ââ¦He did it again.â
Marquis Bogut muttered, wearing a dumbfounded expression as he stared at the insides of the Imperial Palace.
He noticed that all the ruckus that had gone on for a while now finally died down.
Which meant, Nicholasâwho had been turned into a monster and was set free inside the palaceâhad been beaten. The troops he gathered as a follow-up measure also wouldnât be coming.
That masked woman also seems to have done everything she had to do properlyâ¦
Thinking about that person who referred to herself as the Prophet, the marquis let out a deep sigh.
Though they called it âcooperative relationshipâ, the relationship wasnât quite a satisfying one for both of them.
Because he knew that she was also mooching off the damn old raccoon of the Holy Land.
Of course he didnât consider himself as âcleanâ, but he was extremely close to that description compared to the Pope.
Simply put, the Pope was a motherfucker. So far, the motherfuckerism he had revealed was only the tip of an iceberg.
That made the Prophetâthe person who was mooching off himâa dirty rat. There was no way that she didnât know what kind of person the Pope was.
Although she probably had a good reason why she was still sticking to the Pope despite knowing that. And it wasâ¦
â¦Because of that man.
Dowd Campbellâs usual struggling face came up in his mind, prompting a chuckle from him.
Right, he had seduced all the women he had with that dumb, innocent-looking face. Ridiculous.
Love really is a scary affair.
ââ¦â
Although, in that senseâ¦
Bogut had no right to cuss the Prophet for something like that.
Because he himselfâ¦
Was doing all this, risking everything he had, all for the sake of one person.
There were only a few steps left before he finally reached his goal.
The situation that followed was clear evidence that his plan was going extremely well.
-!
Upon seeing dust soar up, accompanied by banging sounds, the marquis let out a bitter smile.
Right, she always shows up in the most aggressive ways possibleâ¦
As he laid his gaze upon the steel giant who landed behind him, he quietly called her name.
âAstrid.â
It had been a long time since the last time they saw each other. Probably more than ten years ago.
And yet, the response that came out of her mouthâeven though this was supposed to be a reunion of best friendsâcouldnât be colder.
[You shouldâve left when you had the chance to.]
âNow, thatâs just mean. Is that really something you should say after meeting up with your best friend for the first time in a while?â
[No one calls someone who tries to hurt their child a best friend.]
âIs that so?â
The marquis shrugged his shoulders and let out a smirk upon seeing the steel giantâs arm that was pointed at him.
As someone who had received all kinds of items from the Magic Tower, he knew what that was. An ion cannon.
A weapon that could turn him into minced meat in the blink of an eye.
âShoot me.â
[â¦]
âCanât do that, can you, Astrid? I mean, this isnât why you came here.â
He said in a flat tone of voice.
Showing such a detached attitude that even Astridâwho was aiming her weapon at himâstayed silent for a moment.
âWe wonât be able to kill each other anyway, letâs not unnecessarily antagonize each other, okay? You didnât come all the way here to waste all your emotions in that way, did you?â
[â¦]
âAnyway, you are aware of it too, right? It wonât be long until the âworldâs endingâ. The Power of Hell has been filled up.â
Ever since âYellowâ was eliminated, one seat had been left empty, but now, someone had ascended to become âBlackâ.
He was someone who had the ability to directly influence the Devils to boot.
Soon enough, the Astral Realm would be turned upside down, and the Holy Land, who was directly connected with them, would also step in.
âYou need to take your son to the Magic Tower as soon as possible, right, Astrid?â
[â¦]
âYou need to explain everything to him. The âmeaningâ that he has, the real purpose of the Devils, and the truth of this world.â
[Youâ]
âI know, I know. Outsiders can never go inside the Magic Tower.â
Marquis Bogut replied while smirking.
âBut Iâm gonna do that anyway.â
Even as he spouted such lunacy, he did it in a calm tone.
âThose guys would be more than willing to bite, chew, taste, and enjoy me for what Iâm worth, donât you think so? They would go crazy to grab the person who managed to see through the Magic Towerâs top secrets: the information about the Devils, and Dowd Campbellâs identity.â
[⦠Bogutâ¦]
âIf you were to arrest me and âescortâ me there, your son would also be able to see its inside for once. Donât you thinkââ
[Youâre going to die.]
Astrid cut off Bogutâs words.
[â¦To become the research subject in the Magic Tower means that youâll die no matterâ]
âI donât have much time left anyway.â
The one before him was a machine.
Her main body must be somewhere in the Magic Tower.
However, even soâ¦
Marquis Bogut could see that the tips of her fingers were slightly trembling.
Seeing him just sitting quietly there with a grin plastered on his face, Astrid struggled to let out her reply.
[â¦Why did you go this far?]
He could have run away anytime if he wanted. After throwing Nicholas into the Imperial Palace, he could immediately go somewhere far away where he couldnât be found by anyone. He had the ability to do so.
Yet, he chose to stay here.
And it was all becauseâ¦
âJust because.â
He said while smiling brightly.
âI just wanted to see you for the last time.â
[â¦]
The steel giant could only stare at him without saying anything.
âWe had our fun, no?â
[â¦]
âYou, Armin, and Iâwe had enough fun for sure, right?â
[â¦]
âMhm. Thatâs all I need.â
Bogut grinned at his best friend.
Yeahâ¦
This is enoughâ¦
Now that Iâve seen her, itâs enoughâ¦
I have no more regretsâ¦
âIâm going.â
[â¦]
âAlso, letâs pretend that we donât know each other if we happen to meet each other again inside the Magic Tower. It wonât end well for both of us otherwise.â
From now onâ¦
Marquis Bogut would become an arrested traitor who had failed in accomplishing his rebellion. Nothing good would come out of it if Astrid were to announce that they both knew each other.
After saying what he wanted, he got up without even checking on Astridâs reaction.
âAlright, thenâ¦â
As he stared at the inside of the Imperial Palace, he let out a sigh.
ââ¦I hope they wonât kill me the moment they see me.â
He muttered.
Then, he walked into the Imperial Palace, leaving behind the steel giant who was standing still, as if in a daze.
His steps looked so light, it was probably the lightest-looking footsteps she had ever seen for someone who was about to get arrested as a traitor.
â
The first thing Cecilia the 11th noticed as soon as she came to her senses wasâ¦
Her current indecent state.
ââ¦â
Um?
Why are my clothes all messed up?
Before she lost consciousness, she remembered that she had been using her Dragonâs Magic Power, butâ¦
She also remembered that her dress hadnât been turned into a mop like this.
ââ¦Youâ¦?â
â¦And why am I looking at this manâs face the moment I woke up?!
ââ¦â
What greeted her was a certain manâs faceâDowd Campbellâs. For some reason, she couldnât take her mind off his gaze.
The feeling was a little hard to describe.
If she had to describe it, it was like the awkwardness someone felt when they were staring at someone whom they had just spent a hot night with, andâ
âYour Imperial Majesty! Youâre finally awake!â
At that moment, the Sword Saintâs shout interrupted her thoughts.
She turned her gaze towards the ceiling of the conference room that was currently in a total mess, and a familiar face soon popped up into her vision.
ââ¦Raduâ¦?â
âYouâre awake! Thank goodness!â
âWhat happenedâ¦?â
ââ¦â
To that, Radu went silent for a moment before he turned his disapproving gaze towards Dowd.
ââ¦To sum up everything, that man saved you, Your Imperial Majesty.â
ââ¦â
The Empress let out a deep sigh after hearing his answer.
âIt seems like thereâs a lot that Iâd need to hear. In detail.â
She wasnât wrong.
Seeing how the whole Imperial Palace had been turned into a mess, it was obvious that a lot of incidents happened after she lost her consciousness.
âLetâs not talk about that for now. Can anyone help me get up? I canât put any strength into my body.â
âHold onto me.â
Hearing what she said, Dowd, who was nearby, offered her his hand. The empress nodded without thinking much and held his hand.
ââ¦Oh, thankââ
She really didnât think much of it when she did that.
That was why, when the âphenomenonâ immediately occurred after thatâ¦
The empress couldnât be any more surprised.
ââ¦H-Huhâ¦?!â
Her lower bellyâ¦
Tingled for a moment.
Then, she felt a hot feeling from down there, running up all over her body like a fireball.
ââ¦Eh⦠Ehâ¦?â
Unable to control her trembling body, the empress moaned in a daze.
Thick liquid flowed down her thighs like crazy. Her whole body trembled, as if she was spasming.
She was fidgeting nonstop, like a child who was blatantly showing her disrespect when scolded.
But that wasnât it. What was occurring in the empressâ body was a physiological phenomenon.
Everyone could tell what was going on.
It wasâ¦
As soon as Dowd touched herâ¦
She immediately âcameâ.
They didnât do anything else, they were just holding hands. But somehow, she reached a climax on her ownâ¦
ââ¦N-No, wait, I-I didnât do anythingâ¦â
Dowd Campbell said so with much difficulty.
Even though he really did something.
The Devils and their Vessels affected each other.
So, what he did to the Brown Devil would affect the empress as well.
But, I really hadnât done anything to the empress yetâ!!
ââ¦â
ââ¦â
No matter how wronged he felt about this situation though, a terrifying silence dropped on his surroundings.
The empress, the Sword Saint, Dowd, the other Devilâs Vessels nearbyânobody could say anything.
â-â¦Uu.â
Tears quickly welled up in the Empressâ eyes.
The voice that she let out was also filled with genuine sadness.
â-T-This, s-so, s-something I donât know⦠I-I didnât do anythââ
She desperately pressed her skirt down with teary eyes as she stammered her words..
Unfortunately for her, her dress had long turned into a ragged mop, so it couldnât hide the liquid that was falling down her thighs. She tried to tilt her body so that she could hide it, but all her desperate effort ended in vain.
âW-Why t-this i-is h-appâ N-No, thatâs not itâ¦â
By the end of her words, not only was she close to tears, she was actually crying.
That was how bewildered and ashamed she was.
ââ¦â
ââ¦â
A terrifying silence fell on the place again.
Meanwhile Dowd could tell that his death was quickly approaching as he stared at the Sword Saint in front of him.
He just couldnât find a way to reason with this perâ
âDowd Campbell, I can forgive you no problem.â
ââ¦Really?â
The literal embodiment of uncompromising is willing to forgive me? Even though Her Imperial Majesty is in this state?
W-Well, if he really means it, then itâs an unbelievably goodâ
ââ¦â
Dowdâs line of thoughts was instantly cut off while his face immediately stiffened when he saw the Sword Saint pulling out his sword from his waist.
âHowever, I canât be sure if this punk would forgive you.â
ââ¦â
âWould you have a conversation with him?â
The Sword Saint said as such while smiling.
He was smiling, but it was clear that he meant what he said, he was genuinely going to struck him with his sword.
ââ¦Uhââ
Dowd looked around.
Everyone around him stepped back, one step at a time, while stealthily avoiding his gaze.
As if declaring that there was nothing they could do.
ââ¦Fuck.â
After that, it took thirty minutes for the Sword Saint to finally calm down.
â¦If I die right after finishing the Chapterâs Boss Battle⦠That would just be the most unfair thing everâ¦
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