"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

-John 3:16


After her short lapse, Ciel focused back on the throne.

"What about you, my son?"

The boy stayed quiet, as he always was.

"I need to know your answer right now. Where does your heart belong?"

The boy paid him no heed.

At this, the emperor furrowed his brows.

"I cannot wait long for your answer. There is too much at risk. Answer now!"

Sol pleaded, "Your majesty, please show restraint! The boy had just lost his elder brother."

"...mmy," the boy whispered faintly.

"What was that?"

"...want... mo…"

The man slammed his hand on the armrest.

"Speak up, child!"

"I want to see my mommy! Where is she!? Where did she go!?"

At that, the man grew quiet.

His face told of his resignation.

"You may come out."

A man walked out from behind the throne.

He was middle-aged and wore a white fur coat that accompanied his white hair. His short but sharp ears denoted a hybrid origin between man and elf.

The griffin knight Sol could instantly recognize who this person was.

"The C-Covenant Lord?"

The Covenant Lord of the Great Nine.

He was a master of rune magic, focusing on the school of seal making.

Some said his skill rivalled the ancient sealers of the Sealed Monster Sea. It was a rumor that had caused dissonance between him and Elsa Dronn of the Sealers' Isles.

The Remnant Council had given him that name based on the legend of the lord of covenants.

The legend had been about a ruler in the Age of Chaos who had the power to bind his followers to his soul with a sacred art long since lost through time. Whether they were humans, monsters, or even demons, those who were bound to him would walk again after they were slain.

Some said that his power was actually a type of rune magic, and that he was a tyrant who used it against his foes.

A few even said that the ruler was a demon lord who could bring the dead back to life with its power.

And a handful had said that all of it was false. It was actually a little girl who lived with monsters and was treated like one.

The myth kind of went all over the place, but the Council had given him that title based on his magic that involved binding and runes.

One moment he was there, the next moment he was behind them.

He put each of his hands on the backs of their necks, which then glowed brightly.

It all happened so quickly that they weren't able to react in time.

Thomas felt a terrible sting on his neck, making him fall on all fours.

The voice that came out of the 'hero' was gravelly.

"I hope you liked my present, children."

Sol, who had resisted the pain and was still kneeling, asked, "W-What did you do to us?"

"Think of it as advanced punishment in case you ever try to be naughty," said the man in white as he chuckled.

"John, did you--"

He cut the emperor off, "If either of them tell the truth about what really happened back then and right now, then the boy dies a slow, painful death."

The emperor narrowed his eyes.

"That wasn't part of the deal!"

That in turn made the man narrow his own eyes.

"Don't forget, emperor. I don't work for you. I only did this out of the goodness of my heart. If you want, I can just kill them both."

"You wouldn't!"

He looked down on the emperor with a cocky smile.

"Are you sure you want to take this risk?"

The two glared at each other before the emperor backed down.

"Good and obedient children are the ones who live the longest. Now, fulfill your part of the bargain."

The emperor sighed, turning his gaze to the other two.

"If anyone asks, tell them that Elizabeth Slate has betrayed the empire. She killed both my mistress and my son, on his coronation day, no less."

"What!?" Sol shouted in incredulity.

"Have you gone mad!?"

Gone was his knightly demeanor as he stood up and stepped towards the emperor.

"Ah, ah, ah."

But he stopped when he saw the Covenant Lord grasp the youngest prince tightly.

"If I were you, I'd think twice before even considering doing something so reckless."

His gaze went towards the throne again.

"For your obedience, I shall reward you another clause."

He once again touched the boy's neck, causing him to shudder in pain.

"If either of them were to actively try to harm you, the boy would die in the same manner as in the previous clause."

Sol clenched his teeth. He glared at his emperor.

"Why! Why are you doing this!?"

The man on the throne spoke calmly.

"The Elden Household has protected us from the northern border since the beginning of this empire. Now, with the rise of the Barbarian King, the household faces a great threat and has asked for aid."

He stood up and stepped down the stairs slowly.

"Our empire is strong, but it isn't strong enough to go against three heroes of the Great Nine."

The Barbarian King and his Twin Valkyries. That's what the Remnant Council had titled them.

While they were technically criminals, bandits in the eyes of the empire, they had proven themselves to the council by standing in line against the demons.

When asked, the Barbarian King said that if there were anything he liked more in the world than treasure and women, then it was killing demons.

His words were proven true when they found out that he single handedly defeated one of the Five Demon Generals.

He had a vicious grin on his face as he ripped the demon's jaw off its head and tore its body in half with his bare hands.

Out of the Nine, the King and the Valkyries combined had contributed more in killing demons than the other six combined.

Seeing their usefulness, the council had decided to turn their heads at their terrible actions in favor of their support.

"The Elden Household grew bitter due to this. That was why I agreed to take their daughter, Stella Elden, as a mistress. They had hoped our child would succeed the throne, and I was willing to do it for them. But, as you can see…"

The emperor smiled bitterly as he reached him.

"Gideon was a soul unlike any other. Even if I promised them, the empire would undoubtedly be better with him as the emperor."

He took a deep breath.

"If I were to tell them that not only had their daughter died after I turned back on my words, but that I had also branded her as a traitor to the empire, just imagine how they'd react."

"You already knew what happened before we even told you," Sol said in realization.

The emperor nodded.

"That was why I summoned him here."

He looked towards the man in white.

"In framing Elizabeth we risk the wrath of the Sealers' Isles, for the Slate Household is a part of them. But..."

The white haired man grinned and continued, "Dealing with one hero is better than three, isn't it? Not to mention the fact that the Eldens might even join the three."

He playfully rubbed the little prince's head much to their ire.

"Besides, even if they do become hostile, they can't really leave their watch for long, can they? Their seals are just too weak to be left alone for long. Not to mention, with my help, Elsa Dronn wouldn't be able to do much with the empire."

"...what's the catch?"

It was obvious to the knight that this 'hero' wasn't the noblest of people.

"I only asked to train the new crown prince. That is all."

Sol was alarmed.

"In what subject?"

"My, my. Aren't you a curious child? I'll teach him everything he needs to know, of course."

"Your majesty! You can't possibly..."

The emperor turned his head away.

"It would be good for Henry if he learned from a great hero. The people would recognize his worth more easily."

And that he hoped this would appease the Eldens for their daughter's death, along with his coronation.

"But, you can't--"

"Earlier, I asked you to whom your loyalty lies," he cut him off.

"Like you, I am doing this for the betterment of the empire."

"But, your children! Your family!"

"...I am an emperor before I am a father. If it would benefit the empire, then I would sacrifice everything, even if it were my own family."

John, the Covenant Lord, let out a mocking chuckle as he felt the boy shake in his grasp.

"Oh, how noble of you."

The boy in his arms trembled and sobbed. Seeing his tears and snot, John let him go in disgust.

Ignoring them, he turned back to the knight.

"Gideon would've done the same thing," he reasoned.

"The two of you may go."

"...you know nothing about your children."

He glared at his emperor before taking the boy into his arms and leaving.

"Remember, children. Keep quiet about what happened."

The emperor signalled the guard outside of the door.

"Send my son the crown prince, Henry Elden Folde, in."

And with that, the memory ended.

"That..."

Felicia didn't really know what to feel about that revelation.

"Bastards..!"

She jumped when she heard the boy shout.

Turning her head, she saw something terrifying.

Felicia took several steps back. The air around him had become heavy.

If she hadn't been so intimidated by him, she would've noticed his shadow growing darker and expanding.

After a bit, the boy managed to recollect himself.

"...where's the next memory?"

"I-I can sense it's close."

"Lead the way. I need to talk to him as soon as possible."

The girl could only comply. Though, she did create a bit of distance between them on the way there.


(A/N: Alright, I know I said it's in hiatus right now, but I just couldn't resist, y'know.)

(After this, the hiatus starts. For real this time.)

(Now, onto the replies)

(to Shieru190: Will do! Thanks!)

(to Anton Fire: I'll see how I can make one after I play the game. Also, why Chloe, why!?)

(to YllkaYin: Mm yes, dommy mommy Ciel. I mean, what?)

(to Jubjub3000: Hey, I'm quite interested in learning more about W40k, but I don't really know how to get into it. What do you recommend me doing?)

(to Guest 2: I'm sorry you're feeling that way. I'm no expert at consulting people; I'm only a fanfiction writer. I'm just very glad to know that my story has brought you even just a little bit of happiness. It's been one of my motivations to continue writing this story; to make people happy. Frankly, this is the only way I know how to.)

(to Sky Tempest Z: T-T Chloe y u do dis)

(to Valten: Shinsha seems like a very interesting character! Can't wait to know more about her when the game releases!)

(to Eremiah: Ciel's too hard on herself ;-; )

(to Guest(Antares): No. Thank YOU, dude, for reading and enjoying this story!)

As I was typing this chapter, I realized that other than the first line, everything else was just my original creation.

I don't really know how to feel about this.

I had tried to keep at least some of the Tensura characters around in every chapter, but it's getting harder to do with more and more OCs and plots coming up.

I think if I keep continuing on this route, many people will lose interest, because honestly, we're all here to just see Rimuru kick some ass without much interference.

In the end, you guys are the readers. I want to know how you guys feel.