“This way.”
Lara arrived at the Emperor’s castle and got off the carriage. An aide around the Emperor’s age approached and guided her.
As spring flowers fell, the weather began to get hot. While looking at the lush green leaves, Lara walked to the place where the Emperor was waiting.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Come on in.”
All the complicated procedures that had to be gone through to have an audience with the Emperor were omitted. Lara stood in front of the antique and heavy-looking door that had opened after the Emperor gave his permission.
“Welcome.”
The Emperor was eating. Even though the weather had become quite hot, he was wearing a thick cloak on his shoulder. Luxurious but not fancy shirts, fluffy slippers, and grayish-white hair that was haphazardly combed could be seen.
The man who looked big like a giant at the victory banquet had now looked friendly like a local herbalist grandfather. The tea that the Emperor drank smelled like a pungent herb.
Was the rumor true that he was in poor health?
Lara’s gaze stayed on his teacup for a while.
“It smells terrible, doesn’t it?”
“It doesn’t.”
“I can’t sleep these days. The doctor is doing everything he can to put me to sleep.”
“Is it a sleeping pill?”
“No, it’s supposed to calm my heart but it’s just a pure scam. If my heart can feel at peace by drinking something like this, I will produce it in large quantities and distribute it all over the continent. So that humans will no longer scream and fight.”
“If that’s the case, I want to have it too.”
“You can’t. It’s expensive.”
The Emperor laughed wickedly. Lara did not entertain his joke but sat in the seat prepared for her. She gestured to the attendant. The attendant who had a warm impression approached her and poured the same drink that the Emperor was drinking into Lara’s teacup.
“My my, such impudence. How dare you give what’s mine without permission?”
Without responding to the Emperor’s silly joke, Lara picked up the teacup and had a sip of the tea. Then, her eyebrows, forehead, and lips were distorted at the same time.
“It’s not good, right?”
The Emperor smirked.
“That’s why I said I won’t be giving it to you.”
Then, shouldn’t you just say that directly?
Lara did not dare to spit out the tea and barely swallowed the bitter drink. It was like water that was boiled with tree roots, soil, burnt ashes, and soap all at once. Looking at Lara grumbling without being able to change her expression, the Emperor drank the tea peacefully.
“Are you okay?”
“If I were able to live even a day longer, I can drink something even stronger than this.”
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Do you know how many people I have killed to sit here? I want to sit down for as long as possible.”
Lara did not laugh at the Emperor’s mean yet humorous words. So did the attendant next to him. If his aide had been here, he would probably have been the same.
The Emperor was sick. The rumor which was thought to be false was true. The Emperor’s fingers trembled slightly while holding the teacup. There was also an awkwardness in the simple movement of putting down the glass after drinking the tea. His right eyelid drooped further down than the left, making him look uncomfortable. Whenever the Emperor took a deep breath, there was a rough sound from his chest.
Lara recalled what she had experienced in the past. When she was acting as a fake saintess, she was an immature young lady who was not interested in the world. And yet, she still remembered when the most powerful man on the continent died.
There was a deep regret over the Emperor’s face even while pouring out mischievous jokes. He put down the teacup he was drinking out of and spoke heavily.
“I will probably die soon.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You will live a long life.”
Lara refuted what he said. There was no sign of difficulty or hesitation in her words. As if she was questioning what kind of nonsense he was spouting, she said it very clearly.
“You will be fine for the next 20 years.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know because I’m a saintess.”
“That doesn’t make sense. No matter how omnipotent God is, the human lifespan is…”
The Emperor stopped mid-sentence and laughed. Lara quietly drank her tea, not saying anything more than that.
The Emperor would soon collapse. Before the end of this year, he would suddenly collapse and become unconscious, being in a life-or-death situation. That was what Lara remembered.
The Emperor thought that Lara had lied to cheer him up.
“What do you think of my son, saintess.”
“I think he’ll be a heroic Emperor.”
“Don’t you see him as a man?”
“I know he’s a man.”
“Wicked.”
If Acerus had said he loved the saintess, he would have helped at all costs. The Emperor smacked his lips out of regret and asked again.
“Don’t you need a stepdad?”
“Did mother refuse your matchmaking?”
“She didn’t. She did meet the Duke. In just a day, they became very good business partners. She asked for permission to set up a branch on his duchy. They really hit it off in that aspect.”
I knew it.
Lara laughed lightly. the Emperor took that opportunity and suddenly asked.
“Tell me about Eunice Dvonn.”
“Pardon?”
“The lady whom Acerus cannot live without. He must have been firmly dumped… It’s already shameful enough that he was dumped, but he even cried a river. He’s really killing me. I want to know how great the lady who abandoned my excellent son after playing with him is.”
Lara was speechless. With a still smiling face, she only moved her lips and asked.
“He cried a river?”
“After getting to be a parent, I can know when my child cried. Even if he doesn’t weep or shed any tears, I still get this feeling, like, ‘That punk is crying and throwing a fit.’”
“As far as I know, they had a clean break up…”
“Did you know that Acerus has secretly assigned an escort for Young Lady Dvonn?”
“What?”
“Did you also know about the fact that he ordered people to cover the mouths of the nobles when it was noisy due to her scandals in Hautean?”
“Really?”
“As soon as the Imperial family started investigating Lady Eunice, he invaded the elders’ meeting and blackmailed to kill them. Do you know about that?”
Now Lara really had nothing to say. She just shut her mouth. She knew to some extent that Acerus liked Eunice, but she did not know that it would be to that extent. In the first place, Lara was more of a friend to Eunice than she was a friend to Acerus. So when Eunice said that she was okay, she did not care much. But it did not seem like it.
“He said he’s going to live alone.”
“What?”
“The only successor of this huge Empire said that he will live alone for the rest of his life without having children.”
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
“He’s my brat, but he’s a crazy brat.”
The Emperor smirked. He continued after swallowing a sip of tea that was left in the teacup.
“Until now, I have only just been whining, so just let it flow. This is what I really want to say.”
“Go ahead.”
“The excommunicated priests are moving with the black sorcerers to drive out the fake saintess. That’s the news.”
The Emperor’s familiar tone subsided. He spoke to Lara in the magnificent voice of an Emperor.
“You’re what they’re aiming for.”
It was ridiculous. When Lara was a fake saintess, they believed that she was the real one on their own without much effort. But when she became a real saintess, she was still accused as a fake saintess even when she showed a miracle and let them listen to God’s voice.
“It’s not just one or two people. And it’s not only Dandelion, the local cities and other countries have gotten involved too. Those lazy priests are moving fast… they are gathering people to drive out the fake saintess and to rebuild the Temple of Glory.”
The Emperor reached out to the attendant. Then, the attendant who was standing behind him put a piece of paper in the hand of the Emperor.
“This has been spreading around.”
The paper came to Lara’s hand. It was a piece of paper with very small letters on it. Lara read the writing with a slight frown on her forehead.
[Cry, the entrance of the abyss will open and the demon lord will ascend to this land. Black smoke, boiling rocks, and the red moon that desires the sun will blind you.
The witch of greed, revolt, and rebellion will inherit the power of the demon lord and dwell in your child. Thus, the world will fall.]
It was a prophecy. A familiar face was seen in the faintly revealed picture under the black letters. A lady with curly hair and an oval face; it was Lara. A sharp sneer popped out of her mouth.
[Only the Martyr of the Night will stop him. Close your eyes and seek the truth. Only those who struggle will be honored.
[May the Sickle of the Martyr cut off the witch’s heart and fall into hell with him. Thus, the world will overcome its fall and be created anew.]
There was also a picture at the bottom. This time, it seemed a little more clear. It was a skull that covered its eyes with a cloth.
It was Vassago.
The demon was acting as a savior under the name of ‘Martyr of the Night.’
“What is…”
“It’s bullshit.”
The Emperor gestured to the temple and said.
“Shouldn’t you go ahead and tell on them?”
“Yes, I should.”
It was a long time after their prior meeting, and it seemed like she had to run to her God and pester him.
