I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 164

Henry’s mood had been sour since morning. He had reluctantly sent Ermedeline to the battlefield, hoping for the best but not expecting much. Yet, as he reviewed the reports from the first and second days, he internally sneered at her.

“A witch? A demon? And she resorted to curse magic with only that level of resolve?” 

Henry, who had become a mage through his innate talent and had sold deadly curse magic without a second thought, found Ermedeline pathetic for not being fully committed to killing, despite wielding such power.

“Well, she can’t be called a full-fledged witch, can she? That’s probably why she willingly went to the battlefield, to keep an eye on her illegitimate son.”

Having severed his human attachments, like his ties with Valliere, Henry perhaps found it a bit laughable that Ermedeline would risk her life over a youthful mistake. But what was today’s report about? Winning the battle was undoubtedly a great success, but the report described her as if she were some goddess of the battlefield.

“Wherever Her Majesty the Empress extended her hand, death followed in the enemy ranks.”

“Hah.” 

Henry felt a new wave of emotion—something bordering on inferiority—towards Ermedeline, on top of his existing contempt and disdain. Of all things given without effort, the highest is undoubtedly one’s status. And how many of his brothers’ lives had he taken just to secure even half of that status? Then there was magic, another birthright, passed down through blood. How unfair it was that such abilities were predetermined at birth.

Henry, who had neither magic nor divine power, had to face countless life-and-death situations on the battlefield, relying on nothing but his own strength.

“I’m so sick of it.”

Ermedeline had the perfect lineage and unmatched talent as a mage, yet Henry had never felt inferior to her before. After all, she was nothing more than a subhuman witch, wasn’t she? No matter how hard she struggled to survive, in the end, she was just a tool destined to become ashes by his hand. That’s why Henry had been able to look down on her with a mix of pity and guilt.

“What is Ermond doing? If he wanted to kill Ermedeline so badly that he refused my request, he should have done it properly!”

At this point, there was no way Ermedeline could return to the capital alive. Winning the war was one thing, but winning because of a witch was another matter entirely. Even if she became a war hero, the witch had to die on the battlefield. Henry began contemplating how to deal with Ermedeline after she had served her purpose in the war against Frianton.

“If I could just separate her from that priest and Felio… I’ll need to find a mage with a personal grudge against her.”

While Henry was lost in thought, contemplating ways to dispose of Ermedeline, a request from Louise arrived.

“What? She wants to leave the palace?”

“Yes. She says there’s something she needs to investigate.”

“Investigate?”

“Yes, she mentioned that the atmosphere in the capital seems strange.”

Henry quickly recalled that Louise had been close friends with Felio’s mother, the Duchess of Batistian. She was also friends with the Marchioness of Bianst, Roberto’s mother.

“Hah. So she didn’t come here just for a blessing. Is Felio scheming with Louise to smuggle her out of the palace?”

Henry shook his head firmly, rejecting the request.

“Louise cannot go. Send a few lower-ranked priests instead.”

“Yes, understood.”

Following Henry’s orders, two young priests under Louise’s command were sent out of the palace to investigate the strange atmosphere surrounding the capital.

After the priests had left, Henry sat in deep thought for a while before something finally came to mind.

“That priest…”

“You mean Priest Arvian?” his attendant asked.

“Yes. Have the witnesses been secured?”

“Yes.”

The witnesses Henry referred to were those willing to testify falsely in exchange for a large sum of money from the emperor.

“Prepare to indict him as the war draws to a close. Summon Arvian as well.”

Once the attendant had left the office, Count Hallstein, wearing a grim expression, posed a question.

“Are you planning to recall all of Her Majesty the Empress’s close associates and then eliminate her on the battlefield?”

“!”

Henry smiled, pleased with the perceptiveness of Count Hallstein, and raised his hand to pat the count’s shoulder.

“You truly understand me better than anyone.”

“…”

Though Henry’s praise was generous, Count Hallstein remained stoic, offering no response. His lips pressed tightly together as he left the emperor’s office.

The news of the war at the border soon spread to the citizens of the capital. As the nobility began to leave the city to avoid a potential conflict between Henry and Leopold, the remaining citizens, unable to leave due to their livelihoods, realized they were being trapped within the capital.

Henry had stationed soldiers at every route leading to the capital, monitoring and controlling the movement of all who entered or exited. Permission to leave the city was granted sparingly, and only for compelling reasons. 

The citizens, already suffering from food shortages, began to seek out ways to survive. Prices for food skyrocketed, and any grain that could be stored was quickly bought up by wealthy individuals, leaving the common folk unable to purchase it, no matter the price. Shops began closing one by one, and people, driven by fear, turned to the gods in prayer, only to find the doors of the Central Temple tightly shut.

As an eerie atmosphere settled over the city, Valliere and Countess Brienta moved through the streets like ghosts, silently and without a trace. The two had been adding layers of enchantments to most of the magic circles within the capital. Now, only six locations remained.

However, with the growing unrest among the citizens and the heightened vigilance of the soldiers, they were now forced to work in secrecy during the early morning hours. The light emitted by the magic circles made it impossible to conduct their work in the dead of night, when it would be safest.

It had been two days since they had last returned to Countess Brienta’s mansion, staying away in case they were tracked.

A sudden flash of light erupted from beneath Valliere’s feet, only to vanish in an instant.

“Who goes there?”

They thought they had gone unnoticed, but a soldier had spotted the brief but bright flash that didn’t match the dim surroundings. Valliere and Countess Brienta, startled, tried to leave quickly, but the soldiers were faster, intercepting them before they could escape.

“Who are you? You should know that movement is restricted until dawn,” the soldier demanded, his voice sharp.

Valliere, realizing there was no way to avoid confrontation, slowly removed the cloak that had been concealing her face.

“!!”

The soldiers recognized Valliere and awkwardly lowered their swords, which had been pointed at her.

“I was walking near the palace because I longed to see His Majesty,” Valliere said, her expression one of pitiful sorrow.

Bathed in the soft, early dawn light, she looked like a delicate, ethereal figure from an ancient legend, her beauty almost otherworldly.

“I’ve been unable to sleep because of my yearning. So, I’ve been wandering near the palace every night,” she continued, her voice frail and tinged with a deep melancholy that matched her distant gaze. The soldiers, young and inexperienced, were momentarily struck speechless by her breathtaking appearance.

“Uh, well…”

It took a long moment for one of the soldiers to regain his senses. He finally managed a response, offering a sympathetic yet awkward smile.

“I understand your situation, but given that we’re at war… You must still adhere to the emperor’s orders.”

“Of course. I’ll be more careful from now on,” Valliere replied.

“Yes, please return to your residence…”

The soldier’s voice trailed off as he recalled the recent fire at a mistress’s residence, to which he had been dispatched to help extinguish. Lowering his voice, he hesitated before continuing.

“You must have somewhere safe to stay. Don’t worry…”

Valliere looked up at the soldier with desperate eyes before lowering her gaze and turning her head away. As she did, her thick hair slid down, revealing a glimpse of her pale neck, which shimmered mysteriously in the faint blue light of dawn. The soldiers couldn’t help but swallow hard, their throats suddenly dry.

“I wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary concern for His Majesty. Could you keep our encounter tonight a secret?” Valliere asked softly, lifting her light brown eyes to meet theirs.

The soldiers felt as if they were under a spell, as though they had encountered a witch who had bewitched them, leaving them unable to control their minds or bodies.

“Yes, we will,” they agreed, almost in unison.

After the soldiers had departed, Valliere’s expression transformed from the pitiful, vulnerable woman she had portrayed into one of cold determination. She pulled her cloak back over her head with a sharp, deliberate motion. Once, her pride would never have allowed her to behave so coyly before a man—not even in front of her first love, Henry.

But now, prepared for death, everything was different. Having let go of everything, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her revenge.

Valliere glanced up, her gaze sharp as she looked toward the imperial palace.

‘It doesn’t matter whether you win or that damned Leopold does. Neither of you will have anything in the end.’

She closed her eyes, imagining the capital turning into a hellish landscape because of her curse. Then, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold, lingering night air that chilled her to the core.

The witch smirked as she looked up at the slowly rising sun.

‘This wretched, absurd world…’

***

Dawn broke over the capital of the Trivian Empire.

As soon as the sun rose, the two lower-ranked priests sent by Henry left the palace to investigate the matter Alicia had reported. Though they were not highly ranked, they were still priests, and it wasn’t long before they detected a faint trace of magic in the atmosphere. They returned to the palace immediately to report their findings.

“What? Magic?” Henry was incredulous.

He had sent every registered mage, regardless of age or gender, to the front lines. Magic? Here, in the capital?

Mages were a rare and precious resource, often decisive in the outcome of battles. As a result, any mage who manifested magical abilities was typically registered with the state immediately.

“Yes, with our limited abilities, we could only determine that there’s magic mixed in with the atmosphere,” one of the priests reported.

“But how? There are no mages left in the capital,” Henry mused, his disbelief turning to irritation. 

“Isn’t it possible that someone has avoided registration for personal reasons?” Count Hallstein, who had been listening calmly, suggested.

Henry felt a sharp pain in his temples as his blood pressure rose.

“So, you’re telling me that an unregistered mage is using magic within the capital?” Henry asked, his tone growing harsher as he glared at the priests. They remained silent, unable to provide any further answers—they genuinely didn’t know.

If there had been any high-ranking priests or mages left in the capital, they could have conducted a thorough investigation. But the city was currently devoid of such power. Henry couldn’t believe that something as absurd as this—an ability restricted to the chosen few—was now potentially becoming a serious threat.

Pressing his hand to his throbbing forehead, Henry issued his next order in a heavy voice.

“Send Priestess Louise. Make sure she’s accompanied by adequate protection.”

Though he said “protection,” the true intent was surveillance. Count Hallstein, understanding the underlying command, sent Louise out of the palace, surrounded by an entourage of royal guards.

As he returned to his office, Count Hallstein paused to look out over the capital from a window in the hallway. The city, at first glance, still bore the outward signs of the Empire’s grandeur, symbolizing the pinnacle of human achievement and prosperity.

Yet the streets were eerily quiet. The usual morning bustle, filled with anticipation and activity, was absent. Only armed guards stood at their posts, maintaining their vigilance.

“Sigh…”

Count Hallstein sighed deeply as he thought of a certain official document hidden deep within his desk. The contents of that document were powerful enough to bring Henry down in an instant.