Chapter 120
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 120
The cascade of flower petals falling like spring rain was breathtaking.
The blossoms descending across the entire Holy Empire resembled snowflakes at first glance.
The demons caught in the flower rain released guttural cries.
The monsters that had remained motionless began to writhe.
Startled by the sudden movement, people stumbled backward in alarm.
Those gripped by terror swung their blades wildly without thought.
Yet within moments, they sensed something amiss and ceased their assault.
The demons were not attacking the humans.
They were moving desperately to reach the flower rain.
After thrashing about in desperation, the moment they were engulfed by the petals, they released a sound that might have been laughter.
Strangely, it almost resembled a laugh.
The black demons were covered entirely by the small white flowers.
Drenched in petals, the demons burst apart and vanished.
Where the demons had dissolved, not grotesque flesh and blood remained, but pristine flower petals swirled like snow.
"...."
Chesa, who had blanketed the entire world in flowers, breathed in ragged gasps.
A terrible exhaustion pressed down upon my body.
Even breathing felt impossibly difficult.
It felt as though I had opened and closed the Illusion Realm three times in succession.
I could no longer endure and staggered.
Then I felt a small warmth immediately.
Hata, who had climbed atop the pile of flowers with me, caught me with her front paws.
"Lichesia...!"
Hata whispered my name softly.
I lacked even the strength to reassure her.
I simply leaned against Hata.
I wanted to close my eyes and collapse right then.
But I could not.
I had to endure until all the demons found their rest.
I scraped together every remaining ounce of strength.
The white flower rain intensified and poured down even more fiercely.
Only after witnessing the last demon transform into petals did I cease my power.
The pile of flowers supporting my feet crumbled away.
My body fell slowly downward with the dissolving blossoms.
Yet my feet never touched the ground.
Solid arms caught and held me.
I struggled to rouse my fading consciousness.
A man with complicated eyes came into view.
The false smile habitually hanging at his lips was there as well.
She wore a smile, yet couldn't conceal the turmoil beneath it.
Chesa offered a sincere apology.
"I'm sorry... I promised..."
She had promised not to use fairy magic.
Kieran had reminded her countless times, and Chesa had sworn solemnly—yet she had broken that vow.
She had also ruined the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony, leaving her utterly unable to face Kieran.
She wanted to tell him that she would somehow recover the crown, that he needn't worry—but her eyes kept fluttering shut.
Kieran, watching Chesa's distress, gently wiped her cheek.
"It's alright."
"...But..."
"Chesa, my daughter. It truly is alright."
He whispered reassurance to her again and again.
Chesa tried to ask if he was certain, but no sound emerged from her lips.
Only the faint wheeze of breath escaped her trembling mouth.
Yet perceptive Kieran discerned what Chesa wished to say.
"It truly is alright. Father will handle everything."
As always, his conviction was absolute.
She wanted nothing more than to surrender to unconsciousness.
Yet Chesa clung desperately to her fading consciousness.
She was barely holding on.
A gaze so intense it stung her skin suddenly fixed upon her.
Upon identifying the source of that stare, Chesa—though nearly at death's door—recoiled in shock.
'Ugh...'
Holy King Sianor was gazing directly at her.
She knew not when he had arrived, but it was evident he had endured anything but a peaceful night.
He was utterly ravaged.
The Holy King's ceremonial robes, always immaculately maintained, hung crumpled and disheveled, and his complexion had withered as though aged years in mere hours.
Yet his eyes burned with terrible clarity.
Bloodshot and crimson, they pierced through Chesa with unwavering intensity.
What gleamed in those glistening orbs was elation and ravenous desire.
A gaze so repugnant it transcended mere revulsion.
But that vile stare could not persist.
"...."
Belzeon stepped forward silently and positioned himself before Chesa, blocking her from view.
The boy's back was resolute.
Chesa stared blankly at that unwavering figure before her.
Ishuel and Karha flanked Belzeon on either side.
Hata, too, stood valiantly on all fours, taking her place before Chesa.
Merely five people, and one dog.
That was all.
Holy King Sianor commanded hundreds of Holy Knights and Holy Priests at his back.
In comparison, House Basilian numbered barely more than five fingers—a pitiful force.
Yet the standoff between the Holy King and Kieran remained taut as a drawn bowstring.
Far from being crushed by his overwhelming presence, they seemed almost evenly matched.
The Holy King moved forward with deliberate steps.
Each footfall rang out with crystalline clarity.
He halted at a distance neither too far nor too near—merely several paces away.
Close enough that their voices could carry between them without strain.
"Count Basilian."
A low, solemn voice posed the question like a pronouncement of judgment.
"Was your house's adopted child a Fairy?"
Kieran did not deny it.
He merely smiled thinly and affirmed it cleanly.
"Indeed. It is a fact I myself have only just learned."
His straightforward answer left those watching in confusion.
Kieran's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"My child defeated a demon. As a member of House Basilian, is this not an accomplishment beyond reproach?"
His voice brimmed with barely contained pride, as though he could scarcely contain his joy at his child's achievement.
"I trust even Your Majesty would offer commendation."
"How dare you harbor a heretic...!"
The Holy King's voice erupted in fury.
Yet Kieran pressed forward without fear, his argument flowing seamlessly.
"In ages past, the Holy Empire welcomed the Fairy Queen when she came seeking to believe in God."
The Fairy Queen's crown, passed down to the Holy Empire as proof of this, was an irrefutable fact that none could deny.
"Then why, Your Majesty, do you persecute my child merely for being a Fairy?"
"...."
"She attended the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony to praise God's name, and even purified the demon that invaded Hilderd. Do you deem this insufficient to prove the child's devotion?"
Kieran's crimson eyes caught the light, glittering like faceted gems scattering brilliance.
Though barely restrained, a subtle smile played at his lips—one that bordered on open mockery.
The mad man had dared to jeer even at the Holy King himself.
"...Your esteemed priests and knights could not accomplish what my child has done."
The Holy King's cheeks trembled visibly.
Though consumed by rage, he found himself unable to speak.
Kieran's words were flawlessly constructed.
There was no opening to seize, no flaw to exploit—only the necessity of silence.
Having rendered the Holy King of the Holy Empire speechless, Kieran did not stop there.
"If you must levy the charge of heresy, then punish me instead of the child."
He wielded his tongue with cunning precision toward his intended goal.
"I shall accept punishment gladly. I have grown weary of confinement in the Black Forest."
"...."
Sianor's silence stretched on for a while longer.
When it had extended beyond the point where silence could continue.
Sianor commanded with a face frozen in cold severity.
"Confine Count Basilian to the Heresy Interrogation Chamber."
Kieran burst into laughter.
He laughed loudly, as though he could no longer contain himself.
It was unmistakably a mockery.
Kieran chuckled and countered.
"Why show mercy? Why not simply execute me now?"
Had it been anyone else, they would have faced immediate execution on the spot for such insolence, yet the Holy King did not order Count Basilian's death.
He could not even touch the Fairy, the heretic who should be eradicated, and merely repeated his parrot-like command to confine the Count to the Heresy Interrogation Chamber.
The reason was simple.
If Kieran died, there would be no one to face the demons of the Black Forest.
The Holy Knights approached, carrying restraints.
Though it was Kieran being arrested, the Holy King stared at the scene with a pallid, ashen face as though his throat were being strangled.
"Dad, I'll be back in a moment."
Kieran, who had been smiling faintly, dropped his playful demeanor and spoke tenderly.
"Don't cry, Chesa."
The moment the tense-faced Holy Knights drew near.
Chesa raised her hand high.
Just as she had on that day long ago when she first met Kieran at the Orphanage.
"Take me too."
She spoke loudly, squeezing out her last reserves of strength.
Her voice was loud enough for the Holy King to hear clearly.
With her other hand, she grasped Kieran's sleeve.
Though her grip was feeble and trembling, Kieran went rigid as though struck at a vital point.
The Holy King could never kill Kieran.
Confining him to the Heresy Interrogation Chamber now was merely a show of force.
Yet knowing all of this.
Chesa raised her eyes with unwavering determination and spoke.
"I'm going to prison with Dad."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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