170 - Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 170
170
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Like the twins' mother, Leone hanged himself in the bedroom. It was a miserable end for the Emperor of a nation.
Cesare confirmed Leone's death and read the will he left behind. The not-so-lengthy will was filled only with words for Cesare.
Leone, with an apology, asked that his body be used as the first Sacrificial offering for the Burnt offering.
[I'm sorry, Cesare.]
Cesare stared at the words left by his last blood relative for a while, the last words of a brother who paid the price for his sins with death.
But nothing could be undone. Cesare began the Burnt offering.
The priests tried to stop the Burnt offering, but they did not have enough faith to risk death. They were also human, and they yielded to the soldiers' guns.
Cesare built an altar in front of the Pantheon in The Capital, placed the feathers of the Winged Lion, and lit the Sacred Flame. He offered his own blood and his brother's corpse as the first Sacrificial offering for the Burnt offering.
The huge flames devoured the human body in an instant. He burned his own flesh and blood as a Sacrificial offering, but the god did not respond. Cesare stared at the broken Pocket watch in front of the burning flames.
Seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. It was not a short time. Even though he should have forgotten a little, Cesare still heard and saw Aileen.
Young Aileen smiled as she called The Prince, Aileen, about to come of age, blushed and smiled, and Aileen, who came to him right before leaving for the Kalpen conquest, cried and knocked on the door.
Aileen had not faded from him at all.
He wondered what kind of reaction Aileen would show if she saw him now. There were expectations, but there was no way to confirm them.
The burning flames were engraved on his retina. The sparks flying in the wind scattered in all directions. Cesare, staring at the flames, opened his lips.
"Are you still willing to follow me?"
Then, with his back to the flames, he slowly turned around. Rohan, Diego, Michele, and Senon were quietly waiting for Cesare.
The knights, who had served only Cesare all their lives, obeyed their master's orders and pledged their loyalty. Even when Cesare was immersed in Sorcery and committed bizarre acts at the Grand Duke's Residence, they did not leave him.
However, the Burnt offering to God was something that shook the foundations of the Traon Empire. Even though the Emperor was merely a scarecrow, he offered his corpse as a Sacrificial offering without even holding a state funeral.
From now on, even the people of the empire would be offered as Sacrificial offerings. Cesare was not sure if his knights would accept this as well.
He wouldn't be surprised if they pointed their guns at him in this place. It was because he himself knew that his actions were abnormal.
The Grand Duke Erzeht performing a Burnt offering. It was something he couldn't even imagine seven years ago. Cesare had changed, and he had lost the image of the Grand Duke that the knights believed in and followed.
Nevertheless, in front of the burning flames, the knights once again swore their loyalty.
"We will serve you until the very last moment."
There was not a hint of hesitation in their eyes. Even though everyone knew they were heading down the wrong path...
Only then did Cesare realize. That during the seven years, the knights had also been broken.
Those who were broken and ruined decided to hold a final requiem for Aileen.
Cesare performed a second Burnt offering. He offered ten men as Sacrificial offerings, cutting off their heads and burning their bodies. The flames of the Burnt offering soared as if reaching the sky, but still, God did not respond.
The third Burnt offering sacrificed a hundred men. Blood flowed like a river, and severed heads and bodies were scattered everywhere. Crows trying to peck at the corpses gathered like dark clouds, but they could not easily rush in due to the heat of the huge flames.
"Tomorrow, I will offer a thousand lives."
At that moment, when he promised the deaths of a thousand people, God responded. The red flames turned into a golden Sacred Flame. The flickering flames were so beautiful that it was hard to believe that they had burned so many people.
Finally, God had answered the call of humans.
Cesare slowly approached the Sacred Flame. He stared at the holy flame and closed his eyes for a moment. After taking a few breaths, he slowly opened his eyes and wished for the one and only wish he had longed for for so long.
"May Aileen Elrod be revived."
The golden Sacred Flame that permeated his crimson eyes burned even more fiercely. Cesare took out a platinum Pocket watch from his pocket.
The Pocket watch in his hand was as hot as if it contained flames. Feeling the heat that seemed to burn his body, he squeezed the Pocket watch one last time and threw it into the Sacred Flame.
It was the last trace of Aileen that he possessed. If even this failed and it just ended in vain...
The last Sacrificial offering for the Burnt offering would be himself.
With that, Cesare's consciousness was cut off.
When he regained consciousness, Cesare chuckled for a moment. He couldn't believe it even though he was seeing it with his own eyes.
Aileen was in his arms.
It was the moment he first met Aileen. Ten-year-old Aileen burst into tears and clung to Cesare. The child in his arms was feverish and her whole body was warm, and the scent of flowers flowing from the Lily flower garden vibrated all around.
"Hngh, waaah..."
Cesare quietly comforted the crying child. It was a sweet dream that he truly didn't want to wake up from.
But he could feel it instinctively. This was a false illusion, a fake Aileen created from his memories.
The founding Emperor made a deal with God and resurrected the dead after undergoing seven trials. Cesare realized that this was the trial God had given him.
But it was a truly sweet moment to call it a trial. Cesare held Aileen in his arms for a while and whispered.
"Shall we close our eyes for a moment?"
The little child tightly closed her eyes. Cesare took out a gun from his arms, put it to his temple, and pulled the trigger. At the same time as the gunshot rang out, the world collapsed like shards of glass.
The next illusion that appeared was 12-year-old Aileen. The child, who had been kidnapped and locked in a warehouse, looked at Cesare, who had come to rescue her, as if he were a god. Love close to worship sparkled in the child's eyes.
Cesare again told Aileen to close her eyes and committed suicide by pulling the trigger. Then another Aileen appeared, and Cesare once again broke the illusion by dying.
After repeating suicide so many times, a question naturally arose. What is the way to end this dream?
He had recognized from the beginning that it was a trial given by God. But the founding Emperor had only experienced seven trials. The fact that the illusion was continuing an infinite number of times was proof that he was doing something wrong.
Cesare tried various methods. But no matter what he tried, he could not escape the cycle of repeated illusions. Also, only Cesare's death became the means to move on to the next illusion.
And Cesare met 17-year-old Aileen.
Aileen looked up at Cesare with a pale face, sweating coldly. Cesare knew very well what moment this was.
"We have to hold a funeral..."
Aileen trembled as if she had a chill.
"Some money... Please lend me some. I'm really sorry. I'll definitely pay you back."
The child, who had even forgotten how to cry, was out of her mind. Cesare stared at Aileen blankly. He had broken countless illusions, but there was one unique method he had never tried.
It was Aileen's death.
Cesare chuckled at the thought that came to his mind. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Aileen's neck with his hand.
Aileen struggled and thrashed, but Cesare coldly stared at her.
After all, it was just a game created by God. He had no intention of being trapped here forever, swayed by an Aileen made from his memories.
Cesare killed Aileen. He broke her neck directly with his hand in an instant.
Even though he knew that this was all an illusion, the fact that the vitality disappeared from Aileen's dazzling eyes gave him a strange feeling. A faint pain swirled in his heart, but Cesare endured it. He could endure this much. No, he thought he could.
It didn't take long for him to realize that his thoughts were arrogant.
