063 – The Seal

In the normal course of things… His Majesty would have said something like, “Poor Miheon Uncle is unwell, so he must stay here.”

But right now… even though my whole body is shattered, I’m the Miheon who can do anything, the one who sliced off the Vampire Lord’s arm in that battle without even a scratch.

‘Ah… really, I should have just said the talking cat took care of it all.’

His Majesty was looking at me with expectation-filled eyes.

And the result was…

“Was all that story real?”

“It’s all lies… I just told it in a fun way to please Princess Asher…”

“…Shall I tell them to turn the carriage around, even now?”

“I’m afraid Ella might hold me responsible if I do… I guess I’ll have to go, for now.”

Together with Ella, I was following His Majesty’s carriage in the Eloise family’s carriage.

Luckily, in the misfortune…

“By the way… are you planning to take the cat too?”

“Ah, yes. It won’t eat or drink anything if I’m not around.”

Isabella, who had leaped out the window, was now nestled securely in my arms.

If we find ourselves in a critical situation again, I’ve decided to rely on Isabella’s help without hesitation this time.

‘Where did she go?’

I don’t know where she rushed off to so urgently.

I’ll find a chance later, when there are no people around, to subtly ask Isabella where she went.

For now, I should try to figure out what’s going on with the Succubus Queen’s corpse, said to have been resurrected in the royal family’s underground prison.

*

The Succubus Queen’s corpse, thought to be dead, has been resurrected, and all the prisoners held in the royal family’s underground prison have escaped.

This is…

A situation tantamount to a national emergency.

The initial response is extremely important, but…

“…This is driving me crazy.”

The Succubus Queen’s physical strength was something humans could hardly imagine.

According to a soldier who survived the war with the vampires, it was like watching the Vampire Lord rampaging alone in the royal palace…

‘If it’s Miheon who cut off the Lord’s arm…’

So when they expected Miheon, who was following the carriage, to resolve this situation…

“Brace yourselves for impact!”

“What?”

Far in the distance, I could see the wreckage of the royal palace flying directly towards us.

“..!!”

Instinctively, I hugged Asher and fell to the ground.

At that same instant…

*KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!!*

A massive tremor and explosion engulfed the area.

‘…’

We should have been dead, without a doubt.

Crushed under the ruins of the grand palace, Asher and I should have been gone, but…

“Get a hold of yourself!”

“…Mihan?”

Somehow… I was lying prostrate in the carriage where Mihan and his lover were riding.

“H-how…?”

“Papa… Papa…”

Asher’s cries told me.

We had survived.

My dear friend had saved me from what should have been certain death.

It felt as though I had been vindicated for bringing Mihan here.

*Thump!*

Something landed on the carriage roof, reached a hand inside, and dragged me out.

“I’ve come to fulfill the contract.”

“D-demon…!”

“Choose. Kill your daughter yourself, here and now. Or, your daughter survives, and the Magic Kingdom is destroyed.”

*

After saving His Majesty and Princess Asher with my abduction skill…

Before I could even assess the situation…

Something reaching from the carriage roof snatched His Majesty away.

—

ÆœĦDž (■■■)

—

In that fleeting moment… I glimpsed the state window momentarily displaying information about the hand’s owner.

‘The Heart Harvester…!’

From this, I knew the forsaken Heart Harvester… had obtained a corporeal body, not just a soul form, the corpse of the Succubus Queen.

“Silence, silence, silence.”

Immediately, I cast silence on His Majesty, Ella, and myself, as seen through my Observation skill.

Then I leaped out of the carriage…

“…Huh?”

The eyeless creature… was looking in my direction, a look of bewilderment on its face.

“I thought the Emperor of the Magic Kingdom had discovered a loophole in the contract… just a nobody was alive?”

I had no reason to answer its question.

To defeat that wretch, here, where I had no Etherium-based weapon…

Inevitably, Isabella had to maintain her human form.

“Sleep, sleep, slee-.”

Soon, Her Majesty, the Princess, and Ella were all succumbing to slumber.

“Ghk…!”

“Shh, this mouth ruins everything.”

Before I knew it, the Heart Harvester had me by the neck, dangling in the air.

“Hk!…!”

My feet lifted off the ground.

A furious Isabella watched the scene unfold, her eyes narrowed.

Perhaps because Ella was watching, she seemed to be gauging the situation, waiting until I was truly on the brink of death.

‘Please…! Please…!’

Hoping Isabella would protect me, I frantically waved my hand, signaling Ella to flee.

“A precious woman to you, it seems?”

The Heart Harvester had seen my gesture…

“Hff…!”

‘Ella…!’

He grabbed Ella’s neck with his other hand, hoisting her up.

“Kkeueuk!!”

A crushing shock resonated through her, as if her neck bones would shatter.

“Insignificant human, I shall personally gift you with unbearable despair before your death!”

With those words, the Heart Harvester raised his free hand high…

“The contract! Must be fulfilled!”

And threw Ella down towards the floor.

In that instant.

*Whoosh-*

Instead of the resounding crash that should have been, a brief sound like wind rustled through the air.

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

Isabella, having absorbed all the impact Ella would have suffered, simultaneously…

Leapt upwards, attempting to assault the Succubus Queen’s body, but…

—

ÆœĦDž (■■■)

[Abduct] – Inactive

[Spy] – Asher Leon

[Sleep] – Inactive

[Infiltrate] – Active

[Silence] – Inactive

—

“Quick little b*stard…”

Just before Isabella’s attack landed, the Heart Harvester abandoned the Succubus Queen’s body and floated into the air.

“So that is the power, a human who can manipulate aether as they please.”

The thing, bodiless, floating in the void, glanced over my flesh and bone, realizing the absence of aether within.

Without a corporeal form, the Heart Harvester could not strike me who possessed no aether.

Now, weighing the opportunity to land a decisive blow on the fiend.

“…Want to kill me?”

“I shall, without fail, slay you this very moment.”

Suddenly, an idea, like lightning, struck.

“Observe. Silence, be lifted.”

“..What do you do, Master?”

Designating Isabella as the target for observation, and while regarding myself, I unleashed the silence spell I had cast upon myself.

“Try to kill me.”

“Foolish human, thinking that because I expended much power last time, I cannot even kill the likes of you?”

“Can’t you, though?”

“How ignorant, how utterly naive.”

“Chicken?”

Adding just the right amount of provocation in this state, as I anticipated, he infiltrated my flesh.

As he had done in the past.

Knowing full well he would seize my aether and crush my heart.

“I vow to tear your heart to shreds this time.”

“Try it, you dumbass. Silence.”

Immediately casting the silence spell upon my body once more.

Imprisoning him within.

“..Huh?”

“A mere clump of aether, daring to act out.”

“What is this…!”

“If you’re going to brag about controlling aether, at least put some thought into your actions.”

“Why do you know…! Why do you do this to me…!”

The abandoned Heart Harvester had overlooked one crucial detail.

That I knew far more about the Heart Harvester than he could fathom.

That the abandoned Heart Harvester, in a spectral form, could do nothing without aether, something I already knew.

“A nobody without aether, why even bother flapping your gums.”

“Like…this… I…”

“Mmhmm~ Do whatever you want~ I’ll just live without aether for the rest of my life~.”

“Do…you… think… you… can…”

His voice, fading as though strength were leaving him, so I uttered a final phrase for the sake of his end.

“I’ve been living without aether my whole damn life, you moron.”

“…”

Seeing as how no sound came from him any longer.

It seemed the aether clump sealed within my heart had lost even consciousness.

Swish…

First, to eliminate any possible variables.

I plunged the dagger into the heart of the fallen Succubus Queen.

Thunk-

“Ha… tough one.”

However…

Even in death, this flesh maintained a maddening hardness.

Without Aether, it was difficult for a mere mortal to damage the heart…

Thunk- Thunk- Thunk-

I swung the dagger repeatedly, continuing to stab until the Succubus Queen’s heart was, by any means, destroyed.

Thunk- Thunk- Thunk- Thunk-

“Just die already!”

By now, my arm was starting to ache, nearing exhaustion.

With all my might, I plunged the dagger in one last, deep thrust…

And then.

Thunk!-

“Haa… haaa… damn that was hard, for real…”

The sensation of the Succubus Queen’s heart bursting reached me through the dagger’s hilt.

“Hooo… hoo…”

An act that could have been completed simply with Aether took minutes to finish, how could I not be weary?

“Don’t you ever disrespect kimchi again, you Luciferian b*tch…”

The immediate danger was extinguished, first and foremost.

Now, how to deal with the Heart Reaper sealed within my body… I’d need to discuss it with Isabella.

“…”

Dozens of eyes, circled around, stared at me.

Your Majesty, Princess, Ella, Isabella already nestled in Ella’s arms, and added to that… countless Imperial soldiers who had apparently arrived as support.

‘Ah, well… someone could have mentioned it…’

Aish…

How embarrassing, watching something like this…

“Ahem… ahem ahem… ahem…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

It was starting to feel awkward, I wish they’d stop watching.

Myaaong~

“Ah…! S-shall we return to Miss Miheen…? Little Cat?”

Myaang!

“Miss Miheen…! Little Cat says she wishes to go to Miss Miheen…!”