Chapter 8
When the Bell Bear collapsed, the ground trembled.
The shock was so immense that it echoed deep into the forest some distance away from the scene.
With a flurry of wings, birds took flight, and wild beasts held their breath as they fled further into hiding. Amid them, a man slowly raised his head.
A dense forest.
Standing atop a thick branch, calmly surveying everything below, he was soon joined by a crow that descended onto his shoulder, circling through the sky thick with black smoke.
As the man’s gaze shifted to the crow, the bird tilted its head from side to side, scanning the surroundings before speaking.
—The result.
Despite the bizarre sight of a bird speaking, the man showed no surprise.
“Failure.”
Rather, he answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
—Reason.
“The test subject was too weak.”
—Truly?
“What else could it be?”
At the man’s reply, the crow fixed its gaze on him.
In its hollow, ashen eyes—so empty they could hardly be believed to belong to a living creature—the man’s expressionless face was reflected.
—Conclusion.
After a brief pause, the crow looked away, shook its head lightly, then spread its wings and took to the sky.
Flap.
Leaving behind a single black feather, it vanished from sight.
The man, watching it go, raised his hand into the air.
At once, a strange magical circle appeared, and from it materialized two pitch-black daggers—black from hilt to blade—settling into his grasp.
Thorn-like vines of an eerie pattern coiled between blade and hilt, and at their center was an engraving resembling a fragment of a demon.
As the ominous daggers sliced through the air—
Whoooosh.
The black smoke that had filled the sky was drawn into them.
After greedily devouring every trace of smoke, the daggers disappeared back into the circle, as if their task were complete. The sky, as though nothing had happened, cleared once more.
Standing in a patch of shadow beneath the now-radiant sunlight, the man turned his head.
“Just a little longer.”
It was not yet time.
As the Bell Bear fell, the black smoke that had blanketed the sky vanished in an instant.
Under the now-clear sky, the midday sunlight poured down, warmly embracing the wreckage left behind.
Those who had been tense under the monster’s assault could only stare blankly at the scene.
After a long stretch of silence, the first to speak was a knight who had been fighting the Red Wolves.
“W-we got it!”
At his voice, the others finally grasped the situation, exhaling in disbelief.
“We’re alive…!”
Cheers erupted. Some shed tears of relief, others laughed hollowly in shock.
There were also many whose attention turned to Elisa, who had slain the high-ranking monster, the Bell Bear, alone.
“To defeat a high-ranking monster by yourself…”
“So this is the power of the divine…?”
“I’ve never seen it in person before.”
Reverent gazes poured toward the sword in Elisa’s hand.
Having witnessed the sacred artifact that had saved them from death, they were reminded once more of the source of this astonishing power.
“That is the sacred relic said to have been bestowed upon the first Emperor by the Creator.”
It was a legend passed down through the ages.
“The Holy Sword, Michael.”
A history they had all heard countless times as nobles—or as citizens—of the Empire.
About a thousand years ago, when the world was laid to waste by war with demons, the goddess Late descended and fought on behalf of humanity.
After driving away all demons and restoring peace, she took four priests who had served her as her husbands. Not long after, a demigod child was born among them.
Though born in a human body, the child carried divine blood. For this child, Late created a sacred relic infused with a portion of her own power and gifted it to them.
With that relic, the child founded a nation.
This was the founding legend of the Kashvalt Empire—and the origin story of its first Emperor, Jeains Kashvalt.
Among the sacred relics passed down through the imperial family, one was the Holy Sword, Michael.
It was the very power that forced even the many nobles who despised Elisa to acknowledge her as Emperor.
‘Sacred relics can only be used by a very small number of those who inherit imperial blood.’
To summon one was proof of being closer than anyone else to the Creator—of carrying the strongest lineage of the first Emperor.
And.
‘The reason I was deposed.’
Elisa had become Emperor because she could summon a relic.
Which meant that anyone else who could do the same could also become Emperor.
For example—
A mutant-like existence born into a branch family so distant that their connection to the imperial line was nearly forgotten.
“Radia Bobel.”
That’s right.
The heroine of the novel Like the Tears of a Silver Branch—and the very one who brought Elisa to ruin.
The daughter of the Emperor, the only direct descendant—yet threatened by this aberrant existence.
‘With Radia Bobel’s appearance, the nobles split into three factions.’
First, the traditionalists who sought to protect Elisa and preserve the Kashvalt imperial line.
Second, the reformists who aimed to enthrone Radia Bobel and establish a new dynasty.
Third, the neutral faction, indifferent to who sat on the throne.
‘In the original story, the reformists win. I’m deposed. Radia ascends as the new Emperor.’
Leaving behind the murmuring crowd, Elisa pulled her sword from the Bell Bear’s neck.
In the original story, Elisa not only lost to the heroine’s faction but also lost her sanity. Betrayed by her husbands, she was dethroned.
Recalling the fate that awaited her, Elisa raised her sword into the white light above.
‘The future is already decided.’
To avoid a meaningless death at that hollow conclusion, she was searching for the man who had killed her.
To make him her ally—or persuade him not to kill her.
But…
‘Is that really enough to avoid death?’
In the original, the hunting tournament hosted by Hadelriden had ended without incident.
No monsters had appeared. He had not been injured.
‘The original has changed.’
Which meant the future ahead could also be changed.
Elisa’s gaze shifted toward Hadelriden.
A physician from the imperial palace, who had accompanied them in case of injuries, was currently tending to him.
‘Perhaps…’
In the original story, Hadelriden had betrayed her.
At the imperial address that debated her deposition, he had testified that she was insane.
‘Can it be changed?’
That future—where she was abandoned by her husbands, dethroned, imprisoned in a tower, and ultimately murdered.
“Your Majesty.”
Snapped out of her thoughts by a voice calling her, Elisa turned.
Sir Sheraz stood before her, his face filled with concern.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
Breaking her gaze from Hadelriden, Elisa shook her head.
“Do you not know how strong I am, Sir Sheraz?”
She even shrugged playfully.
Relieved, Sir Sheraz let out a breath and bowed his head.
“I apologize. For failing to remain by Your Majesty’s side and putting you in danger—”
“That’s enough! Mention it one more time and I’ll make you chew on the socks the knights wore during training.”
“…Even so, that’s a bit…”
Watching him look as though he might drop to his knees at any moment, Elisa grimaced and shook her head.
Still—
‘What is this uneasy feeling?’
She couldn’t shake the sense that she was overlooking something important.
As she pondered it, her eyes fell upon the ruined tournament grounds.
Among the chaos, what stood out most were the nobles who hadn’t managed to evacuate, huddled together in a corner.
‘Huh?’
Among them—crouched together like penguins—one face stood out in particular.
Talis Liben.
One of the final candidates selected by Sir Sheraz.
“So one remained…”
Though she questioned whether this was really the time to confirm such things, Elisa decided there might not be another chance.
Just as she was about to approach him—
“Your Majesty!”
A bright voice stopped her.
Turning her head, she saw Ruze Shonus running toward her, eyes sparkling.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty? Thank you so much for saving me! If not for you, I would’ve died!”
“Saving…? Ah.”
Come to think of it, when the Bell Bear’s claws had flown toward him, she had pulled the frozen Ruze Shonus off his horse.
“Well, yes. Good thing you didn’t die.”
“My goodness! Were you worried about me? I’m so touched!”
“No, that’s not—”
‘Right. This one doesn’t listen.’
“Sorry, young Lord Shonus, but I’m a bit busy right now.”
“Ah! W-wait just a moment! That’s not what I came to say!”
As Elisa tried to brush him off, Ruze hurriedly changed the subject.
“It’s what you asked me earlier—I think I should tell you!”
“Hm?”
“You know—after the banquet a month ago. You asked where I was and what I was doing, right?”
“Ah… right. You remembered?”
“Yes!”
Nodding eagerly, Ruze Shonus answered with a bright smile.
“I was at the Imperial Palace. With you, Your Majesty.”
