Chapter 143
“Your Majesty, splitting a human soul is the most forbidden of all taboos!”
“Furthermore, splitting the soul would result in instant death!”
Queen Echinacea cast a cold gaze over the mages.
“According to scholarly records, even Demon King Audixus split his soul and sealed it in a magic stone. I possess magic power as strong as Demon King Audixus. How can you declare it impossible without even attempting it?”
“Your Majesty, humans and demons are different!”
“What is different? Why should I not be able to do what a mere demon could?”
“Even if Demon King Audixus split his soul to create a magic stone, it was possible because he was a demon. Your Majesty is human.”
The palace mages earnestly tried to dissuade Queen Echinacea.
Indeed.
Unlike demons, who had lifespans of several hundred years, humans were frail beings who lived at most for a hundred years. No matter how much magical power they had, humans fundamentally had different soul structures from demons. The moment the soul is split, a human cannot withstand the shock and will die instantly.
The mages vehemently opposed the queen’s unacceptable command.
But Queen Echinacea did not relent. In fact, she became even more adamant.
“So, you intend to defy my order?”
“That is…”
Faced with the queen’s icy question, the palace mages fell silent. The elder mage spoke up on behalf of the hesitant others.
“We are not defying you. We are merely concerned for Your Majesty’s health…”
Those were the elder’s last words.
With a swift slash, the queen’s sword cut through the air like a flash of light.
Thud! The elder, stiff as a board, collapsed to the ground. His blood sputtered out, soaking the carpet.
The sudden death of the elder left the palace mages pale with fear.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
“I did not realize you were such loyal subjects to be overly concerned about my health.”
The queen, holding the bloodied sword, looked over the remaining mages.
“Who dies from my command is none of your concern. That is something for me to worry about as the one giving the orders.”
Holding the sword dripping with blood, the queen raised her head firmly.
“This is an order. Split my soul and seal it in the sword.”
***
Queen Echinacea’s plan was successful. Although she ultimately succumbed to illness and passed away, she successfully sealed part of her soul into the cursed sword. In this way, Queen Echinacea “survived” in the form of an undying specter.
The specter of the queen floating in the air glared at Rufus with sharp eyes.
“The last one to awaken me was that vile Prince Tarek. Are you one of Prince Tarek’s men?”
“No, I am not.”
“No? Then whom do you serve? State your name.”
“Even if you knew my name, it would bring you no benefit.”
Rufus replied mockingly. The queen was incensed by Rufus’s sharp retort.
“Insolent! Whether it benefits me or not is for me to decide. Confess at once.”
Rufus looked coldly at the queen’s specter, completely ignoring her question.
She’s not worth engaging with. This ghost would soon disappear anyway. There was no reason to exchange words with such an entity.
“Why do you remain silent? This is an order! Reveal your identity!”
The specter seemed ready to devour Rufus at any moment. Rufus turned away from the queen’s specter.
“Iruel.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Clean up.”
“Ugh, I never cleaned even when I lived with my mom…”
Grumbling, Iruel extended his hand and infused his magic. As if time had reversed, the dirt that had been dug out of the hole began to return. It all happened in an instant.
Soon, the scene was completely restored, as if nothing had happened.
The ignored queen’s specter began to scream shrilly.
“Let me go! I am the biological mother of this country’s Crown Prince, Viren!”
“Ugh, you’re so annoyingly loud. Reminds me of Viscountess Eustice. Irritating.”
Clicking his tongue, Iruel flicked his fingers at the cursed sword. Magic shot out like a spark and engulfed the sword.
There wasn’t even time for a final scream. The specter dissipated like smoke in water.
Having subdued Queen Echinacea’s specter, Iruel turned to Rufus.
“Are we going back to Prince Tarek’s palace now?”
“No.”
Rufus wrapped the cursed sword in his cloak. Despite being a fairly thick cloak, the deadly energy of the silver was palpable.
“If we’re not going to the prince’s palace, then where are we going?”
“We’re going to meet your mother.”
“Why are you so interested in someone else’s mother?”
“Because she’s far more competent than you are.”
“Wow, you really have a way with words, don’t you?”
Iruel looked both irritated and slightly hurt.
“Fine, my mother is at the Demon King’s castle, so let’s head there.”
Iruel spun around. In the place where the two men stood, a plump sparrow and a jet-black butterfly appeared.
“How will we transport the sword?”
The sparrow chirped at the butterfly.
“That’s your job.”
“What? My beak isn’t strong enough to carry such a large sword while flying!”
“Use your magic. You have Demon King Audixus’s magic stone, don’t you?”
The black butterfly nonchalantly perched on the sparrow’s head. The sparrow let out a frustrated chirp.
“Sir Rufus, I’m not a pack mule. Can’t you be a bit kinder to me?”
“No.”
The sparrow chirped sadly and activated its magic.
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