Vol 3. Chapter 66: The Collapse of an Image
One day earlier,
The intelligence the 'Nightingale' Organization had gathered on Xue Tianao had already been delivered into Lady Yumo's hands. When all these 'unsavory' deeds were dredged up from beneath the surface and laid out before Lady Yumo, who was already in a bad mood, dark lines appeared one after another across her beautiful face.
"Besides using children's souls to make Soul Pearls... patricide, massacring his brothers, sisters, and other members of the imperial family, killing meritorious officials, purging the southern nobles, with the youngest victim having only just been born... confiscating entire families' property to replenish the national treasury, attacking neighboring small countries to obtain resources and slaves, brainwashing the Royal Knights and the general populace..."
As more and more of the contents entered Yumo's eyes, the black-haired girl's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Watching this scene,
Saiboke, the old butler silently accompanying Yumo at her side, imperceptibly revealed a faint smile and cast a 'praising' glance toward Xizhi not far away. Xizhi, meanwhile, smugly raised her eyebrows.
Naturally, they had included every bad thing Xue Tianao had done—everything Lady Yumo would disapprove of—in the report. They had even embellished some of the specific details. On top of that, among these real incidents, Xizhi had secretly slipped in some of her own additions,
causing Yumo's impression of Xue Tianao to plummet even further.
Though she hadn't had a good impression of him to begin with...
Lady Yumo, completely focused on reading the intelligence and shocked by its contents, failed to notice the exchange of looks between Saiboke and Xizhi. However, after taking in all the information, Lady Yumo leaned back against the sofa with an extremely conflicted expression.
For five hundred years,
the Child of Destiny in Yumo's imagination had always been a man overflowing with a sense of justice—brave, decisive, grateful toward those who helped him, loyal and righteous, upright and honorable.
However,
her experiences since coming to Sky Dome, along with the intelligence Xizhi had provided her, made Yumo feel that this Chosen One was simply a despicable and shameless petty villain, completely different from the Chosen One described in the prophecy...
Granted, some of his policies and actions, such as sacrificing a portion of the population to create stronger Saint-Class existences, or eliminating siblings who might rebel and southern nobles who had betrayed him, might stabilize the country and perhaps even benefit its long-term development.
Maybe? Was that what an emperor was supposed to do? Yumo honestly had no idea.
But for the Chosen One, the supposed representative of 'justice,' to do these things? Yumo found it somewhat difficult to accept.
At the very least, compared with Mengxi, the difference was simply too great...
Not to mention that Yumo completely disapproved of some of Xue Tianao's actions that were purely intended to satisfy his personal desires...
Perhaps,
Xiao had been right.
The current Child of Destiny needed to be properly educated...
However,
before making her final decision, Yumo still intended to meet Xue Tianao personally, alone. She wanted to see whether she had perhaps misunderstood him in some way.
However,
the facts proved that she really hadn't misunderstood him.
In fact,
she had fucking overestimated him...
--
Time returned to the present.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
Clutching his crotch, Xue Tianao no longer possessed even the slightest trace of the elegant image befitting the Child of Destiny. The sight of him curled up on the floor, convulsing nonstop with his face twisted in agony, was simply ridiculous...
Looking at the Chosen One before her,
Lady Yumo's crimson eyes were already filled with disappointment. Compared with the holy, innocent, kindhearted, angel-like Mengxi, Xue Tianao was practically the embodiment of despicable, shameless depravity.
The moment Xue Tianao activated his power, Yumo realized there had been something wrong with the wine she had drunk earlier...
Indeed,
under Xue Tianao's guidance, whatever had been mixed into the wine began surging within Yumo's body.
But it didn't actually have any real effect on her. Still, this power that acted upon her mind, attempting to control her, made Yumo extremely displeased...
Afterward, Yumo fell silent, standing motionless like a wooden puppet.
She wanted to see exactly what Xue Tianao intended to do.
And then, this Child of Destiny certainly did not 'disappoint' her. Looking at the lust filling Xue Tianao's eyes, and at the fingers drawing ever closer to her body, Yumo finally couldn't hold herself back any longer and exploded...
Although Yumo was often clung to by Mengxi, who was also a Chosen One, the very idea of being touched by Xue Tianao filled Yumo with intense revulsion.
'He actually wanted to control me with drugs? And then do those things? Disgusting...'
Forcibly twist someone else's consciousness and make her become your woman?
Don't tell me that's how you got that harem of yours too?
And now you're doing this to me.
If Mengxi refuses to be with you in the future? Are you going to do the same thing to her?
Pah!
Coldly glancing at Xue Tianao lying on the floor, Yumo slowly rose to her feet and kicked him away, sending him crashing violently into a stone pillar not far away.
The tremendous impact left Xue Tianao in unbearable pain, and blood immediately sprayed from the blond man's mouth.
"I really don't understand why someone like you became the Child of Destiny. What qualifications do you even have..."
If not for the Goddess's restrictions preventing her from deliberately killing a Chosen One, Yumo truly would have felt the urge to kill him just now.
Moreover,
considering that Xue Tianao was one of the keys to the trial, Yumo had no choice but to suppress the murderous intent in her heart...
'Sigh, this is so damn annoying...'
To prevent herself from acting on any possible impulse, Lady Yumo ignored Xue Tianao, who now resembled a dead dog,
turned around, and walked straight toward the restaurant doors.
At that moment,
Xue Tianao, who had successfully advanced into a 'Holy Spear Ranger,' gradually found the pain less overwhelming after one convulsion after another. Having experienced this before, Xue Tianao gradually adapted to the lingering waves of pain, and his consciousness slowly became clear again.
Looking at the beautiful black-clad figure preparing to leave, intense resentment appeared in Xue Tianao's azure eyes. Unwilling to accept this outcome, he said,
"You... You treated me like this... Aren't you afraid... I'll reveal your identity? If I do... how are you going to establish yourself in the human world ever again?!... You... Your Black Rose Family... will inevitably... inevitably be condemned by the entire world!"
"..."
Hearing this, Lady Yumo temporarily stopped walking. From the corner of her eye, she glanced back at Xue Tianao, who was still trying either to make her stay or to threaten her.
The girl's crimson eyes remained filled with utter disdain.
"You can try."
After coldly saying those words,
Lady Yumo shattered the barrier with a single punch, opened the doors, and left Crimson Moonlight Palace without looking back, under Xue Tianao's furious and unwilling gaze...
...
Outside Crimson Moonlight Palace,
the Royal Knights, including Toma, as well as Olivia and Lillian, who had been watching anxiously from not far away for quite some time, couldn't help revealing startled expressions when they saw Lady Yumo suddenly leave Crimson Moonlight Palace. After all, in most people's eyes, there was absolutely no way this black-haired girl would be leaving the Imperial City tonight.
In fact, whether she would even be able to get out of bed tomorrow was another question.
And yet,
dinner had barely begun. So why had the Young Lady of the Black Rose Family suddenly come out already?
Had something happened between His Majesty and her?
Everyone looked toward the restaurant in confusion.
Earlier, to prevent anyone from spying on him while he was doing that sort of thing, Xue Tianao had deliberately set up a barrier that blocked perception. Because of this barrier, Toma and the others outside truly had no idea what had happened inside Crimson Moonlight Palace. They hadn't heard even the slightest trace of Xue Tianao's miserable screams.
The confused knights could only observe international etiquette, bow to the black-haired girl, and watch her leave.
After the black-haired girl disappeared from everyone's sight,
Toma suddenly felt an ominous premonition. After all, His Majesty still hadn't issued them any further orders.
Thus, with Toma at the head, everyone hurriedly rushed inside Crimson Moonlight Palace.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?...?!!! Huh?!!"
However,
the instant they rushed into the restaurant of Crimson Moonlight Palace, Toma and the group of Royal Knights froze dumbly in place.
The emperor who had always seemed incomparably imposing in their minds, forever handsome, elegant, and dashing, was now sprawled gracelessly on the floor like a lapdog, desperately clutching his continuously bleeding lower body.
His eyes were rolled back, and his features were twisted into a nauseating grimace.
?!!
T-This was His Majesty?
Every Royal Knight stared in utter disbelief at that moment. If his aura hadn't been identical and his clothing hadn't been unmistakable, there was no way they could have imagined that this miserable, battered figure before them was their emperor.
At that moment, the perfect image Xue Tianao had painstakingly built in the hearts of the Royal Knights abruptly began to collapse...
A moment later, Toma was the first to recover from his shock. He immediately rushed forward and helped Xue Tianao up.
"Your Majesty! What happened to you?!!! Quickly... Quickly summon the imperial physician!!..."
For a time,
the entire imperial palace descended into complete chaos...
...
...
Meanwhile,
outside the imperial palace, Lady Yumo unhesitatingly chose to ignore the various miserable shouts coming from the palace behind her and walked straight toward the Black Rose Family's convoy of carriages.
Upon seeing Yumo return,
a trace of 'just as expected' flashed through Saiboke's eyes. The old butler then immediately put on an extremely astonished expression and hurried forward, looking at the black-haired girl in 'confusion.'
"Lady Yumo, what happened? Why... Why did you come out so quickly? You and that Child of Destiny..."
However,
Yumo gave no response whatsoever to Saiboke's question. Instead, she thoughtfully turned her head and looked back toward the rear of the imperial palace.
"Saiboke."
"Hm? What are your orders, Lady Yumo?"
"Didn't you say the prison guards change shifts tonight, so we can see Karina?"
"Yes."
"Take me there."
Hearing this, Saiboke respectfully bowed slightly.
"Understood, Lady Yumo. Please follow me..."