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Chapter 7
Your Majesty, There’s a Centipede Wrapped Around Your Neck
Even though he scolded me in a low voice, the arms holding me were gripping tightly.
“But we caught it.”
I grinned and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
Maybe because the tension had finally faded—or maybe because the holy power I had borrowed was completely drained—strength suddenly left my entire body. My vision spun.
Instinctively, I buried my face in Damian’s chest.
“Sir… my battery’s dead…”
“…Excuse me?”
“One more charge… please…”
Before I could even finish speaking, my consciousness faded away.
The last things I remembered were Damian’s heart pounding wildly and his frantic voice calling my name as I lost consciousness.
The next morning.
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Instead of the smell of disinfectant, there was a faint herbal scent in the air.
Closing the book he had been reading, Damian spoke.
“You’re awake?”
Damian, who had been sitting beside the bed reading, looked at me.
He had changed out of last night’s tailcoat and was once again wearing his neat Holy Knight uniform.
But his expression was no longer as cold as before.
“Where is this…?”
“My residence. The Inquisition dormitory is unusable for the time being since you destroyed it.”
Ah, right.
I had smashed the windows and walls while fighting the assassins.
I awkwardly scratched my head and sat up.
Thankfully, my body felt refreshed.
Damian had probably treated me with holy power while I was asleep.
“Thanks, Sir. I slept really well.”
“…No need to thank me. More importantly…”
Damian cleared his throat and looked away.
The tips of his ears were slightly red.
“About last night at the ballroom… that…”
“That?”
“The kiss. Was that truly… a tactical action?”
The moment he asked, memories from last night flashed through my mind like film reels.
Me pulling him close and kissing him in front of a horde of zombies.
And all those shameless lines I’d thrown at him like, “My love,” and “I need charging.”
‘Ah… damn it.’
Thinking about it again while completely sober made my face burn with embarrassment.
Back then, I’d been desperate to survive.
But now?
Still, if I got embarrassed here, I’d lose.
Pretending to stay calm, I pulled the blanket toward me and shrugged.
“Of course it was. You saw it too, didn’t you? One kiss and the weapon got enhanced.”
“……”
“Why? Don’t tell me…”
I narrowed my eyes teasingly at him.
“Commander, was that your first kiss?”
THUD.
The thick theology book Damian had been holding dropped onto the floor.
His face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.
“W-What?! Of course not! I’ve dated before too…!”
“Oh please. Your reaction says otherwise. Honestly, you’re such an innocent holy knight.”
I giggled while teasing him.
Who knew making fun of the great Inquisitor could be this entertaining?
Just then, urgent knocking came from outside the room.
A lieutenant burst through the door and shouted,
“Commander! We have a problem!”
He froze briefly upon seeing me sitting on the bed and Damian standing there with a flushed face.
Then he quickly turned his head away and reported,
“Th-The Imperial Palace has sent a messenger. His Majesty the Emperor has urgently summoned Lady Violetta.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes. It seems last night’s Nocturne incident has already been reported. They wish to grant the Lady an audience… after recognizing her as a Saintess.”
Damian and I exchanged glances.
A Saintess?
Me?
The woman who smashed her groom’s head and beat demons to death with a club?
“This is getting interesting.”
I climbed out of bed and stretched.
My spiritual eyes gleamed.
This was the sign of another hunt.
“Let’s go, Partner. This time, we’re cleaning the Imperial Palace.”
Inside the carriage heading toward the palace, Damian wore the expression of a criminal being dragged to his execution while rapidly lecturing me on Imperial etiquette.
“Lady Violetta, listen carefully. In front of His Majesty, you must never raise your head more than forty-five degrees, and you must never speak unless spoken to first. And please…”
He stared earnestly at my hands—more specifically, at the sleeve hiding my baton.
“Do not draw your weapon. Using force inside the Imperial Palace is immediate execution for treason.”
“Relax. I know how to read the room.”
I answered absentmindedly while looking out the window.
The magnificent Imperial Palace with its shining golden rooftops.
People called it the heart of the Empire and revered it with awe.
But to me, it looked like a gigantic haunted house.
Hundreds of evil spirits crawled across the palace walls. Ghosts hung from every garden tree like fruit. And from the grand fountains, instead of clear water, dark-red blood gushed upward.
It was an even worse hellscape than the Inquisition headquarters.
“Wow. This place has terrible feng shui. Did they completely ignore spiritual geography when building it?”
“…Are you hearing strange things again?”
“Not strange things. A very loud screaming chorus.”
I clicked my tongue.
There was no way the Emperor could remain sane while living in a place like this.
The chamberlain announced loudly,
“His Imperial Majesty approaches!”
The giant golden doors opened, and we entered the audience chamber.
At the end of the long red carpet sat the Sun of the Empire upon a high throne—Emperor Ludwig III.
And beside him stood a man in white priestly robes, staring down at us with snake-like eyes.
Archbishop Cassius of the Helios Order, the Empire’s state religion.
‘…Bingo.’
I narrowed my eyes.
The Emperor appeared dignified on the surface, but his eyes were sunken and his complexion was gray.
Of course it was.
A gigantic purple centipede was wrapped tightly around his neck.
Its countless legs pierced into the back of his neck and spine, controlling his nerves.
Every time the Emperor opened his mouth, the centipede clacked its mandibles and blew black energy into his mouth.
And the tail of that centipede stretched downward and connected to the shadow of Archbishop Cassius standing nearby.
‘So the Archbishop was the mastermind.’
If the thing behind Laura had been a demon of greed, then this one was a demon of domination that controlled humans.
The Emperor spoke weakly.
“Raise your heads.”
Damian and I obeyed.
Damian’s fists were tightly clenched with tension.
“So… you are the young lady who defeated the demons last night?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am Violetta of House Eberhardt.”
I lowered my eyes and answered as politely as possible.
At that moment, Archbishop Cassius interrupted with a sinister smile.
“Your Majesty, that woman is dangerous. I heard she committed violence at a sacred ball and spoke blasphemous words. Rather than defeating demons, perhaps she herself is possessed by one.”
At Cassius’s words, the Emperor’s eyes became clouded.
The centipede around his neck tightened its legs, and the Emperor grimaced in pain.
“…Is that so? The Archbishop’s words make sense. Sir Lyert, why are you protecting such a witch?”
“Your Majesty! Lady Violetta is not a witch! She is—”
Damian stepped forward urgently, but Cassius slammed his staff down and cut him off.
“Silence, Sir Knight! You too have clearly been bewitched by that witch’s dark magic. Guards! Seize the witch immediately! Throw her into the underground dungeon so I may personally purify her!”
In an instant, the royal guards surrounded us with spears raised.
Damian stepped in front of me protectively, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
But if he drew his blade inside the Imperial Palace, we were finished.
‘Typical setup. Frame the outsider.’
I let out a deep sigh.
These people weren’t the type who would listen to reason.
Especially that Archbishop bastard.
He clearly held a grudge because I had destroyed his “food,” and now he was determined to eliminate me.
“Wait.”
I grabbed Damian’s shoulder and stepped forward.
