Chapter 80
As Eraziel tried to flee, a tentacle shot out and wrapped around his ankle.
“You disgusting thing!”
He shouted, trying to tear it off. But instead of coming loose, the tentacle tightened and something began to rise from the marble floor of the imperial palace.
Alnazir had followed him here.
Climbing up through the floor as if it were nothing, he casually took on human form and glanced around.
“So this is where you live? Much bigger than Fay’s.”
He frowned, as though unimpressed by the size.
“Guards! Is no one there?!”
Hearing Eraziel’s shout, soldiers and attendants rushed into the hall.
“Your Majesty!”
“Who is this man?!”
“Seize him at once! Cut off his head—no, hack off all his limbs—!”
Spittle flew from Eraziel’s lips as he barked orders. Then suddenly, his vision tilted.
In full view of the soldiers, Alnazir sliced off his head with a tentacle.
A hidden, razor-sharp barb flashed like a blade, cleanly separating head from body. Strangely, not a single drop of blood fell.
“So you can communicate with them. Why is that? You’re weak, yet you possess some ability?”
“…!”
Eraziel was too shocked to speak as the head fell.
“Or perhaps you’re simply so weak that you’re on their level?”
Alnazir showed no hesitation in mocking him.
“We can figure that out later. For now, I’ll need to borrow you as a gift.”
A gift? What nonsense was that? As Eraziel glared in fury, Alnazir’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
“When Fay is angry, she calms down if I bring her a present.”
“W-What are you all doing?! Capture him at once!”
The soldiers hesitated, trembling, as the severed head continued to issue commands in a booming voice.
They had just witnessed their emperor decapitated and yet the head was speaking.
Before they could process what was happening, Alnazir calmly turned away, carrying the emperor’s head under his arm.
When the soldiers finally gave chase, he casually swept them aside with his tentacles and flung them out of the palace.
* * *
Fay stared at Alnazir, who proudly lifted the head, and barely managed to swallow her scream.
“So… what you’re saying is… th-that head is my gift?”
Alnazir nodded confidently.
“You exchange heads as gifts?”
Virelda asked flatly, eyeing them with a strange look.
“N-No! I only ever asked him to pick flowers for me before!”
Fay denied it vehemently. She had never once asked for a head. Not seriously, not jokingly.
Then why did your invoked bring one? Virelda didn’t say it aloud, but her gaze did. And frankly, Fay wanted to ask the same thing.
“W-Why… why a head?”
“You said that if I wanted to become that, trust was important.”
“That? Don’t tell me you mean a familiar?”
“There’s no better proof of trust than an enemy’s head.”
Alnazir looked extremely pleased with himself, convinced he had brought the perfect gift.
At least it didn’t seem to belong to anyone from the city.
That thought gave Fay a sliver of relief as she frowned at the severed head. If it was truly an enemy’s head, then perhaps it belonged to the commander—or the vice commander—of the invading army.
But the face looked older than she remembered.
“Fay, what’s going on?”
“Whose head is your lover holding?”
The witches whispered anxiously. Fay wished she had a clear answer.
Alnazir only said, “I believe he mentioned his name at some point, but I don’t recall,” which was utterly unhelpful.
“It’s definitely an enemy…”
Just as she was puzzling over it, the unconscious head suddenly opened its eyes.
“You filthy wretches!”
“It’s alive?!”
“What is happening?!”
“Fay! Explain!”
The witches recoiled in horror. They had assumed it was dead.
“How dare you do this to me and think you’ll survive! I will burn you all alive! My soldiers will flay you alive and set you ablaze!”
The head spat out a stream of vicious curses.
“My soldiers…?”
Virelda’s sharp mind leapt ahead.
“Fay, that might be the Emperor’s head.”
“The emperor? Alnazir! Is that the Emperor?”
Surely not. Fay thought the guess was extreme, but she still turned to him.
Alnazir blinked, as if finally recalling the word.
“Ah. Yes. The Emperor.”
“You cut off the emperor’s head—no, more importantly, is it still a-alive?”
Fay gripped her staff tightly with both hands. The sight of a head with no body screaming obscenities was terrifying.
“I thought you’d prefer it fresh.”
Alnazir completely failed to notice her fear.
In his mind, he had simply brought the most thoughtful, impressive gift possible—certain that Fay would be moved, forgive him, and reconcile with him immediately.
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