“Aahhhhhhh!”
A chilling scream erupted, mingled with blood and water.
The traces of life force that surged out left stains on the world as they were scattered about—on the ground, on clothes, and on hair.
The Imperial Princess, her eyes wide open, cautiously brought her hand to her cheek.
Blood smeared onto her fingers. Instantly, her pale gray eyes quivered violently.
The woman who had screamed was not the Imperial Princess. It was Airen, who had collapsed to the side of the princess and, before long, had come to her senses and attempted to ambush I-an.
At the very moment Airen had tried to grasp her sword again for her lord, an axe blade had embedded itself into her shoulder.
The momentum of the thrown axe was terrifying. It had plunged so deeply it reached halfway through her shoulder blade, no doubt impacting the marrow.
Even with her immense mental strength, Airen had her limits. She eventually collapsed with a final wail.
The axe, deeply embedded, had likely aggravated her nerves, causing her body to twitch uncontrollably.
Through her clenched teeth, harsh breathing escaped, representing her pain. She didn’t even have the strength to pull out the axe.
Airen’s body quivered and twitched involuntarily. This was not through her own will; it was the result of the intense pain and the extremity of her trauma. Her body was convulsing, pleading for life.
It was a powerless and cruel sight.
For the first time, a hint of fear flickered in Shi-en’s eyes.
The warmth and the metallic smell of the blood on her cheeks and hair made her feel nauseous. Her eyes darted swiftly toward the man.
I-an wasn’t even glancing at Airen, as if such a pitiful scream was something he had heard countless times before.
Instead, he asked Shi-en with a solemn voice,
“Imperial Princess, have you ever considered a future like this?”
Shi-en faltered.
It was an unfamiliar feeling. She involuntarily tried to shake her head but managed to stop herself just in time.
She couldn’t show fear.
Yet, she couldn’t muster the audacity to act confidently. The blood that had splattered onto her cheeks and hair now mixed with water droplets, forming pink-colored streaks.
‘Madman,’ Shi-en thought again.
Her opponent was a madman, without hesitation in wielding violence.
He might not care if he truly struck down royalty with his axe. Shi-en finally understood what primal fear felt like.
Her gaze trembled, and soon her eyes dropped down.
It was terrifying, yet she felt wretched.
Every time she chewed on her lips, a bitter taste surfaced. If she could only calm herself, she could stand up and confront him with dignity again.
Shi-en comforted herself internally multiple times. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to raise her head.
Regardless, the man continued speaking.
“Whether it’s the Imperial Court, the Holy Kingdom’s Papacy, or the Round Table of the Southern Kingdoms, a future where all these governing systems become meaningless… Money? Power? Women?”
A hollow laugh escaped the man’s lips, as if he were mocking something absurd. It was the first emotional response he had shown.
His expression quickly settled back into cold indifference. His golden eyes gleamed with concentrated anger and malice, captivating Shi-en’s attention.
At that moment, the princess’s pale gray pupils contracted and relaxed repeatedly.
Faintly, but clearly, she saw it.
She couldn’t breathe. In the wake of that intense emotion, Shi-en gasped for air.
“…In the face of the proposition of survival, all of that becomes inconsequential.”
I-an’s hand moved naturally. And then, the returning axe grazed Shi-en’s cheek as it swung past her.
“Huh…!”
Shi-en let out a startled moan, taking several shaky steps backward. Her wide eyes revealed an unmistakable fear.
Blood still dripped from the axe in I-an’s hand, evidence of the destruction of Airen’s shoulder.
The roles were now reversed.
Before, Shi-en had been the one pressuring I-an. Now, she was the one being overwhelmed by him, for reasons she couldn’t understand.
It felt like being a child standing before a strict teacher.
With shifting glances, Shi-en watched I-an carefully, something she hadn’t done in a long time.
However, I-an seemed indifferent to whatever impressions the princess might have of him. With his eyes closed, he repeated her earlier words several times.
“…Three months, three months, you say.”
With an amused expression, I-an smirked, his head lowering slightly.
To Shi-en, it felt like a threat.
‘Three seconds would’ve been enough for me.’
To end her life, that is.
And as if to prove it, I-an even offered her a new condition.
“Too long. Try to aim for within a month if possible.”
At the same moment, the man’s hand swung powerfully through the air again.
A sonic boom rippled through the air. The impact was so strong it produced a resonant shockwave.
Shi-en shut her eyes tightly.
Once again, the sound of blood being sprayed could be heard, along with screams. Shi-en desperately prayed that it would end.
However, the cycle of blood and screams did not end after just one time.
One. Two. Three.
Airen and the Royal Guards alternated in their screams. Shi-en felt as though she were standing in the middle of a slaughterhouse.
The only difference was that the livestock being butchered were her dear subordinates.
The axe returned to I-an’s hand with a whistling sound when the screams had died down. The only sounds now were of flesh being torn and faint groans.
I-an lingered for a while, admiring the gruesome scene he had created, then turned his gaze toward the princess.
“…How many seconds did it take?”
Shi-en, her eyes still shut tight, shook uncontrollably, unable to say anything.
How many seconds? Time felt like an eternity.
After waiting for some time without an answer, I-an silently wiped the remaining blood off his axe. The blade gleamed, still stained with yellow marrow.
He took a step as if to leave but then cast a look back at the Royal Guards as though something had just occurred to him.
They were all gasping for air, their spirits shattered. Drool dripped from their open mouths, and their bodies twitched, testifying to the violence they had endured. Among them, only Airen retained her senses.
She stared at I-an with glazed eyes, unable to even groan. Her eyes brimmed with terror and distrust.
Her broken words. I-an smirked faintly at her sight.
“Guardians who hesitate even when their lord is behind them?”
His voice carried genuine anger. It was not the kind of reprimand one would expect from a junior lecturing someone above him.
Instead, it felt like a scolding from someone who truly had the authority to do so. So natural that Airen involuntarily bowed her head.
She was unworthy of being called a knight. It was undeniable.
“That was your lord’s share. Accept it happily.”
Shi-en shivered upon hearing those words. If it weren’t for the Royal Guards, that blood staining the axe could have been hers.
Fortunately, those were the final words.
The man turned his back and began walking, his steps measured.
As if he no longer cared about the partially destroyed central avenue or the scattered Royal Guards.
With her eyes still closed, Shi-en finally found the courage to speak.
“…Responsibility!”
The man halted abruptly, his golden eyes briefly turning back.
The princess flinched under his gaze and lowered her eyes again. Still, driven by pride, there was one word she kept repeating.
“Ca, ca, can… can you handle it?!”
Her cheeks blushed faintly, as her demeanor was far from someone wielding power to threaten.
Rather, it resembled a cornered cat hissing in defense.
She had always thought of herself as a predator, but facing the true predator that was I-an, she understood.
Shi-en was no more than a common house cat. True monsters didn’t need fangs, gold, or power.
While Shi-en hesitated, the man’s gaze momentarily drifted to the side. His lips parted after what seemed like a moment of thought.
“Anyway, I’m not the one who will handle it.”
It was a reply laced lightly with amusement.
Confused by the meaning, Shi-en could only look at him blankly. But the man had already continued walking, and Shi-en lacked the audacity to stop him and inquire further.
And thus ended the incident known as “The Princess Bloodbath.”
