TPA 22

Chapter 22

The Imperial Invitation (3)

2018.02.15

It didn’t take much thought to understand what it meant to sit next to the Emperor.

The current Empress was said to be the daughter of the Hart family, but she was so reclusive that only rumors circulated. There were almost no concrete facts known about the Empress.

Because of this, people of the Empire knew of the Empress’s existence, but no one knew what she looked like, her age, or any other details.

Yet today, the Emperor had brought this rumored Empress with him.

‘That person is Lena… the Empress of the Empire is behind the Beastmen…?’

Those who knew nothing simply showered praise on the Empress’s beautiful appearance.

They remarked casually that it made sense for the Emperor to keep her hidden in the palace. No one suspected she was a Beastman. Naturally, who would think such an absurd thing? It was hard enough to believe it even with their own eyes.

“Come on, follow me.”

As soon as the Emperor’s speech ended, the woman whose dress had been ruined called out to Misa.

Only then did Misa realize how terribly rude she had been and hurriedly followed the woman to apologize.

Clap!

The sound of flesh colliding echoed through the hall in an instant.

“You fool! That’s a sacred seat, and you were spacing out… causing me such humiliation!”

From the woman’s perspective, it was understandable to be angry.

During the crucial moment of the Emperor’s entrance, Misa had stepped back in a daze, becoming the center of commotion and ruining a costly dress. It was only natural for her to be furious.

“I’m truly sorry.”

There was no excuse.

Misa had been dazed by shock, but the fact remained that she had caused harm to another person, whether intentional or not. She had no right to complain even if she were slapped again.

The woman raised her hand again, as if one slap wouldn’t vent her anger.

At that moment, something intercepted the woman’s arm.

“Enough.”

It was Ul.

He slowly lowered the woman’s wrist.

“What is this? Why are you meddling in other people’s business?”

“I apologize for my person’s rudeness.”

“My person? Hah! An apology won’t fix this. My dress is ruined, and I’m now branded as an uncouth troublemaker!”

“I’m sorry… I’ll pay for the dress.”

“Pay for it? You look like a shabby border noble. Do you even know how much this costs?”

Even though it was a humiliating remark, there was no room for rebuttal. It was true.

Misa did not have enough money to cover the cost of the dress. Her head throbbed painfully.

Then Ul took something out from his possession and handed it to the woman.

“This should do it.”

“…This is?”

“This alone is enough to buy a new dress and still have some left over.”

“Ahem.”

“Since I’ve compensated enough, how about we end this here?”

“I’m sorry, truly sorry…”

Misa bowed deeply in genuine apology.

Whether it was because of her sincere apology or the item Ul had given, the woman’s face, which had been red with anger, calmed down.

“Alright, I’ll forgive you.”

No sooner had the woman spoken than Ul grabbed Misa and led her away. She was in a daze, following him as he pulled her along.

The woman who watched them leave stared at the gemstone in her hand with an enigmatic look.

“To willingly give such a precious thing… a gem worth more than hundreds of dresses… she must not be a border noble.”

Quickly hiding the gem, she turned around.

Libido, who had been observing the entire scene, smiled and approached the woman.

“Ha… Hart Marquis…”

“Are you alright?”

“Uh… what…?”

“I’m referring to earlier.”

“Oh… I’m fine.”

“I was worried, so I followed you. I’m glad you’re okay.”

The way the Marquis, whose rank was lower than hers, still addressed her respectfully stirred a strange attraction in the woman.

Rumors about the Hart Marquis were plentiful; he was said to be so awe-inspiring that no one could dare look at him. Yet in reality, he was gentle and warm.

“If it’s alright, could you spare me some time?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The woman answered in a dazed, languid manner, as if spellbound. She then followed Libido.

The red eyes of the black panther, stalking its prey, glinted fiercely.

Thanks to Ul, Misa had avoided a crisis and collapsed as soon as they reached the terrace.

“What was that you gave to her?”

“A Rumelia gemstone.”

“Rumelia? That’s extremely expensive. You had one of those?”

“Back in my day, it was just a common rock. Seeing humans destroy forests and blow up mines to extract these stones, I realized their value.”

“So you collected them?”

“I gave them to humans who trespassed in my territory and sent them away. But humans, blinded by greed, kept coming back.”

“And then?”

“I couldn’t kill them, so I left.”

“Thank you. Because of you, I avoided a crisis.”

At the time, there was truly nothing she could do.

The shock upon realizing Lena’s identity was as great as when she had seen her mother murdered. She could hardly stand in her right mind.

“Lena… You called the Empress ‘Lena,’ right?”

“She’s changed a lot. Who would’ve thought she was hiding in the palace all along? No wonder she couldn’t be found.”

Once just a rural researcher, she had become the wife of the most powerful person a thousand years later.

Now, Misa understood why the number of Beastmen had increased exponentially.

Once she gained power, Lena would have expanded the facilities needed for her research. No longer constrained by others’ eyes, she could invest all her time and money into research.

As a result, so many Beastmen now roamed the streets.

“Haha… The monster who creates Beastmen was sitting atop humans all along.”

Misa wished it were not true.

She hoped it was a lie. But it was real.

The Empress of the nation was secretly behind the Beastmen, a monster creating them. Who would believe it? Who would accept it?

This fight had been impossible from the start. Facing the Beastmen was no longer just about fighting them. To eliminate their kind, she would have to go against the Empire itself.

Now she understood why Epicure, Libido, and Leon Hart could act as if they were ordinary nobles and rule over others. Their mother already held the highest power in the Empire.

“You want to kill Lena…? Turning her into an enemy is like turning the entire nation against you. It’s reckless and impossible.”

It was nearly impossible for a single person to overcome such a massive enemy.

Beastmen had already infiltrated and rooted themselves deep within human territory, beyond human control.

She felt hopeless.

“What have I even been living for?”

It felt as if her life itself was being denied.

Perhaps she had chosen the hunter profession as a child because of an obsession, as Ul had said.

She fought the Beastmen under the guise of revenge, driven by a compulsive need to prevent others from suffering as she had.

It had been hard, but she had no regrets.

For every Beastman killed, a hundred humans were saved. They were absolute evil, mere pests harming humans.

“How pathetic we must have seemed… humans, struggling atop the heads of Beastmen, just trying to survive.”

She felt shame.

Knowing that the leader of the Beastmen sat next to the Empire’s most powerful human was humiliating.

“It wasn’t supposed to be an easy path from the start.”

“……”

“From the moment you decided to confront the Beastmen in human form.”

“……Yes. But I was young and full of vigor! I wasn’t old enough to face reality, just determined to act. But now… now you’ve seen what Lena is capable of!”

“Whether she’s a beggar or the ruler of a nation, it doesn’t matter to me.”

The target to be killed had not changed.

“No one forced you to do this. All of it was your choice, your will.”

“……Yes.”

“The choice of what you do next is yours. So think carefully about what you’ll do.”

For now, she was in chaos.

She had just realized how immense the enemy she faced was, and she had hit a wall of reality.

She now knew how high and solid that wall was.

She would feel fear.

Humans often hesitate and give up when reaching their limits, knowing the ridiculous amount of time and effort required to overcome them.

That’s why it’s scary. A human at their limit… cannot move forward. There’s no path.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

While she was confused, soldiers approached Ul and Misa, scanning them from head to toe.

“The Empress requests your presence.”

Misa looked up at Ul in panic. He silently helped her to her feet, as if anticipating the Empress’s summons.

“I’m fine.”

“……”

“I’m here.”

Those simple words calmed Misa astonishingly.

Her trembling fingers stopped shaking, and her pounding heart gradually steadied.

“Let’s go.”

The soldiers took the lead.

Ul held Misa’s hand, and she tightly closed her eyes, following behind them.

In the Empress’s bedchamber, all twelve Apostles were gathered, excluding Libido.

Normally, only the Emperor could enter the Empress’s private chamber, but the maids attending her did not find this unusual.

The Apostles gathered here were all members of major noble families overseeing national affairs under the Emperor, so their presence was ordinary.

However, a new figure among them piqued the maids’ curiosity.

A young girl with soft, curly hair stood in the corner, looking like she might cry.

“Where’s Libido?”

Leon Hart answered Rize’s question.

“He went hunting.”

“Went hunting when the Empress called? How rude, isn’t that right, Mother?”

Rize’s remark made Lena smile leisurely, tossing her hair back.

“There’s nothing new about it. How can a rebellious son be stopped?”

“Still, he’s far more responsible than you, Rize.”

Pride, the Sixth Apostle, spoke, and Rize snapped back.

“What did I do?”

“You’re unproductive. Libido is expanding his influence as a businessman, but what about you? Careless, spreading rumors all the time, and do you know how much money it costs to clean up your mess?”

“Hmph. Do you think I’m like you men? Women can’t act independently in this world. A husband’s power is mine. As long as I marry well, what more do I need?”

“If your husband knew your strange hobbies, he’d divorce you immediately.”

“Oh, mine doesn’t. He appreciates my efforts. Always compliments me on how beautiful I’m getting.”

“Marquis Ferentz is pathetic, just a flashy shell, what’s so good about him?”

“Enough! I won’t allow this from you either. There’s hardly any blood in the bathtub, want me to fill it with yours?”

“Stop it.”

As voices rose, Lena intervened.

Rize and Pride, bickering, quickly fell silent.

Lena put down her comb and stood.

“Let’s welcome our guest.”

No sooner had she spoken than the door opened.

Ul and Misa entered, and the door closed behind them.

A peculiar silence fell. The Apostles, seeing the guest in person rather than just hearing about them, seemed uneasy, exuding pheromones in cautious observation.

“Long time no see, Ul.”

Lena’s excited voice broke the heavy silence.

Ul responded with a smirk.

“So you’ve been hiding here.”

“I needed more research facilities and funding. It took a long time to reach this position.”

“You’re still as insane as ever.”

“And you’re still alive? You pretended you couldn’t survive, but you liked this body of yours, didn’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Ul growled, threatening Lena.

“I couldn’t die even if I wanted to, because of this cursed body you made me.”

Lena grew excited at his words.

“You can’t die? A body without vital points, I see! I couldn’t properly check back then. Just as I expected, you were my most perfect creation.”

Ul felt disappointed in himself for even a trace of hope.

Over the years, he had expected her to have gone further insane, not returned to normal. She had become more beautiful and more monstrous.

“Calm down. If you make a scene here, someone will die.”

The words Lena spoke under Ul’s threatening pheromones were not persuasion but intimidation.

Her gaze landed on Misa, beside Ul.

“Only weak humans die.”

Among Beastmen, humans were flowers easily crushed underfoot.

Ul knew. If he charged at Lena now, the one in most danger would be obvious.

“It seems you’ve broken a taboo, and surviving while resisting Ul’s pheromones… you’re quite an interesting human.”

Lena’s jealousy toward the woman standing by her lover’s side was mingled with fascination.

“How did you survive? I’d like to study that.”

Misa felt indescribable fear as she met Lena’s gaze.

She could see why Lena ruled over the Beastmen. She was certain that Lena’s power was overwhelming, even compared to all the Beastmen gathered here.

The gathered Beastmen reacted sensitively to every word Lena spoke. They called her mother while keeping wary, fearful eyes on her.

She posed no threat. She spoke calmly, yet her mere presence dominated them.

It was clear that she was an extraordinary, unmatched power.

“Calm down, Ul. You said you wanted to, not that you did, right?”

Lena felt considerable displeasure at Ul’s protective behavior toward Misa but hid it.

She wanted to kill the woman immediately but, since she was a forbidden subject, couldn’t do so recklessly. Misa was valuable enough for research.

“I only called you today to exchange greetings. It’s been a long time since we last met, hasn’t it?”

Lena’s gaze turned toward Misa.

She extended her hand to Misa.

Absurd words came from Lena’s mouth.

“Nice to meet you, Misa, was it? I heard you’re a hunter, but why not leave hunting behind and join us?”