While there were many things that needed to be settled in the aftermath of the war, Eugene had no desire to concern himself with such problems. In the first place, he was unaccustomed to these kinds of tasks. As such, he decided to leave it to others and stepped back from the situation entirely.
On the day Eugene was to return to the Lionheart mansion, he stood before a caravan of more than a hundred wagons.
These were tributes sent by various Emirs of Nahama, who were all eager to show their goodwill to Eugene. Among these bountiful tributes was one from Emir Tairi Al-Madani of Kajitan, whom Eugene had once cleverly exploited.
Although Eugene himself thought little of it, the world knew him as the Hero and champion of the war. Even without his identity of being Hamel's reincarnation, Eugene was already hailed as the Hero of the current age.
The capital was gone, and the Sultan had passed away. The successor of Nahama had barely survived, and he found himself powerless and lacking a support base. It made it challenging for him to recover Nahama from utter chaos and he had no choice but to ask for help from the neighboring countries and the other Emirs.
The Emirs could have taken this opportunity to overthrow the successor and crown a new Sultan among themselves, yet none harbored ambitions grand enough.
This was perhaps inevitable. After all, the Sultan's son had sought asylum in Kiehl, and Kiehl had pledged to support the successor. Moreover, Eugene Lionheart resided in Kiehl. Thus, the caravan of tributes was essentially sent in hopes of garnering favor, not just with Kiehl's Emperor but significantly more so with Eugene and the Lionheart family.
"What do we do with this?"
Eugene grimaced while pointing towards a corner of one of the wagons. There stood Amelia Merwin. Her naked body was barely covered by a sackcloth, which was left over from the wagon’s cargo.
For now, she was alive. She was breathing, and her heart was beating, but that was it. She was merely existing. Amelia's mind was trapped in a cycle of continuous deaths. She was alive, yet not living — it was a punishment inflicted on her by Sienna."We have to take her with us. Later on... maybe we can seal her in some desert dungeon?" Sienna suggested.
"And what if the seal breaks at a later time?" Anise inquired.
"There's no way a seal I place would break!" Sienna declared confidently, but Anise was less convinced and glanced at her skeptically.
"I do not believe that an unbreakable seal can exist,” Anise countered.
"You worry too much, Anise. So then, what are you suggesting she should do? Just kill her and be done with it?" Sienna asked sharply.
"It doesn't seem like she's fully paid for her crimes yet. Killing her now might actually be a favor for that wretched creature,” Anise responded coldly.Despite her previous arguments, Anise was adamant that a quick and easy death was too lenient for Amelia. She had no plans of letting Amelia get away that easily. Desecrating Hamel's tomb and defiling his remains warranted a punishment of experiencing a million deaths in life and even in hell.
"Maybe later, we can just dump her at the manor,” Eugene suggested.
"Why would we keep that menace at the manor?" Anise questioned.
"Well, we can keep her in the stable... or maybe we can build a sort of private prison. I can tell Nina to check on her occasionally and feed her. No, wait, Nina's too busy for that now..." Eugene trailed off.
It felt like Nina had just graduated from being an apprentice servant, but that had already been ten years ago, and now, she was the head servant overseeing the entire estate. Eugene briefly pondered how to deal with Amelia.
“Perhaps we should donate her to Akron,” Eugene suggested.
“Excuse me?” Anise couldn't grasp what Eugene was suggesting.
Sienna, however, immediately caught on, and her eyes lit up in response.
“That’s a splendid idea. Akron’s collection on black magic is quite sparse, you know,” Sienna said enthused.
“Isn’t that because of you? I heard you made it strictly forbidden to bring any black magic texts into Akron,” Eugene remarked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well… that was due to the... ahem, the circumstances at the time and… my... somewhat narrow-mindedness,” Sienna stuttered while awkwardly clearing her throat.
Despite her enduring dislike for black wizards and black magic, Sienna acknowledged the depth and principles behind black magic. In fact, just this morning, she had deeply engrossed herself in understanding the ancient black magic with Bloody Mary.
“I think donating this thing to Akron as a textbook on black magic seems quite appropriate,” said Sienna.
“But is that ethically sound?” Anise asked, sounding dubious.
“Considering the number of people this damned thing has killed and the damned deeds it’s committed, why are we even discussing ethics? If you act like a dog, you deserve to be treated like one,” Sienna said with a flick of her finger.
Amelia straightened up from her slumped state and staggered to her feet. Eugene frowned at the sight of Amelia hanging limp like a puppet.
“So, we’re bringing that to the Samar Forest?” he asked.
“We need to continue our research on the way.” Sienna’s answer held no place for argument.
Besides the fact that killing her wouldn’t be enough of a punishment, there was another reason for keeping her with them. Regardless of how talented Sienna was, it was impossible for her to wield black magic. She did not possess dark power. No matter how adept she was at utilizing mana, she couldn't transform it into dark power.
Black magic could not be wielded without dark power. In the first place, it wasn’t as if Sienna planned to use black magic. But she was intrigued by the ancient black magic she learned through Bloody Mary.
It was necessary to verify techniques in order to thoroughly understand the theory behind magic. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, Sienna could not wield black magic.
Thus, she thought of a workaround. To Sienna, Amelia now served as nothing more than a living magical power battery or a device for wielding black magic. Or perhaps she could be considered a familiar explicitly used for black magic.
“Calling that a familiar is an insult to me, Sir Eugene,” Mer interrupted while popping her head out from the cloak. She had read Eugene’s thoughts.
She shot him a fierce glare and pinched his side.
“That thing doesn’t even have proper self-awareness or freedom,” she continued.
“Well… isn’t that typical for familiars? You’re the special one,” responded Eugene.
“Special… special. Yes, right. I am special. To you, Sir Eugene, and Lady Sienna!” Mer shouted happily.
Her glare immediately dissipated, and her expression instantly brightened at being called special. She giggled with joy. She ceased her pinching and clung to Eugene’s waist with both arms instead.
“You’re just like a cicada clinging to an old tree,” Raimira muttered.
“Just say you’re jealous if you’re jealous, dummy,” Mer snorted in response.
Of course, Raimira wasn’t going to let that go. Eugene suddenly found himself with two little ones clinging to his waist.
“Hemoria. I heard she’s alive, too?” asked Eugene.
Anise was the one to reply, “Yes. Hamel, I know you don’t like her, but—”
“I don’t like her, that's true,” Eugene interrupted. “But it’s not like I hate her a lot. I mean, she didn’t do anything directly wrong to me, right? She’s just a bit annoying, that’s all.”
“How can you say that after you chopped off all her limbs?” Anise rolled her eyes at him.
Eugene felt unjustly accused and started to defend himself, “Hey, it’s not like I chopped them off because I wanted to—”
Thinking it over, he realized he did want to chop them off. So Eugene paused momentarily.
"It's not about whether I cut her or not. I was defending myself, you know? At the Fount of Light, huh? Those jerks were messing around there. Doesn't that just make your blood boil? Mine did, for sure! It's only natural to get angry. I got mad, and the Fount of Light probably felt the same way,” Eugene said.
"Did I say otherwise?" Anise questioned.
"You're saying it right now! Anyway, I was acting in self-defense then. And it's not like I barged in there out of nowhere!" shouted Eugene.
"Well, you did barge in suddenly, Sir Eugene. Remember how hard it was when we were trying to warp in together at that time?" Mer grumbled while hanging onto his waist.
Raimira was clinging to Eugene’s other side, and she was not at all pleased with the current conversation. The story of the Fount of Light was something Mer had mentioned a few times but never in detail. Whenever Raimira begged for more of the story, Mer would refuse, claiming it was too dreadful to even think about.
Knowing this, Raimira hadn’t pressed Mer further. However, she couldn’t help but feel left out, not knowing and not sharing in this tale. She couldn't help feeling a bit resentful.
Eugene noticed Raimira’s sulky expression as she hung off his waist. It was almost instinctive the way his hand naturally reached above Raimira’s head.
"Alright, yes, fine. I did barge in suddenly. But did I attack them without warning? Did I just go ahead and cut off Hemoria's limbs without reason? No! I warned them. I told them they'd be fucked if they didn't move. And they didn't move, right? Well, then they had it coming, didn't they?" Eugene protested while stroking Raimira’s hair and playing with her horn.
The Saints looked on fondly, but they did not hold back on what they had to say.
"Hamel, all that's fine, but can we do something about your… choice of words? The world hails you as the Radiant Eugene Lionheart. They sing your praises. For you to talk about fucking them over and such — it's just too—" Anise said.
"Oh, look who's talking. I might tolerate it from anyone else, but not you. Oh, the Saint has spoken, has she?" Eugene shot back.
"Well, am I not the Saint?" Anise challenged.
"The same Saint who, at every opportunity, swears, drowns in alcohol, and resorts to violence at the slightest annoyance. And, lo-look, see? You're trying to hit me now,” Eugene protested.
"If you say things that deserve a beating, you should expect to get hit,” Anise replied.
Eugene decided not to provoke Anise any further and hastily retreated. Even as he fled, he made sure Mer and Raimira were comfortably supported.
“So, Hemoria. She has been turned into a half-vampire, hasn’t she? Or... should we even call it a vampire?” Eugene asked.
“Given her mixed origins as a chimera... it wouldn’t be entirely accurate to label her a vampire. She doesn’t need blood to survive, nor is she restricted by sunlight,” Anise answered.
“But regardless, she’s not exactly human anymore. Should we really be letting her go?” Eugene questioned.
“Sir Raphael has promised to oversee her, so it should be fine. While it’s not something to brag about, Yuras’ system for monitoring apostates is both thorough and ruthless. Unless she fancies being burned at the stake or tortured to death, Hemoria won’t be able to commit any vampiric atrocities,” Anise explained patiently.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. What she does with her life from here... well, that’s beyond my concern. Perhaps she’ll live a quiet life farming in some rural village, or maybe she’ll find solace baking bread in a city bakery…” Anise said.
It wasn’t unheard of for demons to become priests. Take, for instance, the parish of Alcarte, where Kristina once served as the Auxiliary Bishop. Sister Eileen Flora was a half-vampire herself.
However, Hemoria could not return to being a priest. Even if Raphael spared her life with consideration for her achievements as an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum, there was no forgiving Hemoria for actions tantamount to turning her back on the Light. Raphael’s decision not to kill Hemoria wasn't out of mercy. Instead, he had judged that depriving her of the freedom she so desperately sought was a punishment worse than death. Additionally, he didn't dare to go against Sienna’s wishes[1]
“Bread… baking bread…” Eugene murmured with a bemused expression.
He found it hard to imagine Hemoria kneading dough and baking bread in her metal mask while grinding her teeth menacingly.
“Well… there shouldn’t be any hygiene issues… she won’t be drooling into the dough, at least,” Eugene commented.
“Drooling…. Radiant Eugene Lionheart, such unsavory remarks should be beneath you,” Sienna teased with a mischievous smile, which made Eugene’s shoulders tremble.
“That damned radiant—”
He couldn’t finish his sentence, suddenly gasping as something occurred to him. He gently set down the two little ones clinging to his waist, then dashed off.
“Lady Carmen,” Eugene called out.
Carmen came into view alongside Gilead. She was behind the line of gift-laden carriages, inspecting the tributes.
“Hmm?”
Upon seeing Eugene, Carmen straightened her expression and proudly puffed out her chest, showcasing the lion emblem on her left breast.
“What brings you here, Radiant Lion?” she asked.
Eugene found himself gritting his teeth involuntarily. The very creator of that cursed moniker was none other than Carmen Lionheart. Whether it was the excessive heat of Nahama's sun or the word radiant she had just uttered, for some reason, the lion emblem on Carmen’s uniform seemed to sparkle more than normal.
“Wait, no.”
It wasn’t just his imagination. Eugene stared intently at the lion emblem on Carmen’s uniform. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but something had been… embroidered. This embroidery caught the light around it and lent a brilliant sparkle to the lion emblem.
“What’s this? Why is only your uniform like this, Lady Carmen?” Eugene questioned.
“You noticed?” Carmen beamed while pointing at the emblem on her chest. “My opinion was highly considered for this. Soon, it will be distributed to all members of the Lionheart family.”
“To everyone? Not just the main house but to all branches?” Eugene asked, surprised.
“Indeed,” answered Carmen.
“But, the Lionheart lion emblem is supposed to be exclusive to the main house,” Eugene remarked as if in a reminder.
“For the main house, we’ll add an even more splendid shimmer,” Carmen said happily.
Eugene’s eyes widened in dismay. Didn’t that mean uniforms with a bit of sparkle were for all the collateral lines, and the main house would wear uniforms that shimmered even more? Eugene shuddered and turned to Gilead for support.
“A splendid initiative.”
Eugene was left speechless at the response.
Even Gilead, the true head of the household, was smiling contentedly, convinced that the new uniforms would elevate the glory of the Lionheart clan and instill a new sense of pride in every member.
Eugene felt utterly helpless. He would not find an ally in Gilead. He wanted nothing more than to gather all those sparkling uniforms and set them ablaze, but he managed to steady his trembling breath and turned back to Carmen.
"So, what brings you to me, Radiant Lion?" Carmen asked.
"That…. How long are you going to keep calling me radiant?" Eugene got to the point.
"Is it not far better than being called dull ?" Carmen retorted.
"Well, yes, but…." Eugene trailed off.
"I see no reason not to use it. I wish the whole world to sing praises of you as the Radiant Eugene Lionheart,” Carmen declared.
Had anyone else said it, Eugene might have suspected it to be a profoundly cunning insult wrapped in layers of malice and spite. But with Carmen, Eugene knew without a doubt that there was no such intention. She was genuinely proud of him, genuinely wanted him to be celebrated, and was genuinely pleased with her creative phrase.
"Yes... thank you…." Eugene ground his teeth as he responded. "But... Lady Carmen, Patriarch, you're not planning some... reception or welcome ceremony for me at the house, are you…?" he asked skeptically.
Even the Emperor of Kiehl had reached out, wanting to hold a grand celebration for the return of Eugene Lionheart, the great hero of Kiehl. He had planned on inviting the Pope of Yuras to bless the event, gather citizens starting from the city gates, and….
Naturally, Eugene refused. Not just politely but vehemently, threatening to storm the palace if they dared waste time on such frivolity. The mere thought of a more lavish welcome than he had received in Shimuin, where he had wanted to die of embarrassment, was unbearable. He did not wish to endure further humiliation.
There was no immediate response from Gilead and Carmen. They exchanged a glance.
Eventually, Gilead cleared his throat before responding, "Just a modest gathering of our family members…."
"Including the collateral branches?" Eugene questioned.
"They are Lionhearts all the same, aren't they?" Gilead asked.
Eugene felt his insides boil. He remembered the banquet attended by dozens of branch members when he returned to the main house with Raizakia’s corpse.
"I refuse,” Eugene declared.
"Ah…. But after such an accomplishment… shouldn't there be a feast?" Gilead suggested.
"I really, really don't want one. If you must have it, do so without me,” Eugene responded curtly.
"Are you truly against it?"
"Yes. Truly."
Carmen's shoulders sagged in response.
"We've even brought out the Platinum Lion," she muttered.
"No...! That's still intact? I told you to dismantle it a long time ago...!" Eugene said, disgruntled.
"Why waste such a precious and meaningful artifact? It's safely stored away in the main house's treasure vault,” came the response.
"Then, I'll just destroy it myself,” Eugene said tersely.
"Absolutely not. It will be passed down as a symbol of the Radiant Lionheart for generations." The response came from Gilead, who surprisingly stood firm. He was unwilling to budge.
"Alright, let's not have the banquet then. I really don't want it. And put that damned Platinum Lion back. If you bring that out, I'll really make a scene,” Eugene threatened.
"Not even a simple family dinner?" Gilead asked.
"If it's just the main house, I'll attend.” Eugene was adamant.
Gilead and Carmen, though visibly disappointed, eventually respected his wishes and nodded.
"And I'll only show my face at the main house before leaving again,” said Eugene.
"Off on another adventure?" Carmen's eyes sparkled at the sudden shift in topic.
"I plan to visit the World Tree in the Great Forest of Samar for a bit. It shouldn't take too—”
Carmen interrupted with a bright face as she exclaimed, "The World Tree!"
No longer wanting to engage further, Eugene backed away.
"The Radiant Eugene Lionheart!"
As he retreated, a teasing voice called out. Ciel, who had been handling Yongyong’s reins at a corner, waved at Eugene.
"Radiant!"
With a mischievous grin, Ciel started the chant, and Dezra immediately joined in.
"Eugene!"
"Lionheart!"
The rest of the Black Lions chimed in. Though Ciel's intention was to tease, the Black Lions were sincere. Their eyes shone with admiration for Eugene. Because of that, Eugene couldn't unleash the curses he had in mind.
1. Sienna let Hemoria walk free in Chapter 477, and Raphael let her walk free after branding her to be monitored for the rest of her life in Chapter 478. ☜