a firm pride in being different from commoners, court ladies, and mere lower-class nobles.
However, that sense of being chosen was quickly shattered.
The lineage of the ministers, everything they had built up, was useless in front of the Emperor.
The Emperor did not respond to the minister’s plea.
Then, in the silence that followed, the minister who had opened his mouth realized his foolishness once again.
‘I can’t believe I’m only realizing this now.’
The Emperor did not consider any living beings equal except himself.
He was a natural dictator, and everything under him was merely a chess piece for his needs.
The audience room was silent.
It seemed as if he had gone beyond madness and become a stone statue, but the ministers knew that this was a symptom of a seizure.
The ministers grabbed the collar of the person who had spoken and lowered their voices so that only he could hear.
“Let’s step aside.”
“Hurry up.”
They had to leave before the Emperor’s madness set in.
His sword was no longer selective in its target.
Neither those who speak nor those who do not speak will escape death.
The Emperor has been unable to sleep for a long time.
It was partly because of the Emperor’s long-standing insomnia, but also because there was no one to whom he could imprint to resolve it.
And the current name’s target was the Star of Ishtar, whom the Emperor had personally dethroned.
The only being who could heal the Emperor.
However, the former Empress was falsely accused of treason and was in semi-detention.
In the end, unable to resist the other ministers’ persuasion, they agreed to leave.
“...Let’s go.”
The ministers left the audience room silently.
Instead of bowing their heads, they exchanged glances secretly.
‘The Emperor is not fulfilling his role as the master of the Empire.’
The key to turning him back was the dethroned Empress.
However, if the Star of Ishtar could not be turned back into the Empress, the only other method was...
Everyone knew the answer, but they did not put it into words.
Just saying it would constitute treason.
The moment the ministers left, the Emperor’s seizure began in the empty space.
“Ugh, ugh...”
Demios, who was writhing in agony, fell from the throne.
He fell down the stairs and convulsed under the red carpet.
He wanted to kill the living.
But now, even seeing blood did not stop his convulsions.
On the contrary, they only became more abominable.
There was no trace of the Emperor’s authority in his miserable crawling on the floor.
His sharp nails tore the carpet.
"...Se, Pia.”
He was writhing in pain and calling out to Sepia.
“Sepia.”
“Sepia.”
“Sepia.”
My Sepia.
I can’t bear it anymore.
Someone’s name, repeated bizarrely, echoed in the audience room.
Silver hair that had lost its light fluttered in the windless air.
The madness was only a warning sign.
Demios crouched. A strange form to see as a human.
It was a transformation into a monster, not a beast or an entity.
The palace of the charity business is surrounded by the knights.
Sepia showed Roxanne the seal of the female Drodian.
Along with a series of stories she had experienced.
“...It really is the seal of Drodian.”
He received the seal as if he couldn’t believe it.
Roxanne took out the half he had.
The pair of seals that had been separated for a long time had finally become one.
“Sepia, you were the key.”
His long-awaited partner.
It seemed as if Drodian was telling Sepia and Roxanne’s fate.
“Do you know how to use it?”
The only absolute power that could be borrowed by using Drodian’s seal.
However, Roxanne shook his head.
“The method of using the seal has been known only to the Emperors of the past generations.”
It was possible to hide it, but it didn’t say how to use it.
‘Should I find it myself?’
However, since it was a pair of seals, wouldn’t the previous Empress know how to use it?
If so.
‘Lady Swany might know something.’
However, it was impossible to leave this place or call her.
As if he knew what she had in mind, he added,
“Just having this is already treason.”
It meant that he was ready to leave this place.
That was making the false accusation true.
Sepia hesitated to answer.
'But I can't stay like this forever.'
Sepia looked out the window.
Even at this moment, the imperial people were being neglected.
Roxanne patted Sepia's back, who couldn't answer rashly.
"I'll take full responsibility."
"No. Don't do that."
Sepia shook her head at those words.
She grabbed the hand that was caressing her back and leaned her head into his arms.
"We're a couple."
No matter what choice they make, they have to go the same way.
That was Sepia's idea of a companion's fate.
Her slender arms pulled his neck.
The soft kiss she gave first confirmed her love.
Just as his scent emanated from her, Roxanne's scent mixed with Sepia's, creating harmony. She hoped that their scents would never disappear.
She closed her eyes with a deep kiss.
And it was a deep night.
After talking to him, she seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment.
Sepia absentmindedly fumbled with the sheets.
The seat next to her on the bed was empty.
'... Are you talking to Elon?'
The business department was at a standstill, but there was still work to be done. Just as Sepia was about to get up from the bed.
Kuung-!
"...?!"
Sepia stumbled and leaned against the wall at the loud noise that shook the entire building.
'What is it?'
The moment she turned her gaze outside with the uneasy vibration, the window shattered and a sound came inside.
A red-eyed beast covered in silver fur.
"... Demon beast?"
The moment she absentmindedly uttered the word, it pressed down on Sepia's body and climbed on top of her.
The crimson glow was eerily familiar.
The one who had fallen upon her was Demios, who had become a beast.
[Sepia.]
The tip of the beast's tongue licked the nape of Sepia's neck for a long time.
As if trying to cover up Roxanne's traces.
With the only charity department that was still intact coming to a halt, cracks began to appear in the operation of the empire.
What hastened the paralysis that started in the capital was the new barbarian raid.
Those who were said to have been savage barbarians raided the capital.
A huge number of imperial citizens were sacrificed every day, and rumors spread that the one behind them was the imperial hero and Grand Duke Leopold.
To take over the throne.
That was treason and an unforgivable crime of great treason.
When the knights first began protecting the imperial citizens from the beasts' raids, there were those who believed that the Grand Duke had committed treason.
However, this was the capital, not a province of the empire.
The imperial citizens began to suspect the beasts who had easily invaded the capital.
Furthermore, from their perspective, it didn't matter who committed the treason.
The Emperor was neglecting the imperial citizens.
The beasts' attack was repelled, but no one reached out to deal with the damaged areas and the dead bodies.
The people's hearts were no longer following the Emperor.
Furthermore, with the charity department paralyzed, most of the arrows turned toward the Emperor.
In the capital, resistance continued to demand the release of the Grand Duke and his wife. The number of awakened people who began to realize that their enemy was the Emperor was increasing. It was the opposite effect.
This was not limited to the commoners.
The Emperor's audience room.
The ministers who were standing in line facing each other with the red carpet as the starting point looked at each other.
It was supposed to be full of ministers, but there were empty seats here and there in the line.
Neither those standing in line nor the occupants of the empty seats believed the story that the Grand Duke had committed a rebellion.
The fact that the Grand Duke had already entered a period of liberation during the attack had already spread.
However, the important thing was that the Emperor wanted to make the fake rebellion into reality.
The ministers moved their gazes.
At the end of the red carpet.
The Emperor was sitting on the throne on the high steps.
With sunken cheeks and creepy eyes.
He occupied the throne like a statue.
The only thing that gave him life was his grotesquely red eyes.
There was not a single trace of his past glory and beauty in the Emperor.
The master of the empire was becoming a ruin.
Along with the scars on the Emperor’s wrists.
The skin above where the deposed Empress’s name was engraved was covered in scars.
The only time he moved was when he groped the deposed Empress’s name.
A red line was drawn under the mangled skin.
It was fresh blood flowing down his wrists.
In silence, one minister, who could no longer endure the situation, spoke.
“...Your Majesty, I believe you should focus on restoring the capital.”
All the ministers tensed at that earnest advice.
In fact, the empty seats were not only occupied by those who did not attend the audience.
Those who had died.
Those who spoke the truth were stabbed to death by the Emperor’s blind sword.
In fact, the ministers had some confidence in front of the Emperor who had gone mad.
They were high-ranking officials, heirs of a deep-rooted family.
They had a firm pride in being different from commoners, court ladies, and mere lower-class nobles.
However, that sense of being chosen was quickly shattered.
The lineage of the ministers, everything they had built up, was useless in front of the Emperor.
The Emperor did not respond to the minister’s plea.
Then, in the silence that followed, the minister who had opened his mouth realized his foolishness once again.
‘I can’t believe I’m only realizing this now.’
The Emperor did not consider any living beings equal except himself.
He was a natural dictator, and everything under him was merely a chess piece for his needs.
The audience room was silent.
It seemed as if he had gone beyond madness and become a stone statue, but the ministers knew that this was a symptom of a seizure.
The ministers grabbed the collar of the person who had spoken and lowered their voices so that only he could hear.
“Let’s step aside.”
“Hurry up.”
They had to leave before the Emperor’s madness set in.
His sword was no longer selective in its target.
Neither those who speak nor those who do not speak will escape death.
The Emperor has been unable to sleep for a long time.
It was partly because of the Emperor’s long-standing insomnia, but also because there was no one to whom he could imprint to resolve it.
And the current name’s target was the Star of Ishtar, whom the Emperor had personally dethroned.
The only being who could heal the Emperor.
However, the former Empress was falsely accused of treason and was in semi-detention.
In the end, unable to resist the other ministers’ persuasion, they agreed to leave.
“...Let’s go.”
The ministers left the audience room silently.
Instead of bowing their heads, they exchanged glances secretly.
‘The Emperor is not fulfilling his role as the master of the Empire.’
The key to turning him back was the dethroned Empress.
However, if the Star of Ishtar could not be turned back into the Empress, the only other method was...
Everyone knew the answer, but they did not put it into words.
Just saying it would constitute treason.
The moment the ministers left, the Emperor’s seizure began in the empty space.
“Ugh, ugh...”
Demios, who was writhing in agony, fell from the throne.
He fell down the stairs and convulsed under the red carpet.
He wanted to kill the living.
But now, even seeing blood did not stop his convulsions.
On the contrary, they only became more abominable.
There was no trace of the Emperor’s authority in his miserable crawling on the floor.
His sharp nails tore the carpet.
"...Se, Pia.”
He was writhing in pain and calling out to Sepia.
“Sepia.”
“Sepia.”
“Sepia.”
My Sepia.
I can’t bear it anymore.
Someone’s name, repeated bizarrely, echoed in the audience room.
Silver hair that had lost its light fluttered in the windless air.
The madness was only a warning sign.
Demios crouched. A strange form to see as a human.
It was a transformation into a monster, not a beast or an entity.
***
The palace of the charity business is surrounded by the knights.
Sepia showed Roxanne the seal of the female Drodian.
Along with a series of stories she had experienced.
“...It really is the seal of Drodian.”
He received the seal as if he couldn’t believe it.
Roxanne took out the half he had.
The pair of seals that had been separated for a long time had finally become one.
“Sepia, you were the key.”
His long-awaited partner.
It seemed as if Drodian was telling Sepia and Roxanne’s fate.
“Do you know how to use it?”
The only absolute power that could be borrowed by using Drodian’s seal.
However, Roxanne shook his head.
“The method of using the seal has been known only to the Emperors of the past generations.”
It was possible to hide it, but it didn’t say how to use it.
‘Should I find it myself?’
However, since it was a pair of seals, wouldn’t the previous Empress know how to use it?
If so.
‘Lady Swany might know something.’
However, it was impossible to leave this place or call her.
As if he knew what she had in mind, he added,
“Just having this is already treason.”
It meant that he was ready to leave this place.
That was making the false accusation true.
Sepia hesitated to answer.
'But I can't stay like this forever.'
Sepia looked out the window.
Even at this moment, the imperial people were being neglected.
Roxanne patted Sepia's back, who couldn't answer rashly.
"I'll take full responsibility."
"No. Don't do that."
Sepia shook her head at those words.
She grabbed the hand that was caressing her back and leaned her head into his arms.
"We're a couple."
No matter what choice they make, they have to go the same way.
That was Sepia's idea of a companion's fate.
Her slender arms pulled his neck.
The soft kiss she gave first confirmed her love.
Just as his scent emanated from her, Roxanne's scent mixed with Sepia's, creating harmony. She hoped that their scents would never disappear.
She closed her eyes with a deep kiss.
And it was a deep night.
After talking to him, she seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment.
Sepia absentmindedly fumbled with the sheets.
The seat next to her on the bed was empty.
'... Are you talking to Elon?'
The business department was at a standstill, but there was still work to be done. Just as Sepia was about to get up from the bed.
Kuung-!
"...?!"
Sepia stumbled and leaned against the wall at the loud noise that shook the entire building.
'What is it?'
The moment she turned her gaze outside with the uneasy vibration, the window shattered and a sound came inside.
A red-eyed beast covered in silver fur.
"... Demon beast?"
The moment she absentmindedly uttered the word, it pressed down on Sepia's body and climbed on top of her.
The crimson glow was eerily familiar.
The one who had fallen upon her was Demios, who had become a beast.
[Sepia.]
The tip of the beast's tongue licked the nape of Sepia's neck for a long time.
As if trying to cover up Roxanne's traces.
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