Chapter 150
Chapter: 150
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 150
>Chapter Title: The Eve (5)
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Beat that Ricardo bastard to within an inch of his life.
That was the end of the primary reason for coming to this mansion.
But now that he had started this nighttime outing, Seongjin had no intention of wasting the opportunity. That was why he was diligently rummaging through the first-floor study until dawn.
"What the hell did I do to end up like this.... Even in the storied history of [Oberon's Hand], there was never a member this reckless...."
Dasha was grumbling like that beside him, so Seongjin gave her an order.
"Important documents might be hidden away nicely in his room. Dasha, go check the bedroom."
"Yes, sure you are."
She let out a resigned sigh and left the study.
It was a pitch-black night with even the faint moonlight obscured by clouds, but Seongjin, enhancing his vision with aura, could easily read the documents. It was a skill he had learned from Dasha, after all.
[Maybe the really important documents are kept at the main house?]
'Who knows.'
The siblings Ricardo and Isabella mainly resided in this townhouse for their active social life.
According to Orden's investigation, the two of them were the ones who primarily showed up at the Millo Merchant Guild.
There was no mention at all of the eldest son, Domenico, so it was highly likely that the collusion with the Millo Merchant Guild was Sigurd Sigurson's independent action, not the business of the entire Scarpacino family.
In that case, wouldn't there be a higher chance of evidence being kept here rather than at the main house?
'Besides, doesn't something feel off to you, Demon King?'
[What?]
Seongjin had boldly undertaken this covert operation tonight because he had previously investigated the overall security situation of the Scarpacino residence. He had calculated that he and Dasha alone could slip in undetected.
The problem was exactly that. The security level of this townhouse was excessively lax compared to the main house.
The Scarpacinos, Delcross's wealthiest family—their security system was unimaginably tight. They even operated a private assassin unit solely for VIP protection.
But what about this place? They had some fairly strong aura users, sure, but otherwise, it was just rigid knight escorts who couldn't handle a seasoned assassin.
If it hadn't been for Sisle's revenge, Seongjin probably would have held back for a while to investigate what shady circumstances were hidden here.
Was this something Ricardo, who had been manipulated by the storyteller, had intentionally arranged for his own convenience in moving about?
Or.
'Did someone at the Scarpacino main house pull strings....'
He was thinking that far when he suddenly sensed a small presence approaching from that direction.
Seongjin, who had been roughly gathering the spread-out documents and about to hide, suddenly realized who the presence belonged to and froze in place.
The gait of an elegant noblewoman, with utterly ordinary aura activation.
'...Isabella?'
Seized by some strange premonition, Seongjin stood still and waited for her.
Creak.
Sure enough, the one who opened the study door and entered was Isabella, defenseless in just a nightgown.
Their eyes met directly, but she didn't seem particularly surprised. She just blankly stared at the intruder in black and asked.
"Who are you?"
Seongjin's brows furrowed beneath his mask.
Isabella, was she always like this?
She had trembled so much in front of Orden before, yet now she was this calm in front of an unknown assailant?
"Who are you, exactly? What are you doing here right now?"
Was that the normal reaction of a noble lady facing an intruder in her own mansion?
Moreover, though hard to pinpoint, she felt subtly different from the Isabella he had met before....
"......"
"Hmm...."
While Seongjin silently observed her closely, Isabella also kept her eyes fixed on him, dragging the hem of her gown as she stepped forward.
"You're quite young. A young man... no, a boy."
Her voice began to sink low.
"To which group do you belong? [Oberon's Hand] doesn't deploy members this young into the field. And [Breath of Kaya] wouldn't have advanced into the imperial capital...."
Not just her voice, but her manner of speech felt slightly different somehow.
As if a layer of something was being peeled back.
Letting her continue while watching with that odd feeling, Isabella fearlessly approached Seongjin and pressed her body close to his.
"How peculiar. Truly peculiar. For some reason, you stir a strong interest in me."
Slender fingers intertwined over his glove. Isabella's lips drew near his face, as if about to kiss him.
And then.
[Now, come on, tell me.]
Zzzing.
A voice with a ticklish vibration that pricked at his heart rang in Seongjin's ear like a seduction.
[Who sent a remarkable young man like you? Who is your backer?]
Oh ho? What's this?
Seongjin didn't answer and instead slyly grasped her hand in return. A faint bewilderment appeared in Isabella's turquoise eyes.
[...The charm doesn't work? Who the hell are you...!]
At that moment, Seongjin grinned and yanked her hand hard.
"Sigurd Sigurson."
[......!]
Got you, you bastard!
* * *
"...So what they demanded from Cardinal Justier is... Your Majesty? Are you listening?"
No. 21, in the middle of reporting on the situation in Brittany, asked the Holy Emperor, who couldn't tear his gaze from the window.
"What is it?"
"......"
For some reason, the Holy Emperor seemed distracted somewhere else, unable to focus on his report at all.
Occasionally, that peculiar glow emanated from his eyes, making it seem like he was seeing something ordinary people couldn't.
How long had it been like that? Finally, the Holy Emperor slowly raised a hand to his forehead and opened his mouth with a deep sigh.
"If a child tries to stand alone against the world, they have no choice but to cut themselves down first."
"...Pardon?"
"I cannot reproach them for going too far with that."
The Holy Emperor sometimes tossed out words like this that No. 21 couldn't understand, as if it were a habit. But completely deviating from context like now was not all that common.
No. 21 was about to ask something, but the Holy Emperor continued.
"You may go now, Enrique. I need a moment...."
And before he could even respond.
Sssslip—the Holy Emperor's body slumped powerlessly to the side.
"......!"
No. 21 panicked for a moment, but from experience, he realized the Holy Emperor had once again departed somewhere with only his soul.
He slowly rose from his seat and gazed down at the Holy Emperor leaning against the sofa.
"......"
The Holy Emperor's body, bereft of its soul, looked either dead or deep in slumber.
Enrique blankly stared at that defenseless face, then habitually gripped the hilt of the dagger in his bosom tightly.
His breathing grew slightly ragged with tension.
Now?
Yes. The troublesome chief chamberlain and the intimidating commander of the Aurelion Knights were absent right now.
Is it possible?
Yes. He had left so urgently without proper notice, so it would take considerable time to return.
But....
"...Even if I succeed now, you ultimately won't die...."
His muttering voice was horribly cracked.
Emotions bottled up too long in one place sometimes broke through their boundaries like this, irretrievably mixing together.
Unsure if what he felt now was resignation or relief, Enrique slowly released the sword and bit his lip.
* * *
"Sigurd Sigurson."
As he cheerfully called the name and clasped hands, Isabella flinched in surprise and her eyes widened.
[...Who are you?]
The drug's effect must still linger; she couldn't recognize his voice.
Slowly pulling down his mask, Seongjin flashed a bright smile at Isabella.
"For someone who fled like a bat out of hell, you didn't get very far, did you?"
Orden had mentioned it, and since she frequented the Millo Merchant Guild with Ricardo, Seongjin had marked Isabella as a person of interest.
But to think she had boldly created another puppet right under their noses?
"Impressive. Don't tell me the eldest son of this house is your puppet too?"
At that, Isabella—no, Sigurd Sigurson—tried in panic to pull away the grasped hand.
Not a chance.
Tightening his grip to prevent escape, Seongjin made the bastard finally give up with a deep sigh.
[Fine. There aren't many in the world immune to my charm. You must be the one who left poor Ricardo in that state.]
Ricardo had been suffering frequent delusions and fits lately.
He had gone to check on him at dawn as usual, only to find him a bloody mess sprawled on the floor!
That's why he had come down to the study where Ricardo's documents were gathered, just in case.
"You're right. So you know well what'll happen to you now?"
As Seongjin rolled his shoulders, Sigurd involuntarily stepped back and protested as if making excuses.
[Wait a moment, my friend! Let's talk! There seems to be some misunderstanding between us!]
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"
[Calm down first! Nothing gets solved by acting so violently!]
Sigurd desperately tried to placate the prince. He had already opened a labyrinth to kill him once before and gotten properly punished by the Holy Emperor.
If he lost this puppet too, he would have no other options left.
Above all, the prince's eyes, gleaming like they emitted light in the darkness, had been unusual for a while.
[Our Bella is an innocent, pure woman! Do you really intend to harm this guiltless, pitiful soul who has nearly lost all self-awareness?]
This loathsome bastard?
Ignoring it and taking a step forward, Sigurd quickly added.
[It's partly your fault that Bella ended up like this! Didn't you torment her, greatly contributing to her becoming a complete puppet?]
Seongjin halted, stopping in his tracks.
What?
"...Me?"
[Yes. You treated this woman as less than human, steadily eroding her self-esteem! Thanks to that, I could easily take over Bella without much effort.]
"I treated Isabella like less than human? Why?"
[Because Bella has been my puppet for a long time. You must have known that.]
Seongjin felt a deep surge of anger from within.
Hey, you punk! So it was your fault from the beginning! How dare you shift the blame?
[You see? Bella and Ricardo are both innocent victims, merely manipulated.]
The one actually manipulating them shamelessly said this.
[So stop tormenting that poor young man Ricardo. He's already in deep pain from his loss. Though unintentional, he's unfortunately completely severed from me now.]
Seongjin glared at the shameless bastard wearing Isabella's face for a moment.
But was it his imagination? He felt the personality was slightly different from when using Ricardo as an avatar.
"If you pity him so much, why not just erase his memories entirely? You knew I'd come investigating—why leave memories of you?"
The bastard nodded and explained.
[Because completely erasing memories of me would shatter his mind.]
Memories of Sigurd Sigurson occupied too great a portion, risking total mental collapse.
[An irredeemable brother who spews overly sentimental, cringeworthy prose with every breath—but leaving him a complete wreck would be too pitiful.]
While the bastard rambled on his own, Seongjin quietly sorted his thoughts.
Regardless of this guy's pleas, the puppets actually being controlled might have some injustice.
Moreover, destroying this puppet now might just let him transfer to another body.
But.
[This is all Bella's will too. She's a kind-hearted girl at her core. Thanks to that, I'm in quite a merciful state right now.]
Living as a puppet wasn't a proper life anyway.
Better to eliminate him before he brings harm to Delcross while manipulating puppets.
Before he torments Sisle again—better for Seongjin to strike first!
Seongjin made up his mind.
A chilling killing intent flickered in his eyes, and the perceptive Sigurd sighed deeply, sensing it.
[Well, I figured appealing to emotions wouldn't work on someone as dry-hearted as you. Guess I have to abandon this puppet too. What bad luck for both of us.]
And then flap.
A single blue butterfly flickered before his eyes.
"......!"
Right then, Seongjin saw something inexplicable.
The instant the bastard tore open a dimensional rift to eject him into the astral realm.
In that fleeting moment as the soul traced a long trajectory from puppet to puppet.
Seongjin intuited.
'...Now!'
It's possible.
To sever not just the puppet, but the very essence controlling it, all at once!
Aura naturally gathered in his arm. It trembled finely, as if foreseeing something about to burst forth violently.
The moment he recognized it, it gained substance.
Without knowing what was building in intensity within him, drawn into that split-second trance, Seongjin gripped the handle of his walnut cracker tightly.
Just as he was about to draw his sword.
[Calm yourself, my son.]
Suddenly, someone gently pressed down on Seongjin's hand.
"......!"
Turning his head, there stood an exorcist Seongjin knew well, who had appeared at some point.
"...Sir Sharon?"
But the gaze meeting Seongjin's.
It was not Sir Sharon's own black eyes, but silver-gray irises all too familiar to him.