Benjamin took a step and plunged the sword deep. As the blade twisted, the basilisk’s neck was severed with a crunch. Benjamin twisted and pulled out the blade.

“Have you found the heart of the nest?”

“It’s deep inside.”

Rosquella pointed to a path blocked by vines.

“That path there.”

“Even when making a nest, they choose a place like this.”

As Benjamin cut open the vine-blocked path with his sword, an eerie cry spread across the subjugation front. At this cry, the basilisk swarm writhed.

This is indeed their dragon’s den – the monster nest.

Screech.

Screeeech.

A dying basilisk twisted its body and bit into the body of a low-ranking mercenary.

“Damn it!”

I’m dying. I’m really dying!

Soon, a heavy military boot came flying. Mud splashed and the mercenary rolled his body urgently. Fedlin cut off the basilisk’s neck, kicked it away with his boot, grabbed the mercenary who nearly died, and shouted:

“If you want to die, go drown yourself in a ditch! If you’re going to fill some beast’s belly, you might as well ask me to kill you!”

The mercenaries who risked their lives on the subjugation front had rough tongues.

“If you’re going to die, die with honor!”

The subjugation team drew their swords and slashed the basilisks’ necks.

Benjamin shook the blood off his sword and called Rosquella.

“You clean up this area. I’ll go deal with the inner nest.”

“I’ll cover your flank.”

“If I have to protect your life while swinging my sword, I won’t be able to finish the subjugation in time. When I attack the monster nest, the young ones will swarm to protect it. Cover the path outside with the mercenary unit, and don’t let a single rat near.”

“I’ll block thoroughly from the outside.”

The emperor vanished suddenly, saying he would subjugate the monster nest.

Soon, Fedlin approached and asked:

“Did he go alone?”

“Yes. As always.”

“He always does, but that doesn’t mean we don’t worry, does it?”

Fedlin let out a soft sigh.

“The empress was worried when he walked alone.”

“……”

“He walks alone just the same.”

After Benjamin left.

The mercenary unit drew their swords and shouted fiercely.

“Don’t let a single rat behind His Majesty!”

“Slit their throats and guard the path!”

“This clan that disrupted the taboo now treads the land to restore imperial order, so raise your swords to punish them!”

The basilisks bared their venomous fangs and spewed poison.

“Split their bodies to console the souls of the fallen mercenaries! The harbor continues below. These are souls who gave their lives to protect Poputa. Raise your swords so the deaths of the fallen are not in vain!”

The mercenary unit’s subjugation operation grew increasingly fierce.

‘Why did you take such a heavy burden on those shoulders?’

Fedlin split a basilisk’s body and slung his greatsword over his shoulder.

“The one who stands alone now walks alone.”

The emperor broke through the monster nest.

The monster nest extended thorny vines to block the intruder.

The emperor silently swung his blade to cut away the vines.

The hand gripping the sword hilt was firm.

The sword tip opened the emperor’s path.

This was why the emperor personally joined the subjugation front – because of this superiority.

“That blade stops them in their tracks.”

The emperor’s steps stop them in their tracks.

‘The title of Slaughterer suited him better.’

How many monsters have died by that merciless blade tip?

Carrying a thick scent of blood, he became the slaughterer of the battlefield.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning.

Rather, his childhood was quiet.

As that emperor fought monsters, his swordsmanship changed to become more direct and destructive to match the subjugation system. As if he had melted into the subjugation front.

As the emperor entered adulthood, this aspect was maximized.

It later helped him grasp imperial power.

With a sword in hand, he is indeed a slaughterer.

The blade is fierce and destructive, and his swordsmanship grew increasingly sharp.

Bang!

A thunderous noise rang out from inside.

[This is the timeline separator]

There was no need to exchange any words.

It’s not like you’d converse with monsters, is it?

“……”

Benjamin imbued his sword with sword energy and struck downwards. The basilisk coiled itself and surrounded the intruder.

The basilisk nest was already crumbling, and it intended to kill the intruder to use as nutrients for its offspring.

It was ominous.

The monster nest was buried in mist, and the poison it emitted mixed with the fog.

Benjamin put a cloth in front of his nose against the stuffy air.

He had to protect his body with sword energy even when breathing due to the poison.

As Benjamin swung his sword, it slithered and coiled itself. Dried blood stained the torn wounds.

“Looks like you find me tough too.”

Benjamin muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. The most efficient way to kill a coiled basilisk would be to cut off its head, but it had raised its body so high it was dizzying.

‘It’s tall.’

The coiled basilisk flashed its venomous fangs, trying to kill the intruder.

Following the law of survival of the fittest, the leader was wary of targets beyond its strength.

Crack

Benjamin tore off its tail.

He knew that whenever its tail was cut, it would lower its body to attack.

As he pounded the basilisk’s scales with his blade as if scraping them off, the nest subjugation was almost over.

The blade sank deep into its body. The basilisk with its scales torn off writhed, and its nest crumbled.

“……”

Benjamin silently cut off its neck.

Its body bent and twisted, falling into the nest.

Subjugating a basilisk with a broken body was simple.

The neck was severed with a thud.

As Benjamin turned his blade sideways, blood flowed.

When Benjamin touched his cheek, his skin stung as if shrapnel had scratched it during the subjugation.

He brushed his cheek with a languid touch.

It was irritating.

All sorts of unpleasant feelings mixed together, grating on his nerves.

His outer garment was soaked and messy with mud splattered during the subjugation work. He ruffled his short hair.

“Even though it’s irritating.”

Crunch-! Military boots stepped on the vines of the monster nest. Rosquella approached, cutting vines with the sword in his hand.

“I thought the nest subjugation would be over by now.”

“……”

“Are you injured again?”

“Just a scratch.”

“Of all places, it’s your face. Be careful, it might leave an ugly scar.”

Since his cheek was injured, it was awkward to cover it with his outer garment.

“Are you listening?”

Benjamin silently traced the wound that scratched his cheek. His skin was rough from the dirt.

“The poison is still thick.”

“The stench is foul.”

“I’ll escort you outside for now.”

Benjamin came down from the monster nest with long strides. His outer garment embroidered with the imperial family crest was soaked with monster blood.

“Has night fallen again?”

They had left the imperial palace late at night, and night had fallen again.

“The identification of unidentified corpses is complete.”

“Has the cause of death been confirmed?”

“They were sacrificed for black magic rituals. They offered their own bodies as sacrifices… to detonate the area by manifesting black magic. These victims were the vessels that contained the black magic.”

“It must be the work of their clan.”

“The monsters too. The monsters are becoming more ferocious by the day.”

“Their worshippers have awakened. There was one among their clan who could control monsters.”

As Benjamin came down from the monster nest, the mercenary unit waiting at the subjugation front was subjugating the remaining monsters.

“How’s the damage to the residential area?”

“Thanks to the mercenary unit blocking the path until they were annihilated, the residential area and harbor were not attacked.”

Benjamin turned his body and thrust his sword down.

Thwack!

Behind him, a monster’s neck bone broke with a crunch. A crow with torn eyes grinned hideously. The crow blackened by poison cackled and flapped its wings. Benjamin grabbed its neck.

“You’re too careless to be a spy.”

The crow opened its mouth. He had spent too many years on the subjugation front to fall for such a cheap trick.

As Benjamin stabbed deeply and twisted the blade, it offered its own body as a sacrifice for the spell.

Bang!

Benjamin wrapped his hand in sword energy.

“You resort to such obvious tricks.”

His skin was charred black.

His eyes sank low.

[This is the timeline separator]

Charlotte lit the lamp. The imperial library lamp flickered. She guarded the imperial library, isolated from the outside.

‘Ancient monsters’

Books on ancient covenants filled the imperial library.

Due to the banned books that were prohibited from being removed and the closed nature that restricted outsiders’ access, only affiliated librarians and the imperial family could access the interior.

A serene atmosphere unique to old paper books settled.

Charlotte traced the bookshelf with her fingertips.

Orcs forming tribes, and wyverns with bat wings.

The ancient monster encyclopedia handled by the black clan was on one side of the bookshelf.

‘My eyes are strained.’

Charlotte quietly closed her eyes.

“Your Majesty.”

There was a presence outside.

“It’s Catarina.”

“……”

“Are you inside?”

Outside, night had already fallen.

After the emperor and the subjugation team left, Charlotte had stayed only in the imperial library.

“It’s gotten dark outside. There’s much concern outside.”

“Has it already gotten this late.”

The imperial librarian beside her expressed concern.

Charlotte put on the shawl she had taken off on the side table.

“Take care, Your Majesty.”

As she came outside, a small sigh was heard from outside.

“Fortunately it’s not too late.”

“I didn’t realize it had gotten this dark.”

Catarina, listening nearby, asked:

“What’s wrong with your neck?”

“Perhaps from sitting in the same position for too long. It’s a bit stiff.”

Charlotte rubbed her stiff neck. It was dark outside.

“It’s quite irritating to have my vision obstructed.”

“Dark clouds have been thick since the afternoon.”

Vision was plunged into darkness.

Charlotte, who had come to the bedroom, took off her shawl and felt her shoulders.

Her gaze fell on the dark void.

The loud rustling of leaves outside seemed like wind.

-Hiss hiss.

When she pushed the glass window with her fingertips, the window gap opened.

“My crossbow.”

Catarina, who was standing guard nearby, approached.

“You mean your crossbow?”

“The crossbow I used in the hunting competition before. Did I leave it with you?”

“If you mean the crossbow that uses bullets instead of arrows, I’m keeping it. You entrusted it to me in the past, ordering me to keep it on my person, remember?”

Catarina handed over the crossbow. It was small enough to fit in one hand.

Charlotte took the crossbow handed to her from nearby.

“I thought you had forgotten.”

“…I didn’t realize I needed it until now.”

Catarina turned her body towards the outside.

This scratch on the cheek was killing intent.

What’s that, and what’s that over there?

It’s close. And it’s getting closer even now.

“Damn it! Monsters!”

Catarina also sensed the anomaly.

Catarina, who had half-drawn her sword, sat on the windowsill.

The scent of death was thick.

This was the smell of rotting beast hide that had turned into monsters.

“I’ll cover you. Please step back!”

Her fingertips tingled.

She narrowed her eyes.

As she felt her wrist, her tendons ached stiffly.

The skin of her hand was red, and blue veins bulged when she gripped tightly.

‘The skin will peel off.’

She didn’t know why these words came to mind.

Her chest ached as if her flesh was stinging.

The strength in her wrist drained weakly.

Caw.

A crow perched outside the window.

Only its eyes gleamed, buried in the dim darkness.

It split its beak.

[That one will die soon. I told them to tear its hide off while it’s still alive.]