“With two Duchies, it will be fine. It’s okay.”
Someone from the white faction said in a trembling voice. The two Duchies have defended the countless hardships that have occurred in the Logos so far in the name of the Guardian. So, everyone repeated as if praying that it would be the same this time as well. But all of a sudden, everyone’s hair stood tall at the sound of a scream from afar.
“Kyyyaahhkk!”
It was a scream from afar, but it wasn’t a human scream. No human could have made such a loud noise. It was a terrifying roar they had never heard before. And as if the sound had been a signal, several screams began to resound afterward.
It was then that the nobles realized that this was not normal. Everyone ran out of the conference room and looked in the direction of the sound. In the distance, something black was approaching, pounding the ground.
“The Imperial Knights protect Her Highness Nadia and Her Majesty! Hurry up and line up the knights from each family! Even if it’s the Duchies, they can’t stop it!”
Count Melix, the chairman of the nobility council, shouted, and everyone rushed to their feet. However, the black faction nobles instructed the escort knights with relative stability. It was because the Knights were prepared by order of Duke Luave.
At the same time, they swallowed dry saliva at the fact that the “one in a thousand situation” that Kahel was talking about was more terrifying than they had imagined.
* * *
Not long before the roar of the monsters were heard, Lena was in pain holding her aching head as if it was about to break. No matter how much she ate the headache pills, it was no use, and now Lena was struggling with the pain to the point that her eyes couldn’t see properly. Her shoulders were sore from straining and tensing her body, but she was afraid that her head would explode if she relaxed her strength.
Lian looked at Lena like that and was restless.
“Wake up, Lena! I’ll send you to Luave’s mansion soon. Can you hear me?”
He had been preparing a carriage and skilled men to send Lena back. But in the meantime, Lena’s condition was much worse.
“Isn’t it difficult to go like that, Young Master?”
“It’s not that difficult. But I need to know why and what causes pain…….”
“Would you like to call a doctor?”
Lian thought about it for a while, but it seemed that if he would really leave her as is, and if something big happened, he would not have anything to say to Kahel later. Then, Kahel will never leave the Santella family alone.
“Call him. Be careful not to get caught.”
“Yes.”
He knew that Liddell was looking for him, but Babel Street was one of the areas where the common people of the capital lived. The appearance of a noble lady would cause a commotion from afar, so it was unlikely that they would be suddenly surrounded.
However, such calculations were all messed up because of the appearance of a horde of monsters.
“It’s monsters!”
“Kyaaaak!!”
“What is that! Uwaahh!”
The screams that started from the northern wall of Ardennes were gradually growing into great confusion and astonishment. Babel Street, which is relatively close to the north, was already filled with screaming and shouting from people, so the roar of the monsters could not be heard. In this state, even if Liddell’s carriage appeared, there was no way to know in advance.
“Young master! You must escape! A horde of monsters has appeared!”
“What?”
In the midst of the surprise, Lian recalled the secret conversation between Leonard, Liddell, and Margella.
“Prepare the monsters for the next attack.”
“The day is coming, Father. The tedious battle between angels and devils will end in the angel’s victory. Kahel will be revealed to the world as a monster and will be torn to death by monsters, and Santella will silence all monsters and take the throne of glory.”
Liddell’s light and pleasant voice, as if making a picnic plan, echoed in his ears.
‘Maybe the next attack is…… It was for Ardennes…… ?’
Lian couldn’t help but be amazed. Ardennes is the heart of the Logos. The residences of nobles and skilled professionals were concentrated, the royal palace and its surroundings were densely populated with major institutions, and it was the center of Logos commerce where numerous people lived.
It was crazy to trample on Ardennes like that with monsters. No, it was not a thought that could be done sanely in the first place; to summon monsters for a fight for power.
‘You don’t mean to destroy Ardennes and make Terra Santella the capital, right?’
Now, he even had that suspicion.
And it was the moment when Lian grabbed Lena and hugged her to get out of the safe house with his men.
Kuang!
There was a roar of something breaking from the first floor.
“What else is this!”
Lian’s men were flustered and drew their sword, but Lian instinctively felt it. That the power that just broke something is the magic of his bloodline…….
“Shit…… We’re one step late…….”
Lian looked down at Lena who had been exposed and regretted it briefly. He should have sent Lena alone back to the Luave mansion beforehand. But blood ties were what held Lian’s ankles until the very end.
“Dinel! Take Lena and run away. Go to the Luave mansion!”
“But, Young Master!”
“Hurry! There is no time.”
He left Lena with his men and ran down to the first floor. On the first floor, where the wood dust was flying, Lian’s servants were lying on the floor, and in the middle of it, Liddell and Maria were smiling.
“Long time no see, Lian! How many did you find out?”
“Liddell…….”
Contrary to Lian’s nervous expression, Liddell smiled as if she was pleased with her older brother, whom she had not seen in a long time. Except for the circumstances around her, she was no different from the appearance that was usually praised as an angel.
Lian found it terrible. His sister, whom he thought was cute, was actually the essence of evil created in Santella. Now he realizes that he was terrified at the tight secrecy.
“Liddell. This is crazy how…… How can you summon monsters…… ?”
“Huh? Did Lian notice that, too?”
Liddell raised her eyebrows as if her mischief had been found out, giving him an innocent expression. But the excuses that followed were absurd.
“Well, I can’t say it’s a flawless tool. But the result is more important than the process. It’s the fastest and most effective way to achieve the desired results, so don’t blame us too much.”
“Do you think this is just a matter of result and process? They’re monsters! They eat humans! To release such atrocities in the capital city of so many people! People die!”
“Ah, Lian. Brother is very kind and pleasant, and he always has a soft heart, so that’s the problem. After all, they are people who depend on our power. There are many lives that would have died without us. I’m going to use them for a bit now, so what about it?”
Lian couldn’t even fathom what was wrong with his sister.
“You…… Do you want to be…… the queen?”
“Right. Instead of the incompetent and ugly Queen, I’m going to shine on the spot. And Santella will no longer be a Duchy, but a royalty. I’ll share the glory with Brother!”
Liddell smiled brightly like sunshine, and she took a step closer to Lian.
“Don’t come.”
“Lian.”
“I can’t agree with you or Father’s way. And if you want to be the queen of this country, you at least shouldn’t take it for nothing, the sacrifice of people in this way!”
Liddell just looked at Lian who was screaming with sad eyes.
“Lian. I wouldn’t have used this method if we were the only Duchy. But we have an overly strong competitor, the Luave. To get rid of them, there has to be an event of this magnitude.”
“Why are you so obsessed with the position of queen in the first place? You already have a power equal to that of a queen in the Logos!”
“No matter what, I’m not the queen. I don’t want to bow my head to a person less than me. It’s disgusting.”
Liddell didn’t even think about hiding her feelings of loathing. Lian faced the truth of his sister, who was like a flower, and every second was painful.
“What the hell does that mean? What’s the point in getting rid of the one person you’ve got to bow down to? What about this country? How many people live on this earth? This isn’t the princess game you loved as a kid, Liddell. Logos is not a country for you alone!”
But Lian’s heartfelt advice did not reach Liddell. Slowly, she was thinking that Lian was also annoying.
“Lian. Everything is fine, but first, give me the woman Lian is holding. I need that girl.”
“Are you going to use her as bait to kill Kahel?”
“Oh! Did you know? Then, I’ll say it quickly. Please, hurry up and give her to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You cannot sacrifice an innocent person just because of your greed.”
“Then, why did you keep her with you? Weren’t you going to take her and give her back to me?”
Liddell’s thinking was completely egocentric. He would have ridiculed her for being stupid if anyone else had done it, but Lian knew why Liddell could be like that. Because Liddell has so much power that she can be egotistical. In her slender body, she had a magical power that he could not have imagined would be exuded from him.
“You’d rather face Kahel fairly, Liddell. Don’t be cowardly, using an innocent person as bait.”
Liddell laughed at that remark.
“I can’t, Lian. That woman must die. She is the Queen’s blood.”
“What…… ?”
“Lena Belrose is the daughter of the deceased Heila Ardenia. Didn’t you know that, yet? I’m disappointed, Lian.”
Lian opened his eyes wide without even closing his gaping mouth. With a strangely dignified voice, he remembered Lena who had told him to protect Logos.
“You, you mean the next Queen? Are you going to kill such a person?”
“Don’t talk about Her Majesty in front of me. The next Queen is me. It never changes.”
Lian trembled and took one more step back.
“Lian. I would like to clear up the misunderstanding by talking more, but unfortunately I don’t have the time. By now, Kahel must have gone out to kill the monster, sooner or later it will cause his body mutations. In line with that, we have to kill that woman as well. That way everything I planned would fit. If you don’t give her back..… Even I can’t forgive Brother. This is a family order.”
A purple energy of magical power overflowed around Liddell’s body. Lian slowly shook his head and began to raise his magic power as well. It was less than Liddell, but he had to somehow buy Lena time to escape.
“The Santella I loved must have died a long time ago…….”
It was a price for ignoring reality, saying that he only needs to live properly. Liddell seemed a little surprised to see Lian boosting his magic power.
“Lian. Are you really trying to fight me? You will get hurt.”
“Liddell…… My sweet and cute little Miss…… If I can stop you and save Logos, I’ll gladly throw myself at it. I…… I am the Guardian of Logos.”