BRIGITTE was the type of person who didn't get scared easily.
However, the eerie atmosphere in House Exton made her nervous.
[I can't believe my husband grew up in this place.]
The mansion was as big and as luxurious as any other mansion in the Imperial Capital.
However, the furniture inside felt too dull and bland despite being too expensive. Moreover, there were only dark colors there.
[I'm glad Glenn left this place a long time ago.]
Just when she thought the insides of the mansion were already bad enough, the uncomfortable she had only worsened when they arrived at the backyard.
[It feels like I'm in a graveyard.]
Everything felt gloomy.
"Welcome, Queen Brigitte."
It was Grey Exton– Glenn's younger brother and the current successor of House Exton.
[He could pass off as Glenn's twin brother.]
But Grey was taller than Glenn.
[My husband is in no way short, but Lord Exton is like a tree.]
"Thank you for the warm welcome, Lord Grey," Brigitte said, extending her hand to Grey Exton. "I'm Brigitte Griffiths, Glenn's wife."
Grey looked surprised that she introduced herself as Glenn's wife and not as a queen.
[I just want to greet my husband's family even though Glenn had already disowned them a long time ago…]
"Ah," Grey said when he got over his surprise. "I'm Grey Exton, Glenn's younger brother."
Grey was about to reach for Brigitte's hand, but Glenn swatted his younger brother's hand away.
Brigitte blinked in surprise.
[What just happened?]
"Honey, you don't have to shake that guy's hand," Glenn said while smiling warmly at her as if he hadn't just coldly swatted his younger brother's hand. "You don't have to show courtesy to any member of House Exton."
How could Glenn be so sweet to her and yet so rude to his (disowned) family?
Fortunately, only Prince Nero and Lord Ruto were there with them.
[And the two don't look interested in what's happening.]
Duke Exton was still attending to his duties as a duke and would join them later.
Miss Dahlia, on the other hand, decided to stay inside the mansion because, apparently, monsters would go crazy with the scent of a Black Witch.
The Holy Knights were also busy unpacking their luggage in the annex building.
"Glenn, don't be like that," Brigitte scolded her husband. "I just want to greet your brother."
Glenn smiled "innocently" at her. "You don't have to be polite to that brat. He doesn't deserve your kindness, honey."
"Brother, stop being petty," Grey complained. "You haven't changed at all."
Pfft.
That was the first time Brigitte heard someone call Glenn 'petty.'
[It's true, though. Glenn is being petty. However, I still find this side of my husband cute.]
"Are you done with your little reunion?"
Ah.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold and heavy when Prince Nero spoke in a bored and slightly annoyed voice.
Brigitte felt a little nervous.
[After all, neither Princess Neoma nor Princess Hanna is here to calm Prince Nero down if he suddenly snapped…]
"I'm sorry we got distracted for a bit, Prince Nero," Glenn said apologetically. Although he was now the king of Hazelden, he was still a citizen of the empire. And he was pretty fond of the Imperial Family. Hence, Glenn couldn't help but treat Prince Nero like the emperor. "We'll begin now."
Glenn then turned to Grey (and glared at his brother "discreetly").
"I'll summon the Ancient Monsters now," Grey said cautiously. "But please be alert. The Ancient Monsters are always starved no matter how much we feed them. And since this is the first time I'm summoning them all at once, I may not be able to control them perfectly."
It was something that they had already known from the start.
But Lord Ruto said he needed to see all the Ancient Monsters.
Brigitte, who was being very cautious because of the baby in her womb, hid behind Glenn.
[My husband is also a monster tamer. We'll be fine with the Exton Brothers here.]
"Don't worry, honey," Glenn, who was standing in front of her protectively, whispered. "I'll protect you and our baby."
Brigitte smiled and nodded, then she held onto her husband's clothes like a child.
Then she got distracted when Grey suddenly used a loud whistle.
Argh!
The ground then shook a little, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from around them.
And the nearer the monsters got, the gloomier the atmosphere became.
[I can feel it… the Ancient Monsters are here…]
Angry growl around them soon echoed.
It was a terrifying sound, but it seemed like only Brigitte was affected.
"Ah, watch out!" Grey yelled in a slightly panicked voice. "Four of them have broke out of my control!"
[Oh, no…]
Glenn clicked his tongue and stepped forward when four huge Ancient Monsters lunged at their group.
But someone else had beat her husband to it.
Lord Ruto stepped forward and looked up at the Ancient Monsters suspended in the air. "Get down."
Brigitte felt a shiver down her spine when the Ancient Monsters suddenly fell to the ground.
[Even my knees buckled a bit when I heard Commander Ruto's commanding voice.]
Hence, she wasn't surprised when the four Ancient Monsters dropped to the ground– trembling while slowly backing away from Lord Ruto.
[Oh? The Ancient Monsters are suddenly behaving properly?]
"Honey, is Lord Ruto also a monster tamer?" Brigitte whispered to her husband. "The Ancient Monsters are listening to the young commander."
"It's because of sheer fear, honey."
"Huh?"
"Lord Ruto is no monster tamer," Glenn explained in a half-amused and half-nervous voice. "The Ancient Monsters listened to Lord Ruto because they're afraid of him."
Ah.
That was indeed both amazing and scary.
Brigitte gulped hard while looking at Lord Ruto's calm face.
[Princess Neoma, you picked a good man for yourself.]
***
"WHAT DID you say again?" Neoma asked Trevor, laughing in disbelief. "Did I hear it right?"
Today was the second (and hopefully the last) day of Neoma and Trevor's "tour."
They had cleaned up more than fifty domains now.
It was easy for Neoma to do because the Darkness that polluted the gods' domains was the same as the one that polluted Goddess Alethea's domain.
There were only a few left on the list.
Hence, Neoma and Trevor decided to take a break in Trevor's lair.
It looked like a private tearoom in a posh mansion, but it was in Trevor's territory in the Underworld.
[Yep, Trevor is indeed a demon boy.]
"The sample of Darkness that Lord Yule gave to you is similar to the Absolute Darkness," Trevor explained, then he sipped his coffee before he continued. "But it was mixed with the blood and corrupted divine power of dead gods."
Neoma frowned in disgust. "Gosh. Just where did Helstor get those filthy things?"
"I haven't figured out how Helstor turned the blood and corrupted divine power of dead gods into a poison that could kill the living gods," the demon boy said. "However, the solution is easy."
"What?"
"You."
"Me?"
Trevor sighed, obviously displeased by what he was about to tell her. "My Moon Princess. Your blood, your breath, your soul, your divine power, and even every part of your body. If we scatter them in the Upper World, then the pollution in the Upper World would disappear in an instant as if it didn't happen. After all, only you possess the breath that could perform miracles on gods."
That sounded so familiar.
Eerily familiar, at that.
"Scatter… just like how the Light Goddess scattered every piece of her being to save the world in the past?" Neoma asked, then she smirked bitterly. "Is it my turn now?"
***
NIKOLAI was having a quiet afternoon tea by himself when it happened.
The sound of alarm all over the palace suddenly rang as loud as it could.
Then the door of his office burst open, and Geoffrey entered his office in a hurry.
"They're here, Your Majesty," Geoffrey said in an urgent voice. "The royal knights stationed near the border of the Imperial Capital have reported the sighting of hoards of reanimated corpses headed this way."
Nikolai immediately stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Open the gates now– I'm coming out to greet those bastards."
***
NEOMA laughed as soon as a stupid crow greeted her when she and Trevor stepped out of the portal.
They had been traveling from dimension to dimension for the past two days.
So how did these bastards know where she would come out here?
[Trevor chose a border near the Imperial Capital so we could return to the palace fast.]
"Someone is paying attention to you, my Moon Princess," Trevor said in a teasing voice, but his purple eyes looked annoyed. "How did they even know we're here when I've covered our traces pretty well?"
"We didn't ask the gods to keep our movements a secret," Neoma said, shaking her head. Then she crossed her arms over her chest while looking at the crow floating in the air right in front of her face. "What do you want, crow?"
<"It's me, Regina Crowell.">
The sound coming out of the crow was metallic.
But the tone definitely sounded like Regina Crowell.
[The crow sounds condescending, after all.]
<"Let's meet, Princess Neoma. Or else it will be the end for Duchess Amber Quinzel. Don't you feel bad for your former adoptive mother?">
Neoma rolled her eyes. "No need to guilt trip me, Regina Crowell– I'm coming to get you."
***
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