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Episode 7
“Ah, so she already belongs to someone?”
Behind Faisad, smoke billowed upward and gradually formed a shape.
It looked like something between a human and a monster.
A gigantic creature with transparent blue skin glared at Lucius with glowing yellow eyes.
An ancient demon sealed inside a lamp.
Djinn.
In this world, there exist nine evil gods, cursed by the Creator, and 999 demons.
A demon’s rank is determined by how long it has existed in the world.
The demons separated from the evil gods are known as the Ancient Demons.
The next highest-ranked demons are those born alongside the beginning of human civilization.
Everything beneath them consisted of miscellaneous lower-ranking demons.
Djinn had supposedly been defeated by the god Aster, stripped of its power, sealed inside a magical lamp, and abandoned somewhere within the Kingdom of Baral before disappearing into the tides of human history.
Back when Faisad was young, sickly, and politically weak, nobody believed she would ever become Sultan.
But Faisad was persistent and endlessly curious.
While avoiding assassination attempts from her siblings, she eventually discovered the lamp containing a Djinn.
After that, a storm of blood swept through the palace.
Screams echoed every day.
The living suffered endless nightmares.
It was the beginning of a change in royal power.
“That’s right. I am Djinn’s master. You must have sneaked into the palace like a little rat, hoping to find the lamp. Too bad for you.”
Faisad smirked and rested her chin on her hand atop the table.
Her blood-red hair twisted and swayed like a snake.
“For a rat, I’m a little big, don’t you think?”
“Lucius, since you’ve already come all the way to the Baral Kingdom, how about marrying Haran and becoming the royal consort? If you do that, you can inherit Djinn without spilling a single drop of blood.”
If the Public Enemy of the Century became her son-in-law, there could be no stronger ally.
Even expanding the Baral Kingdom’s territory far beyond its current size would be possible.
Lucius folded his arms and let out a thoughtful hum.
A dark violet aura wrapped around him.
“I could just take it by force. Why would I bother doing that?”
“Haha. Are you saying you’d waste several of your demons just to obtain a Djinn? I know very well that it’s not that you chose not to invade the Baral Kingdom all this time. It’s that you can’t. And I think you just learned why.”
Faisad chuckled softly.
“An Ancient Demon displays transcendent power within its own territory. Don’t be too arrogant.”
“Really? Hearing that just makes me want to see Djinn’s power for myself.”
“Then come and try to take it.”
Faisad replied calmly, as if she were humoring a child.
“You sure talk confidently for someone who isn’t even here in person.”
“Oh? You noticed?”
“Was I supposed to pretend I didn’t?”
“No. You’re not the first person to have noticed. Anyway, I take it that means you’re not interested in becoming the royal consort. In that case, be careful while you’re here. This kingdom has plenty of dangerous things. Enjoy your stay. It will probably be a valuable experience for my daughter to spend time with someone as famous as you.”
Faisad took another sip of tea.
Her figure gradually faded until it dispersed like smoke.
Djinn’s form also became faint before disappearing entirely.
Not wanting to lose the trail, Lucius immediately summoned Tishtar, the Footprint Demon.
“Woof!”
The demon, which looked like a dog with bat wings, sniffed around the spot where Faisad had been standing.
It ran around in circles several times.
Then it tucked its tail between its legs, sat down, and whimpered.
They couldn’t track her.
“Oh, and Haran likes pink and white.”
Faisad’s amused voice echoed one last time.
“Keep that in mind when choosing fabrics.”
As expected of the ruler of an entire nation.
Not an easy opponent.
Lucius clicked his tongue quietly.
A dark underground chamber filled with drifting dust.
In the stale air stood a dried, twisted mummy.
Its body was human, but its head resembled a hawk.
Embedded throughout its body were four pale mirrors.
One was cracked.
Another had shattered completely.
The mirror no longer resembled a mirror at all.
The real Faisad was staring into the cracked mirror.
Inside, Lucius had summoned his dog-shaped demon and attempted to track her.
He failed.
Faisad pressed her lips against the mirror and quietly whispered,
“Oh, and Haran likes pink and white. Keep that in mind when choosing fabrics.”
Crash!
The mirror shattered completely.
Its function was gone.
“Hm… only two left now.”
Without hesitation, Faisad turned her back on the mummy.
The remaining two mirrors displayed different scenes.
One showed Faisad meeting with her officials.
Others showed Faisad drinking and mingling with the women of her harem.
Both were fake.
The mummy treasure she possessed could create four clones in total.
Faisad had stolen it from the royal treasury long ago after ending up here.
Ever since Haran’s father has been publicly speaking, died.
All to protect him.
Faisad turned her shadowed eyes toward the center of the room.
There, inside a small blue-green spring, lay an unbelievably beautiful man.
A faint glow radiated from him.
He had long, elegant silver hair.
His eyes were closed as if asleep.
Yet Faisad knew exactly how dazzling those eyes were when open.
Clear pink eyes that once shone with intelligence.
“Ivan…”
Ivan Lubazenko.
Haran’s father.
One day, Ivan had fallen into a coma-like state.
He never woke up.
If left alone, his body would have decayed and died.
After a long search, Faisad discovered the legendary Fountain of Life.
Using Djinn’s power, she concealed the spring and built a fortress around it, keeping Ivan’s condition a secret while protecting him.
Blue smoke constantly poured from the lamp resting above Ivan’s head.
“I hope your daughter succeeds.”
Faisad spoke desperately, almost begging for a response.
Sadly, none came.
I miss Dad.
Haran let out a warm breath inside the crowded carriage.
Whenever she felt lost or overwhelmed, she found herself thinking about her late father.
Since her mother had summoned Lucius to the royal tailoring room, she had indirectly declared that she intended to protect him, though Haran doubted someone like Lucius needed protection.
For now, at least, she felt relieved.
Haran was on her way somewhere before heading to the temple to perform her duties as a priestess.
She had wrapped a shawl around her entire face.
Anyone unfamiliar with her appearance would never recognize her.
Her destination was the Baral Kingdom branch of the secretly operating mercenary group known as Ursa Major.
The information they gathered while traveling across the continent was extremely valuable.
Now that Lucius had become her slave, it was time to put her second plan into action.
In the novel The Immoral Rose Blooms with Petals of Love and Hatred, usually shortened to Rose of Corruption, Haran only appeared in Lucius’s flashbacks.
The story itself took place two years in the future.
By then, Haran was already dead.
That made preparing for the future extremely difficult.
The only clues available came from Lucius’s memories.
According to those memories, Haran had acted like Lucius’s lover.
Then she had been assassinated by her siblings.
But how?
How could that happen when Lucius was right beside her?
The answer was probably simple.
Lucius hadn’t cared enough about her to pay attention.
I need to make the first move.
Partway through the journey, Haran got off the carriage and continued on foot.
Nearby, Iraz was likely keeping watch for anyone trying to follow her.
Iraz was both a monkey trainer and an assassin assigned to protect Haran.
It wasn’t unusual for servants who lived alongside royalty to also perform assassination work.
Haran entered a small, shabby tavern.
It was hidden deep within twisting alleys.
Without a map, finding it was nearly impossible.
However, Haran had searched for the Ursa Major Mercenary Group since childhood and knew the route by heart.
A man with long, messy hair greeted her while smoking a cigarette.
“Welcome. We’re not open today.”
He didn’t even look at her.
His voice sounded bored and indifferent.
His expression clearly said he wanted to throw out anyone who wandered in without knowing where they were.
“I’d like a glass of Claw Liquor.”
The man’s expression changed slightly.
Only then did he finally turn and look at Haran.
“We don’t sell just one glass.”
“I’ll buy it for eight billion cento.”
The amount of gold she offered was enough to buy one of the most expensive mansions in the capital of the Robella Empire.
“…Please have a seat and wait here.”
The man’s attitude changed instantly.
He led Haran to a chair, entered a door behind the counter, whispered something to someone inside, and then returned.
“You may come in.”
