The knights of the guard formed a defensive line, standing back-to-back.

“W-What is this?”

“Why are monsters appearing inside the imperial city! There, a gap has opened! Someone call for reinforcements!”

“Over there! Another breach. 6 o’clock direction!”

What emerged from underground was a lizard.

“Tail lizards live in filthy wells! Why are these crazy things prowling around here! Stop them. Stop them with your lives! Don’t let these monsters escape outside!”

The lizard with bones protruding from its back slashed at a tree with its tail.

The ground was gouged by its webbed claws.

They were larger than a bear’s paws.

A viscous liquid dripped from beneath the webbed claws. It was a grotesque sight.

‘Grrrr?’

The lizard twisted its head 180 degrees. Its eyes flipped upside down, dangling.

“Captain! The night market is still in full swing. If we let them out like that, the vicinity will become a bloodbath!”

“Someone, someone call for reinforcements. If we stay here like this, we’ll all die!”

When the monsters opened their mouths, a rotten stench emerged.

‘Kyaak!’

This was the smell of blood and water. Moreover, these monsters lived in rotten wells.

“Protect yourselves with aura! Those who can’t use aura, hold your breath. If you don’t want to be consumed by the poison, just shut up and endure for now!”

The knights protected themselves with aura.

“Th-Those things are strange. Do lizard monsters normally look like that?”

Flesh melted and dripped from their tails.

“I-I’ve heard that high-level monsters can take on such forms, but… W-Why are high-level monsters appearing in the city!”

All flesh that touched bone corroded. As the poison seeped into the ground, the earth bubbled.

“R-Run…!”

At that moment, silence fell.

A monster pounced on a knight. It coiled its tail around its prey and slammed it against the wall.

‘Kruk?’

The guard knights collapsed where they stood.

The creatures were venomous, with dark red liquid dripping from their fangs.

The poison slowly corroded the ground.

The soil turned black and withered, and the surrounding weeds shriveled up.

‘Kyaaak.’

Someone muttered as if in a trance.

“We’re going to die”

Just as they were about to close their eyes tightly.

“What are you doing, exposing your necks in front of monsters? If you’re planning to stick your heads into their mouths, you might as well drown yourselves in a dish of water. What kind of pathetic death is this?”

Scathing criticism poured out. Benjamin climbed onto the lizard’s tail.

“Cut off their tails first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you’re hit defenseless by their tails, your ribs and everything else will cave in. Protect yourselves with aura first. Those who can’t protect themselves, fall back. You’re in the way.”

Swords shrouded in aura mercilessly struck down their tails.

“Burn away all the monster’s poison with aura!”

Being reptilian monsters, their scales were thick.

The monster rolled its eyes upside down. Then, it twisted its neck once more in a grotesque manner.

‘Kyaaak!’

The poison burned away with aura, and reddish-black smoke rose. It was as pungent and acrid as strong cigarette smoke.

“I thought it was strange that dark magic was detected, so this is why these things are prowling around here?”

Benjamin cut off their tails and slammed them to the ground. The severed tails twitched on their own.

“That was dangerous. If we had been a little later, we all would have been consumed by the poison.”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes as he removed his robe hood.

“What were you doing here?”

Those guys were among the monsters. They were from the guard.

“I-It wasn’t us! It was some drunk. He stabbed a passerby with a knife and was fleeing, then when he broke some glass bottle, these things crawled up from the ground!”

“This seems to be the glass bottle, Your Majesty.”

The captain of the royal guard found glass fragments under the brick debris. The fragments were sporadically corroded by poison.

“It seems to be a bottle for containing poison.”

“It’s low quality. Even if it’s cheap, it’s still strictly forbidden in the empire. I’ve been too lax lately. Why are things that shouldn’t be out of the market wandering openly on the streets?”

The ground was slimy with poison from the monster corpses.

“Then is it low-grade poison?”

“Low-grade poison can’t summon monsters like these. Low-grade poison only stings a little.”

Benjamin placed the fragment in his palm and withdrew his aura. His skin was consumed by the poison, turning black and rotting.

“Poison that rots the skin like this can’t be handled with such a low-grade container. The container would have shattered before it could even contain the poison.”

“Y-Your Majesty, I understand what you’re saying. But please, take more care of your body. Who touches poison with bare hands?”

The captain of the royal guard took away the fragment with a look of disgust.

“Do you think your body is made of iron?”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

The night market atmosphere was in full swing.

“H-Hey! Did you hear that!”

“Hear what?”

“Didn’t the ground just rumble!”

The men drinking on the street of the night market furrowed their brows. What nonsense is this in the middle of good drinking?

“Tsk tsk. Are you drunk already? If you’re going to get drunk, we should all get drunk together. How can you get drunk alone? Even if I told you to pace yourself, you seemed to be drinking too fast! You should stop drinking!”

“Isn’t this the sound of monsters? It’s the sound I heard when I went on monster subjugation. Doesn’t this sound like a beast’s cry…!”

They held their breath. Saying they heard something. Realizing it was as quiet as a mouse, the companions took away the man’s bottle.

“Why are you talking about monsters here, ruining the taste of alcohol? This is the imperial city, isn’t it? Besides, if that were the case, the guards would have warned us to evacuate.”

This area was occupied by street vendors. People bustled about, all slightly drunk and enjoying the night market.

The man tilted his head.

‘Did I really hear wrong?’

Haneli, passing by nearby, met eyes with the man.

“…”

Haneli turned his head indifferently.

His steps were neat yet upright. Young priests were at his side.

“Did the Pope order you to watch me?”

“O-Of course not.”

“Then stop glancing at me. Your furtive glances make me feel like I’m some kind of criminal.”

To be dragged out by young priests while drinking.

“I’ll apologize for this rudeness later, High Priest.”

“It’s fine. What sin could you have?”

Haneli put on his robe hood.

“I thought I’d get a longer break this time.”

The place he arrived at with the young priests was an alley behind the night market.

“Priests like us are weak to poison. Since ancient covenants bound divine power, it became incompatible with dark magic, right?”

“That’s enough, now erase the poison.”

Haneli led the young priests in burning away the poison.

Flames flickered at his fingertips.

Those with weak divine power show a reddish tinge in their divine power.

However, raw divine power was originally blue.

Haneli covered the area with divine power and burned it.

“Step back.”

“Ugh!”

“Something wicked has crawled up from the ground.”

Haneli dropped his arms. His arms fell limply. The color drained from his fingertips.

“Hiding in the dark shadows.”

His eyes gradually became clouded.

“Hidden in those shadows.”

Something that should not have trespassed this land has trespassed.

Those ‘things’ that once trod this land are now scratching the ground from below, trying to crawl up.

Closer to death than anyone.

Parasitic in the darkness,

The origin of all things dirty and murky.

“I just want to drink and have fun…”

“You mean more, here?”

“Just chewing on some jerky, I want to do that.”

Just like this, staying still.

However, all of that was my insignificant wish.

May that soul not tire.

May those cries subside.

May the pitiful spirit that cried out alone cease its wailing this time.

“It’s a soul that’s tired beyond measure. Catching its breath in that time, now gradually recovering…”

Haneli turned his head.

“They will be placed in that again.”

In the distance stood a lone man.

The royal guard controlled the surrounding area, and he stood guard in that place.

As he took off his robe, his black hair fluttered lightly.

He exuded a cool and dry aura. It was an aura that suited him well.

“Your Majesty.”

Benjamin turned his head at the call.

“What is it?”

“The monsters are one thing, but…”

Haneli threw holy water at Benjamin.

“Are you in your right mind, touching that poison with bare hands?”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes as he poured the holy water on his wounded scars.

“Is that meant for me to hear?”

“You didn’t say a word the whole time I was burning away the poison. Were you planning not to treat it if I hadn’t brought it up?”

“It’s treated now, isn’t it?”

If indifferent, then indifferent.

If dry, then dry.

“Your body doesn’t become as hard as iron when beaten. You’ve always been particularly harsh on yourself, even when you were young.”

The young priests finished burning away all the residual poison, and during that time, Haneli stood guard.

“His Holiness the Pope has attached some annoying carps to me.”

“You say they’re annoying, but you keep them close.”

“They chatter and follow me around, and if I forcibly detach them, they scatter and wander like lost schools of carp. I find that sight even more frustrating.”

“You seem close.”

“It’s tiresome. Do you think it’s easy to take care of each of these young ones?”

Haneli composed his divine power.

“In any case, please take care of yourself. Even if it’s low-grade, it’s still poison. If you had delayed a bit longer, it could have burned all your skin.”

“You’re saying the same thing as the royal guard.”

“Please take care of your royal body. I’m saying this because I’m the type to throw away my own body first if that path goes astray.”

“Is that a curse?”

“It was advice. If the royal guard said something similar, then it was loyal counsel. Don’t disregard the loyal advice of faithful subjects. It’s different from when you were the crown prince, acting recklessly even if it meant death.”

Poison melts flesh. Strong poison burns away all nerves and flows deep into the body through the blood vessels.

“Please be more cautious.”

Benjamin replied that he understood.

“How is it outside?”

“The imperial city’s defenses haven’t been breached. They don’t know yet outside. With the night market in full swing, most noises are drowned out.”

Haneli asked as he withdrew his divine power.

“Will you return to the imperial palace now?”

Benjamin nodded.

“Is the treatment finished?”

“Yes. You’ve recovered well, given your originally good healing ability.”

Haneli bowed.

“Please return.”

“I’ll be going back now.”

As Benjamin came out of the alley, the waiting royal guard followed.

“Her Majesty the Empress has already returned.”

Benjamin nodded, acknowledging.

“It was a rare outing, but it must have left an unpleasant memory.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Having parted ways with Benjamin earlier.

“Please board the carriage. The royal guard will escort you.”

Charlotte placed her foot on the threshold of the carriage.

It was when the night market’s lights were at their most brilliant.

“What about His Majesty?”

“He’s dealing with the monsters. Since His Majesty the Emperor is there, it should be resolved soon, so Your Majesty the Empress should take shelter.”

Charlotte nodded.

‘Were there such incidents in the past as well?’

There’s a high possibility it was buried as an internal secret.

“…”

Around that time.

Screech. Screech screech.

Something scratched the floor.