Chapter 109
Chapter 109: The Plague Spreading in the North
The Emperor massaged his throbbing forehead, clearly troubled.
Marquess Byzantium, carefully considering these words, asked urgently with disbelief.
“What do you mean by that?”
His anger was so great that the veins on his arms stood out as he gripped the prison bars.
“The Grand Duke of Devonshire has made quite a move.”
“Lupeon?”
The Emperor clicked his tongue briefly and brought up the tumultuous rumors circulating throughout the Valdeon Empire.
Public sentiment was boiling with anger again as it was revealed that the previous Emperor being a tyrant was actually a false charge.
“I tried to suppress it, but he even brought forward members of the Elder Council as witnesses.”
“Ha…”
“Don’t worry though. The imperial authority is still intact.”
At the Emperor’s carefree words, the Marquess sneered before asking with sharp eyes.
“Do you think the current situation will be easily resolved, Your Majesty?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? The Imperial Family has stood firm for so long.”
Marquess Byzantium let out a long sigh at the Emperor’s infuriating response.
“Think carefully, Your Majesty. Weren’t there also rumors about the Grand Duke of Devonshire circulating?”
“Ah yes, about the legitimacy of the former Crown Prince’s claim to the throne…!”
Finally seeming to realize Lupeon’s intentions, the Emperor’s eyes flashed brightly.
It seemed their nephew had been focused on laying groundwork to reclaim the throne.
“Marquess, what should we do at a time like this?”
Looking at the Emperor, who asked with a trembling voice and face turned pale, Marquess Byzantium swallowed a derisive laugh.
Soon appearing lost in thought, the Marquess stroked his chin with one hand and lifted one corner of his mouth.
“I have a good solution, Your Majesty.”
“A good solution…?”
Brushing back his gray hair, Marquess Byzantium emanated killing intent more than ever before.
“I have an unfinished experiment. If not for the Grand Duke, it would have been completed soon.”
The Emperor couldn’t fail to know what experiment the Marquess meant. He had received regular reports whenever providing investment funds.
But an unfinished experiment was different. One recent, nearly impossible experiment the Marquess had conducted came to mind.
“Unfinished… surely not…!”
As the Emperor swallowed dryly, unable to finish his words, the Marquess wore a cold smile.
“Your Majesty can prepare it in my stead. To achieve what we want requires an appropriate price.”
Though the Marquess’s chilling words made the Emperor’s skin crawl, he showed no reaction.
As Emperor of Valdeon, he shouldn’t be frightened by such things.
“Hmm, come to think of it, the Marquess has a point.”
What wouldn’t he do if he could drive his dear nephew into death’s embrace right now?
This was all for the greater good. Under the justification of protecting the throne from a thorn in his side who coveted what wasn’t his.
The Marquess, seemingly calculating quickly in his mind, spoke in a gloomy voice.
“With enough lives prepared, we could smoothly form a master-servant contract with a greater demon.”
“Yes, I’ll proceed with this matter trusting in you as always.”
At these words, Marquess Byzantium bowed respectfully, then lifted his lips crookedly.
Now it was time to realize the massacre the Marquess had so desired.
* * *
In the North, entering early winter, a horrific and gloomy atmosphere flowed as bitter as the cutting wind.
“Your Grace! Emergency patients have appeared in the duty room as well!”
At Josephine’s urgent cry, Lupeon’s expression hardened as he began giving orders to his subordinates.
“First take the patients to the infirmary, and deliver sufficient medicine and supplies.”
“We obey your command!”
The Grand Duke’s mansion was in chaos, with countless screams coming from outside.
The number of Northern people suffering from the mysterious plague that suddenly broke out was increasing daily.
The plague that started with dozens of people spread to hundreds within just days.
What was initially thought to be just a skin condition turned into curse-like patterns of black spots spreading across the entire body.
This plague striking the North was enough to drive its people into terror.
‘Why already…’
Elena was too shocked for words. The plague that should have broken out 5 years later had struck the North.
Hyporak coming earlier than in the original work had enveloped the North in an instant.
Believing it must have occurred through someone’s plot, Elena rushed to contain it with Lupeon, but many were already suffering from the disease.
As rumors of plague in the North spread throughout the Valdeon Empire, people in other territories, including the capital, firmly refused to accept refugees.
The powerless needed someone to blame, so they began resenting Lupeon, the North’s ruler.
Saying this disaster was all due to Lupeon Devonshire’s curse.
Elena was now working day and night on researching treatments to reduce the patients’ suffering.
When the plague began spreading, Laphine had hurriedly returned to the Grand Duke’s mansion to assist with her research.
If events proceeded this way, they would enter the opening of “To the Blooming Lily of the Valley’s” original story.
They couldn’t distribute an incomplete treatment to the Northern people. It might cause other side effects.
Yet unable to simply watch those suffering from the plague, she squeezed her eyes shut before opening them.
Amid the confusion of these situations, feelings of futility and emptiness arose.
She had certainly worked tirelessly, believing she could develop a treatment before Hyporak broke out.
But she was inadequate to stop the suddenly arriving plague.
She could only blame herself for failing to respond quickly to the unexpected situation.
With Hyporak’s outbreak moved forward, Elena couldn’t help feeling anxious and uneasy.
“At this rate, surely…”
Lupeon Devonshire would not escape death from the plague.
‘What if Lupeon catches Hyporak?’
Anxious that Lupeon might die from the plague like in the original work, Elena hadn’t been able to sleep properly for several days.
She couldn’t let all her efforts to save him become meaningless.
Biting her lower lip, she recalled her conversation with Vernon.
[Some foolish human probably used great power for that price.]
“For example?”
[Like a master-servant contract with a greater demon.]
Two conditions had to be met to form a master-servant contract with a greater demon.
First, possessing ability powerful enough to equal a greater demon.
Second, paying the price of numerous human lives.
Though she hoped her predictions were wrong, whoever spread Hyporak had clearly fulfilled the second condition.
Elena was troubled by the massacre-related documents found in Delonso’s tower last time.
She could have revealed this publicly to thwart Marquess Byzantium’s plans, but her conversation with him in the frontier prison kept bothering her.
‘The Imperial Family must be behind Marquess Byzantium.’
While committing evil acts might be difficult at first, doing it twice wouldn’t be hard for someone who had already done it once.
Evil invited more evil, eventually leading to a stage where one could no longer distinguish between good and evil.
Elena’s face grew more worried than ever, hoping her concerns wouldn’t come true.
‘What exactly are they planning?’
She was calmly lost in thought, wondering if she might be missing something.
“My lady, a letter has arrived from the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
“Thank you for your work. You may go.”
Just then, Hayden delivered a letter from the Heston Information Guild, and Elena hurriedly opened the envelope.
Her expression suddenly turned cold as she carefully checked the information written inside.
