One day before the Inquisitors raided the headquarters of the Cornsheim family.

The guild, having caught wind of this in advance, carried out the task of smuggling out some of the scholars and research records as instructed by the Holy Emperor.

In the midst of this, the Holy Emperor’s eyes lit up upon seeing the artificial lifeforms lined up in one corner of the laboratory.

“They seem useful. Smuggle out a few.”

The guild executives all looked at the Holy Emperor in utter shock. After all, wasn’t the decisive reason the Cornsheims were labeled as devil worshippers precisely because of this artificial lifeform research?

Yet he spoke incomprehensible words with a calm face.

“This has nothing to do with those so-called demon races or whatnot. It is a technology that belongs to the rules of the material world.”

During the period of the great purge, most of the artificial lifeforms—homunculi—were burned, but in the end, the guild succeeded in secretly smuggling out three dolls without the Inquisitors’ knowledge.

“These are just empty dolls in human form.”

“When a soul enters, they will move properly. That’s how they are structured.”

Then how do you put the soul in?

While everyone was puzzled, the Holy Emperor began testing this and that by directly transferring his own soul into the dolls.

The very act of a soul freely entering and exiting was not something ordinary people could do, but well, since it was something His Majesty the Holy Emperor was doing, everyone in the guild accepted it. They simply wondered at first what the human-shaped dolls would be used for.

Soon, the guild members unwittingly witnessed moments when a doll that had been lying still suddenly opened its eyes or got up and walked around.

As the Holy Emperor said, the moment a soul entered, the doll truly began to move like a human, and showed the wondrous sight of slowly transforming into the Holy Emperor’s appearance, synchronizing with the entered soul.

However, the Holy Emperor’s trial run of the homunculi encountered an unexpected obstacle. Forcibly synchronizing a soul with an artificial lifeform consumed too much mental energy in the process of entering and exiting. So once he entered a doll, he couldn’t easily move his soul as he did when using his original body.

His senses were also greatly dulled, and the Holy Emperor had to struggle for a while to adapt to this.

Above all, the biggest problem was that the dolls, which existed outside the rules of this world, couldn’t accept aura at all.

Needless to say, the Holy Emperor, who wielded aura as easily as breathing, was extremely inconvenienced. Aura was the fundamental force of life. Lacking it meant becoming listless like a dying person.

Fortunately, there were no restrictions on using sacred power, probably because it belonged together with his soul, the Holy Emperor explained.

So what are you going to use that for?

The guild executives were puzzled to see the Holy Emperor, who could shatter the guild building with a single light gesture, staggering around like an invalid inside a doll.

The Holy Emperor seemed a bit dissatisfied, but in any case, after finishing the experiments, he assigned the dolls to each of the guild’s major branches far from the capital.

And in fact, the Holy Emperor demonstrated the true value of that doll on the southern front two years ago. The southern front, which had been at a disadvantage, instantly recovered with the participation of a single priest with infinite sacred power.

With the additional feat of the First Prince Owen rampaging like a madman at the front lines, the front continued to move southward until it settled at its current position.

During that period, the Holy Emperor in the capital was engaged in seclusion prayer, and no one doubted that it was the care of the gods answering the prayers.

Well, that was the whole story.

How was he supposed to explain this to the boy and old man who were shocked before his eyes? Twenty-one was at a loss.

What saved him was the calm voice that suddenly came from beside him.

“The gods have purified the wicked and made them instruments of the divine to care for the continent.”

Huh? The eyes of the three simultaneously turned towards the coffin.

The Holy Emperor had already raised his head and was looking at them. And in that moment, they clearly saw it. The extremely sacred aura that permeated the Holy Emperor’s body.

Enveloped in a subtle, iridescent light, he continued speaking in a gently resounding voice as if making a prophecy.

“This is proof that nothing in this world can ever escape the will of the gods. Even the trivial struggles of devil worshippers are thus under His will.”

Ah, it was truly a divine sight!

Although the subject was crouched inside a coffin wearing shackles, that fact did not detract in the slightest from the supremely noble majesty and the subtle, spreading sacredness.

…Probably.

Old man Max, who had experienced the divine miracles bestowed by the Holy Emperor several times over the past two days, had tears welling up in his eyes, moved by emotion.

“Forgive me… Forgive me. My ignorant self, with eyes so darkened, committed the great sin of doubting the representative of the gods.”

“How can one blame a sin born of ignorance? You are forgiven.”

“Ah…”

The old man was greatly enlightened and almost let go of the reins of the cart.

Aslan made a subtle expression but seemed to roughly accept it, and only Twenty-one stared at the Holy Emperor with narrowed eyes.

Where do you get your scripts from?

If you’re going to explain, do it properly. You’re still clumsy, Enrique.

***

Half-listening to the search team’s report, Jerome was heavily drunk for the first time in a long while. Martha’s wretched final moments kept flashing before his eyes, and he couldn’t bear to be in his right mind.

“Boss. The movements of Flandor’s border guards seem a bit strange. Since we sent all the search teams up the mountain, the news is a bit late, but the search team returning from the Asein checkpoint says they spotted a situation where troops seem to be concentrating at Flandor’s border guards.”

“Rodrigo headed towards the Carthago checkpoint. We’ll have news soon, so how about reducing the search personnel a bit and paying attention to Flandor’s side as well?”

However, Jerome gave no response. From the beginning, the Viscount of Carthago, who had been in collusion with Rodrigo, had infiltrated Flandor’s checkpoint guards. If there were any suspicious movements, he would have certainly received word from him.

Moreover, for some reason, someone’s voice kept echoing in Jerome’s head.

[You’ve already lost Martha. All you have left are these stupid subordinates. If the Grand Duke of Asein ends up sending a subjugation force, you’ll have nothing left.]

[Catch Asein’s spy.]

[Asein’s spy comes first.]

“Asein’s spy comes first. Find that bastard.”

“But Boss…”

“I won’t say it twice. Catch Aslan and that prisoner.”

When Jerome glared fiercely with reddened eyes, the bandits flinched in surprise and avoided his gaze. The subordinates, who had been watching his mood, soon disappeared one by one, and eventually, Jerome was left alone in the hut. He continued to silently tip back glasses of strong liquor late into the night and until dawn.

“Martha…”

Now that there was no one to hear, the name he rarely called flowed out so easily.

Ever since he first saw her over a decade ago, the beautiful Martha naturally belonged to Jerome. Even without specifically calling her name, she was by his side and breathed only in his grasp. Until yesterday, Jerome had no doubt that her every move, and even her life, was in his hands.

Could that be called love? Even Jerome didn’t know.

However, because Martha had been so perfectly subordinate to him until now, Jerome could no longer imagine a life without her.

Stubbornly downing more alcohol, Jerome eventually collapsed on the table and began snoring when morning was almost upon them. Someone carefully approached his side—none other than his adopted son, Kaien.

Having waited a long time for Jerome to pass out, he quietly walked beside the table and clicked his tongue.

Jerome was a rare human with a strong defensive wall around his soul. Unless he was dead drunk or passed out like this, it wasn’t easy for Kaien to directly interfere with him.

He couldn’t even muster the courage to nibble at his soul, and could only give a few suggestions to the heavily intoxicated Jerome. Moreover, the alcohol was so strong.

Thinking back to his childhood when he thoughtlessly touched Jerome’s soul like he did with Martha and was thrown against the wall, it still gave him chills. It was the first day he confirmed that his ability was not omnipotent.

The next day, he succeeded in taking revenge by inciting the soul of Jerome, whose defenses had become noticeably weaker due to alcohol, to use violence against Martha. Even Jerome himself didn’t seem to know, but his soul was always looking only at Martha. The day after he assaulted Martha, his soul would take on a bruised color and noticeably lose energy all day long.

Kaien didn’t understand Jerome’s feelings at all, but he could at least tell that Martha’s misery was the most effective punishment for Jerome.

It was the same this time. Jerome’s soul, whose defenses had become markedly weaker since yesterday, was wailing in agony.

[Martha Martha Martha Martha]

Fortunately, the headache and tinnitus that had been tormenting Kaien were now gradually subsiding. He approached the drunken Jerome and snatched his soul with one hand.

Just as kind souls had a fresh and sweet taste, strong and sinful souls also had their own deep and rich flavors. And Jerome’s soul, which he had nibbled on bit by bit whenever he had the chance, was quite palatable as he recalled.

Kaien tore off one of the limp soul’s arms and raised the corner of his mouth crookedly.

Until his soul was completely devoured and he died, Jerome would never know what his soul had been gazing at all his life.

It couldn’t be more amusing.

***

Aslan’s group diligently traveled through the night. Except for briefly stopping the cart at dawn to rest the horses and catch some sleep, they drove the cart nonstop along the thoroughfare.

Here, His Majesty Bart’s terrifying ability shone once again, as whenever the horses were about to collapse, an exceptionally powerful sacred power would unfailingly pour over them.

The forcibly invigorated horses had to pull the cart again in bewilderment. Seeing the deep light of confusion rising in the round, gentle eyes of the beasts, Aslan felt a bit sorry for them.

However, by midday, they had to abandon the cart and move on foot because the search teams were densely patrolling near the slash-and-burn village. At this rate, they would likely encounter search teams frequently all the way to the fork in the Asein highway.

It was impossible for their group, whose faces were well-known, to pretend to be merchants, and it seemed better to avoid the search teams while moving. Carrying simple provisions, they hid the cart in the bushes and began walking along the thoroughfare.

Still, having comfortably sat and traveled while taking turns sleeping through the night, the group’s stamina was high. Unfortunately, with the exception of His Majesty Bart.

Even though he seemed to be recovering from fatigue with his immense sacred power, a body that couldn’t move aura looked extremely precarious.

“Shall I carry you on my back?”

When Twenty-one said that, unable to bear it any longer, His Majesty smirked and patted his back. He must have thought it was a joke.

The journey on foot proceeded more smoothly than expected. Twenty-one was truly a ghostly fellow. On a quiet road with no one around, he would suddenly signal the group to hide by the roadside, and without fail, a search team would pass by shortly after.

Aslan inwardly wondered what kind of organization this guild was that such a person belonged to.

However, not long after noon, something strange happened to His Majesty Bart.

“Mores…”

Suddenly stopping in the middle of the road, he muttered to himself, his complexion turning extremely pale as he blankly stared into the air. Twenty-one, who had been walking ahead, glanced back and hurried back to him in surprise.

“Your Majesty?”

And Aslan saw it.

Ah, those eyes again. Eyes that had become purely mechanical, reflecting everything.

If the image formed by the light of this world was not captured, what was reflected in those eyes, and where did it exist?

His Majesty stared into the air like that for a long time, as if glaring, then finally closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh.

“…I told him not to cause trouble.”

“…?”

The group approached him in puzzlement.

“Enrique.”

“…It’s Twenty-one.”

Although he habitually responded, concern was evident on Twenty-one’s face.

His Majesty quietly looked around at the group surrounding him, not understanding the situation, then placed his hand on each person’s forehead and shared his sacred power. It felt like he was preparing for something bad in advance, making Aslan very anxious.

“An urgent matter has come up. It seems I’ll have to be away for a bit, so Enrique, I’ll leave everything to you. It will be a bit tough, but I believe you can do it.”

At the sudden words, Twenty-one’s face stiffened. His Majesty grabbed his arm and continued speaking as if entrusting him with a task.

“Remember. Your first priority is to get those two people beyond the Asein checkpoint.”

“But Your Majesty…”

Twenty-one’s lips quivered as if he wanted to argue, but His Majesty’s voice was resolute as he looked directly into his eyes.

“That comes first. Understand? If it’s not feasible, abandon the homunculus. It will most likely come to that.”

“…”

“Leave the rest to me.”

And the moment those words ended.

His Majesty’s body literally crumpled to the ground like a doll with its strings cut.