Chapter 248

“Ye Zheng, do you even realize what you're doing? You're tearing apart the hard-won peace the empire has preserved for five hundred years!”

Bai Yi stormed into the palace and confronted her with righteous fury.

He had anticipated the possibility that Ye Zheng would retaliate against them. What he had never imagined was that she knew the deepest secret buried by both the Imperial Family and the Bai family, and had exposed that earth-shattering truth before the entire nation!

He knew the Emperor had painstakingly plotted to destroy Ye Zheng's reputation, even arranging several additional public projections to ensure the plan succeeded.

Now every one of those carefully prepared moves had become a boomerang in Ye Zheng's hands. Every single one struck with lethal precision.

...No, there was still a chance. Ye Zheng had fabricated everything from the very beginning. The dragon bones beneath the Southern District were unquestionably buried at the center of the district. As for the massive white skeleton Sela had brought back, there was no direct proof whatsoever that it belonged to a dragon.

As long as they refused to acknowledge it, uncovered evidence exposing her fabrication, and then proceeded with their original plan by revealing the existence of the Demonic Dragon's descender, they would still have room to recover.

Bai Yi frantically worked through every possible outcome, yet the moment he met Ye Zheng's faint, knowing smile, his heart abruptly sank.

“Peace? Are you talking about that fragile illusion of tranquility, built upon the suffering and silent endurance of the overwhelming majority?”

Bai Yi answered with mounting agitation, “We lied, yes, but the truth will only make this world even worse! The apocalyptic catastrophe is already closing in. What you've done won't unite this nation. It'll only plunge it into civil war…”

“If this country fractures and weakens because of your recklessness today, leaving it powerless when disaster finally arrives…”

“Ye Zheng, you'll be remembered as a sinner against the people!”

The thunderous accusation reverberated throughout the palace. Resting her chin against one hand, Ye Zheng quietly savored the phrase "sinner against the people." The words amused her enough to draw a soft laugh.

She couldn't even be bothered to argue.

Rising to her feet, she walked unhurriedly to Bai Yi's side. A faint smile lingered in her eyes, dark as ink, carrying unmistakable amusement.

“Before I become a sinner against the people…”

“You'll be the first one I sweep into history's garbage heap.”

Boom! Firelight bathed the palace dome in a crimson glow. Bai Yi erupted in fury. Pillars of flame burst from beneath Ye Zheng's feet, their terrifying heat reducing the surrounding walls to ashes in an instant.

Ye Zheng stood calmly amid the blaze. Her short black hair danced in the roaring flames, every strand remaining glossy black without the slightest trace of damage. On closer inspection, her hair even shimmered with a fluid, waterlike luster.

Bai Yi stumbled back a step, staring at her in utter disbelief. His expression was even more shaken than it had been after hearing Ye Zheng's earlier words.

The middle-aged man seemed to age a decade in the span of a heartbeat. He muttered in stunned disbelief, “Ye Zheng... just what kind of person are you...”

He hadn't acted out of impulse.

Although killing the Papess would invite unimaginable consequences, nothing posed a greater threat than Ye Zheng's continued existence.

For the sake of this country, for the burden of responsibility resting upon his shoulders, even if it meant bearing eternal infamy, enduring the scorn of the world, or sacrificing his own life... he had to seize this chance to kill her!

Then why?

Why couldn't the flames that had earned him renown across the entire empire, flames that had never once failed him, so much as singe the corner of her clothes?

“Just who are you?” he asked, as though possessed.

“Your Holiness the Papess!”

A crowd suddenly rushed into the inner hall where the Papess conducted her affairs. The elderly nun leading them caught sight of the blazing inferno. Her eyes widened, and she cried out in her aged voice, “Quickly! Someone, hurry! Duke Bai is attempting to assassinate Her Holiness the Papess!”

This cry threw the entire Papal Palace into an uproar. A torrent of hurried footsteps converged from every direction.

The flames slowly died away. Even as the knights escorted him off, Bai Yi still couldn't comprehend why someone like Ye Zheng could possibly exist.

Ye Zheng watched as Bai Yi was fitted with specially forged restraints and led away by the knights. Her expression remained composed from beginning to end. The elderly nun attending her side was just as calm, with no trace of the panic she had displayed moments earlier.

Ye Zheng raised a hand and brushed her fingers through her hair. 【Stream】 had already withdrawn, yet her body still retained a cool, lingering dampness.

Had Bai Yi managed to hold out just a little longer, he might've burned through the thin membrane of water cloaking her body. Even then, it wouldn't have changed the outcome.

『I thought you'd kill him on the spot. After all, you had every legal right to retaliate.』

Mercé, the first-generation Pope and someone thoroughly versed in imperial law, suddenly spoke within her mind.

『His strength is no longer enough to threaten the person you've become.』

"That's true." Ye Zheng replied, her eyes softening into a faint smile. "I have far more useful plans for him."

Mercé let out a quiet 『Ah,』as though a realization had just dawned on her. Then she laughed. 『For a moment, I thought you'd shown mercy because of a certain little one.』

『But you didn't spare even your own father. There's no way you'd let Bai Yi walk away over something like this.』

Ye Zheng turned her gaze toward the wall, now scorched pitch-black. The thought of what she intended to do next lightened her mood ever so slightly. "This is the punishment they deserve. I won't waver."

"As for Muqing... I do feel a little sorry, but... sorry is all I can be."

✧✧✧✧✧

Lower District, the central street of the Southern District.

“Aaaah! Someone, hurry!”

“Why the fuck have these damned monsters gotten in here? Where the hell did everyone else die off to?”

The grandest hotel in the Southern District stood on the brink of collapse. Guests poured out in every direction, fleeing in blind panic. Coiled atop the building, a colossal dragon gazed down over the chaos engulfing the district before releasing a deep, resonant roar.

Sela stood atop the giant dragon with her arms folded, her crimson pupils narrowed. The wind whipped her golden hair into disarray, and her expression was one of unmistakable irritation.

She had ordered those idiots to smash through the city walls. Who could've guessed they'd break free of her control, slam headfirst into the ground before the walls alongside the dragon bones, then impatiently fly straight over here instead, like a pack of dogs incapable of understanding human speech. Infuriating.

From her lofty vantage point, Sela watched the movements of the Dragonic people below. The impatience on her face gradually gave way to contemplation.

She hated using her brain. To her, thinking was nothing more than a trick the weak relied upon. That didn't mean she lacked intelligence or the ability to reason.

Aside from control-type abilities, there was only one thing capable of drawing them here. Dragon bones.

Their charge had shifted direction moments earlier. They had most likely caught the scent of dragon bones. And now they had gathered above this place, circling without leaving. Perhaps dragon bones were buried beneath this very district!

Having pieced together the answer, Sela grinned with satisfaction and leaped from the dragon's back. A black dragon spread its massive wings beneath her, catching her effortlessly before gliding down.

The black dragon landed heavily on the ground. Sela hopped off its back and casually harvested the head of a priest who was screaming as he fled.

The terror frozen across his face never faded. His severed head rolled across the ground, its vacant, unfocused eyes still reflecting Sela's figure. She had crouched low with her head tilted, one ear pressed against the earth, as though listening for something hidden below.

“I can't sense anything at all.”

Sela straightened and scratched at her hair. Her brows knitted together before slowly relaxing. In the end, she chose to trust her instincts.

“The dragon bones have to be directly beneath us.”

Just as Sela was considering how best to shatter the ground and descend deep underground, a trembling voice suddenly shrieked through the streets.

“It's... it's Sela! She's gotten inside!”

“Hurry! Hurry! Someone kill her!”

Sela tilted her head, thoroughly puzzled. She only wanted to recover the dragon bones as quickly as possible. Why were these people still throwing their lives away by charging toward her?

At the edge of the Southern District, the Order of Sacred Conduct had sealed off the white remains scattered outside the city walls, permitting no one to come near.

In a secluded corner where not a soul was present, Wu Shu handed the bone back to Wende.

“I never imagined Knight Wende's ability could be used in such an ingenious way.”

Wu Shu let out an appreciative sigh.

There had never been any dragon bones buried beneath the earth outside the city walls. Hidden behind those walls, Wende had activated her ability. Bone blades pierced deep into the ground before extending beyond the walls, creating the convincing illusion that dragon bones had been "accidentally unearthed."

Wu Shu still hadn't seen how the people had reacted. She assumed the results had been excellent. After all, whether those dragon bones were genuine or fake, or even what they looked like, had never been the important part. The true priority was the truth Ye Zheng had spoken.

Hearing that, Wende gave a small nod, neither overly humble nor prideful. “This was only possible because of your ability. On behalf of Her Holiness the Papess, allow me to thank you first.”

Wu Shu studied Wende for a moment before abruptly slapping her firmly on the shoulder. “Why're you thanking me?”

“Does she always get this polite whenever someone does something for Ye Zheng?”

Wende froze for a moment. “I'm her subordinate. Naturally, there's no need...”

Before she could finish, Wende understood exactly what Wu Shu meant. She looked at Wu Shu in silence for a long moment before offering a slight bow. “My apologies. I overstepped.”

Wu Shu laughed and casually draped an arm over Wende's shoulders like an old friend. “Alright, alright. I'm just the type who can't stand people being so damn polite.”

Faced with Wu Shu's warmth, Wende managed an awkward smile in return. Yet beneath that restraint, she felt genuinely happy for Ye Zheng.

Wu Shu knew far too much. She was perceptive, smooth, and frighteningly clever. Wende had once regarded her with suspicion and caution, even seriously weighing, if only for a fleeting moment, the advantages and disadvantages of leaving someone like her alive.

But after thinking it through, she realized such thoughts underestimated both Ye Zheng and Wu Shu far too greatly.

Wende had watched Ye Zheng grow from a young Saintess, looked down upon and manipulated by others, into the sacred Papess admired by countless people and entrusted with immense authority. She was even convinced that she understood Ye Zheng better than Madam Shu, better than the mother, and that no one grieved more deeply than she did for everything Ye Zheng had suffered to reach this point.

Precisely because of that, she should have even greater confidence in Ye Zheng, and even greater pride. Ye Zheng deserved every ounce of trust and loyalty this world had to offer.

✧✧✧✧✧

The influential figures who had attended the Imperial Palace's midday banquet had all witnessed the sudden turn of events and the Emperor's abrupt descent into madness. The luncheon had dissolved into farcical chaos. They departed the palace in stunned confusion, and only after returning to their own estates did they learn from their excited servants what had truly happened.

“…Prime Minister, that's everything that occurred.”

The old man's hand tightened around his teacup.

Only after a long silence did he finally regain his composure. He lifted the cup and swallowed a large mouthful of tea, as though trying to steady the turmoil inside him.

Instead, he suddenly choked, and a violent fit of coughing overtook him. An attendant hurried forward to support him, but in that brief moment, the old man inadvertently caught the cold, carefully restrained expression on the attendant's face.

Ye Zheng had ascended as Saintess while still so young. He had never believed she posed any real threat. The empire had seen Pope after Pope throughout its history. Ye Zheng was merely somewhat more distinguished by status. She wasn't like that meddlesome old fool Colonna.

But now, the elderly Prime Minister felt an overwhelming sense of danger.

His trembling hands shoved the attendant away before he ordered the steward to throw the man out.

Compared to the truth behind the dragon bones, what unsettled him even more was Ye Zheng herself.

In the span of barely ten minutes, she had shaken the faith the entire nation placed in them!

The seasoned Prime Minister's clouded eyes slowly shifted. He didn't need to think very hard to imagine the fury boiling among the common people. It was likely that not only the Lower District, but even the ordinarily obedient Middle District had begun harboring resentment.

At times like these, the wisest course was to throw someone forward as a scapegoat to absorb the public's anger before unrest spread through one's own territory.

A calculating gleam flashed through the old man's eyes. They knew nothing about any of this. The sins committed by the Aston Imperial Family ought to be answered for by the Imperial Family itself stepping forward to apologize.

With public outrage reaching this level, it would likely require His Majesty himself to make an appearance.

✧✧✧✧✧

As darkness gradually settled across the sky, the Emperor sat motionless upon his throne, staring blankly into the vast, empty palace.

Fresh reports had just reached him. Bai Yi had been imprisoned by the Church on charges of attempting to assassinate the Papess, and the punitive force sent to eliminate Sela had returned in complete defeat.

Trash. Every last one of them was trash! Why were all the people surrounding him such utterly useless fools?

The hand gripping the throne tightened until veins bulged beneath the skin. His face twisted grotesquely, like a caged beast chained to its throne.

It was nothing more than the exposure of one insignificant lie. What difference did it make where the real dragon bones had been buried? If Ye Zheng believed she could use something like this to seize his throne, she was gravely mistaken!

But if Ye Zheng truly forced him into a corner with no path left to reclaim the advantage...

The man's lips slowly curled upward.

It was the smile of someone who had gone completely mad. Reckless. Unhinged. His golden eyes blazed with a razor-sharp light.

If this world could no longer belong to him, then what purpose was there in allowing such a world to exist?