Chapter 210

***

“Ugh!”

At the same time, Cecilia, seated in her room, clamped her hand over her mouth and collapsed to the floor.

She was the caster who had summoned the monster.

Because of this, she shared, if only briefly, some of the memories and emotions of Wilhelmina, who had become a monster.

And now, Wilhelmina was dead.

The shock of her death was something Cecilia, as the caster, also had to endure.

As if a sword had torn through her own mouth, Cecilia writhed in agony, thrashing madly from the excruciating pain.

A long while later, disheveled and in shambles, she slowly pulled herself upright.

“…What was that?”

For a moment, she had seen and felt what Wilhelmina had known and experienced.

Of course, she couldn’t fully comprehend it or completely understand what it all meant.

But one thing she had clearly seen was Michael as Wilhelmina had perceived him.

‘In the memory, he wasn’t holding the temple’s sword anymore.’

That sword had been a symbol of him. The Sword of God said to have been drawn from the divine tree long ago.

He had always used that sword to defeat monsters.

And yet, thinking about it…

‘I’ve never seen him use it.’

Had anyone seen him wield that sword recently?

What was certain was that during this hunting season, no one had witnessed him using it.

What stood out most vividly in Cecilia’s mind was the final sight Wilhelmina had seen.

Michael, with a terrifying expression she had never witnessed before, driving a sword into her.

Right before that, he had replaced the sword he usually used with a different one.

‘The temple’s sword.’

The Sword of God, which he hadn’t used even during the past months of dungeon subjugations, was now wielded to utterly destroy the already helpless Wilhelmina’s head.

At that moment, through Wilhelmina’s eyes, Cecilia saw something she could hardly believe.

‘I need to confirm this.’

Staggering, Cecilia stood up.

Just like Wilhelmina, she both desired and resented Michael.

What was his should have been shared with her, yet he had given it to another.

How dare he. How dare he…

In the darkness, her eyes gleamed with malice.

If she couldn’t have him, she would destroy him.

***

“Michael!”

Immediately after Wilhelmina’s head was destroyed, Irene jumped to her feet in shock.

‘Why?’

She hadn’t intended to completely kill Wilhelmina, who had become a monster.

Before confronting her, Irene had proposed an idea. Wilhelmina had taken on a form more human than ever before.

If there was a chance to communicate, they should try to uncover as much as possible about the mastermind behind this incident. And if any clues emerged, the monster should be captured alive, if possible, to extract further information.

‘Because Princess Cecilia was suspicious.’

The place from which Wilhelmina had emerged was Cecilia’s residence.

Though the staff at the fortress had thoroughly searched it, they hadn’t found anything conclusive.

That was to be expected. Such things could easily be hidden.

Moreover, when Irene cautiously voiced her suspicions about Princess Cecilia to Michael, he had agreed without hesitation.

It might have seemed like she was baselessly accusing someone she didn’t get along with, yet his immediate belief in her intuition gave her courage.

So, she had played along, even going as far as asking pointed questions.

She had desperately hoped for Wilhelmina to provide some evidence that implicated Princess Cecilia.

And when Michael severed Wilhelmina’s head, seeing that it was still moving, Irene had thought they could capture it and use it as proof. She hadn’t expected Michael to destroy it completely.

“Michael, are you okay?”

But now wasn’t the time to lament that loss. Irene was more concerned about Michael’s current state.

At first, when he had beheaded Wilhelmina, he hadn’t shown the slightest sign of hesitation.

But now, Michael looked deeply shaken, as if gripped by fear.

His trembling eyes, ragged breathing, and quivering hands made it clear—

He appeared as if he was facing his greatest fear.

It was a side of Michael Irene had never seen before.

“Michael!”

She grabbed him, calling his name again as if trying to snap him out of it.

Michael finally lifted his head.

Then, he threw aside the sword he had been holding and grabbed Irene.

“Did you hear it?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Wilhelmina’s words—did you hear them?”

His desperate voice echoed loudly. By then, knights had rushed into the banquet hall, realizing the situation was under control.

As soon as they entered, they grimaced at the sight of Wilhelmina’s shattered head and dismembered body.

One of them muttered as they examined the remains.

“This… it’s just a human body, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Irene tried to recall the last thing Wilhelmina had said.

She had activated the Stone of Silence, thinking Wilhelmina was about to paralyze them with another scream.

At that moment, all sound vanished.

As she had expected, Wilhelmina opened her mouth. But instead of attacking, she appeared to be saying something to Michael.

The artifact’s effect lasted for ten seconds.

Thus, Irene hadn’t been able to hear all of Wilhelmina’s words. All she had caught was…

“‘Not much time left’? I couldn’t catch the part before that.”

At her reply, relief washed over Michael’s face.

Then Irene noticed his hand gripping her shoulder and spoke.

“Michael, are you hurt?”

The hand that had been holding the sword was blackened, as if burned.

‘Why?’

It was a sword meant to repel corruption, so why was Michael injured by it?

When Irene questioned him, Michael quickly pulled his hand back, hiding it.

After taking a moment to steady his breathing, he spoke with difficulty.

“Irene, would it be all right if we go to buy your clothes a little earlier than planned?”

It was such a trivial thing to ask in this moment.

But Michael said it as though it were his dying wish.

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