November 29th, 523. Luzean Era
Cornelia Viscounty
***
Two days later, after the accident of the monster attack on the Town of Rhoda, by the leadership of Duke Clarence Devon Vernon, the town was stabilized. Baron Gredon, who was overseeing the city of Rhoda, was captured and sentenced to death on November 30th after shreds of evidence of using forbidden dark magic and even illegal slave trading were discovered after further investigations.
***
Ether burned down the report letter on her hand. She was sitting lazily on the sofa in her office. While Yu, who gave the report to her, was far from being happy at all.
"After you made a mess out there and came back here, you sent me to check on the progress of your mess. You're really unbelievable." Yu was seething with anger.
"There are ten boxes of macaroons in your room already."
"What macaroons?" Yu's eyes widened. "Argh. Stop it. Do you think you can bribe me and get away easily like that?"
"There are also chocolates and brownies that I bought from the town merchants that are already there."
"Oh, why didn't you say earlier?" Yu immediately dashed out of the room while Yu was gone. Ether's gaze fell upon the other report that Yu got for her.
***
Three years ago… on the 5th day of July, year 520… A nine-year-old girl was found dead on the outskirts of the Town of Rhoda. To outsiders, no one knew the identity of the girl. However, in further investigations, the girl's identity is Arcia Gredon, the only daughter of Baron Gredon. She had gone missing for a month until her dead body was found.
Scars and wounds covered her body. Later on, the baron found out that the perpetrator of his only daughter's death was the familial aunt and uncle on his deceased wife's side. They kidnapped his daughter for cutting ties with them due to their wasteful gambling addiction.
The baron paid assassins to kill them. But still devasted and couldn't accept his daughter's death. The baron turned to the forbidden magic of reviving dead people. However, it came with a price, along with the enslaved people, that caused quite a fortune.
The once-good baron turned mad in desperation to maintain the forbidding magic. Even the people considered him a trusted aid and friend, the Viscount and Viscountess of Cornelia…
***
"What a tragedy…. And the death of my supposed parents in this world is caused by him, huh." Ether burned the report once again with her own hands.
'However, dark magic is forbidden… How in the world did the Baron get his hands on something like that? Unless he met a direct follower of the late demon king….'
'Ruth, do you know something?'
However, there was no answer on Ruth's part. 'I guess she is too busy right now.'
"Well," a grin formed on Ether's lips. "At least with a lot of mystery in this new life, I guess I won't be bored for years to come." Her gaze turned to a subtle look as it landed on the bronze pot above the table in front of her.
She stood up and picked up the pot. In an instant, she disappeared.
***
The night was deep already. And the sky was covered with thick dark clouds. As if rain could fall anytime on the silent lands now.
It was the same view at the darkest and most notorious prison cells of the Kingdom of Avalon. The kingdom where Viscount Cornelia was covered.
The prison dungeon cells were found in Carmez, a city in the South that was a few weeks travel time if one would not use teleportation from Rhoda.
In one of these cells, the timid Baron Gredon was jailed. He was staring blankly at the gloomy sky from the only circular and bar window of his cell.
"Baron," his head turned around when he heard a familiar voice. A voice that he would never forget. The cause of her daughter's death. However, before he could even move, he felt something restricted him. He couldn't even speak a single word.
From the shadows of his cell, Ether emerged. The Baron looked at the guards outside his cell, but it seemed none of them noticed what was happening now.
"Don't bother," Ether said. "They were under an illusion and wouldn't notice us, no matter how much noise we make."
The Baron glared at Ether.
"I haven't introduced myself, right? I'm Ether Cornelia."
This time the Baron's eyes widened.
"That's right. I'm the daughter who lost her parents because of your selfish desires."
"So I have every right even to kill you right now," the Baron shuddered at the killing intent, Ether released. "But I won't do that."
Ether showed the pot she brought with her. "This contains the ashes of your daughter. If you promise me to answer one thing, I promise to give her a proper burial."
The Baron's eyes widened.
"I'll do something that you should have done long ago, Baron. I just need to know one thing, where did you learn the use of the Curse of Vernon?"
The Baron's eyes still held defiance.
Ether sighed. "I'll tell you this. The Curse of Vernon is a forbidden dark magic that doesn't revive the dead. When a certain amount of sacrificed lifeforce was met and put on an empty vessel, it only led to them being mindless monsters. And if one could not defeat that monster within a short span of time, they evolved into catastrophic demons that could destroy the whole country. Is making your only daughter a monster that destroyed a country something you wished for?"
Fear surged in the Baron's eyes as if he had finally returned to his senses. Then his head lowered down as if he was ashamed. This time Either released the restriction in his voice.
"They-they have a red mark of a headless dragon. I don't know what they are being called, but they are the ones who help me with the forbidden magic." The baron took a deep breath…
"I know, it's shameless for me to say this already. For everything that I have done, I'm sorry…."
However, when he raised his head, Ether was no longer there. The next day, the Baron was brought to trial and platform and was sentenced to death.
Everyone in the plaza, where the trial platform was located, watched as the executor chopped the head of the baron, leading to his death.