Episode 125

The Blessing of Terium —
it was a mysterious power passed down for generations within the seven founding families of the Empire.

First and foremost, the Blessing served as a symbol of a family’s headship.

Because it had been handed down through a long, prestigious history, it carried immense symbolic significance.

Occasionally, it even granted powers beyond human limits.

Some experienced a dramatic amplification of their supernatural abilities; others saw their aging halt completely.

There were also cases recorded in history where it granted extraordinary intellect or completely cured bodies weakened by illness.

Of course, such special manifestations didn’t happen to everyone — only a few individuals experienced them.

Those rare individuals were said to have been “chosen.”

The most recent person to be chosen by the Blessing was Thergon Drenihan.

Thanks to the Blessing, his already formidable supernatural abilities were magnified even further, and he was recorded in history as a great wielder of extraordinary power.

Aside from Drenihan, the other six Blessing holders — including the Emperor — had also inherited it, but no new “chosen” had emerged in the current era since Thergon.

What was Serkan hoping for, handing over the Blessing to his daughter?

“Could it be that he’s hoping for a miracle, like the case of the late Duke Millane, who recovered his health thanks to the Blessing?”

At one noblewoman’s whispered comment, another woman beside her nodded.

“Exactly. He cherishes his daughter dearly… but it seems even the wise Duke Serkan loses his sense when it comes to his child.”

While some murmured skeptically like this, the atmosphere was soon overwhelmed by cheers and congratulations, led by the vassal families under Drenihan.

“Congratulations on becoming the bearer of the glorious Blessing, Little Duke.”

“May the Blessing’s true selection find you as well!”

Either way, the conclusion was the same —
Sierra had become the bearer of one of the Empire’s seven most revered marks, and the resulting influence was undeniable.

Being beloved by both Thergon and Serkan, she was now, without a doubt, the most likely candidate to inherit the duchy.

Those who had initially gossiped soon hid their true feelings and gathered around Sierra and Serkan, offering their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Little Duke.”

“If you ever grace our Gazelle family with a visit….”

The crowd thickened rapidly, becoming increasingly noisy.

Just then, the soft classical music that had been playing throughout the hall shifted into a grand anthem.

Soon, the attendant’s booming voice rang out:

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, Her Imperial Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Prince are entering!”

Following that, the names of several other members of the imperial family were called, along with the names of their partners escorting them.

With the appearance of the royal family stepping onto the red carpet, the once-chaotic atmosphere quickly settled.

One by one, the people turned to pay their respects to the Emperor.

Among the royal procession, one woman caught everyone’s attention —
a stunning beauty with long, silver hair that seemed to have been cut from the moon itself.

Jenna was entering, escorted by Crown Prince Lucion.

The Emperor walked down the long carpet and stood before the throne, then spoke:

“As you all know, today marks the day when the first Emperor, Hertz, founded the Terium Empire.”

He smiled proudly and continued:

“In celebration of this joyful day, I intend to announce something of great importance.”

At his signal, an attendant beside him raised high an object they were carrying.

Resting atop the crimson velvet cloth in the attendant’s hands was a large, glittering gemstone clearly visible even from afar.

“That’s…!”

They were the ‘Tears of the Elements,’ the royal treasures that had also appeared during the gladiator tournament.

The spot where the Tear of the Sun once sat was empty — it had been awarded to Peter, the tournament’s victor —
but the remaining four gemstones still gleamed brilliantly atop the velvet.

The Tear of the Moon, the Tear of the Wind, the Tear of the Earth, and the Tear of the Water.

The dazzling colors of the gemstones momentarily entranced many in the hall.

Pointing toward the jewels, the Emperor declared:

“These ‘Tears of the Elements’ contain the fragmented soul of the Evil Dragon, Bergeus.”

At those words, the entire hall erupted in shock.

Until now, these jewels had been known simply as royal treasures —
no one knew they were sealing away the soul of the evil dragon.

“The reason the royal family kept this secret,” the Emperor continued, “was because these jewels are also the key to unlocking Bergeus’s seal.”

“…!”

“We feared that followers of the Evil Dragon might scheme to misuse them, so we kept it hidden for centuries.”

As the nobles murmured restlessly, the Emperor swept his gaze across them and said:

“At the same time, these gemstones are also the only way to utterly destroy the dragon’s soul.”

“By completely destroy… you mean…?” muttered Duke Selver nearby.

The Emperor answered:

“If even one of the fragmented soul’s sealing stones is shattered, Bergeus will be completely annihilated.”

“Then why didn’t you simply destroy them before?” another noble asked.

“It’s not so simple,” the Emperor said.
“Even if struck with steel or thrown into a blazing fire, they remained completely unharmed. No matter what was tried, not a single scratch appeared.”

He continued:

“Truthfully, the dragon’s seal had been weakening, and we didn’t know when it might break.
The peace we enjoyed was always only a fragile, half-peace.
But now — all of you, witness this!”

The Emperor raised the blue gemstone from the velvet, revealing a distinct crack running through it.

“The Tear of the Wind has been shattered.”

“……!”

“Your Majesty, that means…?”

“In honor of this Founding Festival, I declare to all —
the Evil Dragon Bergeus has been completely annihilated!”

The dragon that had been sealed beneath the lake for over a thousand years — destroyed.

It was almost unbelievable.

“Glory to Terium’s Blessing!”

With someone’s passionate shout, a wave of cheers erupted throughout the hall.

“Waaah!”

No one knew exactly how they had managed to crack the sealing stone —
but what mattered was that the Empire was now freed from the threat of the evil dragon’s return.

Relief spread across the faces of everyone present.

Everyone, that is, except Sierra.

“…….”

Sierra stared at the cracked gemstone held by the Emperor.

‘Just like in the novel.’

More precisely, the “novel” that was actually a prophecy.

The one who had shattered the sealing stone was none other than Jenna.

Having recognized Jenna’s formidable purification power, the Emperor had ordered her to try purifying the dragon’s sealing stone —
and shockingly, her power had worked.

The gemstone, which had withstood countless attempts to break it, cracked with a sharp splinter when Jenna’s power was poured into it.

It was the event that caused Jenna to rise swiftly in the Emperor’s favor.

She had resolved one of the Empire’s deepest-rooted concerns — how could he not adore her?

But…

‘Is it really broken?’

Sierra stared at the gemstone with suspicious eyes.

Though it was visibly cracked, something still felt off.

In the novel as well, it was mentioned that the evil dragon had been destroyed just like this —
but in the end, hadn’t it possessed Ludvig’s body and resurrected during the climax?

The nagging feeling of unease wouldn’t go away.

The excitement in the hall continued for some time, and in the lively atmosphere, as if celebrating victory after a great war, the banquet truly began.

Traditionally, the first dance of the Founding Festival belonged to the Emperor and Empress.
However, because relations between the two had not been very good lately, the Crown Prince was the one to open the dance.

Crown Prince Lucion strode confidently toward his partner.

“Jenna, may I have the honor of the first dance?”

As Lucion extended his hand with a charming smile, Jenna’s earlobes turned red.

It was as if her emotions were as transparent as a glass bead.

“Yes….”

Jenna shyly placed her hand atop Lucion’s.

The two of them naturally moved to the center of the hall and began to dance to the music.

Their breath mingled at a close distance, and eyes all around focused on the pair.

“The atmosphere between them is… quite intimate, isn’t it?”

“I guess the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?”

“You know, the one where His Highness the Crown Prince ended the engagement talks with the Princess of Debar because he’s deeply involved with Lady Selver!”

“My goodness, really?”

“After Lady Selver saved His Highness, they supposedly grew much closer.”

“Either way, they make such a stunning couple.”

As they said, Lucion and Jenna looked like a perfect pair —
a picture straight out of a painting.

The Empire’s ideal Crown Prince, revered by the people, and the beautiful noble lady who had miraculously returned after long being missing.

Even the circumstances that brought them closer together were dramatic,
as if scripted to perfection.

As the sweet sound of string instruments continued to fill the hall—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out, as if the heavens were collapsing.

“Kyaaah!”

“W-what’s happening?!”

In the chaos, as people instinctively ducked down, someone shouted:

“A monster gate!”

In the swirling air above them, a dark vortex twisted and churned.

And then — as if it were a nightmare — a massive monster emerged from the swirling gate.

KYAAAAAH-!

Its roar was enough to tear the eardrums, and several people collapsed, their legs giving way.

Monster gates were extremely rare occurrences, manifesting at random locations —
but for one to open inside the Imperial Capital was unprecedented.

“Kyaaaah!”

The monster moved with terrifying speed, before the knights could even react.

With a murderous aura radiating off it, the creature charged straight toward Sierra.

“……!”

“Sierra!”

Before Duke Serkan could even reach her, the monster lunged, aiming its attack directly at Sierra.