Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Translation: godsn
Cesare also saw the sphere glittering behind the Hydra. And the scroll inside it.
'So that's why the Princess came here today.'
The Hydra guarding the sphere. That scroll was likely the Regent's weakness. Cesare could easily deduce as much.
Yet even considering its necessity, Medeia's act of charging into a swamp teeming with a legendary Magic Beast seemed less like courage and more like recklessness.
Moreover, the Hydra was a formidable monster that even 8-Star Knights struggled against—not only due to its potent venom, but also because severing one head would cause two new ones to sprout in its place.
This was no opponent for a lone civilian, let alone a non-knight.
Yet Medeia calmly pushed Cesare's hand away and readjusted her crossbow. Then, as if deaf to his words, she nocked an arrow.
"Princess, if you keep this up, you'll die before the Regent does."
Cesare issued a solemn warning.
How many reckless heroes had he seen vanish after charging into perilous situations, confident in their own talents?
Neither this place nor this opponent was something the Princess of Valdina could handle alone, no matter how sharp her mind.
"The Regent isn't worth risking my life to defeat. You should know that."
Only then did her indifferent face turn toward him.
"If I were you, I'd have said the same thing."
Her emerald eyes were calm as a black sea's surface, yet held a resolve unshaken even by tidal waves.
"But as you well know, Valdina's powerless idiot princess doesn't have many cards to play. So I must make the most of what little I have."
"Including your own life?"
Instead of bristling at Cesare's blunt mockery, Medeia offered a self-deprecating smile.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Then she aimed the crossbow at the Hydra's neck.
Cesare paused.
At a glance, the small, slender arrow appeared ordinary.
But his battlefield-honed instincts detected modifications.
The tip was coated in a black fluid—likely poison—the shaft wrapped in stiff wax, and a faint gunpowder scent wafted from a small pouch tied to the fletching.
"Of course. You had another scheme ready."
A hollow laugh escaped him. Once again, he'd made a spectacle of himself by jumping to conclusions prematurely.
He swore he wasn't some benevolent soul who fretted over others' safety.
If anything, he specialized in exploiting precarious situations for maximum gain.
Yet before this Valdina princess, he'd already extended cheap sympathy multiple times—even moving before conscious thought.
None of this was like him. Perhaps Terence's warning had been right.
Between his handsome brows flickered an inscrutable mix of intrigue and irritation.
"Step back."
Unaware of Cesare's inner turmoil, Medeia wordlessly moved past him.
With a sound like splitting wind, the crossbow bolt struck the Hydra's neck dead center. Cesare's brows furrowed.
'No reports mentioned the Princess being skilled in archery.'
Even Facade's intelligence network—among the continent's finest—had failed to uncover her full capabilities.
Just when would he fully comprehend this tiny girl?
SCREEE—!
The Hydra twisted its head to snap the arrow, but the wax-coated shaft only dug painfully deeper into its flesh.
Then—BANG!—it exploded.
Far from Cesare's clean severing earlier, the gunpowder blast left the stump ragged, as if torn apart by brutish hands.
SKREEEEE—!
The swamp filled with the Hydra's shrieks.
Though two heads should've regrown automatically, the gunpowder residue prevented new ones from sprouting.
She raised her crossbow again, targeting the second head.
Cesare watched as the Princess obliterated the second head too.
Somehow, it rankled him.
'When I'm right here.'
Her solo battle against the Hydra—completely excluding him—was a full-body declaration that he wasn't even in her considerations.
"You're ignoring me far too much." A sinister smile spread across his handsome face.
Cesare picked up his sword.
Medeia's emerald gaze flickered toward him.
"I'll help you."
She didn't say she didn't need help for the sake of pride. After all, his skill—blocking the Hydra's ambush and cleanly severing its first head—was undoubtedly genuine.
"Congratulations, Princess. You've managed to move me to action."
She decided to simply ignore his arrogant retort.
"How shall we proceed?"
"Slice it vertically."
Medeia gave a short command. She intended to fire her crossbow into the split, ensuring the bolt would penetrate deeper inside.
"As you command."
He stretched his back. Even in that languid movement, there was a beast-like suppleness to his lean yet robust frame.
Cesare's feet lightly tapped the ground.
Just as he seemed about to leap onto the Hydra's severed stump—flash! A silver streak cut through the air.
As the third head split vertically and staggered, a crossbow bolt pierced through the gap like lightning.
Kyaaaa—!
The remaining heads bared their fangs and reared up. Black venom dripped steadily.
But their tension was unnecessary. Before they could even fully open their jaws, another head perished.
Finally, only one remained.
'The Hydra's last head is immortal—it can't be killed,' she recalled.
Yet, before Medeia could even pull out her prepared countermeasure, the final head collapsed with a thud.
The marsh trembled violently, waves rippling like a stormy sea.
Medeia stared at him in shock. Acares—this man's skill far exceeded her expectations.
'How is a powerhouse like this just a mercenary under Facade?'
Cesare swallowed a laugh at her undisguised astonishment. For the first time, that impassive face had cracked, revealing a vivid emotion. A low, bubbling satisfaction churned in his gut.
'So the Primordial Darkness does have its uses.'
It was the darkness infused in his blood that had subdued the Hydra's so-called immortal head. No matter how powerful a monster, none could resist what was primordial.
Cesare shrugged. Even that casual movement overflowed with arrogance and ease.
"As you commanded."
Done.
She could guess the unspoken words. Medeia gave a slight nod.
The two returned to Etienne's study.
Medeia carefully sealed the Signature Document and tucked it into her robes. Then, with an arrowhead, she defaced the magic circle drawn on the floor—a precaution in case the Duke attempted to retrieve the document.
Golden eyes watched her the entire time.
Except for that initial moment, he had stepped back, observing her actions with detached interest, as if watching a spectacle.
Just as Medeia was about to rise, she froze.
Cesare's eyes narrowed as well, sensing something amiss. The mansion's atmosphere had grown chaotic.
CRASH—! The windows shattered all at once.
Arrows flew through the broken panes, embedding themselves in couches, bookshelves, and walls.
A foul, oily stench assaulted their noses. The arrowheads were wrapped in oil-soaked cloth, now alight with flames.
The fire spread to the curtains by the windows.
"Kyaaaa—!"
Screams echoed clearly throughout the mansion. Medeia looked down from the window.
Men in black roamed the count's estate, slaughtering the minister's household indiscriminately.
Those inside were dragged out into the garden—among them, the minister's mother and siblings.
His mother looked on the verge of fainting.
"Who are you?! Who do you think you are!"
"How dare you kill people so barbarically! The son you seek isn't here—he's at the royal palace!"
"Mother! Moth—!"
A flash of steel, and the mother and child collapsed.
No different from the butler who had died first trying to stop the intruders.
"Aaah—! Spare me!"
Nothing but brutal slaughter unfolded. The once-opulent mansion, rivaling the royal palace, had transformed into a hellscape.