Chapter 175
Revenge. Or perhaps, a reckoning.
The plan was immediately put into action.
<F1>All Members are ready.</F1><F1>If you just give the order, we can proceed with the Assassination immediately.</F1>
The Members had gathered in just a few hours.
They were all on high alert.
This mission was the annihilation of a Family, the toppling of one of the Empire's pillars.
As such, their eyes were sharp with resolve.
For it was the process of erasing a piece of history.
Not that there would be any problems...
First, I had given the Emperor a heads-up.
The full story regarding the recent attempted kidnapping.
The circumstances indicated that House Vanity had allied with the Heretic Cult.
And furthermore, the fact that they had planned the overthrow of the Imperial Family.
Although it felt rather sudden, Valcaros would surely listen.
There was a debt I had cleared last time.
I cured Rose's incurable illness and even restored her emotions. Now it's time to collect on that favor.
He's a quick-witted man.
Regardless of the previous debt, if the evidence I provided was confirmed, the Imperial Family would have no reason to hesitate.
Emilia's testimony and various circumstances point to Beniti's treachery.
They would rather step forward to nip the coup in the bud.
What I asked for was preemption regarding that.
I'd rather repay them directly, if possible.
If the Imperial Family stepped in anyway, there would be a two-day grace period.
I planned to exploit that window and deal with them.
Since we had no intention of revealing ourselves, the ultimate credit would go to the Imperial Family.
A situation where there was nothing to lose.
<F1>Do as you wish.</F1>
<F1>It is a request from one who will eventually become the Consort, so why should I refuse?</F1>
<F1>I merely advise you to be careful not to cause any trouble.</F1>
Naturally, Valcaros did not refuse.
Instead, a letter promising support.
throughout... but I decided not to mind them for now.
For now, the matter concerning House Vanity was the priority.
I finished preparations to raid with the Members.
And then.
“Lady.”
Before executing the plan.
I sought out Emilia.
She was still standing in the Hospital Room, guarding Ruska's side.
Perhaps she couldn't bring herself to accept her brother's decision.
The Villainess seemed particularly distraught.
“......Yuda.”
“It seems you have a lot on your mind.”
“My stomach just feels queasy.”
“I understand.”
Ruska's sacrifice.
His choice was to free his sister by offering himself as a sacrifice.
He might have thought it was the path for Emilia.
But for the girl, it was the path to losing the very kin she had always relied on.
Therefore, in some ways, the boy's choice was cruel.
He hadn't considered the one who would be left alone.
“He's foolish.”
“......”
“To think of dying alone, when I don't even want that.”
“The Young Master must have been worried about you.”
“Who asked for this? I just wanted Ruska to...”
“He must have agonized for a long time.”
“......He's so foolish.”
“Because even such foolishness is love.”
Ruska had been unconscious since yesterday.
However, he was not in critical condition.
He had simply exhausted himself so severely that he had fainted from fatigue.
The health Professor's opinion also stated that there was no need to worry.
Emilia gripped the bedsheet with her slender hand.
A faint ripple spread across the sickbed.
“Ruska...”
The Vain One trembled weakly.
Her usual vanity had vanished, leaving only the girl.
Was it due to the shock of almost losing her family?
Or was it due to the helplessness of not being able to protect him?
I had no way of knowing.
“Lady.”
I merely spoke of what came next.
“I have something to tell you.”
I slowly conveyed it to the Villainess.
The annihilation of House Vanity.
The plan for it and the pretext of thwarting a coup existed.
And finally, the current situation is on the verge of eruption.
Emilia listened in silence.
“I would like you to leave it to me.”
I bowed my head.
Even if she sometimes hated it, she had been proud of the Family her entire life.
At the same time, it was the legacy inherited from the Duke and Duchess.
Would she truly welcome the word 'annihilation'?
The honor, attachment, and vanity that had shaped the Villainess's life were her defining traits.
It wouldn't have been strange if the answer had been a refusal.
However,
“I refuse that.”
The girl's pride was a step ahead of honor.
Her blue eyes shone clearly.
“I can't leave such a thing to others.”
And rightly so.
Because it was the legacy and vanity she had been proud of her entire life.
Corruption, depravity, treachery... if responsibility was to be taken for it, it was only right that she herself should do it.
The Villainess declared with cold, sunken eyes.
She was stating that she would not remain a bystander.
“I will lead the way.”
Transparent blue.
Emilia's pupils were still trembling.
Nevertheless, her red lips and tightly clenched fists held a hint of determination.
To not be servile, even if it meant rotting away.
That, for the girl, was vanity.
And her name.
“Are you truly alright with this?”
“There's no reason not to be, is there?”
“Turning your back on Beniti... that must mean a lot to you, Lady.”
“What a foolish thing to say. Who among them do you think is Beniti?”
“Hmm.”
Her voice shot out, chillingly.
The Villainess was speaking.
“*Beniti is I*.”
“......”
“The rightful Heir, destined to become the Continent's greatest Cryomancer, is beautiful as a single bloom, noble as a winter's day, and a Guardian in harmony with the seasons. Beniti is a name permitted only to such individuals.”
It was self-praise poured out to the point of embarrassment.
Yet her unique, overbearing aura erased even that sense of shame.
As if there were no need for embarrassment when speaking the truth.
It was perfect vanity.
The girl asked again.
As if demanding an answer now.
“Tell me, who is Beniti?”
“Why, it is you, Lady.”
“Do you think those ruffians who dared to harm my kin have the right?”
“Of course not. They were too wicked to be noble, too despicable to be proud.”
“They are nothing but fakes. They are fakes of lowly birth who dare to impersonate Beniti.”
Emilia Beniti.
The noble and proud name raged coldly.
For a duty she had to bear was the defiled honor.
“I will punish those fakes.”
“......”
“It's no use trying to stop me. This is one thing I cannot yield.”
Her unwavering gaze
Her shoulders trembled with complex emotions, yet she brazenly wore a mask of pretense.
At the sight of such a vain one, I couldn't help but smile.
My lips were twisting into a vulgar smirk.
“You are truly magnificent.”
I extended my hand.
To my truest girl, despite her layers of pretense.
He was promising to stand by her side on the path she walked with that pride.
“Then, I shall guide you.”
The Villainess did not let go of herself until the very end.
Therefore, I resolved.
“To the den of the *Traitors*.”
To lead this pitiful person to the stars.
***
A few hours later.
The Beniti Ducal Territory is located in the Northern Region of the Empire.
In the land known as the Guardians of Winter, an unusual atmosphere persisted.
It was none other than the aftermath of 'a certain mission' that had failed the day before.
Loud shouts echoed through the Duke's Chamber.
“Wasn't that mission your plan?!”
A middle-aged man poured out his rage towards the communication crystal ball.
His hair was blue, as if to prove his lineage.
The man's name was Deron Beniti.
He was the Interim Family Head leading the Ducal House, and the twins' Uncle.
He spoke with an agitated voice.
“How are you going to take responsibility for this?!”
<F1>Oh dear... Please calm down, Duke.</F1>
“Do I look like I can calm down right now?”
<F1>This failure was something we couldn't predict either. To think that Beniti's elites would be annihilated... And the oath made with Young Master Ruska was broken?</F1>
“Yes! It's a complete mess!”
Deron, as if his anger wouldn't subside, took a deep breath while wiping his face.
Everything he had built up until now was on the verge of collapsing.
This failure was so painful.
“Heretic Cult... I shouldn't have allied with scum like you.”
<F1>You've benefited endlessly from us, yet you speak so boldly. Wasn't it entirely thanks to our help that you even sit in that Family Head position? You, who were always just a flunky serving the previous generation.</F1>
“What did you just say...!”
<F1>Let's stop arguing here. This is not the time for us to fight among ourselves.</F1>
“Damn it... So, did you then find out the identity of the one who contacted us?”
<F1>Not at all. The signal was blocked from the start, so I don't even know how they managed to send a message.</F1>
“Whoever that madman is, he's no ordinary person.”
<F1>I agree to declare war on the Heretic Cult, Beniti, and a Businessman.</F1>
“It's someone who knows we're involved from the start.”
<F1>It seems we've been bitten by something nasty.</F1>
A clenched fist.
Deron closed his eyes for a moment, then recalled that chilling moment.
As if murderous intent was being transmitted through the crystal ball.
<F1>Let's leave it to your imagination.</F1>
<F1>What kind of price will you pay?</F1>
Deron bit his lip.
However, he soon shook off his distracting thoughts.
Because there was a more urgent problem at hand.
His blue eyebrows furrowed.
“More importantly... I think the Imperial Family is starting to catch wind of things.”
<F1>Indeed. If the Young Master and Lady testify, the timing will only accelerate.</F1>
“I put an oath on him precisely for this reason! That damn bastard, how did he escape it?!”
<F1>There's no use agonizing over it now. For now, you should find a suitable place to hide. You can't lose everything, can you? We're not yet ready to wage war against the Imperial Family.</F1>
“Tsk... You remember the contract, don't you?”
<F1>Of course. Didn't we promise to make you the Emperor of the New World once His grace is established in the world? Even if the plan has gone awry, the objective remains unchanged, so rest assured.</F1>
“......Understood. I'll contact you later.”
CRASH-!
Deron set down the crystal ball, its power now off.
As if his anger wouldn't subside, he repeatedly slammed the crystal ball onto the desk.
CRASH, CRACK, THUD-!
Just as cracks began to appear on its smooth surface.
He roughly pushed himself up from his seat.
Perhaps he needed to clear his head.
Deron left the crystal ball and headed out of the Duke's Chamber.
The backdrop of encroaching darkness greeted him.
“Hoo...”
A long, drawn-out breath.
Deron walked, accompanied by the cool air.
He was in a tight spot in many ways.
The mission had failed, and the Imperial Family was on the verge of realizing the coup.
Moreover, his allies were all untrustworthy.
It was a situation that couldn't help but make him furious.
Whoosh-.
As he walked.
Suddenly, the night wind brushed past him.
Turning his head at the unexpected chill of winter, he saw that a window in the Corridor was open.
It seemed the maids hadn't checked thoroughly.
Deron needlessly redirected his anger to a side issue.
“Hah... those pathetic wretches, I'll have to deal with them.”
The maids were sleeping soundly, oblivious.
He clicked his tongue, promising retribution for tomorrow.
Turning roughly through the Corridor, he was about to head back to the Duke's Chamber.
Deron suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence behind him.
As if someone's gaze was fixed on him.
“......!”
Deron, a skilled Mage, reacted immediately.
With his mana surging, his gaze fell upon two figures standing where he looked.
“Oh dear, we've been discovered, haven't we?”
“......”
A boy and a girl stood side by side.
Both were familiar faces.
One was the target of the last mission, and the other was his own kin.
Deron stood dumbfounded, staring at the blue-haired figure.
Especially since her visit was unexpected.
“......Emilia?”
“It's been a while, Uncle.”
Her voice returned, cold.
Her blue eyes, characteristic of her lineage, shone with an icy glint.
“I've come to take it back. Your name.”
The winter night was terribly beautiful.