Seeing Liver's head get stuck under Esdeath's boot, the other Beasts recoiled in fear, while Esdeath's face betrayed her displeasure.
"So, not only are you telling me that you failed to accomplish your mission...but you were also defeated by two people."
"Please forgive us, Esdeath-sama." The man apologized, while doing nothing to try to get up.
In response, Esdeath stopped crushing his head. Then, she positioned her leg back, before giving him a powerful kick in the face. Leaving his seat, Liver landed at the feet of his frightened subordinates.
"For you, is this really the best time to fail?" Esdeath asked. "After our forced withdrawal from the Northern Kingdom, should I tell you that the Emperor is quite unhappy with our performance?"
"We… We apologize, Esdeath-sama." Priesca stated, bowing to her. "We have no excuse for our defeat! Nevertheless, I want to tell you again that our opponents were not normal."
"Really ? "
"Yes! In truth, when we fought against the man who could transform, I had never felt such a powerful aura when he was fighting! Just getting close to him was enough to make my body tremble. It was like my gut was telling me that fighting him would mean dying."
"Esdeath-sama..." Daidara said. "I...I had felt like I was facing Jaldabaoth again."
"Huh? You are beaten against one of his subordinates. "
"Huh! Not really! This man claimed to work on behalf of the Witch Queen."
"The Witch Queen?" Esdeath wondered, while the nickname was not unknown to her.
Upon her return to the capital, she had quickly heard of the many villages that the soldiers had attacked, because they supported the rebel army. However, several of them had been protected by a group of people, who called themselves mercenaries of the Witch Queen.
"The witch queen? You mean this person who would rule the kingdom of Nazarick? Tssss! I thought it was just rumors that the villagers were circulating to give each other hope! But, apparently, I was wrong ! Why did they attack you, did they want to save Chouri?
"It would seem..." Priesca said. "In any case, they left with him! Moreover, they asked us to deliver a message to you! They advised you to be careful of them!
Hearing this, Esdeath stared at Priesca. Taking a step back, the young woman was afraid that she would decide to kill her. Still, a smile crept onto Esdeath's face.
"A challenge? Interesting! Definitely, many powerful adversaries have made themselves known, during these last ones! First, there was Najenda and Night Raid! Then, Jaldabaoth! And now, a witch.
Showing an amused smile, she said.
"Very well! I accept her challenge."
Surprised, her subordinates looked at her without saying anything. Finally, straightening up, Liver begged her.
"Esdeath-sama…give us another chance! Please! I swear we won't let you down again."
Ceasing to smile, Esdeath looked at the man, before affirming.
"Sometimes I have given my subordinates a second chance! But…"
She suddenly grabbed Liver's throat, and began to strangle him.
"I never gave a third chance! Do you understand what could happen if you lose again?"
"We won't lose anymore." Liver assured.
"You have interest."
Letting go of Liver, she declared.
"I have another mission to entrust to you! And in your interest, I advise you to do everything to succeed, even if it means dying! Because, in any case, if you decide to come back here, after having failed again , I'm the one who would kill you! Was I clear enough?"
"Aye ! "
" Perfect ! "
A few minutes later, Esdeath had gone back down to the basements of the palace and, hardly had she entered the torture chamber when she heard Larok's cries of agony. being shot while chained to his table, he felt one of the guards pour a drop of molten metal on one of his wounds. In an instant, the flesh around the red liquid began to melt, causing the man to scream.
Appreciating his cries, Esdeath approached him, before asking him, with a smile.
"Are you ready to talk?"
Struggling not to pass out, Larok aimed at Esdeath as he retorted.
" Rather die. "
"Oh, really? Anyway, that's okay! I think I know who you work for."
Fixing Larok's gaze, Esdeath then put her thumb on his neck and managed to feel his pulse.
"Maybe you work for Night Raid."
Larok remained silent, and Esdeath saw or felt no change.
"Or maybe for Jaldabaoth."
"Jaldabaoth? I don't work for that scum." Larok roared.
Focusing on his pulse, Esdeath saw that he wasn't lying.
"In that case, do you work for Nazarick?"
This time, she saw a slight change in his gaze, as his heartbeat seemed to quicken.
"Nazarick? I don't know."
Yet, seeing Esdeath smile, he saw that she had seen his lie.
"So it was the Witch-Queen who decided to lead this invasion. I must admit she has a lot of courage...to send her men to their deaths."
Letting out an annoyed sigh, while shrugging, Esdeath declared.
"I pity you to work for someone who does not hesitate to sacrifice you! I did not understand how she managed to teleport you here but ... I'm sure that this mission was only to find out if the palace was secure! She didn't care whether you came back alive or not."
"Grrrr! SHUT UP! I forbid you to say that..."
The tip of Esdeath's sword entered his mouth, nearly cutting out his tongue. Keeping his mouth open, Larok saw Esdeath bring her face closer to his, declaring.
"To tell you the truth, I don't care what mission she gave you! All I want to know is her identity! Who is the witch queen?"
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you." Larok assured.
"Really?" Esdeath questioned him, pulling her sword a little from his mouth.
Nonetheless, taking advantage of this, Larok sent a spit that landed on Esdeath's cheek. Feeling the saliva dripping down her cheek, Esdeath remained stoic. Then, wiping it away with a simple wave of her hand, she then reached for Larok's arm.
"Do you know what happens when you freeze water in a glass bottle?"
"Huh ? "
"The bottle explodes, because the ice takes up more space than liquid water! And you know what? It's the same with blood."
Grabbing Larok's wrist, she declared.
"If I freeze your blood, your blood vessels will burst and lots of internal bleeding will accompany the excruciating pain you will feel."
Immediately, she froze the inside of Larok's forearm. Stunned, the man saw the inside of his arm getting bigger and bigger, while the ground that was in that area of his body was freezing. Then, he screamed in pain, as one of his arteries burst, only to be followed by his entire arm.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Do you call that 'cleaning'?"
Looking annoyed, Cixous ran her finger behind a vase and finally saw dust there. Turning to the girl in charge of cleaning the area, she affirmed.
"This place is still dirty! You're not making any effort."
Groaning, the maid in front of her turned her face away, before mumbling.
"It's just a few specks of dust! The rest of the room is clean."
"Even if it's just a speck of dust, it prevents you from being able to tell you that this room is clean." Cixous retorted, rubbing her fingers to remove the dirt.
Looking at the homunculus, scolding the young woman, the other maids, living in Aria's mansion, couldn't help but be a little scared by the blonde, who had quickly become the head maid of the place.
"As usual, Cixous-san is intolerant of the slightest trace of dirt."
"She's very manic."
Still her face, one of the maids saw Tuare cleaning the marble surface of a fireplace with a feather duster. Also wanting to do her best, Tuare had also managed to infiltrate Aria's mansion without worries. In truth, Aria had barely noticed their presence in her home. Currently, about twenty women made up his new group of maids, and most were former beggars or prostitutes, who had taken advantage of this golden opportunity to no longer have to sleep outside.
Knowing perfectly well how camouflaged her two servants, Galadriel had simply made a few scars and bruises appear on their bodies, to make Aria believe that they had also suffered abuse, because of living in poor neighborhoods. Currently, Cixous and Tuare lived in Aria's mansion and, while Tuare had to read her mind, Cixous had decided to spend her time doing what she knew how to do best: cleaning.
"Has this place become livable?" Aria's voice suddenly asked.
Hearing her coming into the room, the maids lined up and bowed to Aria. Walking in front of them, not giving them any looks, Aria just looked around and surveyed the room, which the maids had been tasked with cleaning. Imitating the rest of the women, Tuare also bowed, while Cixous did so with a frustrated look, hating having to bow to a human.
Continuing to look around, Aria walked around the room and ran her finger around, looking for the slightest trace of dust. However, no matter how much she rummaged around, not a single speck of dust found its way onto her finger. Cixous had been so demanding with the other maids that Aria didn't have a chance to blame them. Finally, almost sounding frustrated, she finally said.
"That seems fine to me! As a result, you have free time for the rest of the day."
"Thank you, Aria-sama." The maids thanked her.
Then, looking at three maids, Aria pointed at them, before affirming.
"Tonight I want you in my room."
Immediately, the three maids couldn't help but smile with delight, while most of the other women looked at them with jealousy in their eyes. Finally, without saying anything else, Aria left the room. Immediately, Tuare heaved a sigh of relief. In truth, she was a little scared of Aria, whom she found quite irritable and stern, while she seemed to look down on the maids with contempt. However, around her, Tuare ends up hearing.
"Aria-sama...she's so cool."
Turning her gaze, Tuare saw the maids talking among themselves.
"She congratulated our work! I'm so happy."
"Aria-sama always tries to be threatening, but she's always fair to us."
"Besides that, she's so cute."
It was true that Aria had always been strict with each of the maids, because of not having been able to entirely remove her hatred that she had against poor people, of whom she believed herself to be superior. She often disparaged their work and didn't really like talking to them. Yet, despite her behavior, she was adored by the maids. For them, Aria was considered their savior. It was she who had invited them to come and work in her mansion and who had allowed them to live there. Now they all had a bed, a roof over their heads, food, and even a salary. Even though they were simple maids, their life was a thousand times better now compared to before.
However, there was something the maids wanted to fight for. Approaching one of them, Tuare affirmed.
"Say, I noticed that Aria-sama often invites people to her room at night! Why does she do that?"
Surprised, the maid questioned her.
"You really don't know?"
"Aware of what?"
Making sure Aria was no longer there to hear her, the maid affirmed.
"Aria-sama is afraid to sleep alone! That's why, every night, she invites three girls to sleep with her."
" Really ? "
"Yes! For us, it's the best reward that can exist! Nevertheless, Aria-sama chooses us randomly and no one can predict who she will choose."
Unaware of this, Cixous only focused more on cleaning, while she thought this reward was pathetic. After all, for her part, Cixous, if she succeeds in her mission, will have the honor of being able to dress Galadriel for an entire week. For her, it was a real reward, compared to sleeping next to a pathetic human.
Barely conscious, Larok couldn't feel his body at all. His left arm had completely blown off, as had his legs. Regarding his abdomen, several cuts made by the blade of a saber had caused him many wounds, which had then been covered with a layer of ice, so that he would not quickly drain of his blood.
Seeing him like this, Esdeath began to applaud him.
"Congratulations! You really are a badass."
Larok said nothing, in fact, Esdeath knew perfectly well that he would not survive much longer.
"I had a lot of fun with you! But, sincerely, I hope that your two comrades can provide the answers to my questions."
"Esdeath-sama...shall we finish him off?"
"No! Let him suffer his wounds."
Getting ready to leave to find another victim, she was surprised to hear Larok's voice, snickering.
"You don't know who you're going to fight, Esdeath."
"Huh?" The woman wondered, turning around.
"The Empire is full of morons! The Emperor...Honest...the nobles who support them...they are so stupid that they don't understand that the enemies around them can be numbered in the millions. "
Still laughing, Larok continued.
"The villagers of the Empire...they all want to kill the Emperor and the Prime Minister! And, if by some misfortune, something happens to you and Budo, imagine what will happen."
"Hey, are you going to shut up?" a guard asked, making as if to hit him.
Nonetheless, giving it a mighty kick, Esdeath sent it flying until it slammed hard into a wall. Then, sitting down near the table where Larok was, she asked.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"What do you think? For years, the villagers in the Empire have been bullied, scared, starved, abused, tortured... in short, there's no reason for them to like the government of this kingdom! Truth, they hate the Empire's monarchy! The only reason no rebellion has yet broken out is because of your presence! Who isn't afraid of Esdeath?"
Stopping, Larok began to cough and spat blood. Still, still smiling, he asked Esdeath.
"But if these villagers have regained a form of hope, thanks to the appearance of a real goddess, what do you think would happen?"
" A goddess ? "
At that moment, Larok remembered the destruction of his village by the soldiers of the Empire. Being wounded and on the ground, he had seen the villagers of his village being massacred by the soldiers, who did not hesitate to kill them. However, when he was also about to be killed, Larok was surprised, seeing a figure descend from the sky, accompanied by an intense light. the second he'd laid eyes on Galadriel, and seen her kill the soldiers in an instant, Larok had known she wasn't human. Yes. She was a true goddess who had come to Earth to save this world.
" In your opinion, if they understand that there is someone more powerful than you and that person is ready to fight alongside them, what are they going to do? Do you think they will continue to be afraid of you or to fight the Empire? Do you think your mere presence will prevent them from killing Honest?"
Attempting to sit up, Larok stared at Esdeath before asking her.
"Who is the ruler of this kingdom? Its emperor? Its prime minister? The nobles? The army? NOT AT ALL! It's its people! No matter, his title, his power or his position in a government, a person can do nothing against a people who have the same goal! Not to mention that the Nazarick army is now present in this world! And as soon as the witch queen will defeat Jaldabaoth, I assure you that the Empire will not survive long ! I can assure you that she is eagerly awaiting the moment to strike!"
Struggling further, he shifted his chains as he continued to stare at Esdeath, smiling.
" It's only a matter of days before the Witch Queen comes to fight you! And the only question you will have to ask yourself is what your sentence will be for allowing Honest to turn this empire into a dictatorship! Of course, this fool will try to find new allies to fight Nazarick! But what he can never predict are the names of the people who will betray him, once they figure out who the Witch Queen really is. Either way, he too will die eventually, while you find yourself alone against the armies of the whole world! You can tell him for me, Esdeath ! DAMN IT! It's so frustrating to have to die now, when in a few months the Empire will completely disappear with all of you. "
Eventually, managing to break the bones of his remaining limbs, Larok managed to sit up, while ignoring the pain caused by his gesture.
"Do you know what this means? You...Jaldabaoth...The Witch-Queen...Each person will associate with one of her three groups and the whole world will witness the greatest war that has ever taken place since the rise of mankind, followed by the complete purge of evil! HAHAHAHAHA..."
Amazed by Larok's words, the guards had finally jumped when they saw an ice spear pierce his belly. Staring at Esdeath, Larok managed to maintain his confident smile, before collapsing onto his table and dying.
Astonished herself, Esdeath did not understand why she had just killed him, instead of leaving him to die, as she always did. Was it to keep him from saying more? Why ? What he was saying was completely stupid. Whether it was Jaldabatoh or the witch queen, no one could defeat her. Yet, like during her confrontation with Jaldabaoth, she had been the victim of a bad feeling when she heard Larok's words.
In truth, it was the first time anyone had behaved like this, after being tortured by Esdeath. Ordinarily, people understood that there was no hope of fighting Esdeath. Yet the one thing Larok seemed to regret was not being alive to see his death. He was certain of the defeat of the Empire.
Clenching her fists, Esdeath finally walked away, and had never been more eager to find someone to vent on.