Chapter : 194

“…At this point, isn’t it you who is the monster, not me?”

Iris, sweeping back her hair as if fed up, grumbled in an annoyed tone.

Hartain’s appearance, standing tall despite shedding enough blood that it wouldn’t be strange to think he was dead, went beyond madness and even evoked fear.

The only different color on Hartain’s body, which was dyed red by his own blood, was his snow-white teeth.

“It shouldn’t be possible for something like this to be done with just human strength.”

Iris’s gaze sharpened.

She was not ignorant about Holy Power. Rather, it would be rare to find someone who knew as much about Holy Power as Iris.

Because she had learned at least a part of Holy Magic from the Pope who was expelled from the Order.

Therefore, she could clearly distinguish between what Holy Power could and could not do.

This far exceeded the range of what a Holy Power user with ordinary Holy Power could do.

How on earth? Ah, isn’t there one person right here? A figure who far exceeds the range of an ordinary Holy Power user and would help her most loyal hunting dog.

“Aha.”

Iris laughed lightly as if she had obtained enlightenment.

In that ecstatic smile that seemed to be made by a beautiful goddess, Hartain had no choice but to realize that Iris had figured out their trick.

Iris, who kicked Hartain’s abdomen and slammed him into the wall again, immediately headed toward Pel, who was still treating Theo.

The woman, standing in front of Pel with just a single movement of her feet, smiled softly and asked.

“You are the one who played the trick, right?”

She tried to grab Pel’s neck at once, but a transparent barrier blocked Iris’s path.

Interest lingered in Iris’s eyes at the protection magic used with Holy Power.

“You look like something I want to have; may I have you, perhaps?”

“I am an expensive body, so that might be a bit difficult.”

“I thought that might be the case.”

Then she just has to take him by force. Because if it was something Iris wanted, she had to have it, whatever it was.

Iris, putting strength into her arm, tried to tear apart the protection magic blocking her way.

Pel remained utterly nonchalant even while watching that entire scene.

To the point where that attitude felt rather slightly bizarre.

Where on earth does his confidence come from? Iris’s question was resolved without much difficulty.

“Urk.”

Suddenly, Iris’s body collapsed, and Iris checked the damp liquid flowing from her nose, looking a bit flustered.

It is a nosebleed. Why on earth?

Inside her body, the snake’s power that gave Iris near-infinite power churned and agonized.

“It’s Holy Power…!”

“As expected.”

Pel, seeing the collapsing Iris, smiled faintly.

A sinner who committed a taboo is one whom God opposes.

He conjectured that he could weaken that cursed power, if only for a moment, with Holy Power, and that conjecture was proven as a fact before his eyes.

“You monster-like bastard!!”

Iris, having returned to a human form, shouted in astonishment.

Killing intent surged in Iris’s red eyes that were directed straight at Pel.

He was treating Hartain so he wouldn’t die, while also treating Theo Lisitoel, and interfering with the snake’s power in the midst of all that?

No matter if it is Holy Power obtained by sacrificing dozens of human souls, is that even feasible?

“Who on earth is calling whom a monster.”

Pel is strictly and clearly within the category of a human.

It is just that he is overflowing with Holy Power to a truly surprising extent.

Above all, the Holy Power used to support Hartain was not even a speck to Pel.

Just as one becomes more proficient the more they use a single magic spell, gradually reducing the amount of mana consumed to use that magic, Pel has used Holy Power on his own body his entire life.

If it is Holy Power used on a person, his Holy Power would barely run out only after using it not thousands, but tens of thousands of times.

Rather, he was consuming much more Holy Power maintaining the protection magic that looked like it would be torn apart right now.

Unfortunately, thanks to living a life very far removed from protection.

“Hahaha!!!”

At the moment the woman tried to break the barrier by applying massive force amidst a mad smile, Hartain rushed in swinging his sword as if he wouldn’t just stand by and watch, and Mordin assisted such Hartain.

This is the first time feeling this sensation since the power of Ouroboros became somewhat complete.

She was sure it was power enough to kill even Evan Lisitoel, but she is being pushed back by things like these?

“You were the trump card.”

The trump card to somehow break through this answerless stalemate was the person called Ferdian Levian.

Then, it would be a proper response for me to play my trump card as well.

Iris grabbed Hartain’s sword.

Red blood flowed down from the hand that didn’t even have a scratch left when grasping Hartain’s sword with bare hands before.

Even in the contest of strength, she was gradually pushed back, and the sword blade dug into Iris’s palm.

It feels like blood is rushing to her head.

However, she doesn’t entirely hate it.

“Hahahahaha!”

Iris burst into arrogant mad laughter and gripped the sword, which seemed poised to cut her hand off completely, even more fiercely.

“Ah, this is fun.”

A smile lingered once again on the corners of Iris’s mouth, which had been expressionless for a moment.

Do ordinary people live their whole lives amidst this kind of sensation?

If so, isn’t that a bit unfair?

For only them to live so joyfully and interestingly. Yes, it is unfair.

Iris reached out with the other hand that was not holding the sword.

Space split in the air, and momentarily her hand disappeared, and when it reappeared, there was a bottle containing liquid as bright red as Iris’s eyes in her grasp.

The only one who realized its existence and Iris’s intention was Lerwon.

“Stop her right now!!!”

Amidst the shout that was close to a scream, Iris broke the bottle, and the liquid contained within it trickled intact into Iris’s mouth.

* * *

Kwaaaaaang!!!!

After that, it seemed like an ear-splitting roar was heard.

What happened?

Mordin barely regained consciousness and examined those lying on the floor.

Pel and Hartain, and even Theo and Lerwon; all four seemed to have lost consciousness and didn’t even move.

“Lerwon, Theo…!”

The ones filling Mordin’s mind were, no matter what anyone said, those two people.

Theo’s condition looked bad even from a distance, and Lerwon was what Iris was targeting the most.

Mordin, limping closer, checked the safety of the two first.

Fortunately, Theo’s breath existed, albeit faintly, and Lerwon was also just knocked out by the sudden shockwave and was intact.

Only after confirming the safety of the two did Mordin let out a sigh of relief.

“Shouldn’t you be worrying about yourself first, Mordegar.”

Clack, clack, the sound of heels is heard.

“No, should I call you a traitor.”

Hearing that sound, Mordin’s skin tingled.

“Nuna.”

In the fear whispered by his instincts, Mordin completely lost his will to fight.

Although the Iris before his eyes had long far exceeded the category of human, he still called Iris ‘Nuna’.

At that call, Iris frowned.

Although she couldn’t be certain it was the form of a snake, she only felt a sensation that it seemed like that.

“You have the nerve to hold hope for a traitor?”

“There is no way it is hope.”

The only mercy given to a traitor of Golden is death.

If there was a one and only exception, that would necessarily be Lerwon who bears the name of ‘Viden’, never something like ‘Mordegar’.

“You… have come to want to live?”

Iris’s red eyes flashed.

Since there was no sign of the other brats waking up anyway, it would be fine to play with the traitor for a moment.

Iris, who finished her judgment quickly, strode up to Mordin and lightly grasped his neck in one hand.

“You definitely wanted to die… but you’ve come to want to live.”

Iris always considered Mordegar like a tool.

A useful tool for Golden to extend throughout the Empire. But at the same time, he was annoying.

Because looking at those empty eyes that seemed to say it didn’t matter if he died made her want to really kill him.

But not anymore. The eyes that lacked vitality were vivid with an obsession for life.

“So that’s why you betrayed me?”

Mordin did not refute Iris’s question.

Because the reason Mordin betrayed Golden was, perhaps, due to a fierce desire for survival.

However, right now, there was something that deserved priority over that.

“Nuna, please, let’s stop now.”

It is fine even if I die like this.

If only I can stop Nuna.

If I can make her stop for just a very short moment.

If, through that, I can keep the ‘promise’….

“What is the reason I have to stop?”

“Is this the future Nuna wanted?”

Mordin looked straight at Iris.

The heat in the eyes he had thought were empty all along burned fiercely.

The boy, whom she thought had already died, held onto Iris’s leg and begged.

“Is this really Nuna’s dream?”

Dream. Dream, huh.

It feels like hearing a story from a very, very distant fantasy.

How can there be such a nauseating word?

“Right, you still don’t know.”

Iris muttered quietly.

It was so quiet that it wasn’t even audible to Mordin’s ears right in front of her.

For a moment, Iris’s eyes sink deep.

Amidst a gaze that seemed to be fathoming the past, and also seemed to be wandering in a dream, Iris looks at Mordin.

“Mordin, do you know why, out of so many children, I brought Lerwon as my son?”

At the sudden question, Mordin did not answer.

It was a question Mordegar had also wondered about all along, but never asked.

Why specifically Lerwon?

Why was the reason she went out of her way to give him a name and take him as a son, when she could have just kept him as a disciple?

And why on earth is she bringing up that story now?

Amidst Mordin’s gaze where all sorts of questions swirled, Iris smiled beautifully.

The smile that had been the hope of the back alleys, which possessed nothing and held nothing, distorted hideously and settled in the most cruel form before Mordin’s eyes.

“Because we look alike.”

“What?”

“Me and Lerwon, that child and I look alike.”

There were minutely different parts.

If Iris had entered the back alleys belatedly, Lerwon was from the back alleys by birth.

Because for Lerwon, there was no affectionate villain like Iris to reach out a hand.

If there is another different part—

“I could only kill my father, but that child killed both his mother and father.”

At the face of belated despair, Iris struggled to hold back the laughter that was about to burst.

If someone saw, it was a messy face to the point they might mistake that it was Mordin, not Iris, who had killed a person with his own hands.

“So, how could I not be interested?”

Perhaps because he was too shocked, Mordin couldn’t even speak and only gaped with his mouth.

Seeing that appearance, Iris burst into innocent laughter like a young girl.

“It was me who killed my father, that damned bastard who exploited me!!!”

I killed that bastard!!

Iris shouted, filled with delight or madness.

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