TYBMB 32

Chapter 32: Forbidden Desire
February 1, 2024

After hearing my question, Ernante replied nonchalantly.

“They were monsters once. Not anymore, though.”

“Not anymore…?”

“With the power of alchemists, we synthesized monsters. Modified them to be tamer, stronger. At this point, they’re closer to livestock for humans than monsters. Most of their innate aggression has been removed.”

I stood frozen, stunned by Ernante’s absurd words.

Then, finally coming to my senses, I stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders tightly.

“What are you even talking about? A monster is still a monster! No matter what you do, it can’t become livestock. They kill people. They try to take our world. They are humanity’s enemy!”

“Calm down, Yulia.”

“Do you really believe monsters can be turned into livestock? Why are you being so complacent? Do you even know how many imperial knights were killed by monsters? How many of my subordinates died?”

I couldn’t control the rage boiling inside me.

I had devoted my entire life to hunting monsters.

Because monsters were humanity’s most horrific enemy.

They were grotesque beings that had to be wiped out from our world completely.

And yet, Ernante was raising those very monsters beneath the imperial palace.

A sudden thought flashed through my mind.

Could it be… was Ernante responsible for the massive monster outbreak in the Braunzenberg territory before I regressed?

Before my regression, there had been three major disasters in the empire.

One of them was the massive monster outbreak in the Marquisate of Braunzenberg.

An uncountable number of monsters had swept through Braunzenberg territory, and there had been many suspicious aspects to it.

First of all, there were no rifts in Braunzenberg.

There shouldn’t have been any way for monsters to appear, and yet a horde had attacked in the dead of night.

And the monsters that attacked were a completely new species, never before recorded in academic reports.

At the time, we suspected they were artificially created—chimeras made by someone mixing monsters.

To make matters worse, the Marquis of Braunzenberg was a staunch supporter of Commander Martin.

In other words, he was a thorn in Ernante’s side.

If Ernante had attacked Braunzenberg using chimeric monsters he himself created, then everything made perfect sense.

I stared at Ernante and muttered,

“So many people have been killed by monsters… And yet, you, the Emperor, are doing this…”

“I understand how you feel, Yulia. Of course you’d be shocked. But please, hear me out.”

Ernante placed a hand gently on my shoulder and whispered softly.

“Monsters are horrific creatures, as you said. But that’s exactly why they’re so valuable.”

“……”

“If we domesticate them, we can harness their powers for human use. For example, we could create a chimera from a healing-type monster but remove its offensive traits. If such a tame creature is raised like livestock, we wouldn’t even need potions anymore.”

“……”

“There are endless ways to utilize monsters. Their strength could be used in construction or rescue missions, and on the battlefield, they could serve as excellent soldiers. This is an innovative plan to make our empire even stronger.”

“……”

“And I had a good reason for setting up the lab beneath the imperial palace. This used to be a prison for Awakened criminals. It’s protected by a special power that seals abilities. Thanks to that, the monsters can’t go wild down here. It’s much safer than anywhere else.”

I let him speak to the end.

Because I was curious just how far he’d go with his nonsense.

Now that I’d heard all his excuses, it was time to give him a dose of reality.

“Your Majesty, you clearly don’t understand the nature of monsters. They exist solely to kill humans and steal this world. The idea of trying to utilize something that is a disaster in itself… is nothing but sheer arrogance.”

“……”

“I have nothing more to say. I’ll dispose of them myself right now.”

I didn’t bring my sword since I was attending the ball, but I still had my ability. I could destroy them barehanded.

Fortunately, they were all locked in cages. They wouldn’t be able to attack me.

I began to activate my ability—when it happened.

“……!”

Thud.

An excruciating pain pierced through my heart.

It felt like my brain was being scorched from the inside.

Unable to endure the pain, I collapsed to the ground.

As I struggled to breathe through the agony that wouldn’t subside, Ernante’s voice echoed above me.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? This place used to be a prison for Awakened criminals.”

“Ern…ante…”

“This entire room is imbued with a special force. If you try to use your power, you’ll experience pain.”

I’d heard it was used to hold Awakened criminals, but I hadn’t realized it was imbued with something like this.

Such terrifying pain.

It was dangerous.

Because of the shock, I could feel my consciousness starting to fade.

Even as my eyes kept trying to close, I glared at Ernante until the very end.

“You’ll… regret this… No matter how useful they are… monsters will always be—”

“I won’t regret it. If using these chimeras lets someone like me—a non-Awakened—gain power, then I’m prepared to do anything.”

I wanted to ask what he meant, but my tongue and lips wouldn’t move.

The pain was still burning my mind white.

Though I tried to endure it, in the end, I lost consciousness.

Just before my body hit the ground, Ernante caught me in his arms—and that was my last memory before fainting.

Holding the collapsed Yulia in his arms, Ernante let out a long sigh.

Her reaction had been stronger than expected.

That wasn’t good, considering he needed a steady supply of monsters for his chimera experiments.

And since Yulia was the one who faced monsters on the front lines, she was the best person to provide them.

That’s why he had taken the risk of showing her the lab—but he hadn’t anticipated such fierce opposition.

She wouldn’t tell anyone because of the contract they’d made, but this was still a bad sign.

Was I too hasty?

Clicking his tongue, he questioned himself.

Originally, he hadn’t planned to move this fast, but lately, Martin’s behavior had been irritating him more and more.

In order to keep Martin, who constantly coveted what was his, in check, Ernante needed to obtain an ability as soon as possible.

And for that, he had to accelerate the chimera experiments.

That impatience had led to the mistake of revealing the lab to Yulia too soon.

“Haah…”

Letting out another sigh, Ernante left the lab.

Still carrying Yulia, he exited the underground and headed back to the separate palace.

The second floor of the annex had guest rooms for tired ball attendees to rest.

Ernante chose one of the rooms and laid Yulia down gently.

She remained unconscious.

Gazing down at her peaceful, sleeping face, he slowly reached out a hand.

His fingertips carefully brushed aside the strands of silver hair scattered over her face and tucked them behind her ear.

I want to make her completely mine.

A powerful desire to possess her boiled within him.

“……”

Ernante, who had only been brushing back her hair in silence, suddenly stopped.

He withdrew his hand and instead leaned in close, whispering into Yulia’s ear.

“I wanted to have all of you tonight—your heart, and if possible… everything else.”

Then he slowly intertwined his fingers with hers.

As their fingers entwined, her pale hand flinched ever so slightly.

He kissed it lightly and continued whispering,

“But I’ll wait. It seems you still need more time.”

After that, Ernante let go of her hand and stepped away.

Once he left, only Yulia’s soft breathing echoed quietly through the room.

“Yulia, Yulia!”

Through a haze of unconsciousness, I heard someone desperately calling out to me.

And I immediately knew whose voice it was.

Because it was the same voice I had heard as I was dying before I regressed.

The Commander.

The same man who had called out to me in desperation as I lay dying from poison… was calling my name again.

Back then, I hadn’t been able to answer him.

I had died without ever responding to that desperate voice.

But unlike then, this time… I could answer him.

“Commander…”