Chapter 249-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Heath stood in the shadow of a golden pillar, watching the man on the throne with detached eyes—her father.
The moment she learned the truth about Dragon Bone, she was stunned and lost. This man harbored secrets darker and more terrifying than she had ever imagined.
He was clearly more horrifying than any Demonic Domain—and his harm would linger for ages.
Heath had a premonition: even if this nation didn't fall to Demonic Domains, it would sooner or later be destroyed by its monstrous ruler.
By now, Heath had regained her composure. She carried out the Emperor's instructions, all while her mind turned with plans of her own.
Sometimes Heath was surprised by her own ruthlessness.
She had once believed she held genuine reverence and affection for her "father." But ever since making certain decisions, she had found herself accepting the fact that her father was a monster with no burden whatsoever—not a shred of sorrow or reluctance. In that moment, Heath quietly understood what kind of person she truly was.
"…You are the Empire's princess. The glory of Aston has granted you a noble station and a life of comfort. Heath, I trust you will work harder than anyone to uphold our hard-won honor."
The Emperor spoke with a stern face.
Heath stepped out of the shadow, curtsied in acknowledgment, and left the palace.
It was futile. No amount of struggling could claw back this round from Ye Zheng, Heath thought.
Passing maids curtsied and greeted the princess. Heath returned their greetings with her usual shy, reserved smile—though behind those seemingly innocent blue eyes, there was no warmth at all.
If Ye Zheng could turn the Emperor's own trap against him, she surely had more moves in reserve—moves that would pin them down for good. That was the Ye Zheng she knew.
The Emperor… no, the entire Aston Royal Family—winning back the people's hearts and support was now an impossibility.
The Emperor had a point: the current situation was certainly unfavorable for a princess carrying Aston blood.
And yet, Heath felt she had finally been given her chance.
"Your Highness."
In a secluded corner of the rear garden, a bespectacled young man with a mild demeanor bowed slightly, then looked up at the princess standing on the steps above him.
Yu Tianming scoffed inwardly. A pitiful princess with neither power nor strength—the only way she could assert her noble status was by making sure she stood a little higher.
"The situation has been too volatile lately. I'd like to stay better informed of His Majesty's plans and of her movements. We must ensure the safety of the true heir, lest the Pope…"
"The true heir."
Heath repeated the words slowly. The meek, almost timid demeanor everyone was accustomed to vanished. Her gaze turned sharp.
Yu Tianming faltered at being cut off and looked up at Heath in surprise.
"The true heir—is standing right in front of you," she said.
Yu Tianming's mouth slowly fell open, as though he had just heard the most absurd joke. Once it registered, he let out a snort of laughter, glanced around, and quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, clearing his throat.
"Heath, you're unusually humorous today."
Yu Tianming had no patience for this and was about to make his point more bluntly when Heath cut him off again.
"You want to depose the current Emperor to quell the fury of ninety percent of this nation toward the upper district."
"Then install a pliable puppet on the throne—so that you can actually extract even greater profit from this upheaval."
Heath calmly laid bare the aristocrats' scheme. Yu Tianming slowly adjusted his glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes went still.
"Compared to Roy, the illegitimate son, I'm a far better candidate. I have no power, no supporters, no formidable ability…"
Yu Tianming's voice dropped. "So you'd make a good puppet. Beyond that, what value do you offer?"
"I have the support of Pope Ye Zheng."
Heath regarded him coolly, not a flicker of emotion on her face.
Yu Tianming's eyes widened. His brow tightened as he seemed to sink into deep thought.
"More importantly, Roy has no relationship with you whatsoever. He might even resent you for how you dismissed him and his friends during the Ability Tournament."
"Roy on the throne might benefit the Yu family—but not necessarily your branch of the Yu family…"
Yu Tianming's head snapped up. He already grasped what Heath had left unsaid.
"With me on the throne, the Yu family will be your Yu family."
Yu Tianming's expression didn't change, but at his side, his hand instinctively rubbed the stump of a missing finger.
That was the humiliation Sykes had inflicted on him. Everything he had endured, everything he had sacrificed—it had all been rendered meaningless by Sykes's death, especially for someone in the cutthroat competition within the Prime Minister's household.
"Heath, I truly underestimated you."
Yu Tianming's smile spread slowly.
"I rarely misjudge people. You are the first… the second. Please forgive my previous discourtesy."
Yu Tianming bowed deeply.
Heath watched the newly deferential Yu Tianming with cold eyes, her fist clenched at her side.
When Yu Tianming straightened, he saw Heath offer him a knowing smile—one that said everything without a single word.
In the space of a heartbeat, the two had struck a subversive pact. Yu Tianming departed in high spirits. Heath sat down on the steps and gazed quietly at the sky.
Long ago, she had yearned to escape this gilded cage—to walk a path of ideals as bravely and freely as Ye Zheng.
But at seventeen, Heath had lost interest in that fantasy.
She was born into the Aston Royal Family. Blood steeped in ambition and sin flowed through her veins—a curse she could never shed.
If she could not escape the cage, then she would become its master.
*
A week had passed since Ye Zheng's address, and the waves it had stirred showed no sign of subsiding—if anything, they surged higher.
Mass demonstrations swept through the lower district and the Middle District. Every day, people tore down the royal banners flying over government buildings. Monuments left behind by the great Aston XIV were vandalized in acts of defiance.
When word spread from the Papal Palace that Duke Bai had attempted to assassinate the Pope, the uproar intensified. Workers and students launched strikes and walkouts, rebelling against the authority of the Royal Family and the great aristocrats.
Percy squeezed to the edge of a street, watching a speaker shout with furious passion. Beside him, someone waved a flag with fervent energy.
The blue banner bore not the Sei Curia's emblem of the God of Hope, but the crown that symbolized Pope Ye Zheng.
People gathered to denounce the centuries of injustice the lower district had endured. Cold-blooded, selfish nobles had sacrificed countless commoners to guarantee their own safety, while Pope Ye Zheng—who bravely championed the people—had been met with an attempt on her life.
"These past few days, agitators have been trying to smear Her Holiness—claiming she's just another upper-district aristocrat who climbed to power on our bones and blood. I cannot imagine anyone turning their blade on her at a time like this."
"That's despicable. Whoever's doing it is definitely not one of us!"
"Setting aside everything the Saintess has done for us—that woman from the lower district has been standing with us without hesitation, acting in the Saintess's place these days…"
Percy listened for a while, then left. He couldn't immerse himself in this near-fanatical fervor, even though the truth about Dragon Bone had shocked and enraged him too.
He was no longer the naive, ignorant student of a year ago. He could now see the fingerprints of Ye Zheng's manipulation.
Ye Zheng had revealed the truth to everyone—and then weaponized that truth to win hearts and advance her political aims. Percy couldn't tell which was her true objective.
He glanced at the scabbard at his side and felt a sudden wave of confusion.
Whether Ye Zheng's Divine Sword was real or fake no longer seemed to matter—because Ye Zheng herself had become more revered than the sword.
Before long, Ye Zheng would likely replace the Aston Royal Family and become the nation's true guardian.
Percy even wondered whether the doomsday prophecy was real at all. His power could cleave high-level monsters with ease, yet it was utterly useless against the tide Ye Zheng had unleashed. The Divine Sword, too, seemed to have lost its meaning.
"We can't just sit by while General Bai is executed by the Sei Curia. He's one of the few people who can stand against Ye Zheng."
The three of them sat in a familiar tavern. Roy was visibly anxious.
"I'm grateful for General Bai's training, but he attacked the Pope. That kind of charge isn't something we can do anything about…" Keller said hesitantly.
Percy studied Roy's expression intently, saying nothing.
Roy clenched his jaw. "Are you really going to watch him be put to death?"
Keller blanched. "That can't be possible, can it? He's the Emperor's most trusted duke. The Sei Curia wouldn't actually execute him…"
Even as he spoke, doubt crept into his voice—he didn't know much about the law.
"You think Ye Zheng would just let him walk free?" Roy laughed bitterly.
Percy's face was grave. Bai Yi was the Emperor's right hand. Of course Ye Zheng wouldn't let him go.
The general had been kind to him. Without Bai Yi, he never could have mastered the Divine Sword or advanced his abilities so quickly.
But choosing to help him now would mean standing against the overwhelming majority. In Percy's eyes, General Bai was nothing like the parasites of the upper district—he was a strong, upright man.
Just as Percy wrestled with his dilemma, a commotion erupted outside the tavern.
"The Sei Curia's verdict on Duke Bai is in!"
In an instant, even the drunkards stumbled out on wobbly legs. The tavern emptied.
Percy pushed aside the curtain of their booth and stepped outside. Standing at the edge of the crowd, he heard every word with perfect clarity.
"The Pope has spared Bai Yi's life!"
A wave of jeers rippled through the crowd, followed by sighs praising Ye Zheng's magnanimity and generosity. Percy quietly exhaled in relief.
"She has sentenced Bai Yi to Excommunication!"
"Excommunication? What's that?"
Heads turned in confusion.
"Excommunication—the revocation of the condemned's right to divine protection. His clerical status is stripped, and he is forbidden from participating in any divine rite."
The crowd fell silent almost without realizing it. The voice that had materialized from thin air was too cold—almost merciless.
"One who is forsaken by the divine—the divine forbids anyone from following him. The lands he holds shall owe him no further loyalty. The people of his domain need no longer swear fealty."
"The excommunicated is one cast out by all."
The voice sounded familiar. Percy followed the crowd's gaze and saw only a solitary white figure, back turned, standing apart.
Percy turned the meaning of Excommunication over in his mind. A chill crawled up his spine.
If anything was more terrifying than death, it was being stripped of everything and left to live in ruin.
Ye Zheng didn't care one bit about the threat of Bai Yi's dual S-rank abilities. She wanted him alive—to make a perpetual example of his disgrace, a warning hanging over every ambitious aristocrat.
—If even the Emperor's most trusted confidant met this fate, they had no reason left to support the Emperor.
*
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