67 - The Crown I Will Take From You
67
“But, in that case, wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate one of the Ministers? Eradicating everyone in the residence is…”
“I don’t want to either! But what am I supposed to do when Father won’t allow me to kill that crazy bastard!”
Samon burst out in anger.
“Etienne, we need to make an example out of that son of a bitch. To show that even Father’s most powerful right-hand man will regret it if they mess with me, Samon!”
But the shadow inwardly clicked his tongue.
How could the young duke of a nation so easily speak of the deaths of innocent people?
Contrary to his pretty appearance, his master was extremely cruel and cowardly.
He wasn’t confident in a head-on confrontation with the Minister, so resorting to such underhanded tactics from behind was far from the actions of a magnanimous person.
However, he did not forget his duty. A dog only needed to do what its master commanded.
“Yes.”
Otherwise, he would be the one getting boiled.
\ \ *
Count Etienne's Residence, the Minister's office.
Medeia, who had been engaged in a silent, physical battle with the uninvited guest who had entered first, rolled on the floor with him.
At the same time, a Magic circle activated with a blue light, engulfing Medeia.
A sense of weightlessness, as if falling from a cliff, enveloped her entire body,
Thud-! She tumbled onto the ground, where a damp humidity permeated. The scent of grass and a faint fishy smell brushed past her nose.
However, the Magic circle had transported Medeia and her entangled opponent together.
There was no time to check the location they had moved to.
Medeia pinned her opponent down and used all her strength to press the Dagger embedded in his shoulder deeper.
The opponent, unfazed, grabbed Medeia's neck with his other, undamaged arm.
No emotion could be read in his dry eyes.
It was the gaze of someone who seemed very accustomed to killing, as if he was merely contemplating whether or not to crush a bug.
In a fleeting moment, the distinct Golden eyes visible through the mask looked familiar. Medeia muttered involuntarily.
“Aka…res?”
The hand strangling her neck paused.
In an instant, the situation reversed. He was now on top of Medeia.
Rip. The rough hand that wasn't gripping her neck tore off Medeia's mask as if ripping it away.
A white face was revealed. A handful of silver hair, tied up, scattered over the dark ground due to the rough handling.
Cesare looked down at Medeia with a chilling gaze.
“It’s been a while, Princess.”
A slow voice leaked out from under the mask.
He did not deny it, and readily admitted his identity while threatening Medeia's neck.
“Does the noble Blood of Baldina enjoy nocturnal outings in exotic places?”
Even though it was a swampy area filled with damp mud and a fishy smell, he greeted her as casually as if it were a banquet hall.
“I won’t offer any courtesy to royalty.”
Cesare let out a hollow laugh at Medeia's indifferent reply.
This tiny Princess showed no sign of fear, even when cornered.
He couldn't tell whether he was annoyed by her arrogant behavior with her haughty face, or whether he found it endearing.
Medeia, too, observed Cesare.
The mercenary only wore a mask, not the iron mask that should typically be on his face. Wasn't he hiding his face because of burns?
If so, there must be another reason why he couldn't reveal his face, and could it be related to why this man was secretly hiding in the Minister's house?
“Sorry, but I can’t let you go.”
Then, straight fingers lightly tapped Medeia's neck, as if telling her that this wasn't the time to be thinking about other things.
“I’ve never let anyone who recognized me live.”
The pressure of the hand gripping her neck could be felt.
His voice was laced with laughter, but his eyes looking down at Medeia were ruthless.
He truly intended to kill her and eliminate any future troubles.
“What if I say I have no intention of speaking?”
Medeia asked indifferently. Neither fear nor defiance could be seen in her green eyes.
“Are you suggesting a deal even in this situation?”
“We both want to keep tonight under wraps.”
She, the Princess of Baldina, also did not want the fact that she had secretly visited Etienne's Residence to be revealed.
Medeia's point was rational and valid. Since they both held each other's weaknesses, the terms of the deal seemed fair.
It was the moment when Cesare's eyes narrowed briefly, as if he found it interesting.
Medeia took out a Crossbow from her bosom. It was an astonishingly quick movement.
With an expressionless face, she aimed at Cesare and fired in one swift motion.
Whoosh-! A sharp sound cut through the air.
But it didn't hit.
As if he had anticipated Medeia's counterattack, he not only dodged the arrow but also grabbed the Crossbow and threw it away.
The arm that threw the Crossbow bound her wrists and pressed them down on the ground.
Cesare lowered his head. The distance was close enough for Medeia to see her reflection in his Golden eyes.
“Don’t treat me the same as a simpleton like the Regent Duke, Princess.”
When the Regent Duke's name was mentioned, her green eyes widened for the first time.
“Who would know that Pinatelli, the Queen Dowager, and Etienne are all being manipulated by the foolish Princess? Princess, you may deceive anyone in Baldina, but you can’t deceive me.”
His voice was extremely arrogant and confident. The finger gripping her neck tapped where her pulse was beating.
“It would all be in vain if you die here.”
The force pressing on her neck increased. Was this really the end? Medeia's eyes became clouded.
She wasn't afraid of death. But-
Squeak-! At that moment, something black rose from the ground to her right.
A water snake with a triangular head aimed at Medeia, who was pinned to the ground.
The creature had been watching the intruders for a long time.
With its animal instincts, it targeted the easier of the two prey first.
Just as its sharp, pointed teeth were about to tear into Medeia's neck, Cesare reached out his arm.
Slash-! Silver flashed.
The black blood of the water snake, its neck severed, stained the ground. A few drops ominously trickled down Cesare's sword.
“……”
Medeia paused, frozen.
‘Why, did he save me?’
Clearly, the snake had been aiming for her, not him.
Caw-! Caw-!
But there was no time to be lost in thought. From the severed body of the snake, a head regrew.
Unbelievably, two heads sprouted from one neck.
The two heads immediately became wary of Cesare, who had cut off their brother's neck, and retreated into the swamp, glaring at them with their glossy black eyes.
At the same time, the remaining eight heads in the swamp raised their heads one after another.
The sudden appearance of a powerful intruder who had slain their kin, something they had never experienced here before, caused them to unleash a fierce killing intent all at once.
“……Hydra.”
Medeia muttered.
The secret of the Other dimension that Etienne had hidden. The reason why everyone could entrust the Sealed letter to him with peace of mind.
It was because the legendary Demon Beast Hydra was guarding the Sealed letter here.
“He brought a Demon Beast into this pure land guarded by the Philosopher's Stone? Is he out of his mind?”
If he hadn't been locked behind bars, Medeia might have strangled him to death.
“I, I know. I am also aware of my sins. But I have placed restrictions that prevent it from escaping the Other dimension, so there is absolutely no chance of it being released into Baldina. However, unless it is under this Etienne's command, it is… difficult to retrieve the Sealed letter that it guards.”
“Ha. What good is the land of guardianship?”
The mercenary of Facade scoffed.
He showed no sign of surprise or fear at the sight of the Hydra.
Rather, he seemed appalled by the Minister's behavior of hiding and raising a monster in the Other dimension.
“It’s pathetic, inside and out.”
It was also a mockery of the current state of Baldina, which was so weak that a mere subject could commit such a bold act.
Behind the Hydra, which had revealed its entire body, a white, sparkling orb could be seen.
Inside the orb, which was neither wet nor floating on the surface of the swamp, a scroll was carefully preserved.
‘The Sealed letter.’
Medeia's green eyes gleamed.
She pushed Cesare away and jumped up. Then, she picked up the Crossbow that he had thrown away earlier.
The moment she ran towards the Hydra, which had hidden itself deep in the swamp without hesitation-,
“Are you out of your mind?”
Her arm was grabbed.
