What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 211

“……?”

“‘That girl’ for the Empress? And what’s this about being the ‘landlord’?”

As question marks floated above everyone’s heads, Kazhan realized the woman’s identity.

The one who had protected and hidden Ysaris from Uzephia’s eyes for two years. The owner of the house where she stayed, the master of the village severed by the barrier.

And…

“The Sage’s teacher.”

“Wha—what kind of cringeworthy title is that…? Did you hear that from Yesis?”

Kazhan studied the woman, who visibly recoiled. Though her golden eyes were hidden beneath her robe, her reaction confirmed she was exactly who he suspected.

“Lady Rekiana.”

“He even told you my real name?”

This won’t do. I’ll have to pay him a visit soon and pluck out every last one of his beard hairs.

As Lena scrunched her face in displeasure, Kazhan, sensing her mood, quickly defended the Sage.

“It was merely a single slip of the tongue. The Sage referred to you as ‘Lady Lena,’ but it seemed like a nickname, so…”

“Just call me Lena. I hate being addressed by my full name.”

“As you wish.”

Rekiana. Lena. The Sage’s teacher.

Among those who now knew the woman’s identity, someone reacted abnormally. Trienne, pale and trembling, struggled against the restraining spell, his composure long gone.

“How… how are you here?!”

“You’re the one who invited me. Foolishly.”

“What kind of—eek…!”

The bravado he’d shown earlier, threatening suicide, had vanished. At the sound of Lena’s clicking footsteps, Trienne convulsed in panic. He writhed, desperate to escape, but against the so-called ‘Authority’ of the spell, he stood no chance.

Thud.

When the terrifying presence finally loomed before him, Trienne screamed in desperation.

“Killing me won’t gain you anything! You’ll only lose more!”

“Oh?”

“I’m the branch leader of the Western Continent, a high-ranking executive under the Elder! If headquarters discovers this massacre, they’ll retreat deeper into the shadows, and you’ll never—”

“Yeah, they’re already wiped out. I was just on my way back from cleaning out your nest.”

“Huh?”

A dumbfounded sound slipped from Trienne’s lips. Seeing his stunned expression, Lena kindly elaborated.

“Whose blood do you think this is? Damn roaches. Finally yanked them out by the roots—feels refreshing.”

Lena tugged off the robe she’d worn infiltrating the dark mages’ stronghold. Unlike her now-brown hair, her radiant golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

Dark magic was powerful. A force so dangerous it had plunged the Western Continent into chaos twice.

But the reason the dark mages, who wielded such power, vanished centuries ago wasn’t what history recorded. Far from being driven out by united forces, they’d been on the verge of overwhelming their opposition—until a single entity dismantled their entire faction from the shadows.

The golden Rekiana.

She refused to be recorded in human history, quietly fulfilling her duty. Pursuing personal research, she hunted down dark mages wherever their stench arose.

Though Lena’s identity remained unknown to most, among the dark mages who’d suffered near-annihilation, her name was whispered openly. Even the current Dark Tower Lord had lived in fear this generation solely because he shared her golden eyes.

…If they hadn’t lost their purification wielder, they’d have stayed quiet. They wouldn’t have even targeted Tennilath as a backup plan.

“A few years back, you lot attacked the Uzephian Emperor and dragged out your headquarters’ puppets, didn’t you? And you’ve been stockpiling more here since. Thanks for leaving a trail—made it easy to follow. One lead, and the rest just unraveled.”

“Th-that’s… impossible…”

As Trienne muttered in disbelief, Lena shrugged.

“Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t find all the hidden personal retreats, but I guess I owe Liz for this? Pretty thing, really.”

‘Liz?’

Again, only Kazhan understood the reference. He remembered Ysaris being called “Liz” during her time in Lena’s village.

But whether Lena’s presence here now had anything to do with Ysaris, he couldn’t tell.

“Anyway.”

Without further explanation, Lena conjured magic in one hand. There was no need to mention how she’d been eavesdropping on this place since the ring she gave Ysaris shattered, nor that she couldn’t come immediately because she’d been busy razing the dark mages’ stronghold.