Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 470
***
In the quiet space of the Imperial Palace, the sound of heavy footsteps resonated unusually loud.
Who could walk like that in the palace?
However, if one were to discover who owned those footsteps, there would be no one in the Caldea Empire bold enough to challenge such rough footsteps.
It made sense because right now.
The being taking those steps was the one and only existence of the Caldea Empire.
Albrecht Kyle. The Emperor of the Caldea Empire.
He had briefly checked Serin, who had appeared in the Caldea Empire. The steps he took now were sharp and deliberate.
Sthunk.
And there was a woman matching her steps to those heavy footsteps.
“Ifriel. How did you perceive the woman named Lin?”
Kyle, who had been moving with nervous steps, coldly spoke without even giving her a glance, prompting Ifriel, who was following behind, to open her peculiar light brown eyes slightly.
She immediately recalled a woman she had seen moments ago at the banquet.
A woman characterized by her pure white silver hair, with a beauty that could only be described as breathtaking, like the first snow. Furthermore, she had the unusual single-name identity of Lin.
But putting all that aside, the aura that woman gave off was not at all threatening.
Even so, there was an ambiguous aspect to her answer.
To put it simply.
—It was peculiar.
She was a woman who stood out among the hundreds of people she had encountered.
After taking a moment to organize her thoughts, Ifriel narrowed her eyes like a cat closing in, and then spoke.
“She seemed like a woman who would be hard to subjugate.”
She knew it wasn’t what Kyle wanted to hear, but she still conveyed it calmly.
—
Kyle, who had been moving heavily, faintly curled the corners of his mouth.
“That’s how you saw her, too. Well, that makes sense… How could the eye of a phoenix see as if it were a knot hole?”
Then, contrary to his rough footsteps, Kyle opened his mouth in a calm tone and thought.
—A phoenix.
The woman who had established herself as the symbol of the Empire could indeed be called that, and thus, the woman chosen by the phoenix could not possibly be ordinary.
‘I never expected anything anyway.’
He had anticipated this, and he held no great expectations for the newly arrived woman named Lin.
But as that thought came, reality struck, and his heart felt uneasy.
“Then. Is it possible to k*ll her?”
“…That would be a low strategy.”
“Do you think I brought it up not knowing it was a low strategy?”
“But, Your Majesty…”
Kyle shook his head at Ifriel’s urgent voice.
He realized how foolish his words were.
What a puppet the position of Emperor felt like. He was merely venting his frustration on Ifriel.
He knew it was a bad joke, yet when he felt unhappy like this, he let it slip out.
“Enough. It’s nothing more than a fleeting whim. Forget it.”
As he coldly spat out those words, he felt Ifriel let out a small breath.
He acknowledged this and began to calm his heart.
Now, more than anything, he had to face reality.
What would he do from now on? He needed to set a direction.
‘But that must be predetermined too.’
All he could do was submit.
Dalki’s alluring breath was stronger than ever.
Just a moment ago, with the broken pact, he vividly realized how complacent he had been with this reality.
Dalki had remained utterly unfazed by the disaster she had caused, nor had anyone blamed her.
All knew the importance of the pact, yet everyone accepted Dalki’s choice with a calm demeanor.
“…”
The more he thought, the more he suppressed his rising anger.
Soon his footsteps became calmer, and his heart regained the quietness of a tranquil lake.
Objectively, it was still unclear whether that was harmful to the empire.
The long-standing pact had merely cracked. There were no signs of major upheaval from other empires.
Contrary to his expectation of intense reactions, the two other empires seemed to be contemplating the aftermath of the pact.
Should he consider that fortunate?
A moment of desolate laughter escaped.
“If it’s Dalki, she must have sensed something from my words. Is that not so?”
“Even if she did… she won’t show any reaction.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Listening to Ifriel’s calm voice, he nodded.
Indeed.
The noble phoenix would not show much reaction. Perhaps he himself might not mean much in front of the woman named Dalki.
He may merely possess the outwardly impressive title of Emperor.
‘That’s probably true.’
As he pondered, he suddenly found himself laughing at his own thoughts.
‘How foolish I am…’
Is this truly the mindset a person should possess upon ascending to the throne of Emperor?
To look down on everyone beneath him and lead should entail a certain way of thinking.
“…”
The more he realized reality, the more he recognized how ignorant he had been.
—Dalki.
She was a woman who aligned perfectly with the stories and teachings he’d heard in childhood.
She was a woman who made everyone dream, akin to a first love, and she was nearly a perfect being in her own right.
Yet she was also the most ideal existence dedicated to the Empire.
So, I too… once admired Dalki and even had vain dreams of her.
Perhaps it could be possible.
To claim that noble and beautiful flower, making it mine alone…
But that was just a vain dream.
As he had learned, Dalki was indeed an ideal being. And that knowledge made her all the more frightening.
The woman named Dalki wielded a power that transcended the overwhelming strength of any individual; her fame and history created something that could not be approached.
Years passed, and now sitting on the emperor’s throne, that longing sentiment had cooled to face reality.
—The authority of the phoenix is indeed threatening the imperial power.
‘No, it should be said that it has already surpassed imperial authority.’
Once I realized that, there was nothing I could do about it anymore.
For generations, for how long now, the influence persisted so long that he couldn’t even imagine when it began.
She had undoubtedly been a symbol of the Caldea Empire for a long time and had dedicated herself to the Empire.
That was the truth.
Yet amidst all that time, the reason no one could claim that beautiful flower—why no one dared to embrace it—lay in Dalki’s influence.
Anyone with power within the Empire had connections to Dalki.
She had dedicated herself for a long time to the Empire. It seemed only natural.
The noble lineage that had been passed down, the powerful mercenary guilds, even the Mage Tower.
Even the royal family had no association that wasn’t connected to Dalki.
…
Sthunk.
As I became conscious of the slowly opening door, I realized I had returned to my chamber, lost in thought.
“The banquet must be held grandly.”
As I gathered my thoughts, I spoke.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
One attendant, who had been waiting, started preparing, and I made a decision.
The woman chosen to inherit the powers of the phoenix held my gaze without a hint of hesitation or indecision, which was impressive.
At the moment our gazes met, it became clear that she would be hard to subjugate.
However… even if that were true.
The woman could not be said to possess a power as great as Dalki.
The woman who would enjoy Dalki’s protection moving forward.
And thus…
‘It can’t be that the lamp’s shade is dark beneath it.’
As I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“Ifriel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How do you perceive the man I am?”
Turning to Ifriel, I focused on her.
I spoke those words because I trusted her more than anyone else.
Her intelligence made her fit for such a discussion.
Sthunk…
Was my remark unexpected?
Amid the brief wavering of her blue hair, I saw Ifriel, who couldn’t find her words, and I smiled slightly.
Even the moment she diverted her gaze.
‘She must be able to read my thoughts.’
Without needing to say anything, she understood my meaning and reacted.
“But… Your Majesty.”
My attention was drawn to Ifriel’s unusually hesitant tone.
Ifriel’s characteristic light brown pupils failed to hide their turmoil this time.
And her reaction allowed me to harbor a nearly certain thought.
“Which woman would dare refuse Your Majesty?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… that’s right, Your Majesty.”
Following Ifriel’s words, I set a direction.
I had originally thought that appearances were nothing but a superficial shell that could deceive people.
Now that thought had changed.
And.
Perhaps the banquet to be held today…
I thought I might be able to enjoy it.
***
Clack.
Two women focused their gaze on the space revealed as the door opened.
No matter who they were, their beautiful features verging on unparalleled beauty drew attention regardless of gender.
Among them, a captivating woman with silken black hair warmly gazed at a woman with pure white eyes.
Receiving that gaze, Serin momentarily paused to confirm the interior and blankly stared at Dalki.
“…Is this really the place where I will reside?”
“Yes. How do you find it?”
Serin, still dazed by Dalki’s strange voice, turned her gaze back inside.
It was spacious.
No, the word spacious was utterly inadequate to describe this space.
A lavish chamber. Countless beautifully adorned pieces of furniture, sparkling with various jewels, showcased a breathtaking beauty, and the room filled with red colors and golden threads was so luxurious that it could be believed even an emperor might reside here.
“It seems a bit excessive…”
Carefully speaking while looking at Dalki, she inexplicably smiled lightly.
“What exactly do you find excessive?”
“If this space is this extravagant… then surely it must have belonged to someone else before?”
I couldn’t imagine such a splendid room being empty.
Maybe it was previously occupied by someone of royal bl**d.
Hence, now that I had just arrived at Caldea, I found it burdensome to be using such a chamber.
However, in response to my words, Dalki blinked and laughed as if it were strange.
“Someone else used it? This is merely one of the spaces that I employ. There’s no way it could have been touched by another being.”
In an instant, I felt perplexed by Dalki’s words.
To flaunt such a luxurious space in the Imperial Palace as her own.
And to brush it off as just one of many spaces and claim to possess more.
‘…What in the world.’
But, oddly enough, that confident demeanor of Dalki harmonized well with her peculiar allure.
Had she interpreted my gaze differently?
“Lin. There is much more that I possess than you could imagine… You can look forward to what lies ahead.”
With her even more sensual smile, Dalki left me speechless.