Latest Chapters
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Episode 203 When Leo saw my smile, he must have realized his mistake, for he shook his head even more vigorously and denied it with force. “N-no, really, there isn’t anyone.” Unfortunately, Leo was a terrible liar. I leaned in close and whispered to him softly. “I'll say there isn’t, but tell me, just between us.” “There really isn’t…” Despite his stubborn insistence, he eventually began to pluck at the innocent grass with both hands, lost in uncertainty. After a…
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66.2 K • Ongoing
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Episode 204 The night Leo found a new purpose, someone knocked on Belinda’s office door. As Belinda lifted her head from her work, which kept her up late into the night, she saw Terry standing there, holding a lantern. “Master, everyone has arrived.” Despite the late hour, when everyone in the manor was asleep, both Belinda and Terry appeared immaculate in full formal attire, not a hair out of place. “Watch your step; it’s dark underfoot.” Relying on the light Terry…
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66.2 K • Ongoing
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Episode 205 With that single remark, the mood of the meeting took a sharp turn. “Certainly, if it’s the Five Nations Council…” Cheshire’s eyes narrowed, as if weighing possibilities. The Five Nations Council was an international peace organization founded by the five countries that had won the Sealing War some seven centuries ago. There was the Holy Empire, built on faith in the divine; The Magic Republic, a haven for scholars in pursuit of truth; The Kingdom of Heroes,…
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66.2 K • Ongoing
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137. Seraphie entered the library and slipped into its most secluded corner. There, on the shelf, stood a large glass jar containing a pristine white feather. After setting the box on the shelf for a moment, Seraphie raised her hand to take the glass jar. “I’ve failed completely.” She laughed at herself. Despite countless vows and relentless caution not to grow attached to the people here, she found herself surrounded by those she cherished. And among them, she met someone for whom no…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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138. When Loony returned, she was utterly exhausted. She flopped down flat on the palace sofa with little regard for decorum, groaning in discomfort. “Ugh…” Perhaps her stomach had grown weak again, for she dry-heaved repeatedly. “What on earth did you do in there?” At last, Seraphie couldn’t hold back and asked. “Ugh, I hate the Emperor…” “That wasn’t me talking!” Seraphie hastily protested as the attendant, about to escort Orkis, paused with a dubious…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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139. “Steward!” Returning to the mansion in haste, Seraphie called out urgently for the steward. “…and so, our master, the current Count Validus, has written a new chapter in the family’s history.” “Grandpa, I’m hungry. Can I have some of those cookies?” The steward was, at that moment, offering Pura an extensive lesson—namely, recounting Seraphie’s achievements in opening a new era for Validus. The substance was familiar: Seraphie, mortified; Loony, laughing herself…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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140. “Seraphie.” Orchis took Seraphie's excited hand and met her eyes. “You are now the most powerful noble in the Empire.” To have risen to the rank of high nobility in less than a year—this was an achievement that would be remembered in the history of the Ortus Empire. But despite such dazzling success, Seraphie had one persistent problem. And this, perhaps, was the perfect opportunity. “So what should I show them?” “Terror and threats?” Pura answered in her…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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141. ‘…It’s a dream.’ Seraphie quickly grasped the situation. She was standing in the capital square, barefoot and still in her pajamas. The once-familiar square was now a ruin, thick gray smoke curling from place to place. Wounded and dead bodies lay scattered on the streets, while children who had lost their families sobbed nearby. It was, in short, hell. That was how she knew it wasn’t real. ‘Am I just too exhausted?’ Seraphie naturally recalled her day. She had…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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142. “I am Count Validus, scheduled for a visit.” Pura handed a letter of introduction to the soldier guarding the door and spoke. The guard glanced at Seraphie as he checked the letter. Blue bobbed hair. That hair was the most iconic image associated with the name Validus. “You may enter.” Soon, the door opened with a bizarre creak. The high-pitched, scraping sound of metal was enough to send chills down one’s spine. “Count Validus.” The warden, waiting inside,…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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143. “I knew this would happen.” Seraphie responded indifferently. She had already expected as much. “I’ve looked into the child’s distinguishing features. They say her hair is a very deep navy blue.” “And you thought you could claim she was Validus’s blood relative just because of that?” Loony frowned. The temple’s actions had long since departed from common decency; now, they were outright rude and vicious. Just what gave them the confidence to make such transparent…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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144. The blanket wound tightly around Carolla from head to toe just barely kept out the cold, but it could do nothing for the child’s anxiety. “…!” After a long bout of whimpering, Carolla drew in a sharp breath. Through the firmly shut door came the sound of footsteps. She tried desperately to draw the trembling in her body deeper into the blanket. Soon, the door opened. Light poured into the dark room. Carolla squinted at the sudden brightness. The people silhouetted in the…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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145. It was no mere feeling of déjà vu. Before, nobles had arrived in their finery to watch the spectacular fall of the Countess Validus. Today, once again, all had gathered here to see another daughter of Validus. This time, however, there were a few differences: the venue was the temple, and conspicuously fewer nobles were present than one might expect. “They’re being cautious about you.” Loony and Karl, arriving in a separate carriage, joined Seraphie. “They don’t want…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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146. Carola’s blue eyes quivered in the direction of the sound. As if she had seen a ghost, she could not believe what she was witnessing. “Hurry and go.” Seraphie gave her younger sister a gentle push on the back. It was the faintest touch. Yet, it was enough. Carola’s legs, which had been frozen like stone, hesitated for a brief moment before springing forward in a strong dash. “Mother!” “Carola! My child, heavens!” “Waaah! Mammaaa!” “Sob, my darling…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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147. The day she visited the Imperial Palace. Seraphie had a long conversation with the Emperor, discussing the events that were to unfold. Their talks stretched on for quite some time. Among their subjects was the matter of the temple. ‘My aunt, the woman who gave birth to my younger sister, was imprisoned in Paradise.’ ‘Paradise? You don't mean 66-6 Parsar Street?’ ‘Iris’s youngest and my escort infiltrated the place and confirmed her safety.’ Karl and Pura had scouted…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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148. ‘It makes me itchy for no reason.’ Her relationships with these people felt both unfamiliar and strangely embarrassing. But right now, even that sort of bashful emotion was a luxury she could hardly afford. “The Poor Relief Act will endanger the Crown Prince’s position,” Seraphie said, and all attention turned to her. “The newly reformed temple has severed its ties to the Cartio family.” The temple was now subordinate to the Imperial House. No longer would it serve as a…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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149. “Interesting people seem to gather around the Count on their own.” Despite Pura’s rudeness, X showed no sign of displeasure; rather, he grew more interested and initiated conversation. Eventually, even Pura, who had been steadfastly ignoring him, half conceded and joined the discussion with X. Serapi, finding it bothersome to interject, kept her lips firmly shut. The place the three arrived at was the construction site of a temple being built on the outskirts of the…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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150. “Phosphorus?” X tilted his head in puzzlement. He had just heard from Serapi about the explosive’s ingredient and the true nature of the stones found in the temple’s underground tunnel. “You mean the stuff at the end of matchsticks? The red part?” “But the stones we saw in the tunnel were black and shiny.” “That’s black phosphorus,” Serapi explained, quoting what he'd read in the research journal. “Phosphorus-bearing minerals form four distinct allotropes…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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151. After working so hard for a year to improve the relationship between Peonia and Lilia, it turned out that the real mastermind behind the uprising was the Crown Prince. ‘I can’t even trust the original story anymore.’ Even if the banquet passed without incident, there was no telling what that deranged killer might do. ‘Could it be that what happened at the banquet wasn’t even the cause of the rebellion?’ Felikia and X already had more than enough reasons to revolt. That…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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152. “‘The Curse of Validus,’ huh…” Inside the carriage hurriedly making its way to the square. “Yeah, now I see why things have been so peaceful.” Seraphie’s face, reflected in the window, wore a composed smile, as if she had already transcended all things. “It’s rare for someone to be born under such an unlucky star…” Loony, seated beside her, offered a sympathetic remark. Even the sound of her tongue clicking in pity seemed full of regret. “He’s quite the…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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153. "As you've seen, his works are truly bizarre. Yet their themes are unmistakably clear: they satirize the vices of our times." "Satire…" Seraphie recalled the painting from earlier. The image of human figures with beastly heads, clad in a priest’s vestments and suffering gruesome torments beneath a demon’s feet, was still vivid in her mind. "As you might expect, these are not the kind of pictures one can brazenly exhibit in public. Open activity must be difficult for him." "Then…
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111.1 K • Ongoing
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