When he was told that Yerhan would attend the founding ceremony, Zigrit thought it was an opportunity.
He had to make the contrast between him and Yerhan a little clearer so that Yerhan could never set foot in the sun.
Zigrit planned to use the monster in the founding ceremony.
Zigrit, who was wary of the growing power of Yerhan, decided to show his abilities to the nobles.
After asking the emperorâs permission, he gathered people from the royal quarters and went on a monster hunt.
Although his divine power was weak, it was worth using as many people gathered.
And finally, after many casualties, he managed to capture a monster alive.
Zigrit locked the monster in the deepest dungeon.
Many restraints were placed on the body of the monster which was injured during the battle.
Then, the beast was given an anesthetic until the founding ceremony came.
Perhaps because the anesthetic worked, the monster lost its will and became a little obedient.
Zigritâs plan was simple.
The nobles were ignorant of the monster, so he intended to create a sense of fear and show his strength.
It would have been much easier to deal with nobles if released the monster at the right time and showed them he could subdue it.
It would be better to show it once rather than say a hundred words.
And on the first day of the founding festival, Zigrit felt inferior to Yerhan again.
Zigrit did a much better job than he did in previous years in the divinity ceremony. It was because he had a few contacts with Rosena.
That was enough for him, but Yerhan drew a tremendous amount of power, as if laughing at him.
The bowl containing holy water could not handle the power of Yerhan.
The holy water soared into the sky and became rain.
Zigrit, who was being beaten up in the rain, was devastated.
No one had ever achieved this much in any imperial record. Except for the only one, the first emperor.
Zigrit felt a terrible sense of helplessness in front of Yerhan. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldnât beat Yerhan as long as Rosena was by Yerhanâs side forever.
Feeling nervous, Zigrit released the underground monster. Then, he used appropriate anesthetic to dull the monster and drag it.
The plan was to place a relaxant at the entrance of the banquet hall to make it attack. Then he was going to show them how to destroy the monster and take Rosena away from Yerhan.
Since Rosena didnât hold his hand, he had no choice but to force her to come to him.
There was a famous legend in the empire that even children knew.
On the day when divinity met his partner, the peaceful reign came.
Zigrit was planning to spread the word by saying that Yerhan had stolen his mate, Rosena, because of a conflict.
And showing everyone the power of divinity, he will try to accuse Yerhan of bringing in the monster.
So far, it had gone as Zigrit thought. Except for one thing, the fact that the quiet monster ran wild.
***
The monster that entered the banquet hall was huge. The back was curved like a mountain range, and the skin was reddish and scaly.
The canine teeth protruding from both sides were hideous and the four legs thicker than the pillars of the banquet hall.
The monster stumbled inward.
The nobles, who belatedly figured out the situation, screamed and scrambled to run away.
But there was nowhere to run to because the monster was blocking the entrance.
Everytime the monster strode into the room, people screamed even louder.
The monster that had already knocked down the guards came toward the crowd.
Rosena also had a pale face at the sight of the monster she had never seen before.
âKayla!â
Rosena barely reached for her immovable leg.
Kayla, who saw the monster, was already sitting down with tears in her eyes.
âMaâamâŠâ
The two envoys were also shocked and could not afford to take good care of Kayla.
Rosena hid Kayla behind her back. But when she realized that Illian was playing inside the banquet hall, she became stiff.
âIllianâŠ.!â
Rosena grabbed Yerhanâs sleeve. Illian was not far from where the monster was.
If the monster turned even a little bit, there would be damage.
âPlease run away for now.â
Yerhan begged Rosena in return. But Rosena couldnât escape leaving him behind. He couldnât do anything either because he was bare-handed.
How can he deal with a monster when he doesnât have a sword?
Furthermore, such a big monster could never be caught alone.
As if drunk, the monster that was leaning to both sides began to run with a thumping sound.
âKyaaa!â
The piercing screams of the nobles filled the banquet hall. They were stuck in a corner, trying to stay alive, and many began to cry.
Yerhan, Rosena and Zigrit were the only ones left in the scene after everyone ran away.
Standing for a moment, Zigrit pulled out his sword as he saw the monster running towards the banquet hall. Then, the faces of the nobles trembling in the corner glowed.
They had forgotten for a moment that the best monster hunter in the empire was the crown prince.
âYour Highness, Crown Prince!â
Everyone looked at Zigrit with their relief faces.
Although the monster was large, the heroic story of Zigrit was more than that.
There were even rumors that he had cut down dozens of monsters alone, or that he had finished a monster as big as a mountain in one slice.
But Zigritâs expression wasnât so good. He looked frustrated, but he didnât back down and fixed the sword.
The monster rushed towards Zigrit.
As the huge forelegs came upon Zigrit, he immediately ducked. The heat coiled Zigrit with a hint of blue.
The elegantly stretched sword cut off the skin of the monster. But the hard scales prevented the deep wound.
Zigritâs attack might have hurt the monster as it faltered a little.
The nobles glowed at the thought that Zigrit had subdued the monster. But the wobbling monster raised its head and roared in excitement.
Everyone had to cover their ears with a loud roar.
With a glowering eye, the monster ran to Zigrit. The sharp fangs in the open mouth penetrated Zigritâs shoulder.
With a face full of pain, Zigrit raised the blade of his sword and cut off the monsterâs head. But the devil bit Zigrit and shook its head frantically, perhaps feeling more excited.
His sword fell down upon feeling a pain that was as if his arm was ripped off.
After throwing the drooping Zigrit to the floor, the monster looked at the nobles.
Of course, the nobles who believed that Zigrit would destroy the monster turned pale.
ââŠâŠâ
There was nowhere to run. Judging from the speed at which the monster ran, it was more likely itâd crush them with its front foot while they ran.
While the nobles were sobbing, the monster strode towards them.
The eyes of the monster looking around touched Rosena. As its big, bright red eyes turned to her, Rosena trembled.
She just saw with her eyes the scene of Zigrit being bitten by the monster and falling off.
Rosena, who had no weapons, might immediately lose her life.
Rosena pushed back Kayla, who was standing behind her.
The monster that smelled blood began to come to Rosena.
âRosena!â
Even in Yerhanâs voice, Rosena couldnât budge.
The fear of seeing a great thing kept her body still.
The walking monster stood in front of Yerhan and Rosena. Then the monster opened its mouth and uttered a strange scream.
â I, can hear you. You, are, our, kind?
It was cut off, but it was definitely a language.
Rosena looked up at the monster in surprise. However, no one understood what the monster said, they could only scream.
The monsterâs head tilted downward. A huge shadow cast over Rosena.
At that moment, Yerhan quickly picked up a sword that had fallen onto the floor. He pushed Rosena back and immediately thrust the sword into the eyes of the monster.
With a ripping scream, the monster stepped back.
Yerhan did not miss the gap. A deep blue energy that was incomparable to Zigrit wrapped around Yerhan.
He immediately ran and cut off the back of the monsterâs neck.
Dense green blood splattered on the floor and splashed on Yerhanâs cheeks.
The monster confronted him with its fingernails, along with a loud screech that could tear eardrums.
But the monster wasnât even a match for Yerhan.
His power was overwhelming. With only one sword, Yerhan cut the skin of the monster, which had only been hard, like a block.
The sword did not stop until the monster died. The monster, who had been twisting its body in agony, finally collapsed as if it was pouring into the floor with a sound.
The flowing green blood soaked Yerhanâs feet.
Everyone was mesmerized and looked at Yerhanâs back with bated breath.
The nobles couldnât accept what had just happened.
It was not Crown Prince Zigrit who killed the monster, but Third Prince Yerhan, the shame of the imperial family.
He killed a monster that even the crown prince couldnât handle.
They heard the sound of sharp metal falling on the floor belatedly.
Yerhan, who dropped the sword, immediately ran to Rosena and hugged her.
***
The banquet was ruined by the attack of the monster.
The nobles all left the banquet hall looking stunned, and Rosena also left Kayla to the envoys and returned to the Third Prince Palace immediately after picking Illian up.
Throughout the banquet hall, peopleâs eyes remained on Yerhan.
Upon arriving at the Third Prince Palace, Rosena pushed Yerhan into the bathroom.
He was constantly looking at Rosena, but he barely moved and eventually went into the bathroom, and Rosena sat down on the bed. Her heart still hasnât calmed down.
The moment she saw the huge monster, Rosena realized what it was like to stand in front of death.
Rosena felt death up close for the first time.
When she thought she might die there, the monster stopped and it talked to Rosena.
It seemed that she was the only one who understood what the monster said.
The monster was also pointing at Rosena while talking.
She was able to talk to animals from birth, but she didnât know that she could communicate with monsters.
âIt feels as if I am not human.â
ââŠâŠâ
Yerhan was standing near the entrance of the bathroom, looking at Rosena.
Rosena put her worries aside and looked at Yerhan and said,
âCome this way.â
Yerhan, who had been hesitant, approached with hesitation.
As he stood in front of her, Rosena reached out and took the towel.
âTake a seat.â
Yerhan sat gently next to Rosena.
Rosena gently wrapped Yerhanâs hair in a towel.
Water droplets from the hair flowed down the smooth back.
Everytime Rosena touched his hair with a towel, his back muscles twitched.
There was no fat on the back where numerous wounds were located. Rosenaâs face turned red when she saw it.
âIâm sorry. To show you thatâŠâ
Yerhan spoke in silence.
He briefly lost his mind and cut down the monster to the point of cruelty at the thought of it hitting Rosena.
It seemed he was worried about that.
âNo. Rather⊠thank you.â
If it was not for Yerhan, she would have been helplessly attacked by the monster.
He was the one who saved Rosena.
Rosena held the towel tightly and slowly wiped his neck.
When the slightly wet towel touched the skin, Yerhanâs body flinched.
Rosena, who was wiping his back, found a big scar. The wound was deep and big as if he had been cut by something big.
There was a bumpy scar even though it already healed a long time ago.
Rosena, who looked at it with a sad face, asked,
âHow could you deal with a monster?â
Even the crown prince, who was used to fighting the monster, fell down so easily.
But Yerhan easily subdued the monster. As if he had done it over and over again.
Rosena had never been told he could deal with monsters.
Yerhan was silent for a moment.
By the time Rosena had wiped his back and put the towel down, he opened his mouth.
âIn the imperial family, the divinityâs power is passed downâŠâ
ââŠ..â
âAnd I am also an imperial family member.â
Rosena looked at his back with a towel.
Yerhan was now saying the same thing as the crown prince.
Rosena believed that there was no such thing as divinity, and that the imperialists made it up to take power.
But she didnât expect Yerhan to say the same thing as the crown prince.
âI was just lucky.â
Yerhan tried to get away with it. But, she couldnât simply pass it on.
Rosena thought it would never be so, and brought out the thoughts she had buried alone.
ââŠIs there anyone who can influence the power of the divinity?â
Yerhan was silent for a moment.
âI donât know.â
ââŠAll right.â
His belated reply gave her the feeling that he knew something but was hiding it. But she couldnât question him for not knowing.
Rosena rose from her seat. Then Yerhanâs eyes immediately followed.
âIâll go wash up, too.â
âAre you sure youâre not hurt?â
The monster couldnât even touch Rosena, yet Yerhan kept asking about her condition.
Rosena raised her arms to signify she was really fine.
Seeing cleans arms without a scratch, Yerhan nodded as if he was completely relieved.
Rosena packed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.
With the sound of her heart beating uneasily under her chest.
Rosena, who entered the bathroom and closed the door with a loud bang, collapsed to the floor.
For the first time, doubts about her own existence began to arise.