"Lady Violetta!"
Damian's voice rang through the audience chamber.
"Step back!"
"Relax, Partner."
I waved him off.
"We can solve this through civilized conversation."
Ignoring the spearheads pointed at me, I calmly walked toward the Imperial Throne.
The Imperial Guards immediately shouted.
"Stop!"
"One more step and we'll strike!"
I didn't even blink.
Instead, I stared straight at Archbishop Cassius.
"Your Grace."
I smiled.
"You claim I'm possessed by a demon?"
"Indeed!"
The archbishop pointed dramatically.
"I can sense evil emanating from your eyes!"
"Hmm."
I tilted my head.
"Really?"
Then my smile widened.
"Because from where I'm standing..."
I pointed toward him.
"...your shoulders look much heavier than mine."
Before he could respond, I turned toward the Emperor.
"And Your Majesty."
I pointed directly at his neck.
"Have your shoulders been unusually stiff lately?"
The Emperor froze.
The giant centipede wrapped around his neck twitched nervously.
"Do you suffer from nightmares every night?"
His eyes widened.
"Do you hear whispers in your ears when no one is there?"
The centipede writhed.
The Emperor's face turned pale.
"H-How..."
He stared at me.
"How could you possibly know that?"
I grinned.
"Because there's a revolting parasite attached to your neck."
"...What?"
The Emperor blinked.
"A parasite?"
"What nonsense!"
Cassius exploded.
"This insolent woman has finally gone mad!"
He pointed at me furiously.
"Kill her!"
His voice cracked.
"Kill that lunatic immediately!"
The guards surged forward.
Damian moved at once.
"No!"
He launched himself toward me.
At the same time, I lifted the hem of my dress.
A collapsible baton slid from the holster strapped to my thigh.
Snap!
The sections locked into place.
"Etiquette?"
I snorted.
"Does etiquette pay the bills?"
The first guard thrust his spear.
I knocked it aside with my baton and leaped.
My target wasn't the guards.
It was Archbishop Cassius.
And the centipede connected to the Emperor's neck.
"Partner!"
I shouted.
"Cover me!"
For half a second Damian froze.
Then—
"Dammit!"
He cursed and charged straight into the guards barehanded.
Meanwhile, I sprinted directly toward the throne.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Cassius stumbled backward.
"Guards! Stop her!"
I ignored him.
The Emperor shrank into his throne as I approached.
Terror filled his eyes.
"Your Majesty."
I raised the baton.
"This might sting a little."
I smiled brightly.
"It's part of the treatment."
Then I swung.
Not at the Emperor's head.
At the enormous centipede attached to the back of it.
"Get off him, you parasite!"
CRACK—!
The baton swept past the Emperor's ear by less than an inch.
Then smashed directly into the centipede's skull.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEE—!"
The creature unleashed a shriek powerful enough to rupture eardrums.
It tore free from the Emperor's neck.
At the same moment, the Emperor doubled over.
"Ghk—!"
A violent gasp escaped him.
He collapsed forward.
"Your Majesty!"
Panic erupted throughout the chamber.
Everyone believed they had just witnessed me assaulting the Emperor.
Then—
Black smoke poured from the Emperor's mouth.
Cough after cough.
Thick.
Dark.
Corrupted.
Behind the throne, something began crawling across the floor.
A massive shadow.
A centipede-shaped mass of demonic energy.
Its head had been shattered by my strike.
Yet it still writhed desperately.
"W-What is that?!"
"The shadow is moving!"
Ordinary people couldn't see the actual spirit.
But because I'd struck it directly, the demonic energy had partially materialized.
The wounded creature desperately tried to crawl back toward its master.
Toward Cassius.
"Oh no you don't."
I vaulted over the throne.
Then stomped directly onto the fleeing centipede.
The creature screeched.
I looked up.
Straight at the Archbishop.
"Well."
I twirled the baton.
"Now it's the main body's turn."
Cassius's face twisted.
"You..."
His voice trembled.
"What are you?"
Behind him, a massive demonic figure emerged.
A monstrous creature with enormous jaws and burning eyes.
It loomed protectively over its host.
I simply tapped my baton against my palm.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Smiling.
"I already told everyone."
My gaze drifted briefly toward Damian.
He was currently wrestling multiple Imperial Guards with his bare hands.
His silver hair was a mess.
His blue eyes radiated equal parts concern and exhausted resignation.
The expression practically screamed:
"What am I supposed to do with this woman?"
I pointed my baton at Cassius.
"I'm just a cleaner."
Then I grabbed the Archbishop by the collar.
"Your Grace."
I smiled sweetly.
"If you're supposed to be a servant of the gods..."
I yanked him closer.
"...shouldn't raising demons count as a violation of church doctrine?"
"L-Let me go!"
Cassius shrieked.
"I am the Holy Archbishop!"
"Holy?"
I laughed.
"That's a good one."
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small pouch.
Salt.
I had brought it with me specifically for situations like this.
Then I threw it directly into his face.
"Eat salt, you fraud."
"AAAAAAAH!"
The mixture of salt, holy energy, and my spiritual power struck him.
Smoke erupted instantly.
His skin began sizzling as though acid had been poured over it.
The audience chamber fell silent.
The situation had completely reversed.
The Emperor had regained clarity.
The most powerful churchman in the Empire was currently screaming while dangling from my grip.
And Damian—
Damian had placed a hand over his face.
Slowly.
Painfully.
As if he were developing a headache.
"...Naturally."
He sighed.
"The cleanup falls to me."
The disturbance in the Imperial Audience Chamber wasn't merely a scandal.
It was the moment a blade pierced the heart of the darkness consuming the Empire.
"Khm..."
Emperor Ludwig III slowly rose from his throne.
The change was obvious.
Only moments ago, his eyes had been dull and lifeless.
Now they shone with clarity.
Color had returned to his face.
He looked like a man who had finally taken a full breath after years of suffocation.
Which, technically, wasn't far from the truth.
I'd just removed a giant spiritual parasite from his neck.
The chief chamberlain practically screamed.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
He rushed forward.
"Are you unharmed?"
Then he pointed at me.
"That insane woman attacked the Emperor!"
"We must execute her at once—"
"Enough."
The Emperor's voice cut through the chamber.
Silence followed immediately.
He slowly rubbed his neck.
Then fixed the chamberlain with an icy stare.
"Tell me."
His voice was calm.
"Did it appear to you that this young lady attacked me?"
The chamberlain paled.
"Y-Your Majesty?"
"Because from my perspective..."
The Emperor's gaze shifted toward me.
"...she just freed me from a nightmare that has strangled me for years."
The room went silent.
"But, Your Majesty—"
"I said enough."
The Emperor's voice hardened.
"Stand down."
Then he pointed toward Cassius.
The Archbishop was sprawled across the floor, half his face burned and twisted by salt and holy power.
"Arrest that criminal."
Cassius's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
He struggled.
"I'm innocent!"
"That witch used dark magic—"
"Silence, Cassius."
The Emperor's voice thundered.
For the first time, genuine fury burned in his eyes.
"At last I remember."
His fists clenched.
"The so-called holy water you fed me."
"The whispers you poured into my ears every night."
"The curses."
His gaze became murderous.
"You dared turn your Emperor into a puppet?"
The Imperial Guards immediately changed sides.
Within seconds, they swarmed the Archbishop.
Cassius screamed as they dragged him away.
"This isn't over!"
He thrashed wildly.
"He will come!"
The room froze.
"When the Northern Rift opens—"
A gag was shoved into his mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The guards hauled him away.
I narrowed my eyes.
The Northern Rift?
So that's it.
Cassius wasn't the final boss.
Just a middle manager.
The real mastermind was still out there.
Interesting.
Once the commotion finally settled, Emperor Ludwig descended from the throne.
Damian immediately tried to kneel.
The Emperor stopped him with a gesture.
Instead, he walked directly toward me.
Then looked down.
Not at me.
At the baton in my hand.
"You're a daughter of House Eberhardt, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I instantly hid the baton behind my back.
Then bowed politely.
"My name is Violetta."
The Emperor burst out laughing.
A genuine laugh.
Loud and hearty.
"Remarkable."
He shook his head.
"An aristocratic lady who beats an Archbishop unconscious and swings an iron rod at the Emperor's head."
Another laugh.
"I doubt the Empire has ever seen your equal."
"My apologies."
I bowed again.
"The treatment was rather urgent."
"Treatment."
The Emperor chuckled.
"Indeed."
His smile widened.
"A very effective treatment."
Then his expression turned serious.
"You saved my life."
He looked directly at me.
"I wish to reward you."
Jewels.
Territory.
Titles.
His voice carried the weight of absolute authority.
"What do you desire?"
I felt my eyes sparkle.
Finally.
The reward phase.
I glanced sideways.
Damian was already staring at me.
His expression clearly said:
"Please don't ask for anything ridiculous."
Unfortunately for him—
I had plans.
"Your Majesty."
I raised three fingers.
"I want three things."
The Emperor laughed.
"Three?"
He looked amused.
"Greedy, aren't you?"
"Let's hear them."
I raised my first finger.
"First."
"I want my freedom."
The room stirred.
"I request complete independence from House Eberhardt."
My smile vanished.
"I'm never returning to that family."
The Emperor nodded immediately.
"Granted."
"That's easy enough."
"The second?"
I raised another finger.
"I want the position of Special Imperial Inspector."
Whispers erupted around the chamber.
Imperial Inspectors possessed enormous authority.
They could investigate nobles.
Officials.
Corruption.
Almost anyone.
The Emperor blinked.
"You?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"But I require full discretion."
Then—
I pulled out the baton again.
The room collectively groaned.
"I need authorization to investigate according to my own methods."
The Emperor stared.
I lifted the baton slightly.
"Anyone who looks evil to me."
I smiled.
"No matter their rank."
"Needs to be disciplinable with this."
Silence.
Then—
The Emperor burst into laughter again.
"Hahahahaha!"
He nearly doubled over.
"Punishing evil with a club?"
Another laugh.
"Magnificent."
He slapped his knee.
"I like it."
Then he straightened.
His voice became formal.
"From this day forward."
"I appoint you Special Imperial Inspector for Anti-Demonic Affairs."
Gasps echoed throughout the chamber.
The Emperor removed a ceremonial dagger from his belt.
An Imperial insignia gleamed upon its sheath.
He handed it directly to me.
"This symbol bears my authority."
His eyes sharpened.
"To oppose you is to oppose the Emperor."
I accepted it instantly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Perfect.
I had just acquired a legal license for violence.
"And the third reward?"
The Emperor folded his arms.
"What is your final request?"
I cleared my throat.
This was the important one.
The truly essential reward.
"Cash."
Silence.
"...What?"
"Cash."
I nodded seriously.
"Preferably a lump-sum payment."
The Emperor stared.
The ministers stared.
The nobles stared.
Everyone had expected power.
Prestige.
Influence.
Not this.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damian slowly cover his face again.
Honestly, I didn't understand the confusion.
Justice was wonderful.
But financial security was motivational.
"...."
The Emperor rubbed his forehead.
Then sighed.
"At least you're honest."
A reluctant smile appeared.
"You did save my life."
He waved a hand.
"I'll make it worth your while."
The court held its breath.
The Emperor smiled.
"Open the Imperial Treasury."
Then he declared:
"I award Lady Violetta one hundred thousand gold coins."
For a moment—
I forgot how to breathe.
One hundred thousand.
Gold.
Coins.
It was enough money to live comfortably for several lifetimes.
I somehow managed not to grin like a maniac.
Barely.
With tremendous effort, I bowed.
Very respectfully.
While internally screaming with joy.