The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 265

265. Eyes Gone Mad.

2023.07.19.

Rinel stared at Sharon, who came running down the hallway, breathless.

“Sharon, was Zelda really undergoing treatment?”

Sharon was taken aback by his piercing blue eyes.

“…Y-Your Majesty.”

She felt as though her head would be chopped off if she lied any further.

“She might not be inside.”

“She’s not there… but the door is locked?”

Rinel’s expression hardened.

“Yes, Your Majesty! Now that I think about it… I believe they mentioned going for a walk along the corridor after the treatment!”

“So, she locked the door and went for a walk?”

Sharon hesitated, unsure if it was a statement or a question, but she quickly collected herself.

“Ah, the Archmage always locks the door when he’s out… !”

Just as Sharon was retrieving the key to the Archmage’s room from her pocket and continuing her explanation…

Thud-!
A sound like a roar echoed.

Rinel punched the door.

The thick wooden door now had a fist-shaped dent in it.

“Your Majesty! Surely, you’re not going to break down the door with your fist…”

But he probably would.

He was more than capable of it.

Raphael quickly intervened.

It wasn’t that he doubted Rinel’s ability; Raphael recognized the look in the Emperor’s eyes.

When his eyes took on that wild glint, unbelievable superhuman strength was unleashed. This was precisely such a situation.

“Your Majesty! I’ll have a servant bring a spare key immediately…!”

“Too late.”

He cut off Raphael’s words and punched the door again.

Twice, three times – with a splintering crash, the center of the thick zelkova [a type of hardwood] wood door burst open.

Rinel reached inside, unlocked the door, and entered the room.

Raphael and Sharon followed him, equally anxious.

‘She’s really not here.’

Rinel’s brow furrowed with worry.

Sharon’s heart pounded in her chest.

Before disappearing into the Valley of Death using teleportation magic, Zelda had made a specific request of her.

‘Sharon, even if His Majesty finds out, never mention the Valley of Death. I’ll tell him myself when I get back.’

It was a decision born from the knowledge that if he discovered her destination beforehand, he was exactly the kind of man who would rush headlong into the Valley of Death.

“As Sharon said, the Archmage might lock the door because of potion brewing, but it’s also possible the old doorknob locked on its own from the inside. Sometimes old doorknobs do that.” After confirming that the room was empty, Raphael secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke casually.

“…”

However, Rinel’s expression didn’t soften.

He walked to the table, sat in a chair, and scanned the room.

“Y-Your Majesty! Your hand is bleeding….”

Sharon, who had been looking down, noticed the Emperor’s bleeding hand and said worriedly.

“I’ll call the palace physician!”

A considerable amount of blood was flowing.

He had broken through that thick wooden door with only a few punches, so it would have been surprising if his hand *wasn’t* injured.

As Raphael raised his voice and turned to leave the room,

“It’s okay, don’t make a fuss. Both of you, leave.”

He glanced down at the blood droplets falling on the floor and spoke nonchalantly.

“Then at least let me stop the bleeding first.”

“I’ll take care of it. You two get out. I want to be alone for a while.”

Raphael and Sharon couldn’t argue further and exited the room.

Fortunately, even with the door closed, they could observe the Emperor from the outside through the large fist-shaped hole in the middle of the door.

As soon as they were gone, he sighed deeply and pondered.

“Something’s not right….”

As Sharon said, they might have simply gone for a walk together, but his intuition told him it was more than just a simple outing.

If she had come to the main palace, she would have sought him out first.

Even before going for a walk with Bellos, or even if he was in a meeting, she would have informed Raphael or Stian.

“That Archmage bastard, where the hell did he take Zelda….”

***

As the Archmage had described, a dizzying sensation arose as the teleportation magic activated.

But it was only momentary, and when Bellos instructed her to open her eyes, the dizziness quickly subsided.

“Where is this?”

It was dark all around.

The sound of waves crashing could be heard in the distance.

“This is one of the caves in the Valley of Death. Soon, the wyverns will sense something unusual and gather here.”

At Bellos’ words, Moiya and Moni flitted around the cave, exclaiming, “Ah, here!”

The cave was quite spacious.

She walked towards the cave entrance where light streamed in and nearly tumbled into the sea as she peered outside.

“Be careful! This cave is located in the heart of the valley, so the sea is directly below.”

The Archmage said, steadying her by the arms from behind.

At that moment, a strange sound echoed through the valley.

“Bellos, is that… the sound of wyverns?”

It sounded somewhat similar to the cry of the monster Galaco at first.

“That’s right. Now, let’s prepare to greet them.”

The Archmage guided her back to the center of the cave.

“Oong? Is this the cave we visited last time, Moiya~?”

“Yup! That’s right. You got a black eye here, Moni~?”

The two of them chattered, circling around the cave as if reminiscing about past adventures.

“Today, this Moiya will show those young pups what’s what!”

Moiya clenched her tiny fist and declared her resolve.

Judging by her fiery eyes, Moiya’s combat readiness was at its peak.

“Don’t cause unnecessary trouble and stay put.”

When the Archmage scolded her, the excited Moiya immediately retorted.

“You can’t even breathe fire, so shut up!”

“Tsk.”

When Zelda gave her a stern look, Moiya finally lowered her gaze.

“Ang? They’re here, Moni~?”

Soon after, adult wyverns flew into the cave all at once.

The Archmage quickly grabbed Zelda’s arm and stepped back, creating distance from the wyverns.

Having only ever seen the cute and endearing Moiya and Moni, Zelda couldn’t help but tense up at the sight of the adult wyverns.

As if sensing her apprehension, the two reassured her.

“They’re just big, green youngsters.”

“That’s right. Trust Moni, Master.”

‘Guys, they’re far too large to be called green youngsters.’

Also, because it was a dark cave, it felt even more unsettling as only the wyverns’ red eyes seemed to float in the air.

“We need to illuminate the cave a bit.”

Zelda spread out both palms and focused the heat circulating within her body.

Then, flames appeared from the tips of her ten fingers.

The flames resembled miniature, disembodied candles, and they floated towards the dark corners as if they were living beings with a purpose.

The wyverns who witnessed this murmured amongst themselves.

“Leader, they appear to be wizards, judging by their control over fire.”

A large wyvern glared at Bellos and Zelda and spoke respectfully to another wyvern.

“There’s only one wizard.”

The wyvern addressed as the leader replied in a deep voice, and Moiya suddenly interjected.

“Hey, old man! This great Wyvern brought our Master here, Moiya~?”

Moiya, perched on Zelda’s shoulder, flew in front of the wyverns without fear.

With her hands on her hips and flapping her small wings, she provoked them, and the largest of the adult wyverns stepped forward.

“This little brat has truly lost her mind. Bringing humans into our habitat!”

“Stop it.”

The leader wyvern intervened in a surprisingly gentle voice.

“Leader, don’t stop me today. I’m going to correct that young one’s manners for sure today!”

“T-That rude guy. It’s not our first time meeting, but he should at least greet his e~lders when he sees them!”

The roar of the baby wyvern, who had been in the egg for nearly 300 years, was met with derision.

“A guy who can’t even breathe fire is talking about e~lders and flying around. I’ll acknowledge your spirit. Today, I’ll take out the other eye.”

The large wyvern snorted and flapped its large wings menacingly.

Then, a strong gust of wind swept through the cave, ruffling Zelda’s hair.

It looked as though she had been pulling her hair out during a fight, but now was not the time to worry about her hairstyle.

“Should I introduce myself to them first?”

Zelda whispered her suggestion to the Archmage.

“I recommend speaking in the kindest and most benevolent tone possible.”

“…Pardon?”

“I thought they would recognize Zelda-nim immediately… but it doesn’t seem that way.”

The Archmage seemed to have expected the wyverns to bow their heads to the ground and kneel before her as soon as she appeared.

Zelda was equally taken aback.

She hadn’t anticipated such a grand welcome, but she certainly hadn’t expected to be treated like prey either.

“But, if I’m truly the Wyvern’s Lord, why don’t they recognize me?”

“Moiya and Moni are special wyverns, so they immediately recognized Zelda-nim’s fire ability, but ordinary wyverns may not be able to sense it as easily. Still, the one who appears to be the leader among them seems to have already noticed.”

The Archmage gestured with his chin towards the wyvern who had been addressed as ‘Leader’ by the large wyvern moments ago.

“If you flap your wings one more time, you’ll drive our Master crazy, Moni~?”

Listening to Moni’s words, Zelda could roughly gauge her current state.

She recalled the Archmage’s advice and pointed her finger at the large wyvern, saying.

“Are you the one who upset our kid?”

At her words, Moiya’s shoulders shot up to her ears.

“Yes, Master! That big guy is the rude one who hit my eye!”

“I’ll pluck out your eyeballs today!”

As the large wyvern raised his fist and threatened Moiya,

“Stop it!”

The leader intervened, halting the two wyverns, and flew closer to Zelda.

“Greetings, to the true leader of the wyverns.”

“!”

“I am the one who leads this group. I have no name, and you may simply call me Old Man, like those great baby wyverns do.”

The leader of the wyverns spread his wings wide before her, then bowed and pressed his forehead to the ground.

What was more surprising than Zelda at the leader’s actions were the other wyverns.

“Leader! What are you doing?!”

“Kneeling before a human!”

“Did you just call those young ones great?!”

“This is a disgrace!”

The wyverns’ complaints erupted.

The leader seemed determined to maintain that position until Zelda instructed him to rise.

The wyverns’ surprised cries gradually morphed into anger.

“Are you senile?”

“Someone quickly lift the leader up!”

“Let’s replace the leader while we’re at it!”

The large wyvern finally raised the banner of rebellion.

“Isn’t that guy the Old Man’s right-hand man?”

“Oong? Really? He has as little loyalty as a worthless Ao 씨 [a Korean expression for someone with no loyalty or principles], Moiya~?”

Listening to the two whispering, Zelda glanced at the large wyvern.

The leader, who had been bowing his head before her, showed no reaction to the other wyverns’ words, but when his right-hand man shouted, he seemed shocked and raised his head.

The words ‘Betrayal’ were etched in his red eyes.

“This is the one we must follow. Everyone, greet the Master.”

The leader shouted to the wyverns as he stood up.

But unfortunately, not a single wyvern heeded the leader’s words.

Instead, the protests grew even louder.

“Suddenly invading our habitat and demanding that we serve a human woman as our master? Are you out of your mind? If you’re old, step down quietly.”

The large wyvern’s provocation began in earnest.

“T-That, that green youngster has no respect for his e~lders, Moiya?”

Moiya clicked her tongue and sneered.

Zelda guessed that was what had happened last time, and why she had returned with a black eye.

“Old Man, you’ve been managing your subordinates like a rotten sausage?”

This time, Moni scratched at the already raw nerves of the leader, taunting him.

“I apologize for showing you this side of them. Please forgive their ignorance.”

The leader spoke as if he were a seasoned minister who had weathered countless hardships and was now apologizing to her.

“Are you calling that woman the Master simply because she conjured a few flames in the air?”

The large wyvern challenged the leader and glared at Zelda.

“She holds the Incarnation and the Incarnation Sword!”

The Archmage retorted sharply in her place.

The murmuring among the wyverns intensified, and the large wyvern sneered again.

“We don’t sense any special fire energy from that woman!”

So, they were claiming they couldn’t recognize her.

Was it her turn to intervene?

But how?

Zelda summoned the Incarnation.

‘I think I need to show them something. Do something.’

‘Zelda, as you know, I have no physical form.’

The Incarnation replied indifferently as usual.

‘Then what should I do?’

‘Well, judging by their reactions, they’ll only obey if the Incarnation Sword is manifested?’

The Incarnation tossed out the suggestion casually and disappeared.

How did one summon the Incarnation Sword that had merged with her heart?

“How do I manifest the Incarnation Sword?”

Zelda looked at the Archmage, who had been shrinking since Moiya’s words.

But he couldn’t bring himself to speak either.

‘Damn it, my good friend doesn’t seem to know the method.’

“Humans who have invaded our habitat cannot be allowed to leave alive. Let’s deal with the humans first, then the little ones, and…”

The large wyvern’s gaze shifted from Zelda and the Archmage at first, then to Moiya and Moni, and finally, it settled on the leader.

There were clear signs of a rebellion brewing.

The leader simply stared at Zelda and remained passive.

He was merely observing the large wyvern’s arrogant behavior, as if waiting for something.

“Ahem, hey chunk.”

Zelda addressed the large wyvern, who was vying for the leader’s position, in a friendly manner.

“Are you talking to me now?”

“Then would I be talking to them?”

Zelda pointed to Moiya and Moni, who looked relatively smaller, and mimicked the large wyvern’s arrogant tone.

“!”

“As your leader said, I possess the Incarnation and the Incarnation Sword within me. I know it’s difficult to believe right now, but I am the one who leads you…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We won’t be swayed by the nonsense of those wyverns who know nothing and the senile leader!”

The large wyvern cut her off and shouted, and the wyverns responded with a screech-!

Then they began communicating with each other in the wyvern language.

Zelda understood their plan and was horrified.

…What should she do?

At this rate, were they all going to die?

“Good. If you are truly our master, then block the fire of the wyverns!”

It wasn’t just the large wyvern who was preparing to breathe fire.

Several wyverns were poised to turn them into charcoal grilled at once.

“Zelda-nim, we must return immediately!”

Zelda heard Bellos’ urgent voice, but she couldn’t turn to look at him.

The large wyvern began to unleash its fire upon them.

“Master, we’re ready, Moiya~!”

“Good, now it’s war, Moni~!”

Moiya and Moni breathed fire from either side of Zelda simultaneously.

The large wyvern’s fire was blocked by Moiya and Moni, but what if other wyverns joined in? She wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Bellos grabbed her hand.

It seemed he was attempting to teleport them back to safety.

But Zelda shook off Bellos’ hand.

Without conscious thought, she took a step forward towards the wyverns.

It wasn’t her will, but her body moved on its own.

Then, as if anticipating it, the other wyverns also opened their mouths wide towards her, preparing to unleash their fire.

“Stop it! You’re all going to~ die~!”

The old man, no, the leader, also flapped his wings towards the wyverns, attempting to stop them, but it was futile.

Despite the leader’s pleas, the wyverns unleashed their fire upon her all at once.

At that moment, Zelda felt something swirling within her heart.

Then, suddenly,

“Heok!!”

Several beams of red light erupted from within her heart, reaching out towards the wyverns’ fire.