**2194 - Contents of the Coffin**
"...My Mistress?!" Serafina murmured, then slowly walked past Caesar, entering the hall.
"..?" Caesar furrowed his brows at the sudden occurrence, turning to follow her with his gaze.
Even he widened his eyes slightly.
Inside the hall, as she had been told, there was a coffin—a crystalline coffin through which one could see.
Inside the coffin lay a woman of breathtaking beauty; at first glance, the observer hesitated to consider her human.
A girl who appeared to be in her early twenties, with exquisite, delicate features, lips red as blood, crimson nails on her hands clasped before her chest, eyelashes long and intensely black, and a black dress covering her entire body... Anyone looking at her would think twice about whether they were gazing at a painting or an angel from myth!
"...What is happening here?" Caesar recognized her immediately. "What is Helen doing inside a coffin?"
Even he hesitated in his speech, his voice coming out unusually thin... What had been visible beneath Helen's mask in the past was indeed captivating, but now, with her face fully exposed, devoid of hostile expressions and without murderous intent, it was entirely different.
Her face compelled anyone to ask themselves: What did Helmur eat on the night he fathered this girl?!
Even Caesar, her greatest detractor, could not avoid asking himself that question.
"You murderers..." Serafina's aura began to stir, and she drew her sword, "You murderers!!!"
Rumble
Rumble
Serafina's energy cracked the palace floor beneath her, activating several formations.
"Drop that sword immediately!" Caesar's attractive assistant immediately produced a scepter, and the power of a Royal Soul Master began to emanate from her intensely.
Hum
The energy of several soul masters appeared and quickly enveloped Caesar; they could be felt approaching at tremendous speed.
"Enough." Caesar waved his hand, the bracelet on his left wrist glowing faintly, then he stared into his assistant's eyes, "Enough, Lily."
As if the world had fallen silent once more.
The formations that had begun to focus on Serafina calmed down, Lily set aside her scepter, and even the auras of the approaching soul masters subsided.
If anyone had focused for a moment, they would have noticed that the Royal Soul Masters on Planet Uraginus were still coming, still gathering around the building... but they had suppressed the auras they had deliberately released to threaten the intruder.
"Enough, Serafina." Caesar spoke in a calmer tone, "I did not order the killing of your mistress, and I did not know she was here."
“What do you call this, then?!” Serafina screamed, pointing toward the coffin, her eyes brimming with tears.
Never, since she had known her mistress, had she seen her wounded in a way that threatened her life… let alone find her inside a coffin!
“We’ll find out together now.” Caesar stepped forward to her side, then passed her until he reached the edge of the coffin, and began examining it with furrowed brows. As he did, he asked, “What happened? I want a brief report. I know my father didn’t order this.”
If what happened to Helen was connected to them, it would be a disaster…
His father was a powerful ally of Hedrick, who was supposed to be his key to the middle Sector 101, and his key to meddling with both the Cursed Behemoth and the Savage Behemoth.
And even setting all that aside, the Shadow Swords were already in a bitter feud with Helmor, Behemoth of Destruction, who described them as a subversive organization. No one wanted an even more open and explicit enmity with that man!
“She was brutally pursued by the sons of the Cursed Behemoth,” the Shadow Sword standing beside the coffin spoke steadily. Everything that had happened moments ago hadn’t shaken him; his confidence in the planet’s defenses was unparalleled. “We received orders from the First Sword to rescue her, but we found her in this state when we arrived.”
“…!!” Serafina’s eyes widened, and she let the tears fall. She took a few steps forward and knelt weakly beside the coffin. “My Mistress…”
She had heard of these pursuits, of course—they had lasted for years… but she never believed that her mistress could lose!
“…After we succeeded in retrieving the body, several of our men examined it, along with the Six Greats themselves. At that point, everyone was certain that there was something strange about her—that she was not just a corpse. So we decided to protect her.” Shadow Sword continued, “There was no safe place in Sector 101 Medium due to the random attacks by the sons of the Cursed Behemoth, and there was no planet strong enough for us to take refuge on, especially if they had a tracking seal on her, as we suspect.”
“You suspect she has a tracking seal on her, and that the sons of the Cursed Behemoth will follow her, so you decided to bring her here?” Caesar furrowed his brows deeply as he lifted his head. “What were you thinking?!”
“There weren’t many options, Marshal.” Shadow Sword replied quickly, “Sector 101 is unsafe. We had to bring her here and think of a place to hide her. All you have to do is give the orders, and we’ll take her and leave.”
“No!!” Serafina stood up and raised her sword again. “No one is taking her!”
“…” Caesar completely ignored Serafina and turned back to look at the angelic face in the coffin. He let out a strange sigh and gritted his teeth. “You said Theo ordered her rescue?”
It was an odd feeling, looking at her like this, in this state of weakness… like staring at a cat that had just scratched him, unsure where to direct his anger.
“Yes, Marshal.” Shadow Sword breathed a sigh of relief. “He said it was a direct order from His Majesty. We had to pay extra to get the Six Greats to move, and we used a rapid intervention vehicle to extract her from there.”
“…Alright, she can stay in Uraginus.” Caesar nodded. “I can already sense something strange happening in this body. She’s not just a corpse.” Then he looked toward Shadow Sword. “What did the Six Greats say after examining her?”
Caesar’s spiritual and law sense was strong for a Martial Emperor, but certainly not on the level of the Six Greats!
Shadow Sword furrowed his brows. “They said… she is physically dead, but alive within her spiritual domain.”
“……..?!” Caesar’s eyes flew wide open. “Say that again?!”