Chapter 52

#052 In the Empire, the demon beast entered a person (3)

"Though it's just a hypothesis... Your Highness, the divine object is different from a magical tool. We can't say that its power will be completely depleted just because it was used once. Its very existence is the will of the gods."

The Duke continued with a slightly trembling voice.

In the meantime, I took out a painkiller made from various crushed herbs from my leather bag.

If the conversation didn't end quickly, I needed to alleviate the patient's pain.

Noticing what I was about to do, Kristel quickly prepared some clear water.

Sir Elizabeth bowed to us and took the medicine that was offered.

I hope it helps.

"Are you talking about Princess Sarnes?"

"Yes. The 'Blessing of the Sea of Creation' absorbed into the princess's body hasn't disappeared and is still exerting its power. Therefore, its presence should still be strong."

The prince and the duke's gazes turned to this side, more precisely to Kristel.

The protagonist faced them with a calm expression, but I started to break out in a cold sweat inside.

Is it still considered a divine object if it enters someone's body?

Then... I'm included too.

"Even with just the 'Favor of Mars,' the 'Dungeon' has seen waves of demon beasts attack every year. Once every hundred or two hundred years, a monster like the 'Tyrant Dragon' appears. Now, we have the 'Blessing of the Sea of Creation' here as well."

And me too.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my gaze fixed on Sir Elizabeth.

The reason I obtained an enormous amount of ether, and the reason Kristel's mother had to use the 'Blessing of the Sea of Creation,' was probably because the divine object in the 'Temple of the Boundary' was used for me.

So, there are three divine objects in this area, right now.

"The medicine is working, so I feel better. Thank you, Prince."

Sir Elizabeth smiled at me.

She seemed to want to offer some words of comfort at the sight of my serious face.

I smiled bitterly.

Of course, I'm worried about Sir Elizabeth, but the 'Great Demon Beast Purge' is also a big problem.

Thinking that things would go smoothly with two powerful protagonists was too naive of me.

Of course, the protagonists won't die and will likely claim glory, but it's only fitting that the main characters face appropriate trials.

Damn, why didn't I think of that?

"Has the second wave started?"

"Yes. Most of the demon beasts are stronger than usual. Beyond the valley, the champion offering from last year appeared. Fortunately, we managed to kill it."

"Any casualties?"

"About seventy people, including Elizabeth, were injured. No one died. The imperial warriors are strong, Your Highness. Don't worry too much."

My mind quickly sorted things out.

The 'Favor of Mars,' Kristel, and I have made this year's Great Demon Beast Purge more challenging than ever.

A legendary demon beast appeared during the first wave, and while we were dealing with it, the second wave began with the appearance of last year's champion offering.

If this continues, it wouldn't be surprising if another champion offering appeared during the final third wave.

The prince's amber eyes grew calm.

"Let's go."

He sheathed the sword he had been pointing at the duke. That was intense.

"Long live Prince Your Highness. Please win the championship."

Duke François Dume bowed respectfully to him.

I was surprised to see that he could make such a serious face.

The duke placed his hand on Sir Elizabeth's forehead again.

It was really time to descend the mountain. The viscountess looked up at the prince one last time.

"Sedric, you want to trust the prince, right? Then do so."

"..."

Me?

Before I could say anything, the duke and Sir Elizabeth began to emit a bright light and crumbled into pieces.

The light pink particles, like flower petals, quickly dispersed and vanished.

The only ones left in the quiet valley were me, Demy, Kristel, and the prince.

Was that about me just now?

"Things have gotten complicated because of me, so I'm a bit anxious."

"Nothing changes."

The prince replied to Kristel.

The protagonist didn't seem particularly anxious, and the prince didn't seem to regret what had already happened.

After all, they couldn't cancel the tournament.

If we didn't stop the demon beasts here, the stronger ones would break through the barrier, come down the mountain, and attack the castle and surrounding cities.

"Shall we take a short break?"

Both pairs of eyes turned to me simultaneously. Scary again.

"We need to eat and plan our next strategy. It's a skill to rest when you can."

*rumble*

Demy growled in agreement. Look, even this little guy is hungry.

*

"It's hot."

Frederick quickly put down his coffee cup.

The strong coffee seemed to be burning like it was boiling.

Aurelie Boutier tilted her head at the sight of her scalded face.

"Why did you drink it so quickly?"

"Shouldn't you ask if I'm okay in a situation like this?"

"Ha ha ha."

Aurelie laughed, her hazel eyes twinkling.

The two of them were sitting in the emperor's office, doing their usual work.

The emperor was reading a report about the commotion in a small village in the south, while the cardinal was flipping through the latest issue of the biweekly *Liester*.

"They handled it well. The innkeeper's daughter was taken to the castle's prison."

"Yeah, just as you said."

The cardinal nodded and sipped his coffee slowly.

After brainwashing herself to believe the children were doing fine, she could now receive new news without much worry.

It was an attitude she had learned from the emperor, her contractor.

Her casual flipping through the magazine was light.

"He stole more than 40% of the gifts over ten years, but he only spent 2 million francs on the inn and himself."

"That's suspicious."

"Right, I'll have to beat the lord and search the inn again, down to the ground."

The emperor narrowed his cherry-colored eyes.

Ten years ago, when he and the cardinal had turned the village of Luka upside down, the situation was very simple.

They thought the man who dared to cheat and gamble in a place where the royal family stayed wouldn't have any grand plans, and indeed, the man had no significant connections.

But this time, it seemed different.

According to the report, a large amount of cash had vanished.

"Did the lord take a bribe from the woman? But if so, we might have to investigate the entire empire. There are probably many similar cases."

"That's my job."

Frederick replied curtly.

Aurelie smiled like a painting but didn't add anything, as it was true.

It seemed better to change the subject.

"Look at this. Sir Sara Belliard wrote quite kindly about the knight."

"That old hag is still an old hag, even if she writes kindly."

"No, the prince's interview content... It doesn't seem to have any issues. Has this ever happened before?"

"He must be getting more whimsical in his old age."

The emperor answered irritably.

He already knew that the prince's exclusive interview had been particularly favorable, reported on the day of publication.

Though he hadn't read it himself, he was told it didn't insult the royal family or mention the relationship with the Holy Kingdom.

That was enough. She brought the coffee to her lips.

"Damn, it's still hot."

"Drink slowly. You're not good with hot things."

The emperor put his coffee cup back on the desk.

The cardinal's eyes showed a bit of worry this time.

Frederick suddenly spoke.

"I have a bad feeling."

"Hmm?"

"About those kids. Are they handling the demon beasts well?"

"You're worrying about everything, Eve. Are you upset because you have more work?"

It felt like the situation had reversed from a week ago.

Back then, she was the one fretting over the children, while now, the emperor was worrying about his son's group.

The cardinal laughed out loud and called the steward.

"Ask for a cold coffee. It will improve your mood."

*

"Here, try this."

"..."

Prince Sedric glared at the dried meat in my hand. Anyone would think it was poisoned.

"It's made by the kitchen of the Juliette Palace. You need a full stomach to stay in good condition."

"If you're not going to eat it, can I? It's really delicious."

Kristel, who had been standing alone, brightened her eyes.

She had already eaten a third of the venison jerky that Ganael had packed, and her appetite was still going strong.

It wasn't too salty or tough and had a pleasant texture.

Even Demy showed interest.

"If you don't want it, I'll give it to the princess."

*thud!*

The beast snatched the jerky from my hand at a speed I couldn't see. My fingertips tingled.

"It's hard to feed you."

I muttered.

The prince either didn't hear or pretended not to hear, and started chewing the jerky.

When Yoonseo was about five or six, I used to feed her by pretending the spoon was a train or an airplane, which was actually quite fun.

What does this guy see in me that makes him want to trust me?

"Hey, here it comes again! Demy, watch carefully."

Kristel, who had been chuckling, called out in a bright voice.

Demy, who had been eating heart-shaped flowers in my arms, lifted her head and looked up at her.

Above us, something was charging towards us at a furious speed from the mountain pass.

*rumble!*

*screech!*

A boar as big as a truck emerged from the forest.

It was a carnivorous demon beast that looked like a boar, and being bitten by it could result in a powerful curse, even if you survived.

That's why it was called the 'Cursed Black Boar.'

I heard that catching a demon beast of this level usually earns a decent score.

But this was already the fifth one we've caught.

"It looks delicious, but it keeps being stubborn!"

Kristel shouted and swung her whip. Come to think of it, it does resemble a Jeju black pig a bit.

*slap!*

*whoosh!*

A white water spray enveloped the Cursed Black Boar in a large fan shape.

Blinded by the wave, the demon beast lost its sense of direction and stumbled.

Then, a sound like a pig being slaughtered echoed.

*screech!*

*sizzle...*

The beast's massive body lost strength as soon as it touched the water and staggered.

The sight of its skin melting red was disgusting.

With a *thud, thud*, the body collapsed on the ground, and Kristel created a round water bubble and placed it on the demon beast's head like a helmet.

*rumble, rumble, rumble...!*

"Doing this repeatedly, I'm getting the hang of it."

She said matter-of-factly.

The drowning of the demon beast by the holy water was instantaneous, just like before.

When small demon beasts charged at us, Kristel and the prince would take turns to deal with them.

I sat with the sanctuary fully deployed, feeding water and snacks to the two of them and the creature, and planning strategies by element.

But we rarely needed to use strategies.

After the Tyrant Dragon, everything that appeared in front of us was at this level.

One person could finish them off in an instant.

"Demy, how many points?"

Kristel asked the lesser panda.

At the end of the valley where the Cursed Black Boar had charged in, two small apple trees were visible.

The tree on the left had orange fruits, and the tree on the right had grayish-blue fruits.

Even though they look like that, they should be delicious since Demy grew them, right?

*chirp*

Demy waved the purple flower petal in her paw.

Then, fruits started to grow rapidly on the branches of the right apple tree.

"Three points? Thanks, that's the highest score."

Three new apples appeared.

Kristel elegantly moved her limbs and greeted Demy.

"Finally, the two of you are tied."

I said. Now there were 11 orange apples and 11 grayish-blue apples.

The evaluation is a bit subjective since Demy is the only judge...

*crunch!*

At the same time, the prince stood up and drew his sword.

I turned my head in surprise.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Both of them had heard the sound I heard.

It was definitely the sound of someone biting into an apple...

*crunch!*

One of the orange apples hanging on the tree disappeared, leaving only the stem.

My breath caught in my throat. I didn't imagine it.

Though a thin mist covered the area, what I saw and the result were too clear to be a hallucination.

Wait, mountain mist?

"Since when... Prince, where are you going!"

I grabbed the prince's sleeve as he started to walk out of the sanctuary.

Demy grumbled, probably uncomfortable with my sudden movement.

"Sorry, Demy. I didn't mean to..."

"Father."

What...?

A sudden ominous feeling washed over me. Your father is dead.

I quickly blocked his path and looked into his face.

"Damn."

His eyes, which always seemed to burn with clarity, were strangely unfocused.

I quickly took out a handkerchief, covered Demy's face, and blocked my own mouth and nose with my sleeve.

This wasn't just ordinary mist.