Chapter 203. Ureas

The woman's form gradually melted into the shadows.

Those shadows swelled into darkness.

As if they were sculpting a gigantic beast.

"Yubel."

Angrem, who had been standing with her hands behind her back, threw herself into the shadows.

Yubel's screams would not stop.

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Look outside. Quickly."

Angrem calmly and gently moved her hand.

Yubel's neck obediently followed the movement of her hand until she was looking out the window.

There hung a great moon.

A full moon.

"Don't let the mad moon consume you. We're different from them."

"Ah..."

The dense darkness disappeared, and the night returned to its original color.

At the same time, the killing intent pressing down on the surroundings vanished.

The crimson glow in the eyes of the woman named Yubel faded, turning blue once more.

Those eyes glared at Zed again.

Her once-expressionless face twisted with beast-like fury.

The other woman, who had desperately restrained her, let out a sigh of relief.

"That was my mistake. I never expected her to be from the Red-Eyed Clan. If I'd known there was someone from the Red-Eyed Clan here, I would've just finished things quickly..."

Still smiling brightly, the woman held something up.

It was identical to the journal Garnet had been carrying.

"I may not look it, but I'm actually quite talented at stealing."

"!!"

Garnet instinctively checked her chest.

The journal had vanished without a trace.

It had been taken with such skill that she hadn't even realized it.

"Yubel, let's go."

"Sak! Sak! Sak!"

Yubel radiated killing intent.

For some reason, that aura was especially intense toward Zed.

"It's the full moon."

"...Man."

But realizing she could not kill him, she quieted down.

Yubel picked Angrem up in her arms and leapt out the window.

Looking back one last time, Angrem waved at them before disappearing.

They had arrived like a storm and vanished together with the shadows.

The place they left behind fell into silence, completely overturned.

"Wow... Having two crazy bitches here at the same time made it impossible to breathe..."

Penelope made a dramatic fuss.

All she had managed to do was cast Haste on Zed.

The Saintesses of Sierra...

Unlike the Alte Religion, which worshipped the sun and light, the Sierra Religion worshipped the moon and darkness.

Within the Arken Empire, the stronghold of the Alte Religion, even holding a gathering was illegal. Possessing the symbol or any object of Sierra meant being treated like a demon worshipper and burned at the stake.

No...

They were treated even more brutally than demon worshippers before being executed.

The most vicious terrorists within the Empire belonged to the Sierra Religion, and the Saintesses of Sierra were infamous as noble slayers.

Simply surviving after encountering two Saintesses of Sierra was an incredible stroke of luck.

...Come to think of it, that woman's face looked strangely familiar.

The woman in the tattered robe.

The moonlight had been too dim to make out her features clearly.

But there had been one brief moment when Zed saw her face—

When their swords had clashed.

He desperately clung to that fragment of memory, trying to expand it and gather more information.

Now isn't the time for this.

Something far more important had fallen into the enemy's hands.

The only choice was to report it immediately and respond as quickly as possible.

"...I need to inform the Regent. This has become troublesome."

"..."

"Zed?"

Since he didn't answer, she turned toward him.

He stood motionless, staring out the window through which the two Saintesses had escaped.

It was strange.

Normally, he'd crack jokes in a situation like this.

Seeing him so utterly captivated by something was unusual.

"Zed?"

"...What?"

"Are you alright? Why didn't you answer me?"

"...Ah, I'm fine."

Even his reply lacked conviction.

Zed's mind was in complete turmoil.

It was as if a massive whirlwind raged inside him, with the woman named Yubel standing at its center.

The moment she broke through the barrier restraining her mind...

The appearance she had taken in her frenzy.

The color of her eyes.

Red eyes.

He tried desperately not to dwell on them.

There were many reasons someone might have red eyes besides belonging to the Red-Eyed Clan.

Those who had undergone the Berserker Ritual had red eyes.

Vampires also had red eyes.

Even if she wasn't a vampire, perhaps she had undergone the Berserker Ritual.

Yes...

That had to be it.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to believe that, Yubel's image kept lingering in his mind.

Emilia...

She kept overlapping with the image of his long-lost younger sister.

***

Yubel and Angrem safely escaped Hestia.

With every step they moved as though they were flying, making pursuit impossible for anyone except Luri.

Yubel's movements resembled those of a wolf.

Dark shadows swelled around her body, shaping her into that form, and she moved as naturally as though she had long been accustomed to it.

"That's far enough."

At Angrem's words, Yubel came to a stop.

Hestia had already become a distant speck behind them.

The darkness gradually dispersed, and Yubel returned to her normal appearance.

"I expected things to get a little wild, but getting hit like that was unexpected."

"...Sak."

"It couldn't be helped. Very few people know how we were created. They think they're protecting you, when in reality they're protecting everyone else from you."

"Man."

Yubel silently nodded before looking up at the moon.

Beneath that moon stood Valdrova Castle.

"Ferda..."

"Not yet."

Angrem spoke firmly.

"He deserves to become even happier. If we're going to create a better world, he mustn't meet us yet."

"...Man."

Though reluctant, Yubel finally nodded.

She turned and followed Angrem.

"Let's focus on our own work."

Angrem opened the journal.

What she had wanted all along was the list of humans disguised as Dopplers.

"Let's see what happens when trash crawls out of the landfill."

"Man."

Darkness once again enveloped Yubel's body.

Just as she was about to transform into a wolf again, Angrem casually asked,

"By the way, how was it?"

"?"

"The man you crossed swords with."

"..."

Yubel tilted her head.

She looked completely confused by the question.

Angrem smiled softly.

"It's nothing."

"Sak."

"Hehe, it really is nothing."

Angrem clasped her hands behind her back and spun around.

Yubel, already accustomed to her behavior, paid no attention.

'Just like you said, he's incredibly handsome, Yubel.'

Making sure Yubel couldn't hear, Angrem murmured those words under her breath.

***

The next morning.

As soon as the sun rose, Garnet came to Ferda's office to make her report.

"The journal was stolen last night?"

"Yes."

Ferda could hardly hide his surprise.

Garnet wouldn't have been careless.

Neither would Zed.

Which meant...

"Was it because of that brat?"

He pointed at Penelope.

"M-Me!? I didn't do anything!"

"She did arrive late because she overslept, but it wouldn't have changed anything. They already knew my identity and knew about the journal."

There was no doubt Garnet was telling the truth.

There was no reason for her to cover for Penelope.

"Anything unusual?"

"If I had to mention something..."

Garnet brought up the one thing that had bothered her.

"One of the women who attacked us was the woman you told us to spare, Regent Ferda."

"I did?"

"Yes. When I saw her face, I thought about it over and over. The only person who matched was the woman we found at the Dvelung estate."

The woman who had looked as though she had been waiting only for death...

To think she was actually one of the Saintesses of Sierra.

"Then I suppose I'm the one who sowed the seed."

Ferda thought silently.

Should I have killed her back then?

But he did not regret the past.

What mattered now was what needed to be done.

"What can they accomplish with that journal?"

"The most dangerous information concerns the serum used to create Dopplers and members of the Demon Race, but that's not the Saintesses' primary objective. The Saintesses of Sierra are Sierra's agents—executioners, not researchers."

Sierra was the Goddess of the Moon and Vengeance.

"So they're after the locations of the Dopplers."

"Exactly."

Although the information had been stolen, copies still existed.

It could be restored at any time, so the loss itself was not fatal.

Moreover, if the Saintesses were acting for that purpose, it would actually make eliminating the scattered followers of the Demon Race much easier.

"But the biggest problem is that the information will spread. Once people realize the source of this leak was us, they'll tear into us relentlessly. If they decide to push the issue, they'll claim we're collaborating with the Sierra Religion."

"They certainly will."

The Empire already viewed Hestia's rapid growth with displeasure.

Several imperial nobles had repeatedly looked for excuses to suppress them.

If they learned Hestia had become involved with the Saintesses of Sierra, they'd eagerly seize the opportunity.

"I'll discuss that matter."

"With whom?"

"If we're talking about someone truly knowledgeable in this area, who else would it be besides the Imperial Princess?"

Olivia Arken.

She had driven Alexander from power and was now controlling Ureas.

Thanks to her, Ureas had unknowingly avoided countless disasters he would otherwise have rushed headlong into.

"I only say this out of concern..."

Knowing Olivia's true nature, Garnet had no choice but to speak, even if it irritated Ferda.

"You shouldn't trust the Imperial Princess too much."

"Don't worry."

Ferda wasn't the sort of man who would fall under Olivia's spell.

Still...

He was ultimately a man.

Olivia was a woman capable of ensnaring any man.

Garnet bowed quietly before leaving.

Ferda contacted Olivia through the Communication Crystal.

"It's been a while, Regent."

"Have you been well?"

"Well? Hardly. I've become incredibly busy day and night."

"That must be exhausting."

"It truly is. That's why hearing from you makes me so happy."

"I contacted you for another reason..."

Ferda explained the list of Dopplers and the matter concerning the Sierra Religion.

"The list of Dopplers... The timing couldn't be better. You know the Empire has been in turmoil lately, don't you?"

He did.

Archbishop Joseph Faust, the leader of the Alte Religion, and Marquess Akard Dvelung, Valdemar Golt's most trusted subordinate, had both been revealed as Dopplers.

Imperial mages were investigating Akard's corpse, while Erdes was examining Joseph Faust.

So far, neither investigation had produced definitive results.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the nobility had begun stirring distrust toward the current regime while attempting to shift the balance of power.

Countless people had come under suspicion of being Dopplers.

Valdemar Golt, however, was always the sole exception.

Anyone who dared suspect him ended up beaten to death, only reinforcing his untouchable status.

"You need to prove you have no ties to the Sierra Religion, and I need that list of Dopplers. I believe we can reach an agreement. What do you think?"

"That sounds acceptable."

"Then let's meet and discuss it in person. You'll find out soon enough anyway—I was already planning to visit the Far East."

"What brings you here?"

She answered.

"The war with the Heinkel Kingdom. Ureas Arken, the Second Imperial Prince, will be coming as well."

***

One month later.

A magnificent carriage rolled into Hestia.

Advancing over a crimson carpet was an imperial carriage from the Arken Empire.

It was on an entirely different scale from when Olivia had come alone.

This was a ceremonial carriage reserved only for those whose authority rivaled that of the Emperor.

Inside sat Ureas and Olivia.

After making a brief public entrance, showing themselves to the adventurers and townspeople while maintaining tight security, they proceeded toward the entrance of Valdrova Castle.

When the carriage came to a stop, Ferda and Luri were already waiting to greet them.

Ureas stepped out first.

It was Ferda's first time seeing him.

His first impression was entirely different from Alexander's.

Unlike Alexander's plump build, Ureas had a sharply defined face and a well-built physique.

However, while Alexander possessed a certain sinister intelligence, Ureas showed no sign of such depth.

"My greetings to the Imperial Princess and the Acting Emperor."

Ferda respectfully bowed.

Ureas accepted the greeting with dignity.

"A pleasure to meet you, Regent of Valdrova."

"I would appreciate it if you called me Regent Ferda."

"Ah, my apologies. I shouldn't treat that name lightly."

Neither Ferda nor Luri looked pleased.

The brothers were complete opposites.

Yet somehow, the things that made them irritating were exactly the same.

Still, letting emotions take over would accomplish nothing.

For now, they welcomed him politely.

"Thank you for honoring us with your visit, Acting Emperor."

"Think nothing of it. I heard you even sent me a letter, but my adjutant only discovered it much later. I sincerely apologize for that."

It sounded like a convincing excuse.

But Ferda knew perfectly well that Ureas had simply ignored it.

The difference between him and Alexander was simple.

Alexander ignored things for political reasons.

This man ignored them because he simply couldn't be bothered.

"I've never seen them in the Empire before, but it seems you have plenty of these Magitech Rifles here. Every guard on the walls appears to be carrying one."

"With the Land of Demons lying just ahead, it's only natural that we keep ourselves well armed."

"Is that so? Honestly, I was tempted to snatch one away just to examine it."

"Brother."

"But I suppose stealing a sentry's weapon wouldn't be appropriate."

Laughing heartily, Ureas casually brushed aside his true intentions.

"I'm pleased to hear you're interested. I'll instruct the castle's researchers to prepare demonstrations of the devices currently under development."

"I'd greatly appreciate that! Unlike my older brother, I think very highly of Magitech Engineering! I have every intention of supporting it generously!"

He reacted like a child receiving a new toy.

His straightforwardness, at least, was refreshing.

"Then allow me to escort you. This way, please..."

Ferda took the lead.

Ureas and Olivia moved to follow him.

At that moment, Luri quietly stepped in front of Olivia, blocking her path.

"My apologies, Your Highness, but someone wishes to see you first."

"...Me?"

"Yes."

Luri spoke calmly.

"My master, the Red Dragon, Lady Valdrova, wishes to meet with you, Lady Olivia."