From the Cradle to the Grave - Chapter 2

An apostle of Tenon, the god of death.

That heathen had declared war on the North.

An apostle of a god meant a human who had obtained the god’s omnipotence through trials.

Tenon was the first evil god to be banished from the pantheon by humans, and.

For a monster who had obtained such an evil god’s omnipotent power to descend upon this land!

The imperial citizens were seized by fear.

Rumors abounded that Tenon’s apostle had devastated and destroyed a kingdom that was a vassal state of the empire, and even subjugated dragons that existed beyond the continent.

“Are you perhaps afraid? Do not worry. Before we even arrive in the North, my sons will eliminate that wicked heathen and his immortal legion.”

“Who said I was afraid?”

Andrew revealed his displeasure at the Duchess’s malicious provocation.

Unexpectedly, the North achieved successive victories in its battles against the heathen, quelling the anxiety that had spread throughout the empire.

‘Are you telling me to march to the North?’

‘They are soldiers composed of the Imperial family’s finest elite, so there is nothing to worry about, my son.’

Empress Kalamari, who had been observing the situation silently, issued the marching order to Andrew only after the North’s victory became certain.

The Icewind family might break off the engagement on the grounds of no imperial support after they had dealt with the heathen.

Furthermore, they might use this as an excuse to demand independence from the empire.

Ultimately, the Empress intended to proceed with the political marriage as planned to strengthen their relationship and prevent the North’s independence.

‘Marching is one thing, but why the Duke and his daughter… Surely, you don’t mean you won’t break off the engagement?’

‘Yes. In honor of the Icewind Duke’s achievements, the wedding ceremony will be held in the North.’

‘But Mother, they are a group of swindlers. You haven’t forgotten how they deceived us by falsifying the moonstone output, have you?’

‘They are on the verge of becoming war heroes now. Above all, the people of the North await the Saintess’s return. They wish for her to purify the land cursed by the heathen with holy power. Though I don’t see the point of such a thing.’

‘…Damn it, I understand.’

And this was the full story of how Serendia came to join the northern expedition, before the shock of the assault by the strange man had even subsided.

After presenting the head of the wicked heathen, Serendia and Andrew were scheduled to hold their wedding ceremony in the North, not the royal capital.

Of course, all credit for eliminating Tenon’s apostle would go to Andrew, but he was displeased with his current situation of being treated like a live-in son-in-law.

“I don’t know how a group of swindlers like your family came to be praised as heroes. You should live your lives thanking that heathen forever.”

Andrew passed the Duke and Duchess and headed upstairs to his room.

“Go on, follow him.”

The Duchess pushed Serendia’s back.

“Go and do something with that foolish body of yours, you incompetent thing!”

The Duchess urged her daughter, who stood dazed under the influence of the drug.

The plan was to cover up the moonstone issue with the excuse that the mine had collapsed during the war. However, if the Imperial family were to raise the issue again and investigate persistently, things could become troublesome.

Most importantly, Serendia’s mind was precarious.

The Duchess intended to have her daughter conceive the Imperial Prince’s child to preempt any future complications.

While the Empress was concerned about the North’s independence, the Duke and Duchess thought differently. They were dreaming of expanding their influence to the Imperial family through this political marriage.

The Imperial family and the Ducal family.

Both sides engaged in a tense tug-of-war for their own interests. Serendia was a pitiful puppet, clinging to a tightrope to avoid falling.

“The Prince is right. If it weren’t for that heathen, I would have regretted having a useless daughter like you for my entire life. Be grateful to that monster. Thanks to him, I’ve gained a final chance to bear the Imperial Prince’s child.”

The Duchess forcefully pushed Serendia’s body again. Serendia walked towards the stone stairs as her mother instructed.

Thump, thump, thump-.

Something rolled down the stairs.

Serendia gazed blankly at the round object that stopped at her feet, then picked it up with both hands.

“Oh, Mother.”

Serendia approached the Duchess, who stood by the window.

“Serendia? You’re still here?”

“From above, something fell.”

“What? That… that… Huh? Ah, Aaaargh!”

The Duchess’s face turned pale. She stumbled backward, screaming.

‘Why is Mother screaming like that?’

Serendia thought blankly.

Her gaze shifted back to the object in her hands as the drug’s effects faded, and her body’s senses gradually sharpened.

“P-please… please… save me…”

What Serendia held in her hands was the head of her fiancé, Andrew.

“M-Mother…, I-I don’t want to die…”

Even though his head was severed, Andrew’s lips moved like a goldfish’s, searching for the Empress.

“Andrew, Your Highness…?”

Serendia’s hands trembled violently.

Just as a scream was about to escape her pale lips, someone descended the stairs.

Perhaps it was the culprit who did this to Andrew, no, the monster.

A deep shadow fell over Serendia’s head. The footsteps also stopped behind her.

“Is this guy’s name Andrew?”

The low, mid-range voice, coupled with an incongruously innocent tone, was somehow chilling.

Serendia lacked the courage to look at the whispering man. Her entire body froze in terror that overwhelmed her reason.

“I’m sorry. I came in a hurry and couldn’t prepare another gift.”

The man apologized as he took the head from Serendia’s hands.

His tone was gentle, but his touch was indifferent. He handled Andrew’s head as if it were an object. Like how her mother touched her own body.

“…Did I have to get parental permission before proposing?”

The man muttered as if fumbling for unfamiliar knowledge he had learned from someone.

He then passed the frozen Serendia and approached the Duchess.

“Ah…. Aaaargh! Aaargh! Aaaargh!”

The Duchess, driven mad, howled like a beast.

There were surely armed knights outside the building. Yet, no one appeared upon hearing this piercing scream.

“Ugh… How noisy.”

Only the one who had driven the Duchess mad reacted irritably to her scream. The man tapped his lips with his index finger, trying to calm the Duchess.

“Shhh, please be quiet. I am about to formally propose,”

“Aaaaargh!”

When the Duchess’s scream interrupted his words, the man rolled his red eyes once and sighed deeply.

“There’s no other way. I’ve endured as much as I could.”

What was unavoidable, and what had he endured.

The man, whose patience had run out, grasped the air with his empty hand.

At that moment,

The Duchess’s face shattered like a watermelon dropped from a great height. Her headless body collapsed to the floor.

Her convulsing body, spewing blood, resembled a fish pulled from the seashore.

“Phew! It’s quiet now.”

The man muttered, as if relieved.

“Now that all the intruders are gone, let’s talk. Huh? Dia?”

The man turned around and blinked with wide-open eyes. Serendia, who had been standing still until a moment ago, had disappeared.

“Do you want to play tag?”

“Huff, puff…! Hooo…!”

Serendia scrambled up the stairs, driven mad.

She passed the floor with Andrew’s bedroom and ran without stopping until she reached the top of the tall tower.

“You said you were going to the North for the wedding?”

At that moment, the man shouted from below the stairs.

“I came to propose before it’s too late either! Where are you going in such a hurry? Are you perhaps shy? Or do you not like my dowry?”

It was him.

That man was the heathen who had declared war on the North.

“I apologize for not being able to propose in the traditional way. But honestly, marriage is a matter between the two parties, isn’t it? I believe that as long as we are happy, it doesn’t matter if we don’t have parental consent.”

This was Tenon’s apostle.

“Ah, don’t worry! I killed everyone who would oppose our marriage. I’ve prepared the house and the dowry too! So, you just need to come with your body!”

Oh, God.

What on earth does this monster want from me?

“Huff, puff…, Hooo…!”

Serendia finally reached the room at the top of the tall tower.

Creak-. Squeak-.

The iron door, closed for a long time, did not permit the unfamiliar visitor.

She succeeded in prying open a gap just wide enough for her to barely squeeze through, using all her might.

Serendia quickly pushed her body through the narrow gap.

Rumble-, Bang-!

The moment she entered the room, a white light flashed outside the window. A fierce wind and rain battered the glass.

‘If I fall from here, I’ll die, right? I’ll definitely die, won’t I?’

It was at such a moment that she had such terrifying thoughts without any particular feeling.

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