The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 44

Veronica spent a long time alone in the ornate reception room. Leon, who she thought would return soon, didn’t show up at all, as if he had completely forgotten about her.

The scabbard she had left on the chair beside her shimmered with a dark luster, basking in the warm sunlight. When the camellia branch shone white, Veronica remembered, like a breeze, the flower’s meaning that she had tried so hard to recall in Aseldorf.

“…Waiting, yearning love.”

She muttered aloud, a hollow laugh escaping her lips. She had thought the flower, which bloomed after enduring winter, would have a stronger meaning.

“It’s not strong at all.”

On the contrary, it was frail. Waiting had no strength. Even the red petals existed only to adorn the golden stamens.

Suddenly, the image of the golden-haired princess, as sweet as honey, came to her mind again. Princess Johanna was the prized daughter of the Kaisenmeer imperial family, where women were rare.

Veronica wondered what business such a princess had with Leon, who must have grown up as the most beautiful flower in a greenhouse. How had they come to know each other? No matter how much she pondered, there was no way for her to know without having shared Leon’s past. Somehow, an unfair feeling arose within her.

“His Majesty has ordered your presence. I will guide you.”

Lost in dark thoughts, Veronica was startled when a servant opened the door to the reception room and spoke. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. She wouldn’t have had the courage to walk alone if she hadn’t kept reminding herself with every step that Leon would also be there.

“Is this the audience chamber?”

Veronica stopped and asked.

The place she was led to was very different from what she had imagined.

After climbing a staircase so high it left her breathless, she found herself on a wide outdoor terrace of the palace that overlooked all of Kart. Under a canopy that shielded them from the sunlight, the emperor and nobles were seated, and a feast was laid out on the tables. Seeing the empty courtyard, wide enough for fifty soldiers to line up, Veronica looked up at the servant uneasily.

“This is the imperial dueling arena, mainly used for knights’ matches.”

A dueling arena? Why?

There was no time to ask. When the chamberlain standing beside the emperor bowed to announce her arrival, the emperor raised one hand. The soft murmur that had been flowing through the gathering quieted, and all eyes turned toward her. With no other choice, Veronica moved to the center of the empty courtyard as Leon had taught her, knelt, and bowed her head.

“I greet the ruler and guardian of Kaisenmeer, the lord of the east, the rising sun.”

The gazes felt like spikes piercing into her. She was used to being on stage, but what made her nervous wasn’t the stares themselves—it was the curiosity and disdain within them.

“Yes, I’ve heard much about you. Raise your head.”

A slow, raspy voice responded. Cautiously raising her head, Veronica saw a plump old man up close.

Is that the emperor?

Even the Pope had some dignity, but this elderly emperor, covered in age spots…

Just then, Princess Johanna entered and took her seat, interrupting Veronica’s thoughts.

Leon, who accompanied the princess, stood behind her with a cold expression. Their eyes met, and their gazes intertwined.

“Ahem, as you all know, the woman seated in the courtyard now is a heretic who survived assimilation with Bahamut. She sees the world through Bahamut’s eyes and borrows Bahamut’s power. Though she has come to pledge loyalty to me, as a faithful son of God, I cannot simply defy the Holy See and harbor a monster.”

The more the emperor spoke, the more Veronica felt an ominous chill run down her spine.

“However, the merciful God grants even murderers a second chance. With the age of prophecy behind us, the only way to know God’s will is through the sacred duel handed down since ancient times.”

Murmurs began to rise. Veronica heard the deafening beat of her heart.

“Thus, I, Leopold I, proclaim: if the assimilated one defeats an imperial knight in combat, I will accept her in front of all.”

What?

Veronica lifted her head in disbelief. Across from her, a knight as large as a bear stepped confidently into the courtyard.

What is this? This wasn’t just a scare tactic for the emperor and nobles?

Her frightened eyes quickly sought Leon. His face was cold and expressionless, offering her no clue. Was this a betrayal? Why? For what reason?

Because she was no longer needed?

“Put on your helmet and stand.”

A blunt voice brought her back to her senses. The knight, whose armor gleamed with golden filigree, was looking down at her arrogantly.

She awkwardly stood up and adjusted her outfit. The knight gave her a slight nod, following protocol. Reflexively, Veronica returned the bow, and the trumpet announcing the duel sounded.

There was no way for her to organize her confused thoughts in that brief moment. Veronica was disoriented. The only thing she had learned from Leon was the basic posture for swinging a sword, and her desperate attempts to stabilize the air around her were far from sufficient to control it freely. This was her first time crossing swords with someone—let alone a trained knight.

Even so, when the knight drew his large, heavy sword with a threatening flourish, Veronica instinctively stepped back and drew her own blade.

Her heart began to pound wildly. The murmurings of the crowd faded, and all she saw was the knight, raising his sword high above his head. As Veronica watched the blade flash downward, she reflexively blocked it. Clang!

Her arm throbbed painfully. It was too heavy!

It seemed the knight intended to put on a show for the nobles. He deliberately dragged things out, making easily blockable attacks that she could fend off even with just eyes and reflexes. The sound of metal clashing echoed. It was as if her sword was crying out in pain. It was remarkable that her cheap, mass-produced blade was holding up against the knight’s steel.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, her pupils dilated to their limits. From the beginning, this was a fight with a predetermined outcome. The end, the end…

As she struggled to endure, her sword broke in half, and the shock sent Veronica sprawling backward. Her helmet rolled pathetically across the ground.

Pathetic. There was no word that better described her current state. She felt as if she were naked before the crowd.

What had she done wrong? Was it that her mother had gone to the wilderness before she was even born? That she had lived in Bayern instead of the safety of Kart?

Or was it simply catching Leon Berg’s attention?

The knight, with the sun at his back, pointed his sword at her neck. Gritting her teeth, Veronica gripped the blade with her gauntleted hand. As soon as she sensed the air shift, the massive sword shattered like glass, pieces falling to the ground.

“What are you doing?!”

The knight’s eyes widened, his expression quickly changing. Now unarmed, he climbed on top of her and began to choke her. He shouldn’t have done that. At that moment, his face turned into Mecklenburg’s. A dark face, glowing eyes. The hands choking her. Crushing her as if to suffocate her.

Veronica began to scream and struggle like a madwoman. Panic had taken over, making thought impossible. Her fear of death left her gasping for air, her mind starved of oxygen. She heard an echo in her head.

“Remember this. No matter how big a giant is, it can’t move around with its head split in half.”

Suddenly, there was a popping sound inside the knight’s helmet, and the force strangling her disappeared.

With wide eyes, Veronica stared at the now-empty helmet of the man who had been on top of her. What had once been flesh and blood now spilled over her cheeks and forehead in unrecognizable mush.

“Ah… ah…”

He’s dead.

With a thud, the knight’s headless body collapsed onto her. Even while struggling to breathe under his weight, the screams of women rang clear in her ears. She could feel the disturbance around her in the trembling of the air.

Veronica stared at the bright blue sky, her mouth agape. A falcon circled overhead. How long had she been lying there like that?

Someone moved the corpse off her and helped her sit up. It was the one she had been waiting for.

“Leon, I…”

“Damn it, do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”

His words were cut off weakly by intense disdain.

Veronica closed her mouth, stunned. Her vision cleared, and she saw Leon’s face, now chillingly cold.

“Theodore was the princess’s knight. You’ve just killed the emperor’s most cherished and trusted man.”

She didn’t understand. His tone sounded as if he were blaming her. Why? What had she done wrong? Was surviving when she should have died the problem?

Tears welled up as if she had been slapped in the face.

Resentment bubbled up. She had almost died just now. Just now, and in the black corridor too. Several times.

Because of you.

“But you told me to make a deep impression.”

“I never told you to kill anyone. Look at how they’re staring at you.”

At his harshly spat words, Veronica finally noticed the other people around her—noblewomen whispering behind fans, aristocrats retreating in shock.

Oh, she knew those looks. It was the expression people made when they saw a particularly disgusting bug. The fear that accompanied seeing a ghost was also evident.

Perhaps the nightmares in Aseldorf, the ones that tormented her nights, were prophetic dreams. A dream where everyone looked only at her. The gaze she had always wanted all her life. Gaze. Gaze.

But what she saw were pitch-black faces with only eyes floating.

She clenched her mouth shut. Her stomach churned, and it felt like she would vomit everything she had eaten. Leon forcefully pulled her to her feet.

“This is the power of Bahamut that I mentioned. The air they wield can be difficult even for trained knights to withstand.”

Leon spoke to the emperor.

“Whether we send an expedition or prepare for defense, something must be done. If not, Kart will be ruthlessly trampled by Bahamut come spring.”

“It sounds plausible. But what use is an old prophecy now that the age of prophecy is over?”

A clear voice interrupted, supporting Leon’s argument. It was Princess Johanna.

“Ah, and more importantly, look up at the sky. A falcon, the messenger of God, witnessed the duel. We all saw where God’s merciful gaze rested.”

People looked up at the falcon circling above and began to murmur loudly. Falcons were considered sacred animals, known as the incarnation of God. With the situation as it was, even the emperor, whose face had reddened in displeasure, couldn’t simply dismiss it.

“The princess speaks wisely. Though the outcome of the duel is unexpected, I will honor my promise to accept the assimilated one. From this moment on, she shall be under the protection of the imperial family, not in defiance of the Holy See, but as an act to protect our people and respect God’s will.”

The emperor reluctantly declared, and Princess Johanna, who had helped, smiled sweetly. Leon gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment.

The princess’s actions were certainly not out of pity for Veronica.

Veronica thought about what they might have done while they were gone. She remembered Leon’s cold and reproachful tone. For some reason, she felt indescribably wretched and humiliated.

Why, why am I still alive, struggling here?