“Leon…! Duke Garcia!”
Ian was truly furious, but his body wouldn’t respond properly.
Throb.
It was because Duke Garcia’s sword, still lodged in his back, was preventing him from moving freely. However, Leon paid him no heed and simply stood up from his seat.
“Bring that vermin here.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Leon’s command, the knights standing behind Duke Garcia seized Ian by both arms. Powerless to resist, Ian was dragged along as Leon descended from the throne and exited the great hall.
Creak—
The mont the doors opened, the stench of blood overwheld them. The place had already turned into a sea of corpses. Not just royal attendants and maids—even the royal knights lay dead.
But the horror didn’t end there.
When they stepped outside, Ian was t with an even more devastating scene.
Kieeeeek!
Kraaaaagh!
They were the sa monsters he had faced on the battlefield of Cantum. Now, they were wreaking havoc throughout the capital of Kaistein. No—they were hunting humans.
“R-Run!”
“Please, soone help—Aaargh!”
“Your Majesty! Where is King Eloin?! Prince Ian—Prince Iaaaaan! Ugh!”
The monsters devoured people in an instant. The grotesque sight was unbearable to witness.
Ian scread, overwheld with rage.
“Leon! Didn’t you want Kaistein’s throne?! How—how could you do this to your own people?!”
But Leon only smirked.
“I never wanted the throne.”
“What…?”
“I only sat on it because a lowborn like you wasn’t worthy. What I truly need is Kaistein’s blood and despair.”
Ian’s face went pale. Only then did he realize what Leon was really after.
Just like in Cantum and Bahara, Leon was using terror and slaughter to awaken the Seven Sins.
And as if to confirm it—
Kieeeeek!
With a thunderous cry, a monstrous bird appeared—far larger than the other monsters that had been slaughtering people. Leon gave a faint smile at the sight.
“You’ve finally arrived. Good. Have you collected everything?”
Kieeeek!
The monstrous bird let out a cry, and sothing dropped from its beak. It was a crimson orb. Ian recognized it imdiately.
“That’s… no way. Fury?!”
It was unmistakably one of the Seven Sins Ian had once possessed. Inside the crimson orb, black dragons twisted and writhed. But the aura was entirely different from Ian’s forr power. Unlike the subdued energy Ian had known, this orb radiated overwhelming malice and a thirst for carnage.
Duke Garcia picked it up with admiration.
“As expected, its quality is exceptional. With this, we can finally surpass the limitations of fragnts and harness their full power.”
“We’d better,” Leon said calmly. “After all, we sacrificed an entire nation for it.”
“!”
Ian’s eyes widened in shock. It was because of what Leon had just said.
“You… You’re telling that the reason you’ve waged the succession war and caused all this chaos was for sothing like that?!”
It was the sa as what Leon had done at Cantum—igniting war to awaken the sins of Sloth and Greed. Now, in Kaistein, he was pushing people toward death and terror in order to awaken Fury. Leon smirked at Ian, who was shouting in disbelief.
“So you recognize it. As I thought… you’re dangerous.”
“What are you talking about…?”
Ian was stunned. He had spent his whole life under Duke Garcia’s control, a re puppet doing whatever he was told—just as everyone said in his past life.
‘And now you call dangerous?’
The irony filled him with rage.
“All my life, I’ve been swept along by your sches. And now you think I’m dangerous?”
Leon clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk… You don’t even understand your own worth.”
Duke Garcia chuckled and added, “Please understand, my lord. Filthy blood doesn’t change.”
“Perhaps he’s not dangerous… just stupid.”
The two laughed, amused by Ian’s defiance despite his helpless state. But Duke Garcia remained cautious.
“Even if he was a discarded prince, he was still King Eloin’s son. He had a surprising knack for leading subordinates. Left unchecked, he could have beco an obstacle to our grand plan.”
“True. He was popular, wasn’t he? I heard so of your knights even tried to swear allegiance to him.”
“I dealt with most of them… though so are still wavering.”
Duke Garcia’s expression hardened.
“Take Galon, for example. Did that fool truly fall for a prince naive enough to open his heart to the lowborn? He even tried to follow him.”
“Really? And what did you do with him?”
“He’s still useful, so I’ve sent him elsewhere for now. He must have had a tough ti because he’s determined to protect the prince.”
“I see. Even Invincibility Galon… he’s dangerous if left alive.”
“Perhaps. But now, he’s like a man with his arms and legs cut off. He could die at any mont. No need to go out of our way.”
“True enough.”
Ian clenched his teeth as he listened to their conversation.
Grit.
He longed to cut them down on the spot. But his body still wouldn’t move. All he could do was grind his teeth in anger. Leon remained unfazed.
Kieeek!
Because more monsters descended from the sky, landing before them. Duke Garcia smirked.
“Well… looks like the other areas are finished too.”
The monsters placed orbs at their feet—one yellow, one red, and one pink. Three in total. The mont Ian saw their colors, he imdiately recognized them.
‘Sloth… Jealousy… Lust?’
His eyes trembled. Including the Greed that Leon already possessed, this ant more than half of the Seven Sins had been collected—a result not even Ian from his previous life had ever seen. Then Duke Garcia spoke.
“Looks like things went smoothly in Cantum and Bahara. It was quite the harvest.”
“Excellent. With this, I can finally perform the ritual.”
In Cantum, they had obtained Sloth and Lust.
In Bahara, Jealousy.
It was the result of a massive war that had claid the lives of countless people. In the present, the Seven Sins had been forcibly infused with Leon’s power and influence—now fully complete. In his previous life, it had been achieved through the blood of countless people. A conclusion from his past that even Ian hadn’t known was now unfolding before his eyes.
‘If I hadn’t gotten involved… would this still have happened? Did everything change because of ?’
But there was no ti to dwell on that thought. Duke Garcia’s voice rang out again.
“It’s ti to fulfill the promise. The ti has co to unite the two continents.”
“No, there’s still one thing left,” Leon replied.
At that mont, a black oval appeared beside Leon.
Woong!
From within it, a woman erged—Yung, one of Leon’s loyal subordinates. She knelt before him the mont she arrived.
“My lord… the ti has co.”
“Yes. Fulfill your duty, Yung.”
At Leon’s command, Yung’s entire body began to glow. It was as though she were pouring out every last ounce of her strength. And after a long mont—
Woong…
A blue orb materialized from within her. Yung collapsed, utterly spent. Yet Leon didn’t even glance at her.
“With this… I now have all of the Seven Sins.”
He raised his hand, gathering the orbs. His eyes blazed with ambition.
“Has the Holy Empire made contact yet?”
“Yes. The Great Master is on his way with the current Pope, Cesare. Lord Haverion will also be arriving.”
“Good. We’ll begin the ritual once the Great Master arrives.”
“Understood.”
Duke Garcia’s eyes glead. The mont of the promise had truly arrived. Seeing his expression, Leon let out a faint smile.
“As promised, you and your descendants will be freed from the shackles of the past and beco the kings of Kaistein.”
“Thank you.”
“And I will also grant you the land of old Kaistein—the reward for your loyalty thus far.”
“I pledge my loyalty once again.”
At the duke’s renewed oath, Leon’s lips curled upward.
“Then I’ll go prepare for the ritual. As for that vermin—deal with him.”
“Leave it to . I’ll lock him away… and make sure he witnesses the fall of his kingdom with his own eyes.”
“Fitting. Let him watch Kaistein crumble, that vermin who once dread of sitting on its throne.”
With a final smirk, Leon vanished. Ian glared at Duke Garcia, seething with anger.
“To beco king? Was that the only reason you betrayed ?!”
In his past life, Ian had held the title of king in na only. The real power had always rested with Duke Garcia. Since the nation had been under Garcia’s control anyway, Ian couldn’t understand why the man would go so far as to betray a re puppet. His confusion was justified. But Duke Garcia responded coldly.
“Don’t misunderstand, Prince Ian. It wasn’t just for that.”
“Then what other reason could there be? Spare your excuses.”
“It’s not an excuse. Are you aware of the precedent of House Garcia?”
“Precedent?”
“Since the era of the First King, our noble house has been prestigious. But… after the First King disappeared, a restriction was placed upon us.”
Duke Garcia’s expression darkened, his voice sharpened.
“That damned restriction. Do you know what it was that bound and humiliated House Garcia for generations?”
“…”
Ian remained silent. He had never heard of such a thing, not in this life nor the last. But the truth was shocking.
“It was to serve the descendants of Kaistein. For generations… no matter how powerful our house beca, we could never escape that shadow!”
“!”
“That’s why I had to endure the arrogance of King Eloin. I was forced to bow to a fool who knew nothing but war for my entire life! Do you know how that feels?!”
But that wasn’t all.
“You’re no different, Ian Kaistein. Do you know what it was like to serve soone like you—soone with nothing but half-blood royal lineage?”
Duke Garcia’s eyes blazed with fierce determination. Even if he had wealth, power, and authority, it was all aningless. The despair of living a lifeti as a second-in-command had consud him.
“I couldn’t allow my descendants—or myself—to continue suffering under those chains. That’s why I want to break that damned restriction.”
To remove it, he needed the king’s permission. But none of Kaistein’s kings throughout history had ever considered lifting it. In fact, they used the restriction as an excuse to strip House Garcia of its wealth. But then, with calm eyes, Ian finally spoke.
“So… you cast aside the kingdom and its people just to free yourself from that restriction? And that makes you happy?”
“The kingdom and its people?” Duke Garcia scoffed. “As long as I have money, I can rebuild them again and again. Those fools are rely sacrifices for our grand plan. Once the two continents unite, we’ll create a new nation—populated by new people.”
Then he shouted:
“My own kingdom! A land for Garcia alone!”
Ian was montarily speechless. Though he had once followed the wrong lord, Ian had still believed Duke Garcia to be a decent person.
‘All this… for sothing so petty?’
Duke Garcia had let even the knights and people who once followed him be slaughtered. Ian couldn’t suppress the nausea that surged within him. He couldn’t endure it any longer.
But then—
“Throw him in prison. He was the last of the Kaistein line I served, so I’ll make sure his final monts are at least grand.”
“Yes, sir!”
Without even a glance at Ian, Duke Garcia issued the order. Ian was dragged away by the knights to a remote palace—the very place where, in this life, he had once imprisoned Duke Garcia. From there, one could see the shattered ruins of the royal castle of Kaistein.
Thud.
Ian was tossed to the floor.
Cough…
Blood poured from his mouth. His body wouldn’t move, and even keeping his eyes open was a struggle. Blood still gushed from the wound where Garcia’s sword had pierced him. Only now did Ian begin to reflect.
“Why…why did I return to this place?”
He had believed he’d defeated Leon. That he had set everything right. And yet here he was again…
“No, wait. Could it be… I’ve been dreaming all along?”
Maybe his so-called victory was just an illusion. He couldn’t tell what was real anymore. So he curled up alone in the cold prison cell.
‘Is this… my end?’
Ian was slowly dying. And deep within him, a vast darkness began to take root.
Woong!
It was the Seven Sins. Once clawing at one another in endless greed, they now turned their ravenous eyes toward Ian.
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