Chapter 223.
“Goddess!”
Battle of the Wilderness. Iben, sitting in the highest seat, eyed with boredom the human kowtowing before her.
It was the Imperials. And, surrounding the wilderness like they were defending them, were people from countries that had been defeated in the war of conquest caused by the Empire. It was ironic that humans from all over the world could come together like this.
At that time, an old nobleman offered something wrapped in a high-grade cloth to her. Unwrapping the cloth opened his eyes, revealing the head of a desperate corpse, and the package the Emperor often carried with him.
“The Emperor’s neck, O Goddess.”
The Marquis of Elen entered the city. Ibn looked around at the humans stooping beyond that savage face. Starting from the second prince, to the imperial consort and the high nobles of the empire. After deceiving the people with such ridiculous words as “giving Leila’s power”, it was easy to cut off the emperor’s head and offer it.
How easy it was.
Click-click-Yvonne gently opened the chest that was resting on her lap and looked inside. Fourteen pieces were seen. But now the last piece would be in her hands. The Marquis of Ellen who saw her actions lit up greedily.
“Goddess, so is it time to start the ceremony ……?” “Not yet.” Iben replied with a smile.” Ah, time. I see.”
The old man retreated with an expression of disappointment and excitement. In the past, she had made countless efforts until she had ascended to her current position. Why didn’t she think to utilize these fools back then?
Before being sealed by the ancient sorcerers, the brothers who foretold the future had hidden the pieces of the Mirror of Multiple Truths deep within the palace beforehand. But these were needed to unseal Leila.
But the body of the dispossessed other is not complete. For the soul of the true Ibn was still alive. An imperfect body limits the use of power.
So she found the scattered pieces and entered the palace herself to take the body completely. Deceiving a suspicious sorcerer, occupying a duke, murdering her stepmother who had been an obstacle, and even entering the palace by becoming the Crown Princess.
Days of yore. Finally, with the fangs of a golden dragon, she managed to take the body completely. She straightened the pieces together and unsealed it. Snap-
Iben closed the box and raised his head. At the same time, and bright pupils and eyes met.
“Hee hee!”
The short children came alive and immediately cried. Because of the brainwashing, the friends ran to the clearing. Unlike the scattered friends, a child who was tied together stood in the corner and cried endlessly. That cry was beautiful.
“In this way, it seems that in the past, that place had Wynter Belldandy …… used his hand to offer his colleague wizard and beloved child to Leila as a sacrifice, and he eventually went mad. Since he disappeared without a trace, I couldn’t see that interesting look this time. What a shame, Iben smacked his lips.
“Iben.”
At that moment. Across the vast field, someone quickly approached.
“Come on. I’ll wait for you.”
Iben happily greeted the impending arrival. The Crown Prince who had replaced her side in the past at the moment of the Empire’s demise was the man chosen for this occasion.
Ikris silently extended something to her. Temporarily enlarged, Iben’s blue eyes curved into a half-moon all of a sudden.
“Sure enough, I knew you could do it.”
So far, all 15 pieces had come together. Yvonne smiled sweetly and put the last piece she had taken from Ikris into the box. Then suddenly something came into view.
“That’s ……”
“Don’t eyeball it.”
Ikris hid what he was holding behind his back. It was Penelope’s magic wand. Always treasured it and planned to return it when it was all over.
“I have the shard, why should I look at Penelope’s stuff?”
Iris kind of acted that way, and Iben smiled sweetly. But the wary sight didn’t unravel.
“Keep the promise, Iben.”
“Unlike Penelope, I keep my promises to you, Ikris.” She rose from her seat. The regal golden dragon’s seat, magnificently entwined with gold dragons, came out.
“Sit down. This is your seat now.”
“Not that one.”
“Then?”
“The hostages.”
Ikris turned, tied to the side of Ota, and lifted his chin toward the kneeling children.
“You know what not touching means, don’t you? To be alive, of course, not a hair on your head to be hurt.”
“Are you afraid of being hated by Penelope?”
“Answer me. Or you can all overthrow it now and surrender to the Crown Prince.”
“Of course.”
Iris’s cold warning was answered clearly by Iben’s cheerful smile. If it was the past, the magicians must be needed. The magic-filled life force they possessed was ample prey for Leila. But ……
“This time …… really isn’t needed.” Iben muttered as he looked into the distant void.
Resurrected as a sacrifice to witches, Rera was arrogant and self-centered. In a world where even the ancient sorcerers who fought against them had disappeared, Rilla killed humans as soon as they appeared and regained their original power.
Then, they began to gradually threaten Ibn’s position. The wannabe alpha seized the only means of controlling them, a shard of the Mirror of Truth. When she returned for the first time, she knew everything. She despaired.
After working so hard to reach it, to finally rule the world with her brothers, why!
“Why in the immediate future…!”
But on second thought, it wasn’t exactly something to despair about. Those who possessed the Golden Dragon Fang could only use it once in their lifetime. However, the soul that killed the real Iben in the past, the perfected body and power returned and remained intact.
Doesn’t that mean that one can still use the Golden Dragon’s Spiked Tooth again? This is the opportunity.
Why life is an infinite repetition of trust and betrayal.
The feeling of vengeance against the humans who killed her family and brothers, something that became more and more blurred with the passage of time. After a string of events, she finally understood.
The world she wanted wasn’t one where Rilla ruled.
“Yeah, I don’t need everything.”
The world she ruled. Iben stared at the sky, chanting over and over again.
“Prince!”
At that moment, someone roughly opened the door to the meeting room and ran in.
“Something big has happened! Imperial troops are coming in through the west gate of the palace! It seems like they’re heading straight for the Sun Palace!”
The soldier’s words caused Ikris’ face to twist miserably. What popped out of his mouth was not a defense-related question.” Where’s the male daughter?”
“What?”
“What happened to the Eckart male daughter in the Queen’s Palace!”
“That, that, haven’t confirmed the Queen’s Palace ……”
“Shit!”
Ekris roughly turned and ran before the soldier could finish his words. Then suddenly he made an emergency stop in front of the hostages. He shoved the magic wand in his hand at a Delman soldier and gritted his teeth.
“You, risk your life to protect the hostages and the magic wand. It cannot be taken by anyone. Even Duchess Eckhardt. Got it?”
“Aye, aye! I got it!”
The eyes of Emily, who was eavesdropping, sparkled as she pretended to faint and eavesdrop on the conversation. Ikris, who couldn’t trust Ibn, planted four of his men around the hostages. Then the remaining soldiers in the Sun Palace quickly fled the palace.
After a riot, the large field packed with armed men was empty. Going back to the situation, the Marquis of Eren, whose eyes were glazed over, approached Ibn once again.
“Goddess, this is a raid. So when exactly is the ceremony to become Leila ……”
Standing still Ibn turned his head and looked at the empty throne. Odd looking grooves were dug into the backrest of the golden chair.
Put in the Emperor’s seal containing the fangs and turn it, and the chair would be pushed open to reveal the secret space. What was suddenly discovered in the past while searching for the purpose of the throne was the secret of thousands of years of imperial history.
Iben averted his eyes from the throne and leaned down. Holding up the Emperor’s bag next to the corpse’s neck, she smiled broadly.
“Party’s on, folks.”
***
“Crazy, the party’s starting to freeze over.”
Inside the secret passageway behind the giant pillar. While peering into the interior of Ota, I was unknowingly reminded of the “Love Song Party” she started and got bored. The Crown Prince made an amused expression when he saw me like that.
“It’s easier than expected to solve things, male daughter.”
I heard his words and looked back with wide eyes.
“Easy? There are still so many people.”
Of course, the guy from Ikris went out with most of the soldiers, so I don’t know how much of the force will be left, but the 10 or so nobles including the Marquis of Eren and the second prince are still a majority.
“An old man like that doesn’t need a single punch. In fact, only those four Delman troops need to be engaged.”
“What about the second prince? Will he know how to use a sword?”
“That’s a rice bucket with a sword clamped on it.”
His sharp, decisive answer surprised me and calmed my heart.
“Here, take this.”
He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.
“This is ……”
An ornate gold-colored dagger. The dagger he gave me a few days ago at his birthday party, aimed at his neck.
“I’ll go out first and take out the 4 from there, you wait for the time to come out and use this to release the hostages.”
Thinking of the kids tied up tightly in ropes, I nodded.
“Take the wand and sanction that Rilla. How’s that for a plan.”
“Flawed and weird, but it sounds perfect.”
Really. The plan he was talking about was reckless infinite adventure in a way. Because I simply ruled out unexpected situations that I didn’t know would happen due to Ibn or Marquis Ellen. But the confident voice reassured me. Come to think of it, Callisto has never violated what he said. It could be trusted.
“…… Thank you, for accompanying me.”
I whispered. If it wasn’t for him, a person wouldn’t be able to get out of the current situation.
At my words, he grinned like a happy man.
“One, two, three, I’ll walk out.”
“I’ll be ready too.”
I firmly grabbed the dagger the Crown Prince had given me. Then he grabbed the doorknob of the secret passage and said.” One, two.”
In lieu of “three,” a soft touch met my lips. Looking at me, stiff with fear, he whispered.
“Anyway. I wonder whose lover it is, it’s so beautiful.”
Creaking – without realizing it, the passage door opened, and Callisto ran towards Ota. His sword dance began.