*
The time as a seed was not long.
This is because her parents, who did not even know her face, passed on her extraordinary talent to Helga.
He caught the eye of the Sword Saint along with Runea and was soon given a cloak and a sword with the Holy Cross emblem on it.
The knights muttered half jokingly.
Maybe within a few years, a knight who will succeed the Sword Saint will be born.
Those words provoked Helga.
Okay? Congratulations on becoming a promising knight. I heard that it is a very honorable thing to inherit the Sword Saint's castle?
After that day, the princess seemed to enjoy horseback riding and occasionally visited her stable.
Helga didn't know how she got here without so many people watching.
That was probably good.
Helga liked the endless secret love affair.
Because secretly spending special moments with a special person was such a stimulating thing for an adolescent boy.
The princess had no interest in horseback riding, which other female nobles enjoyed as a hobby.
She rode her horse wildly, like a monarch galloping across the battlefield.
Although she was clumsy at first, she soon became able to handle her words as well as most men.
To Helga, it seemed as if it was expressing her hidden desires.
Your Majesty, horses are clever animals. If the rider clearly gives an order, they will trust it and follow it, but if the rider gives an order sloppily, they will try to test it. So, you must handle the reins firmly and accurately.
You mean like this? I really don't know. Come along and let me know for sure.
The princess sometimes played pranks on Helga.
To see Helga in trouble.
At times like that, Helga tried to act calm and followed her orders.
Their hands overlapped as they held the reins together, and when the horse ran, their bodies collided with each other due to the recoil.
When Helga's hair brushed against hers, Helga had to endure the surge of lust that surged deep within her.
Even though she became a knight, the princess was not someone like him to be overlooked.
However, if she inherits the Sword Saint's surname, she may catch the princess's attention.
Helga thought so in her young mind.
By the time their meeting had passed the year and she had left her squire and officially become a knight, Helga, who had received congratulations from her princess, scratched her head and said,
Not just fame. It's like a knight's dream. Your Majesty, I will definitely inherit the Sword Saint Castle.
So, what are you going to do after that?
Well, that's...
The princess, who was walking around her riding range, sat down on the fence of her stable and asked him.
Helga couldn't bear to say that she wanted to have the princess by her side.
Unable to hide her emotions, the princess said something incomprehensible to the boy, whose face was turning red.
Can't we live without being crazy about something?
Helga was too young to know what she meant by those words, and all her nerves were taken away by the girl she was facing.
Her lips and breath coming closer.
The hands that reached out to get to know each other left a feeling of heat wherever they touched.
Only a little bit of hay covered her naked male and female bodies.
◈ Chapter 185 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
*
It wasn't difficult for even Helgar, who had just become a knight, to serve as the princess's guard.
Although there was strong support from the Sword Saint, the Knights of the Holy Cross avoided it because they feared they would be punished for being around a princess who had fallen off her strings.
So much so that the knight who was originally in charge held Helga's hand and expressed her gratitude.
Thinking back, the princess's temptation had political reasons other than fleeting emotions.
There was a lot you could gain by having a Knight of the Holy Cross, who was favored by the Sword Saint, by your side.
Runea, who was from the same orphanage, followed Helga and volunteered to be the princess's escort.
Helga tried to dissuade me, saying there was no need to follow me, but she still responded with a cold face.
I didn't follow her brother. She needed a place to stay in the palace, and a good place happened to be available.
Runea seemed to have decided that there was no better place than the palace to stay by the Sword Saint's side for a long time.
Even though she was not a blood relative, she may have become attached to the time they spent together.
However, she could not give in, no matter how much Runeara was like her younger sister.
Don't be obsessed with the sword.
The sword is just a tool; it is your body and mind that must move.
Geomseong stayed away somewhere and devoted herself to her training, occasionally showing up at the palace.
No one knew when or at what point she would come, but she showed up just in time of need.
Although she had little time to teach him her lessons, Helga broke through walls every time.
It only took a few years to go from a sword user to a sword expert.
If she hadn't been encouraged by those around her, she wouldn't have known it was such a big deal.
Still, I didn't know how to quench my crazy thirst.
The secret affair with the princess continued for several years afterwards.
Her escort duties were monotonous.
There was no way she was a threat to the palace, and other than occasionally going to the stables to ride her horse, the princess stayed in her room like a sinner and devoted herself to her reading.
Helga, who became her escort, served her by her side and often shared her body heat.
Before she knew it, she could draw her body even with her eyes closed.
But no matter how deep their relationship was, she could not have the princess.
Even if you whisper love.
Even though she gives her her pleasure.
Even if he opened his arms and hugged her, she would not allow him, her natural being, to go any further than that.
Unless you turn into a half hose.
You are trying to achieve something else with the sword.
If you do that, you'll lose them both.
One day, she said to Helga, who was training late at night, that the Sword Saint suddenly appeared.
Despite the Sword Saint's warning, Helga was confident that she could have both.
Because at that time, Helga was crazy.
Swing the sword
Only to become the princess's husband.
Connecting the Sword Saint's castle was only a tool for that purpose.
At some point, the driving force behind Helga became the princess.
Why do people become obsessed with things they cannot have?
The princess would sometimes blurt out words without context while reading a book.
Helga sometimes flipped through her books she was reading.
Politics, diplomacy, administration, law, economy, geography, history, religion...
Even Hellga, despite her ingenuity, knew what the books she read were used for.
From one to ten, it was the king's study taught by the monarch to his successor.
Is your obsession with becoming emperor?
You can't live without being crazy about something.
She definitely said that when she first spent time with the princess.
Just as Helga was crazy about her princess, she was also obsessed with something about her.
He guessed it was a brass crown.
⋯⋯No. I can't be.
Helga thought the princess's answer was strange.
When asked if she wanted to become one, the answer that she couldn't was completely inaccurate.
It is understandable if it was because of the emperor's child out of wedlock, but she was first in line to succeed, no matter what anyone said.
She also rode her horse and rode around the riding range, and no matter what anyone said, she was worthy of the status of a monarch.
Helga, who was by her side and supporting her closest, could tell.
She clearly covets her throne.
However, she was busy teaching her younger brother with the knowledge she had gained.
Sister, what did you learn and use this for? I can't become emperor anyway.
The princess's younger brother was immature.
He had no intention of learning, did not receive the blessing of mana, and had no ambition.
Helga evaluated him as a child who was lucky enough to be born as a prince, without any of the qualities of a monarch.
Helga could see it too, so there was no way she would have known it was the princess.
Compared to that, the princess was a giant who would lead the empire, no matter what anyone said.
There just wasn't the conditions to demonstrate her abilities.
Still, the princess showed utmost sincerity in teaching and caring for her younger brother.
As if taking on the role of a mother.
Why do you say I cannot become emperor? Your Majesty, there are many precedents for women becoming masters of the empire.
Although men are given preferential treatment as the masters of a family or country, it is not impossible for women to do so.
If the princess puts her mind to it, she can gain the upper hand.
Honestly, Helga didn't want her to become emperor.
If that happens, you will become someone who cannot be reached even if you extend your hand.
But she hoped that her dream would come true.
You will know when the time comes. Why can't I sit on the throne?
Even when Helga told her not to be annoying, the princess responded with a subtle smile.
It was after the empress' sudden suicide that I learned the reason.
The church discouraged the emperor from divorcing him.
He did not give in to threats to create a new religion.
Just before the situation reached its extreme, the empress eventually committed suicide.
There was no suspicion of murder.
Even if there was, I wonder if there would have been anyone who would have questioned it at the time.
The princess also declared that she clearly committed suicide, so it is unlikely that someone assassinated her empress.
In the church where her funeral was held, Helga saw the faces of the Emperor and Empress for the first time.
Although he served as her guard knight and served the princess for several years, they never once visited their child.
Up until then, to Helga, the Emperor was a scumbag who was so consumed with misbehavior that he even abandoned her children.
I'm sure you'll be happy on the inside.
How great it would be if the empress who was interfering committed suicide.
Helga, who was looking at the emperor with a crooked gaze, realized something unexpected.
The emperor was grieving more than anyone else present.
It was the image of a man who had lost his loved one.
Beside the Empress as she lay in her coffin, Helga looked closely at the Emperor as he approached her to bid her last farewell.
Then Helga faced her dragon eyes and felt an eerie sense of foreignness.
Even though she was his daughter, the emperor looked nothing like his princess.
It was a strange sense of distance that should not exist between her father and daughter.
We entrust your soul to the Lord and your body is buried in the ground. Dust returns to dust, ashes to ashes, dust returns to dust, but may our Lord resurrect you on the last day so that you may enjoy eternal life.
The moment the empress was laid to rest, her maid who followed her cried, and the prince also showed her tears.
But the princess did not cry.
He just glared at the coffin with a cold gaze from behind the veil.
The princess whispered to Helga, who could not hide her embarrassment.
Now you get it, right? I can't sit on the throne. Because he is not the emperor's child.
*
The Empress was a young lady from the Denac family, one of the five ducal families that existed in the empire at the time.
Because of her beauty, personality, and intelligence, she was chosen from a young age to be the wife of the former emperor, who was the crown prince at the time.
It was an arranged marriage arranged by her superiors, but it is said that the empress also liked her crown prince.
The meeting may have been unexpected, but their love at the time must have been sincere, the princess added.
On her Jubilee Day, the Empress pledged her eternal love to the Emperor, who was then the Crown Prince.
There was no room for political calculations in the pledge between the two young men and women.
However, they were not the adults who formed the relationship.
That was the seed of unhappiness.
I never had an empire after all!
However, the child who carries on my blood will become an emperor!
Obsession sometimes takes on twisted and ugly forms.
Before her first night together, the Empress's father, the Duke of Denark, raped his daughter.
The Empress, who was surrounded by her magicians and taken away from her father by her father, was a young child who could do nothing but cry at the time.
Having lost her virginity, she hid it for fear that the emperor would abandon her.
Even though she had seen the wizard's magic, she believed that she would not be able to get pregnant just once.
She didn't commit a crime, but she was just a foolish girl who ignored the tragedy that was about to unfold.
That night, the Empress became pregnant.
It is said that the emperor, who was the crown prince at the time, assisted the empress as soon as her official duties were completed.
When 10 months had passed, a baby girl was born.
She has black hair and black eyes, symbolizing the royal family.
As she lifted the child up, the former emperor wept for her joy.
Is this child truly the child of her disgusting father?
Is she or is she the child of the one she loves?
Either way was fine.
As long as you don't get caught.
Anyway, the duke family is a distant cousin of the first emperor, so he has black hair and dark eyes, so as long as he keeps his mouth shut, no one will know.
The empress deceived the former emperor like that, and it became a sin.
The second year later, the second child was born.
It was a ploy by the empress, who was afraid that her father's tricks would unfold again since the eldest daughter was her daughter.
This time, there was no doubt that it was the former emperor's child.
With this, her ugly father's plan to usurp the throne failed.
That alone made the Empress relieved.
You probably didn't know at the time that the tragedy was just beginning.
◈ Chapter 186 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
When the princess, who was her infant, began to speak well, the emperor at the time passed away.
Following the succession, the former emperor, who was the last born and only child, ascended to the throne and a new era began.
The Empress captured her beloved's coronation with her own eyes.
After completing his reign, he notices something strange about his daughter.
It was a minor thing at first.
Noticing that the princess mainly used her left hand, the former emperor raised his eyebrows and said,
This part resembles ice. Isn't it really difficult to fake blood?
The Empress's father, the Duke of Denac, was also famous for her left-handedness.
Although it was a story about traits inherited from one's mother's side, the Empress's heart sank.
A child's dominant hand has little to do with its parents.
Still, the Empress instinctively recognized whose seed her daughter was born with.
⋯⋯I need to fix it as soon as possible.
Water already spilled.
We've come too far to turn back.
In that case, we have no choice but to hide it completely.
The Empress must have made that promise as she bit her lower lip.
From that day on, the Empress severely disciplined her daughter to use her right hand.
It was close to his obsession with erasing the traces of the disgusting Duke of Denark who had raped him.
But as the emperor said, it was very difficult to deceive blood.
The child grew differently day by day.
The former emperor breathed a sigh of relief as the princess celebrated her fifth birthday.
This is because once her child safely reaches the age of 5, the probability of her sudden death decreases significantly.
However, as her daughter grew up, she became very different not only from the emperor but also from her younger brother.
The princess and the prince, aren't they so different? Personality and appearance...
Shh! What if someone hears this? Then you want your head to fly off?
No, no matter what, it's strange that he resembles His Excellency the Duke of Denark more than His Majesty.
There is a saying that it is an atavism. Since he is still young, his maternal side appears to be strong.
Duke Denark's face became more prominent as the days passed by the princess' appearance, to the extent that even the maids who occasionally saw the emperor's bloodline felt that way.
The lines of the nose, eyes, and lips were too thick to be said to belong to the von Oxburg family.
It would have been difficult to recognize that she was the former emperor's daughter if she had not been told that she was his father.
Well, our daughter looks more like Duke Denark than us.
Haha, Your Majesty. Are you jealous that Your Majesty follows me more?
Until then, the emperor did not think much of it.
He married the daughter of the Duke of Denac, so it is no wonder that the child she gave birth to resembles the Duke of Denac.
It was Duke Denark's actions that aroused suspicion in the former emperor.
Duke Denark's attitude when dealing with the princess and the prince was noticeably different.
The duke treated the princess as if she were her parent.
Whenever he saw the two of them together, the former emperor's body was filled with twisted emotions of unknown origin.
Could it be that the princess is really Duke Denark's child?
At some point, the former emperor had been suspicious of that.
Not long after, the moment came that turned that doubt into certainty.
Your Majesty, the Empress's bedridden mother would like to see her daughter one last time before she breathes her last.
⋯⋯That's what I'll tell you.
Although the Duchess of Denac was lying in a hospital bed, she was not a patient today or tomorrow.
It was an excuse, but it was insincere.
Looking back, the Duke of Denac tried to call the Empress to his home several times.
The former emperor thought it was a parent's desire to see their child, but what bothered him was the empress's attitude.
Your Majesty, since I am an outsider, I will not return to my home unless something serious happens.
The former emperor believed that the empress' words were a political decision to exclude her maternal relatives from holding and wielding power.
However, as the years passed, the Duke of Denark's request became more difficult to refuse, and the more the Empress did so, the more strongly she expressed her opposition.
The emperor guessed that there must be something hidden.
Still, since the duke asked me to do so, how about I go visit him? This time, I will go with you.
⋯⋯Then do it.
When the former emperor said he would accompany her on a vacation, the empress could no longer refuse.
The Duchy of Denark warmly welcomed the emperor, who brought his children with him.
During the few days the emperor stayed, a festival was held at the duke's residence.
The Emperor, who was having a drink with the Duke, clearly felt the Empress's cold gaze turning towards her father.
With that, the former emperor was convinced.
She knows that the Empress has her own secret.
And the emperor, without knowing why, was overcome by the urge to know.
That night, the former emperor, who had been watching the situation while pretending to be asleep, witnessed it with the help of an assistant.
The scene where the Duke of Denark tries to rape the Empress.
If you even touch my body, I will reveal my past denials. I am no longer the child I was that day.
Then I will understand better. What happens to you if you reveal that denial?
⋯⋯.
There is no time. This is all because you gave birth to a daughter. Atone for your sins.
Through the gap in the door, the former emperor saw and heard unspeakable injustice.
Captivated by shock and anger, he cut the duke's body to pieces with a sword on the spot.
That night, the former emperor, covered in blood, heard the entire incident from the empress, who was trembling with her head down.
The former emperor is said to have said this with colder eyes than others.
I know you are a victim too. Still, I can't forgive you.
Eventually, death descended on the Duchy of Denark.
The justification was that they had guarded the house with the power of the empress, but high-ranking nobles with sharp ears knew the reason.
Anyone with the Dnak surname could not avoid it.
Although that didn't relieve the emperor's anger.
It is said that the former emperor, who erased the principality from the map, has never visited the empress since then.
The princess and the prince, whose children were unknown, were also abandoned.
No, it would have been better if I had been abandoned.
Her children had to endure all kinds of evil by the side of the empress, who had lost half of her mind.
Because you were born! If it weren't for you!
Most of the Empress's anger was directed at her daughter, and it was a harsh punishment for her daughter, who was less than ten years old.
Still, the few who knew the full story of her case did not sympathize with the princess.
It is a sin that is not only born through incest and rape, but also grew up as a result of corruption.
Because to them, the princess was that kind of person.
Do you understand now? Why did Her Majesty take her new wife and try to divorce the Empress?
Helga, who heard the inside story from her princess' mouth, could not keep her mouth shut.
The Emperor can no longer trust the Empress, and he cannot tell whether the Empress and the Prince are his children or not.
To prevent the Duke of Denac's disgusting plans, he took a new wife and had children.
Instead, he attempted to divorce the Empress so that she could live freely outside of her palace.
When her church opposed it, the empress, unable to bear to live by the emperor's side because of the mistakes she had committed, committed suicide.
Her mother was stupid. If she had reported it to His Majesty right away after it happened, her tragedy could have been prevented. Well, thanks to that I was born.
The princess continued her story as if it were her own business.
Unlike her calm self, Helga felt like her stomach was turning.
Or even if Her Majesty had found out the whole story, she should have clung to her mother while her heart remained. I am not Your Majesty's child, but I should have cried out that my second son is your child. If that were the case, Her Majesty would not have taken a new wife.
How can the princess talk so casually?
What happened between the emperor and empress was clearly a tragedy.
The Empress, unable to deal with the duke's sins, became an accomplice against his will, and the emperor had no choice but to punish them.
So what on earth did the princess who was conceived in him do wrong?
She shouldn't have committed suicide. The Emperor was not cool enough to reveal the Empress's sins, and since her church opposed her divorce, she should have gone out shamelessly. If that were the case, at least...
Majesty.
If that were the case, at least we would have been able to find a way out politically. We also need to think about the hardships of being hit by a new wife's backlash...
Majesty.
Why do you keep calling me, Helga? If you keep interrupting while talking...
Your Majesty did nothing wrong.
⋯⋯.
Your Majesty did nothing wrong.
Helga could only whisper as she hugged the princess's neck from behind.
Because all he could do was hold on to her sagging breasts.
The princess said as she stroked Helga's arm.
⋯⋯I know. Still, I can't become emperor. Because I can't make my real father's disgusting dream come true. But not my sister. That child is Your Majesty's child, and he is rightfully qualified to challenge the throne.
It was only then that Helga realized why the princess was so obsessed with her younger brother.
Why did she take full responsibility as his parent, learn the art of kings, and teach it to him?
Even if I can't become him, I plan to make my younger brother an emperor.
The princess added, "I am the only one responsible for the incomprehensible tragedy."
Helga did not see the princess's actions as words of such sympathy.
It was rather an obsession.
It was a maddening desire for her younger brother to make her dream come true for her.
In this world where she couldn't live without going crazy, the princess was crazy about her younger brother.
◈ Chapter 187 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
*
The marble quickly took away the emperor's body heat.
The blood-soaked carpet was as cold as ice.
Only the dagger stuck in his thigh made him realize that he was still alive.
The crown flowed down his face.
Even at the moment when consciousness was lost, the emperor rewrote it.
As if losing everything wouldn't work.
"Helga⋯⋯Centle⋯⋯."
In the end, it was his sister's escort driver who came to save him at the last moment.
I gave up everything to keep the will of the person I served.
Then, later, he became an unlucky knight who was abandoned even by the emperor.
It was like that then too.
A palace where many people come and go.
At that time, the only people he could trust were his sister, Helga, and Runea.
Among them, his sister was no different from her mother who raised her after being abandoned by her parents.
After her head grew, he realized why the Empress had abandoned him and her sister.
A witch whom the Lord would disown, a seed whose birth was disgusting.
He paid no heed to the nicknames secretly given to the princess.
At least unlike the Empress, his sister was always devoted to him.
Because he taught me everything I needed to live as an emperor.
Even though he was abandoned because of it.
-Kaang!
-Kagagagak!
Auror clashed with Auror and clocks fluttered.
The hazy consciousness whirled and took the emperor back in time.
No, looking back, his sister didn't teach him everything.
He thought his sister was wrong about what an emperor was.
A period not long after his mother's death.
The palace was noisy due to the former emperor's remarriage, and his sister and he were curled up in a corner of the palace like abandoned luggage.
There were several assassination rumors.
Silver utensils changed while stirring the tea, and someone came to see them at night and threatened them.
Even though Helga and Runea came forward, they were unable to catch the culprit.
Assassination is not easy in the palace.
However, if it was simply to scare, it could have been done more easily and without leaving any traces.
The new wife must be behind it, his sister said.
So what should I do next?
You must not run away. It's more dangerous outside the palace than inside. So you should become emperor.
On the day the Empress was enshrined, he cried in his sister's arms, and she said to him:
He didn't ask.
Why is it me and not my sister?
The reason is because even though she did not want it, she was aware of the original sin she was born with.
He just hugged his sister tightly in his arms without answering.
"It's warm..."
His hands fell to the floor.
Has a lot of blood been lost or is poison spreading?
The emperor's breathing continued to grow fainter.
Helga dealt with Erzi and examined the emperor's condition.
The blade stuck in his thigh must have been coated with poison, which is often used in the dark.
It wasn't difficult for him to decipher, but it wasn't easy for him to approach with Erzi in front of him.
"You probably don't have time to worry about anyone else right now."
In the darkness, a dagger with an eerie edge was aimed at Helga's abdomen.
Helga said with a bitter expression on her face as she barely managed to swat it away.
"The capital may be blown up soon. Why waste each other's time?"
"No matter what, you have to finish your work. Even though you ran away."
A heavy sword with an aura in its right hand.
In his left hand is a dagger coated with poison.
It was the Ambu's basic dual-wielding sword technique.
Helga looked at Ergy's aura facing her.
It was still clumsy, but the mana was clearly forming a thin layer as if the moonlight had been cut with a sword.
Although I am not a sword master, I have reached the level right under my chin.
Even as a sword expert, there was no chance of victory.
"⋯⋯ She was hiding her skills last time."
"Deception is the basis of the dark side."
Helga drew out even more mana as the Auror's stiffness seemed as if it could cut with a sword.
"I know the situation roughly. Homun took advantage of surgery and took over the dark department. But the Great Devil's plan went awry! So there's no need to follow the Great Devil anymore!"
"No! You don't know anything! The humiliation and suffering we went through after you ran away!"
There was mana in the voice.
A ringing pierced her chest.
Helga had no choice but to keep her mouth shut due to that cruelty.
"I don't care about the empire or the revolution! My only goal is to keep my comrades safe! I will give everything for that!"
Why do people become obsessed with something?
Even though I knew the tragedy that would end in that obsession.
Helga pursed her lips.
"Die, traitor."
Ergy's auror digging into Helga's sword.
At the moment when it seemed like her sword would be cut, Helga's eyes glowed unusually blue.
The Emperor placed his head on the stairs and looked at Helga, his vision blurring.
An old relationship that has now become the knight of his arch-enemy, Bjorn de Jevietz.
There was no need to question why they were trying to save me.
Because Björn's name will be clear.
When the emperor looked at the child, he somehow looked like his sister.
Like Bjorn, the princess overcame her fate of being abandoned by her family and spread her wings.
The emperor, who was in the arms of his princess at the time, thought it was impossible.
No, looking back now, the odds of success were extremely slim.
The new wife, who is favored by the emperor, is also the daughter of a duke's family.
There was nothing the dead empress's children could do, bereft of her maternal relatives and the emperor's affection.
It is common for people to be sold by marrying someone of noble blood from a foreign country.
It would have been best if he had been given a remote city and become the owner of the principality.
But the princess was different.
Every moment of her career, starting from the social world, was unconventional.
At first, it was just a beautiful ornamental bird.
However, she soon rose to prominence in administration and began to become involved in politics.
She took advantage of the consideration of the emperor, who felt sorry for her empress.
She stimulated the subtle gap between the three ducal families.
She also gathered the vassals who followed Denark, even if they were remnants, and rallied her forces.
The new wife becomes the eye of the typhoon and takes control of the political situation without any effort.
It was only about two years after the Empress died.
After her performance to a certain extent, the princess retreated behind her and made secret plans using her younger brother's name, but the ducal families that were at loggerheads with her were targeting her.
Either kill them, or get on the same boat.
The first to move was the weakest, the Duke family.
Your Royal Highness, the von Loren family will follow you.
By joining forces with Duke von Lorraine and the vassals who followed the Denac family, the princess gained a strong political foundation.
That day, his sister spoke confidently in front of the emperor.
Your majesty. No matter what anyone says, Drich is Your Majesty's child. Please give my younger brother back the rights he deserves.
Will it lead the empire into civil war?
Or will he pass on the throne in keeping with tradition?
After much agony, the former emperor eventually crowned Drich as crown prince.
Since the old laws were followed, political offensives were impossible even if dissatisfied.
However, political offensive was not the only way for the new wife and her family to oust the crown prince.
The emperor has been assassinated!
The culprits are the Prince and Duke von Lorraine! Catch it!
The glass decorating the palace ceiling broke and flames erupted.
Yes, it was exactly the same as it is now.
It was difficult for Drich to tell whether the thoughts flooding her mind were recollections of the past or reality.
In the dimly lit flames and smoke, Helga also remembered that day.
The old past, when a new wife led her family's knights and took control of the palace.
What do you plan to do after your Royal Highness becomes emperor?
On the day when the prince was appointed as her successor, Helga asked her princess.
The princess smiled faintly and said.
I have to wait until you take over the Sword Saint's Castle. After that, let's ask Drich to create a principality in the outer city. There, you can escape from that damn palace and live happily.
⋯⋯I have to hurry up and do it.
If it's too late, they'll just take you away, so you better hurry, right?
Her dream of becoming an emperor could not be achieved.
Because of the sin of her birth.
In that case, Helga was going to do her best so that she could at least live happily for the rest of her life.
But even that was not allowed for the princess.
Why was the emperor assassinated and not the crown prince?
This was due to their ambition to devour the empire themselves rather than intervene in the fight for successor.
That action, which was almost like a gamble, worked through the luck of the heavens.
Duke von Lorraine and the princess were not prepared for the drastic and sudden movement.
It takes time for support to arrive! It's not enough for us to stop!
The Knights of the Holy Cross are coming.
As her shouts and heavy steps approached, the princess spoke to her sister.
In a calm and warm tone as usual.
What they're after is the crown prince. I won't worry about it because I can just sell it. So, Drich, change your clothes with me and run away. If it splits in two, it will target me disguised as you.
In an urgent situation, the princess changed her clothes with Drich.
At that time, Helga tried to stop her.
I'm going to find a way to survive somehow.
So please don't do that.
However, the words she spat eventually broke me down.
Helga, please let her be crown prince for the moment she dies.
◈ Chapter 188 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
Helga knew from the moment she saw her galloping around the riding range on her horse.
She knows that she was born with the qualities of a monarch, and that she will eventually die as a monarch.
It's a fate that can never be resisted.
The princess, dressed as a man in Drich's clothes, ran into the palace.
She clearly meant to be the bait.
As she expected, the enemies concentrated their firepower to surround the princess rather than the cross-dressing prince.
The sight of her walking away with a reassuring smile was the last thing Helga remembered of the princess.
The princess ended her life as the heir to the throne.
The moment she died after being stabbed with a spear knife, was she happy that her dream had come true?
Even Helga couldn't know that.
Your Majesty, please become a saint and lead the empire.
The princess's will was engraved like a curse in the hearts of those who remained.
It became an obsession and entangled Helga and Drich.
Her new wife and her in-laws' gamble ultimately failed.
They might have caused chaos in the palace and killed the prince, but their crime was bound to be discovered when they missed it.
Unable to avoid the eyes of the secretaries and the Knights of the Holy Cross who suspected the real culprit of the emperor's assassination, they fell away from being the rightful successors.
Naturally, the central region was embroiled in civil war.
The new wife's family and the von Lorraine family support the Crown Prince.
A third family intervened to mediate the situation.
Three flags symbolizing the dukedom were spread throughout the empire.
Nobility of the Oxburg Empire had to take a side.
On that battlefield, Helga was at the forefront and crushed Drich's enemies.
Inheriting the Sword Saint's last name and thus becoming the princess's husband.
She failed to give her the rest of her happy life.
Still, I wanted to fulfill her will.
He didn't sacrifice himself for that.
Having lost his sister, Drich went crazy.
He couldn't even wear his clothes properly, and he became more and more exhausted day by day.
Helga just silently helped the twisted Drich.
Because she believed that one day she would break out of her cocoon on her own.
Because it has to be that way.
This all happened because the emperor was powerless.
We must weaken the power of the nobility by eliminating private armies.
If we change the country to one where the emperor is the state, tragedies like this will not happen again.
Soon the emperor broke his own limitations and fabled.
Forgetting the innocence of his childhood, Drich did not hesitate to do anything to become emperor.
Maybe it was my fault for not properly restraining her at that time, Helga thought.
He has never regretted it.
What she pledged to her.
He has never regretted it.
The day she left her palace and left her.
The emperor must have been like that too.
It's just that the directions she took to continue what she left behind were different.
The rebellion that disturbed the capital ended with the victory of the crown prince's faction.
This is because the situation was turned upside down by the joining of the Knights of the Holy Cross and the Magic Brigade, who held the new wife responsible for assassinating the emperor.
Drich skewered the former emperor's new wife to death and beheaded his half-brother.
The maternal duke's family, which had caused chaos in the empire, was not only exterminated, but even its records were destroyed.
It was a mercyless hand.
Tyrant.
That's what the public called Drich, who was coronated on a pile of bones.
Heedless of the public's glare, Drich, who became emperor, laughed like crazy as soon as he put on the golden crown.
Like a clown who wants someone to look at him.
Only Helga could understand his feelings there.
*
The war left scars.
To the Empire and to Helga.
He, who faced death at every moment regardless of his body, was sentenced to death as a knight.
Dantian was seriously injured.
I've finished treatment, but I don't know what will happen next.
I think we'll have to wait and see how it goes.
Not long after the coronation, the magic tower lord spoke to Helga.
Helga recalled the warning that the Sword Saint had given her in passing when she was young.
You are trying to achieve something else with the sword.
If you do that, you'll lose them both.
His words finally became reality.
For Helga, the sword was just a tool.
How could such a person inherit the castle of the Sword Saint?
He pondered that this was probably a natural result.
But although his life as a knight may be over, he still had unfinished business.
Your Majesty, please become a saint and lead the empire.
Drich still had many enemies.
In the chaos, there were evil people hiding who wanted his life, and the remnants of the rebels were also waiting for an opportunity.
Helga had to assist him.
So he chose.
I decided to become an undercover.
Torn and covered in blood, Helga accepted an ancient ritual that felt like torture.
To stabilize the imperial power, Helga worked in the darkest places.
Kidnapping, torturing, and killing according to orders.
It doesn't matter whether it's a child or a woman.
If it becomes a weakness for the enemy, brand it so that it cannot be attacked.
If they are useless, kill them brutally and instill fear.
There were no more children who were just lucky enough to be born a prince.
There is only a tyrant who annihilated all ducal families except the von Loren family and united the empire.
Because she thought that was the path the princess wanted, Helga simply followed orders.
Your Majesty, please become a saint and lead the empire.
There was no end to those who would kill or disturb the empire.
No, maybe it was the emperor who was disrupting the empire.
Eventually, the emperor extended his arms even to the allies who had united the empire together.
Helga lived in the darkness and killed one by one her comrades who once fought together.
At some point, slaughter became a tiresome repetitive task for Helga.
Helga didn't worry about what she was doing or whether this would improve anything.
A puppet who lives by the princess's will.
Before I knew it, I had developed a crazy obsession with just walking in the direction pointed by a broken compass.
It was nothing more and nothing less.
Why do people become obsessed with things they cannot have?
And what on earth is at the end of that obsession?
It was around that time that I met Erzi.
To him, who had been nominated for the position of head of the cancer department thanks to the emperor's strong trust, Erji, who had just completed surgery, was no different from a newborn chick.
The mission that brought him out was to place the blame on a certain noble.
He had to kill several innocent people for political maneuvers.
Erji dropped the bloody dagger and muttered in fascination.
Do you do this every day?
⋯⋯Okay.
How on earth can you not fall apart?
Well, maybe it's already collapsed.
What should I do from now on?
The immature rookie's complaints were particularly piercing that day.
Enough to make you crazy.
Helga clearly remembered what she consoled her that day.
If so, think about your surroundings. A loved one, family member, or colleague around you is also good. If you can use something as a compass, it won't fall apart.
My compass is broken, but yours may be different.
Helga swallowed her words.
The emperor could not stop.
He eventually decided to put a leash on Duke von Lorraine as well.
Helga followed the emperor's orders and followed his daughter, who had recently been active in the capital as an astrologer.
At first, it was a simple order to find out if the rumored princess had any contact with the devil cult.
Helga readily accepted the mission, not knowing in which direction it would twist her life.
The duke's daughter is an astrologist. It seems that the life of a nobleman was boring and unsatisfying.
Although it subsided somewhat during the war, some nobles built small houses in their homes and worked in the fields to experience the life of commoners.
For some, it was a miserable life, but for them, it was just a moment of entertainment.
Helga thought that this princess would definitely be that pathetic type.
The princess she encountered was a completely different person than Helga expected.
With the curse of her mana in her eyes, she was doing her astrology to get revenge on her father who abandoned her.
As Helga watched her, she remembered the princess who had been sleeping far away in her memory.
She was also born with black hair, dark eyes, a tomboy, and a tragic fate.
Even the fact that she tried to twist that fate and find her way out.
Every moment of her tailing him, Helga was reminded of her day in her palace.
The princess had a talent for bewitching people.
It had nothing to do with the devil's curse.
With her eyes filled with the curse of Mana and her wit of speech, she stole a huge amount of money from the purse of a high-ranking official.
At times like that, Helga hid in the dark and laughed under her breath.
It was a smile I hadn't seen in a long time.
After a short period of following her, Helga reported to the Emperor.
Your Majesty, we have been unable to find any connection between the Princess and the Demon Cultists.
⋯⋯Then disguise it like that.
Emperor's name.
A word he has followed countless times since he took the throne.
But for some reason, Helga could not follow that command.
I have done many things that cannot be forgiven.
If I had wanted to go against her orders, I might have done so.
Wasn't it your will not to put it on even once?
But why are you hesitating now?
Your Majesty, please become a saint and lead the empire.
At that time, the compass that Helga held in her heart moved once again.
An old relic that I thought was broken.
That day, Helga betrayed the Emperor.
Instead of leading the princess into her trap, Della revealed to her the story of her fall from her emperor.
Okay. But I'm not worried.
Princess Della did not seem surprised by the sudden visit of an agent from Ambu.
She spoke to Helga, smiling like a princess from a long time ago.
You will be my knight and help me. There's nowhere to go now, right?
Perhaps it was from then on that Helga began to keep her princess's will.
◈ Chapter 189 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
The princess always read books.
There was always a novel on her desk.
It was the story of a hero king who bought time for the Lodal tribe to evacuate from a demonic invasion in Homeland.
Helga did not ask what kind of emperor she wanted to be.
Because I know that it is an act of hurting someone who cannot be there.
Also, without her asking, I knew what her ideal dream was.
That was the exact opposite direction that Drich was pursuing.
Helga finally noticed it while running far away.
I hoped the emperor would realize that too.
Della von Loren. I pledge my allegiance to you with my body and soul. My sword is yours, and my loyalty is directed only to you. Your enemies will all disappear before me.
Pledge of Allegiance.
This is not something that one engineer can do for a few people.
But Helga was no longer a knight, and Princess Della needed his help.
Just like the princess did in the past.
The princess smiled brightly with her blue eyes and happily accepted her stray dog.
However, the princess did not know.
That her vow was not directed to her, but to her Helga, to herself.
Helga cannot change the Emperor or lead the Empire.
In that case, at least the girl born with this tragic fate will be protected.
I won't lose it like I did then.
He promised so.
The dark lady came to visit us a few times.
Their movements were directed towards Helga, who had suddenly betrayed her, rather than towards Princess Della.
Why did you betray me?
The person who came out of hiding and stood in front of him was Erji, who had just taken off his rookie shirt.
He shouted, twisted with unbearable anger.
The betrayal of a trusted boss seemed to be something that was still difficult for him to deal with.
My compass moved again. I plan to keep it this time. Would you like to speak to His Majesty? Please think carefully about the last words that Her Majesty the Princess left behind.
Helga left a strange remark to him, who had not yet seen the time.
Ergy. You too must find your own compass. You are not suitable for Ambu.
Since then, the emperor has not sent Ambu.
Drich tolerated his betrayal.
It was a bland ending considering the risk of death.
Helga hoped that Drich might have remembered the princess's will at least a little, but more than that, it was probably due to the political judgment that it would be difficult to hastily mess with Helga, who was attached to the von Loren family.
That's how Princess Della escaped the crisis.
She vowed never to see the emperor again.
That was the reason why he followed the princess to the north.
For that to be the case, we are already at odds.
With her last breath, the Princess asked Helga to give her her own child.
It was a pledge of loyalty rewritten over and over again.
There was no problem with using it one more time.
Still, Helga knew then that this would be the last time.
This child will never live an easy life.
Just like any other lord he served.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to end her life protecting this child in the North.
That's what Helga thought after hearing the whole explanation from Canniel, who was the Marquis of the De Jeevitz family at the time.
However, Björn defied all expectations and changed the world.
Unlike his harsh words, he saved countless people with his merciful actions.
The story of a hero king who remained until the end in Homeland.
Helga remembered the novel on her desk.
Perhaps Helga ended up swearing sincere loyalty to the child who was living the life the princess had longed for.
"You're holding out for quite a long time."
Between the swords lies life and death.
The person holding the weapon always gave one of two things to the enemy.
As if they had the power to make a sentence that cannot be undone even if one regrets it.
Helga was like that, and Erzi was probably like that too.
And the sword was pointed at someone he once worked with.
"But this is the last time."
Smoke billowed out, and the heat of the flames made my skin tingle.
There was no time for each other.
Mana flowed from Erji's body.
The intention was to end it with the next blow.
Helga straightened her sword.
Fate once again brought him before the emperor.
Although he didn't choose it, when he met the emperor again, he was already on the side of destroying the empire.
The emperor also became a completely different person from what he remembered.
In the end, the emperor became a monster oppressed by his obsession with his sister.
"⋯⋯Your Majesty, I am once again protecting you."
Nevertheless, Helga returned to the palace to save the emperor.
Like an old scar throbbing.
Old memories led him here.
"But this time, it is not the princess's will or His Majesty's command. It is Bjorn's mercy."
Helga's eyes glowed blue with mana.
Erji and his Shinyoung briefly overlapped.
An eerie sound of something piercing was heard next.
Wow.
Blood spilled on the marble.
The person whose posture collapsed was Erji, the head of the cancer department.
"W-what the hell is this...?"
Erji, who was pushing Helga with his deadly spirit, was pierced through the abdomen by a sudden accident.
A collapsing body and a lowered view.
Meanwhile, it was Helga's aura that caught his attention.
Mana thinly layered as if sliced by moonlight.
It was clearly proof that the user was a sword master.
"You are not the only one who cursed me during the surgery."
Helga looked down at Erji while shaking off the boiling blood that touched the auror.
Those who decide to become undercover undergo surgery to master the art of hiding.
However, that stealth technique is a deteriorated version of the power possessed by the great demon of darkness, Homun.
In return, you get a curse that blocks the growth of your dantian.
Helga thought.
Even after undergoing surgery, Erzi achieved growth in his short leg.
Is it because of Homun's consideration?
That can't be possible.
Since they are shackled, there is no way they can be released.
If so, it means that Erji himself found a way to break the curse.
It wasn't difficult to guess what it was.
"The curse of the Homun is to put a barrier on the Danjeon and stagnate growth. In that case, you just need to achieve remarkable growth at once to break through it. Just like you did, Erji."
It is not impossible if you grow your body sufficiently to withstand the mana and then expand your dantian all at once.
In particular, if he wasn't so strong during surgery like Erji, he would have been able to perform it relatively easily.
"But you wouldn't have been able to grow up so easily."
Helga was already an advanced sword expert at the time of surgery.
For that to be possible, one had to have at least the body of a Sword Master.
Paradoxically, it was a state that was impossible without the growth of Danjeon.
Instead, there was a way to replace it.
"I have a master who can make that possible."
The fire that dwells in Björn's body.
It was the power of God that burned even curses.
In addition, through Jin's delicate manipulation, Helga erased the Homun's curse.
Of course, it goes without saying that he had to risk his life.
It's been a long time since dantian and curse were combined.
This healed the damaged dantian, but there is no guarantee that you won't die when it is removed.
Are you still going to do it?
Helga nodded her head despite Jin's words.
I promised myself.
From now on, I will never lose someone precious to me.
Jin removed the curse stuck on his Danjeon.
At the same time, Helga absorbed mana from her grown body.
If Dantian had not been able to push away the curse, he would have died.
Fortunately, his body, which was once considered capable of succeeding the Sword Saint's surname, made his wish come true.
Sword Master.
Helga has reached the point where she once risked everything.
"You deceived me from beginning to end..."
The sword fell and made a loud noise.
Erji fell down, clutching his long cut abdomen.
"It's a deception... That's what I'll tell you, Erzi."
Helga walked towards him and knelt down on his knees.
"Duke von Loren, the Emperor, and even the Great Devil have all been played into your hands."
"⋯⋯Since when did you notice⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"Since the time when we were chasing down the Rob Alliance, when you let go of Bjorn."
That's not all.
Erzi had several opportunities to turn the situation around.
Every time, Erji pretended to be incompetent and didn't move.
Helga knew the reason.
"It was all about finding a way to break the Homun curse, right?"
"I can't stand it against you..."
"I told you, Erzi, you're not suited for this job. But you still worked up the last time."
When the Emperor and Duke von Lorraine struggle for power, and Bjorn and the Devil glare at each other.
Erji devoted himself solely to saving the organization called Ambu.
Helga does not know everything about how Erji secretly manipulated her.
Still, there were a few facts that could be inferred.
Unless the curse can be lifted, Ambu cannot escape from the clutches of the Great Devil.
After Homun eats away at the empire, he will get rid of the shadows that are no longer useful.
Then he must break the curse before he pretends to follow him.
Erji knows how to do it, but absorbing mana and tearing the curse that surrounds the dantian is an act that requires risking one's life.
Not all cancer patients who have undergone surgery can do it.
So he was looking for a safer way.
To save my companions.
At the same time, Erji also knew that those who followed the Great Devil would never be forgiven.
In order to save at least part of the organization, evidence was needed that everyone was not of one mind.
So he would have divided the dark area into two.
Those who are devoted to the devil and those who reluctantly follow him.
He would have steadily reduced their numbers by giving preference to those who devoted themselves, keeping records, and putting them in the most dangerous places.
Perhaps the dark women who died here today were no different from demon cultists.
And when the time came, he probably planned to die with them in shame.
Erji followed Helga's advice and found a compass.
It was definitely something worth risking one's life for.
"Thanks to the chaos in the capital... I was barely able to outline it... It's incomplete, but with the help of the saint, it will be possible..."
He rummaged through his arms with trembling hands.
A crumpled piece of paper came out.
There were a lot of magic spells drawn there.
Helga spoke to Ergy as she lost her life.
"I'm sorry for you. I never thought this would happen after I left."
"I just wanted to save the comrades who fought with me."
Erji, head of the cancer department, said with her last breath.
"I'm glad I got to die for you... Senpai, please take cover..."
◈ Chapter 190 - 23-Melting Gold Crown
Erji dies as a traitor to humanity.
It was a dishonor unworthy of the noble sacrifice.
However, does an honorable undercover exist?
The newcomer, who did not fit into the dark side, eventually died like the most dark side.
"Erji, leave the rest to me. I will take responsibility and lift the curse placed on you by the shadow."
Helga took the paper with the spell written on it and closed his blurry eyes.
He deserved rest.
"Cough...Cough!"
The emperor sat on the stairs and gulped as if he was suffocating from the billowing smoke.
That was the only noise here.
Helga approached him, drew a dagger, and stabbed a bandage to stop the bleeding.
A groan full of pain flowed from the emperor's mouth.
"⋯⋯Your Majesty, too many people have died."
Not just the war room.
The corpses of the Knights of the Holy Cross and the Ambush were lying everywhere in the palace.
Outside the palace, everything was in chaos due to the revolution that had been going on for the past few days.
Meanwhile, the bomb exploded and destroyed one-fifth of Octantium.
There is no way the flame mixed with mana can be extinguished easily, so the fire magic will soon engulf the capital.
Helga couldn't imagine how big the damage would be.
"Still, Your Majesty must survive. Your Highness the Princess would hope for that too."
After completing first aid, he took the antidote from his arms.
It was something he always carried with him ever since his days as an underdog.
The Emperor's mouth opened and his potion was forced down his throat.
It will take some time for you to detoxify and come to your senses.
Before that, I had to carry him and get out of the palace.
The emperor was heavy.
Incomparably compared to his childhood.
Like that day long ago, Helga escaped the palace to escape the fire.
*