CH 64

A tinge of regret appeared on the saintess’s face as she ran. ‘Guess I won’t be seeing Irene around anymore.’

They would not be having anything to do with each other from today onward anyway, but still, she did her best adorning Irene in the morning before setting off, thinking it the least she could do. Being an antagonist of some importance, Irene was a bearer of exceptional looks, thanks to which the saintess had started the day feeling like she was playing with a doll as she fussed about dressing the former in one outfit then another, raising her hair this way and that.

“Why are you making such a fuss? I’m only going to enter the imperial palace.”

“Since you were chased out the last time, this time you’ve got to go looking at your most beautiful, and cute as well. Oh, hold still a little, will you? I can’t braid your hair nicely if you move now.”

Irene had likely noticed her disappearance by now and would be looking all over for her, but that mattered not for the saintess. Their relationship would be over from today on, after all, and it was not like Irene would be particularly troubled; she would only have lost a convenient maidservant who spoke oddly right words.

‘If I can just kill Cecile today…!’ Then, she would enter Cecile’s body and Estian would become her man as he should have. This world would finally be set onto the right path!

“Over there! I hear sounds over there!”

“Get her quick!”

As the saintess ran to the next door, she heard the din of knights already hot on her tail… But at that moment, a queer noise of something twisting and breaking suddenly rang throughout the palace.

“Ugh!”

“What is this noise!”

The abrupt disturbance caused the saintess and knights to block their ears, yet still, they could not help groaning at the piercing noise. The saintess knew what was making this racket.

‘The phantom beast is being born!’

The condition for the phantom beast’s birth was physical contact with a powerful individual. It was certain that Estian had touched the phantom beast egg.

* * *

The knights in the audience room walked over to the envoy who had presented an oddity to Estian and seized him by the arms.

“Your Majesty, shall we drag him elsewhere to kill? Or shall we kill him here and now?” One of the knights asked for their emperor’s judgment in a fierce tone, raring to rip the envoy apart on the spot, but the man was unconcerned; he cried out to Estian, “Your Majesty, what shape does this take in your eyes? Would you please quickly explain! And try giving it a touch already! Aren’t you curious as to what will happen?”

“…”

Estian stared intently at the suddenly shouting man, then he slowly walked down to stand before the envoy and bashed him in the face with a vengeance, sending the latter’s face swiveling around with a sound that resembled something bursting. Blood shot out of the man’s mouth along with a white piece of something that was clearly his broken tooth, but no remorse could be found on Estian’s face as he said, “Richard, you b*stard. Here I was suspecting the Mage’s Tower and you come prancing in? Seems like your neck stuck back on well enough for you to spout nonsense.”

At that, the man looked devastated as he asked, “H-how did you know! You’re a sharp one indeed…!”

“Would it not be stranger to not know? The way you speak makes it so obvious, Mage Lord.” Muttered Kane, who had approached unnoticed.

“What is it?! What gave it away!”

“I meant how you obsess over His Majesty and observe his reaction.”

Kane eyed Richard like one would a stalker. The disgust in his expression prompted the latter to burst out. “Wouldn’t you be curious as well?! He took Eugen-…!”

Another smack ensued, sending Richard’s face swiveling in the other direction this time. Something shot from his mouth again, but no one paid any mind. Estian hoisted him up by the collar and Richard began to kick and struggle in the air. “Kagh! Emperor. H-how about you let go of me and we talk?”

“Mouth that word once more and I swear I will kill you the next time, so go on I dare you. As for these spells…” Estian frowned, then drew the black steel blade by his belt with one hand and immediately cut off one of Richard’s arms.

“Aaah… Huh?”

The onlookers were about to scream at the sight, but then they looked at the severed limb in surprise; the man was dismembered yet there was no blood at all. The arm was cut off cleanly as if it belonged to a doll and rolled across the floor.

“Huuh?”

And the moment all the others turned to look at the owner of the arm again, they grew wide-eyed in shock. Just a while ago, the man being held up by Estian had definitely looked so unremarkable that even his face was hard to remember, yet all of a sudden now, he was replaced by a man with stunning looks and long silver hair. His face was injured by Estian’s fist and blood was flowing from his torn lips, while his hair and clothes were in disarray. Clearly, he was the man who was beaten a moment ago, and yet…

“Now you show that mug of yours.”

Estian gnashed his teeth as he glared at the man’s face.

* * *