The man’s back muscles wriggled frighteningly, and Greta’s densely thorned warning echoed sharply. The man, mouth agape, remained frozen.

Originally, the pain that could cause spasms throughout the body was excruciating, but whether Greta’s warning had an effect or if it was due to the influence of the mark, the man truly couldn’t do anything.

Whether it was tearing his own flesh, writhing from the inside, or burning with fire – or perhaps a combination of everything – he felt an unfamiliar pain and disgust. With a popping sound from the man’s eyes, blood vessels burst.

How much time passed?

The man’s consciousness floated, accompanied by a sensation as if reality and illusion were entangled, and an indescribable, harsh voice echoed in his ears.

“Ugh, agh!”

Immediately afterward, the man collapsed to the ground, and white steam rose from his wriggling back.

Greta, looking down at him, wiped her aged face with both hands for a moment, releasing a long sigh.

Externally, it seemed successful for now, but since only the one with the mark could know its effect, Greta asked with a tired voice, “Tison.”

“Yes.”

“How does it feel?”

In response to Greta’s question, Tison, now a slave of the ancient god, looked down at his palm.

The twisted scars, hardened from the burn on his palm, and the calluses that wouldn’t hurt even if carved with a knife were still the same.

However, the power flowing through his clenched fist was something unimaginable before.

The force, flowing through his veins, was awakening every organ in his body, something he had never felt before.

Tison tightly clenched his fist and expressed what he felt.

“It’s good.”

Very simple, but it was the exact answer Greta wanted.

Without asking anything, just surrendering to the given power with gratitude from the heart.

“All right. How does it feel to achieve the dream you wanted?”

“That’s good as well.”

With a prompt answer, Greta smiled venomously.

The tool in front of her willingly wanted the ancient god’s mark, so as long as Tison served his purpose as a tool well, whatever he thought didn’t matter.

Though he had a mark similar to Kraye, it couldn’t be compared to him.

The tool in front of her also needed purification.

And Tison, knowing that fact, accepted the mark and dedicated his body to the god without hesitation.
Positioned as the Imperial Marquis of Heinder, Tison, like Bonita, who harbored resentment in her heart and decided to burn the whole world, also wished for the entire world to burn due to the viscous darkness lurking deep within.

“Everything is according to the will of the gods.”

“As the gods will it.”

In the gradually darkening underground of the temple, the mark engraved on Tison’s back was squirming.

After the short but intense external turmoil, Olivia returned to the palace and faced the emperor.

“There won’t be any ghost disturbances anymore.”

“Yeah. You handled it cleanly this time as well.”

The emperor didn’t bother asking for specific details about the matter. There was trust that Olivia had handled it skillfully.

Olivia also nodded lightly without elaborating on the cause or solution to the problem.

“If there’s nothing else you need me for, I will take my leave.”

“Princess.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the emperor, with tired eyes stained with fatigue, looked at her for a moment, he asked, “What do you think of Marquis Heinder?”

“I still don’t know what he’s thinking, but I do believe he’s planning something.”

Although it was a vague and entirely unhelpful answer, the emperor also nodded.

“Indeed, that’s right. Speaking out could interfere with the expansion of Marquis’s influence, considering the recent actions he’s taken.”

“Rather than that, it seems like he doesn’t particularly like me.”

As Olivia spoke those words, she finally realized distinctly.

Recently, all the troubles caused by Marquis Heinder were directly related to her.

Starting from his collapse over Kraye, clamping down on the atmosphere of the imperial palace, to replacing the Nordian diplomats.

Isn’t he blatantly making noise about targeting her and the Nordian country?

Although the end of her previous life was somewhat suspicious, Olivia only now clearly noticed that all the problems from Marquis Heinder’s incessant pleas were related to her.

From making a fuss about Kraye to grabbing the reins of the Hwangnyeo Palace, and even changing Nord Kingdom’s diplomats – he was blatantly making noise, claiming that he was aiming for her and the Nord Kingdom.

How troublesome would it be for him to talk about all of this openly?

The emperor, who had been staring at her for a moment, suppressing his fatigue, asked, “How is your leg now?”

“It’s fine now, thanks to someone’s help. I can walk for a short time.”
The emperor knew that the person Olivia mentioned, the impulsive knight brought to the court and never left her side, named Kraye. However, he just nodded, concealing the laughter behind Olivia’s bright smile, along with the infinite trust underlying it and the faint worries that emerged.