Chapter 10
“The gods themselves feared him and sealed him away! When the goddess Elaiya and the Dragon descend upon this land, the world shall belong to us— the Gens tribe!”
Thomas ground his teeth, while Praman smiled in satisfaction.
The only one truly shocked in that moment… was me.
Why on earth am I suddenly being mentioned here?
“Keck— cough, cough! Ugh—!”
I started choking mid-breath. Once I began coughing, it wouldn’t stop.
The two pairs of sharp eyes that had been locked on me now turned toward each other again.
Praman’s veins bulged as he shouted as if vomiting out his soul.
“Descendant of Lodea! You shall not die peacefully! The souls of your kin will devour you, and the curse of Goddess Elaiya—”
“Wait! Wait a minute!”
Curse? What curse!
I waved my hand wildly in the air, cutting him off in a hurry. Both pairs of eyes returned to me.
“To think I’d have to listen to this kind of nonsense even after coming down to Lodea…”
The arguing voices of the gods echoed faintly in my head like a hallucination.
I was so stunned I couldn’t even get angry. Was there another Elaiya I didn’t know about?
If not, then why—
why would this enemy leader be invoking my name while speaking of Lodea’s destruction?
For the past few years, the gods had become increasingly desperate to convince Jupiter that I must die.
They were so intent on it that they would’ve acted behind his back if he refused.
I stayed awake night after night.
Even Titia wouldn’t know what kind of thoughts I endured through those endless nights—
the fury of having no words to refute those who cried that everyone could live only if I died;
the wretched resolve that, if I must die, I would never go alone.
I wanted to grab him by the collar right then and shout, “What the hell do you know?!”
“So that’s why they were acting like maniacs even while bowing so humbly…”
I tore off my mask roughly and met Praman’s gaze.
Thomas looked startled, but that didn’t matter.
The silver mask in my hand crumpled with a screeching sound.
I asked the question no one had ever answered me.
“Elaiya’s just a goddess of plants—she can barely make grass grow. How could she possibly destroy the world?”
“Hahahaha! Hahaha!”
Instead of answering, Praman burst into mocking laughter.
I reached my hand through the iron bars and grabbed him by the collar.
Bang!
As I yanked him forward, his head slammed against the bars with a loud clang.
Even with our faces just a handspan apart, Praman grinned wide.
“Thank you.”
He muttered softly and suddenly seized my wrist that held his collar.
What a grip—so strong even I couldn’t easily shake it off.
I could’ve broken his fingers one by one if I wanted, but—
“Lady!”
“Ghh—!”
Something coiled tightly around my neck. I couldn’t breathe.
It was choking me with tremendous force, yet when I clawed at my neck, I grasped nothing.
A fierce light glowed in Praman’s eyes. Rolling his eyes toward Thomas, he shouted:
“Release this cursed magic prison! Now!”
“This is made with magitech—only someone with expertise can dispel—”
“You just dismantled the illusion barrier made of the same magitech to get in here, didn’t you?”
“…”
I kicked hard against the bars, but my body didn’t budge.
While Thomas hesitated, the invisible force around my neck tightened even more.
The pressure was so strong that my toes left the ground; I was literally hanging there.
“Kh—!”
I lifted one leg and stomped in the direction I thought Praman was.
I couldn’t even see clearly, but I had to rely on instinct.
Fortunately, I felt a dull thud under my foot.
I stomped again and again until the choking suddenly stopped—
and I crashed hard onto the cold stone floor.
My throat throbbed more painfully than the impact itself.
“Cough! Cough, cough!”
As I gasped for air, clutching my neck,
blood dripped from the tip of Thomas’s sword.
A dark puddle spread beneath the fallen Praman,
and his wide-open eyes rolled out of the cell, his head tumbling across the floor.
The man beside him had already collapsed too.
No— I still had questions to ask!
Even as I held my throat, that was the only thought in my mind.
Thomas tore a strip from the white petticoat under my dress and wrapped Praman’s head with it.
I stepped closer and looked down at the head in his hands.
The white cloth turned red in seconds.
He couldn’t die yet.
I had to hear why he called me the Goddess of Destruction—why I was their god.
“How could you kill him so easily?!”
Thomas seemed to think I was worried for him and nodded indifferently.
“That was the plan from the start. Once he’s gone, the remaining Gens are just stragglers.”
He wiped his bloody sword, looking oddly satisfied.
Wasn’t this ending too simple? Didn’t he feel uneasy at all?
“…”
I reluctantly nodded.
If I made a fuss about killing him, I’d only look suspicious.
Thomas sheathed his sword and looked at me, frowning.
“Is your throat alright?”
Such an uncharacteristically cautious tone.
He had wanted to leave me behind before, and now he sounded almost apologetic.
“Ever seen a play or musical?”
“What?”
I spoke evenly, ignoring his confusion.
“You know those scenes where the protagonist’s taken hostage and the villain makes demands—
and the protagonist agrees, making everything even worse?”
It was always so frustrating to watch.
How many times had I cursed those useless hostages?
Sometimes, people just need to be decisive.
And, well… I guess I couldn’t blame Thomas for acting that way either.
“I’d have done the same if you were captured,” he said.
“Haha… ha! I didn’t realize you were this funny, my lady.”
He must’ve thought I was joking—though I was dead serious.
Still chuckling, Thomas pressed a red-glowing communicator at his ear.
“Clean it up inside. Yeah, there was… an incident.”
In his usual arrogant tone, he issued a few orders.
“Find Sephak—no matter what it takes. I need to know where he was trying to send the Gens he hid. Yes, the Gens. He used magitech to conceal them.”
“Oh! Sephak…”
Thomas turned his gaze to me.
I should be the one to break his legs!
Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud.
I silently repeated to myself, I’m Roselita. I’m Roselita.
Thomas ended the call and looked back at me.
Suppressing my irritation, I spoke glumly.
“Then break his legs for me.”
“Sephak’s legs?”
“Yeah, both of them.”
I sighed deeply.
I really wanted to do it myself, but as long as Chloe was safe, I’d let it go.
Thomas blinked a few times, then smiled broadly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to break both.”
Damn, he really is ridiculously handsome.
For a moment, I almost saw a halo behind him.
If only his personality matched his looks, he’d make a perfect romantic lead. What a waste.
Down the hall, masked men were clearing away the fallen guards and bodies.
Shouts and hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs, but Thomas looked completely unfazed.
When we stepped outside, he suddenly remarked:
“You walk very briskly.”
“What’s wrong with my walk?”
“…”
Even when I frowned, Thomas just wore that unreadable expression.
How else was I supposed to walk—skip?
I glanced at his stride; it wasn’t much different from mine.
Walking’s just walking, I thought, deciding not to bother replying further.
But Praman’s words still echoed in my head.
Goddess of Destruction.
I almost asked Thomas about it, but stopped.
I’d ask Chloe later instead.
“They say your maid is waiting with a knight named Charles,” Thomas said.
Ah, right—the guard. So his name was Charles.
“There’s also a carriage from the Marquis’ house waiting for you with several guards.”
“A carriage from the Marquis’ house?”
Thomas pointed ahead.
Even from afar, the crest of the Marquis’ family was clearly visible.
A small four-seater carriage was surrounded by no less than ten mounted guards.
Thomas looked puzzled.
“Is something wrong? That’s quite a number of guards.”
“…Nothing, really.”
I’d only snuck out of the mansion for a bit, but judging by that escort,
it looked like my return would be anything but quiet.
As I racked my brain for an excuse, Thomas added casually,
“This is our first time meeting, my lady.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Hadn’t he already asked my name earlier?
I stared at him skeptically, but he looked amused—almost cheerful.
Truly incomprehensible.
He looked upset when he should’ve been pleased, and pleased when he should’ve been upset.
Is he some kind of new pervert?
Geez. He looked so normal, too.
Something had felt off ever since he wore that skirt…
“Just so you know,” he said dryly, “that disguise was purely for stealth infiltration. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“How did I ‘take it,’ exactly?”
“…”
Thomas gave me a disapproving look, then turned his gaze toward Chloe.
Her eyes were red and swollen from crying as she ran toward me.
After sending the lady off in her carriage,
one of Thomas’s subordinates approached quickly from the escape route.
Without a word, Thomas handed him the wrapped head of Praman.
“We were waiting since you said to hold position. Should we have gone in?”
“No, it’s fine. We just… happened to find some escaped slaves.”
“Yes, sir.”
The subordinate accepted that explanation easily—Thomas was notoriously unpredictable, after all.
But the next words left him shocked.
“Praman Fores is dead.”
