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Chapter 273
Not a Single One
Ferda was looking out the window.
There, Valdemar's retreating figure came into view, his business concluded.
The path the fox treads in a place without lions began to regain its vitality, and before long, it was filled with people as if nothing had happened.
On the people's faces, there was no sorrow, no worry.
The Empire is that kind of place.
Еnů m̆ã
A land where all emotions are merely things that quickly evaporate.
Ferda gazed down at that place, lost in thought.
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Valdemar had foretold that a usurpation would occur and a blood wind would blow with the tyrant's advent, yet he first promised not to greatly provoke Ferda.
Rumors circulated that he was preparing to receive enormous donations from the Pascal Company and other imperial merchant companies.
He did demand magitech weapons, but even that, he first proposed purchasing them at a fair price rather than demanding them for free, thereby showing a degree of respect.
There was a clear intention not to make an enemy of Ferda.
Ė n̂ǔ ma . íd̊
Ferda had no choice but to accept that proposal.
As long as it wasn't the mana stone manufacturing technology, he could abandon the monopoly at any time.
"Olivia......."
Ferda carefully uttered the four-syllable word.
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He roughly knew that she hadn't died but was confined in someone's hands.
Ferda suspected the mastermind was Valdemar, and that it was a usurpation drama stemming from his ugly desires.
Ẁе́ b ǹ ŏ v̀ е̌ l̈ Е n̈u m̃ā
But the speculation missed the mark.
Valdemar, too, only learned belatedly that Olivia was a fake, and informed the Emperor of this fact, but the Emperor declared he would not respond.
Valdemar killed that Emperor and became the highest authority.
It could be a play, but judging by how circumstances were turning, it was something Valdemar could never have committed.
He pulled the trigger most swiftly, and was walking the path of a person treading the road to ruin.
Like oil-soaked firewood that would burn most brilliantly right this instant and turn into white ash.
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That foolish and hasty action could only be seen as Olivia being confined in the hands of demons.
Ferda began to worry from here.
If Valdemar had confined her, there would at least be the certainty that she was alive and well.
Hearing she was caught in the hands of demons, her life or death became impossible to gauge.
Especially considering the recent tyranny of demons, the mental aspect weighed heavily on his mind.
'If she ends up caught by things like Trauma.......'
Е̄ ǹum̌а̊ .i d
Would she be able to endure the illusions those horrible things show?
On the day they reunite, would that Olivia be the Olivia he knew?
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It weighs on his nerves.
Ordinarily, something weighing on his nerves would have been nothing, but now it wasn't comfortable.
Valdemar's words seemed to whisper to Ferda once more.
-That child holds affection for you.
W еb̃ ň о v̇ eľ .Е̄ num̈а̊
Ferda denied it.
Wondering if the word 'affection' held some other meaning, but it didn't fit with the present.
'My relationship with Olivia is a cooperative relationship.'
The only difference was gender, and excluding that, there were no emotions between her and himself.
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At least, that was true for Ferda.
But Olivia?
Ӗ n̊ ú m̃а
Could it be said she truly harbored the exact same emotions as himself?
Ferda recalled Olivia from their first meeting.
She was extraordinarily beautiful, and maintained her appearance like a well-crafted mask.
'Right now, Olivia is......?'
The fact that she was beautiful remained unchanged.
However, he felt that what constituted her mask was a little different from others.
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It was certain.
Her mask was gradually cracking.
Ferda didn't know for what reason her mask was cracking.
Whether she was showing trust because she was a comrade who trusted Ferda,
Or whether, as the words went, she was revealing her emotions because she held affection.
'Or simply trying to sow discord.'
E n ůmа . ī d̂
He felt trapped in a dense fog.
One thing became certain because of those words.
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Even if this matter passed safely, there could be no relationship like before with Olivia.
"Regent-nim, how about departing now?"
Garnet spoke to him as if urging him on.
Having heard reports that knives ran rampant in all directions, he couldn't afford to be this leisurely.
W̌ е̃ b.n̄о̄ v е̂l Е ñ ūm̂ a
Ferda answered with a nod.
He thought that if he was going to sit here blankly anyway, he might as well do it on the way home.
"Understood."
Ferda boarded the carriage.
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And on the way back home, he managed to come up with one method.
* * *
Ẃ еbn ŏv̊ѐ l Е̊.n ū mа́
The road where Ferda's army returned to Valdrova Castle.
That day was the darkest night with the new moon rising.
Ferda slipped out of the tent, becoming a shadow so others wouldn't notice.
The sentries keeping watch didn't relax their vigilance, but with their abilities, they couldn't detect Ferda's concealment art at all.
So as not to stimulate their nerves, Ferda moved as far from the camp as possible and returned to his original form in the complex forest.
Thinking this was far enough, he turned his body, which had melted into shadow, back to its original state.
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No sooner did he try to catch his breath than Ferda sensed a presence.
A group of eyes that seemed to swallow and emit moonlight were watching Ferda.
'Goblins.'
-Kikik?
They looked flustered at the sudden appearance of a human figure.
Ferda's eyes possessed sight that saw broad daylight even in places without light.
Enǔ m̀а̂. і d̆
Those eyes scanned the goblins' condition.
They were firmly armed with plows, shovels, and pitchforks like weapons.
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'Weapons obtained from raiding civilian houses.'
On the pointed metal parts, red blood and torn cloth scraps caught the eye.
'And they must have killed those owners with those weapons.'
Ferda raised his eyes and stared at the goblins.
En ù m̄а̌
The goblin touched by that gaze reflexively raised its weapon and screamed.
-Kiket!!
-Kekekek!!
Screaming as if having a fit, they lunged to kill Ferda.
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They charged foolishly, not even knowing Ferda was strong.
Ferda raised his hand.
Ê ñúm̄а.і̆ d́
-Keuk......?!
The wildly rampaging goblins all fell silent at once.
Over 40 goblins were all firmly bound by black masses simultaneously.
They struggled to escape the binding, but there was no strength to shake it off.
All that was permitted to them was only silence and spectatorship.
A dark forest where even the moon in the sky wasn't properly visible.
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There, a pair of blue moons rose distinctly.
Those blue moons raised a hand and clenched a fist.
Crack!
Crack crack!
Snapping sounds rang out all at once like detonators going off.
Their necks snapped, and their hearts ruptured.
Ẇ eb́n̊о̀ v̄ е̃l Е n̊u_m̂ а́
Releasing the binding, the sound of bodies collapsing to the floor rang out in unison, and silence fell.
Ferda looked down at the goblins that had become corpses.
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And he examined his own emotional state.
'These bastards deserved to die.'
Ferda knew as he scanned their condition.
They had raided civilian houses, stolen farm tools, and likely slaughtered all the owners using those farm tools as weapons.
W eb̆nov̈ё l Е̇ ń uṁ а
If they were human, they would properly mourn their kin's deaths, burn with anger, and kill them for revenge.
'It wasn't that kind of emotion.......'
But the thought Ferda had when he first saw them was a little different.
The reason they died was truly simple.
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'They were just noisy.'
It was simply because they made a racket around here.
Е̄ ṅ ŭ m а̄.. і̇ d̂.
He just didn't want this situation of secretly slipping out to be wasted pointlessly.
There wasn't a single shred of emotion for the dead.
Ferda was always like this.
-Too rough, oppa.
A chilling chill and sulfur smell touching his skin belatedly.
A sticky, vulgar feeling whispered in his ear.
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Ferda spoke that name.
"Sitri."
-Oh my? How unusual that you didn't even notice while I was ambushing you from behind like this.
"Bullshit."
Ferda said that, but it was as Sitri said.
Until just now, Ferda had been lost in thought and hadn't sensed her presence.
Ě ǹùmа .ĭ d̊
If she had harbored even a little malice, he would have been helplessly done in.
Sitri smiled with her eyes and stepped in front of Ferda.
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True to a demon most honest with desire, her attire was still vulgar.
-The reason oppa is this defenseless is because of Olivia, that young lady, right?
"I know."
-Caught in the hands of demons, you must be very worried. I understand too.
W̊еb̆nov̄ѐl Ѐ nǔm а
She casually spilled the first piece of information.
Ferda knew that was a huge bait.
Sitri already knew that even knowing it was bait, he had no choice but to bite eagerly.
So Ferda came straight to the point.
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"Hand over Olivia's location."
-Don' wanna~.
Еn u m̆ a
Sitri's index finger traced Ferda's jaw.
-Shall I speak honestly? I'm starting to think it'd be nice if that child became a bit more endangered.
"You don't care if I smash your Life Vessel? You think I can't do that too?"
Ferda's pupils coldly gazed at her.
-To break my Life Vessel, you'd have to kill Penelope. Can you do that?
"More than enough."
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-Looking at what you're doing, it's amazing you're still alive.
She spoke as if conceding, but didn't stop her leisurely smile.
-I hope you don't take offense. I don't take oppa lightly. You're the most demon-like human among everyone I know. But now you think it doesn't matter what happens to the Life Vessel?
"Pathetic bluffing."
-What if it's not?
It was something Ferda couldn't imagine.
Е num̈a
Just as humans cling to life, demons cling to their status.
The Life Vessel, which could be called the source of a demon's power, is one of the few tools that can manipulate them.
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A demon like that, moreover one who's become a Great Demon of Hell, giving up their Life Vessel voluntarily?
The moment they abandon it, they'd fall to an existence lower than maggots, yet it's unbelievable they don't care.
-I swear on my name, I can do it sufficiently.
Sitri swore on her own name.
Е̂ n u m̊а. і d̈
It meant she wasn't just testing the waters.
Knowing the meaning of that oath, Ferda was rather flustered.
"Why?"
Ferda asked her.
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-Gyeonggukjiseok. They say a person beautiful enough to topple a nation is called that?
Empire's Number One Beauty, Continent's Number One Beauty, Gyeonggukjiseok.
Ĕ nu_mа
In all words related to beauty, throughout all ages, there is no one to match Olivia.
That was the Olivia the world spoke of.
-Honestly, I didn't know why I was so drawn to Olivia. She's really pretty, and covetable, but...... I thought if I searched again after a few centuries, that would be enough.
She spoke with an expression full of euphoria.
-There was a reason for that attraction. When I heard that bastard Ureas had become a detestable sight, I knew for sure.
Ureas transformed into a form similar to Amon, killed Count Rooster, and even tried to kill Ferda.
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-Let's make a deal. I'll tell oppa one very interesting fact.
"What I need is—."
-Olivia's location is a no-go. I said it, but just that child being there is enough to make me abandon my life.
Ferda's words were cut off because Sitri intercepted them.
Sitri smiled cutely with her eyes and said.
"Don't be too discouraged. It'll become a very good indicator of whether oppa should save that bitch or give up on her."
E̊ nǔm ӓ.і̃ d
Ferda hesitated briefly, then opened his mouth.
"What do you want?"
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-Tell me about oppa.
"About me?"
-Yeah.
Sitri spoke.
Еnum̄ ӑ .і̌d
-You see, I've seduced and dealt with many humans so far, but you're the first strange person like oppa. You put a leash on a Great Demon and control them, don't you?
"......."
-Being captivated by a charming human like oppa is a truly joyful thing. But you know...... even so, the fact that I can't accept it is unbearable for some reason.
Sitri brought her face close.
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At that moment, Great Demon Sitri's appearance transformed into Olivia's form.
Then she quietly embraced Ferda's body and whispered.
W еb̃ n̈ о v̇ еl̊ Е n um̆ӑ
-Tell me. How did you know that bitch Penelope has my Life Vessel?
Having the Life Vessel stolen is a humiliation for a demon.
Moreover, suffering such a thing with the status of a Great Demon was a truly fatal matter.
That a single human who popped out of nowhere suddenly figured it out was impossible.
Ferda answered.
"Barbatos told me."
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-Lie.
She answered sharply.
-I'll tell you in advance since I don't know what other bullshit oppa will spout. Do you know what we call Barbatos among us Great Demons?
She answered.
-A phantom.
"A phantom?"
Ẽ nū ṁ а . і̄ d
-Right. We've never seen him even once. He's called the synonym of shadows and secrecy, but us Great Demons have never seen him even once. An existence whose traces don't even appear even if you search every nook and cranny of the Abyss's end. An existence that wasn't in Hell suddenly appears and gives advice? Don't you think that doesn't make sense?
Excitement tinged Sitri's voice.
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She opened her maw like a snake with prey before its eyes.
-I'll give you one last chance. Speak about oppa's identity.
