79 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
“Gather all the evidence!”
“What are you doing…”
“Baron Miller, I will hand over all members of the Baron Miller family to the Religious Tribunal. Retrieve all the hearts of the ‘Mag’ cultists that were presented as evidence. There may be impure elements among the servants of the Miller barony, so take them all as witnesses!”
At the mention of the Religious Tribunal, the faces of all the Miller family members turned white.
Baron Miller staggered and collapsed.
Soon, cries of vehement refusal and worried wails shook the elegant mansion.
In just one hour, the Miller family disappeared from Reine.
The building that was once the Miller baronial residence was torn apart hideously as evidence of heresy.
Two days later, people, fearing impure traces, even removed the debris.
Many whispered about the Miller family worshiping heresy, but no one spoke openly.
As if nothing had happened, the Miller baronial family vanished without a trace.
Felix was in the middle of lunch.
“What?”
He was about to drink tea, so his mouth was empty.
That way, he could avoid looking ugly when he was surprised with his mouth agape.
“The Miller family has been revealed to be heretical ‘Mag’ cultists and has been referred to the Religious Tribunal. The evidence is clear, and the sinners have already been escorted to Imperial Capital Baden. The Inquisitor in charge believes it is a clear case and is dealing harshly with the sinners and those involved. The Miller baronial main residence… the building that used to be, has been torn down by the residents, leaving almost no trace.”
The face of the knight reporting to the Marquis was somber.
“Baron Miller is a heretic…”
At Felix’s mumbling, the knight gestured with his eyes, meaning not to say such things.
“It’s quite ironic.”
The Miller family was known for being devout.
“But how…”
The color had still not returned to Felix’s face.
“From what I’ve gathered, there seems to have been an internal whistleblower.”
“A, an internal whistleblower?”
“Yes. It’s not accurate, but this is also quite ironic. There was a maid who lost her parents early, left her two young siblings at the cloister, and worked at the barony. Because her two siblings were being raised at the cloister, she often heard stories about heretics from them when they met. The maid noticed a heretical mark secretly hidden in the barony, informed the cloister, and the cloister seems to have passed on the information. As a result, the Miller barony was raided under the direction of the central Religious Tribunal of Imperial Capital Baden. The fact that they were quickly escorted to Imperial Capital Baden is probably because the central government dispatched people directly.”
The knight added his opinion that the maid chose the future of her young siblings over her employer and family.
“Did the Imperial Capital Religious Tribunal contact the Marquis Manners family?”
Felix barely woke up from the shock.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to look out the window at the South Manor of the residence.
He firmly held onto his gaze, which kept trying to wander, and looked at the knight giving the report.
“I can’t find anything related to the Marquis Manners family. However, there have been a series of major accidents in the north, so I’m concerned that the vassals may be shaken. Shall we convene the Council of Elders?”
“No. If they’ve been handed over to the Religious Tribunal, there’s nothing we can do but watch. Just warn everyone to be discreet.”
Felix waved his hand, trying to keep his expression from showing on his face.
The knight retreated, and the door closed.
“…”
Felix, sitting at the table, turned his face sharply towards the window.
His face was stained with panic, as if he had seen a ghost.
It was only the day before yesterday that Alisha said she had sent a gift.
The mansion was subtly abuzz, wondering if the news had been conveyed to others as well.
The word must have been passed on to the three of them.
But neither the Marchioness, Harry, nor Alisha reacted.
They had no choice.
On the surface, Reine and the Miller Religious Tribunal were unrelated.
Felix was amazed by Alisha’s method of handling things by borrowing the hands of others without directly intervening.
The fact that she had accomplished such a large-scale task in just a few days was beyond amazing.
The way she conceived the plan and her drive were astounding.
“But why Miller instead of Brenell… Ah.”
Felix, who had been mumbling, came to a realization and nodded in agreement.
He emptied his glass of water repeatedly.
“Who could it be?”
He wondered who was behind Brenell and Miller.
Perhaps Alisha dealt with Miller first to find out who was behind them.
Unlike the cautious Miller, Brenell lacked prudence, so he would seek help from his master in a sudden situation.
Today, Alisha was in the greenhouse again.
“As expected, the Inquisitors are quick. Their work is also clean. I guess it’s because they have a strong sense of duty.”
Alisha praised the diligent Inquisitors with an indifferent face.
Judith wondered if the Inquisitors would foam at the mouth if they knew about this situation, but she nodded at Alisha’s words.
The situation was ironic, but everything she said was true.
“What about Brenell?”
“He moved yesterday at dawn.”
Alisha was not shaken by the expected answer.
“Where did he go?”
She asked again, half expecting the answer.
“Imperial Capital Baden, 9 Wing Street.”
In Imperial Capital Baden, even a dilapidated shack built on a tiny piece of land was expensive.
Wing Street in Imperial Capital Baden was the heart of the old city center, one of the most valuable pieces of land.
The Manners marquisate was located at 7 Wing Street.
And although it was not widely known, the Marquis Manners family monopolized Wing Street from 6 to 11.
“I was going to slap him so hard his head would explode, but he made me waste my energy.”
Alisha whispered harsh words with a calm face.
#11. Kitten Blue Eyes
The Imperial delegation traveled from Imperial Capital Baden to Reine over a long fifteen days.
Reine, at the northern end, was far from Imperial Capital Baden.
However, if they hurried, it would usually take 3 or 4 days, and even if they went leisurely, it would take 6 or 7 days.
The Imperial delegation was late because of the rules of the Imperial entourage.
It was Imperial etiquette to start preparing only after the sun rose and to prepare for camping as soon as the sun set.
The vassals of the Reine family were furious at the Imperial delegation’s slow pace.
“Fifteen days from Imperial Capital Baden to Reine! Even crawling would be faster than that!”
“Even if they are an Imperial delegation, it is clear that they are ignoring Reine!”
“Haha, we can’t blame them for being slow. Everyone has their own pace, don’t they?”
The Council of Elders never had a quiet day.
“The Imperial family is looking down on Reine!”
“The Imperial family’s attitude is too obvious. They might be trying to tame Reine. We must show them due respect!”
There was much talk about how the Reine marquisate should welcome the Imperial delegation.
“If we don’t break the Imperial delegation’s momentum this time, we will be dragged around by the Imperial family forever.”
The vassals’ pressure was subtle yet direct.
“I see. Um, this is the Head of the family’s command. Participate in welcoming the Imperial delegation as you wish. But I hope that all vassals will gladly welcome the Imperial delegation. There’s no need to engage in a pointless power struggle with the Imperial family. If we don’t welcome the Imperial delegation properly and end up in a real power struggle, we won’t last a day.”
Everyone stared blankly at the smiling Head of the family.
Unfortunately, everything the Head of the family had just said was true.
The Reine marquisate kept its gates wide open and welcomed Grand Duke Tessen and the Imperial delegation.
The Imperial delegation rode their horses up to the fountain in front of the mansion.
Reikart, who was at the front, dismounted.
“I greet Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
The members of the Reine marquisate and vassals standing in front of the mansion paid their respects.
Their gazes, glancing at him, were full of doubt.
Grand Duke Tessen was rumored to be Satan with an Axe.
The only blemish on the Imperial family, who did not possess the angelic beauty of the Imperial family.
“Thank you for Reine’s hospitality.”
His shimmering ash-blonde hair, catching the sunlight, was dazzling.
His slightly dark skin and otherworldly golden eyes created a unique atmosphere.
Alisha, who was rising from the crowd of murmuring people, paused.
“…”
Alisha did not want to welcome the Imperial delegation.
It was probably right to break off the deal with Reikart.
The future had changed.
It had changed because of Alisha herself.
It was difficult to be sure about what would happen in the future.
Anything could happen.
It was not right to continue the political marriage with the Grand Duke with an uncertain prophecy.
And she had become unjust.
In hell, Alisha continued to cause countless destruction.
Destruction was synonymous with slaughter.
She drove something to death, but there was no time to hesitate.
If she stopped for a moment, pain like death would descend.
It was more painful because she didn’t die then.
Alisha did not hesitate, even though the future had changed in an unexpected way and shocked her.
She did not cower without doing anything for the future.
Alisha actively jumped into the changed situation.
She trapped others and dropped them to their deaths.
Until now, she had only avoided danger.
She neglected or avoided opponents with a doomed future.
She did not try to jump into danger herself.
But the situation had changed.
The political strife, machinations, and insidious actions of the human world were different from defeating the demons of hell.
It was much easier to kill the monsters that attacked unconditionally.
When planning traps to drive others to their deaths, she felt breathless.
Even when she reminded herself that she might die if she didn’t attack, she felt like she was becoming the same evil as her opponent.
Simply avoiding or slightly distorting events was different from driving them into a trap leading to death.
‘I have to do it.’
Alisha decided to do it without regret.
Even as she did well, she couldn’t completely erase the moments when she faltered.
That’s why she had been at a loss as to how to look at Reikart until just now.
The future she had was worthless.
She was becoming an evil spirit plotting death.
That helplessness made Alisha’s heart feel heavy.
“Alisha.”
Reikart, who had dismounted, immediately approached Alisha.
Alisha had noticed from the moment he got off his horse.
Pain was weighing him down.
He was moving indifferently with a nonchalant face, but Reikart was swallowing his pain.
As soon as he landed on the ground and saw the face that was looking at him, the bleak and complicated thoughts disappeared cleanly.
Alisha walked towards Reikart as if she was jumping into his arms and snuggled into his embrace.
“Your Highness.”
Reikart calmly accepted Alisha’s sudden hug.
He read Alisha’s movements as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her warmth against him.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
He apologized before thanking her.
“How… did you get here…”