I stopped precisely in the center of the obsidian floor, the cold gaze of the entire royal court pinned to my back. Up close, the sheer presence of the rulers was suffocating.
The King leaned forward, his heavy golden crown catching the candle fire as he spoke with absolute authority.
"I am King Aulus Caria, and beside me sits Queen Aqua Caria. We have watched the reports of your bloody trail through the underworld with great interest, bounty hunter. Did you… "
The King paused, waiting for me to bow or offer the standard, groveling pleasantries expected of a commoner in the high court. I remained completely motionless, my lone right eye staring blankly through the slits of my calcified bone mask. I couldn't utter a single syllable; the jagged, ruined stump inside my mouth couldn't form words.
Sensing the growing, awkward tension in the room, the King's royal apprentice quickly stepped forward from the shadows of the throne, bowing deeply to the monarch.
"Forgive the breach of protocol, Lord Aulus, but the hunter cannot answer you. She is entirely mute."
King Aulus raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze shifting from the apprentice back to my masked face, processing the tactical reality of the legendary executioner standing before him.
The King nodded slowly, a deep, resonant hum vibrating in his chest.
"Mute… a hunter who cannot speak, yet lets her weapons do the talking. Perhaps that is why the shadows of the underworld never saw you coming."
He gestured to the Luminous Commander standing behind me, who still held the heavy, blood-stained cloth bundle containing the green-haired head of Cameron Gal.
"Tell me, Eirene Rynd, how does a lone, broken commoner single-handedly hunt down the most terrifying S-rank monsters on our registry? Speak to us through your actions… show us the proof of your absolute victory over the Immoral Knights." King Aulus continued, his eyes narrowing with intense curiosity.
I kept my composure, refusing to let the heavy atmosphere of the royal court disrupt my calculated focus. To ensure my high-tier vampire traits remained completely hidden from the elite paladins and the anti-magic sensing arrays lining the throne room, I refrained from using any baseline blood magic.
Instead, I channeled a microscopic spark of mana into my golden Inventory Ring.
FIP.
With a subtle shimmer of distorted space, the leather purse I had carried out of Chief Anton's office a month ago materialized out of thin air. The sudden manifestation caused a few nearby noblemen to whisper in surprise, but to the higher-ups of the Bureau, it was just the standard utility of a high-ranking vanguard hunter.
Using my single, remaining right hand, I deftly strapped the purse over my forearm. I reached inside, pulled out a small charcoal pencil and a clean scrap of parchment, and began to write with fluid, rapid strokes. My handwriting was sharp and mechanical… the product of a mind that prioritized cold efficiency over poetic flair.
Once finished, I stepped forward and extended my right arm, holding the note out toward the King's apprentice.
The apprentice blinked, quickly stepping down from the raised quartz dais to take the parchment from my scarred fingers. He bowed gracefully to the monarchs, cleared his throat, and began to read my written words aloud to King Aulus and Queen Aqua:
"The head of Cameron Gal is at your feet. The high healer Lara Meyer is bound and currently en route to the deep cells of the Dodorant Citadel to face lifelong containment. The Immoral Knights' fortress of Rebelbub Castle has been completely neutralized. The threat to Caria City is dismantled. I am here only to collect the S-rank bounty: the ten gold coins and the deed to the promised manor."
The grand throne room fell completely silent as the apprentice finished reading. The ruthless, mute commoner had laid out her terms plainly before the crown, completely bypassing the royal pleasantries. I stood perfectly still, my single right eye locked onto King Aulus through the bone mask, waiting for the monarchs to fulfill the prophecy Anton had warned me about.
The apprentice walked back up the quartz steps, where King Aulus fetched a heavy, velvet-wrapped bundle from a gilded chest beside the throne. With a respectful nod, the apprentice turned, descended the stairs, and presented the bundle to me.
I opened it with my remaining hand. Inside, ten massive, solid gold coins gleamed under the floating magical candles… a true king's ransom. I calmly slid the heavy coins into my leather purse, the metallic clinking echoing satisfyingly in the silent room.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
King Aulus began to applaud, the slow, rhythmic sound picked up by the surrounding noblemen and Luminous higher-ups.
"Superb work, Eirene Rynd, your relentless hunting has systematically purged the greatest evils from our borders, keeping this country safe from absolute ruin." the King announced, his voice filled with genuine appreciation.
Queen Aqua leaned forward, her elegant posture radiating a softer but no less intense power.
"The crown owes you a debt that gold alone cannot fully repay. As promised. But beyond that, the kingdom will grant you a personal request. Tell us, hunter, what do you desire?"
My mind immediately shifted to the silent reality developing beneath my scarred abdomen. In a matter of months, the demonic, S-rank bloodline of Cameron Gal would make me a mother. If the Bureau or the remaining rebels ever discovered that the Crimson Phantom was raising the heir to the Immoral Knights, my child would be hunted, weaponized, or executed. I needed an absolute, ironclad exit strategy to keep them safe from any harm whatsoever.
I raised my right hand and gave a sharp, commanding wave to the King's apprentice, signaling him to come back down. It was a blunt, borderline rude gesture in front of royalty, but for a mute, battle-hardened commoner who had just saved the realm, the court was willing to overlook my lack of etiquette.
The apprentice quickly scurried back over with his inkpot. I took the charcoal pencil and firmly wrote my terms on the notepad:
"Grant me absolute anonymity. Erase my true files and hide my identity under the custody of one of my siblings, except Evelyn, so the Bureau cannot track my movements. Furthermore, I will officially resign from bounty hunting in exactly three months."
Three months. It was the exact amount of time I needed to tie up loose ends, let the heat from the rebellion die down, and safely transition into hiding before my pregnancy began to visibly show through my clothing.
The apprentice read the note silently to himself, his eyes widening slightly at the request for total erasure, before turning to present the written terms to the King and Queen. I stood perfectly still in the center of the obsidian floor, my single eye locked onto the monarchs, waiting for the final signature that would secure my child's future.