“Stay out.”
Garcia, who had been silently observing her loyal subordinate, stepped forward. This was a woman who even had the Emperor in her grasp.
Her subordinate’s pleas would barely register in her ears. A sigh slipped from Garcia’s lips as she approached Marina.
“Marina.”
“It is your duty to obey my command without question. Hurry up and bring him here.”
“Marina…!”
No matter if Garcia approached or spoke, Marina’s gaze was solely fixed on her subordinate walking towards the door.
Marina’s expression was resolute, as if she would hear nothing but an affirmative response regarding carrying out her orders.
“If you have any objections, you might as well return to your hometown and farm instead. I brought you someone capable of growing crops, and yet you dare to speak against me. How dare you question my orders. You wretched creature.”
“Marina, stop.”
Breathing heavily, Marina paused repeatedly to catch her breath. How could she attempt to breach the forbidden and, in return, find herself in such a state once more?
It was pitiful, watching Marina, who seemed to have forgotten her current condition, striving desperately in her malevolence. Beyond pity, a sense of disgust began to creep in.
How much more evil must this person commit to stop? Does this person even possess a sense of morality? Garcia’s once rigid expression began to warp slowly.
It seemed both pained and profoundly sad.
“Bring the child you found here quickly, Garcia. There’s no time. If we miss this opportunity, nothing we do after will matter.”
“……”
“Why are you silent? Cough, cough.”
Marina, leaning on her cane, swung it toward Garcia, who stood unmoving.
Though her gesture hardly posed a threat, she couldn’t swallow whatever was welling up inside her and spat it out instead.
With a painful cough, a thick, sticky liquid burst forth from Marina’s mouth, quickly filling the room with the stench of blood.
She had truly reached her limit. How much longer could her frail body endure the cost of this taboo?
How could only Marina refuse to acknowledge such an obvious reality? Garcia, managing to rid herself of disgust, faced Marina with sorrow.
“Bring the child! I said bring him!”
“……As you command.”
If he wouldn’t listen, someone else would take his place. Garcia had witnessed this scenario too many times. Abandoning her attempts to dissuade him, she signaled the doorkeeper beyond.
Creak. The door opened. Thud, thud. Heavy footsteps echoed through the quiet interior. The ones who entered were a large man and a small child who barely reached his waist.
“Is it a girl?”
The moment Marina confirmed the child’s appearance, a brief look of delight crossed her face before disappearing.
To think that she would see such a young and fragile life as nothing more than a means to achieve her goal.
Perhaps the only world left for her is one of hell. Or maybe, she’s already set foot in it. Garcia sighed deeply, feeling conflicted.
“She just turned six.”
The trusted subordinate, who had entered holding the child’s hand, left the child by Garcia’s side and stepped back.
Six years old. A child who should be growing up in the loving arms of her parents could only blink in confusion as she looked around the room.
“Marina, I warn you, committing another sin like this…”
“Come here, child.”
No one listened to Garcia’s words. Marina, who treated her as if she didn’t exist from the beginning, focused all her attention and gaze solely on the child.
The woman, who had hidden in the shadows to conceal herself, now deliberately ordered the lights to be turned on as she examined the child from head to toe.
A flawless, pure sacrifice. From her years of experience, she knew that the best fit for such a condition was a young girl. It would be even better if she were of noble birth, but in the current situation, she couldn’t afford to be picky.
Marina’s inspection of the child came to a halt. It was due to the small wounds on the child’s hands and feet.
“Didn’t I say it had to be a flawless child?”
Her breathing grew rough again. The requirement for flawlessness included the child’s appearance. However, the girl her subordinate had brought had injuries on her hands and feet.
It seemed the child had wandered barefoot somewhere on the streets, unable to afford even a pair of shoes.
Upon discovering the child’s wounds, Marina immediately resumed her vicious behavior.
“What do you expect me to do with such a filthy, wounded child? Idiots! Is there no one who understands the meaning of ‘without a single flaw’? It must be flawless, not even the smallest blemish…!”
Terrified by Marina’s crazed shouting, the child shrank back, retreating as she was held by the hand, until she eventually tripped over her own feet and fell backward.
“Get this filthy child out of my sight immediately!”
“Wah, wah!”
Finally, the child burst into tears. Garcia pushed aside the flustered subordinate, who was helpless against Marina’s tirade, and approached the child.
“Hush. It’s okay. There, there.”
But even his gentle voice couldn’t soothe the child’s sobbing. Most likely, it wasn’t Marina’s scolding but her grotesque appearance that frightened the child.
A strange figure that was neither human nor beast. The appearance of the ‘cursed one,’ seen for the first time in its life, could shock even an adult, let alone a child who had just turned six.
Holding the crying child’s hand, Garcia left the room. Behind him, Marina’s frenzied screams continued to echo outside the door.
Perhaps it was a blessing that this child had many scars. For both the child and Marina. The countless evil deeds already committed could never be undone. Paying the price for them was impossible.
Then, perhaps the best atonement one could achieve while still alive was to commit no further sins. Garcia tugged on the child’s sleeve and gently wiped the child’s face.
***
The sudden search by the Imperial Investigation Unit caused chaos in the Abun and Dives guilds.
Until now, they had avoided all investigations by relying on Grand Duke Toskur, so the guild leader expected the same this time. However, upon seeing the search warrant stamped with Grand Duke Albrecht’s seal, he was taken aback and collapsed in his seat.
A sharp-witted staff member, sensing the imminent arrival of the knights, quickly fled and dashed straight to Grand Duke Toskur.
“Abun Guild is under attack!”
Stilikov, who had initially dismissed the staff member’s report with a smile, claiming it was impossible, immediately wiped the smile off his face upon hearing that Grand Duke Albrecht had issued the search permit. He turned to Franz.
Franz, who had convened a meeting in preparation for the upcoming electoral vote, abruptly got up and rushed over at Stilikov’s report.
Fuming with rage, Franz headed to the office where key information of the Abun Guild was stored. As he feared, and as reported, knights adorned with golden epaulettes were ransacking the office.
It seemed their priority was to gather documents, as they indiscriminately swept up anything made of paper with ruthless efficiency.
“What are you doing?!”
Franz’s furious roar echoed towards the Imperial Investigation Unit. His shout was loud enough to shake the office, but none of the investigators looked intimidated.
“This is a permit issued by the head of the Imperial Investigation Unit, Grand Duke Albrecht.”
“Have I ever seen such insolence? Who dares to present such a piece of paper?”
Franz lunged forward, ready to tear the paper to shreds. However, the knight holding the search permit stood his ground, appearing completely unfazed.
“This is a permit directly issued by His Highness Grand Duke Albrecht. No one can invalidate this permit.”
“And you dare do so without paying homage to Grand Duke Toskur! Insolent scum!”
Stilikov interjected, blocking Franz, who was trembling with rage, and raised his hand instead. A sharp crack resounded through the office.
“You acting with force against me is also a disobedience to His Highness Grand Duke Albrecht, Advisor Stilikov.”
“Where does a knight get the audacity to—”
Stilikov raised his hand again, seemingly about to strike the knight. The knight, however, spat out blood, having bitten his lip from the force of the slap.
Despite the pain, he lifted his head and met Stilikov’s gaze directly.
“I tolerated it once, but I won’t remain silent any longer. His Highness Albrecht has entrusted me with authority, so any further use of force will be regarded as disrespect towards His Highness Albrecht.”
“Wha—”
Facing a knight invoking Karl’s name, Advisor Stilikov found himself at a loss for words. Unable to contain his anger, he bared his teeth as Franz pushed him aside.
