Chapter 53
***
During the Erios festival, Kallist’s mood was absolute s**t after being abruptly dispatched to the front. That’s putting it mildly. Seething with uncontrollable rage and lust, he actively displayed his dog-like temper to everyone alike, friend or foe.
Wherever he passed, blood was liberally splattered, and corpses piled up like mountains. While most were criminals or enemies, not a few allies were also caught in the whirlwind of his rampage. A walking calamity. That was the moment his new epithet was born.
Even his aides, accustomed to his violent and capricious nature, couldn’t get a proper word in. A single one of his insane whims could send heads flying in an instant. There was even talk of drugging him and locking the beast in a cage.
So, when the Crown Prince, who had been tirelessly slaughtering, deserted and disappeared, it was only natural that no one went looking for him.
Frankly, no human could hope to catch up to him, and anyone standing in his way would only be throwing their precious lives away. The army, imbued with the will of the sacred Sun God Erios, was reorganized under the command of the Crown Prince’s generals and continued its advance toward the enemy designated by the High Priest.
While having the Crown Prince would make victory easier, the lives of their own forces would be equally at risk. It was a wise decision.
‘Why am I even here?’
Kallist, on the other hand, couldn’t understand the decision she had made. Abandoning the army and turning his horse alone wasn’t his own will. He must have been bewitched; it was the only explanation. His head felt constantly hot. So did his lower parts. His entire body was burning, making rational judgment difficult.
All he could do was faithfully steer his horse as his instincts commanded. Toward the woman carrying his seed.
In the dim twilight that had settled over the land, he arrived at Drémoor Castle and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, opened the main gate and went upstairs. His footsteps held not a shred of hesitation, as if this had been his plan all along.
The damp stone steps carried the scent of another man. A disgusting, nauseating stench he’d smelled somewhere before. With an animal’s intuition, he was certain there was another man in this castle besides Zeke.
His heavy footsteps were laden with killing intent. He deliberately stomped hard on the stone floor so the intruder would be aware of his presence. Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound echoed like thunder.
“Move.”
He gave the order to Zeke, who was standing guard by the door, and was about to enter the bedroom when the door opened and a familiar face walked out.
It was the High Priest of the Valencha Empire.
Kallist’s face twisted violently at the appearance of this unexpected person. Ruasil, in contrast, wore a serene expression.
Ruasil, wearing the benevolent smile unique to the High Priest, was the first to speak to Kallist.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, who should be on the battlefield at this hour, what brings you to Drémoor Castle? Surely you haven’t… deserted your post?”
The moment he heard that cunning voice, Kallist felt like he might vomit. With his sharp mind and cold judgment, he realized why the High Priest had so abruptly driven him to the front lines.
Sylvia. It was because of the princess of the fallen kingdom.
But one thing didn’t make sense. Priests and priestesses of the Erios faith do not engage in relations outside the temple. If the High Priest had broken the greatest taboo and embraced a heretic, it was a capital crime worthy of severe punishment.
With an intuition closer to that of a beast, Kallist was certain the High Priest had broken that taboo. There was no proof, but his gut screamed it was true. No man, no matter how noble, could resist coveting that woman.
“My, that doesn’t seem like something a fallen High Priest should be saying.”
Ruasil’s eyebrows drooped in a disgusting manner as he brazenly whispered his lies.
“Fallen? How can you utter such slander? I merely visited Drémoor Castle to purify the power of the evil god Kinamun and convert the Princess into a Child of Erios. There is no other reason. This is a matter even His Majesty the Emperor has permitted.”
“Ha. His Majesty… permitted?”
“Yes. His Majesty did.”
The corner of Kallist’s mouth twisted into a vicious slant. Ruasil’s sly smile only deepened.
***
‘Something feels off about the situation outside…’
I held my breath and strained my ears to listen to what was happening beyond the door. It seemed Kallist had arrived. If he’d been just 30 minutes earlier, he might have caught me tangled up with Ruasil.
In the original story, these two never crossed paths, and their active hours were different, so I’d felt safe. I never expected them to run into each other right at my door.
But Ruasil is a cunning man; he’ll slither his way out of this like a snake. If Kallist finds out he’s had me, it would be bad for him, too. And while Kallist might chop down anyone else on a whim, he probably can’t touch Ruasil.
‘How did this novel end again…?’
I mostly skimmed the steamy parts and glossed over the plot and ending, so I don’t remember exactly, but it was (by my standards) a perfect happy ending.
Sylvia, exhausted by her devastating life, finally let her mind go and surrendered to her instincts. While she responded actively to the male leads, they, in turn, looked into her hollow, vacant eyes and realized something was terribly wrong. But it was already too late.
They frantically tried to restore her humanity, yet never stopped forcing themselves on her. They’re all irredeemable trash, every last one of them. Which is exactly my type.
So, interpreting the ending my way, it was practically the establishment of my own cozy harem. Soon enough, Kallist and Ruasil would start offering me the world’s rarest treasures and finest foods—a life an emperor might envy. And I don’t even have to work! It’s the ultimate cushy life.
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