So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Raphael Blanche was already on edge.

Even his greatest masterpiece—the griffin—had begun behaving abnormally.

After breaking the seal and recreating it using power drawn from Xavier’s mana heart…

It seemed the corrupted mana-heart power and the aura Xavier had struck it with in this life had clashed within the griffin, triggering its instability.

If that were true, then from now on, the moment Xavier stepped in and unleashed aura-infused sword energy, the monster legion Raphael had painstakingly cultivated would become useless.

He had been racking his brain for a solution—

And to think Renée would be the answer.

So I don’t need to struggle to obtain a dragon heart after all…

In a way, Xavier’s greatest weakness was now sitting right in Raphael’s palm.

And not just any weakness—

A very useful one.

Until recently, Raphael had regretted failing to kill Renée, calling it a mistake.

But perhaps heaven favored him after all.

If I cannot harm her… then I will simply make her offer herself willingly.

A soft, satisfied laugh slipped from his lips.

Now, Raphael truly had no intention of harming her.

Instead of destroying her—

He would possess her.

“Yes… I’ll do it willingly.”

Like a lamb unaware of the slaughterhouse, the woman with an innocent face made yet another foolish choice in this life.

Just recalling Renée giving him the answer he desired made Raphael’s lips curl into a crooked grin.

In his hands was a written oath—signed in Renée’s blood.

A pact sealed tightly with black magic.

The very key to a new gameboard.

Raphael closed his eyes.

Not with sight—but with a sixth sense—he followed the flow of mana.

What he discovered shocked even him.

Renée’s mana heart was completely shattered.

It could not function at all.

In this life, she was an incomplete existence.

And although not as severely fractured—

The current Xavier was incomplete as well.

The incomplete pieces must be fused into one.

If he succeeded, an entirely new mana heart—perhaps greater than any before—would fall into his hands.

“I am truly looking forward to it…”

His finely sculpted lips curved smoothly.

And the place he had arrived at was—

“Gasp! It’s the High Priest!”

“My goodness! The missing High Priest is alive!”

“God hasn’t abandoned us!”

A vast underground clearing, as wide as the capital’s central plaza.

It was packed with refugees.

Families huddled together in fear—until they saw Raphael and erupted into relieved cries.

“High Priest! You’re safe!”

“Thank goodness… our god…”

In an instant, citizens gathered around him like a cloud.

Wearing the same benevolent smile, Raphael spread his arms.

“Citizens of the Empire… how frightened you must have been after such sudden tragedy. But now that I am here, rest assured.”

At his gentle tone, some even wiped tears from their faces.

But his next words stirred unrest.

“I see many of you are injured. Treatment must begin at once.”

“M-me! Please treat me first!”

“High Priest, my mother is worse!”

“Hey! I was here first—are you blind?!”

Those cornered by disaster clung to the High Priest’s miraculous “healing” as their only salvation.

Raphael watched quietly as those who had been comforting each other moments ago began snapping and pushing.

This is humanity’s ugliness.

Laughable.

“Do not worry. Everything will proceed in proper order.”

Though pouting, they watched each other warily.

“Brother.”

“Yes, High Priest.”

Two priests appeared behind him like shadows.

“Bring them to the ‘sanctuary’ one by one… and send half of them to the angels.”

“My goodness! Understood.”

With feverish devotion, the priests began lining up the unaware citizens.

“Now… do not fear. I will save you all.”

The day of judgment was approaching.

Raphael swallowed his laughter.

After Ternox’s hand touched Xavier’s heart—

“……!”

Those wide blue-violet eyes slid shut.

Ternox caught Xavier before he hit the floor and laid him gently on the drawing-room sofa.

The incomplete heart, overheated beyond its limits, needed time to cool.

And he still fought that griffin in this condition…

It was a miracle Xavier was alive at all.

He would never show weakness—but if he had pushed even slightly further, his heart would have stopped entirely.

He’ll rage when he wakes and finds we didn’t leave immediately… but what choice did I have?

Ternox used simple magic to cleanse the grime and tend the visible wounds.

Then he dropped onto the sofa beside him with a quiet sigh.

He was just as worried about Renée.

The moment Xavier woke, they would leave.

Knock. Knock.

A soft knock echoed through the drawing room.

The door opened quietly.

“Great dragon.”

It was Diana Celeste.

Ternox watched her calmly.

He had never openly declared his identity, yet the dignified old noblewoman bowed flawlessly, addressing him as dragon.

So Xavier did not inherit his grandmother’s instincts, it seems.

A faint snort escaped him.

He gestured to the seat opposite.

Diana sat with impeccable posture, her gaze resting on her unconscious grandson.

With his eyes closed, the Grand Duke looked almost peaceful.

“Is Xavier all right?” she asked.

“For now,” Ternox replied. “This is only emergency stabilization—not a permanent fix. If I hadn’t intervened, it would have been fatal.”

“This child’s heart has been fragile since birth,” Diana said softly. “Everyone was shocked he could even hold a sword… and yet he reached the realm of Swordmaster.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“He resembles someone.”

Thinking of an old friend, Ternox smiled faintly in return.

Then her expression hardened.

“And Renée?”

“We know where she is,” Ternox answered. “The moment Xavier wakes, we depart.”

He offered nothing more.

Diana did not press him.

A heavy silence settled between them.

Yet both were thinking the same thing.

As always—

They would do everything for these children.

Diana removed a ring from her finger and extended it.

Engraved upon it was the Celeste crest—a dragon entwined with a fortress wall.

“Long ago, our ancestors inherited your will,” Diana said quietly. “I believe in it as well.”

A storm of emotion flickered across Ternox’s face.

“Please… take care of the children.”

“As if I wouldn’t.”

He accepted the ring and nodded.

“Ugh…”

Not long after, Xavier’s eyes slowly opened.

His body felt lighter—like he had slept deeply.

Then—

Renée.

The thought struck like lightning.

Xavier jolted upright.

His gaze swept the room before landing on Diana.

“Grandmother? Why am I still here?”

“It’s time,” Ternox said, rising without hesitation.