CHAPTER 09
The Conqueror of the Continent: The Elrunia Empire
The Elrunia Empire, ruler of the continent.
The empire’s core powers—the imperial family and the Five Ducal Houses—formed eternal contracts with Divine Beasts through the use of a Seal (印).
- Leviathan of Water
- Ignas of Fire
- Wendysel of Wind
- Brimstone of Earth
- Obel of Darkness
And the imperial family was blessed with prosperity through their contract with Altheon, the Divine Beast of Light.
But they didn’t stop there. They desired to further expand their power.
As a result, the vassals of the Five Ducal Houses were also granted the ability to contract with Divine Beasts.
Factions began to form around the Five Ducal Houses. If the House was the root, its vassals were the spreading branches.
This made it easy to identify one’s allegiance based on which Divine Beast’s power they used.
Though vassals couldn’t compare to the direct bloodlines of the Dukes, just the fact that they could wield Divine Beasts’ power gave them an inflated sense of superiority.
Because of this, achievements of pure human innovation like Magitechnology were dismissed as lowly.
It was not considered a noble’s domain of study.
“But Mother wasn’t a magitechnologist… and yet she enjoyed reading books like these.”
Linaria, having moved a large number of her late mother’s books into her room, briefly wondered about this.
They were all highly technical books on magitechnology.
Still, she quickly pushed the thought aside.
These books could help save her father.
As Linaria prepared to begin her work—
Bang—!
The door burst open violently.
“Who the hell—?”
She turned her head—and there stood Mia, yelling furiously.
“How could you do that to my mom?!”
Mia bared her teeth like a wild animal.
“If you’ve got something to say, just get to the point.”
“Get to the point? As if you don’t know why I’m here?!”
“…”
“You knew my mom always put me second because she was raising you! How could you throw her out like garbage?! Have you no heart?!”
“Great. Now that we don’t live together, you can have all the attention from her you’ve always wanted.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about!”
Mia shrieked hysterically, then pointed accusingly as if suddenly remembering something.
“What do you think Ricardo oppa will do when he hears about this? He’s gonna go ballistic!”
Ricardo Obel was Linaria’s older cousin.
After forming a contract with a Divine Beast, he was officially adopted into the Obel lineage and became the heir in Linaria’s place.
“Funny how she calls him ‘oppa’ so casually.”
Linaria and Ricardo were barely on speaking terms.
Sighing softly, Linaria kept a detached tone.
“If Ricardo oppa really comes looking for you, then come back then.”
“You—!”
“Are you done talking now?”
The threats had zero effect.
“Then get out. Of this house.”
She was now kicking Mia out.
“You’ll regret this!”
Mia had always expected Linaria to cower after a few harsh words.
But Linaria’s bold attitude forced Mia to back off for now.
“Wait.”
Linaria stopped her.
“What, getting scared now?”
That’s more like the Linaria I know, Mia thought.
But just as her lips twisted into a smirk—
“No. The necklace, ring, bracelet—leave them. They’re mine.”
The accessories Mia wore were all from Linaria’s jewelry box.
She had always helped herself to Linaria’s things like they were her own.
“The hairpin’s new though.”
Everything but that was being confiscated.
“There are other accessories you borrowed too, right? Leave those before you go.”
“You gave those to me!”
“When did I ever?”
Linaria responded coldly, as if she had no idea what Mia was talking about.
“What, you’re so broke you have nothing to wear unless you steal from me?”
“Are you insane?! Of course not!”
Fuming with wounded pride, Mia ripped off the jewelry and was about to throw it at Linaria when—
“Actually, just dump it in the trash.”
Grit.
Grinding her teeth, Mia stormed off to find her mother.
Meanwhile…
Meril was desperately pleading with Duke Dante.
“Your Grace, please hear me out! You’ve misunderstood—”
She knelt in front of Dante, whose face had gone pale.
But he wasn’t interested in her excuses.
“Was it Her Majesty the Empress?”
“W-What…? I don’t understand…”
“She’s the one who bribed you, isn’t she? You didn’t try to send Linaria to the palace for no reason.”
“No, I—”
“We’ve found evidence of your collusion with the Imperial Court. Don’t bother lying.”
Meril fell silent.
Without knowing how much he knew, saying anything would only make things worse.
But silence was as good as an admission.
She had gambled Linaria’s engagement in a deal with the Empress. Now she was cornered.
“So the story about Linaria falling in love with the Crown Prince was also a lie. When did it start…? No, that’s irrelevant now.”
“…”
“Disgusting.”
Flinch.
“I meant my mood.”
He laughed quietly, but his eyes were icy.
“I tried to respect you for Margaret’s sake.”
“…”
“But even the late Margaret would shudder at your betrayal.”
He had watched Meril subtly tear Linaria down under the guise of concern. That little moment Dante witnessed might have been Linaria’s everyday reality.
“I-I was just doing my best…”
“Silence.”
Dante’s shadow began to writhe like a snake, growing larger and slithering toward Meril.
“I didn’t permit any words outside of answers.”
“P-Please!”
The shadow gripped Meril’s hand.
She tried to shake it off, but it was futile.
With searing pain that felt like her limbs were being severed, she screamed:
“Please spare me! Your Grace! I’ll never go near Obel again!”
Tears streamed down her face.
Just then—
“Mom!”
Clueless, Mia burst into the room.
The shadow instantly retracted.
“Mom! Do you know what she said to me?!”
“Mia, dear… not now. I’m talking to the Duke.”
Meril’s hand was intact. But the pain lingered.
Sweating, she tried to send Mia away.
“Wait.”
Dante’s sharp gaze caught the unfamiliar accessory in Mia’s hair.
“Mia, come here.”
“Y-Yes?”
He stared directly at her head.
“That hairpin—where did you get it?”
“Hairpin…?”
It was identical to the birthday gift Dante had commissioned for Linaria—a unique, one-of-a-kind piece.
“I’ll explain—”
“Lady Meril.”
He cut her off coldly.
Meril’s face turned pale as she realized she’d forgotten about the hairpin.
Mia, sensing the tension, stammered.
“L-Linaria gave it to me as a gift…”
That couldn’t be true.
Linaria would never give away the gift she got from her father.
Dante felt as though a pin holding his sanity in place had just snapped.
“How many times has Linaria given you presents?”
“As you know, we’re like sisters! So we share things all the time!”
Lie.
Dante’s expression turned frigid.
“Lady Meril.”
“Please spare me… please…”
“Mom, what’s going on?”
Mia still didn’t understand.
“The ornament in your daughter’s hair is unmistakably Linaria’s birthday present.”
In that moment, Meril remembered the rumors of Duke Obel’s past.
After meeting Margaret and falling ill, his vicious reputation had faded from public memory.
But in his youth, he had been feared—for many reasons, including his contract with a Dark Divine Beast.
His shadow swelled once more.
It crept from Meril’s feet upward, swallowing her whole.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Meril screamed in agony.
Terrified, Mia fled without looking back.
Later…
“It’s all Linaria’s fault.”
Mia muttered bitterly.
Her mother’s leg was now crippled.
The official story was that she’d fallen down the stairs, but Mia knew better.
She remembered the dreadful shadow that had attacked her mother.
It terrified her—and it made her furious.
“My mom always treated her well! And this is how she repays us?!”
She pouted.
“She must’ve told my dad bad things about Mom. Just because I told her not to steal my mom away!”
Otherwise, why would Duke Obel be that angry?
It had to be Linaria’s fault.
If she’d kept her mouth shut, Mom’s leg wouldn’t be like that.
“I can’t stand the thought of her living happily ever after…”
But Mia had lost everything. Her possessions were taken, and she’d been kicked out of the house.
She was penniless.
“Ah, that’s right…”
An idea struck her.
Mia smirked wickedly.
“Let’s see how she likes suffering as much as I have.”
