Chapter 156
Pauline paced back and forth in front of the entrance to the underground prison.
‘So the leader of the Wraiths is in there? The leader of the Wraiths who was secretly smuggled away without the Emperor knowing… Haha. This is driving me insane.’
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
For now, somehow, it seemed they had managed to hide it without being discovered.
But if things continued like this, it would definitely be exposed sooner or later.
And if it was exposed?
Forget being a Grand Duke or having merits—they would simply be executed.
A one-way ticket to the extermination of the entire family.
“I want to quit…”
Sniffling, Pauline shook his head.
It was then.
“Quit and go where?”
A familiar voice came from behind him.
It was Heros.
“Ah! Your Excellency! At least make your presence known before you show up! You scared me to death!”
He shouted before moving his lips and grumbling.
“You have no idea how I feel right now. I’m really upset… Right now, I’m the only one worrying. Just me. I’m the only one suffering like this. Who cares about the family more than I do? Yet all you ever do is scare me and give me a hard time…”
Heros looked at Pauline with a slightly awkward expression.
He seriously began to wonder if Pauline had become stranger and stranger lately because he had too much work, and considered hiring him a subordinate before long.
‘If it isn’t because of the workload and this is just how he really is… then I must be a terrible judge of character.’
Heros slowly shook his head.
“I understand what you mean.”
Then he added,
“But I, too, wished to learn more about the Wraiths, which is why I permitted it. So do not object any further.”
“Huh?”
Pauline frowned in disbelief.
“No, what exactly are you trying to learn about the Wraiths? What’s there to investigate? They’re just a bunch of dark mages. Lunatics! So what else is there to find out?”
His words were not entirely wrong.
From the very beginning, the Wraiths had openly appeared while arrogantly proclaiming their ambition to rule the world.
But Heros thought differently.
“I don’t think that’s all there is to it.”
He murmured calmly before continuing.
“I heard that the sacred relic of the House of Darje was stolen.”
“Huh, really?”
Pauline’s eyes widened.
“How did that happen? Did a thief break into the ducal estate? That shouldn’t be possible. Their magical barrier is incredibly secure.”
Recalling the sacred relic of the House of Darje—the clock containing divine power—Heros replied,
“It was done in much the same way as back then.”
‘Back then’referred to the time when the carriage of the Golden Grail Guild had been attacked and the sacred relic had nearly been stolen.
Fortunately, Daphne had stepped in and stopped them, allowing them to protect the relic.
However, that had happened over eight years ago.
Wasn’t it rather strange to bring up a method from so long ago now?
“But wasn’t that ages ago? It’s been nearly ten years. I think it’s a bit of a stretch to connect the two.”
“Precisely because it happened so long ago, it concerns me.”
But Heros was resolute.
“They used a similar method and targeted the same object. There is no way they are unrelated.”
‘When you put it that way, it does make sense.’
Pauline scratched his cheek and nodded.
“Well… I understand. But what does that have to do with the leader of the Wraiths?”
Heros stared silently at Pauline.
His expression suggested he found Pauline somewhat pitiful, but he quickly composed himself.
If Pauline realized what he had been thinking, he would undoubtedly make a huge fuss again.
In any case, Heros slowly revealed the thoughts he had been harboring all this time.
“In the past, it was speculated that the ones stealing the sacred relics were the Wraiths.”
“Ah! That’s right. Yes, that’s true.”
“It was the Emperor who said that.”
“…What?”
“But I don’t think so. The Wraiths have no need to steal sacred relics.”
“…”
Pauline’s eyes rolled.
Until now, all of his anxiety had been focused on the fact that the leader of the Wraiths was inside the Grand Duke’s residence.
But after hearing something this new, he had to rethink the situation.
After all, hadn’t the Emperor made those meaningful remarks about Daphne?
When Heros had told him about them, Pauline had been utterly shocked.
Narrowing his eyes, Pauline clenched his fist tightly.
“So you’re planning to interrogate the leader of the Wraiths? Because you want to know what His Majesty the Emperor truly intends?”
“If possible.”
“Uh… Well. Yes. Sounds good. Hmm…”
Pauline asked cautiously.
“What if he refuses to talk?”
“Then I’ll have to go elsewhere.”
As if he had expected even that question, Heros answered without hesitation.
“To the temple.”
The place where Elise had been.
To that place.
***
—I was a priest.
Daphne recalled Yan’s words.
—We were merely people who honored the God who created this world and waited for the day He would descend once more.
Waiting for a God who had disappeared thousands of years ago was something Daphne found difficult to understand.
Nevertheless, she quietly listened to him.
—But everything changed when the Emperor appeared.
His eyes twisted with fury as he spoke about the Emperor.
The rage swelling within him was so intense that blood vessels burst, turning his eyes completely bloodshot.
—He claimed to be the son of God.
—And therefore declared himself to be God!
Bang!
Slamming his fist against the floor, he shouted,
—He slaughtered everyone who opposed him. I barely managed to escape from there alive.
In short, that yellow-haired bastard had lost after opposing the man who arrogantly claimed to be God, and that was how he ended up like this.
He wanted revenge, but since he couldn’t possibly stand against a dragon, he ultimately chose dark magic.
After hearing the story, Daphne could at least understand why they had become dark mages.
But… so what?
Did that justify killing innocent people?
“It does not.”
Revenge belongs to the individual.
Life belongs equally to everyone.
To kill others for one’s own sake was worse than a beast and unworthy of being called human.
And,
“The same goes for kidnapping my older brother.”
Daphne gripped her sword tightly.
Whoosh!
Pitch-black flames wrapped around the blade as they surged upward.
“Come out. Now.”
Her voice was low, yet it echoed thunderously.
It bounced repeatedly off the cave walls, and just as the echoes gradually faded, someone emerged from the passage ahead of Daphne.
They were figures cloaked in black robes with their hoods pulled low.
The moment Daphne saw them, she frowned.
It was obvious at a glance that they were overflowing with the aura of death.
Before, she would have called them easy prey and attacked without hesitation.
But now, she had no such intention.
‘Anyone who has accumulated that much death aura must have slaughtered countless people…’
‘Then I should repay them in kind.’
‘Only then will they understand the suffering of those who died.’
Having resolved not to show them any more mercy, Daphne raised her sword and pointed it toward them.
“Where is my older brother?”
But instead of answering, they dropped to their knees.
“We greet the Calamity.”
“We greet the great Calamity.”
“…”
‘Ah, how annoying.’
Daphne smacked her forehead with her palm and frowned.
“Fine. I got it. Now tell me where my older bro
ther is.”
“Calamity.”
The one standing at the very front slowly raised his head.
His pitch-black eyes, glossy like polished stone, were fixed upon Daphne.
“If we return him to you, will you grant us your power?”
Ah.
‘These insane bastards?’
