“Alexia, you patricidal usurper!”
“My dear sister, didn’t you say you had no interest in the Royal Throne? Then why are you doing all this now?”
“Empress? Heh… Do you think you’re worthy of the empire’s crown? Alexia…”
“Kill you! Kill you! You tyrant! How dare you decide life and death with a single word, kill you!”
“No… No, I don’t want to die! Please, spare me, spare me……”
Alexia sat alone upon the empty Royal Throne of the palace, familiar faces flashing before her eyes.
She furrowed her brow, pressing two fingers to her forehead, trying to ease the turmoil.
Yet, after closing her eyes, the voices grew even louder, as if real whispers swirled endlessly around her ears.
A moment later, a voice, ethereal and distinct from the previous echoes, suddenly sounded from below the platform.
“Do you long… for a moment of peace?”
The moment this voice appeared, it drowned out the previous chaotic clamor.
Alexia’s thoughts calmed instantly.
She stopped rubbing her forehead and looked down.
Layers of black mist swirled around a hazy figure, making it impossible to discern her appearance or attire.
But from the faint timbre of the voice, it was clear the person was female.
“It’s noisy, isn’t it? Feels like your head’s about to explode, doesn’t it?”
The hazy figure spoke as she approached Alexia.
“Just empty your mind and follow my voice, and those voices haunting your mind will quickly disappear… Come, follow my voice…”
“Heh…”
A cold laugh escaped Alexia’s lips as she lowered her hand from her forehead and glared coldly at the person below.
“Crude magic, witch.”
“Wow~”
The witch seemed surprised as Alexia raised her head.
“Her Majesty the Empress’s acting is truly superb—she almost fooled me.”
“Still, I didn’t expect an ordinary person like you to withstand such a powerful Mental Interference.”
“No wonder the empire is the empire. Its foundations are so deep, even such exquisite Mental Defense magic devices can be deployed.”
The witch let out a few light chuckles, as if she’d expected this.
“But it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s just the two of us here. I have my ways to make you submit.”
Alexia stared at the black mist drawing closer, her voice growing ever colder.
“It’s witches like you who make your kind despised by the world.”
“If you think you can control the entire empire by manipulating me and build a nation for witches, you couldn’t be more mistaken. Besides, I’m far less fragile than you imagine.”
“Is Her Majesty the Empress talking about herself? I fear your own deeds aren’t so noble either,” the witch sneered, unconcerned.
“Can you say, hand on heart, that your knight commander follows you of his own free will?”
Alexia’s eyes narrowed, an invisible pressure pressing upon the witch.
Seeing this, the witch burst into laughter, pointing at her.
“Hahaha! See? Even you dare not deny the methods you used on Simon!”
“Otherwise, how could such a powerful man cling to you like a lapdog? Do you really think you’re the apple of his eye?”
Before the words faded, a thunderous crash sounded—the palace doors behind her collapsed with a boom.
“Dong~ dong~ dong!”
The clang of iron boots on stone slammed into the witch’s chest like a heavy hammer, her face changing instantly.
“What? Didn’t you send Simon to deal with the cultists? Why is he here… Damn it!”
The witch spun around, panic in her eyes as she watched the armored red-haired figure approach like a looming mountain.
She’d seen Simon battle witches with her own eyes and knew she was no match for him alone.
Besides, she hadn’t come here to fight, and she certainly hadn’t brought any Magic Scrolls for such situations.
While chanting an escape spell, she manipulated the black mist around her to assault Simon, hoping to buy more time.
Yet, the mist, deadly to ordinary people, became as weak as mud when it touched Simon.
The black mist wrapped around him, but didn’t slow him in the slightest, nor did it cause any real harm.
As the mist dispersed, the witch’s figure and features grew clearer.
“Isn’t it a bit late to think of running now?”
Alexia’s lips curled up as she rose and walked toward the witch.
When the final incantation ended, the witch found herself unable to teleport away as expected and realized at once that escape was impossible.
She whirled around, facing Alexia as she approached, hoping to seize her and snatch a chance at life.
But the instant she turned, something like an iron clamp seized her head.
“Bang!”
Her vision spun, pain exploding across her face.
Agony drowned her mind, blurring and numbing her senses.
Simon knelt on one knee, burying the witch’s head deep in the red carpet with one hand, the other clenched to his chest.
“Your Majesty, forgive this servant for arriving late.”
“No, you’re right on time, Simon.”
Alexia’s gaze flickered between the witch and Simon.
Understanding, Simon released his grip, then drove his elbow hard into the witch’s spine, paralyzing her.
After that, he grabbed her head again and lifted her up.
“Did you really think the imperial palace was a place you could come and go as you pleased?”
Alexia reached out and gently pressed the witch’s cheek, forcing a twisted smile onto her face.
“Didn’t you love to laugh? Why not keep laughing?”
The witch gasped for breath, and as Alexia’s image came into focus, she spoke slowly.
“…Do you think killing me will end everything?”
“Alexia… You have no idea what you provoked back then. You’re just clinging to a pitiful life!”
Alexia let out a cold laugh.
“The people who want my life could line up from the empire’s western border to the east, yet I remain unharmed, still Empress.”
“And you—people like you—can only die before me.”
“Then kill me! Cough, cough!”
The witch coughed up blood.
“Kill me, and the witches will never forgive you…”
“The empire will fall because of your foolishness!”
“There is only one Simon. You may save the capital… but you cannot save the entire empire. He has already set his sights on you……”
At her words, a cruel smile slowly spread across Alexia’s face.
She reached out and drew Simon’s sword.
The sound of the blade leaving its sheath rang harshly in the silent hall.
“This is what you wished for. I’ve never heard such a ridiculous request.”
Without hesitation, Alexia slit the witch’s throat.
Then, with a flick, she shook the blood from the blade and looked down at the witch’s face, twisted in disbelief.
“And another thing… Simon is my knight, not my dog. I won’t allow you to insult him like that!”
The witch’s eyes widened in terror—she’d never thought Alexia would actually do it.
Alexia looked down with contempt at the dying witch.
“As for your so-called sisters, if they truly dare come for revenge, I won’t hesitate to send them to join you.”
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