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EP.281. [The Being Antoine Wants to Revive Through the Goddess.] 

‘Was it self-torment?’ 

Tears of blood streamed from Raonjena’s eyes. Her overwhelming grief brought tears, but due to her twisted physical state, blood mixed with them. Watching her, Victoria could read the background of Raonjena’s life after Ulysses’s death. Raonjena had been self-punishing all this time. 

‘She probably couldn’t forgive herself. Despite her powerful body, Raonjena is endlessly fragile inside. Instead of overcoming, she’s always been swept away.’ 

While Victoria’s father, Konstantin von Bayern, returned to the Holy See during her adolescence, Victoria continued to travel the continent. The reason was guilt over her mother, who died after giving birth to her. True to her nature, Victoria, always strong-willed, chose to find her own way rather than rely on others. Through this effort and self-reflection, she gained insight even at the young age of 21 a mental strength that set her apart from Raonjena. 

‘But did she cling to Sophist out of vague guilt? Or to uncover Antoine’s true motives?’ 

Raonjena ultimately realized she was responsible for Ulysses’s death and disgrace. But her confusion was only beginning. She couldn’t be sure if Antoine had targeted Ulysses and given her the elixir intentionally, or if it was an accident. 

[When Master ended his life as the Sword Demon, Sophist was on the verge of collapse. I wanted to prevent that, so I made Sophist what it is now.] 

Almost mentally shattered, Raonjena rambled incoherently. After Ulysses’s disgraceful death, Sophist naturally began to disband. Outsiders insisted the group, once led by the Sword Demon, couldn’t be left alone, while insiders were divided as their idolized image of Ulysses was shattered. 

‘The last thing Master asked of me was Sophist…’ 

Raonjena couldn’t accept the situation. Ulysses’s final wish was for her to look after the Sophist members. In her near-madness, keeping Sophist alive became her only purpose. It wasn’t about making Sophist great or fulfilling Ulysses’s ideals, but about simply keeping the group alive amid the chaos. 

“That’s pathetic. A miserable rationalization. You just clung to it to avoid facing your own responsibility and guilt.” 

Victoria, who had listened to Raonjena’s confession, now delivered a cold, cutting remark. As someone who deeply respected Ulysses and inherited his sword before becoming a swordmaster herself, Victoria couldn’t see the current state of Sophist as anything but a tragedy. 

“Shut up! What do you know! Who the hell are you!” 

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Raonjena pounded the floor in a fit of rage. 

“Ugh… What do you know…” 

But that was all. She knew herself how pathetic her actions were and how unworthy she was to face her master. After ten years and learning the whole truth, her shame and regret only grew. 

“So it all comes back to this. Why why did Duke Antoine destroy Sword Saint Ulysses? You say you learned this from your dealings with Antoine?” 

Victoria’s curiosity about what Raonjena had learned only grew. The revelation that Ulysses Schneider hadn’t gone mad from an obsession with strength, as the world believed, but for other reasons, was of great interest to Victoria, who had always admired him. From the start of their encounter, she’d been probing for the truth about Antoine and the involvement of her own mother, Adrienne. 

‘Damn, should I say this or not?’ 

Meanwhile, Eugene Schneider, after telling Marianne about Vivian’s letter, hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the rest. 

‘The one the imperial family named as a threat is none other than Duke Antoine.’ 

The reason: the person threatening Louis XVI’s life was Antoine de Sel Oblaing, the very man who made him emperor. Eugene struggled with how to tell this to Antoine’s wife, Marianne. 

‘Vivian wouldn’t lie to me, so there must be real conflict between the imperial family and Duke Antoine.’ 

The fact that the imperial family felt threatened by someone, and that they confided this to Vivian who wasn’t even on good terms with them was staggering. To accept that, and then realize the trusted Antoine was the threat, left Eugene’s mind racing. 

‘Maybe they’re trying to resolve this conflict during the current chaos. Louis XVI might think he could take a chance with Vivian’s resources and knights.’ 

Through Vivian, Eugene had learned a lot about imperial political intrigue. He no longer saw Antoine as a purely chivalrous Kaiser. Even if Antoine had put Louis XVI on the throne and received full imperial support, it was impossible to know what conflicts had since arisen. If it were him, Eugene thought, he’d try to settle things during such a crisis, possibly with the help of a new power like Vivian. 

“Eugene, is there something in the letter that’s troubling you even more than what you just told me?” Marianne, ever loving and perceptive, quickly picked up on Eugene’s unease. 

“Um… well, Mother…” 

“It’s okay. Tell me. I’m ready to judge anything you say rationally.” 

Normally, Eugene would have dodged and promised to explain later, but if Vivian’s information was true, they needed to act fast. So he scratched his head and hesitated, but Marianne tried to comfort him. 

“The imperial family is trying to keep the duke in check because they feel threatened?” 

When Eugene explained the situation, Marianne was shocked. 

“As I said, the head of the Pieta Company is the head of the Pierre family, so this isn’t baseless.” 

Eugene added cautiously. When Vivian came up a few days earlier, he hadn’t told Marianne she was Alexis’s daughter, knowing Marianne might have known about Antoine’s actions against the Pierre family. But now, the credibility of the source was crucial, so he explained. 

“Yes… Vivian Saint-Pierre, I’ve had a fair amount of contact with her. She’s not one to lie.” 

Marianne nodded thoughtfully. 

“But we can’t take this information at face value, right? Vivian only said such a request was being made.” 

Eugene, feeling the weight of the issue, suggested a cautious approach. 

“No. If we assume Vivian’s information is correct, we need to prepare for what comes next. Given the relationship between the duke and Louis XV, it’s entirely possible.” 

Contrary to Eugene’s expectation, Marianne seemed to accept the possibility of a clash between the imperial family and Antoine as almost a given. 

‘What’s this? Mother’s eyes look like she’s been waiting for this confirmation…!’ 

Eugene was surprised by her reaction. 

[While researching the elixir, I discovered something unexpected. It was from the time before Ulysses Schneider became active in the Imperial Knights, during his wandering years.] 

To keep Sophist alive, Raonjena had transformed it into a secretive religious order. The core of this project was the elixir that drove Ulysses berserk. After Antoine cut off the supply, Raonjena began her own research. The Red Fox Mercenary Company’s dealings with Sophist began during this period. 

[That guy traveled not only the empire but also the northern Iskandar permafrost. He didn’t just pass through he explored everywhere and got involved in all sorts of things. He even acquired the “Demon God’s Snowflower,” the rare herb used to make the elixir.] 

The story of Ulysses Schneider’s fall had a huge impact even among the demon tribe, making it easier for Raonjena to travel under the guise of Sophist. This allowed her to uncover little-known details of Antoine’s wandering years. 

‘Why? For a simple quest for knowledge, it was far too deep and wide-ranging.’ 

There are many ways for a swordsman to seek enlightenment, but the sword class is a human specialty; it was unheard of for someone to seek breakthroughs in demon tribe culture. 

[You don’t seem to understand either. Neither did I. But when I learned the legend of the Demon King blessed by the Demon God, and what Antoine was trying to do, it all made sense.] 

Grinning… 

Raonjena, who had been so despondent when talking about Ulysses, now wore a twisted, crazed expression as she spoke of Antoine’s secret actions. 

[Antoine wants to kill the Demon King born from the Demon God’s blessing and summon the goddess.] 

She repeated exactly what the ancient demon priestess Anastasia had said. 

[And through that goddess, he wants to resurrect your mother, Adrienne von Bayern.] 

She went even further, dropping a bombshell that shattered Victoria’s composure.