Episode 131

Cold air filled the changing room.

Despite the boiler room being right next door and the bathtub brimming with hot water, the air flowing between them was as cold as a block of ice.

“…Why are you like this, Siriel? Staring so fiercely.”

Victor murmured, turning his gaze away.

Siriel didn’t use mana, nor did she emit a suffocating murderous intent, but Victor felt an overwhelming pressure from her.

It was inevitable.

With just a light swing of her hand, Siriel could turn Victor’s soft body into mush.

Thus, Victor’s behavior was natural. His genuine fear made him stutter; his shoulders shrunk. Avoiding eye contact, these small actions made Victor seem like a downright cowardly boy.

But it didn’t work on Siriel.

“I would have turned a blind eye, but I can’t overlook you brazenly deceiving my brother.”

“…”

“So, stop your pathetic act right now. It makes me so angry I could lose my mind.”

“…Acting, you mean pretending to be unconscious?”

Victor cautiously confirmed.

“I’m sorry for pretending to be unconscious. It wasn’t intentional deceit, but being treated like luggage and handled roughly really hurt my pride…”

“Your shamelessness is so disappointing.”

Siriel stood askew, arms crossed. Unsure if he genuinely didn’t know or was feigning ignorance until the end, Victor’s words didn’t provide the answer Siriel wanted.

Or did he think he could deceive her until the very end? Annoyed, Siriel decided to confront him directly.

“Why are you pretending to be a man?”

Siriel bent her knees to meet Victor’s eyes, then reached for and stroked his groin. Soft yet firm.

‘Talking about pride, and yet you’ve stuffed something big in there.’

Crush!

Siriel applied pressure with her hand. But as expected, Victor’s face showed no sign of pain.

“…How did you figure it out?”

Victor asked in a calm voice. She seemed composed for someone whose long-kept secret was exposed, as if trying to understand how her secret was discovered.

Siriel snorted in disdain at his demeanor.

“Are you treating me like a fool now? Your appearance, at a glance, is obviously female.”

“…What?”

Startled, Victor stood up and looked around for a mirror. Fortunately, they were in the changing room.

Quickly finding a mirror, she saw a young man in it, not looking like a woman.

‘The magic is working properly…’

Victor checked the magical equipment wrapped around her body.

Earrings, tie pins, necklaces, brooches, rings, etc. She inspected each piece of magic equipment hiding her gender but found nothing amiss.

“It seems you’re checking the magic.”

Siriel watched her with barely opened eyes. As she pinpointed her secret, Victor’s actions became more frantic.

“But what to do. The magic you’re using doesn’t work on me.”

“When did you find out?”

“Maybe at the entrance ceremony? When I saw you after a long time, you just looked like a woman. Of course, before that, you always looked like a man. Maybe my eyes have grown sharper over time.”

“Have you told anyone else?”

Victor glared at Siriel, demanding an answer. However, Siriel wasn’t the type to be intimidated by such a gaze. She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at her with disdain.

“Why, is it a secret that mustn’t be revealed? Well, it must be a secret since you’re hiding it.”

“Answer quickly.”

“Why would I gain anything by revealing you’re a woman?”

“Then… why have you been pretending not to know? Why now…”

“Didn’t I just say? Did you forget already?”

Siriel snorted coldly, showing a glint of icy anger. She then pointed her finger straight at Victor’s chest.

“You’re deceiving my brother. And all for your petty desires. If my brother ends up bloodied because of you, the least you could do is not lie, right?”

Siriel remembered encountering Shiron just moments ago.

He was covered in blood but spoke indifferently, as if it wasn’t his own. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. The deep fatigue etched on her brother’s face still burned in Siriel’s heart.

“If you deceive or trick my brother again… I won’t just stand by.”

Siriel spoke vehemently, her breath heated. She hoped even a fool would understand by now.

Just then, as she was about to leave…

Victor began to smirk.

“What? Was that the only reason?”

“What…?”

Siriel’s veins popped in her neck.

‘What did I just hear?’

“Just, just that reason?”

“No, Shiron is trying to use me too. So it’s fine.”

Victor gazed at Siriel, who was fuming with anger. Normally, she would have treated her carefully, but knowing why Siriel was angry made Victor’s behavior seem extremely light.

“Don’t get so heated, Siriel.”

Thump - As if to say don’t worry, Victor patted Siriel’s shoulder.

“After all, it’s mutual use, so there’s no need to blame each other. I’m happy to become the emperor, and Shiron is happy to have the support of an emperor. It’s hard to find a more perfect complementary relationship than this, right?”

“…”

Siriel glared at Victor with bulging eyes. Her eyes, usually gentle, now sparkled with mischief. It was as if she was treating Siriel like an inferior child… Siriel felt her blood boiling in anger.

“And isn’t it better for you if I don’t reveal that I’m a woman?”

“…?”

However, Siriel’s anger lost its way at her next words.

“What are you talking about?”

“Think about it. Shiron treats me as a man. I’ve observed that the magic keeps working, so for you, I’m not a competitor you need to worry about. Isn’t that better for you?”

“…Huh?”

Siriel was dumbfounded.

‘…Is that so?’

While she thought her words were shameless, Siriel’s heart accepted Victor’s logic. It was indeed easier to eliminate a competitor like this… No, Victor was never a competitor to begin with.

“Siriel, you act all grown-up, but you’re still naive.”

Victor, observing Siriel’s twitching lips, shook her head with a wide smile.

“But it’s okay. I understand everything. It’s normal to be a bit clouded in judgment when another woman gets close to the man you love.”

“Wha… What?”

“Is there more to say? Doesn’t seem like it, so I’ll be going now.”

Victor patted Siriel’s shoulder and left the changing room. She then hurried to find Lucia.

Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to find her. Near the entrance, as if about to leave, Lucia was tying her shoelaces.

Did Lucia sense Victor’s presence? She abruptly turned her head.

“Weren’t you with Siriel?”

“Lucia. Can I ask you just one thing?”

Victor leaned in and spoke softly. Lucia slightly backed away from the suddenly approaching face.

“What is it?”

“Can you honestly answer the question I’m about to ask?”

“What’s going on?”

Lucia squinted her eyes and stared at Victor. Seeing her straightforward response, Victor smiled broadly.

“Do I look gay?”

“…Have you lost your mind? Why? Did Shiron keep calling you gay and beat you up?”

“Good. I don’t seem to look gay then.”

Victor sighed in relief with a smile. She was worried because Siriel saw through her magic, but as expected, Lucia still saw her as a man.

“Disappointing.”

Lucia adjusted her scabbard and stood up to follow Shiron.

“Cardinal.”

Austin spoke softly.

“I didn’t particularly hold a grudge against you. So forgive me.”

“…”

No response.

“Is it done?”

Whoosh - Austin flung Deviale aside as if pushing him away. The muscular giant rolled several times on the floor of the Alhyeon Room.

It might have been heart-wrenching to see someone he had no grudge against rolling on the floor in such a state, but Austin had no time to care about such minor emotions now.

A hot ecstasy filled his head, leaving no room for other emotions.

However, if there’s such hot ecstasy, there must be a corresponding reason.

It wasn’t because he had gained monstrous strength, surpassing the limits of living beings.

‘It feels like being reborn.’

Step - Step -

Austin walked without dragging his feet.

For over thirty years, he had been tormented by an insurmountable handicap, a shackle he couldn’t escape. Overcoming this, Austin wanted to scream and run around the palace wildly.

“But that won’t do. An emperor needs to maintain the dignity befitting the throne.”

Muttering to himself, Austin sat on the throne.

He quite liked the view below. The white marble floor was soaked with red blood, but what of it?

“That’s right, father.”

“…”

“You could have just stayed still. Or better yet, why didn’t you flee? Because of you, both Arak and Jard died, didn’t they?”

“…”

Again, no response. But it didn’t matter. He had become an emperor reigning over everyone. Though Jard and Arak were gone, he had Bolland, a loyal and competent subject.

All that was left was to bestow good governance over the continent and leave a great mark in history…

“Um…”

Austin rested his chin on his hand on the throne. He felt like he kept forgetting something important. He had become the emperor he longed to be and overcome the damn handicap, but a nagging sensation at the back of his head made him uneasy.

“Ah…”

Austin’s gaze lingered on his father, leaning against the wall in the distance.

“I almost forgot about this.”

Muttering to himself, Austin reached out towards his slumped father. The platinum crown on his father’s head got sucked in - whoosh!

-Click!

Austin felt the light weight of the emperor’s crown, as light as a feather. Even though it was the same object he playfully put on his head as a child, it felt so light…

“Tsk.”

Austin brushed away his complex emotions. He had learned that an ideal emperor doesn’t possess human emotions. What he needed to do now was to rightfully wear the authority on his head.

“Your Majesty, let me place it on you.”

“…Sir Bolland.”

“Come, lower your head.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Austin bowed his head as Bolland’s hand, holding the platinum crown, swept over it.

“You’re the reason I’ve made it this far.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. It’s like destiny that you stand above everyone.”

“Is that so… Seems like it.”

Austin muttered, holding his head.

“But we can’t be at ease yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s still a younger brother we haven’t killed. History has proven it’s better to eradicate problems early.”

“…There’s much to be concerned about.”

His muttering voice echoed in the Alhyeon Room.

“And, someone is coming here.”

“…Who? Are you talking about Sir Hugo?”

“It’s not him. The footsteps are light.”

“…You can hear the footsteps? I can’t.”

“It seems they have already arrived.”

Austin stared straight ahead.

When did he arrive? At the end of the Alhyeon Room, a man stood askew, arms crossed, glaring in this direction.

“I’m late.”

Shiron sneered at Austin, who was sitting on the throne.

“I should have just killed you without thinking about the consequences.”