~Chapter 33~
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fist, staining the marble floor of the audience chamber.
Shaa… splat.
There was a groaning sound, mixed with the sound of water slapping the floor. It was “Moon Water” (Wol-su).
At that moment, a huge, strange black claw began to scratch the floor. The Moon Ghost had broken its restrictions and was revealing itself.
Tap, tap, tap—
Black puddles started to form on the shiny marble floor. The black void began to swallow the entire throne room where the emperor was. But the emperor didn’t even try to avoid it.
Hardin Lenister had finished making a dual contract with the master of the moon, the Moon Ghost.
The contract conditions were as follows:
Hardin Lenister, with the shaman Alexei Kansha as witness, would use the Moon Ghost bound to him in a master-servant contract to force open a dimensional gate.
Since opening the gate goes against the natural order, a toll is required.
The toll for opening the gate must be paid willingly by Hardin’s most precious person.
Closing the gate follows the natural order and requires no toll.
When the gate is opened, “it” is summoned. If the summoning or contract fails, the Moon Ghost and its master, Alexei, are not responsible.
Shaman Alexei Kansha was the witness. Hardin sacrificed the woman he loved most to the Moon Ghost that opened the dimension.
“To the master of the moon—I offer the body and soul of Lenister. In exchange, the wish I ask for is…”
Now it was Hardin’s turn to offer his own body and soul to “it.”
The summoning of the Archangel Enoch.
The emperor kept cursing at the silent, unfocused Hardin, not even noticing the black void growing on the floor.
Fwoosh!
Hardin closed his blue eyes as the strange shadow approached. The ritual had already begun. He had offered up his body as proof, and his mind as the sacrifice for the ritual’s conditions.
Swoosh—
Below the black void, countless blue eyes stared at Emperor Purka all at once. Then, as all those eyes closed,
The shadows whirled, sprouting black wings. The blinking of thousands of blue eyes created a massive blue eye on the floor.
Swish.
A strange blue eye rose, gazing deeply. Its gaze was fixed on Hardin Lenister, who had succeeded in summoning the archangel Enoch.
“My distant descendant, you are not even surprised to see me…”
The scriptures say that when archangels descend to earth, they always say, “Do not fear my appearance.”
The appearance made by the god Lana was noble and beautiful, but to humans, it would seem terrifying—closer to a monster than an angel.
So Enoch even worried, “What if my summoner dies of fright as soon as they see me?” If that happened, the summoning would be pointless.
“You’re so small…”
Even though Hardin was a tall man nearly 190 centimeters, the archangel thought he looked tiny and frail.
But this summoner showed no reaction at all. A thousand years ago, Enoch remembered, his namesake had raged and called him to destroy monsters, but Hardin was completely calm.
To call and see an archangel without any reaction—was this man really human?
Meanwhile, the Moon Ghost had already gobbled up its toll and fled.
No matter how strong the Moon Ghost, it was just an evolved ghost, while an angel is a sacred being—a much higher rank.
Especially, archangels are at the very top, almost like gods, so it made sense for the Moon Ghost to run away.
“Hmm…”
Archangel Enoch blinked his huge blue eye with boredom. It looked eerie, engraved alone on the floor.
“Are you really trying to save your son? You sacrificed your wife to open the dimensional gate. Your son is doomed to die in every timeline.”
“I know that much. But even so, I can’t accept it.”
“Very well… my descendant and mortal, I will collect the price for trying to defy fate from you…”
Hardin opened his eyes again, calm and emotionless. He could face the archangel without fear—he was already prepared for death, and perhaps by nature, he rarely showed surprise.
“With my life, I put the noose of death around Emperor Purka’s neck.”
At that moment, Hardin lost his sight. The huge blue eye on the floor flashed an eerie blue, twisting like a demon swallowing the sun.
“Emperor Purka… you took my bloodline, the child of Lenister…!”
His broken voice shook with anger. The blue eye, lifeless after the contract with the archangel, twisted with rage and malice.
“You’ll spend your whole life fearing the clear blue eyes of the Black Lion, and die that way!”
His voice was full of hatred and a terrible curse. Yet, as if nothing happened, Hardin bowed his head politely.
“May a horrible death fall upon Your Majesty.”
His body suddenly dropped to his knees, like a puppet whose strings were yanked. His movements were stiff and unnatural, but when Hardin opened the throne room door and left, he walked as he always had—steady and natural.
“Huff, huff…”
The emperor clutched his chest, gasping for breath. He couldn’t see anything, but the chilling presence almost stopped his heart.
“Ah… ugh… cough!”
The heavy air made him foam at the mouth, his whole body shaking. Later, even after faking Hardin’s death in a carriage accident, the emperor could never figure out—
—what that overwhelming presence was, at that moment, that day.
I opened my eyes.
It took a while to come fully awake, but my senses were clear.
Sunlight touched my eyelids. Far-off birdsong could only be heard if I listened closely…
Focusing on those things, I tried to move my fingertips.
“Uhh… uh…”
I finally managed to open my eyes and wiggle my fingers a bit.
Using the bed for support, I pushed up with my elbows and the balls of my feet. I finally managed to sit up and looked around the bedroom.
“My room…”
Like someone in a trance, I looked all around. There was nobody.
If I’d fainted, Edel or Buddy would have stayed by my side the whole time…
Even the butler or head maid, who rarely showed themselves, weren’t there.
‘Baron Roten wouldn’t come. Then what about Noah?’
Had Noah come while I was unconscious?
I wondered, but there was no way to know.
It had been a while since I last saw him.
‘When did I last see Noah? Oh, right…!’
I remembered seeing him swinging a sword at the training grounds on the hill.
We joked about seeing him, or seeing some handsome knight…
“Merlin called me, didn’t she?”
After chasing out the woman who played the madam at Leona Port…
‘I peeked into five-year-old Solia’s memories. After Alexei left… and then Solia died in a carriage accident.’
So, I thought about having someone check the records for visits to Hetty Village.
Of course, I didn’t have that kind of money, so it would have to wait.
Then, I beat up Baron Roten in the garden with an umbrella…
“Why did I faint, anyway?”
Did I hit Baron Roten too hard? Or did my emotions boil over and I short-circuited?
Living indoors so long, my stamina must have gotten weak. I sighed. This is why you need to exercise.
“…Ha, geez. I guess I’ll have to run at the training ground starting tomorrow.”
How many times have I fainted now? Even pulling the bell rope, no one came.
Maybe something happened in the mansion? I was hungry and really thirsty.
“It’s lonely with nobody around.”
The bed was still warm, as if someone had just been there.
I brushed the sheets with my hand, threw on a robe, and stepped into the hallway.
‘Maybe I’ll check the parlor? There’s always some water and snacks there.’
It was only after I stepped out that I realized I was barefoot. I tried to open the door again, but it wouldn’t open—maybe I hadn’t closed it right.
“Sigh… now even the door is giving me trouble.”
The carpet felt rough under my bare feet, so I stuck close to the wall as I headed for the second-floor parlor in the main building. I didn’t meet anyone.
Clack, creak—
I opened the door and frowned. The hinges squeaked, needing oil.
“This is the biggest, fanciest parlor in the mansion… but it’s not cared for at all.”
I shook my head at Baron Roten’s neglect and closed the door behind me.
Just in case, I locked the door and looked around. Luckily, there was water and dried fruit by the little kitchen, so I quickly filled my stomach.
“Huh? Was there a door over there?”
There were only two doors to the main parlor on the second floor:
one to the southern hallway, and a small one east to the kitchen.
To the north was a window.
To the west, there used to be a door, but Baron Roten had it walled up after buying the mansion.
“…But why is there a door on the west side?”
