“At this point, we can escape.”
Sylvia, who had been fiddling with the iron bars, said with a confident look in her eyes.
The guards in the underground prison were not strict. As evidence of this, they had placed no restraints on Sylvia, who was close to master-level as a knight.
This was a message from the Marquis. If you want to escape, feel free to do so.
However, give up on atoning for your father’s sins on that day.
“Cough.”
Sena covered his mouth and shivered slightly. He had already coughed up blood countless times.
“Senior!”
Sylvia barely managed to support him. Sena’s white clothes were already soaked with blood.
“It’s no use. I don’t care what you say, Senior. We have to get out of here, even if we have to force our way out.”
Sylvia’s right hand was filled with magic power, as if to emphasize that she wasn’t just speaking empty words.
Sena, who had kept silent for a long time, finally spoke.
“Don’t.”
“Please, Senior!”
“I have already committed sins. Only death can atone for them.”
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
‘Among the devil worshippers, there were those who wore the clothes of priests. Those people were made by Cruyff. To someone who believes in God, such terrible things…’
There was no way to atone for the countless sins already committed. The only thing left was to prevent further harm.
“Come to your senses.”
“…”
“I liked the Senior who always smiled as if nothing had happened, no matter what. Not this gloomy and pathetic person.”
Sena was aware of how pathetic he looked at that moment.
But there was no other way. If he was committing unforgivable sins to save his own life, then dying was the only solution.
“Please, come to your senses!”
Sylvia shook Sena’s shoulders. But Sena didn’t even look at her.
He just lay there like he was dead. Sylvia staggered back in shock.
‘It’s hopeless. I can’t do it.’
No matter what she said, Sena remained immovable. Should she forcibly take him out? And then what?
Sylvia was feeling a deep sense of despair when footsteps echoed in the cold underground prison.
She looked sharply in the direction of the sound.
First, getting out of here was the priority. Sena’s condition was serious.
“Sylvia.”
“…What?”
“Even if the Marquis comes, don’t harm him.”
“He’s the one who put you in this state. No matter what you say, I can’t forgive him.”
“…It’s an order.”
Sylvia’s expression noticeably hardened. Sena, who had never used the word ‘order’ before.
Sylvia bit her lip. What on earth should she do in this situation?
The footsteps were getting closer. Sylvia noticed that the owner of the footsteps had a very small stride.
Her guess was correct.
“How amusing.”
“…!”
“When you were so confident in front of me, you couldn’t handle something like this on your own?”
It wasn’t the Marquis who came to the prison, but Astria.
Sena’s pupils widened as he was on the verge of death.
**
Backed into a corner, Astria made a choice that no one could have imagined.
“Thank you for revealing something I didn’t know. Marquis Rockefeller.”
Upon hearing that Sena’s life was in danger, Astria had been in doubt.
And in that moment, it became clear to her that Sena was a precious existence.
It was absurd.
What was that furball to her?
They had only spent just over three months together.
And even then, she had planned to cut ties and not think about him anymore.
Yet, it was like a thorn stuck in her throat, continuously tormenting her.
“If you understand now, please put down your sword. I must see the end of this revenge.”
“What are you talking about? You die here, Lord Rockefeller.”
“……What? Did you not just say that Sena Birkender is a precious person? If you kill me, you’ll never find him again. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“It would be quite bitter to lose. Probably more than anything I’ve lost so far.”
“Then why…!”
The Marquis’s composure broke at that point. His panic was evident, and seeing his state amused Astria, who laughed.
It was unmistakably the laugh of a villain.
Ordinary people focus on protecting what is precious rather than seeking revenge.
Ordinary people, that is. Unfortunately, Astria was not an ordinary person.
She was someone who would rather kill those who try to take away what she has, rather than fear losing it.
Rockefeller died without leaving any final words. Astria, who had killed the Marquis, left the room with a calm expression.
Before leaving, she looked back, remembering the girl she had yet to kill—a hideous girl lying on the bed.
Killing her was not difficult, but Astria decided to postpone it.
She had a use. It would not be too late to kill her once she had served her purpose.
**
“Dame Sylvia, I will give you the chance to redeem your honor. Gather the troops stationed in this mansion into one place. If you refuse, you may be killed.”
Astria said this while presenting a golden seal. It was the Empress’s seal. Sylvia did not move, staring at Sena. It was only after Sena nodded that she began to act.
It was a secret to Sylvia that Astria had watched her back with a disdainful look for quite some time.
Astria dragged Sena into a room.
It appeared to be the room where Astria had stayed.
“I killed Marquis Rockefeller.”
Sena’s pupils flickered slightly before settling down.
“How… did you find it?”
The Marquis had said it was a place one could never find, so there was no need to worry.
It was not an empty boast. Even though he had not been blindfolded, Sena had no confidence in going back to that underground prison.
Astria glanced at Sena and then grabbed his neck with her hand.
A silver necklace appeared from between his changed white clothes.
It was the necklace Astria had once given him.
“You’ve been wearing it even though the owner has changed.”
“…”
‘As I thought.’
It seemed that some magic to locate it had been placed on the necklace.
Sena smiled faintly, feeling that everything was unfolding as Astria intended.
“So? What about the new owner? Well, judging by the look, I can roughly guess.”
The new owner likely referred to Sylvia.
Sylvia was looking at the floor. Don’t, he’s the one at fault.
“…Alright. At least they’re not as coercive.”
“Is that so? To me, you seem to need someone to hold the leash and drag you around.”
“I have my own free will.”
“And the result of that is this, isn’t it?”
“I don’t want to be scolded right now. I’m already feeling down.”
Sena buried his face between his knees.
Astria smirked, lifting the corners of her mouth.
‘Completely subdued. Nice to see.’
She had seen countless people with such expressions.
Not many, but just a tiny ray of sunshine could make them perfectly her own.
A doll that looks only at her and relies solely on her.
“I don’t mind that either. Living like a doll is acceptable. Even that alone makes you valuable.”
Sena looked up. Acceptable? Could it be that her thoughts had changed? She had always seemed to dislike him before.
Astria stood up and said,
“But that will be after this matter is resolved.”
Astria grabbed Sena by the back of the neck and dragged him somewhere.
Weakly dragged, Sena was thrown into a room.
What startled Sena more than the sight of the gruesomely dead Marquis Rockefeller was the girl lying on the bed.
“…”
“Save her.”
Sena looked up at Astria in a daze.
“Fix your father’s mistakes yourself.”
An insane devil worshipper.
The sight of the pupil-less eyes alone was suffocating.
Sena felt suffocated in a different way.
This was Cruyff’s mark.
The mark of someone who sacrificed innocent lives for their own survival.
He wanted to run away so badly that he would have preferred to close his eyes and ignore it.
“Why, can’t you do it? Then kill her. It’s probably better than living like that.”
Astria pulled a random sword out of her spatial storage and threw it in front of Sena.
“Choose. To kill or to save.”
There had never been a time when Astria’s gaze was so terrifying.
“I…”
Even devil worshippers are human.
At least, they were human three years ago.
The moment you realize this fact, it becomes impossible to kill a devil worshipper.
If that’s the case, they must be saved.
Saved?
“Your Majesty.”
“The choice is yours. I won’t say a word more…”
“Can you stop this girl’s heart?”
“What?”
“Don’t touch anything else, just stop her heart cleanly!”
Sena had already risen and was examining the patient’s condition.
His eyes, which had been clouded just moments before, were now somewhat clear.
Astria, crossing her arms, said with indifference.
“I can do that.”
“Then please do it when I give the signal. For exactly 1 minute and 3 seconds. No, I’ll keep track of the time.”
“What kind of nonsense…”
“But Your Majesty, the great Empress of Laperci Empire! I believe you can do at least that!”
“Impudent…”
“Now! Stop her heart right now!”
‘How absurd. Giving orders to the Empress?’
Astria, bewildered, nevertheless followed the command and used her magic power to stop the devil worshipper’s heart. Sena climbed onto the girl’s bed and placed his hands over her chest. At this point, pure curiosity took over.
‘What is he trying to do?’
After confirming the cardiac arrest, Sena calmly began to time it. After 1 minute and 3 seconds, asystole would occur. This meant the heart no longer functioned, indicating death.
“Death confirmed. Your Majesty, please stop now.”
The girl’s body, which had been intermittently convulsing, went limp.
Sena continued to watch her calmly, using divine power to confirm that she was indeed a devil worshipper.
As time passed, Sena’s anxiety grew.
With each minute of asystole, the survival rate dropped by 10 percent.
After 10 minutes, it would be considered clinical death.
Fortunately, before 3 minutes had passed, the feeling of her being a devil worshipper completely vanished.
Sena immediately began performing CPR. The bed shook violently.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Astria watched Sena’s actions with suspicion.
He was applying forceful chest compressions, causing the bed to shake noticeably.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
‘A kill confirmation? No, this is…’
Astria’s eyes widened in astonishment. Occasionally on the battlefield, when a commander is killed, knights sometimes draw grotesque pictures on the face to insult them.
Even if you ask them not to do it, stopping them is not easy.
Especially for those who enjoy such actions, like the Teutonic Knights.
Astria’s lips curled into a smirk.
‘Has the nature of this person changed after going through such major events? Finally, tainted with darkness.’
Corruption.
Rather, don’t you like it more?
Since you saved me the trouble.
“That’s it. She’s back. Are you awake?”
At that moment, Sena, wiping his sweat, stopped his strange actions.
Astria’s brow furrowed as she focused on the girl.
“…!”
And then she saw it.
The chest moving ever so slightly.
The heart that she had stopped with her own hands had started beating again.
“I’m sorry. It looks like a rib is out of place, but I’ll fix it quickly.”
“W-Where am I…”
“…Don’t open your eyes. It’s best if you don’t think about anything right now and just rest.”
Astria’s eyes were filled with shock.
