Chapter 154: Torment from Memories
After condemning Flora to death, Abyss stood there, his expression cold and impassive, as he watched the Paladins force the poisonous potion down her throat.
The potion first destroyed her vocal cords, preventing her from screaming or chanting a prayer for help, then reacted violently in her stomach, causing her body to convulse in agony.
Flora died quickly, her eyes fixed on Abyss, filled with confusion and hurt, as if asking why he had betrayed her, what she had done to deserve this.
Her body, now still and lifeless, resembled that of someone sleeping peacefully. Abyss, accompanied by the Paladins, oversaw the arrangements for her funeral. He walked to her desk and picked up the book she had been reading, its title, The Nine Gods Bless This World, written in an ancient language. It was a notoriously dry and tedious tome, filled with religious dogma, readable only by the most devout followers of the Nine Gods.
The dream shifted abruptly. Abyss now found himself in the Western Empire’s palace.
A crowd of nobles, dressed in lavish attire, stood around, whispering amongst themselves, their gazes fixed on something.
Abyss followed their line of sight, his perspective still controlled by the dream. He saw a small figure with long silver hair—Leona, younger than he remembered, kneeling before a blank stone slab, her expression earnest, almost comical.
Behind the slab stood a tall, handsome man in extravagant robes, a gilded sword, encrusted with jewels, in his hand. The crown on his head identified him as Leona’s father, the former Emperor of the Western Empire.
Abyss seemed to be playing the role of a young nobleman’s son, his height barely reaching the chests of the adults around him, dressed in a gleaming suit of light armor, likely a ceremonial outfit.
The Emperor touched Leona’s shoulders with his sword, his voice deep and resonant. “Leona Placidia Crepeus, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Knight of the Western Empire. Do you swear to serve our empire faithfully and uphold the knightly virtues?”
Unlike the more traditional Eastern Empire, knighthood in the Western Empire wasn’t a social class, but a title reserved for nobles. A noble with exceptional martial skills, a spotless reputation, and a willingness to swear an oath of loyalty to the Empire and the Nine Gods was eligible for knighthood. Each knight received a unique title, earning them respect and admiration. It was a cultural tradition, a moral code, rather than a feudal system.
“I, Leona Placidia Crepeus, swear to serve the Western Empire faithfully, as long as I live. If I break this oath, may I be stripped of my honor and spend my life atoning for my sins,” Leona said, her voice clear and strong, despite her youth, as she looked up at the Emperor. “I will uphold the eight virtues of a Western Empire knight: courage, compassion, integrity, loyalty, chivalry, ambition, sacrifice, and resilience. From this day forward, until my death, my sword and my shield will serve the Western Empire!”
“Reveal the title I have bestowed upon Leona!” the Emperor commanded the court mage standing nearby.
The mage, seemingly prepared, placed his hand on the blank stone slab before Leona, channeling his mana into it.
“A filthy bastard, knighted. How disgusting,” Abyss muttered under his breath.
His voice was so low that it was barely audible, lost in the chatter of the nobles.
But Leona, her hearing incredibly acute, capable of detecting even the faintest sounds, like insects burrowing underground, heard him.
She turned around, her eyes not filled with anger, but with a deep sadness. Abyss had never seen her like this. In his memories, Leona was always boisterous and carefree, her emotions, even her most vulnerable ones, expressed with a childish clumsiness. But now, her gaze was different, distant, making him feel uneasy, a chill running down his spine.
He had uttered those words, and now, his mind trapped within the dream, he couldn’t dismiss them as insignificant. Leona’s sad eyes met his, and he felt a pang of guilt, his heart aching for her.
He finally understood how lonely and unhappy she had been in the palace.
She had trained tirelessly, honed her skills, controlled her temper, even memorized the knightly virtues and etiquette, all for this moment, for the chance to become a respected knight. She had naively believed that this title would change how people perceived her, that they would finally accept her, love her.
But they hadn’t. They still saw her as a bastard, unworthy of the title. Abyss had been the first to voice his disdain, but he wasn’t the last. His words had emboldened the other nobles, their whispers, filled with envy and arrogance, reaching her ears.
Her dream had been shattered.
The mage, having infused the stone slab with enough mana, revealed the inscription: “Knight of the Silver Rose, Leona Placidia Crepeus.”
The nobles applauded, some even cheering, but Leona’s face remained expressionless.
Abyss, unable to control his body, watched the ceremony unfold. Leona, as a princess, had a more elaborate ceremony than ordinary nobles. Throughout the entire process, she didn’t smile, not even when she received a cloak from her father and her own coat of arms.
As the ceremony ended, she left, wiping a tear from her eye as she exited the hall.
The scene shifted again. Abyss found himself back on the streets of Lavoisier City.
Kohler’s—or rather, the Lord of Nightmares’—voice echoed in his mind. “Abyss, how are you feeling? I have good news. These three scenarios will repeat endlessly. And to prevent you from getting bored, I’ll add some variety. Enjoy your gift!”
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