The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 106
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
‘At this point, they need to disappear. They are becoming a hindrance to achieving my goals.’
Mikael looked down at the chessboard in front of him and swept all the pawns off the board.
Now, only the king and queen, rooks, knights, and bishops remained.
The king represented Igmeyer Niflheim. The queen symbolized Amber Shadroch.
The rook was the prince, the bishop was himself.
And the knight.
The knight that could turn the tide of the game was Iona.
Holding the knight, he fiddled with it for a while before placing it delicately on the cover of an old book.
The leather-bound cover bore no title or author’s name.
When opened, the scent of old dust and ancient ink wafted up, the contents written in an ancient language that only Mikael within the order could interpret.
Being the only one endowed with such brilliant intellect among the swine who merely squandered grain was, of course, expected. It was pitiful how the others failed to interpret the ancient language correctly.
Mikael had discovered this book a year ago.
As a high priest with free access to the church’s archives, Mikael had devoured numerous books that were only stored because no one else could read them, and during this time, he stumbled upon this particular volume.
‘The origin of the evil dragon Nidhogg. The true nature of the monster that defied the heavens. The Northerners are clueless about such a text. Since it’s the only copy, now only I know of its existence.’
So where does Nidhogg originate?
From deep despair and frustration. From unhealthy and unstable emotions festering into corruption.
In that stench-filled cesspool, the dragon is born.
Or should he say, awakens?
After all, Nidhogg is not just one entity.
“Monsters awakening through generations…”
Mikael opened his mouth wide in laughter.
So, may he live happily. May he love his wife enough to sacrifice his life for her.
After all, didn’t he engineer these crises to ensure that?
Annoying nuisances like the obnoxious Loki or the bothersome priests played their parts well. And Iona is fulfilling her role splendidly.
The priests, having only a limited understanding, were excellent pawns for manipulation.
Mikael was adept at weaving lies together to manipulate people.
“Concerning this woman Iona, should we not protect her? If indeed she carries the Grand Duke’s heir… until God clarifies why this has been ordained, we should protect her.”
As Mikael spoke these words, the priests readily agreed.
But was it really out of pure devotion that they decided to protect Iona?
The priests detested the godless Northerners to the point of trembling anger, especially Igmeyer Niflheim, who they despised as a lowly Northerner.
Therefore, by protecting Iona, the priests aimed to inflict harm upon his wife, the Grand Duchess.
Why harass his wife if they despise the Duke?
Isn’t it obvious?
Because of their nature: they act submissive to the powerful and aggressive towards the weak.
The Grand Duke is feared, so given the opportunity, the priests would quickly take the chance to torment the Grand Duchess.
Mikael had anticipated this, and it proved correct.
But Mikael did not want only this outcome from the situation.
‘Talk of protection, but deep down, these nobly born priests would treat Iona disdainfully.’
So, what would the Grand Duchess, undoubtedly a defender of the underdog, decide when she saw Iona’s plight?
‘She would choose to protect her. She has a clear sense of right and wrong and a strong character.’
It would have been easy to bring any woman forward, but choosing one falsely claiming pregnancy was specifically to lower the Grand Duchess’s guard.
If the Grand Duchess believed the woman posed a potential threat to her marriage, she would keep her distance. But if it’s a pregnant woman? She’d let her guard down, thinking her harmless.
‘And knowing it’s not her husband’s child, she would trust.’
Now, watch the board.
As the knight draws near to the king and queen.
By that point, the rook becomes unnecessary.
‘Just show that it was the prince who brought Iona.’
That would make it easy to eliminate the rook.
The unjust demise of the prince would inject despair and frustration into the castle.
‘I’ll place this dove-shaped brooch in the prince’s room.’
Mikael didn’t really think that the Grand Duke wouldn’t find Madame Etoile.
However, Mikael was very cautious by nature and had never revealed his face or identity.
Therefore, the only information Etoile could provide was about the brooch he wore on his chest.
With clear evidence emerging, even if the prince denies it, the Grand Duke’s sword would be unavoidable.
‘After disposing of Loki, the naively kind-hearted Grand Duchess would pity Iona even more and keep her close.’
That much was anticipated.
What came next was crucial.
The role of the knight, now stationed beside the queen.
“For a world pleasing in the sight of God.”
Mikael murmured softly and, enjoying the sound of the rain, strolled to the window with his hands clasped behind his back.
After he was ready to stain his hands with blood, he would become a prophet of the new world.
Indeed, there seemed to be no other way to carve out this corrupt world.
